The plant stone flower, which is more commonly called young, is a wonderful evergreen culture - succulent. This marvelous creation of nature is awarded with another nickname - tenacity, since it grows where other flowers simply do not survive - on stones.
In appearance, a perennial plant is the most common, belonging to the family Crassulaceae, which can be successfully grown not only in open ground, but also at home. Its dimensions are small, and the number of varieties is simply enormous, which makes it perfect for collecting. This variety includes mountain flowers with fleshy leaves that form a rosette.
Varieties young
The types of this culture are quite diverse, there are more than one thousand of them, and new ones endlessly appear. For implementation, they are often delivered in assortment and complete sets without names.
These varieties are still complex hybrids with a difficult genealogy. Flowers differ in the length of the stolons, the shapes of rosettes and their leaves, sizes, and also pubescence. And plant colors come in a wide variety of shades: green, burgundy, yellow, red, gray, bronze, pink and silver.
Stone Flower Plant: Species
There are some varieties of youngsters:
- cobwebbed - they have small rosettes 2.5-3 cm, distinguished by their pubescence with red flowers that bloom in July;
- roofing with a diameter of sockets up to 15 cm and brown top, with lanceolate and fleshy leaves with unusual "cilia", which bloom in August;
- shoot-bearing species are considered local species, characterized by small rosettes of 5-6 cm, green leaves with burgundy edges and blooming of yellow flowers in June-July.
Planting crops
In this process, a stone flower is quite unpretentious - a plant, planting and care for which are carried out in the spring, sometimes in the summer, since the young must be properly rooted. If you plant a plant in late summer or early fall, then the flowers in the cold and snowy winter can die.
Before proceeding with the planting of a stone rose in the area, it is necessary to prepare the ground: dig it up or loosen it well, it is even better to eliminate all the roots of old weeds. If required, fine claydite and coarse river sand are added to the soil so that the soil is waterproof.
The bushes themselves are planted on moist soil, they need to be pressed lightly. Large sockets are planted in the intervals of 10-15 cm, smaller ones are slightly closer. All empty spaces between cultures can be taken up with small stones or covered with sand. A year later, young flowers will grow and become the decoration of the garden.
How to care for plants
All creations of nature require care and attention, including a stone flower - a plant, the care of which will not be very painstaking, but nevertheless certain rules exist.
- Stone rose is very partial to well-lit and vibrant territories. But still, the flower should be protected from direct scorching sunlight. The shadow is also harmful to the plant, under the influence of which it can lose its remarkable features.
- In the warm season, juveniles are allowed to be watered once a week, and with the advent of winter - twice less. The culture is adapted to accumulate moisture and stay for a long period of time without water. It is necessary to preserve the rose from the penetration of liquid into the center between the leaves, as the process of decay can begin and, accordingly, the plant will die.
- A stone flower is a plant, the care of which absolutely does not require a certain temperature or climate, since the culture is absolutely unpretentious. Youngsters without difficulties are able to withstand low temperatures and hot days.
- Daily hydration of the plant should not be done. In winter, special spraying can adversely affect the rose. The soil in the pot should not be nutritious, but without fail with a large supply of sand. It is allowed to use pre-prepared additional mixtures for succulents and cacti.
Breeding
The stone flower plant is bred by two methods: seeds and vegetatively. Seed breeding is more painstaking. Seeds are sown in containers with moist and loose soil, but they are not filled with soil, they just cover the box with glass and put it in a bright and warm place. In summer, young growth has been planted on harvested terrain, and in winter, roses need to be wrapped with special material or spruce branches.
Vegetative propagation is much faster. In the recesses of thick leaves, shoots arise, which turn into small rosettes connected to the mother flower with long processes. It is through these kidneys that a young culture produces water and nutrition. Then the sockets are planted in a permanent place and always in moist soil.
An unusually beautiful plant - a stone flower - is almost not affected by pests and diseases. So, it happens that the young can rot, but this is due to increased humidity. In such a situation, you just need to stop watering the rose and remove the rot.
In rare cases, chafer beetle larvae can gnaw a crop at the foot. As a rule, only some of the birds can damage the flower by biting off its fleshy leaves.
Stone rose transplant
When transplanting plants from a pot into an open ground, it is moved simultaneously with a radical lump of soil. Open sockets freely press into the ground. A few centimeters of soil is enough for a healthy young growth, because the flower has an underdeveloped external root system. The intervals between mature outlets should be at least 10-15 cm.
What soil is needed
Land should be selected well-drained, light, sandy and not acidic. Watering a stone flower plant is required carefully, as it does not tolerate moisture retention. Mandatory watering is needed after planting roses and on hot days. With excessive soil moisture, the lower leaves begin to rot.
Usually fertilizers are not advised to add, because they activate the development of outlets, however, reduce the saturation of their color and frost resistance young. You can make half the dosage, starting somewhere with 3-4 flower growth.
Cultivating Home Culture
If you like indoor plants, a stone flower is perfect for you. When planting, use an earthen mixture for cacti with the addition of crushed expanded clay and coal, which protect the flower from possible rotting with excessive moisture. The vessel prepared for planting roses is filled with 1/3 drainage. And in the warm season, flower pots are recommended to be exposed to fresh air.
Watering
The irrigation rules of youngsters are quite ordinary. Like all succulents, stone culture does not tolerate an abundance of moisture. It will be better to water it with lower watering through the stand, so as not to wet the leaves. With this process, the roots absorb as much water as they really need.
The soil between the irrigations should dry out. But prolonged drought is also harmful to them - the leaves of the plant begin to wrinkle and lose their turgor. You need to remember: the lower the temperature in the room, the less watering. For example, if a stone flower stands in a cool room on a windowsill, watering should be minimized.
Humidity itself is completely indifferent. In this regard, spraying the culture is not required at all. For this species, generally moistening the leaves is harmful, and under the scorching sun, drops can cause a burn. It is undesirable to wipe the leaves, as the flower loses its natural protective film.
Where does the stone flower plant grow? Many people already know the answer to this question. It remains only to determine the location and variety, and then you can admire this wonderful creation for a very long time!