Aichrison from the family Crassulaceae is very popular in indoor floriculture due to its high decorative qualities and ease of care. People believe that the flower, which is also called the "tree of love", is able to bring happiness, comfort and harmony to the house where they are well taken care of.
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Description of species and varieties
Aichrison is a succulent herbaceous or semi-shrub plant with highly branched shoots covered with oppositely arranged leaves of a heart-shaped form, which became the reason for the name "love tree".
In case of damage, the green leaf plates, which can be either monophonic or interspersed, become a source of unpleasant odor. Flowering is observed in the second half of spring, when yellow, cream or red star-shaped flowers bloom, collected in shields or panicles. After the inflorescences dry up, leafy rosettes leave the vitality with the death of the arrows.
In natural habitats, succulents are represented by 15 species, among which the following deserve special attention:
- Aichrison is a point - a succulent plant up to 40 cm high, green, slightly pubescent shoots of which have a brownish tint. Leaves collected in sockets are attached to the stems using long stalks.
- Sinuous - stunted succulent with rhomboid fleshy leaves on short petioles. Plant height of 40 cm is fully consistent with the diameter of the crown
- Loose - the species is represented by plants with a height and diameter of up to 40 cm. It is characterized by long racemose inflorescences, consisting of small golden flowers.
- Clear-leaved - the variety stands out with a narrow crown and densely arranged sticky green leaves decorated with red stripes.
- Home ahichrison - as a result of crossing a point and winding ahichrison, a hybrid with a height of 15 to 30 cm was obtained. Leaves, distinguished by a club-shaped form, are pubescent with white villi. Succulent blooms with yellow flowers with a pleasant aroma. In the culture there is a variegated form of Variegatum.
Features and difficulties of growing a "tree of love"
Aichrison flower is widely used in indoor floriculture for its ease of cultivation.
However, despite the complaisant nature of the plant, if the “tree of love” is not provided with optimal living conditions, one may encounter such a problem as falling of foliage.
Reasons may be related to:
- exposure to direct sunlight;
- drying out of an earthen coma;
- systematic waterlogging;
- the need to move to a cooler place to dive into a state of rest.
How to create conditions for successful growth
In order for the flower to develop well and delight the florist with a decorative crown and beautiful flowering, it is necessary to create the most suitable conditions for keeping the succulent in the apartment or house.
- Lighting and location. Succulent photophilous. For Aichrison, a place is being prepared on the eastern or western windowsill, where he can receive a large amount of soft light. To form a symmetrical bush, you should systematically rotate the pot clockwise.
- Temperature mode. During the growing season, the succulent plant feels great at temperatures comfortable for the grower. For wintering, Aichrison goes to a room with a temperature regime of 8 - 10 ° C, which makes it possible to avoid dropping leaves and stretching shoots.
- Humidity. Dry air does not adversely affect the flower. In the spring-summer period, the plant likes to take a warm shower from time to time. In winter, such water treatments are not carried out.
Home Care
If you follow the simple recommendations for growing measures for the care of succulents will not take much time and effort.
- Watering. It is recommended to water the substrate in a pot often, but in small portions so that the water does not stagnate in the roots. The signal for the next portion of water is a slight loss of turgor leaves.
- Fertilizing and fertilizing. In the phases of active growth, aichrison is fed twice a month using liquid mineral fertilizers for succulents or cacti with a low nitrogen content in the complex.
- Pruning. In addition to sanitary pruning, which is carried out as necessary, in the case of the formation of a stem tree, lateral shoots should be trimmed in a timely manner and the central stem should be pinched to stimulate branching.
At home, flowering often occurs in the summer.
To see flowers on your “tree of love” you can’t:
- transfuse an earthen lump;
- plant a plant in a too spacious pot;
- leave the flower overwinter in a warm room.
During the flowering phase, which can last about 6 months, the leaves fall off the plant. Therefore, after flowering is completed, not only dried inflorescences should be removed, but also weak shoots, which will allow the indoor flower to recover faster.
Aichrison flower transplant
After exiting the dormant state, aichrison is annually transplanted into a fresh substrate, which is prepared from turf, leafy soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 4: 1: 1: 1.
A rather close pot is selected for the flower: flowering is observed only after the development of the entire earthy coma by the roots.
The transplant procedure is as follows:
- Gravel drainage is lowered into the selected pot with optimal parameters.
- The drainage material is covered with a thin layer of nutrient substrate with a loose structure.
- Then, by transshipment, a flower is placed.
- The free space is filled with fresh soil mixture.
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Protection against diseases and pests
If the florist treats the maintenance of the flower and care for it responsibly, then he will not have to deal with pests such as spider mites, mealybugs and scale insects. Settlement of shoots is observed with too dry air, when culture hygiene, which provides for systematic water procedures in the form of a warm shower, is not observed. If damage is detected by harmful insects, it is recommended to treat the plant with an insecticidal preparation according to the manufacturer's instructions, which is indicated on the original packaging.
In case of excessive watering and stagnation of moisture in the roots, the development of gray rot may be observed. To cure the plant, at the first signs of the disease, Aichrison is removed from the pot, and its root system is cleared of soil residues. Infected roots are removed, after which the plant is planted in a fresh substrate and treated with fungicide.
Attention! When treating with pesticides, the pot with the plant should be taken out to fresh air, as well as protecting the soil under a bush or a standard tree from possible drug ingress.
Propagation of a houseplant
Aichrison indoor plant can be propagated by both generative and vegetative methods.
Seed propagation
If the grower opted for the seed method of propagation of a succulent plant, the following steps must be performed:
- Prepare a soil mixture of sheet soil and sand in equal parts.
- Ignite the soil in the oven to disinfect it.
- Fill the container with a substrate, on the surface of which to distribute the seed and slightly press.
- Cover the container with glass and rearrange in a bright room.
- Ventilate and spray crops regularly.
- After emergence, remove the glass.
- When the seedlings get stronger, pee them into separate pots.
- Ensure that young specimens have a temperature range of 16 - 18 ° C.
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How to propagate a flower by cuttings
Cuttings prepared from shoots left after pruning quickly and fairly easily root both in water with the addition of wood ash and in a soil mixture of vermiculite and sand taken in equal parts. Before placing the cuttings in the selected medium for rooting, the prepared planting material is dried in a dry, dark room for 2 to 3 hours.
Thus, with proper care, the “tree of love” will delight its owners with excellent health and decorativeness, the degree of which is especially increased with prolonged and fragrant flowering.
