Flowering the Decembrist flower at home – how to multiply, transplant

The Decembrist, sometimes referred to as the Christmas cactus, is a well-liked houseplant that is appreciated for its stunning, vivid winter blooms. When most other plants are dormant, this one can thrive and add color to your home with the right care.

The ability to propagate a Decembrist is one of its many benefits; it lets you grow new plants or share them with friends. It’s an easy process that guarantees your home will always have a live Decembrist.

Maintaining the Decembrist’s health also requires transplanting it, particularly as it gets bigger and requires more room. Understanding when and how to transplant it will enable the plant to produce flowers every year.

It’s crucial to know how to propagate and transplant Decembrist flowers correctly if you want to grow and take care of one at home. Cuttings of the Decembrist, commonly called the Christmas cactus, are readily propagated and should be planted in well-draining soil. Repotting on a regular basis promotes healthy growth, but caution must be used to avoid damaging the roots. When given the correct circumstances—a stable environment, regular watering, and moderate sunlight—the Decembrist will reward you with colorful blooms for the holidays.

How to care

Although the Decembrist is a modest flower, the conditions should be comfortable when it leaves.

Lighting

It is best to provide bright, diffused light or light partial shade. The flower should be positioned so that the sun is shining at an oblique angle. Plan for direct radiation shading to prevent burns.

Protection is required in the afternoon (between 12 and 16 hours) from March to August. The flower is shaded from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from January to March. Direct sunshine isn’t frightening the rest of the time.

If trees are planted close to the window, there is no need to shade them from the time the leaves bloom until they fall.

Suggestion: For sun protection, using a double mosquito net is practical.

Watering

Keep the soil from drying out and compacting into a lump. Moisture stagnation is dangerous as well because it causes the root system to rot. Water generously every three to five days during the summer (as the top layer of soil dries out).

It should be slightly warmer in the water. Water once a week as the colder months (October through December) approach. Irrigation is done after the buds are tied, exactly like it is in the summer. Water once every fourteen days after flowering is finished.

Optimal humidity

Both too little and too much moisture are intolerable to the plant. Forty percent is the typical indicator for growth and flowering. As long as the column stays above +16°, spraying is advised in the summer and winter.

Optimal temperature

Schlumbergera is stored at room temperature, not to exceed +27°C, from May to September. The plant can be moved to the balcony when fall’s natural cooling begins.

It needs 11 to 12 degrees of heat during this time. A rigorous temperature regime is followed when buds appear, ranging from +15°C at night to +20°C during the day.

Suitable soil

The soil’s capacity to pass oxygen and quickly absorb moisture are essential for this plant. For the Decembrist, a ready-made cactus substrate with a high humus content works well.

The following components are combined in equal parts to prepare the soil:

• sand (coarse-grained) or perlite;
• turf;
• leaf soil;
• peat.

The Christmas cactus needs drainage, just like any other cactus. Red brick pieces, tiny crushed stone, and expanded clay can all be used to make it. Use eggshells or polystyrene as a last resort.

Recommendation: amend the soil or drainage with tiny pieces of charcoal. Better than other types is birch.

Fertilizer

There isn’t much more nutrition that the plant needs. If fertilization is done, it is done 1-2 times per month during the growing season, which roughly spans April through August.

Following that, fertilizer application is stopped until the buds are tied. Give the plant four weeks off after flowering, then fertilize again as needed.

Cactus fertilizers that are already made work well with the Decembrist. Universal plant compositions are also appropriate for ornamental plants.

Pest control

The flower dekabrina is highly pest-resistant. However, earthworms, mealybugs, spider mites, nematodes, thrips, and aphids can occasionally affect it. Problems most frequently occur when the plant is kept outdoors in the summer or in a greenhouse.

In order to repel earthworms, induce an oxygen shortage. For ten to twenty minutes, the pot is submerged in water in a container. To avoid suffocating, the pest will be compelled to crawl to the surface. The worms are then manually eliminated. The process is done three times a month on average.

Cypermethrin-containing insecticides are the most effective against mealybugs. The solution’s concentration is 3.75% during the first treatment.

The cactus generously sprays liquid on its aboveground portion. At least three procedures are performed, separated by ten days. The concentration of the solution decreases by 10% after each treatment.

To combat thrips, specific methods are employed, such as phytoverm. Insecticide treatment or irrigation with a laundry soap solution (about 20 g per liter of water) both eliminate aphids.

Regretfully, in the event that the plant becomes infected with nematodes, there is no viable means of managing their infestation. It is advised to remove the substrate and cactus.

Pruning

Once flowering is complete, pruning takes place. In addition to giving the bush a pleasing shape, it will reinforce the root structure and increase the thickness of the bush.

A knife or a pair of sharp scissors are used for the procedure. At the point where the shoot thins and its segments join, sections are formed.

Suggestion: Apply wood or crushed activated carbon to the wounds to hasten the healing process.

How to propagate Decembrist at home

Vegetatively propagated plants have won the hearts of many people. It doesn’t require any special equipment and is quick and simple. Among these species is the Decembrist cactus, which is propagated at home using cuttings. It is preferable to do it in the summer or spring.

Keep in mind that young plates are inappropriate. After removing them, the appropriate seedlings are gathered. Using scissors or just unscrewing them will allow you to separate the cuttings from the stem. After that, they are arranged in the air in the shade.

In one to two days, the wound ought to dry out. Aerial roots start to show during this period. Get ready a special planting mixture:

• vermiculite;
• charcoal;
• leaf humus.

It is imperative to uphold the 1:1:2 ratio. Cuttings can be rooted by submerging them two thirds of the way in soil in disposable cups.

Transplantation

Every year, the Decembrist is transplanted (in the case of young plants). In situations where the cactus is growing quickly, you may need to use it more frequently. Replanting old Christmas cacti is necessary every three to four years in order to fully replenish the substrate.

It is preferable to switch the pot from early autumn to midsummer. Give the cactus a trim before transplanting. Cut off as much as half of the shoots. Select a shallow, wide pot that is no more than 10% bigger than the one before it.

Crucial: the Christmas cactus container’s material has no bearing on the plant’s capacity to hold moisture in the soil, but it does. It evaporates more quickly in ceramics, and if plastic is frequently watered, it may rot.

It’s critical to comprehend the fundamental requirements of the Decembrist flower in order to cultivate and appreciate its lovely blooms at home. It can be made to grow and bloom throughout the winter with the right lighting, watering, and fertilization schedule.

Both cuttings and division are useful techniques for propagation that let you easily grow new plants or give them to others. By giving the plant fresh soil and more room for its roots, regular repotting—which typically occurs every two to three years—helps the plant maintain healthy growth.

You can enjoy the vibrant flowers of the Decembrist for many years to come if you follow these easy care instructions. This plant can add color to your indoor garden with a little perseverance and work.

Video on the topic

Decembrist (Schlumbergera). Transplantation, pruning, propagation by cuttings

Reproduction of Schlumbergera. How to propagate Decembrist.

TRANSPLANTING Decembrist. How to properly transplant Schlumbergera. When a transplant is needed!

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