The Decembrist (Schlumbergera) is popular among indoor flower lovers. This is due to its unpretentious care and abundant flowering in the winter, when many plants go to rest. But if the red and pink look of the Decembrist can be seen in almost everyone, then the yellow tint is rare. But thanks to selection, it was possible to develop such a variety, therefore, we will consider the most popular variety of yellow Decembrist Gold Charm and get acquainted with how easy it is to care for and what is necessary for its magnificent flowering.
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Decembrist Gold Charm is the first yellow plant variety. This species was obtained through the efforts of the American breeder R. L. Cobia in the 80s of the last century. The complexity of the breeding was that in nature there are species with an orange-red hue, but with yellow - not.
First of all, species with a predominance of yellow over red were selected, since the orange color is a combination of red and yellow. As a result, about 50 thousand seeds were obtained. But only 1 plant of them had a yellowish color, although the bush itself was very weak.
To fix this, the plant was re-crossed, but with a white variety of culture, characterized by a strong skeleton and a long flowering period. Of the 150 resulting specimens, only 1 flower had a pale yellow color, but the bush was well formed and had strong shoots. It was this plant that became the basis of the Gold Charm variety.
Description of the Yellow Decembrist
Schlumbergera, or Decembrist, refers to forest cacti-epiphytes. Therefore, it receives many nutrients and moisture from the air.
The height of the plant reaches 40 cm. Its drooping shoots are connected segments 4-7 cm long. The shape of the bush allows you to grow yellow Decembrists in hanging flower pots. The shoots of the plant are a saturated green shade, dense structure, with soft teeth on top. On the surface of the shoots there are small hairs that help the plant to receive additional nutrition from the air.
Yellow Decembrist flowers are formed on apical shoots. They are multi-tiered tubules with long stamens at the end. The general shade of flowers is sandy yellow, and the stamens are bright pink.
The flowering period lasts from 30 to 50 days, it depends on the correct care throughout the year. Therefore, so that the flower blooms profusely from year to year, you should familiarize yourself with its periods of vegetation and dormancy.
Schlumbergera (Decembrist): home care
The whole year for the plant is divided into 4 main stages. Each of them is characterized by its own characteristics, so it is worth considering them when growing yellow Decembrist.
1st stage - active growing season. It lasts from March to September. At this time, the plant is abundantly growing new segments on the shoots. For this, air circulation and light partial shade are important.
2nd stage - the first period of rest. It lasts from September to October. During this time, the buds are laid, so it is recommended to moderate watering, slightly lower the temperature of the content. Some gardeners recommend watering during this period with tea, which improves the laying of buds.
3rd stage - flowering period. At this time, it is important that the flower is on the windowsill, it cannot damage the rare rays of the sun during this period, but light is very necessary. At this time, the plant needs abundant watering and fertilizing. It is also not recommended to rearrange or rotate the Decembrist pot during the entire flowering period, as this can provoke the discharge of buds.
4th stage - the second period of rest. After flowering, the plant regains its strength and tunes in to vegetation. Rest lasts from February to the second half of March. Therefore, during this period it is necessary to reduce watering and provide a light partial shade to the flower.
Knowing the annual cycles of the plant, it is necessary to study the rules of home care for the Decembrist (Schlumberger) in these periods.
Features of watering
The Decembrist is equally poorly tolerated as a lack of moisture, and excessive moisture. Therefore, it is important to provide it with water in the required amount, depending on the phase of growth and development of the bush.
During the period of active growth and flowering, you need to water the plant regularly so that the soil in the pot does not dry out. To do this, use soft defended water with a temperature of + 18-20 ° C. It is better to water the yellow Decembrist more often, but little by little (1 time in 3 days), since the root system is small.
During dormancy, watering the plants should be limited to 1 time in 7-10 days, but the topsoil in the pot should have time to dry out.
On hot summer days, the shoots of the Decembrist must be sprayed daily, otherwise this can lead to drying out of the segments and their subsequent deformation.
Content temperature
During active growth and flowering of the bush, the optimum temperature of the content is daytime - + 20-24 ° C, and at night - + 15-18 ° C.
During the rest period, the temperature should be between + 10-18 ° C. A gradual decrease in temperature to + 5-8 ° C does not harm the plant, provided that it is short-lived.
Lighting
For full growth, the yellow Decembrist needs diffused light, so it is not necessary to grow it on the windowsill, but can be placed in the back of the room, but so that direct sunlight does not fall on the plant.
During the first dormant period, when the flower is preparing for flowering, it is necessary to artificially shorten the daylight hours. To do this, in the evening it should be covered with an opaque cloth or closed in a dark room. This will form more buds.
In the warm season, it is recommended to put the flower pot on the loggia or balcony in a shaded place, this will improve the growth of young shoots. It is necessary to place the plant away from drafts.
Top dressing
During the period of active vegetation, a forest cactus needs nitrogen fertilizers. But at the same time, the dosage of the drug should be reduced by 2 times from that indicated in the annotation. The frequency of feeding is 1 time in 2-3 weeks.
During preparation for flowering, yellow Decembrist should be fertilized with preparations with a high content of potassium and phosphorus. In this case, you can use eggshell. It should be soaked in 1 liter of water and incubated for 24 hours. After that, use a solution for watering the plant. The frequency of feeding during this period is 1 time in 2 weeks.
Excessive fertilizer adversely affects flowering and bush development.
Transfer
It is necessary to transplant a young bush of yellow Decembrist annually in the spring, as the shoots grow. An adult plant needs a transplant once every 2-3 years.
To plant a forest cactus, it is necessary to prepare the soil with the addition of sand, which eliminates the stagnation of moisture in the soil. For these purposes, you can buy it in a specialized store, choosing a substrate for cacti. And if necessary, you can cook it yourself at home.
The soil for transplanting yellow Decembrist should consist of the following components:
- 2 parts of turf land;
- 1 part of sand;
- 1 part of deciduous soil;
- 1 part perlite;
- 1 part peat.
A new pot for the plant should be selected 2-3 cm wider than the previous one. Put drainage with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm on its bottom. It is recommended that the transplant be carried out by the method of transshipment, without removing the soil from the roots, but only filling the voids formed with a new substrate.
Pruning and reproduction
To form a lush bush, it is necessary to shorten the main shoots by 2-3 segments each spring. This will allow the plant to form lateral processes, which will significantly increase the decorativeness and the number of buds during the flowering period. In addition, all broken and deformed branches should be removed, leaving strong and promising.
Cut segments during anti-aging pruning can be used for propagation. To do this, they need to be planted 2-3 pieces in 1 pot, pour with a solution of “Kornevin” and put in a warm place (+ 22-25 ° C).
After 3-4 weeks, the roots will appear in the segments. Transplant one-year plants in separate containers should be in the spring.
Diseases and Pests
A Decembrist with yellow flowers is also susceptible to disease and can suffer from pests, like other varieties of the plant.
The need for processing can be determined by the following characteristic features:
- rusty, yellow, black spots on the shoots;
- causeless falling of apical segments, buds, flowers;
- decay of shoots at the base.
The plant is affected by a spider mite, scabies and mealybug. To control pests, it is recommended to carry out complex treatment of the bush: spraying with Fitoverm and watering with Aktara. After a week, treatment should be repeated. The appearance of harmful insects on the Decembrist is an indicator of increased temperature, lack of sufficient watering, and low air humidity.
Of the fungal diseases, the plant most often suffers from fusarium, late blight and brown rot. Their appearance indicates excessive watering, cold content. To eliminate the disease, it is necessary to spray the shoots with "Fitosporin", "Quadris". Treatment should be repeated every 10 days until the painful symptoms disappear.
General care rules
In order for the yellow Decembrist to fully grow and bloom profusely, it is necessary to observe simple rules:
- During the formation of buds, the pot cannot be rearranged and rotated.
- It is not recommended to allow sudden changes in temperature, a decrease or increase should be gradual.
- The pot should be selected narrow.
- After a period of rest, watering should not be sharply increased.
- Cutting cuttings for propagation during flowering of the bush is not recommended, as this will weaken it.
- Compliance with the cycles of dormancy and growth allows the plant to bloom 2 times throughout the year: in December and in May.
Adhering to the recommendations for home care, Schlumberger (Decembrist) will delight with lush flowering annually. This flower belongs to the category of plants that do not require special attention. Therefore, it is suitable not only for experienced gardeners, but also for beginners.