Hatiora Salerosova (Solyankovidnaya): what does a houseplant look like, what kind of care does it require and what other types of flower besides Salicorniform exist in nature?

Hatiora is a native of Brazil, native to its rainforests. This small succulent shrub is a relative of the familiar cactus. Hatiora belongs to the genus epiphytic (develop on trees), and less often lithophytic (grow in gorges of rocks) cacti. The uniqueness of this succulent is formed by the fact that it has the appearance of a cactus shrub. Abundant flowering, completely atypical structure of the stems contributes to its great popularity. In this article, we will get to know Hachior Solerosova.

Botanical Description

Hatiora saline (Hatiora salicornioides) is a succulent perennial or shrub cactus that is also called Hatiora saline. or Hathior solyanka.

This genus of cacti received its name from learned botanists. Going on scientific expeditions, they used maps compiled by the Englishman Thomas Herriot. In gratitude to the cartographer, they called the then-unknown cactus an anagram of his last name.

You can meet Hatior not only in Brazil. Hatiora grows in the rainforests of Argentina and Uruguay.

Hatiora looks pretty unusual. She has an atypical structure of stems, which consist of a heap of small segments with bright green skin only 2-2.5 centimeters long.

At home, the plant grows to 1 meter, but at home, no higher than 30-50 cm.

And also Hatiora has abundant and very beautiful flowering with yellowish-orange flowers.

Which is subsequently replaced by tiny berries about 2-3 months after flowering.

How to care for this houseplant?

Temperature. In summer, a temperature of 20-21 C will be better, and in the winter - about 14-15 ° C
Watering. Hatiora needs high humidity. She needs frequent watering with soft water, especially during the flowering period. Hatior is sprayed every three days, and in the summer heat every two days.
Important! Despite the fact that Hatior requires abundant watering, it is important to prevent stagnation of water in the pot. Otherwise, it can lead to rotting of the roots. But dry soil in a pot is also dangerous. It leads to wilting of the plant.
Shine. Hatiora saltwater needs the sun, but placing it in direct sunlight is not recommended. Better to put it on the east windows. To put on the northern windows is also not recommended, since flowering may not occur or become less plentiful.
Soil and pot. For Hatiora saline we need a small pot with light and well-drained soil. You can use a ready-made purchased substrate. A universal, slightly acidic substrate based on peat with perlite added to it is required.
Pruning. Hatiora salinosa does not need pruning in order to remove dried parts of the plant, since they practically do not form. Pruning allows you to give the plant the desired shape. Determine which parts of the plant you want to remove. Take the extra joints with your fingers and simply unscrew them from the stem.
Top dressing. Hatiora salinosa feeding is carried out 2 times a month. Use for this mineral fertilizers, namely potash and phosphorus. When buying fertilizers for feeding, pay attention to the nitrogen content in them. The high nitrogen content in the fertilizer can adversely affect the roots of the plant.
Transfer. Hatiora salinosa needs an annual transplant for the first 4 years. The transplant is produced in the spring. For transplantation, not deep, but wide capacity is selected, of the same width and depth. Be sure to have drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
The pot should be slightly larger than the previous one so that there is a free space of about 1 cm around the circumference for root growth. A drainage layer about 2-3 cm high is poured at the bottom of the pot. The plant is transferred from the old pot to a new one. At the same time, com with roots do not destroy. Adults Hathior soleros are transplanted every 4-5 years.
Wintering. In winter, it needs a temperature of 14-15 degrees and abundant watering. The plant is sprayed every three days.

We talked more about the rules for nursing at home here.

Propagation by cuttings and seeds

The easiest and most convenient way to propagate the plant is with cuttings. To do this, cuttings with 3 segments are unscrewed from the existing Hatoria Solersova. After that they allow to dry in the air for 3-5 days. Then the bottom is powdered with crushed coal. And immerse the plant in a wet peat substrate. After a month, the cuttings can be transplanted into permanent pots.

The plant can also be propagated using seeds. But this is a more labor intensive process. To do this, you need to sow the seeds of Hachior Solerosova in a wet peat-sand mixture. Clean the container with the seeds sown in a warm place where the temperature will not be lower than 21 ° C. After a while, if regularly moistened, the first shoots will appear.

Bloom

Flowering at Hatiora Solerosnaya begins in early spring. Her flowering is plentiful and very beautiful, yellowish-orange flowers. The flowers are small, bell-shaped and are located on the tips of long shoots. Subsequently, the flowers are replaced by tiny berries about 2-3 months after flowering.

To learn more about how the hatiora blooms and why sometimes this does not happen, click here.

What to do if it does not bloom?

The main reasons for the lack of flowering:

Humidity in the room is too low.
Not all the necessary conditions for temperature are provided. For example, in winter at temperatures below +9 ^aboutWith the formation of color buds may stop.
Lack of fertilizer.
The plant is located on the northern windows.

Diseases and Pests

Improper plant care often leads to disease and the appearance of pests. The most dangerous for Hatiora are the mealybug, scutellum, whitefly and spider mite. They lead to the fact that the segments turn yellow and fall off. In this case, special treatment is required.

Bacterial infections are manifested by moist spots. Appearing on one site of a flower, they spread throughout the plant. The most effective way to fight a bacterial infection is to remove the infected area.

Also Hatiora Solerosova susceptible to fungal infections. Most often it is late blight and fusarium. The causes of late blight are soil waterlogging or planting in contaminated soil. In this case, the roots of the plant rot. Fusarium is caused by mechanical damage to the plant. In both cases, fungicidal preparations are used for treatment.

Similar plants

Similar flowers include plants such as Hatiora Germina, Pink Hatiora, Hatiora Gatner, Ripsalis, Salikornievidnaya.

Thus, Hatiora Solerosova is a unique shrub cactus with an unusual and unique appearance. The atypical structure of the stems and the abundant very beautiful flowering with yellowish-orange flowers helps to popularize this cactus among gardeners.