Characteristics of the distinctive features of the plant, cultivation of hechtia, reproduction of succulents, diseases and pests of prickly exotic, interesting facts, species. Among the Bromeliaceae family, or as it used to be called Pineapple, there are many plants that are already well known to the florist, for example, such are echmeya, guzmania, neoregelia, pineapple itself, of course, and others. But there are some plants that are not so often found in home flora collections. The conversation will focus on Hechtia, which bears a name in Latin very similar to its Russian transliteration - Hechtia. With its native habitat, this unusual thorny representative of the flora "reveres" the territories of Mexico, the USA and the central regions of America (from Mexico to Texas). In total, the genus has up to 45 varieties.
The plant is often called terrestrial bromeliad, and it is quite close in relation to succulents, since in its leaves, like them, it tends to accumulate moisture. The genus got its original name, and the "rastyukha" itself received thanks to Hermann Julius Godtfried Konrad Hecht, who lived in 1771-1837. This prominent politician in the 19th century was in the service of the King of Prussia, as an adviser.
The thorny bush, despite the relationship with the bromeliad specimens of the family, has a sufficiently branched root system, and through it the plant can receive all the necessary nutrients from the scarce soil. This is some of the difference between hechtia and many "epiphytic relatives".
From the leaves, small basal rosettes are collected, which can reach 60 cm in size. Their density is very high. The leaf plates of the succulent are rigid and have pronounced grooves and thorns along the edge. Due to the accumulated moisture, the surface is fleshy and plump, which resembles agave leaf plates. The sheet itself is elongated and elongated and has a strong sharpening at its top. The surface is pubescent.
In its natural environment, the plant often blooms. The flowers are mainly dioecious - that is, only male or female buds can appear on one plant, the only exception is the Hechtia gayorum variety, so it is difficult to propagate hechtia in rooms. The buds themselves are very nondescript and small in size. The color of their petals can take on shades of white, greenish-whitish, yellow, pinkish or red. From the flowers, inflorescences are collected that take the form of a spikelet. After the flowering process, the fruit ripens in the form of a box or capsule.
The easiest way is to get a new thorny bush only with the help of daughter outlets that appear over time on the mother plant. The growth rate of hechtia is quite high, so you will often have to transplant and take care of your exotic.
Agrotechnics in the cultivation of hechtia, care
- Lighting and location selection. The plant that grows in the territories of Mexico and other hot and dry lands tolerates bright sunlight. This is due to the fact that the surface of the leaf plates is covered with small whitish hairs that can reflect direct sunlight. Most suitable windows "facing" the south side of the world, but the succulent will grow well in the east and west. Only on the northern windowsill will it be necessary to carry out additional lighting.
- Content temperature. Since the plant is a "resident" of hot and dry areas, then the heat indices for it can be higher than for other green "inhabitants" of the house. In the spring-summer months, the thermometer readings can fluctuate between 25-30 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn and during winter, they can be lowered to 10-15. If the temperature drops below 10 degrees, and the plant is supercooled, then the dying off of its parts will begin and, in the end, the hechtia will die. You should also protect it from drafts.
- Air humidity for hechtia does not play an important and significant role, since it is an inhabitant of rather arid natural conditions. Therefore, additional spraying of the leaves is not required.
- Watering. As soon as growth begins to intensify, and this time, according to observations, begins from the first days of summer until the beginning of autumn (although hechtia grows constantly, but during this period the growing season is more increased), watering is carried out regularly and abundantly. It is important that the substrate is always slightly damp, but not waterlogged. As soon as the warm autumn days are over and the cold season sets in, the moisture becomes more moderate. Watering is carried out as the substrate dries completely. Water for this purpose must be well and long-standing. It is recommended to pass it through a filter and pre-boil it. If the soil is flooded for a long time, then the leaf plates become soft and flabby.
- Fertilizers are introduced regularly, since hechtia will not have enough nutrients over time in the soil and it does not have a dormant period as such. You can use succulent feeds, adding them every 2-3 weeks. Or it is recommended to apply fertilizers for bromeliads and feed the prickly "beauty" once a month. It is better when the dosage is reduced in half, this will not give the possibility of over-fertilization. Some growers argue that feeding for hechtia is not very much and is needed, but having received additional nutrients, the plant grows more actively and increases the root and leaf mass. The leaves look more fleshy and plump, which naturally affects the decorative appearance of the succulent.
- Hechtia transplant and substrate selection. The growth rate of this thorny pet "pet" is quite high and it will be necessary to carry out an annual transplant, only when the plant is already large enough, then the regularity becomes every 2 years. Since its roots grow very quickly and impoverish the soil, an increase in the volume of the container for planting and soil renewal is required. By the way, it was noticed that the larger the pot the hechtia has, the more sockets it builds up. Holes are needed in the bottom of the pot in order for excess moisture to drain, and before filling the container, a layer of 2-3 cm of drainage material (for example, expanded clay, pebbles or broken shards) is placed.
As a substrate for planting, you can use ready-made mixtures that are suitable for bromeliads or make it yourself. In this case, you will need to mix nutritious garden soil, peat soil and river sand in equal proportions. Peat should be of low decomposition.
Tips for breeding hechtia at home
If you want to get a new bush of a thorny green "pet", then this must be done with the help of children that appear over time next to the mother's outlet. When these young formations reach 2/3 of the total volume and height of the mother plant, then they can be separated from the bush. You need to take a sharpened and disinfected knife and cut off the selected baby. Then the place of the cut is carefully sprinkled with activated or charcoal crushed into powder. After that, the separated part will need to be dried for two days, since there is a lot of liquid in the stems and leaves and an excess of it can lead to decay. After the end of the specified time, it is necessary to plant the young hechtia in a substrate suitable for adult plants.
Since this relative of succulents has thorns that can injure hands, it is necessary to use gloves.
Difficulty growing a plant
Like many representatives of the bromeliad family, if proper care is established for the hechtia, then the plant is almost never exposed to diseases and pests. If the irrigation regime or the purity of the leaf plates is violated, the plant can be affected by the scabbard or spider mite. In this case, it will be necessary to wipe the leaves with a soap, oil or alcohol solution, followed by treatment with insecticides.
If you pour the substrate in a pot of hechtia too often, the plant may wither over time. When flowering ends, the flowers are cut off. When water stagnates in a leaf funnel, when the content is at low heat indicators, decay is possible.
Interesting facts about hechtia
If you turn to the horoscope, then this exotic succulent is suitable for representatives of only two signs.
The first is Scorpio, since people born during this period try to draw energy for their life in the environment, and therefore a person chooses plants to match. Such a person prefers a decorative flower shell with a dangerous "filling" inside. These can be botanical "predators" that feed on insects or thorny cactus-like representatives of the flora, which is hechtia.
The second sign that prefers such "prickly" wards is Aries - the sign of fire. People born under this constellation, for their pleasure, select plants that do not require complex tweaks when caring for them, are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and endurance. Aries "rastuffs" should have bright and large inflorescences, a powerful stem and at least thorns. Well, hechtia has a couple of these characteristics.
Types of hechtia
- Hechtia Texensis possesses leafy plates of green and gray-green colors, along the edge there is a slight indentation and rare thorns. This variety is very much like agave and also forms a rosette of leaves in this plant, reaching up to half a meter in diameter.
- Hechtia Tillandsioides can often be found under the synonymous name Hechtia purpusii. This species has fleshy leaf plates, belt-like, painted in a bright green tone, the surface is smooth, the number of spines is relatively small. The leaf rosette does not exceed 60 cm in diameter. The flowers are small, their petals are pinkish, up to 5 mm in diameter. A spike-shaped inflorescence is formed from the buds, which is crowned with a long flowering stem. The peduncle takes its origin from the side at the outlet.
- Hechtia silver (Hechtia argenta). Perennial representative of the bromeliad family, was first described by John Gilbert Baker. The height of the plant varies between 60–120 cm. A sprawling rosette is formed from numerous fleshy leaf plates. The leaves are up to 60 cm long and no more than 2 cm wide. Their shape is linear, sharpened at the top. Both sides of the leaf are covered with dense scaly with an ash tint, the edge is slightly wavy, serrated with parallel venation. The thorns on the leaf grow thick, hooked, with a pale brown color, they measure 0.7 cm in length. The leaf plates are yellowish-green in color. The flowering stem can reach up to 140 cm in height, they droop to the soil and have a bare surface. The leaves on the peduncle are erect. Widely oval, pointed. The inflorescence, consisting of small whitish tubular female flowers, paniculate, with white tomentose pubescence, its length varies from 20 to 45 cm. brown tone. The color of the petals of flowers is greenish-white, they are sessile, without pedicels. The flowering process lasts from June to August. The fruit is a capsule. The homeland of this species is Mexico.
- Hechtia guatemalensis is a plant with a rosette formed by a few leaf plates. Height reaches 30-60 cm. The rosette has spreading contours. The length of the leaf reaches 70–80 cm with a width of 3–6 cm. The outlines of the leaves are linear-triangular, the surface is smooth on the upper side, and the reverse side is covered with densely spaced whitish scales. The apex has a strong elongation, its edge is whole-edged, but on the rest of the leaf the edge is with sparsely placed thorns, which reach 0.3-0.4 cm in length. The color of the leaves is green. The flowering stem can reach 2 meters in height. It is thin and its surface is bare, devoid of leaves. From small buds, an inflorescence with outlines of a complex panicle is collected, which approaches a meter in height. Leaves growing from below with lanceolate-triangular contours are either entire, or along the edge they have a serration at the top. Their size does not exceed 3 cm in length. Bracts are lanceolate or triangular, pointed, thin-filmy, their length is equal in size to the pedicel. Staminate flowers have elliptical sepals, obtuse, no more than 0.2 cm long. Petals are whitish. The flowering process occurs in December-January.
- Hechtia glomerata. Perennial, reaching a height of 30-40 cm. Evergreen leaves, painted in dark green tones. The edge has a serrated shape and parallel venation is present. Panicle-shaped inflorescences are formed from white tubular buds. The flowering process lasts from April to July. The plant is dioecious. After flowering, fruitlets ripen in the form of capsules. The native habitat is considered to be the territory of Mexico.
- Hechtia caerulea (Hechtia caerulea). For the first time, mentions of this plant are in the works of the Mexican botanist of Japanese origin Eitsi Matsuda. But Lyman Bradford Smith subsequently reclassified the species in today's botanical taxonomy in 1972. It is a perennial with a leaf rosette. Plant dimensions vary between 30-60 cm. Leaf plates are evergreen. The color is dark emerald, linear. The edge is notched, solid, with parallel venation. Panicle inflorescence is collected from light purple tubular flowers. The flowering process takes place from March to May. The fruit is capsules. Native territories are in Mexico.
- Hechtia caudata. The variety was first described in 1961 by Leyman Bradford Smith, an American botanist who specialized in the study of ferns and seed flora. With a long-term growth period, the height can vary within 60–100 cm. The plant is evergreen, the color of the leaf plates is medium greenish, they are simple linear, there is a serration along the edge and parallel venation. Panicle inflorescences are collected from tubular buds. The fruit is a capsule. The native growing area is Mexico.
- Hechtia epigyna. The first mentions and characteristics appeared thanks to the German botanist Theodor Harms (1870-1942) in 1935. This prominent scientist was engaged in the description of many types of seed plants. Perennial representative of the bromeliad family, reaching a height of 20–40 cm. Leaf plates with belt-like outlines, evergreen, serrated edge, with parallel veins present. Tubular flowers are combined into paniculate inflorescences. Fruiting is in capsules or capsules. The native habitat is in the Mexican territories.
What hechtia looks like, see this video:
