Virtually every housewife has a small flower garden in her home so that wonderful representatives of the flora bloom and smell around the year round. Flowers, ornamental trees, dwarf palms, miniature bushes and many other plants find shelter under the roof of a human house, decorating and bringing diversity to its life.
But, besides classical plants, they also contain pets from the desert in apartments and houses. About what should be the care of succulents at home, the basic rules for their maintenance, cultivation and transplanting, we will discuss in this article.
Succulents types and names with description (photo)
Here is a list of the most common succulents in the home content:
Did you know? Succulents get their name from the thick, juice-filled leaves. The word "succulent" comes from the Latin "sucus", which means "juice, sap." Their leaves store precious water in order for the plant to survive in the extremely hot desert climate.
- agave. This genus is represented by two plants, named American agave and Queen Victoria agave. Both plants are quite widely used in home gardening, due to their unpretentious requirements. It looks like an agave looks like a certain Christmas tree in miniature: it has long, pointed leaves wrapped up in lime shades that are gathered in a kind of outlet, most often symmetrical. Such a circular arrangement of leaves and their symmetry make agave an interesting plant for interiors;
- adenium A rarely flowering tree representative of succulents, which can also be often found on window sills in apartments and houses. The plant is characterized by the presence of a thick and powerful trunk of brown color, covered with small plates, from which thin green shoots grow. Their edges are crowned with one or several small fleshy oval leaves of saturated green color;
- adromiscus Moisture and heat-loving adromiscus differs from the rest with its original leaves. Not only are they arranged in a circle shape, they are also covered with a whitish cannon, while obtaining an interesting spotted color - from dark green at the edges to white in the center. Such a plant does not bloom, but its leaves are already very beautiful;
- aloe. One of the most familiar plants for us is aloe. It has a central stem, from which originate long, pointed leaves-stems, located around. Depending on the variety, aloe may be spotted or monochromatic in all shades of green;
Did you know? The properties of aloe were used in ancient times: Queen Cleopatra herself used aloe vera-based masks to rejuvenate and moisturize the skin, Alexander the Great used it for medicinal purposes to heal the wounds of his soldiers; Christopher Columbus treated the sailors aloe during long voyages.
- argyroderma. Another unique succulent, whose rosette is formed by only two thick and fleshy leaves, forming a semblance of a bowl. This plant blooms once every few years, and its flower, located in the center of the cup between the leaves, occupies its entire diameter. Flower petals - white or pink, less often - spotty;
brigamy This succulent has a tree-like, heavily branched trunk, abundantly topped with a set of broad leaves of light green color.During the winter period, this representative of the flora throws out long stalks, on which several small faded flowers of yellowish-beige shades are fastened, less often - white;
brigamy This succulent has a tree-like, heavily branched trunk, abundantly topped with a set of broad leaves of light green color.Succulents also include aichrizones, havortiya, lithopsa, stocks, echeveria, ripsalis, kalanchoe, nolinae, mammillaria, epiphyllum, echinocactus, pachypodiums, euphorbia, hoya.
- grapptotalum. Very beautiful representative of succulents, whose leaves are collected in a kind of inflorescences. Rosettes of leaves are multi-tiered and have a muted purple-eggplant palette of shades, interspersed with pink, purple shades and even fuchsia. All summer graptopetalum will delight flowering;
- cotyledon. This representative of the flora has fleshy and thick leaves, the size of which can reach two meters in diameter. The leaves have a muted mint-turquoise color, less often - lime. Along the whole contour of the leaf, in the winter period, flowers of muted flowers in the shape of asterisks begin to grow, which also looks very beautiful and original;
- rejuvenated. Another plant from succulents, which practically does not need care. Its leaves are also collected in flowered rosettes, like graptopetalum. The leaves have a light green color, and the edges are painted in green-brown shades, which creates an interesting transition of gradient color from the tips to the base. In summer, the young spawn long stalks, the tops of which are crowned with numerous light flowers;
- the fat woman This representative of the flora has a bushy crown. Each stem is abundantly covered with numerous fleshy and juicy leaves of an oval (less often - round) form. The fat woman also has a number of healing qualities, thanks to which she earned her place on the windowsills. Blossoms rarely, mostly at the end of summer;
Did you know? In Latin America, cows are fed peeled prickly pears to increase milk yield.
- Cereus Peruvian. This is one of the most popular home cacti, which reaches a height of 0.8-1.2 meters. Its stems are dense and thick, covered with many small needles, collected in separate bunches. In the summer, such a cactus throws more than a dozen large flowers, the diameter of which exceeds 15 centimeters, and the color varies from purple-pink to intense orange;
- chametsereus Silvestri. Has the property to grow not in height, but in width. Its small-sized stems (up to 10 centimeters long) quickly fill the entire space of the pots. In the summer, such a cactus blooms with bright orange and red flowers, similar to bells or lilies. Each of the numerous stems is covered with thin needles, and the top is crowned with a magnificent flower, whose dimensions are almost equal to the dimensions of the stem itself;
- cereal comb. It grows up to 20 centimeters in height, forming a cylindrical column covered with densely adjacent spines. Even young plants can bloom, and the cactus produces a flower bud from the side. During flowering, it emits a strong citrus scent;
- prickly pear small hair. One of the cactus species, which is grown not for the sake of flowers (they are small and inconspicuous, but the cactus blooms very rarely, 1-2 times in 3 years), but for the sake of a beautiful segmented stem of intense green color. This stem has a multi-tiered structure of rounded shapes. The whole body of the cactus is covered with thick bunches of white needles, which makes it especially attractive;
- Strauss cleistocactus. Such a representative of cacti has many stems from one root, which can reach a height of 1-1.2 meters. The entire rich green stem is covered with thick white stiff needles directed to the sides, which give the plant a silvery sheen.
How to plant succulents
In planting succulents of any species, some rules should be followed, despite the general unpretentiousness of these plants:
- In the case of propagation by leaves, fragments of rosettes, stems, etc., it is necessary first to keep the cut part in the room, for example, on the windowsill, for about three days to allow it to dry slightly. Further, the fragment can be prikopat in any empty space of the flower pot for further germination.
- Plant should be shallow, so that a third of the sheet, cutting or fragment of the socket was visible from the ground, because otherwise the process simply rot.
- Do not neglect the special solutions that are sold in stores (Bona Forte, Pokon, "Gilea"). They will help strengthen the root system, and also act as ordinary fertilizer, accelerating growth and strengthening the health of the plant.
Did you know? Succulent accessories are a trendy and modern trend. The use of succulents is truly amazing diversity - there are even ornaments with live plants. If handled properly, they can be worn for quite a while.
How to grow succulents from seed
The landing tank should have a depth of at least 3 cm. A soil consisting of ordinary garden soil in half with coarse sand will be suitable as a substrate. Charcoal is added to the soil before planting seeds, which will absorb excess moisture, preventing the seed from rotting.
Learn how to breed Lithops, adenium, cacti seeds.
Some plants (like aloe) can be sown successfully even on pure perlite. Seeds are not sprinkled with earth, but simply left on the surface. After the container is covered with film or glass.
The optimum temperature for growing is 20 ... 25 degrees above zero. There is also no need to dry out the soil, regular watering is beneficial for seedlings. Saplings need good lighting. If you disembark in the fall or winter, then you need to illuminate the lamps up to a 12-hour light day.
The first shoots appear in a couple of weeks, in some plants - in a month. When plants reach about 1 cm in size, they are transplanted into separate pots.
Video: how to sow succulents
Planters for succulents
Choosing pots for succulents is absolutely individual and is considered by every gardener in terms of their own tastes and preferences. Someone chooses natural materials like clay, but it is worth remembering that clay pots contribute to a more rapid evaporation of moisture, because water also evaporates through the porous walls.
Learn how to grow young, aloe, adenium, agave, Lithops, stocks, echeveria, mammillaria, ripsalis, kalanchoe, airyhzoni, havortiya, fatty, opuntia, hatiora, hymnocalicium, zygocactus, epiphyllum, pahipodiums, lilies.
Others prefer plastic, wood, stone, wicker made of wicker and many other varieties.
The main task of the gardener is to replace as quickly as possible the small pot in which succulents are usually sold with a more capacious one, because not a single plant will actively develop in such small-scale conditions. Therefore, space and comfort for the plant will be the main requirements for pots. A form, material, color and decor will remain a matter of your tastes.
How often to water succulents
The best conditions for growing succulents were created by nature itself. Dry desert regions with incredible daily temperature differences of more than 25 degrees are the most acceptable conditions for plants. Of course, at home you will not be able to recreate such a climate. But your task is to get as close as possible to them.
Important! The best way to determine whether to water a plant is to check the surface soil for moisture. If the earth on the surface is dry or even crusted, then you can add a new portion of moisture, and if, on the contrary, wet soil is hidden under the upper crust, the new watering will kill the root system and ruin your pet.
So, watering should be carried out no more often than once every three or four days, and it is better to do it once a week - even when the soil dries out, succulents can quite easily withstand it. For them, such stress will only benefit. Much worse when there is too much water. Then all the representatives of cacti will quickly fester and disappear.
How to transplant succulents
The main period of transplanting succulents is considered to be early spring. It was at this time, when active sap flow was not yet started, new buds did not appear or flowering did not begin, it is important to have time to transplant.
Due to the nature of the natural range of succulents, their root system develops more inland than to the side. In this way they get more nutrients and moisture, which quickly evaporates from the surface.
In addition, succulents also do not need superficial roots due to the very hot sun, which literally burns them out. Undermining in the case of transplanting should be carried out carefully, inserting the shoulder blade as vertical as 5 cm from the trunk, so you do not injure the root system.
Well having deepened a shovel in the earth, carry out sampling of the excess earth around, thus not touching that part which is closer to a root. With a lump of earth, the plant is transferred to a new growing place, where it is generously sprinkled with a new substrate.
Important! Young cacti individuals especially need transplants. Such a procedure for them should be performed once a year. At the same time, for pets older than five years old, a transplant is carried out once every two years.
Succulents need to use a special composition of the soil, which will be as close as possible to desert substrates. Prepared soil for cacti can be purchased in specialized stores. Also, do not neglect additional fertilizers, so that your pet would rather take root in a new place.
Video: soil mix for succulents
How to propagate succulents
There are many ways of breeding succulents, among which in the first place is the germination of individual elements of the rosette, including the stems, leaves, parts of leaves, etc. After separating the intended breeding material from the main stem, leave it for a couple of days to dry in the open air.
After that, deepen into the ground by a few centimeters so that about one third of it remains on the surface. A little water seed water, and better - a special solution for rooting, thanks to which the new pet more likely to take root.
If possible, also use additional fertilizer for cacti. They should be brought into the ground after the seed has taken root and taken root. Additional fertilization, as is the case with other indoor flowers, is produced in the spring and autumn.
Important! You can not place the cut part of the succulent in the water to germinate the roots. Your seed will simply rot.
Also often the succulent itself throws out a subsidiary plant. Some species shed their leaves, which, when they fall, may themselves settle down near the mother trunk. You will only need to transplant the "kids" to a new place after successful rooting.
Video: how to chop succulents
One and all types of succulents are very popular. They bring some flavor to the environment of classical flowers, adding a touch of hot desert to the riot of green continental plants. If you want a representative of the desert to feel comfortable in your home, surround him with attention and love.
How to propagate succulents: reviews
With seed reproduction of aloe varietal traits can peel off.
Here is my aloe. Aloe greenii. Let's see what happens ... Sowing from 10/04/2015.
