Stapelia is a perennial succulent from the Lastovnev family. In nature, there are about 100 species of this plant. They grow mostly in South and Southwest Africa. The plant can be found on the slopes of mountains, in the shade of trees and near water bodies. The flower is named after the famous Dutch doctor of the 17th century. The culture began to be popular among flower growers for a long time.
How does the slipway grow? Home care for this succulent is not particularly difficult. It is worth noting that it blooms extremely unusual. The aroma of the flower is very different from the usual floral scents. Even Goethe called it beautiful, but monstrous. The aroma of slipway is unpleasant and more like the smell of rot. But it even attracts someone.
Features
What does slipway look like? Photos of this plant allow you to get a general idea. In height, the succulent can reach 0.1–0.6 meters. At the base, it has many juicy tetrahedral shoots, and along the edgesrather large denticles. It is for this reason that many call the slipway a cactus. Its stems have a pale gray or green color.
You can also find varieties with red-purple stems that appear in bright sunlight. The plant has almost no leaves. Flowers can be either paired or single. They grow on curved pedicels. The flower itself can have a size of 5 to 30 cm, and is very aesthetic in appearance. It even somewhat resembles a starfish. Flowers can be either solid or variegated, but all species have one unpleasant feature - a nauseating smell.
Temperature
How does the slipway grow? Care at home provides for compliance with a special temperature regime. When growing this plant at room conditions, it must be borne in mind that caring for the slipway is associated with seasonality. In the warm season, the culture will feel better at an air temperature of 22–26 degrees. For the summer, it is recommended to take the flower to the balcony or terrace. In spring and autumn, the slipway enters a dormant period. In winter, it is better to remove the plant in a cool place. The air temperature should not be higher than 15 degrees.
Lighting
What do you need to know about this? To grow a stapelia flower at home, it is recommended to follow certain lighting requirements. The plant needs a lot of bright light. Every day he needs intense sunbathing, otherwise the shoots will stretch out and become thinner. Because of this plantmay refuse to bloom. However, at midday and hot summer days, the culture needs protection from the scorching sun. This will avoid burns on the leaves. Experienced flower growers advise placing the slipway on the windowsill on the west or east side of the apartment.
How to water?
What is the peculiarity of this process? Since slipway belongs to succulents, it must be watered and sprayed abundantly. Stagnation of water in the soil can cause the development of fungal diseases, which will result in rotting of the flower roots. To prevent this, you should put a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot during planting. For this purpose, pieces of expanded clay or clay shards are well suited. In the period from March to September, the plant should be watered no more than once every seven days, and in the first months of winter, the slipway does not need to be moistened at all.
Feeding and fertilizer
What are they for? The culture should be fed every 14 days in the summer. For fertilizer, it is best to use special nutrient mixtures for succulents and cacti. To increase the plant's resistance to diseases and pests, you can feed them with potash fertilizers. In winter, slipway does not require additional nutrients.
Transfer
This aspect should be given special attention. How does the slipway grow? Photos, home care, basic requirements for conditions of detention - this is information that is usually of interest to beginners in this business. Young specimens of the plant require regular transplantation. Conductit follows once a year in the spring, since the plants grow relatively quickly in width. Adult flowers are transplanted about once every 2-3 years. Experienced gardeners advise pulling out old stems from the center of the bush during plant transplantation, since they will no longer bloom anyway.
Perennial slipways should not be transplanted, it is enough to change the top layer of the soil mixture to a new one once a year. From the middle of the bush, it is recommended to pull out the stems from time to time.
Where would the slipway grow better? Home care for a flower involves choosing the right container for planting. It is better to take a pot that is not too high, since the root system of the plant is rather poorly developed. A layer of drainage is laid at the bottom of the pot. It should take up about a third of the capacity. The substrate for planting slipways can be prepared with your own hands. For this purpose, you should combine soddy soil and coarse sand in a ratio of 1 to 2. If you prefer to use a special mixture for succulents, it must be mixed with charcoal. Before planting, the soil must be steamed. Then for several days the flower should not be watered.
Flowering
Let's take a closer look at this. How does the stapelia bloom? Varieties of this plant can produce unique inflorescences. The beginning of the flowering period is evidenced by an unpleasant odor emanating from the flower. In the wild, this aroma helps the bud attract carrion flies, which act as pollinators for it. These insects are attracted by an unusual smell.plants. Flies pollinate the slipway, arrange masonry in the leaves of the flower. Keep in mind that there are exceptions to every rule. Flavo-purpurea species has a rather pleasant waxy scent.
Why do flower growers prefer to grow the crop under discussion, even despite the terrible smell? The fact is that flowering lasts about two weeks. Fans of this plant at this time simply take it out to the balcony. The problem of bad smell is solved quite simply.
Diseases and pests
What problems can arise when growing such a flower as a slipway? Home care for this plant does not cause any particular difficulties. It is important to prevent stagnation of liquid in the substrate. Therefore, it is important to properly water the slipway.
As for pests, aphids, mealybugs and spider mites usually settle on the crop in question. To get rid of these insects, it is recommended to treat the bush with insecticides. You can buy these funds in specialized flower shops. It is worth noting that wild slipway is extremely resistant to diseases and pests.
No flowering
What do you need to know about this? How does the stapelia bloom? The species of this plant have one common feature - the appearance of interesting odorous inflorescences. However, for some reason, the plant may refuse to bloom. This can happen due to lack of light, excessive watering, warm wintering, inappropriate fertilizers, excess or lack of nutrients in the soil.
In order for the plant to please the owner with regular flowering, it is recommendedobserve the following rules:
- The flower needs to be provided with the correct watering regimen. In spring and summer, the plant is moistened every fourteen days. Between moistening, the substrate in the pot should dry out completely. From October, you can reduce the number of waterings to once a month. From December to January, the plant can not be moistened at all.
- During dormancy, the plant should be kept in a cool room.
- Try not to overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers.
- It is better to use sandy soil for planting.
- Stapelias need good lighting.
Yellowing of the base of the stem can also indicate a lack of light. In this case, shoots are recommended to be cut and used as cuttings.
Reproduction
Many beginner flower growers today are interested in such a plant as slipway. Reproduction of this succulent can be carried out in various ways. The cutting method is well suited. To cut the shoots, you need to take a sharp clean knife. Sections on the mother plant and the cutting itself are recommended to be covered with crushed coal. Before planting, it is recommended to slightly dry the stalk. This takes several hours. After that, the young plant can be planted in a pre-prepared substrate of coarse sand with the addition of peat. When the plant takes root, it can be transplanted into a pot. The diameter of the container must be at least 70 mm. For planting, use a soil mixture consisting of coarse sand, light turf and leafy soil. You can also add some charcoal.
Seed propagation
What do you need to know about this? Another interesting way to propagate slipways is by seeds. After the fruits of the flower are fully ripe, seeds can be extracted from them. It won't happen for at least a year. When the seeds are ripe, they can be sown in bowls filled with a light substrate. The first seedlings will appear 20-30 days after sowing. When the plants grow a little, you will need to pick them into pots. After 12 months, young plants should be transplanted into larger pots (90–100 mm) by transshipment. When choosing this method of plant propagation, be sure to take into account that they may not retain the characteristics of parent plants.
Views
Let's take a closer look at this aspect. We examined the main features of a plant called stapelia. Types, photos and names of varieties are presented below:
- Stapelia Asterias: A stunted plant 20 cm high. The stems are bright green in color, but can also be light red. There are small teeth on the edges of the stems. Small yellow stripes and thick pale pink hairs can be seen on the surface of the flowers. The flowers are placed on long stalks at the base of the shoot.
- Stapelia Gigantea: This type of succulent is a perennial plant with powerful erect stems. The height of the plant can reach 20 cm. The shoots have blunt edges and a huge number of small teeth. The flowers of the plant are quitelarge and can reach a diameter of 35 cm. Slightly pointed yellowish triangular petals are located on the pedicels. On the surface they have dark red hairs. This species has the same unpleasant aroma as other slipways.
- Stapelia Variegata: A low growing variety, reaching only 10 cm in height. The stems are green in color, less often pale red plants. On the blunt edges of the plant are teeth. At the base of young stems, up to 5 flowers can be located. The petals are yellow, have a pointed ovoid shape. They are smooth on the outside and wrinkled on the inside. The plant blooms most often in the warm season.
- Stapelia Glanduliflora: low growing succulent, up to 15 cm high. The stems are straight, about 30 mm thick, with pterygoid edges and small sparse teeth. There are usually 1-3 flowers per bush. Yellow-green petals have a pointed triangular shape. On the surface of the flowers there are pinkish stripes and spots. The petals are slightly bent along the edges and have characteristic long white villi. The surface is strewn with a huge number of colorless club-shaped hairs.
- Stapelia Flavo-purpurea: one of the most interesting varieties of the Stapelia flower. Photos of the plant confirm its unusualness, since its stems are purple in color. At the top of the stems, from 1 to 3 flowers can bloom with petals of an ovoid pointed shape. The flower is yellowish and smooth on the outside, and burgundy and wrinkled on the inside. This variety has a pleasant waxy aroma.
- Stapelia Grandiflora: A perennial succulent with square stems. The flowers are large with lanceolate petals. Outside, they have a blue-green color, and inside - burgundy. Gray hairs can be seen on the surface of the flower. The edges of the petals are slightly bent, and inside you can see a slight pubescence.
Conclusion
In this review, we examined in detail what a slipway is. Photos, plant care, the main problems that arise when growing - this information will help beginner growers grow a he althy and strong plant.
