After being a bit out of favor for a long time, the houseplants are back and they are getting the appreciation they deserve. For a long time the windowsill plants had been replaced by some large plants in the house.
The “revival” started a bit with the arrival of the increasingly affordable butterfly orchid (Phalaenopsis). Houseplants with distinctive foliage are popular now, but a group of plants that are very popular with a whole new generation of plant enthusiasts are the succulent and the cactus.
Their popularity is partly due to the relatively easy maintenance and the wide variety of appearance and colors. With good maintenance, the reward is often a beautiful bloom. Some bloom profusely and others spoil with a beautiful single flower.
Keeping plants does mean that you delve a little into the wishes of the plants you purchase. Plants are simply not disposable items and deserve to be cared for with respect!
Keeping, Caring For And Propagating Plants Can Be Highly Addictive
The cactus comes in all shapes and sizes. There are some with a creeping or trailing habit, while others grow straight up. You have them with hairy or spiky cylindrical columns, disk-shaped or with a sphere. Succulents also have a wide variety, some are grown for flowering and others for their shape or beautiful foliage. Often these leaves are in a rosette on succulents.
Succulents come in different colors and there are also succulents that are sprayed in a trendy color. So pay attention not everything is really original what you see today. You will therefore be surprised if your blue succulent plant suddenly shows its real color with new growth, so fake!
In general, most cacti and succulents need little water between autumn and early spring, when the plants are at rest, as it were. Some succulents are even frost resistant such as the Sempervivum. Just like the watering, the temperature can be lowered. A degree or 10 is more than enough for them. In summer, the cactus and succulents like a lot of sun.
Watering gradually increases from spring, but you never water much with these types of plants. The best growing conditions can differ per species, check the label or a good plant book for this.
Succulents can withstand dry living conditions because they have the ability to store water in their leaves. In the cactus the leaf has made way for the spines and hairs, yet they too can, as is known, store water well. The stems of the cactus are the place where photosynthesis takes place.
As with almost all houseplants, the cactus and the succulent are often supplied in small pots. Repotting in a size bigger (but not too big) often does them good and gives them the opportunity to grow further.
With many succulents, you can take small cuttings from the main plant during repotting. Plant these new cuttings/plants in small pots, this will benefit the flowering. Not all cactus cuttings flower in the early years. The following varieties also flower as young plants; Echinops, Lobivia, Mammilaria and Rebutia.