Indoor echeveria flowers. Stone rose - care for echeveria at home

The flower genus was named after Atanasio Echeverria y Godoy. The Mexican artist created illustrations for books about the country's flora. Among the people, except stone rose, echeveria is known as a stone flower. The plant is often confused with young. Both are called stone rose, have an external resemblance. Despite the presence of family ties, the conditions of their detention are completely different. Young can grow in open field during frosts. Such conditions for echeveria are unacceptable.

Description

The plant is native to Mexico. Some species are found in Texas, California lands. The flower boasts juicy, fleshy leaves, creating a beautiful rosette with a diameter of 3-40 cm. Their length varies depending on the species. They can also be of different shapes and colors.

In most cases the flowers are small size are similar to bells. Are located vertically or sideways. They amaze with a color palette - from yellow to bright red shades. The color often depends on the light. Echeveria makes it easy to breed interspecific and intergeneric hybrid plants.

Types for indoor floriculture

IN natural conditions grows about 150 species. Only some of them are available for indoor cultivation. The table lists the most popular.

Table - Indoor types of echeveria

Echeveria varieties such as bristly, cushion, tongue-shaped, humpbacked, black prince, desmeta, pulidonis, miranda, nodulose are also grown at home. Each of them is suitable for amateur gardeners.

Basic care

Despite the fact that the plant has a complex and impregnable appearance, even beginner flower growers can take care of it. You just need to fulfill simple maintenance requirements that are close to natural habitat conditions. Like other representatives of succulents, the stone rose grows slowly, but lives long time.

Lighting and location

The flower loves bright diffused light. The perfect place- southern, western window sill. There should be no shadow, as the growth and formation of the outlet will be disturbed. In summer, the pot can be taken out to the balcony, loggia. The main thing is to provide protection from precipitation.

Only the acquired flower should be gradually accustomed to the sun. Otherwise, he will get burned. IN winter time he may not have enough daylight hours. Additional lighting is provided by phytolamps.

The succulent has a waxy coating on the surface of the leaves. It is he who protects the plant from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation.

Temperature

In summer the temperature should be 22-27°C. Cool air is recommended in winter. The most optimal conditions are 6-8°C. In the cold season, amateur gardeners can set 18-20°C. But this mode leads to the extension of the rosette of the plant. Varieties that bloom in winter should be kept warm.

The leaves of a stone rose do not react well to frosty air.

Humidity and watering

Spraying should be approached with care. Fluffy species are kept in a dry climate, moistening the leaves is detrimental to them. As for the rest of the plants, it is also undesirable to spray or rinse them. During the procedure, you can damage the wax coating that is on the foliage. The green mass is losing appearance, wrinkled.

The plant feels great, even when the central heating is on. You can sometimes wipe the hairless varieties with a damp cloth to prevent the reproduction of insects.

In warm weather, the soil between waterings should have time to dry out by 2-2.5 cm. A pan is required, from which excess water is regularly drained. From May to September, watering is carried out once a week. Until mid-November, the frequency of watering is reduced to once a month. In winter, the soil is moistened only once or twice a season.

Soft, distilled water without salts is used. Foliage wrinkled and curled - the first and most main feature insufficient soil moisture. It is recommended to adhere to the golden rule - the lower the temperature in the room, the less often watering.

Bottom watering is carried out - through the pallet. Leaves should not be wetted. Otherwise, the root system and leaf outlet will rot.

top dressing

For top dressing, ready-made mixtures intended for succulents are used. In most cases, these are products presented in liquid form. It takes half the dose, which is diluted in water. From early spring, fertilizer is applied once a month. A large number of nutrients leads to damage to the root system.

Feeding is made only two months after planting or transplanting a flower.

Priming

The substrate should be loose, low-nutrient. Stone roses are great ready-made soil for succulents from the store. Brick chips (fine) and river sand in large grains are placed in the composition. To prevent rotting of the root system, a small amount of charcoal is added, which has a disinfecting, healing effect.

You can independently prepare a substrate from molehills or peat, sand. The components are taken in equal proportions. Loamy soil also mixes with sand.

At the bottom, a drainage layer is necessarily created - broken clay shards or expanded clay, which make up the third part of the pot.

Transfer

Young plants are advised to change the pot and soil every year, choosing early spring. The procedure must be carried out carefully, as it is impossible to damage the protective wax coating on the leaves. A wide and shallow container with a hole for draining excess liquid is perfect.

After purchase, the plant is transplanted only after a few weeks. Before the procedure, soil moisture is completely stopped. When placing the flower in another pot, the soil must be completely dry. Watering is carried out only after planting.

In most cases, adult succulents are transplanted every few years as needed. If possible, it is better not to touch them, but only periodically change the topsoil.

Bloom

Often, a stone rose blooms in spring or summer (May-June). This lasts two to three weeks. An amateur gardener can change the time of appearance of buds by adjusting daylight hours. The most optimal conditions for the formation of buds are 12-13 hours of light for two months. Suitable for both natural and artificial lighting.

The plant belongs to the group of short-day succulents. Young plants bloom only in the second or third year.

reproduction

The most common method of reproduction is vegetative. Sowing by seeds is used less frequently, as it is more complex and laborious. For all methods, the ideal time is early spring.

seeds

Peculiarities . The procedure takes place in February-March. If fruit boxes appear after flowering, then you can collect the seeds yourself. If store-bought material is taken, then it is better to read the manufacturer's instructions before sowing.

Procedure

1. Mix peat and sand (1:1).
2. Lightly press the seeds into the soil.
3. We moisten the soil from the spray gun, cover the container with polyethylene or glass.
4. We maintain 20-25 ° C, regularly ventilate and spray.
5. We are waiting for shoots two or three weeks.
6. After two or three months, we plant the plants.
7. We transplant to a permanent place when the outlet has grown in diameter up to 3 cm.

leaf cuttings

Peculiarities . Only healthy parts of the plant should be taken. The recommended temperature is up to 25°C. It is necessary to seat new sockets after the mother leaf has dried.

Procedure

1. We break off the lower ones from the mother plant large leaves let them dry for a few hours.
2. Earth mixture (two parts) is mixed with sand (one part).
3. The sheets are gently pressed into the soil and left at a slight slope.
4. Spray, cover with glass or polyethylene.
5. Moisturize and ventilate regularly.
6. We are waiting for two or three weeks until new outlets appear.
7. Young plants are planted in separate pots.

Root or apical rosettes

Peculiarities . The method allows you to get a healthy full-fledged flower in a year.

Procedure

1. On a cut apical or basal rosette, we remove three or four sheets from the bottom.
2. Air dry for several hours.
3. We mix garden soil with sand (1: 1).
4. Carefully plug in the outlet, water.
5. Spray regularly, ventilate.
6. After two to three months, we transplant into a permanent flowerpot.

If the outlet grows slowly, then its transplant can be postponed to the next year.

Difficulties in growing

The main reason for the appearance of problems is improper care. Knowing the symptoms, you can react to the situation in time and help your green friend.

• Spots of gray. Spots appear on the leaves, the wax layer is broken due to waterlogging, careless handling of green mass. Avoid contact with leaves, do not pour water on the outlet.
• Leaf softening. Gray or black color, fragility of green mass - manifestations of excessive watering, low temperatures. We regulate watering and indoor climate.
• Extended socket and pale leaves . The reason is poor lighting. Gradually move the flowerpot to a bright place. This is not done quickly, as the plant can get stressed.
• Yellowing and dropping of leaves. If these are the lower leaves, then there is no need to worry. During natural process foliage is renewed. Beware if this results in a smaller outlet. Perhaps the plant does not have enough heat and light.

Curled, deformed, unattractive leaves are the result of a lack of nutrition.

Diseases and pests

Echeveria rarely gets sick and is attacked by insects. Sometimes there are fungal diseases. All of them are the result of an improper moisturizing regimen. Therefore, the only treatment is the normalization of watering. The biggest troubles for a stone rose can be brought by a gall nematode, a root bug, a mealybug.

• gall nematode. Pests strike root system: general oppression of the flower, beads appear on the roots, rotting. We remove the damaged areas and transplant the plant into new soil. For prevention, we moisten the soil with the Aktara solution.
• Root bug. The ground is shrouded in white cobwebs - nests of insects. The flower does not grow, is depressed, the leaves become soft and lethargic. Treatment: we completely change the soil, water it with the Aktara solution three to four times.
• Mealybug. A white sticky coating appears on the foliage with insects of the same color. For spraying, you can choose "Karbofos". With a strong defeat, we throw out the flower, choosing and rooting healthy shoots.

Before using this or that drug, you should definitely study the instructions or consult with the seller.

Stone rose is great for growing in a mine-greenhouse - florarium. Together with other indoor plants, you can create unusual mixes to decorate the interior. She is an ideal candidate for keeping under glass in desert or rocky environments.

Echeveria, perhaps the best option for home growing, if the conditions are such that there is little space and a lot of sunlight. Plant several species in one wide flat pot or florarium - and they will make an attractive composition that will decorate a minimalist interior and does not require complex care.

Stone Flower

In the century before last, the book "Flora of Mexico" was published, illustrations for which were made by the artist Anastasio Eccheverria. And among other flowers, it was this one that stood out - similar to a stone rose. In modern books on botany, it is now named after the artist - echeveria (echeveria).

Echeveria belongs to the genus Crassulaceae succulents. Its dense leaves are collected in a low rosette from 5 to 30 cm in diameter. In nature, there are about 200 species of this plant, the main difference from each other is the shape of the leaves and their cover.

The leaves in the rosette can be both flat and convex, with a wax coating or down, which protect from the sun and frost. In addition, echeveria species with purple leaves are quite common.

Since the homeland of the plant is Mexico with its bright sunny days, almost all wild species are low with a short stem. In an apartment without a suitable light regime, echeveria can stretch out and lose its decorative effect.

Very often, echeveria is confused with a similar related plant young, whose homeland is Europe, the Caucasus and Asia. It is also called the stone rose. Outwardly, they can really be difficult to distinguish, but the young are much more frost-resistant and can be grown outdoors, unlike echeveria, which dies at temperatures below 6 degrees. Also young, in comparison with echeveria, has practically no stem.

Types of echeveria and their main differences

Among the miniature species (up to 10 cm), the following common varieties can be distinguished:

• Echeveria graceful - light green rosette of leaves and the same color peduncle with red-yellow flowers.
• Echeveria Derenberga - blooms with beautiful orange flowers, and its leaves attract attention with their red edging.
• Echeveria bristly is a miniature plant whose leaves are covered with white bristles.

Among the most common are:

• Echeveria crimson - distinguished by a strong stem, at the top of which there is a rosette of pubescent leaves, blooms with red flowers with yellow edges.
• Echeveria humpbacked - the stem is very strong, can grow up to 65 cm in height.

The most frost-resistant is echeveria gray.

In addition to these species, nature and man have created other beautiful forms of echeveria.

Photo gallery: elegant echeveria and other popular varieties

In adulthood, Echeveria humpbacked flower grows up to 65 cm in height. Echeveria crimson is distinguished by its large size and bicolor leaves. Echeveria bristly - cute rosette of leaves with white fluff The leaves of Echeveria Derenberg have a red border around the edges. Runyon's echeveria leaves are bizarrely curved Echeveria graceful is also called elegans Echeveria sizaya will withstand even light frosts.

Home growing conditions - table

Landing after purchase and transfer

When buying a plant, choose healthy bushes, with a compact outlet, with no signs of elongation and the presence of diseases. Since sellers grow most of the plants in peat mixtures, it is best to immediately transplant Echeveria into loose and light soil for succulents after purchase.

The root system of echeveria is superficial, so there is no need for deep pots - it is better to take a wide flat container. At the bottom, there must be drainage holes and / or a drainage layer of pebbles, broken bricks or expanded clay - at least 2 cm.

The soil is better to use light for cacti and succulents, or prepare yourself from 3 parts of soddy soil, 1 part of sand and 1 part of fine expanded clay.

Be sure to disinfect the soil, for example, pour boiling water and cool.

Transplantation of young plants is carried out every spring, using the same soil, and the pot is only 1-2 cm wider.

During transplantation, you can also propagate the plant by cutting off the lateral daughter outlets and mature leaf blades.

Florarium with a mix of echeverias, juveniles or other succulents

A composition of several miniature succulents in a florarium will look very nice. You can make it yourself or buy ready-made. As part of the composition, you can use not only echeveria different types, but also cacti, Kalanchoe, Krasulu, young.

Operating procedure:

1. Disinfect the glass container with alcohol.

   If the container and the soil are not disinfected, the plants will be threatened by fungal infections that develop very quickly in the limited space of the florarium

2. At the bottom, pour a layer of fine drainage (a quarter of the height of the container), then the same layer of soil, tamp a little.
3. Place plants on the ground. Sprinkle the roots with soil, gently tamp.
4. Place pre-boiled and cooled decorative pebbles, sand (you can buy colored sand) or pebbles for aquariums on top of the ground.
5. Decorate the composition with figurines or floral decorative elements.
6. Put the florarium in a place with bright light. Water less often than succulents in open pots, avoiding waterlogging the soil.

Care

Light and temperature

The most important factor for growing is sunlight.. There should be a lot of it in summer and winter, otherwise echeveria will lose its decorative effect.

The plant is quite undemanding to temperature. In winter, it is desirable to lower the temperature to 15 degrees, but it can withstand lower temperatures, down to 6 degrees Celsius.

In summer, it is advisable to take echeveria out onto the balcony under direct sunlight - it is not afraid of burns due to wax coating or pubescence of leaves.

It is worth feeding a stone rose in spring and summer once a month, using fertilizers for cacti and succulents according to the instructions. Feeding is not needed in autumn and winter.

Watering and fertilizing

Although echeveria belongs to succulents, in summer it should be watered often, preferably by bottom watering, through a pan, trying not to get drops on the leaves. In winter, when the temperature in the room drops and there is a lack of light, watering is reduced to 1 time per month or less.

Echeveria is fed only in spring-summer period liquid complex fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

Rest period and flowering

Echeveria does not have a pronounced dormant period; in winter it simply grows more slowly. But if you want to encourage flowering, be sure to give your rock rose a fall/winter rest with cool temperatures and little to no watering. Echeveria blooms mainly in summer, releasing one or more peduncles with bell-shaped flowers.

If you do not collect seeds, then after flowering, remove the peduncle so as not to deplete the flower.

If the stem is stretched out or the leaves are wrinkled - we eliminate errors in care

What to do if the flower is affected by diseases or pests

Echeveria is very rarely affected by pests, but in most cases it is a mealybug that damages leaf blades and eats up plant roots. Insect colonies look like dirty cotton on the leaves. They are removed with alcoholized cotton swabs or washed off with soapy foam. In difficult cases, the plant and soil are sprayed with insecticides, for example, Aktara and Fitoverm are suitable.

If you waterlogged a succulent or had a fungal infection in the soil, it will begin to wither and rot.. You can save the plant initial stage infection, using Fitosporin or Trichodermin according to the instructions, but, unfortunately, it is usually possible to detect it only when it is no longer possible to help.

reproduction

The simplest and most reliable method of reproduction is to separate the side daughter outlets from the mother bush during spring transplantation. They are cut off with a sterilized knife, sprinkled with activated charcoal, dried and planted in the ground the next day.

How to propagate echeveria leaf or apical cuttings

If for some reason the stone rose does not form "children", it is propagated by cuttings: apical and leaf. The scheme of actions in these 2 cases is similar:

1. Cut off a mature leaf from the mother bush as close to the trunk as possible, or cut off the top, free it from a few lower leaves.

How to germinate seeds

When growing echeveria from purchased seeds, there are usually no problems either.

1. Plant the seeds in a mixture of sand and peat, deepening no more than 4–5 mm.
2. Pour from a spray bottle and cover the container with a film.
3. Place the greenhouse in a warm bright place with a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Periodically spray the soil with water, ventilate every day for half an hour.
4. After 2 weeks, sprouts usually appear.
5. In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are transplanted into separate pots.

Flowering of echeveria during seed propagation occurs in 3-4 years.

First of all echeveria transplantation is necessary immediately after its purchase in a specialized store. Because the soil in which she was absolutely not intended for her long stay in it.

Attention: Already in the process of growing echeveria, it is necessary to transplant it if there is very little space left in the pot for the plant, in order for it to be comfortable.

How often should this be done?

And it is advisable to do this at the very beginning of spring in order to provide Echeveria with fresh nutrients for a hot and dry summer, when, like all plants, it will actively grow.

If the echeveria is no longer young, then you can get by with replacing the top layer of earth in a pot, while being very careful not to damage the velvety layer of the leaves, which is very easy to do.

In no case should echeveria be transplanted in winter, because. in the fall, it begins to dry out, thereby preparing for the upcoming winter.

Stages of work at home

Nuances

Echeveria has a shallow root system, so wide, shallow pots are suitable for it.. Before pouring earth into it, you need to rinse it thoroughly. hot water.

The soil must be sufficiently loose, therefore, a purchased ready-made substrate for cacti is not suitable for transplantation, because. despite its composition, it may still be under-drained for echeveria. Also in such soil there is a lot of peat for this particular plant, which can cause rapid decay of its roots.

Advice: Or you can choose a special substrate for succulents, which include echeveria.

• Garden soil - 1 part.
• Any baking powder - 1 part.
• Ready substrate - 1 part.

Tree bark and charcoal act as nutritional supplements.

Step-by-step instructions for transplanting echeveria after purchase:

When getting rid of the damaged parts of the roots, it is necessary to cut out not only the diseased area, but also capture a healthy one - 2-3 cm. The cut must be treated with charcoal chips.

After the purchase

Precisely because the substrates in which flowers are grown in the store mainly contain peat, after purchase, echeveria must be transplanted into loose soil for succulents, after adding all the components listed above.

Immediately after acquiring the plant, it is necessary to transplant it into a healthy and nutritious soil, otherwise it will begin to die in a dense store substrate.

There are absolutely no differences between regular transplanting and transplanting echeveria after purchase: the same soil, the same procedure. The only thing to remember: young plants are transplanted once a year, and adults (2-3 years old) only as needed, i.e. only the acquired plant is transplanted more often than what has been standing on the windowsill for many years.

In open ground

If desired, this plant can also be transplanted outside, into open ground, which is quite possible, because most species can withstand temperatures down to -5 degrees. Naturally, with the advent of winter, echeveria grown on the street should be dug up, and then placed in a cool room (from -5 to -10 degrees) and not watered.

Important: The lower the temperature at which the plant is located, the less water you need to water it.

If it is impossible to provide the required coolness, you can place the flower in a moderately lit place.. Watering no more than 1-2 times a month and do it with a small amount of water.

Step-by-step instructions for transplanting echeveria in open ground:

1. Prepare a well-lit, weed-free and moist place for the plant.
2. Carefully remove the echeveria from the pot without damaging the velvety layer on the leaves.
3. Put it in the place allotted for it.
4. Sprinkle with earth.
5. Water moderately.

The main feature of growing such a flower in open ground: if you provide it a good place, where there will be enough light and a moderate amount of moisture, then it will not require any care at all, except for the removal of weeds around it.

Caring for a plant in a new pot

After transplantation, the flower requires ordinary care without difficult manipulations:

Read about the rules for caring for echeveria at home, and from you will learn how to achieve the release of an echeveria arrow and what to do next when it has faded.

What to do if it does not take root after the intervention?

If, after transplanting, the plant begins to wither and wither, then, most likely, the roots were damaged when pulling it out of the old pot. In this case, it is required to transplant again, carefully examining the roots for faults and cracks, which then must be eliminated. The places of cuts are treated with ash or charcoal chips.

If the soil that has been prepared is not loose enough, then the plant suffers from retaining excess moisture.. Then you also need to transplant it, adding more baking powder to the substrate and taking care of drainage.

Perhaps echeveria suffers from pests, which insecticides can easily help get rid of. This can happen if the soil was not calcined or steamed before transplanting.

Conclusion

incredibly unpretentious and tenacious in almost any conditions, so for both a professional gardener and a beginner in this business, it will not be difficult to grow such a plant both at home in a pot and outdoors in the open field.

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Among modern flower growers, both professional and beginners, unpretentious species, in particular succulents, are very popular and justified. They do not require careful home care and the creation of special conditions of illumination and humidity, however, bring a sultry desert "zest" to the interior. Echeveria, or echeveria, can be safely attributed to such species.

Stone rose: description of echeveria and its differences from young

Echeveria (Echeveria) - the brightest representative of the Crassulaceae family, an evergreen shrub succulent with a shortened stem. In nature, there are about two hundred varieties of this plant. Common features for all varieties are the presence of a fibrous superficial root system, fleshy leaves, collected in a rosette.

In nature, echeveria grows in the countries of Mexico and Latin America, on arid plains and small mountains with the maximum number sunlight, lack of regular moisture and rocky soil.

This species lends itself well to selection, which allows you to create a huge number of hybrids with excellent decorative qualities.

The leaf plate is from 3 cm to 30 cm, it is cylindrical or oval in shape, covered with a wax coating, the tip of the leaf is pointed. The color of the rosette varies from light green to gray, purple and red-brown tones. The height of some species reaches 70 cm. The flowers of the plant are bell-shaped, orange, red and yellow-green colors are found.

The second name of the flower - stone rose - he received due to the appearance of the rosette. This is also the name of some related Echeveria plants.

Very often, echeveria is confused with another representative of the Tolstyankov family - the plant was young. Young (sempervivum) is distinguished by its frost resistance, as well as a special way of reproduction - it produces "whiskers" on which "babies" are formed. The leaf plate of the young is thinner and lighter. Due to the lack of stems, the outlet is located directly on the substrate.

On the contrary, Echeveria is very thermophilic, and with a lack of light, its stem can stretch. The formation of "children" occurs at the very base of the stem.

Echeveria arrangement looks great in a flat, wide pot, but keep in mind that, unlike juveniles, this rock rose will not survive outdoors.

Home varieties with different shape and color of leaves

Despite the fact that there are a huge number of varieties of echeveria, the following varieties are most often grown by flower growers:

• Echeveria graceful (Elegans) - a bluish-green rosette of leaves covered with a light bloom. Flowers orange with red.
• Humpbacked flower (Gibbiflora) is an upright plant, the stem may branch slightly. The leaves have tubercles. Color from light green to brown with light edges. Flowers are yellow-red.
• Bristle (Setosa Rose et Purp) - stemless plant, dense rosettes are located directly on the substrate. The color is bright green, uniform. The flowers are small.
• Cushion-shaped (Pulvinata) - a shrub up to 20 cm high. The flowers are red-yellow, with a margin, 1–2 cm in diameter. The leaves are bright green with silvery down. There is a spine at the end of the leaf.
• Echeveria Shaviana, or Sho (Shaviana) - a dense, neat rosette, on a small stem. Erect peduncles have pink flowers. The leaves are bluish-green, sometimes with a wavy edge.
• Echeveria Derenbergii (Derenbergii) - creeping stem, neat rosettes at the end. The leaves are bluish-green, with a reddish tint along the edge. The color of the flowers is orange or yellow-red.
• Agave (Agavoides) - a small bushy plant with dense rosettes. The leaf plate is light green, yellowish or pink along the edge. The flowers are small, yellow-red.

Photo gallery: elegant echeveria and other varieties

Echeveria Sho has bluish-green leaves with a wavy edge.
At the tip of each leaf of Echeveria pulvinus is a small thorn.
Echeveria bristly is densely covered with small bristles
The edges of the leaf plate of echiveria agave are pink
Echeveria Derenberg has red leaf tips
Echeveria graceful with a lack of light acquires ampelous forms
There are growths on the leaves of humpbacked echeveria

Planting after purchase and transplanting a flower

A new echeveria bought in a store needs to be transplanted urgently. Usually, the soil in which the plant goes on sale is unable to provide normal living conditions for the flower for a long time. Subsequently, to maintain the decorativeness of the plant, it is transplanted every two to three years..

For young specimens, an annual transplant may be required.

Under natural conditions, echeveria prefers rocky substrates that do not retain moisture. For growing in a pot, the optimal mixture is: stones, soddy soil, sand (1: 2: 1), a small amount of charcoal. You can use standard cactus soil, to which you should add any fine drainage..

The pot is chosen wide, low, ceramic is best. Depending on the diameter, one or more drainage holes are made in the bottom.

The transplant procedure is as follows:

1. Spread drainage from stones, tiles or expanded clay for about ¼ capacity.
2. The soil mixture is calcined for disinfection.
3. Top up with prepared substrate.
4. The transplanted plant is removed from the old soil, diseased and damaged roots are inspected and cut off. Slices sprinkled with activated charcoal
5. Echeveria is buried in well-moistened soil.

   In the first week, additional soil moisture is not needed.

We make a composition-mix of succulents in the florarium

It is currently very popular to grow echeveria, alone or in combination with other succulents, in a florarium (a small vegetable greenhouse), recreating the original desert or semi-desert landscape from one or more flower varieties. Echeveria will go well with plants such as:

• kalanchoe,
• haworthia,
• cacti, both forest and desert,
• lithops,
• spurge,
• fat woman.

To make a florarium:

1. Take a glass transparent container of sufficient size, wipe it from the inside with alcohol.
2. Prepare succulents for planting, wash their roots, dip for 30 seconds in a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
3. Pour a quarter of the height of a layer of oven-baked or otherwise disinfected drainage mixed with crushed activated charcoal.
4. Then pour the same layer of soil on top.
5. Use tweezers to plant several echeverias of different varieties or create an arrangement of succulents.
6. Decorate the free space of the soil: fill it with pebbles or colored soil (you can take an aquarium one), place the figures if you wish.
7. Water the plants gently with a small watering can.

   It is not necessary to cover the florarium with succulents with glass, they prefer dry air.

8. As a care, provide bright light and less frequent watering compared to succulents grown in pots.

Be prepared for the fact that sooner or later your florarium will become cramped for your plants and it will have to be “populated” again.

Care

Echeveria is unpretentious, able to survive a long drought. Particular attention should be paid to fragile leaves that will not tolerate neglect.

Table: optimal growing conditions depending on the season

Organization of irrigation and fertilization

Echeveria does not require frequent watering. In summer, the substrate is moistened as it dries well, and in winter, watering is practically stopped.

Moisture should not get on the leaves, especially in the center of the outlet.

Plant nutrition is carried out with universal mineral complexes for succulents and cacti. Fertilization is carried out in the spring-summer period once a month along with watering.

Flowering and dormancy

Most varieties of Echeveria often bloom indoors. Bud formation occurs in plants at least two to three years old..

The flowering period usually begins in May-June and lasts about three weeks.

To push the plant to the formation of inflorescences, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for it in the form of 12-hour lighting for 2 months and a room temperature in the range of 15-18 ° C. In this phase, Echeveria requires regular watering and fertilizing.

After active flowering, a dormant period begins, during which it is necessary to minimize watering and stop feeding. The rest time of echeveria lasts several months, until the end of winter, without loss of decorative effect.

In order for the plant to bloom again, for the dormant period it must be moved to a well-lit, but cool place for the winter.

Problem solving

Under optimal growing conditions, the plant is rarely affected by pests and diseases. But if the microclimate is not suitable or there are constant mistakes in care, for example, the owners are too zealous with watering, then the appearance of echeveria worsens, and in the future the plant may die.

Table: the stem is stretched out, the leaves are wrinkled - these and other care errors

If care errors are not eliminated in time, echeveria loses its immunity and is exposed to fungal and other lesions, as well as pest attacks.

Table: symptoms of diseases and pests and methods of dealing with them

reproduction

For propagation of echeveria, apical and root rosettes, as well as leaf plates, are used. For some varieties, propagation by seeds is possible, but in practice this is a very difficult method.

How to separate child sockets

This method is rightfully considered the simplest and most effective.

Stages of reproduction by child outlets:

How to propagate echeveria leaf and apical cuttings

Echeveria cuttings take root quite simply, while the mother plant from which they are taken continues to grow.

Reproduction stages:

Video: rooting echeveria

Cultivation of succulents has become a fashionable hobby of the time. These plants belong to the Tolstyankov species, and the most famous representative is the cactus, a longtime resident of apartments. Echeveria is better known as "stone flower". The variety of shapes and colors of this plant species has made it a desirable inhabitant of window sills and greenhouses.

Description of echeveria

The habitat of the plant is the rocky plateaus of Mexico and South America. Its huge leaves in natural conditions become a source of moisture for the natives. The name of the plant was in the classification in honor of the artist, illustrator of books on animals and flora Mexico A. Egeveria.

In nature, plants are stunted or with a short stem. At home, depending on the light, you can grow a long trunk and various forms. A leaf from 3 to 15 cm wide and 25 cm long stores large reserves of water and, like all succulents, can do without watering for a long time. Echeveria leaves are adapted to both heat and cold. They are covered with a wax coating, in the summer they become bluish-white, reflecting the sun's rays. Leaves withstand slight cooling due to a fleecy blanket on top, which becomes thicker by winter.

This type of succulent blooms at any time of the year, but more often in spring and summer, since it needs maximum lighting during flowering. There are more than 150 varieties houseplant, and most often only a few are bred, due to the availability for reproduction.

Among them are:

1. almost without a stem with a collected rosette of leaves of different shades, pointed at the tips. Blooms in late spring.
2. Echeveria Derenberga has creeping shoots, and rosettes of leaves are collected in cones resembling spruce. The fleshy leaves are shovel-shaped, up to 4 cm long.
3. Echeveria graceful does not have a stem, the leaf is similar to a spoon, only ovoid in shape.
4. Echeveria bristles I is one of the most common varieties for home breeding. He has more long leaves and blooms profusely, throwing out a 30 cm peduncle.
5. Echeveria cushion i represents a low shrub, with leaves densely pubescent with white pile.

Any bush of this plant for lovers of stone flowers becomes a welcome acquisition.

Echeveria home care

In order for the plant to develop well at home, it is necessary to fulfill the maintenance requirements that are close to the living conditions:

• illumination;
• temperature in winter and summer;
• fertilizers;
• soil composition;

In addition, you should know the main signs and diseases of plants. An important feature is the development of the root system, the methods of reproduction of this type of succulents.

One of the main conditions for the well-being of a plant is lighting. Echeveria is not afraid of the sun's rays, it can be located on all windows, except for the northern ones without shading. With insufficient lighting, flowering can not wait. Even during the dormant period, not all varieties need shading. In summer, plants will be happy to be outdoors, an open veranda or balcony. In any case, there should be an umbrella over the place where succulents grow to protect the leaves from an unexpected cloud. When water gets in, the leaves lose their decorative effect.

The most difficult thing in keeping echeveria at home is to provide temperature regime. If in summer 22-27 0 it is not difficult to create, in winter in room conditions a bright place with 6-8 0 is difficult to find. At higher temperatures, the stem stretches. If this is not critical for the owner of the succulent, then the guest tolerates a temperature of 18 degrees well.

Important in the care of echeveria at home is watering. In this case, it is better to dry the plant than to give excess water. With a lack of water, the leaves will wrinkle and then fill up again. When overflowing, the plate will soften and rotting may begin. In summer, watering is moderate, the earth should dry out by 2/3 in height, while the leaves will wilt a little. When watering, avoid droplets of water on the plants. Most often, bottom watering is used, through drainage holes. In winter, watering is halved, watered a little based on the condition of the plants. Excessive moisture will lead to the death of the succulent.

The composition of the soil should be as close to natural as possible. The soil is thin, with a predominance of sand and stone chips, acidic from a peat substrate. You can buy ready-made soil for cacti and add the ingredients:

• coarse sand;
• crushed charcoal;
• brick chips;
• vermiculite.

The sour composition can be made independently by mixing the top and bottom, leaf humus, and add a little biohumus for nutrition. After disinfecting home-made or purchased soil, add the listed fillers to it.

Dishes for caring for Echeveria are selected wide and flat, in which the roots are located horizontally. The composition of the soil is such that young growing specimens need frequent transplantation. An adult plant is moved to a new bowl as needed. In any case, they try not to injure the bush during transplantation. Adult plants are fed during the warm period of the year once a month with special liquid fertilizers for succulents.

The dry air of an apartment with winter heating with hot water radiators is favorable for the plant. No spraying and moisturizing is required when caring for echeveria at home.

Echeveria breeding

The plant propagates by seeds, leaf blades or the upper parts of the outlet. Seed propagation is used by breeders to obtain new decorative properties. In practice, echeveria is propagated vegetatively.

The taken sheet is dried for several hours, and then deepened. Rooting occurs within a few days, new mini plants will be created, which will subsequently bloom in 2-4 years. If propagated by an apical rosette, then flowering can be obtained in the same year.

Bloom

Different varieties of Echeveria bloom in their own period. You can collect a collection so that flowering becomes continuous. The main condition is the intensity of the light flux. Therefore, often experienced flower growers organize. The flower emerges from the axils of the leaves, it is naked, leafy. Sometimes it hovers above the plant at a height, in other cases it clings to the bush. Flowers are pollinated well, and viable seeds are in the resulting box.

The benefits of the plant

Creating a garden of succulents on the window has a beneficial effect on the room. The air is enriched with oxygen and ozone, humidity rises, clothes sparkle less. In general, the living inhabitants of the windowsill evoke positive emotions.