Succulents include different types plants, often not even similar to each other. But they have one common feature- all of them are able to survive drought by storing moisture in leaves, thorns and other types of plant tissue. Cacti, aloe, spurge, lithops and many others - they are all united under a common concept.

This article will tell you how to grow succulents at home.

As a rule, such plants require a place with good lighting, but some species are intolerant of direct sunlight and can be kept in a darkened room. It should be well ventilated, but at the same time care must be taken to avoid drafts.

IN summer time year, it is useful to take these plants outside, avoiding direct contact sun rays. IN winter time succulents thrive at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees.

Care

Watering also has its own characteristics depending on the time of year. When the plant is dormant during the cold season, it does not need much watering. The main thing is to prevent the roots from drying out. By spring, the volume of watering gradually increases. It would be best to start with spraying, and when signs of growth appear, continue with direct watering. In summer, plants need to be watered regularly.

Soil and replanting

Succulents are transplanted into spring period. The need for this procedure is due to several factors, such as depletion of the soil, a cramped pot, growth disturbances, or replacement of store-bought soil. The reasons may vary.

The transplant is carried out as follows. First, you need to not water the plant for several days so that the soil easily falls off the roots. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the new pot and poured required quantity dry earth. It is strictly forbidden to water succulents after transplantation; this is a common mistake of many amateurs. home garden. The plant must be kept without watering for about a week to avoid contamination of the soil and to give it time to recover and get used to the new place.

Many flower growers believe that transplantation should be carried out in the spring. However, the main thing here is to follow the rule so that the plant is not in the stage of active growth and flowering. Of course, in 90% of cases the right time It just falls after wintering - at the beginning of spring.

Depending on the type of succulents, you can purchase ready-made soil in the store or make it yourself. Do not forget about fertilizing, which is also carried out no more than once a month after winter dormancy. It is important to note here that succulents require a much lower concentration than others. indoor plants. They are quite easy to care for, so even a beginner will not have many difficulties with how to grow succulents.

Propagation using leaves

There are two ways to grow succulents at home. The first is vegetative. It is used when the plant trunk is already strong. The lower healthy leaves are selected for propagation. You should not try to get a new plant from a weak, dried out or damaged one.

When a suitable leaf is found, you need to carefully grasp its base with your fingers and, using smooth rocking movements, separate it from the stem. It is best to prepare several pieces, since not everyone will be able to take root. Afterwards, you should lay the leaves out in a well-lit place to dry and leave them for about a week. This period may vary depending on how quickly the junction with the stem tightens.

When everything is ready, you can practically understand how to grow a succulent from a leaf:

• First you need to prepare suitable place for the formation of the root system. Suitable for this small pallet, which should be filled with special soil for succulents or wet sand.
• Then the leaves prepared for propagation are laid out on it with the tear-off point up and good lighting is provided (without direct sunlight).
• Watering is best done by spraying to avoid rotting.
• After about a month, small roots will begin to form on the leaf. pink color, which need to be sprinkled with a small amount of soil.
• When the new plant is formed and has its own leaves, you should carefully separate the mother leaf, and then transplant the succulents into a separate pot, selected according to size.

How to grow succulents from seeds

This method is more laborious than the one described above:

1. Before planting succulent seeds, you must first prepare the soil. It should not contain microflora, so before sowing it is necessary to calcine the soil in the oven or microwave, and also add a little charcoal.
2. The planting site must be hermetically sealed with a transparent lid. You can also cover seed containers with plastic. The room should be well and evenly lit.
3. Seed germination occurs at a temperature of 25 degrees.
4. Before planting, you need to leave the seeds for a day in a solution of potassium permanganate.
5. Due to their small size, when planting, the seeds are left on the surface and lightly sprinkled with soil on top so that they can be seen.
6. Seeds should be distributed a short distance from each other.
7. Germination should occur within two weeks. As soon as the first shoots appear, the lid or polyethylene must be removed.
8. Watering should be done as soon as the soil is completely dry. To avoid rotting, you need to ensure good drainage system. Pour water into the corners to avoid damaging the tiny roots of the succulents.
9. After 3 months, the plants will be between 1 and 3 centimeters in size.
10. Six months after planting, you can transplant the succulents into a separate pot.

That's it. If you follow all the steps regarding how to grow succulents, you can get large number beautiful and healthy plants.

Conclusion

Thus, the plants described are extremely interesting and unpretentious. They do not require special conditions of detention. Many people immediately start searching for information on how to grow succulents, because it is truly exciting process. And in the future you can reproduce these amazing plants for making compositions, gifts for loved ones or even for sale.

Only 4 types of “living stones” survive at home:

• Hybeums;
• Lithops;

When growing succulents, it is necessary to approximate all the conditions to which they adapted in the desert:

Reproduction methods

Seeds

How to grow a plant from seeds at home and what do the seeds look like?

You can buy seeds in a store or ask friends who already have these plants. They are easily pollinated by hand if you have two separately. flowering plants. A brush can be used to transfer pollen from one flower to another. The seeds of “living stones” are very small in size, similar to dust, almost invisible. This makes them difficult to plant.

How to plant:

The germination period of seeds is about 2 weeks. Care of crops consists of daily ventilation and strict control over temperature conditions. It is necessary to ventilate when condensation forms. Ripening of fruits and ripening of seeds lasts approximately 9 months. They do not need to be replanted for the first year. On next year After molting, they are dived into new soil.

Cuttings

Unfortunately, not all “living stones” reproduce by cuttings, because cuttings are the best way rejuvenation of an elderly bushy plant. This way Lithops does not reproduce. Other “living pebbles” can be easily propagated by cuttings.

To propagate by cuttings, you need to carefully cut off a leaf with part of the stem and plant it for rooting in the soil. The first watering is carried out only 3 weeks after planting, during which time the cuttings should grow roots.

Advice: Some experienced flower growers It is recommended to leave the cutting on outdoors for drying for 1–2 days. Then the cut is treated with heteroauxin powder or colloidal sulfur.

The plant is rooted in a sandy substrate for a month. A rooted plant usually does not require any special conditions, watering is also normal. The time for reproduction is the beginning of spring. It is better not to plant in autumn and winter, as due to lack of light and heat the plant will easily rot in damp soil.

Transfer

Succulents only need to be repotted when they become cramped in the pot. e. The pot should be wide and not tapering towards the bottom.

How to transplant:

We recommend watching a video about transplanting “Living Stones”:

Difficulties in care

• "Living stones" are succulents that prefer to grow in families of three or more flowers. One plant usually does not survive.
• If the plant is shriveled, it sure sign that it needs to be watered, but watered moderately and better around it, directly on it better water do not pour.
• If it has small dents, this means that it has been overwatered, it is necessary to reduce watering.
• Due to the fact that “living stones” are watered very rarely, mealybugs may appear. This is a pest that appears in dry soil. How to care for the plant in this case? For prevention, you need to mix a decoction of garlic with pieces of soap and pour this solution over the plant.
• In low light, the succulent stretches out. Sometimes in the summer it grows a new pair of leaves, but the old one does not dry out. In this case, the flower grows in height and weakens. This will not happen if you keep the succulent in direct sun. Due to poor lighting, it may also not bloom.

"Living pebbles" are very unpretentious plants and proper care will delight you for many years.

Succulents have been very popular lately. These plants look unusual, and besides, they are extremely easy to care for. Most succulents can withstand any adversity, including sharp changes temperatures and lack of moisture, besides, they are unpretentious in quantity sunlight. In this article we will talk about some interesting ways of growing succulents and how to create stylish interior compositions from them.

Since succulents are small in size, it is not necessary to use full-sized ones to grow them. flower pots. They can be replaced with ordinary cylinders, which are obtained by sawing PVC pipes. These cylinders are placed in a tray with pebbles. Soil is poured into the tubes and plants are planted.

Can be used to grow succulents vertical flower bed, which represents an ordinary wall, built of red brick. A little soil is compacted into each of the three holes of the brick, since succulents don’t need more.

You can use a variety of containers to grow succulents. For example, succulents are planted tightly in an ordinary metal box.

Note: Remember that succulents need good drainage, so add a layer of pebbles to the bottom of the container or pot. It is better to mix the soil for succulents with sand.

Here is an example of a succulent pot made from a piece of regular log. It looks incredibly organic and stylish. In case of use natural materials, there should be no problems with drainage.

Here's another great example. In such a pot of wooden blinds you can grow several large plants, and plant a lot of smaller succulents in the slots on the walls. This pot is also suitable for germinating young plants, which can later be transplanted into larger containers or pots.

Note: Succulents are easily propagated by leaves; you can learn about methods of plant propagation from.

You can make entire paintings from succulents. To do this, soil is compacted tightly into a container with low sides, and a fine mesh is placed on top. When the plants take root, such a picture can be hung on the wall.

Succulents can be used to create decorative flower beds, in which plants are combined with stones, shells and other materials.

Another very interesting idea- plant succulents in the fountain bowl. It looks absolutely great. It feels like you are in an abandoned temple deep in the jungle.

Here are some succulents planted in an old chicken feeder. Instead of a feeder, you can use a lamp housing for fluorescent lamps.

Succulents look quite interesting inside concrete flower pots.

Here's a whole wall planted with succulents. Just look at the variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Looks amazing. To create such a wall, panels with small cells are used.

What is so attractive about plants called succulents? Flower growers love them for their bizarre shape, huge palette of colors and great possibilities for creating artistic compositions. Beginning gardeners prefer this particular group of plants because of their colorful appearance and unpretentious nature, because caring for them is very simple.

What are succulents?

Most of them came to us from hot countries, where periods of drought last much longer than the rainy season. In this regard, they are accustomed to storing moisture in their fleshy, juicy leaves and thick stems. Succulent is translated from Latin as “juice.” This feature has become fundamental in the classification of such plants, despite the fact that they belong to different families.

Species

Today there are many varieties: agave, cacti, aloe, bryophyllum, swallowwort, aisaceae, glotiphyllum, spurge, groundsel, Kalanchoe, wildflower and others. The most famous and widespread are cacti.

Conventionally, all types are divided into two - according to the characteristics of fluid accumulation:

1. Leaf succulents have thickened leaves with a tight cuticle. They are usually round in shape and often arranged in a rosette, which helps them save water. Among them, the most famous to us are aloe, agave, gasteria, and haworthia. They are used in folk medicine.
2. Stem succulents store water in their trunks and stems. Instead of leaves they often have spines, and root system capable of accumulating liquid from the surface and from groundwater. Some have ribbed stems, which help avoid damage in the form of cracks due to excess moisture. Most stem species form special shoots during the rainy season, on which leaves, flowers and fruits form.

Care

These plants do not require care, but you still need to know what rules to follow. All species have the same conditions of detention. All of them need good lighting, so the best place for them is the windowsill, and from the end of spring their place is on the balcony. They need moderate watering, once a week in warm weather, once a month in cold weather. Water for irrigation should be taken at room temperature.

To ensure a comfortable winter, the temperature should be between 13-15 degrees. They are grown in flat pots with good drainage soil. Succulents need a substrate with a moderate level of humidity. Ready-made mixtures sold in stores often contain peat, which is not at all good for plants. They require a mixture consisting of leaf, turf soil and coarse sand in equal proportions.

Don't forget about soil fertilizers. In winter, they do not need to be fed, which cannot be said about the growing season. Fertilizer is applied in the spring 1 time per month. Purchase fertilizers from flower shops.

It is not necessary to replant the plant annually. Everything depends on him appearance. So, if it is full of strength, grows, blooms and does not get sick, then you should not disturb it with transplants. If the plant has stopped growing, the skin has lost its elasticity or its usual color, and the plant itself is wrinkled in the spring, then urgent measures must be taken to replant it in another soil. Replant in dry soil mixture and water after a few days.

Names with photos

The most exotic representatives of these plants are considered to be the inhabitants of the hot African deserts - succulents that resemble stones. This is a family is called Aizonaceae. Living stones include: lithops, fritia, dinteranthus, fenestraria, titanopsis, conophytum. However, once a year the incredible happens and these extraordinary stones give birth to a beautiful flower of magnificent tenderness and grace.

sedum

Sedum belongs to the Crassulaceae family (look at the photo below). It grows naturally in Central and South America, in Madagascar. This easy-to-grow plant has branching, fleshy stems and dense leaves look like a boat or a cylinder. The following species grow at home:

Haworthia

Haworthia is a member of the lily family South Africa, see photo. This very popular and unpretentious plant has a beautiful rosette of fleshy, long, pointed leaves. Peduncles are formed, but it is better to cut them off so as not to take away the juices from the plant, since they are not at all decorative.

At home they grow:

• Haworthia pearly. Its leaves are up to 8 cm long and have white spots. The flowers appear inconspicuously on a long peduncle in a racemose inflorescence.
• Haworthia striped. Its leaves are longer and sharper than the previous type, the inclusions are smaller, and form dense rows.
• Haworthia chess. The leaves are short and wide, triangular in shape, with teeth along the edges. Round inclusions are located only at the bottom of the sheet, upper part consists of a translucent mesh of light stripes.
• Haworthia Reinwardt is an exception to the rule, since it does not form a rosette of leaves; instead, there is a stem up to 20 cm, which is covered with thick triangular leaves.

Pachypodium

Pachypodium belongs to the Kurtaceae family. It grows naturally in Africa and on the island of Madagascar. The plant is tree-like, its thick the stem retains moisture well and covered with thorns. The plant sheds its narrow and long leaves in the winter. The juice of the leaves contains rubber. Pachypodium is unpretentious and is often found in gardeners' rooms. The following species are grown at home:

Crassula

Lovers of floristry appreciated these plants; for them it is one of their favorite materials for creating original compositions for home interior. Dwarf species of Crassula, Rosalia, Gasteria, and sedum are planted in low, spacious bowls made of ceramic or wood, which are ideal for miniature rocky gardens.

Look great in transparent containers, such as glasses, aquariums, flasks three or four types. Looks interesting from them wall panel. You can place up to 60-70 types of these babies on the windowsill. Some craftsmen create “desert corners” on it, in an original way complementing varieties with various colors with several stones with uneven edges.

The surface of the earth is sprinkled with sand or gravel. At the same time, you need to know that the height of the bowl does not exceed 1/3 of the height of the largest plant. For example, you can create a composition from haworthia, gasteria, equeria, lithops, cactus. You can plant pachyphytum with them, which has thick, bluish rounded leaves that resemble grapes. You can also supplement the company small plants with creeping stems, their shoots will hang interestingly from the edges of the bowl. For this effect, sedums, monantes, and Crassula lycopsum are taken.

Succulents - spectacular and original plants, which even a novice amateur gardener can care for. Often they are planted in one bowl, creating a combination of complementary colors. Place them on a windowsill, balcony or other well-lit place to decorate your interior, adding a fashionable touch to it.

Lithops are propagated by seeds and vegetatively. In apartment conditions, the first method is usually used, since it is much easier and faster to grow these succulents from seeds.

The vegetative method of propagation of this plant is not always possible. Sometimes adult specimens produce cuttings from which new “living stones” grow, but this happens extremely rarely.

In this article we will look in detail at how to grow lithops from seeds at home.

Material for sowing

To obtain seeds you need to have two adult flowering plants of the same species. After the flowers are pollinated, capsules are formed in which the seeds ripen.

If there are no such plants, seeds can be purchased at trading network. Lithops seeds do not lose their viability for 10 years, so they can be stored for a long time.

Sowing seeds and germination

Planting lithops seeds is recommended from late autumn to late spring. Lithops are usually sown with seeds in March. To do this, take a wide container filled with soil. Store-bought soil for succulents or a mixture of leaf soil and sand in a 2:1 ratio is suitable. The soil for sowing should be moist, but not wet.

Lithops seeds are very small. Before sowing, they are soaked in water for 6 hours and then evenly distributed over the surface of the earth. To do this, it is advisable to use a needle so that you can spread the seeds one by one on the surface of the soil. You should not sprinkle them with soil. Good lighting is important for germination.

After sowing, the container is covered with glass and placed in a well-lit place. Every day you need to remove the glass and ventilate the container, remove condensation from the glass.

The soil is moistened every day by spraying water on its surface.

An important factor for rapid germination is the difference between day and night temperatures. It should be 20-25°C during the day, and 12-15°C at night. Under these conditions, seedlings appear on days 6-10.

Seedling care

After the seedlings appear, the container is left under glass for several more weeks.

Young Lithops are gradually accustomed to the dry air of the apartment, ventilating the container three times a day for 20 minutes.

It is now necessary to water the seedlings only when the surface of the soil in the container dries out. If the seedlings are located in direct sun, they need to be shaded.

After 3-4 weeks the container is opened. Water small lithops very carefully so that as little water as possible gets on their surface.

It should be remembered that excessive watering can destroy the entire crop of lithops.

Transfer

Seedlings are placed in separate pots at the age of 1 year, but if the container becomes crowded for them, transplantation can be done earlier.

Seedlings in the second year of life need to be watered every 2 weeks, and then every 3 weeks, gradually accustoming an adult plant to the watering regime. By the end of autumn they need to organize their first cold and dry wintering. And from next spring, young plants need to be cared for in the same way as adults.

After growing lithops from seeds, it is important to follow the conditions for caring for an adult plant.

Caring for an adult plant

Despite his exotic appearance, he is very simple. Even for novice gardeners, these “living stones” can grow up to maximum dimensions and please with original flowering.

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However there is important point– it is necessary to create conditions of detention as close as possible to natural ones. Otherwise, the plant may die.

Watering and spraying

Being succulents, Lithops can withstand drought well, but do not tolerate excessive watering.

Overwatering may cause the plant to rot or burst.. During the growth period, watering is carried out once every two weeks.

During the dormant period, which usually lasts from January to March, soil moisture stops altogether. In March-April, when young leaves appear and old ones dry out, watering is resumed. It is important that water does not get on the leaves, as well as in the gap between them.

From time to time, especially on hot days, lithops can be lightly sprayed. However, this should be done early in the morning or late in the evening to prevent the plant from getting sunburn.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

Being desert dwellers, Lithops tolerate summer heat and dry air well. The optimal temperature in the warm season will be 22-25 degrees. In winter it is reduced to 12-15 degrees, but not lower than 5-7. In summer, you can take the “living stones” out into the fresh air.

Special humidity requirements environment Lithops does not. They tolerate dry air well. In very hot weather summer days You can humidify the air around the plant using a fine-grained spray bottle. But too high humidity and lack of air circulation can cause rot.

Lithops love light very much, so the most best place they will have south windows. They do not respond very well to changes in location, especially during the period of bud formation. Therefore, it is better not to rearrange the pot with the plant and not even turn it around its axis.

Soil and fertilizer

The soil for lithops should have good air and moisture permeability and be quite poor. It is better to make an earth mixture yourself, since peat and substrate for succulents are not very suitable for “living stones”.

It is optimal for the mixture to consist of 1 part brick chips, 2 parts sand, 0.5 parts leaf soil and 0.5 parts clay. There must be drainage at the bottom of the pot. The soil surface is covered with fine gravel to avoid rotting of the root collar.

Lithops do not need fertilizer.

The exception is cases when the transplant has not been carried out for more than 2 years. Then fertilizing can be done early spring And early autumn fertilizer for succulents. Concentration is 2 times weaker than indicated on the package.

Transplantation and propagation

Lithops are transplanted in February-March, as the roots fill the container of the pot. As a rule, this is once every 2-4 years. Some of the lateral roots can be removed. Deep pots are used for replanting, since in nature the roots of the plant grow in depth and not in breadth.

It is optimal to choose ceramic containers - they do not contribute to water stagnation. Several specimens of one or several types of lithops can be planted in one flowerpot.

They also go well with representatives of the aisaceae, asphodelaceae, cacti or some types of euphorbia.

Lithops reproduce by seeds. This can be done at any time of the year, but most optimal time- spring.

Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 5-6 hours in water, then dried and laid out on the surface of the ground. The container is covered with polyethylene or glass, regularly ventilated, and kept at a temperature of 25-28 degrees. If necessary, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle.

After 6-10 days, seedlings appear that do not need spraying. They do not dive immediately, but after wintering, in the spring.

Pests and diseases

Lithops may be affected. To combat it, you can use a paste of water, garlic and soap, which should be used to wipe the leaves. Another option is to spray the plant with yarrow infusion. To prepare it, 50 grams of dried herbs are poured with 0.5 liters of boiling water and left for 2 days.

Due to poor drainage and excessive watering, the roots of the “living stones” can begin to rot.. In this case, the infected roots are cut off, the plant is transplanted into new soil, and watering is significantly reduced. Before transplanting, it is recommended to keep lithops with bare roots in the open air for about an hour so that excess moisture evaporates.

Now you know how to grow succulents from seeds at home.