Succulents include different types of plants, often not even similar to each other. But they have one thing in common - they are all able to survive drought, storing moisture in leaves, thorns and other types of plant tissue. Cacti, aloe, euphorbia, lithops and many others - they are all united under a common concept.
How to grow succulents at home, this article will tell you.
Contents
As a rule, such plants require a place with good lighting, but some species are intolerant of direct sunlight and may be in a darkened room. It should be well ventilated, but at the same time, care must be taken to avoid drafts.
In the summer, it is useful to take these plants outside, avoiding direct sunlight. In winter, succulents thrive at temperatures between 5 and 15 degrees.
Care
Irrigation also has its own characteristics depending on the season. When the plant is at restcold season, it does not need much watering. The main thing is not to allow the roots to dry out. By spring, the amount of watering gradually increases. It is best to start with spraying, and when there are signs of growth, continue watering directly. Plants should be watered regularly in summer.
Soil and transplant
Succulents are transplanted in the spring. The need for this procedure is due to several factors, such as depletion of the earth, a cramped pot, growth disturbances, or replacement of store soil. The reasons may vary.
Transplantation is carried out as follows. To begin with, it is necessary not to water the plant for several days, so that the earth easily crumbles from the roots. Drainage is laid at the bottom of the new pot and the required amount of dry earth is poured. It is absolutely impossible to water after transplanting succulents, this is a common mistake of many home garden lovers. Without watering, the plant must be kept for about a week to avoid soil contamination and give it time to recover and get used to a new place.
Many flower growers believe that transplantation should be carried out in the spring season. 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 just falls after wintering - at the beginning of spring.
Depending on the type of succulents, you can buy ready-made soil in the store or make iton one's own. Do not forget about top dressing, which is also carried out no more than once a month after winter dormancy. Here it is important to pay attention to the fact that succulents require a much lower concentration than other houseplants. They are quite easy to care for, so even a beginner will not have much difficulty with how to grow succulents.
Reproduction with leaves
There are two ways to grow succulents at home. The first is vegetative. They are used when the stem of the plant is already strong. For divorce, choose the lower he althy leaves. Do not try to get a new plant from weak, withered or damaged.
When a suitable leaf is found, it is necessary to carefully grasp its base with your fingers and separate it from the stem with smooth shaking movements. It is best to prepare a few pieces, as not everyone will be able to take root. After that, you should spread the leaves 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 was tightened.
When everything is ready, you can practically understand how to grow a succulent from a leaf:
- First you need to prepare a suitable place for the formation of the root system. For this, a small pallet is suitable, 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 place of separation upwards and provide goodlighting (no direct sunlight).
- Irrigation is best done by spraying to avoid rotting.
- About a month later, small pink roots will begin to form on the leaf, which should be sprinkled with a little soil.
- When a new plant has formed and has its leaves, carefully separate the mother leaf and then transplant the succulents into a separate pot, matched to the size.
How to grow succulents from seeds
This method is more painstaking than the one described above:
- Before planting succulent seeds, you must first prepare the ground. It should not contain microflora, so before sowing, it is necessary to ignite the soil in the oven or microwave, and also add a little charcoal.
- The landing site must be hermetically sealed with a transparent lid. You can also close the seed containers with polyethylene. The room should be well and evenly lit.
- Seed germination occurs at temperatures above 25 degrees.
- Before planting, you need to leave the seeds for a day in a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Due to their small size, when planting, the seeds are left on the surface and lightly sprinkled on top of the soil so that they can be seen.
- Distribute the seeds at a small distance from each other.
- Sprout should occur within two weeks. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the lid or polyethylene must be removed.
- Watering should be done as soon as the soil is completely dry. To avoid rotting, you need to provide a good drainage system. Pour water in the corners so as not to damage the tiny roots of succulents.
- After 3 months, plants will be 1 to 3 centimeters in size.
- Six months after planting, you can transplant succulents into a separate pot.
That's it. By following all the steps on how to grow succulents, you can get a large number of beautiful and he althy plants.
Conclusion
Thus, the described plants are extremely interesting and unpretentious. They do not require special conditions of detention. Many people immediately start looking for information on how to grow succulents, because this is a truly fascinating process. And in the future, you can reproduce these amazing plants for composition, gifts for loved ones or even sale.