Succulents include different types of plants, often even not at all similar to each other. But they have one thing in common - they are all able to survive drought, storing moisture in leaves, thorns and other types of plant tissue. Cacti, aloe, euphorbia, lithops and many others are all united under a common concept.
How to grow succulents at home, this article will tell.
Content
Typically, such plants require a place with good lighting, but some species are intolerant to direct sunlight and may be in a darkened room. It should be well ventilated, but at the same time it is necessary to take care of the absence of drafts.
In the summer, it is useful to take these plants outside, avoiding direct sunlight. In winter, succulents feel good at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees.
Care
Watering also has its own characteristics depending on the time of year. When the plant is at rest in the cold season, it does not need to be watered much. The main thing is to prevent drying out of the roots. By spring, the watering volume is gradually increasing. It will be best to start with spraying, and when there are signs of growth, continue directly with watering. In summer, you need to water the plants regularly.
Soil and transplant
Succulents are transplanted in the spring. The need for this procedure is due to several factors, such as land depletion, a cramped pot, dysplasia or replacement of store soil. The reasons may be different.
The transplant is carried out as follows. To begin with, it is necessary not to water the plant for several days, so that the earth easily showered from the roots. Drainage is laid at the bottom of the new pot and the required amount of dry earth is poured. It is strictly forbidden to water succulents after transplanting, this is a common mistake of many home garden lovers. Without watering, the plant must be kept for about a week to avoid contamination of the soil and give it time to recover and get used to a new place.
Many gardeners believe that a transplant should be carried out in the spring season. However, the main thing here is to follow the rule so that the plant is not in the stage of active growth and flowering. Of course, in 90% of cases, the right time falls after wintering - in early spring.
Depending on the type of succulents, you can purchase ready-made soil in the store or make it yourself. Do not forget about top dressing, which is also carried out no more than once a month after winter rest. It is important to pay attention to the fact that succulents require a much lower concentration than other indoor plants. It is quite easy to care for them, so even a beginner will not have many difficulties with how to grow succulents.
Leaf propagation
There are two ways to grow succulents at home. The first is vegetative. They use it when the trunk of the plant is already strong. For divorce, choose lower healthy leaves. Do not try to get a new plant from weak, dried or damaged ones.
When a suitable leaf is found, it is necessary to carefully grasp its base with your fingers and gently swaying movements to separate it from the stem. It is best to procure a few pieces, as not everyone can take root. After that, you should lay the leaves in a well-lit place to dry and leave them for about a week. This period may vary depending on how quickly the place of connection with the stem dragged on.
When everything is ready, you can understand in practice how to grow succulent from a leaf:
- First you need to prepare a suitable place for the formation of the root system. To do this, a small pallet is suitable, which should be filled with special soil for succulents or wet sand.
- Then, leaves prepared for propagation are laid out on it with the place of separation upwards and provide good lighting (without direct sunlight).
- Watering is best done by spraying to avoid decay.
- After about a month, small pink roots begin to form on the sheet, which need to be sprinkled with a small amount of soil.
- When a new plant is formed, and it will have its own leaves, carefully separate the mother leaf, and then transplant the succulents into a separate pot, selected in size.
How to grow succulents from seeds
This method is more painstaking than described above:
- Before planting succulent seeds, you must first prepare the ground. It should not contain microflora, so before sowing, it is necessary to calcine the soil in the oven or microwave, and also add a little charcoal.
- The landing site must be sealed with a transparent cover. You can also close containers with seeds made of polyethylene. The room should be well and evenly lit.
- Germination of seeds occurs at a temperature of 25 degrees.
- Before planting, you need to leave the seeds for a day in a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Due to its small size, when planting, the seeds are left on the surface and lightly sprinkled on top of the soil so that they are visible.
- Distribute the seeds at a short distance from each other.
- Germination should occur within two weeks. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the lid or polyethylene must be removed.
- Watering should be done as soon as the soil is completely dry. To avoid decay, you need to provide a good drainage system. Pour water at the corners so as not to damage the tiny roots of succulents.
- After 3 months, the plants will be from 1 to 3 centimeters in size.
- Six months after planting, you can transplant succulents into a separate pot.
That's all. If you follow all the steps regarding how to grow succulents, you can get a large number of beautiful and healthy plants.
Conclusion
Thus, the described plants are extremely interesting and unpretentious. They do not require special conditions of detention. Many people immediately begin to search for information on how to grow succulents, because this is a truly fascinating process. And in the future, you can engage in the reproduction of these amazing plants for making compositions, gifts to relatives or even for sale.