Crassula or money tree is very popular with gardeners. This attractive culture is quite unpretentious. But this beauty has many “relatives” who will become an apartment decoration. And in this material everything is told about the fluffy fat woman: name, photo, description, medicinal properties and growing rules.
Variety of species
Flood-like Crassula, also known as Crassula lycopodioides, is a prominent member of the Crassula family, the genus of Crassula. The homeland of these succulents is South Africa. The family has 350 species. Most often, such varieties are grown at home:
- Oval Crassula or Money Tree (Crassula ovate). The most common variety. The plant has a tree-like form, leafless oval leaves painted in dark green with a red border. The plant reaches 1 meter in height. Blooms with attractive pink or white buds.
- Tree Crassula (Crassula arborescens). The plant reaches a meter and a half in height. The variety is distinguished by original gray leaves with a bright red border. Their length is about 8 cm and a width of 5 cm. Blooms in spring. At this time, small white and pinkish buds appear.
- Crassula schmidt (Crassula schmidtii). A bushy variety with elongated and pointed leaves at the end. The upper side of the plates is painted green with a silver pattern. The lower part of the leaves with a reddish tint. During flowering, multiple carmine-red buds collected in racemose inflorescences appear on the plant.
- Spotted Crassula Crassula picturata. A grassy variety with thin, adjacent stems. The shape of the leaves is obovate with pointed tips. The plates are painted in silver-green color with dark spots. The bottom of the plates is red-violet.
Each of these varieties will decorate a collection of gardeners who prefer to grow succulents. But in this material we will consider the plum-like fatty. We will discuss this later in the article.
Botanical Description
The flume-like crassula is strikingly different in appearance from its relatives. After all, the culture does not have a trunk, and numerous erect stems are densely covered with scaly leaves of a triangular-oval shape. They are located on shoots in 4 rows. Thanks to this, the stalks of the plum-like crassula, the photo of which is presented in the article, look like tetrahedrons.
Petals are painted in juicy green tones, but there are specimens with a red and yellow tint. Over time, the lower part of the stem fades and acquires a grayish tint.
Erect stems of the plant reach 25 cm in height. As they grow, they lie under their own weight and take root when in contact with the ground. Thanks to this, the plant grows rapidly in different directions. Therefore, it is often planted to create compositions in the role of a ground cover culture.
Bloom
With proper care at home, a fluffy fat woman releases buds. This happens from the end of January until the beginning of March. During this period, small stalks of a yellow hue appear on the stems. They do not represent any particular aesthetic value, because the buds are almost invisible, and besides, they have a simple shape. But flower stalks exude a pleasant aroma that spreads throughout the room. Flowering lasts no more than 4 weeks.
Landing
If you want to grow a fat girl at home, then prepare the soil for the plant. You can buy special soil for cacti and succulents. In addition, a universal flower mixture is suitable, but at the same time it should be mixed with sand in a ratio of 1 to 4. And it is advisable to add a little vermiculite to the mixture. Such soil contributes to the normal growth of culture, and also protects the roots of the Crassula from decay. But if you prepare the mixture for the plant yourself, then do not forget to disinfect it. To do this, cultivate the earth over a steam bath or calcine in the oven.
How to plant a plant:
- At the bottom of a small pot, lay a layer of expanded clay, pebbles or other drainage.
- Pour the mixture into the container and sprinkle it lightly from the spray bottle.
- Gently place the plant on the ground and slightly push it into the soil. Remember, the roots of the plant are fragile. And if you break them off, then the flower will slow down in development.
The first two weeks after planting, keep the pot away from sunlight. In the future, rearrange the plant to a permanent place and provide normal care to the fat woman at home.
How to care for a plant
This attractive succulent is unpretentious, and caring for it will not cause much trouble. The main thing is to provide the culture with comfortable conditions, including:
- optimal temperature conditions;
- proper lighting;
- sparse but plentiful watering;
- top dressing.
Read more about how to ensure proper care for the fatty pluvoida, read on.
Location and lighting
Crassulaceae Crassulaceae - photophilous plant. Therefore, choose the most lit places for it. Ideally there will be a southern or eastern windowsill. Here, the leaves and stems of the succulents will acquire the most saturated shade and juiciness. But at the same time, in the afternoon, cover the flower from the rays of the sun.
In summer, take the pot with the rosula to the balcony or to the garden. But at the same time, place the succulent in such a way that direct sunlight does not fall on it. Otherwise, the shoots will receive a sunburn, and the flower will lose its decorative properties.
Temperature mode
This succulent is thermophilic, but the heat negatively affects it. Therefore, during active growth, try to maintain a temperature from +20 to +25 ° C in a room with a flower.
In the dormant period, which lasts from late October to March, it is advisable to move the pot to a room with 10-15 ° C. It is important that the lighting remains maximum. A cool window sill, located away from heating appliances, is suitable.
Watering
Like other succulents, the fat woman does not need frequent hydration. Moreover, excess moisture leads to rotting of the roots. Therefore, water the flower carefully. In addition, try to prevent water from entering the leaves of the plant. In the spring-summer season, moisten adult specimens once or twice a month, when the soil is completely dry. In autumn and winter, reduce moisture to 1.5 times. At the same time, monitor the condition of the flower: if the stems and leaves fade, increase watering.
Top dressing
Floaty Crassula responds well to fertilizer application. Feed the culture with special complex compositions for succulents or liquid solutions intended for decorative foliage plants. Fertilize the flower in the spring-summer season, combining insertion with watering. During dormancy, the fat woman does not need fertilizer.
Breeding
This succulent is quite tenacious, and from one shoot over time, quite thick flower thickets are created. Moreover, the reproduction of the abdominal Crassula is carried out in three ways:
- Division of the bush. The easiest way, suitable for overgrown crops. To propagate the plant by dividing the bush, carefully divide the plant into parts with a sharp knife. In this case, try not to damage the roots and in no case do not clean the soil from them. Transplant the flowers into separate pots along with an earthen lump. Provide normal crop care.
- Cuttings. For breeding, choose side shoots more strongly and cut them with a sharp knife. It is not necessary to process the places of cuts, because the cuttings take root without additional help. After this, root the shoots in a moistened substrate. It is advisable to choose a small pot for them, as the roots rot in a spacious container. When caring for transplanted cuttings, do not forget to periodically spray the soil with water, preventing its drying out.
- Layering. The plant grows rapidly in breadth. And some shoots from touching the soil form roots. Such layering can propagate a flower. To do this, carefully separate the shoots along with the roots and an earthen lump and transplant them into a separate pot. In the future, provide the culture with normal care.
Whatever method of breeding you choose, remember that it is better to start the event in late winter - early spring. Then the plant will take root more quickly and grow. In addition, in no case do not propagate the crop during flowering. During this period, the fat woman gives all the strength and juice to the buds. A weakened plant takes root for a long time or, in general, dies.
Transfer
A fat woman is transplanted only when its roots completely fill the entire container. Carry out this procedure by transshipment:
- Put a layer of drainage on the bottom of the new pot.
- Turn the plant over and carefully remove it from the old container.
- Put the crop in a pot with an earthen lump.
- Fill the voids with fresh soil and moisten the soil.
After transplanting, put the plant in its usual place. Hold the event in the spring, no more than once every 2-3 years.
Pests
The cane is a plant with strong immunity. But in rare cases, it is attacked by pests:
- Spider mite. This pest can be recognized by the thin web that appears on the stems.
- Shield. The first symptom of the pest is the appearance on the stems of yellow and brown spots of small diameter.
- Mealybug. This insect is clearly visible even with the naked eye. It leaves behind a white powdery coating, due to which the parasite got its name.
To get rid of pests, carefully treat the plant with a soapy solution. If this measure does not help, then use an insecticide such as "Fitoverm" or "Fufanon."
Growing problems
Crassula rarely gives trouble to gardeners. And problems with its cultivation, as a rule, occur due to excessive soil moisture. In this case, the roots rot. If you notice dark soft spots at the base of the stems, remove the damaged shoots and reduce watering. If these measures do not help, then transplant the plant into new soil.
The healing properties of the fat woman
Money tree is highly valued in folk medicine. Moreover, it is considered no less useful than aloe. And this is not surprising, because the plant juice has a bactericidal, wound healing and anti-inflammatory property. But before applying this or that prescription, be sure to consult a doctor, because self-medication leads to extremely negative consequences. Also, remember that the juice of the flower contains arsenic. Therefore, do not abuse decoctions and infusions that are taken orally.
How and what to treat with a money tree?
- Cuts, light wounds and burns. Grind the leaves of the plant on a grater. Put the pulp on a disturbing place and secure it with a bandage. Change the dressing every 4–5 hours.
- Insect bites. Lubricate places with succulent juice 4 times a day.
- Cystitis. Grind 5 leaves of the Crassula and pour them with a glass of boiling water. Infuse the mixture for 60 minutes, then strain. Take 1 tbsp. l infusion twice a day 20 minutes before meals.
- A sore throat. Grind 10 leaves of a flower and squeeze juice from the mass. Mix it with 1.5 cups of warm water. With this liquid, gargle three times a day after meals.
- Gastric and duodenal ulcer. In the morning on an empty stomach, eat 2 leaves of a flower 60 minutes before breakfast.
- Herpes. Squeeze the juice from the leaves and lubricate it with a rash every 60 minutes. If there is no time for such procedures, then soak a cotton pad with liquid and fix it in a disturbing place with a band-aid. Do this therapy for no longer than 2 days.
- Arthritis and arthrosis. Lubricate diseased joints with plant juice at night.
If you like attractive and unpretentious succulents, then be sure to plant a fatty pluya. This culture will decorate your collection. Moreover, it coexists well with other plants, it can be planted in various compositions with cacti and other succulents. In addition, flower care does not take much time and effort.