Monkey tail pillar is a plant of Cactaceae Tube style (previously called Golden button genus). The maintenance method is similar to that of golden button , silver hair pillar, snow blowing pillar or white flash pillar of the same genus. Pay attention to giving more sunlight. , do not expose it to the sun in summer and autumn, and pay attention to water control. Very few people can raise the monkey tail pillar to death.
1. Varieties of Monkey Tail Column:
Monkey Tail Column (Cleistocactus winteri) can generally be divided into two varieties (subspecies), one has white slender hair; the other has short golden hair.
The first type: woolly monkey tail cactus Cleistocactus winteri "winteri" (English name: Monkey tail cactus or Cola de Mono), which is expensive, uncommon and difficult to buy.
The second type: short-haired monkey tail column Cleistocactus winteri "colademononis" (English name: golden rat tail), which is cheap and easy to buy.
2. Growth environment and form
The monkey tail column is native to South America. It originally grew in warm and dry places. Its appearance is very strange. It is a cactus plant that grows very slender. Among them The plants of one species are covered with fluffy, slender white down, is somewhat similar to a monkey's tail .
The other one has short golden fuzz. Bright red flowers bloom in summer and autumn. The monkey-tail pillar has a particularly peculiar common name called "Nine-tailed Fox".
If the monkey tail column plant matures, it can grow to one or two meters long, which is very suitable for growing hanging pot plants. However, the seedlings of the monkey tail column potted plants we buy are generally relatively small, and the plants are usually more than 20 cm, you must be patient and slowly raise it, and its plant will continue to grow, and it will basically mature and bloom in the 2nd to 3rd year. If you buy relatively strong seedlings, they will basically bloom in the second year.
3. Propagation tips
If you want to propagate monkey tail pillars, it is extremely simple, just like propagating ordinary on-site plants. Just cut off a relatively long section and place it in a ventilated and light-transparent place to dry the wound. After 1~ After the wound has healed in 2 days, you can plant it directly in the soil. The soil for cultivation should be breathable and loose, with a little moisture. After planting, plant it in a ventilated and shaded place. Wait until the soil is dry before watering it. Plant it in a place with scattered light. Keep the environment warm and ventilated, and it will soon take root and sprout.
4. Appropriate lighting
To maintain the potted monkey tail column, you must ensure that the environment has sufficient light. However, it is afraid of exposure and cannot be kept in a place with excessive sunlight. It is best not to move it around so that it can receive more even light every day. , so that the plants can grow evenly, avoiding one thick section and one small section, which will reduce the ornamental value.
Monkey tail pillars like plenty of sunshine, but when the temperature is high in summer, especially when the temperature is above 35 degrees, shading and ventilation must be enhanced. In winter and spring, the light is not so strong, so you can get more sun.
5, soil and fertilizer
The soil of the monkey tail column must be loose and breathable. Just use ordinary cactus soil for cultivation. If the plant is relatively small at the beginning, do not use a flower pot that is too large. Be sure to wait until it grows. It should be full enough, and the root system will soon fill the potting soil before changing the pot. Do not grow it in a big pot all at once, otherwise it will be difficult to manage.
Maintenance of monkey tail column potted plants cannot be fertilized frequently. Generally, slow-release fertilizer is given once in spring and autumn. Some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be occasionally given during the rapid growth season.
Before watering the Monkey Tail Post potted plant, you should check the dryness and moisture of the pot soil. Do not water it until the soil is completely dry. Especially in winter when the temperature is low, you must control the water.
6. Other tips
The environment for maintaining the potted monkey tail column should have good ventilation, avoid keeping it in a closed space, and have a properly cool environment in winter to help it bloom next year.
Some gardeners will even graft the monkey tail column onto the leaf cactus or the measuring ruler. The grafting method is also very simple. For example, using the leaf cactus as a rootstock to graft the monkey tail column (scion), it can be cut directly For a branch of the monkey tail column, it is best to choose the top branch, which is about 5 to 7 cm long. Make sure the cut is smooth. Peel off a layer of skin from the top of the branch of the leaf cactus and insert it directly into the cut of the monkey tail column branch. Wrap the center with grafting tape or glutinous rice paper. After about 2 to 3 weeks, the grafting interface will be completely healed.
