Echeveria: home care and reproduction, photo

The deserved popularity among the florists is enjoyed by representatives of the Tolstyan family, in particular, echeveria. Care at home for these marble succulents is not so complicated, and the variety that they bring to any green community can not be overemphasized. These Mexican beauties, growing in very difficult conditions of mountainous areas of Central and South America, favorably differ from most houseplants. Transatlantic origin did not prevent them from perfectly adapting to Russian climatic conditions, and they even managed to turn the lack of solar energy into good, gradually stretching and turning into cute ampel plants. The endurance of this culture is amazing. It is no coincidence that with the light hand of Russian florists the indigestible name of "echeveria" was replaced by a respectful - "stone rose". Beginners of florists often have questions about such a culture as echeveria. Care at home and reproduction - this is the topic, which will be discussed in the article.

Features of the view

The genus Echeveria numbers almost two hundred kinds of various sizes and forms, united by one common feature. All of them are perennial herbaceous plants with plump, voluminous leaves, forming a kind of rosette. Different in size, these plants are adapted to life under the scorching sun. Their leaves are pubescent or covered with waxy structural coating, which reliably protects the plant from possible burns.

The bright sun causes a thickening of the protective coating, and the leaves change color to bluish with reddening edges. In the wild, succulents have a short stem, and it seems that the stone rose is attached directly to the soil. But there are also multi-stem bushlike forms.

The amount of sunlight plays a major role in the life of such a plant as echeveria. Care at home will be unproductive if the plant does not have enough sun. In this case, the stem will stretch, acquiring a resemblance to ampel cultures, but it will not be possible to obtain a typical species blooming form.

Flowering of a stone rose

Accustomed to the abundance of sunlight, obtained in natural conditions, a stone rose requires bright illumination and in conditions of indoor growth. Only in this case it will be possible to achieve from it flowering. The flowers of the echeveria appear on the lateral arrow-inflorescences, which can be of various lengths - from 5 to 50 cm. In some species it may end with a miniature rosette of leaves. Flowers in form resemble small bells ranging in size from 1 to 3 cm and are a distinctive species specificity of the culture. The color of the bells varies from yellowish-green to pastel orange. Their sepals, like the leaves, are covered with velvety fluff or wax coating. When cross-pollination is tied and ripened fruit - pentagonal boxes, filled with small dark seeds.

Cultivation

The best place to keep a stone rose is a balcony (in the summer) and a window sill, facing south. Drought-resistant and undemanding to the soil, the culture does not suffer from excessive air dryness. Echeveria, care for which is not burdensome, excellently develops at a temperature of + 21-26 ° C, but successfully tolerates heat. In the summer, it is preferable to keep it outdoors, without shading and not fearing that the culture will get burned. Nature took care of her, protecting the plant with a touch, which we already mentioned.

The state of rest in echeveria comes in winter. From October to the end of February, the optimum temperature for a stone rose is + 8-10 ° C, but even in this period the plant is demanding full-fledged lighting. If in the winter time the echeveria starts to bloom, then it is not necessary to lower the temperature in the room.

Watering and feeding

Despite the fact that the plant is succulent, regular watering is necessary. In the summer - more generous, in the winter - moderate and infrequent. However, the state of the plant will have to be controlled, since a prolonged dryness of the soil can lead to the withering away of the lower leaves, which will worsen the appearance of the plant.

Desert specimens are watered carefully, trying to avoid wetting the leaves. Spraying is also not welcome, since it contributes to the rotting or getting burns of the plant echeveria. Home care is greatly facilitated by watering from a pallet, which is the best moistening option for this crop.

In spring and summer, during the period of the highest activity, echeveria is fed monthly with special fertilizers for cacti and succulents containing all the necessary nutrients.

Echeveria: Reproduction

The overwhelming majority of the species of these plants easily reproduce by cuttings of leaves or seeds, which are sown in a peat-sand mixture in February-March. The container is covered with glass and placed in a room with an air temperature of + 20-23 ° C. The seeds germinate after 10-14 days. Adult seedlings dive into separate containers, in which later echheveria continues to develop. Care and reproduction by seeds is a long process. The plant starts to flower only in the second - fourth year.

More often, reproduction of leaf cuttings and daughter rosettes. Separated from the mother plant, they easily root in the soil with vermiculite. Rosette, before you land, wilted for 8-10 hours. Sections are treated with charcoal. The young plant obtained by this method blooms in the same year.

Transplantations

When transplanting, pay attention to the type of soil in which the echeveria moves. Home care will be most effective if you adhere to certain rules: choose a well drained soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, and transplant in spring.

Before the transplantation procedure, watering is stopped. As soon as the earth dries out enough to start the operation, the plant along with it is carefully extracted from the container. Lightly tapping on someone, get rid of the old soil, inspect the roots of the plant and remove rotten or broken roots. All incisions are treated with a fungicide. The plant is placed in a container filled with new soil. Carefully straighten the roots - so that they do not bend upward - and close up the ground. Echeveria is left without watering for about a week, then moderately moistened, strictly rationing the water supply to avoid decaying the roots.

Echeveria: photo. Home care

Quality care of the plant is manifested in creating optimal conditions for a good development of the flower:

• Do not allow water to enter the rosette of leaves, as this can provoke the rotting process or the development of dangerous fungal diseases that can kill the plant;

• dead leaves at the base of the stem are removed to prevent the development of mealy mites - the classic pests of succulents.

Thus, we examined all the stages of cultivation of such a culture as echeveria. Home care and reproduction are very simple, but necessary operations for the qualitative development of this succulent.