General description and types of pachyphytum, conditions of detention, recommendations for transplantation, selection of soil and reproduction of succulents, problems associated with cultivation. Pachyphytum (Pachyphytum) is a member of the Crassulaceae family, which also includes about 10 species of succulent plants - representatives of the flora that can accumulate moisture in their stems or leaf plates and with its help survive dry periods. Basically, all plants of this genus chose arid Mexican and South American regions as their homeland. The pachyphytum got its name due to the fusion of two words of the Latin language - thick means "pachys", and the leaf sounds like "phyton". And it turns out a thick-leaved succulent. But all types of this plant differ in the general properties listed below.
This plant is a perennial, which is practically devoid of a stem, it can crawl on the surface of the earth or be lodging and stretch to a length of 15 to 50 cm (only rare species reach half a meter in height). The leaves are mainly located at the tips of the shoots. When the plant grows long enough, the leaves begin to fall off from the bottom of the stems and a small notch remains in their place.
The leaf plates have the shape of an inverted egg of an elongated appearance, and sometimes they can differ in pointed tops, their length fluctuates about 4 cm. The color is quite interesting - grayish-whitish or greenish, whitish-blue. Because of this, pachyphytum bears several more synonyms for the name "moonstone" or "candied almonds" - the white bloom on the leaves is associated with powdered sugar, which is covered with oriental sweets. Because of this, the leaves seem to be of a silvery tint. Typically, the leaf plates of the plant create a dense rosette, and sometimes their appearance is very reminiscent of a bunch of grapes. The nodes between the leaves are very short and they are arranged in a spiral order with such density that they give the impression of a whorled structure. There may be a waxy coating on the surface.
As soon as the time comes to bloom, the plant begins to stretch out a flowering stem with a length of about 20–40 cm, which originates from the axils of the leaves located at the top of the shoots. Inflorescences are collected from a small number of buds, in the form of spikelets. Flowers have a bell-shaped appearance, they seem to droop down, measured in a centimeter diameter. Each bud has five petals, which are colored in shades of white, pinkish or red. Sepals have the same fleshiness as the leaves and the same "waxy" bloom. After the flowering process, the pachyphytum forms pod-shaped fruits.
This plant is often used for joint cultivation next to cacti. Pachyphytum rosettes on colored pebbles look very impressive. Its growth rate is low, during the season the stems are extended by several centimeters. It is quite easy to grow this succulent, it is only important not to violate some conditions for the successful growth of an exotic "moonstone".
Recommendations for the care of pachyphytum in indoor conditions
- Lighting and location of the succulent. Pachyphytum is very fond of good lighting and the fact that the rays of the sun will shine on him will only benefit him, but only it is worth shading it a little from the dining scorching streams of sunlight. This can be arranged by sticking tracing paper or paper on the glass, as well as hanging curtains made of gauze or tulle made of light transparent fabric. The plant is not pretentious and can live even in some partial shade, only good lighting will guarantee a more compact growth of leaf rosettes and saturation of the color of leaf plates, as well as further flowering. Therefore, you can place a succulent pot on the windowsills of windows that face south, east and west. On the northern side, the plant will have to be supplemented with special phytolamps, since a lack of illumination will lead to a loss of color and a complete absence of peduncles.
- The temperature of the pachyphytum content. Although the plant is native to arid regions, it will be able to tolerate very hot heat readings painlessly, but oddly enough, it likes moderate temperatures more. Thermometer readings in summer should not go beyond 20-25 degrees Celsius. But if the thermometer has exceeded the permissible maximum, then it is necessary to ventilate the room and increase the air humidity. In winter, the so-called "rest time" or "rest period" begins, during which it is best for the succulent to withstand lower rates, for example, 15 degrees Celsius. If the thermometer drops to 10 degrees, the pachyphytum will begin to shed its leaves and may simply freeze. As soon as the spring temperatures allow (the main thing is that the night does not fall and there are no changes in the day and night heat), the plant is taken out into the fresh air - in the garden, on the balcony or terrace. If this is not possible, then the room where the plant grows must be often ventilated.
- Air humidity when growing "moonstone". This indicator does not play a role at all in the maintenance of pachyphytum in the house, since it firmly tolerates the dry air of human premises. It is important that, even when humidifying the air, drops of moisture do not fall on the leaf plates of the succulent. Spraying and shower procedures are not recommended, as you can accidentally break off plump leaves or wash off the wax coating. All this will not enhance the decorative appearance of the plant.
- Watering for the succulent. Pachyphytum does not require abundant soil moisture, it is necessary to focus on it for irrigation. The soil must necessarily dry well between waterings (by almost a third of the volume). With the arrival of April and until the end of summer, it is recommended to moisten the pachyphytum once a week, in March and October it is watered only once a month, at other times the soil in the pot does not require moistening. Moisture, which is glass during watering into the pallet, must be removed immediately. Flooding a plant is extremely dangerous, since not only the roots begin to rot, but also the stems and leaves, oversaturated with moisture.
- Top dressing. As soon as the plant begins its active growth (from April to mid-autumn) fertilization is carried out into the soil - you can limit yourself to only 3-4 times. Fertilizers are suitable for cacti, where there is a mineral complex with a minimum nitrogen content. Top dressing must be selected containing potassium. The dosage indicated on the pack can be slightly reduced.
- Recommendations for changing the substrate and replanting. The plant will require a transplant if its root system develops so much that it will master the entire earthen lump. It is best to start changing containers or soil when the pachyphytum is still dormant, that is, in the month of April. You can, of course, change the soil and pot annually, while the succulent is still small enough. At the bottom of the container, holes are made for the outflow of not absorbed moisture, and powerful and high-quality drainage is placed in the pot (broken brick or expanded clay, pebbles).
The soil for the change must be neutral or slightly acidic, have a low nutritional value and have sufficient looseness and air and water permeability. You can use ready-made commercial soil for cacti and succulents. Also, the preparation of the soil mixture is carried out independently from the following components:
- soil for cacti, river coarse sand, fine gravel (proportions are maintained at 3: 1: 1);
- clay-soddy soil for indoor plants (or soilless soil) is mixed with a third of its volume with sand or gravel;
- coarse sand, turf, leafy soil (humus), peat soil (in accordance with 3: 2: 2: 2), with the addition of broken bricks into crumbs.
The plant must be touched as little as possible with your hands, as this leaves traces on the leaf plates.
Tips for self-propagation "moonstone"
To obtain a young plant, cuttings, lateral cuttings and seed material can be used. The whole procedure is carried out in the spring and summer.
For rooting, choose the tops of the stems with leaves 5–7 cm long. They must be carefully separated from the stem and must be dried well beforehand for a week. This is due to the fact that the cut parts of the plant contain a very large amount of moisture and if parts of the pachyphytum are planted without drying, then the cuttings can rot. After the liquid ceases to ooze, the leaves are placed on the sand-peat mixture, practically without deepening. They are installed next to the supports or the edge of the container so that they are always in an upright position. The soil is lightly sprayed during the entire period of rooting. As soon as the stems show signs that the plant has begun to grow, the young succulents are transplanted into separate pots with a substrate that is suitable for the growth of adult plants. Plants are placed in a place with diffused illumination and are looked after, as well as for adult pachyphytums. It is important to remember that plants should never be covered with a film or glass vessel during the formation of roots, since high humidity will provoke further decay.
If a decision was made to propagate pachyphytum with the help of seeds, it must be remembered that this method is very unreliable, since the germination rate of seed is rather low. With the arrival of spring time, the seeds should be placed in the soil and withstand heat indicators of 22 degrees. The soil mixture is made up of coarse-grain sand and leafy soil, taken in equal amounts. The substrate is slightly sprayed and seeds are placed on its surface. After that, the container with crops is covered with a plastic bag or a piece of glass. The container should be ventilated regularly, daily and the soil should be lightly sprayed. As soon as the first shoots appear, the film or glass is removed, and the plants are periodically sprayed from a fine spray bottle. As soon as the steams get stronger, they can be planted in separate containers with soil suitable for further growth. Care is provided as for adult specimens.
Problems in the cultivation of pachyphytum
This plant is practically not interested in pests, only occasionally a mealybug defeat can occur. In the axils of the leaf plates, a whitish bloom appears, resembling pieces of cotton wool. It can be carefully removed with a cotton swab wrapped around a match and moistened with any alcohol solution (for example, a pharmacy calendula tincture). To combat the pest, treatments with modern insecticides are also used.
Most of the problems in the cultivation of pachyphytum occur due to violations of irrigation regimes and high environmental humidity. If the leaf plates began to deform, wrinkle or fade, then this indicates too much drying of the earth in the flowerpot. If the temperature is lowered, and the plant is very moisturized, then this can lead to rotting of the succulent root system. When the shoots began to stretch ugly, and the leaf plates are rarely located or their size is smaller and the color shade turns pale, then it is necessary to transfer the pachyphytum pot to a more illuminated place.
Types of pachyphytum
- Pachyphytum oviferous (Pachyphytum oviferum). The plant was found in Mexican lands in the San Luis Potosi area. This type of pachyphytum is very fond of flower growers and landscape designers, it is then called "candied almonds". Succulent plant, bush-shaped, with upright stem, dense in appearance. In height, it rarely stretches above 15 cm. The leaf plates are painted in a gray-green hue and have an obovate contour. They are covered with a waxy coating of a pale pink tone. They measure 4 cm in length, with a 3-centimeter width. Basically, a rosette of leaves is located at the top of the shoot. The flowering stem looks like a curl, and the inflorescence has the shape of a grape bunch. It consists of flowers in the form of bells with a greenish-whitish or light crimson tint. The surface of the petals is covered with pinkish mottling. They are covered with light blue sepals.
- Pachyphytum bracts (Pachyphytum bracteosum). The place of growth is Mexican territories. The plant, which has lived for many years, has an erect stem with a height of 30 cm. It can grow up to 2 cm across and along its entire length differs in scars from fallen old leaves. At the top, a rosette is formed, made up of obovate leaf plates. If the plant is adult, then the length of the leaf is measured by ten centimeters at 5 cm in width, and a centimeter thick. The shape of the leaf blades is somewhat flattened. Their surface is covered with a strong waxy bloom, if the sun's rays illuminate the plant for a long time, then the bloom acquires a pinkish tone. The flowering process extends to late summer, early autumn. A long 40 cm peduncle is pulled out of the leaf sinuses. Blossoming occurs in small bell flowers, in which the petals are painted in a red tint.
- Compact pachyphytum (Pachyphytum compactum). It is also called Dense Pachyphytum. It is mainly found near Hidalgo in Mexico. The stem of this species extends only 10 cm in height. Leaf plates grow evenly on it. They cast a whitish-grayish color or light green tint. Their length reaches 4 cm, they are distinguished by a pointed top and a small cut. The entire surface seems to be covered with a marble coating. A long peduncle, reaching 40 centimeters in height, is covered with about a dozen bell-shaped flowers. The color is notable for its beauty - a pinkish background with yellow tints, a pale greenish kayomka goes from the edge of the petals.
- Pachyphytum light purple (Pachyphytum amethystinum). The stems of this succulent species are shortened. Leaf plates measure 6–7 cm long and only 3 cm wide. Their shape is rounded or obovate, but in their cross section they resemble a rectangle. The color of the leaves is grayish with green, but there is a lilac bloom. The flowers are very small in size, painted in a dark pink shade, there is no smell.
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