Even the most unpretentious decorative indoor crops, unfortunately, require a lot of attention and need careful care. That is why many people do not dare to plant some beautiful flower at home, thereby making the interior more comfortable and lively. Meanwhile, there is a very simple way out of this situation. People with a lack of time and skills in growing indoor plants should just plant a succulent on their windowsill.
The peculiarity of such plants is that they do not require almost any care. Watering ornamental crops of this variety is very rare. At the same time, they practically do not require top dressing. Further in the article and consider how to grow succulents from seeds correctly.
What are these plants
The main feature of indoor ornamental crops of this group is that they are endowed with very juicy leaves literally filled with liquid andstems. Such an unusual structure of succulents is thought out by nature itself. The fact is that almost all such plants grow in desert areas. A simple example of succulents are the well-known cacti. Aloe belongs to this group and is popular with lovers of decorative indoor crops of aloe.
Also, succulents, including those grown from seeds at home, have the following features:
-
presence of thorns instead of leaves;
- ribbed thick stem that expands after water enters;
- night gas exchange;
- wax coating or dense edging of aerial parts;
- leaves in the form of a trough descending to the roots.
All succulents growing on earth today are divided into two large groups:
- stem - spurges, cacti;
- leafy - aloe, echeveria, lithops.
How do they reproduce and is it possible to grow succulents from seeds
Ornamental crops of this variety, thus - plants are very hardy and adapt easily to the most difficult conditions. One of their features is that they are able to reproduce using fragments of green mass. Some succulents, for example, can sprout even from small pieces of leaves.
Propagate such plants in apartments most often using fragments of green mass or whole leaves or shoots. However, unfortunately, suchplanting material is often quite difficult to get. This is especially true for rare varieties of succulents, for example, decorative rabbit cabbage, lithops, tree-like aeonium, etc.
In the absence of "green" planting material, houseplant lovers usually think about how to grow succulents from seeds. After all, getting them these days is quite simple. You can buy seeds of interesting succulents, for example, via the Internet at the same popular Chinese marketplaces.
What techniques should be used for planting
Adult succulents without moisture can do for a very long time. However, the seeds of such plants, unfortunately, are not capable of germinating without water. On a hot day with dry air, such planting material can die within a few hours. Therefore, in the warm season, succulent seeds are usually planted in the soil according to a special method.
First, the seed of such plants is distributed over the surface of the soil, without digging it in. The seed pot is then placed in a clear plastic bag. Next, twist the top of the package to create greenhouse conditions for the seedlings. This technology is called "in a bag" and its use often allows you to grow beautiful succulents even from Chinese seeds, which, as you know, are not always of high quality.
In winter, succulents are usually planted in a slightly different way. In this case, the plant pot is simply covered with glass or placed in an old aquarium. Both of these technologies are"in a bag" and "winter" - are a very good answer to the question, including how to grow succulents from seeds from China.
Preparations
One of the features of growing such plants from seeds using the “in a bag” technology is the need to comply with complete sterility. In order for the planting material of succulents to be guaranteed to germinate, you must:
- before sowing, thoroughly wash the pot chosen for the plant with soap;
- use a new plastic bag or rinse the old one well.
The soil itself for succulents must be calcined for at least 2 hours at a temperature of 112 ° C. It should be sieved beforehand to remove pebbles and debris from it.
How to grow succulents from seeds in summer: step by step technology
The steamed soil before sowing such plants is cooled and poured into a pot. Further landing is performed as follows:
- the soil in the pot is moistened through the pan in boiled and chilled water;
- spread succulent seeds on the ground and treat the entire surface of the soil with some fungicide just in case;
- unfold the bag and place a container with planting material in it;
- twist the top of the bag and place the pot in a well lit area but out of direct sunlight.
A pot of succulent seeds is also desirable to be installed in suchroom where it is cool enough at night. You need to sow the seeds in a container thicker. For a 7 cm diameter pot, for example, there should be about 100 pieces.
Care for young plants
How to plant succulent seeds is thus clear. But how to make sure that they do not die in the future and germinate in time. The seeds of such ornamental crops hatch, depending on the variety, within a few days or weeks. Inside the bag, young plants can be kept for up to several months. Such a greenhouse is usually removed from the pot when the succulents are already large enough.
In the first time after germination, it is necessary to monitor the roots of young plants. A feature of succulents is, among other things, the fact that in the early stages of development, their roots begin to spread along the surface of the soil, without going deep into it. If such a problem is found, a small plant should definitely be helped. Next to it, you need to dig a hole with a toothpick, select the sprout a little to the surface and fill the root into the ground.
When using a plastic bag for growing succulents from seeds, among other things, it is worth making sure that fungi and mold do not appear on the seedlings. When they are found, it is imperative to use fungicides. If the area of infestation is large, to save young plants, the pot bag may have to be removed prematurely when mold appears.
How to accustom to room conditions
How to germinate succulent seeds, we thus found out. After pecking such plants above the ground, care for them, of course, also needs to be carried out correctly. Immediately remove the greenhouse from the pot with succulents, for example, is impossible in any case. Due to a sharp change in conditions, young plants can simply get sick and die. Within a few days, the bag is removed from the pot for only a couple of hours. This will allow the succulents to get used to the reduced air humidity.
Further, the greenhouse on the pot is opened gradually for an increasingly longer period. In the end, the bag from the container with the plants is completely removed. Over the next few months, seedlings are sprayed with a spray bottle daily or at least every other day. Subsequently, as soon as the succulents grow large enough, they are seated in different containers.
Winter technique
Of course, many indoor plant lovers would like to know how to grow succulents from seeds in the cold season. In winter, for planting such ornamental crops, approximately the same technology is used as in summer, but a simpler technology.
Before sowing succulent seeds at this time of the year, the soil may not be calcined, but simply spilled with hot water. In this case, it is necessary to carry out such a procedure a few days before planting. Garden soil when using "winter" technology is usually mixed with sand in a ratio of 1:1.
When planting, the soil for succulents is poured into a pot and watered moderatelyrain or snowmelt water. Seeds, as in the first case, are simply distributed over the surface of the soil. After sowing, the pot is covered with glass. Next, the container with planting material is placed in a well-lit place, not under direct sunlight. It is believed that it is best to install pots with sowing succulents in winter in such a way as to provide underfloor heating. For example, you can place containers with seedlings closer to the ledge of the windowsill above the heating radiator.
Glass in the future from the pot is supposed to be removed daily for ventilation for a few minutes. The first watering of seedlings when growing succulents from seeds at home is done approximately 2-3 weeks after planting. Subsequently, the soil under the plants is moistened as necessary, taking into account the technology for growing a particular variety of succulents.
Caring for winter seedlings
Succulents usually germinate rather slowly in winter. In some types of such ornamental crops, this process can take up to 2 weeks, in others - up to 3 months. Care for seedlings planted using the "winter" technology is carried out approximately the same as when using the "in a bag" technique. That is, in the process of growing plants, it is necessary to periodically inspect the earth for the appearance of mold. Subsequently, succulents need to be gradually accustomed to room conditions.
