It is a common occurrence when, being the owner of a plant, we do not know its exact generic or species affiliation. And it can very often be precisely succulents, whose names are sometimes difficult to pronounce. Amazing plants with unusual leaves and stems and even more original flowers will always catch admiring glances. They love the sun, and so that it affects them only from the best side, nature awarded succulents with thorns and spikes, thick leathery leaves and an interesting shape.
What are succulents?
Succulents are a large group of plants of different genera and families, combined by one amazing ability common to all of them to accumulate moisture in special tissue. This is the result of adaptation to environmental conditions, as these are inhabitants of the arid climate. If you can find the plant most adapted to lack of moisture, high temperatures and rare rainfall, then these are succulents. The species included in the group are representatives of cacti, euphorbia, agave, lithops, and even there are specimens from the Aroid (Zamioculcas) and Bromeliad families.
The ability to retain moisture is the result of evolution, and there are many adaptations to this for succulents. For the economical consumption of the available water supply, there are dense leathery leaves with a waxy coating, which reduces its evaporation, the stem is reduced, leaves of some species are modified into spines, or underdeveloped. Moisture is stored in the leaves or stem, which very often has a ribbed structure - this is also an adaptation, in case there is an excess of precipitation, then the folds will straighten out and the succulent will not burst.
Succulents: species
The classification of succulents in botany is carried out depending on where the moisture depot is located, in the stems or leaves. Thus, two large groups are distinguished:
1. Stem succulents (photo above). All moisture accumulates in a modified (elongated or spherical) stem. Leaves are usually transformed into spines or underdeveloped. Typical representatives are a large part of cacti.
2. Leaf succulents. Species included in this group accumulate and store moisture in thick leaves that are collected in a rosette, and the stem is most often reduced. This group of succulents includes aloe and agave, known to everyone (in the photo below), unusual lithops, stonecrop, representatives of the genus Haworthia, Echveria.
If we talk about growing issues, then succulents are too large a group consisting of various species. Even within the same Cactus family, care for individual species can vary greatly. But still there are basic nuances that will help you choose the right direction at the initial stage, when the plant only appeared in your house.
Which place to choose?
Succulents are certainly children of the sun. Therefore, it should be a lot throughout the year. South windows, open balconies and terraces are the best choice for such plants, although some species prefer bright but diffused light. Succulents do not tolerate drafts at all, the air temperature should be high in summer and cool during the winter dormancy of plants. If there is not enough light for them, they, of course, will grow, but they will lose all their decorativeness and especially the ability to bloom. Succulents, the photo of which is presented below, suffered from improper lighting and watering. This is primarily manifested in the deformation of the stem and a change in its color.
Succulent substrate
Soil plays an important role in the life of any plant. Succulents do not tolerate organic matter in the soil, that is, ordinary land, well spiced with humus, is the first step to their death. When compiling the soil, three points must be remembered: lightness, breathability and good drainage. Experienced flower growers are advised to mix in equal proportions sheet and turf soil, large river sand. If you are not confident in your abilities, then it is best to buy a ready-made substrate in a store, and use expanded clay as drainage. If the plant in natural conditions grows in the mountains or on stony soils, it is best to add crushed stone to the substrate. The succulent pot should not be too large, as they grow very slowly. It is best suited for a shallow but broad shape. When transplanting, the diameter of the pot is increased by only 1.5-2 cm, succulents feel better in cramped conditions.
How to water succulents?
Despite their high drought tolerance, watering is necessary, and it should be regular. Water should be soft, room temperature. All this contradicts the popular belief that you can practically not water succulents. Species with leaves (euphorbia, agave, zamioculcas) require more moisture than the same cacti or lithops. But it is important to remember that plants of this group have a pronounced winter dormancy, when watering is stopped altogether or minimized. The combination of high humidity in the soil with low air temperatures is absolutely disastrous, sooner or later this will lead to decay of the root system, which is why they reduce watering in the winter.
The use of complex mineral fertilizers is possible, but with caution. If the concentration is high, the plant may crack, as an excess of nitrogen provokes too active growth. Succulents do not like organic fertilizers. Top dressing should be carried out during the period of active growth or flowering, with a frequency of once a month.
How do succulents bloom?
The process of flowering succulents is very interesting, and even the most flowering plants can envy some of them. True, sometimes this must be expected long enough, many specimens bloom only in adulthood and under certain conditions. Some succulents, whose flowers have tremendous beauty, can be easily grown at home, they are primarily known to all echinopsis, with proper care, watering and dormancy, they will delight you with flowering annually.
Mammillaria bloom very abundantly, and caring for them is extremely simple. Lithops, or, as they are also called, “living stones”, in themselves look like some kind of amazing alien flowers, although, in fact, these are modified leaves.