General description of the plant, advice on creating conditions for growing aptenia in rooms, transplantation and reproduction, diseases and pests, interesting facts, species. Florists love to grow succulents - they are undemanding, but they delight their owners with abundant year-round foliage. However, aptenia is not yet so common in home collections, and it is difficult to buy it in flower shops. Usually a flowering bush gets to the territory of Russia and other countries with the help of tourists, who take succulent twigs from the North African resort areas. So what is this exotic guest?
Aptenia (Aptenia) is an evergreen representative of the flora of the planet, included in the Aizoaceae family or, as they say, Mesembryanthemaceae. The native lands on which this succulent grows are the territories of South Africa and South America, it can often be found in the southern regions of the United States. According to various sources, this genus includes from two to four varieties of plants.
The green bush got its name thanks to the Greek word "apten", meaning "wingless" - this characterizes the flower seeds, which are completely devoid of wings. Another name arose due to the peculiarity of the aptenia to open flower buds only at noon hours of the day - hence the Mesembriantemum, again due to the translation of two Greek words that merged into this name: "mesembria" meaning noon and "anthemom" - respectively flower.
Aptenia has fleshy and very decorative shoots spread over the soil surface. They can reach meters in length. The leaf plates are arranged on the stems in an opposite order, their shape is lanceolate or heart-shaped. The surface is fleshy, with small papillae. They are painted in a bright green, grassy color scheme.
When flowering, small buds appear on the bush, which are one and a half centimeters in diameter. The flower petals are colored red or purple. The flowers look very delicate, they have 4 facets. They grow at the ends of lateral shoots in the leaf axils. The size of the petals gradually decreases towards the center, where the yellow stamens are located. The flower is somewhat similar in shape to the bud of a dwarf aster, only it is looser. The flowering process begins in the spring months and lasts until the last autumn days.
After it, the time comes for the formation of fruits, which in Aptenia look like a capsule with chambers. Each such compartment contains a single large seed, painted in black-brown colors with a rough surface.
In the conditions of natural growth, thickets of succulents form whole green luxurious carpets. Because of this, the mesembriantemum is often used as a ground cover or ampel culture. In the conditions of apartments, the growth rate of the plant is very high and with its volume it quickly fills the provided capacity.
Cultivation of aptenia, home care
- Lighting for a flower should be good, but scattered. Therefore, it is necessary to place the pot with the plant on the windowsills of windows facing east or west. The southern orientation can doom the succulent to sunburn, so that this does not happen, they hang curtains or stick paper on the glass. If the flowerpot is on the north window, then there will not be enough light for growth, and the shoots will begin to stretch higher towards the light, become elongated and bare from the foliage, the flowers will also suffer and not bloom. With the arrival of spring, when the morning frosts have passed, you can take the pot out into the open air, placing the aptenia on the balcony, terrace or in the openwork garden shade of trees. Even if the succulent grows in the sun, then a burn will not happen, since there will be a constant influx of fresh air, but it is necessary to gradually accustom to direct streams of ultraviolet radiation. It is customary to use mesembriantemum to decorate alpine slides as a ground cover crop.
- Content temperature. It is preferable to keep succulent at normal heat levels - 22-25 degrees, but this applies only to the months of spring and summer. With the arrival of autumn, the thermometer should decrease until it varies within 5-8 degrees. This cold hibernation will ensure the subsequent abundant flowering. If this rule is violated, then in the autumn-winter period, under the influence of heat, the shoots will begin to stretch, and the leaf plates will turn yellow and fall off. If it is not possible to ensure a decrease in temperatures, then for aptenia it is recommended to increase the illumination indicators by supplementary lighting. Fluorescent lamps of at least 50 W are used here. It is not recommended to place a flower next to heating devices and central heating batteries, as this is also destructive for it.
- Air humidity. Mesembriantemum copes well with dry indoor air, but not hot air, which comes from heating devices. In the spring-summer period, you can arrange spraying aptenia and shower procedures. In this case, the soil in the pot is covered with polyethylene, and the flowerpot is tilted at an angle, the dust is washed off the leaves with a stream of warm water. If the flower is contained in the fall-winter with low heat values, then these procedures are contraindicated.
- Watering. It is necessary to moisten aptenia in the spring-summer period when the top layer of the substrate has time to dry out. Watering should be abundant and regular. In the winter months, the plant is rarely watered, avoiding wrinkling of the leaf plates. Water for humidification is taken from river or collected rainwater. You can also use tap liquid, but first it must be passed through a filter, then it must be boiled and then defended for a couple of days. Then all harmful impurities will leave it.
- Fertilizers. Fertilizers for aptenia are applied only once a month from mid-spring to late summer. Complex preparations are used for succulents so that they have a low nitrogen content. If this rule is violated, then decay may begin. In the autumn-winter period, feeding is not applied.
- Pruning. It is necessary to periodically carry out the formation of shoots of aptenia. She tolerates these procedures quite easily. It is best to carry out molding in the autumn, if carried out in the spring, then the succulent will bloom later. When the shoots have become very bare during the autumn-winter months, it is recommended to cut them no later than February. The cut branches can be used to propagate the plant.
- Mesembriantemum transplant and soil selection. The root system of a succulent consists of thick and powerful root processes that do not correspond at all to this stunted plant. With their rapid growth, they quickly fill the pot offered to them, and then a transplant will be required. This procedure is carried out approximately once a year, in the spring. The size of the new container is selected slightly larger than the old one. A layer of drainage material (expanded clay or small pebbles) is laid on the bottom.
Succulent does not make high demands on the composition of the soil, but keeping in mind the natural origin of aptenia, sand is introduced into the substrate. You can mix the soil mixture from the following components:
- turf soil and coarse sand in equal parts;
- leafy soil, sod, humus and river sand in proportions of 1: 1: 1: 2.
It is recommended to add sifted brick chips and pieces of charcoal to the soil mixture.
After the transplant, it is necessary that 3-5 days have passed and only then can the earth be moistened. The time in this case depends on the size of the container. The first time, water must be applied carefully so that the root system does not rot.
Diy Aptenia breeding tips
Mesembriantemum can be propagated by sowing seeds or cuttings.
With seed reproduction, it will be necessary to carry out surface sowing, without embedding the seed in the ground. The container is filled with a substrate made up of coarse sand and any light soil, taken in equal parts, or you can use just coarse sand. Seeds are sown on the surface of the substrate. The container is covered with glass or plastic wrap. Place the container in a warm and well-lit place without direct sunlight. The germination temperature is maintained at about 21-25 degrees. The sprouts germinate rather quickly, and the shelter is immediately removed so that the high humidity does not provoke decay. It is also important not to flood the plants, as they are very susceptible to rotting at a young age. Gradually, you will need to accustom young aptenias to reduced watering.
After a month from sowing the seeds, it is necessary to make the first pick (when the height of the sprouts reaches 5–6 cm). As the seedlings begin to grow, it is recommended to transplant one plant into pots with a diameter of up to 5–8 cm. The composition of the substrate, in this case, is as follows: light turf, leafy soil and river sand (all parts are equal). Pots with "young" must be kept at a temperature in the range of 16-18 degrees and humidification is carried out once a day.
For cuttings or leaf propagation, it will be necessary to cut off the planting part and wither a little (about 10-12 hours). Then they are planted in suitable pots with moistened river sand, vermiculite or a mixture of soil for succulents and sand.
You can put cuttings before the appearance of root shoots in a vessel with boiled water, after dissolving a little activated carbon in it. When the roots reach a centimeter, then planting is performed in pots with a diameter of 5–8 cm, the substrate is used the same as for grown seedlings.
Difficulties arising from the cultivation of aptenia
When growing a mesembryanthemum, problems arise associated with a violation of the conditions for growing a flower, among them:
- Falling foliage indicates waterlogging of the earthen coma or too much drying.
- If the leaves began to fall off in the autumn-winter months, then this happens when the temperature of the content during this period is too high. Then it is necessary to move the pot with aptenia to a cool room, with a heat of 5-8 degrees and with sufficient lighting.
- If flowering does not start, then this is evidence of too warm wintering or lack of illumination.
- Rotting can begin from over-watering or frequent application of nitrogenous fertilizers.
Aptonia is affected by rot, if irrigation is disturbed - in this case, it is necessary to carry out an immediate transplant, with the removal of rotten roots and subsequent treatment with fungicides. In rare cases, the plant can then be saved.
Interesting facts about aptenia
Aptenia in some countries is used as a medicine because of its medicinal composition, namely Aptenia cordifolia. In the homeland of its natural growth, the flower in local tribes gained fame as a plant with magical properties. The flowers and shoots of the succulent are used as a protective amulet, and it also helps to attract good luck and protects the owner from the evil eye or damage.
Interestingly, it is customary for the British to combine all plants that have a thin skin on the leaf blades, which ensures the glossiness of the leaf surface and protects the aptenia from harmful solar radiation, prevents sunburn and does not allow moisture to evaporate too much. All these varieties of flowers are included in the so-called "Crystal Grass" or "Iceplant" group. And if the bush has flowers with petals of yellow or white color, then it is called a "toy sun" (baby sun).
Types of aptenia
- Aptenia cordifolia (Aptenia cordifolia) found under the synonymous name Mesembryanthemum cordifolium. The homeland of this variety is the lands of South Africa, where Natal, Transvaal, Swaziland and the Cape are ranked. It is a perennial with a very high growth rate. The height of the succulent reaches 25 cm. The stems have a creeping, creeping shape, they are picturesquely spread over the soil surface. Their outlines are oval or tetrahedral. Plump, fleshy, painted in a grayish-green color, they grow in length up to 60 cm. The leaves on the shoots are placed opposite, their shape is lanceolate or heart-shaped. The surface is decorated with small papillae, the leaf itself is fleshy, bright green or herbaceous, its length is 2.5 cm. The flowers are small in size, consist of multiple petals, are located singly on the tops of the stems or on lateral shoots in the leaf sinuses. If the placement is axillary, then the leaf in this place is sessile, devoid of a petiole. The diameter of the flower reaches one and a half centimeters. The color of the petals looks very attractive against the green deciduous mass - it mainly includes bright purples, bright lilacs or crimson tones. The flowering process often stretches from April to August. The opening of the buds occurs at lunchtime (before lunch or after), but only if the weather is sunny or the lighting at home is very bright.
- There is a variety Aptenia cordifolia variegated (Aptenia cordifolia "Variegata"), in which shoots and leaf plates are reduced in size. And also on the leaves there is an edge in the form of a light, uneven strip of a yellowish tint.
- Aptenia lanceolist (Aptenia lancifolia) the synonymous name for this species is Mesembryanthemum lancifolium. The native habitat is in South Africa. The plant has a long life cycle and a high growth rate. The succulent plant is distinguished by shoots that are spread along the ground with a carpet. Their shape can be oval or with four edges. The color is green or herbaceous, in length they grow up to indicators of 60–80 cm. The leaves are elongated, lanceolate. Their placement on the stem is opposite, they are thick and fleshy, resemble the leaf blades of a fat woman, only the color is much brighter and richer. Small papillae grow over the entire surface. The diameter of the flower is also measured in one and a half centimeters. There are many petals in the bud, and they decrease in length towards the center. Their location can be axillary, next to sessile leaves or at the tops of the stems. They are solitary, painted in rich bright pink, bright red or bright purple tones. Long bloom from mid-spring to mid-autumn.
- Aptenia haeckeliana was named after Ernest Haeckel, who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was a philosopher and naturalist, researcher, in his works thousands of new plant species were described, identified and named. Unlike other varieties, this variety has a white-yellow shade of flower petals, and the closer the petal is to the center of the corolla, the more the yellow tone prevails.
- Aptenia white-flowered (Aptenia geniculiflora) the variety grows in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. It is clear from the name that the petals of the flower are distinguished by a whitish tint and thinner outlines. The bud is looser and in the center the petals are so thin that they seem to curl to the stamens, forming a delicate crown.
More about planting and caring for aptenia in this video:
