Rowley's pearl strings in a flower pot
A very unusual decoration of a city apartment is the amazing "African" Rowley. Despite the fact that caring for this plant at home does not require much time and cost, not every grower decides to grow it. Is it difficult to keep this type of perennial groundwort? What conditions will be required to create a flower for growth and flowering?
Description and features
The indoor flower with the Latin name Senecio Rowleyanus is one of 3000 representatives of the flora belonging to the Astrov family. The area from which this extraordinary plant came to homes and garden plots is Southwest Africa, or rather, the mountainous regions of Namibia. The scorching sun, long dry "winters" and short "wet seasons" made Rowley's Rustic resistant to harsh conditions. The flower belongs to succulents, that is, it is able to accumulate moisture in the leaves in order to wait out a long drought in this way.
Rowley's groundwort is difficult to confuse with other plants. Long creeping shoots of the flower along the entire length are covered with spherical green leaves, similar to peas or berries of unripe gooseberries. Thanks to this form in the homeland, the plant received the poetic names "pearl thread" and "green pearls". Rowley's classic emerald green. But today there is an artificially bred variegated (two-color) type of this flower - its green leaves are covered with shapeless white spots.
The flower looks perfect in a hanging planter and grows well on an open flower bed with a lush carpet, its long shoots can grow up to 1 m. The only significant drawback of the plant is that its "whips" contain toxin. Contact with a poisonous substance can be dangerous to humans and animals. For this reason, Rowley's grub should not be bred if there are children or pets in the house. When replanting or pruning a flower, you will need to protect the skin and eyes from the sap of the plant with glasses and gloves.
Microclimate for "green pearls"
Rowley's groundwort can exist under any conditions, but the lack of a suitable microclimate will significantly impair its appearance. The main thing for the "pearl string" is a large amount of bright diffused light. In autumn and winter, when the natural duration of daylight hours for the plant is not enough, you will need to illuminate the crosswort with a fluorescent lamp. You can do without this measure in spring and summer if you place the succulent on a windowsill with an exit to the east or west. Near the "south" window, these plants are displayed with great care, not exposing them to direct sunlight.
Lack of the right amount of sunlight can cause vegetative diseases and even the death of the plant. The rest of the plant is quite tolerant of "violation of the regime." Temperature conditions for this flower depend on the season. In summer, the "guest from Africa" needs a lot of warmth and light. The optimum temperature for him at this time is 23-26˚С. At the end of autumn, Rowley's groundwort can be safely sent for the winter to an unheated room without drafts, for example, to a glazed loggia. The plant "falls asleep" at 10-15˚С, but it is able to survive at 7-8˚С.
We should also say about humidity. Rowley's groundwort does not require hydration and it is not at all desirable to spray overhead. Green "African" grows well in dry air and tolerates the proximity of heating devices.
Watering and feeding mode
Too much moisture for "green pearls" is destructive even during the active growing season, when the flowers are knocked out and the seeds of the plant ripen. The clod of earth should not be damp, only slightly moistened. For this, water is applied in small portions and only after the top layer of the earth is completely dry. Experienced growers advise to carefully check the moisture with a wooden stick before watering.
Depending on the season, the following watering regime can be distinguished.
- Active. From mid-late March to September, the plant is gradually introduced into the regime of "abundant" watering. A small amount of water is added once every 2-3 days. During the entire active period, the soil should be slightly damp.
- Preparing for the winter. For about a month when watering with the same amount of water, the regularity is reduced to once every 5-6 days.
- Peace. The flower "sleeps" in a cool room. At this time, many growers prefer not to water it at all. But if this succulent is hibernating in a warm place, you can slightly moisten the topsoil with a sprinkler.
Advice
For Rowley's groundwort, it is imperative to use chlorine-free water, separated by at least 2-3 days. To soften the moisture, you can add a little citric acid before watering.
Top dressing is also applied only "in the summer", before the start of preparation for winter sleep. A liquid complex of mineral fertilizers for succulents is best suited for this purpose. If there is no such composition, you can feed with universal mixtures with a low nitrogen content. The frequency of feeding for the entire growing season is twice a month.
Diseases and pests
High immunity to most vegetative diseases is another strong feature of the Green Pearl. Basically, the flower can get sick due to improper care or become a victim of insect pests.
It is possible to diagnose a plant and take timely measures based on external signs.
- Gray rot. It affects the roots due to excessive watering. The leaves are covered with yellow spots, dry out at the edges. To save the flower, you need to reduce the amount of moisture and carry out the treatment with copper oxychloride.
- Powdery mildew. Nitrogen fertilizers are the cause of white bloom on the leaves. The affected parts of the plant must be removed, and the remaining parts must be wiped with a weak solution of "Fundazol".
- Spider mite. This pest can only be seen by the cobweb on the shoots and leaves.
- Thrips. The plant is dehydrated, leaving traces in the form of yellow "marks".
- Shield. This insect can be seen at the bottom of the leaf. Leaves sticky spots on the surface of plants.
Timely insecticide treatment and removal of affected shoots helps against parasitic insects. Additionally, you can wash the flowers with a solution of laundry soap.
Transplanting, pruning
Rowley's ground plants are "touch-sensitive" houseplants. The less disturbed the flower, the better and more luxuriant it looks. First of all, this concerns trimming, or rather, its absence. To form a beautiful "crown", it is recommended only to pinch the top leaves of the shoot.
The flower needs an annual transplant only for the first three years after reproduction. After that, its growth slows down, and the bush can be transferred to fresh soil every 3-4 years.
There are several rules that must be followed when transplanting so as not to damage the flower.
- It is better to take a new flower pot a little "with a margin", more by 5-8 cm.
- A drainage layer must be placed on the bottom.
- A store-bought substrate for cacti or succulents is suitable for the ground plant. In the absence of special soil, you can prepare the earthen mixture yourself. To do this, mix in equal parts humus and leafy soil, peat, sand and vermiculite.
- The plant should be transplanted carefully so as not to break fragile shoots.
Advice
It is pointless to transplant adult flowers of Rowley's rosemary that have reached the age of 5-6 years.From this, the appearance of the plant will suffer greatly and the bush of "green pearls" will lose its decorative effect. Instead of transplanting, it is better to cut more cuttings and propagate the flower.
Reproduction
Growing a new rose bush is quick and easy. The plant adapts so quickly that under favorable conditions, almost any part of the shoot can take root. But with seed cultivation of a flower, you can fail: only freshly harvested seeds of a wild rose can sprout, while the viability of seed material does not last long.
Most often, propagation of a home plant is carried out by two simple methods - layering and cuttings. The best time to root shoots is spring and early summer.
When using the vegetative cuttings method, you will need:
- cut several healthy cuttings 4-7 cm long from an adult plant;
- plant several cuttings in prepared pots with soil;
- pour water at room temperature once every 2-3 days.
Special care for the seedlings is not required; it is not even necessary to cover them with a cap. It is enough to water the soil in pots in time to keep the clod of earth constantly moist. The cuttings will take root in a couple of weeks, and after a year, the "grown together" bush can be transplanted into a large container.
The second method is the escape of the escape. Several "lashes" of the plant are partially buried in the ground, without cutting the cuttings. After about a week, when several internodes release the first roots, the shoot is cut from the mother plant and transplanted in the usual way.
Thus, pearl strands can be grown for many years. Subject to the simple rules of care, Rowley's rose flower will thrive and become an original decorative element for home or office.
and will be published shortly.