Aptenia - care and reproduction at home, photo species

Aptenia (Aptenia) - a perennial evergreen shrub succulent, belonging to the family of Aizov or Mezembriantemovymi. Homeland Aptenia - South Africa. In nature, fast-growing lianike shoots of a plant are capable of reaching a length of several meters; at home, a flower that does not undergo forming pruning grows to a length of 1.5 meters.

The stems of the aptenia are creeping, fleshy, covered with many small juicy leaves of a heart-shaped shape, painted in a bright green tint. Flowering begins in the spring and can last for several months. At this time, on the tops of the shoots of the plant, small (about 2 cm in diameter) single flowers of raspberry or pink bloom.

Be sure to look at how to grow a no less attractive flower hemanthus at home.

Appenia: home care. Briefly

Care for aptenia at home. In detail

Flowering aptenia

Aptenia at home blooms in spring or summer, dissolving small single flowers on the tops of the lateral shoots with needle-shaped petals of a pink-red hue (in some species the flowers may be white).

Flowers open only in the afternoon and only on sunny days, they wither pretty quickly, and in their place fruits form like boxes, inside of which a seed ripens.

Temperature mode

In the summer months, aptenia is kept outdoors or indoors, the air temperature in which is + 20- + 25 ° С. For the winter, the flower pot is transferred to a cool, but well-lit place with an air temperature of + 10- + 15 ° С.

The plant really does not like the heat from heating appliances, so in the cold season, a flower pot must be placed away from them.

Spraying

Home apenia is drought-resistant, it does not need additional spraying and tolerates even very low humidity, which makes it ideal for growing in urban apartments. High humidity for a plant is a source of problems and diseases, it is important to consider this when choosing a place for a flower pot.

Lighting

The aptenia plant at home is very demanding on the quality and duration of lighting. In the summer months it can be taken outside, but from the especially active sun in the afternoon hours, shoots should be shaded.

Indoors, a flower pot is best placed on a south or east window.

Watering

Watering aptenia should be done very carefully and carefully, since stagnation and excess moisture in the soil are harmful to it. During the period of active growth, the soil in the pot is moderately moistened every 10-15 days, allowing the top layer to dry between waterings.

In February and November, the plant is watered about once a month, and with the onset of the dormant period, watering is minimized so as to only maintain leaf turgor, preventing them from twisting due to lack of moisture.

Aptenia pot

The capacity for growing aptenia can be any, it is only important that it is not too spacious for the roots. Since the flower is usually grown in ampel form, it is worth giving preference to wide, but not deep pots, in which there must be a hole for draining excess fluid.

Priming

Soil for aptenia is selected industrial with a mark "for succulents and cacti" or is prepared independently, mixing in equal proportions sheet soil and sand. In the soil before planting, you can add a little lime to regulate the level of acidity.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

Soil quality for aptenia is far from the most important growth factor. It is recommended to feed the plant only in case of real need (no more than 2-3 times a year)

Appenia transplant

It is worth replanting the appenia only if the roots of the plant cease to fit in the old pot. The procedure, if possible, is carried out in the spring.

A good layer of drainage is necessarily poured into the bottom of the pot to prevent stagnation of moisture at the roots. The transplantation of aptenia itself is carried out by transshipment.

How to crop appen?

Care for aptenia at home must include regular shaping pruning. Usually it is carried out in the fall or before the start of active vegetation.

It is noted that the aptenia, trimmed in late autumn, blooms the next season a little earlier than those that were rejuvenated at the beginning of the year. The cuttings remaining after trimming are well rooted, from them you can easily get new plants to replace the mother ones, which have lost their decorative effect.

Rest period

The time for rest of the appenesis comes at the end of autumn and lasts all winter. For this period, the plant needs to provide good lighting and coolness (air temperature not more than + 15 ° С). Watering during the wintering season is minimized, moistening the soil about once a month just enough so that the root system does not die from overdrying.

Growing aptenia from seeds

Seeds are sown in spring on top of sand or light soil without deepening. Seedlings appear quickly enough, after which the container with them is transferred to a warm, bright room, where the air temperature is maintained at + 21 ° С.

It is necessary to water young plants very carefully, avoiding overflow so that the stems do not rot. After a month, the seedlings are peaked in separate small pots, they are cared for according to the same rules as for adult plants.

Reproduction of aptenia by cuttings

Cuttings are the fastest and easiest way to breed aptenii. Cuttings cut from apical shoots are easily rooted in water, sand, vermiculite and in any nutrient substrate. After cutting the planting material, it is left to dry for several hours in a dark, dry place.

The substrate for rooting does not require preliminary preparation, it is enough to moisten it well, after which it will be possible to place cuttings in it.

If rooting is done in water, a little activated carbon should be added to it to disinfect and prevent stems from decaying.

When several strong roots appear on the cuttings, the plants are transplanted into individual containers with a diameter of about 5 cm, in the future they are looked after as adult specimens. Young bushes in favorable conditions bloom just a few weeks after rooting.

At the place of flowers, without any manual intervention, seed boxes are tied, they ripen within 2-3 months. Yellowing and subsequent drying of the capsule indicates the readiness of the seeds for sowing.

Diseases and Pests

Aptenia is a hardy succulent that does not require special growing conditions, but gross errors made by inexperienced gardeners in the process of caring for the plant can lead to the following problems and diseases:

• aptenia does not bloom - the plant overwintered under inappropriate conditions (it was too warm in the room). Another possible reason is a lack of light, in which case the pot should be rearranged in a more illuminated place;
• leaves of aptenia fall - irrigation mode is violated: the plant was dried or, conversely, flooded. By adjusting the frequency and volume of irrigation, you can quickly stop the falling of leaves;
• appenia rots - the cause may be excessive watering or too frequent nitrogen fertilizing. In such a situation, it is better to transplant the plant into fresh soil, having previously removed all damaged parts of it. In the future, you should be more careful about the irrigation regime and refuse unjustified dressing;
• lower leaves of aptenia fall - perhaps the plant needs a rejuvenating pruning, or it has wintered in a too warm room. In the first case, the problem is solved by carrying out the necessary measures to rejuvenate the bush, in the second - only time will help: the appenia just needs to adapt to the changing seasons.
• leaves are large and thin - There are several reasons: incorrectly selected soil (too nutritious), excess nitrogen fertilizers, lack of lighting. Solution: transplant into a suitable substrate and transfer the plant to a more lighted room.

Pests have little interest in indoor aptenia; when kept outdoors, aphids or mealybugs may appear on plants. Various insecticides help to overcome insects.

Types of home pharmacy with photos and names

Aptenia heart (Aptenia cordifolia)

A fast-growing perennial with spreading creeping shoots reaching 1 meter in length. Small fleshy leaves of the plant are heart-shaped and have a juicy green hue. The flowering period lasts from mid-spring to late summer, single multi-petal flowers bloom throughout the entire period on the tops of the shoots or in the leaf sinuses, they are most often painted in raspberry or pink-lilac shade.

Aptenia hearty variegate (Aptenia cordifolia Variegata)

Variegate variety has shoots and leaves a little smaller than ordinary heart-shaped appenia. The leaves are also painted in bright green color, but their distinctive feature is the light edging of the edges. The color of the flowers is crimson-scarlet.

Aptenia lanceolate (Aptenia lancifolia)

Perennial variety of aptenia with flexible highly branched shoots reaching 1.5 meters in length. The leaves are dense, fleshy, have a lanceolate shape. The flowering period can last from spring to autumn, at which time small single flowers bloom on the plant, painted in a soft lilac or pink hue.

Watch the video: How to grow Coleus Plant Care and How to Propagate from Cuttings. Coleus cuttings - English (May 2024).