With its unusual appearance, Faucaria tiger fascinates and delights, it is impossible to look away from it. Its spiky fleshy leaves are similar to the open jaws of a predator, and bright flowers attract tenderness and grace. Among the people, succulent is better known under the names "wolf, tiger or cat’s jaws."
This miniature plant naturally grows in the arid regions of South Africa. It is perfectly adapted to difficult climatic conditions. Faucaria tiger care at home is uncomplicated, but an exotic plant will certainly become an adornment of your collection of indoor plants.
Plant description
A spectacular flower belongs to the Aiza family. Faucaria tigrina (tiger faucaria) is a succulent compact and juicy perennial, usually without a stem. This species was discovered in 1790.
Leaves
Pretty thick, up to 50 mm long, 15 to 25 mm wide. They are very closely pressed together, erect. Color ranges from green to gray-green. The shape of the leaves is triangular, ovoid-rhomboid in the upper part. The lower half is square. Leaves are pointed and serrated above. The keel and edges are whitish, serrated along each edge, with translucent soft, slightly curved back thorns, which remind open jaws.
On top of the leaves of the Faucaria, photos of which you can see below, are covered with a skin, with many white dots merging into larger spots.
Flowers
Very attractive, chamomile-looking flowers appear from the very center of the outlet. They are silky yellow, numerous, up to 5 cm in diameter. The petals are sharp, linear, about 1.25 cm wide. Brown nectar glands with a ribbed surface.
Fruit
Easily decaying, spherical with a flattened tip, bell-shaped, about 9.5 mm long and up to 10 mm wide. The fruit stem is either absent or very small - 0.9 mm. Seeds are very small black. Tiger aucaria blooms (photo you can see in the article) from early autumn to the first frosts. At home, the plant blooms regularly and continuously.
Tiger Faucaria Care: Lighting
So that the leaves of the Faucaria do not stretch out and look neat, the lighting should be bright. Put flower pots on the south windowsill, but on sunny summer afternoon it is better to shade them. Faucaria develops well on both eastern and western window sills.
Air temperature
Tiger faucaria in spring and summer feels comfortable at temperatures from +25 to +30 ° C, and if the room is regularly aired, the temperature can be higher. In the warmer months, Faucaria can be taken out to the open balcony, porch, and garden. The plant needs a cool wintering. This will allow flower buds to form. Keep the temperature at about 15 ° C.
What soil is required?
For taucaria faucaria, a soil mixture consisting of sheet soil, clay, brick chips (1 part each) and three parts of sand is suitable. Plants are planted in wide shallow pots.
Watering
Like other succulents, tiger faucaria are quite moderate watering. In spring and summer, in between, the earthen lump should dry to the middle, in autumn - completely, in winter, watering ceases. It is advisable to use purified water - filtered, settled at room temperature for two days.
Air humidity
Exotic Faucaria feels great even in very dry air. This allows you to grow it indoors. The owner can not worry about the humidity level. Periodically in the warm season, dust should be removed from the leaves with a cloth.
Top dressing
Feed this flower in the period from April to August. For this, complex fertilizers are used for cacti and succulents. They are made once a month in accordance with the instructions on the package.
Transfer
Faucaria is transplanted in the spring once every two years. For a flower, you should choose a wide and low capacity. Lay down the drainage layer to a quarter of the total volume. For this, pebbles, expanded clay, clay shards, broken bricks, and other similar materials can be used.
You can independently prepare a loose, permeable to air and water soil mixture or buy ready-made soil for succulents. Transfer the plant along with the earthen lump into a larger diameter pot, being careful not to damage the root system, and fill up the missing soil on the sides.
After transplanting, the plant needs to be watered a little, and after precipitating the soil, add a little more to it. Drain excess water from the drip tray.
Seed cultivation
Faucaria seeds should be sown in spring in wide containers - seedlings, plastic containers with lids, any flat containers with wet sand. Spread the seeds evenly on the surface of the soil, sprinkle them on top with a thin layer of sand. Cover containers with lids, glass or plastic wrap. Replace them with diffused lighting. For seedlings, a comfortable temperature is from + 20 to +25 ° C. Open the shelter daily for half an hour for ventilation. When the substrate dries a little, spray it from a fine spray.
Two weeks later, the first shoots appear, after which you can remove the shelter. After the appearance of two true leaves, seedlings can be planted in separate containers with a substrate for adult plants. The seed method of reproduction allows you to get several new plants at once, however, it will require accuracy and patience from you. Plants from seeds grow more resistant to pests and diseases, although they bloom much later than those grown from cuttings.
Vegetative propagation
From early spring to mid-summer, leafy cuttings can be rooted. Use a scalpel or a sharp, pre-sanitized knife to cut the cuttings. Sprinkle the place of the cut on the mother plant with wood ash, and the stalk should dry out a bit, the cut will be tightened with a film. After that, immerse it in the Kornevin bottom part and plant it in sand or in moist vermiculite, slightly pressing it into the soil. Support it with a match so that your seedling does not fall. Put on the south window and water a little. After three weeks, the seedling will take root and grow. After that, transplant it into a permanent container with soil for succulents.
Diseases and Pests
It is a plant resistant to pests and diseases, but sometimes the succulent is attacked by a spider mite, mealy or root worm. To combat them, you should wipe the leaves with a soft brush dipped in a solution of “Aktara” insecticide.
If a rootworm is detected, the flower must be removed from the pot, shake off the roots from the ground and rinse them in an insecticide solution. Then rinse in water. After that, the roots are dried and planted in a dry new soil. Only the plant is watered only after two weeks.