How to transplant a Decembrist (Schlumberger) and take care of him?

Transplanting potted plants means moving them from one container to another, larger in volume. There are a number of reasons why a Decembrist transplant may be required. The flower may have grown and needs more space to continue to develop properly, or it may have developed root rot and need to change the soil and container immediately.

After buying a Decembrist (Christmas) placed in a small container, a mandatory flower transplant is required, but not immediately, but after a while, when the plant can acclimatize. It is important to pay close attention to this process to avoid damage. Often, Zygocactus or Schlumberger is overly stressed when its root system is disturbed.

The most obvious sign that it is time to replant a plant is when roots appear on the soil surface. They sometimes come out of the drain at the bottom of the pot. If a flower stops growing or slows down, it is obvious that it has become cramped and there is no more room for development. In this case, it's time to make a transplant. After the purchase, it is worth waiting a year before increasing the pot, this is how much time it will take for the Christmas tree to get used to the existing conditions.

If the plant is brought home from the garden, then it is allowed to adapt to the new environment for a couple of weeks before transplanting. At this moment, it is in shock until it gets used to the new light, temperature and humidity. A young, actively growing houseplant should be transplanted into a larger pot with fresh potting mix once a year. The best time is the beginning of a period of active growth, as a rule, this is spring. The transplant of the Decembrist, which bloomed in winter, is carried out in early autumn, after a dormant period.

Adult plants can be transplanted once every three years, and already large enough, which have reached their maximum growth, once every five years. The specified period is the safest and provides the best conditions. Do not try to transfer the plant on summer days.

With good care, Schlumberger will surely bloom in December, hence its other name - "Decembrist". No matter how careful the breeder is, a flower at any age is exposed to the stress of transplanting.

It is impossible to prevent some of the consequences of the procedure:

• leaf burn from the reduced size of the root system;
• wilting of branches;
• the plant can shed buds, buds and flowers.

To minimize the harmful effects, you need to ensure good drainage, choose the right place that suits the needs of the flower, take into account the amount of sun. You need to understand that during the flowering period, the Decembrist is especially susceptible to any influences. His first reaction is release from unnecessary load in order to adapt, respectively, all the buds will simply fall off.If the grower is ready to donate flowers, then there are no restrictions during this period for transfer to a new container, otherwise it is not advised to carry out the procedure.

When transplanting, you will need to choose a new container and use fresh soil, since the old one is most likely salted and is not suitable for further growing the Decembrist. The new pot should be no more than 2 centimeters wider than the old one and by the same amount deeper. This space will be enough for a year so that the flower can actively grow and grow the root system. The container can be made of plastic or clay, the main thing is that there are drainage holes at the bottom.

A container that is too large will hold a lot of water, which can cause root rot. In a small Decembrist will stop growing. Before replanting the plant, you will need to disinfect the pot by soaking it in a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach and 9 parts water. After that, the container must be rinsed well with clean water.

As for the soil, special requirements are imposed on it: it should be light, nutritious, acidic (with a pH of 5.5-6). High-quality drainage is a prerequisite for keeping most indoor plants, and the Decembrist was no exception. If the soil is purchased ready-made, then it is best to buy a universal type of soil specialized for cacti, and then mix them in a 1: 1 ratio. If you use only one type of soil, then the flower will lack nutrients.

The plant is very susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections, so the soil should be moderately moist, preferably loose. As drainage, you can use:

• pebbles;
• sphagnum;
• crushed stone;
• shards of clay;
• gravel.

A small piece of foam provides additional protection to the roots from hypothermia, but it cannot be used in large quantities, since it will contain water, not let it pass. Additives such as perlite and vermiculite are no less in demand as drainage. Any drainage should be one third of the volume available in the container.

You can also make potting soil yourself, there are several recipes for this. A soil made from mixed in equal proportions of leafy earth, coarse sand, peat and charcoal is excellent. Will not damage turf or humus, which will be an excellent nutrient base. In another embodiment, the soil ideal for a flower is collected from a part of fertile soil, the same amount of sand and two parts of peat. Perlite gives the compost looseness.

To properly transplant a flower at home, you should proceed in the sequence recommended by professionals. In fact, transplanting potted plants is a simple process, you just need to be very careful with the root system, since all its fine hairs are responsible for absorbing moisture and nutrients.

The step-by-step process is as follows.

• First, remove the plant from the pot.
• Check the roots. If they are too concentrated in the lower part, damaged by disease, then it is worth pruning.
• First, the soil is lightly removed with your fingers, then the old soil is washed off under running warm water. Now you can see where the roots are alive and useful to the plant, and where they are dead.
• After that, a new container is prepared, by this stage it should already be disinfected. Drainage and a small layer of soil must be present.The plant should sit inside the container so that the leaves do not touch the ground and are one centimeter above the edge of the container.
• The soil around the plant is lightly pressed with your hands, thus removing air pockets.
• Watering is carried out immediately and in large quantities, the container is left so that the glass has excess water. Top dressing is not done, since it will cause an additional load, which is harmful to the flower at the time of stress.

The forage roots are small and delicate and must be handled with extreme care when transplanting indoor plants. They can die if exposed to air for too long, so a healthy flower should not be kept for long without soil. The condition of a plant before transplanting, including how long it has lived in its current location, can have a big impact on its future well-being.

There are 5 key tips for a successful Decembrist transplant.

• The plant should be replanted while it is still dormant, when the flowers have already fallen, or in the fall, when there are no buds yet.
• You need to look at which flower is bought in the nursery. You should not take a sick plant that is unable to endure a transplant. You can find out about its condition by the color of the shoots, lethargy and the presence of an uneven color.
• Immediately after transplanting, it may be tempting to give the plant a growth enhancer, but be careful. If the roots have been damaged, they need time to grow and gain strength. If the flower suddenly begins to grow faster, it will need more water, at this point the root system is not sufficiently developed to support a large bush.
• Some people think that pruning a flower will be beneficial, in fact, it only worsens the condition of the plant, so you cannot graft it, pinch off excess shoots, unless they are damaged by a disease, and such a procedure is not an extreme measure.

The newly transplanted Decembrist needs a lot of attention, you will have to take care of it more carefully at first until the flower cope with stress.

Further concern lies in the following points.

• Do not expose the flower to direct sunlight at once, because they can have a detrimental effect on health and weaken the plant even more.
• The soil must be evenly moistened, but not kept soggy. If it became obvious that the leaves and shoots have become lethargic, it means that the Decembrist is deficient in moisture, if they turn yellow, there is too much water.
• Never fertilize a transplanted plant, its roots are damaged and may suffer from burns. It is worth waiting a month, then the root system will get stronger.
• The ambient temperature where the flower will be located should be in the range from 16 to 18 ° C in winter; in summer, the most comfortable range is from 23 to 26 ° C. As for the humidity, it is better that it be in the range of 50 to 70%. You can spray the plant once a week from a spray bottle, he likes this procedure, but you should definitely take a warm liquid.
• If the Decembrist is standing on the window, then it is better from time to time to turn it towards the sun in different directions. The light does not have to be direct, scattered rays of the sun are much more useful.
• After passing the acclimatization procedure, fertilizers can be applied twice a month, in a smaller dose than indicated on the package. The most suitable are ready-made mixtures that are actively used for cacti. Dry fertilizer is applied exclusively to wet soil, otherwise the roots can be easily burned.

For information on how to transplant a Decembrist (Schlumberger), see the video below.