How to understand why a cactus turns yellow, and is it dangerous?

Cactus can not be called a moody plant, but it also requires care and attention from the grower.

Without proper care, the flower ceases to bloom, begins to turn yellow. Basically, the causes of yellowing of the cactus lie in the wrong conditions of detention: lack of nutrients, change in irrigation regime.

Only compliance with all maintenance rules and timely prevention can prevent yellowing. If this has already happened, consider what to do with the cactus.

When is this the norm?

In some cases, yellowing is a completely normal process. For example, with age for cacti tend to be covered with cork. However, they turn yellow in the lower part of the stem. If there are no ulcers in this part of the plant, it does not become soft - there is no reason for concern (what if the cactus has become soft?).

In winter, the cactus may also turn yellow. This is due to a lack of lighting, and for winter it is a completely natural process. You can return the flower to decorativeness by lowering the temperature, limiting the irrigation mode and putting it in a brightly lit place.

Why can a plant turn yellow at the base?

Sometimes cacti change color for reasons that cannot be called the norm.

Unaccustomed to the sun cactus can easily get burns from direct contact with the rays. If water (especially cold) gets on the flower, it may react with brown spots and yellowness. The cactus may turn yellow from exposure to drafts, as well as due to a deficiency of nutrients in the soil.

When for some reason a cactus changes color from below, above the neck of the root, it does not bode well. If the softening of the stem is observed at the same time, or if the flower turns yellow on one side and is covered with black spots on the other, this means that the root has been flooded with water and the process of decay is underway. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to save the flower.

Causes of the problem

If you know why the flower turned yellow below or elsewhere, it is easier to decide what to do in this case.

Feeding required

For quality development, cactus is required:

• potassium;
• nitrogen;
• phosphorus;
• calcium.

In particular, shoots lose their normal color due to a lack of potassium. This trace element also positively affects:

• healthy growth;
• cactus fortress;
• strengthens their immunity.

Important! Potassium is neutralized by calcium, so a balance must be maintained in the ratio of these trace elements.

So, for feeding we need salt:

• potassium;
• calcium
• nitrogen;
• and phosphorus.

1. Fertilizing is possible only during the period of cactus growth. It is strictly forbidden to feed a sleeping flower or a flower with a damaged root! Also, do not fertilize the soil immediately after transplanting and rooting the cactus.
2. Help flower and watering with a solution of trace elements. Salts are dissolved in warm boiled, thawed or rainwater (temperature from 30 to 35 ° C). The resulting cactus solution should be watered in the daytime or in the evening, preferably in cloudy weather.

   Before watering and after top dressing, the soil should remain moist. A day after feeding, morning and evening, the cactus should be sprinkled with water.

It is best to feed yourself. Specialists do not recommend the use of ready-made mixtures, since they contain too much nitrogen. The most useful for a cactus will be a solution with such a composition of trace elements:

• potassium - 38%;
• phosphorus - 16%;
• nitrogen - 5.6%.

An effective mixture prepared at home, with the following composition:

• 2.5 liters of water;
• 0.5 g of calcium sulfate;
• 1 g of potassium nitrate;
• 0.25 g of iron sulfate;
• 0.25 g of superphosphate.

For 1 liter of water you need to take 1 g of this composition. Watering them cacti is recommended in early spring, once a week for a month.

After the plants enter the flowering period, they are fertilized with potassium phosphate (1 g of potassium per liter of water).

Need a change in another ground

If the cactus has long grown in a pot with the same substrate, it may wrinkle, slow down in growth, lose elasticity and color of the epidermis. This means that the time has come to transplant the flower into a new soil.

In order to remove the cactus from the pot without damaging the hands, you can use special forceps. They are suitable for small items. Large cacti can be wrapped several times with a folded newspaper or in foam rubber.

Holding the flower this way, you need:

1. turn the pot over and knock on its bottom;
2. after the plant with a lump of earth is removed, carefully clean the roots of the old soil;
3. then let the cactus “rest” in a warm place, in an empty container for a day or two.

For the transplant itself, it is best to use purchased ready-made soil for cacti and succulents.. You can also make the mixture yourself: add one part of fine gravel and coarse sand to one part of the universal soil.

The new pot should be several centimeters larger than the previous one.

1. The tank is filled first with a drainage layer of expanded clay or gravel.
2. Then a small layer of soil is poured on top.
3. Having placed the cactus in the center, the roots need to be evenly distributed in a circle.
4. Then the pot is filled with soil.
5. If you are transplanting a large specimen, you need to apply the soil surface with your hands, and pour a layer of decorative gravel or expanded clay on top.

Important! Immediately after transplanting, cacti are not recommended to be watered. You can start this only after two to three weeks.

The first few days the cactus should spend in a shaded place.

Overheat

In summer, cacti tolerate even very high temperatures.. But in winter, temperatures above 15 degrees are undesirable for them. Plants overheat and begin to grow untimely, deform and often turn yellow.

To help the cactus winter normally, from the end of October to March it needs to be moved to a cooler room. A warmed balcony or greenhouse is well suited. If the cactus remains in the living room and stands on the windowsill, the proximity to the hot battery is disastrous for him. Therefore, the flower should be placed as close to the glass as possible, and from warm room air you can fence off a high plastic container or film partition.

In their natural habitats, cacti usually "cool" at night. Therefore, in order to avoid overheating, it is recommended to spray them - however, not at night, but in the morning.

Viral disease

1. The most common cactus viral disease is the epiphyllum mosaic. The diseased plant is covered with yellowish and light green spots without clearly defined borders that extend from the edges to the center of the stem.
2. In second place in terms of prevalence is a long-term disease of “jaundice”, which can exhaust the plant for years. Yellowness begins at the bottom of the stem and creeps up. The cactus ceases to bloom.

   Like the mosaic of epiphyllum, jaundice is incurable. Chemical remedies for viral diseases do not yet exist.

Read more about what diseases and pests can destroy the plant and how to protect your favorite cactus, read here.

Is it necessary to isolate a yellowing flower from other plants?

Cacti, which have symptoms of viral diseases, to separate from healthy plants is simply necessary. They are quarantined under surveillance. If the viral nature of the disease is confirmed, these instances must be destroyed.. They can not be cured, and the risk of infecting healthy flowers is very high.

In the event that the cactus turns yellow due to improper temperature conditions or soil depletion, quarantine is not justified. Such a flower does not pose a danger to other plants.

Prevention

To prevent yellowing of the cactus, you need to provide him with full care. Namely:

1. Moderate soil moisture.
2. Landing in sterile soil.
3. The use of nutrition within reasonable limits.
4. Preventive treatments (2 - 3 times per season).
5. Daily Inspection:
   • color changes;
   • stains, rot, etc.
6. Timely removal of dried empty flowers.
7. Watering restrictions in the winter season.

Thus, if you create optimal conditions for the cactus, adhere to the watering regime, and provide winter "rest", this severe flower will live long and safely in your apartment. And besides, he will regularly delight you with bright colors.

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