General view and characteristics of conophytum, growing at home, breeding rules, diseases and pests, facts to note, species. Conophytum (Conophytum) is a succulent plant, which botanists attributed to the Aizov family (Aizoaceae). The native habitat of these unusual specimens of the green world is considered to be rocky desert lands in the southern regions of the African continent, namely from vast territories that start from the Cape Province in South Africa and stretch further north of Namibia beyond the Orange River. Conophytum succulents settle in rocky crevices, where the growing conditions are quite dry, and this plant also occurs in coastal deserts, which are distinguished by rich fogs.
Among the people, these representatives of the flora are called "living stones", since they are very similar in appearance to small pebbles with a smooth surface. In conophytums, the entire aerial part is formed by the close fusion of two fleshy leaflets, which take a heart-shaped, spherical or ovoid shape, can have the form of a truncated cone with rounded edges or a ball with a tuberous surface. These small leaves are succulent and distinctly bilobate. In diameter, 0.3 cm can be measured, but the bilobed head in diameter is measured in the range of 1.25–2.5 cm. The stem is small, and it is carefully hidden by the substrate. The color of these succulents can vary from green and blue to brown tones, sometimes the stems are covered with mottling or mottling. It happens that the edge of the blades is painted in a reddish tone. It is because of this color that conophytum can rarely be distinguished in the natural environment from pebbles lying nearby.
When this succulent blooms, large buds are formed, the petals of which have a bright color, which includes whitish and cream or yellowish shades, and there can be various tones of pinkish or purple. The shape of the flower is funnel-shaped, or it very much resembles an open chamomile. The arrangement of flowers is between the leaves, right in the center of the head. In diameter, the bud can open a little more than 1.25 cm, but there are varieties in which the buds only slightly open, and their contours resemble a shaving brush. Flowering usually occurs at the beginning of the growing season.
These plants are distinguished by pronounced periods of dormancy and vegetative activation. Under natural conditions, this time coincides with dry and rainy periods in the native lands of the conophytum habitat. For different species, these periods differ, but it can be taken as a basis that the growth time mainly falls on winter days, and rest falls either in February or in the middle of summer, and in some plants it goes from spring to September.
A feature of these unusual succulents is that new leaves and their development begins inside the old ones, which over time begin to dry out and become thinner, becoming a kind of cocoon that protects the young.
If the varieties are dwarf, then they can vary in height from a few millimeters to 5 cm, in rare cases their height is measured by 10 cm. Plants are very bushy. If you create all the conditions for the growth of "living stones" in your room, then they will delight you with their appearance and even more so with flowering over a 10-15-year period. However, there is an unpleasant feature - over time, these succulents grow: the stem lengthens greatly and the appearance becomes unaesthetic, therefore it is recommended to replace with young grown plants.
Rules for growing conophytum, flower care
- Lighting bright but diffused is recommended.
- Content temperature conophytum in the summer can be up to 30 degrees, but with the arrival of winter, a dormant period begins and then the temperature is only 6-15 degrees.
- Air humidity preferably low.
- Watering the conophytum. It is important to remember that this plant does not tolerate soil flooding. When growth begins to intensify (spring-summer months), then moisturize moderately and carefully so that even small droplets of moisture do not fall on the surface of the leaves. It is advisable to use bottom watering - when water is poured into a stand under the pot and after 10-15 minutes its residues are drained. The water should be kept warm. When the winter rest period begins, it is not worth moisturizing until the skin on the "body" of the conophytum becomes thinner and new young leaves appear from it. Important! Conophytum varieties have different rest periods, and they do not fall at the same time. This usually refers to the natural drought and rainy season in areas that are native to the "living stone".
- Fertilization for a stone-like plant, it is carried out with the beginning of vegetative activity. The conophytum should be provided with such support once a month. Any preparations are used to fertilize succulents, the dosage is taken in half the proportion indicated by the manufacturer. The plant will more easily tolerate underfeeding than overdosing. Often these are potash products with little nitrogen content.
- Conophytum transplantation. In order to plant "living stones", you should choose pots that are not wide and not very deep, rather they should be bowls. It is also important to remember that succulent grows well in cramped conditions, therefore, such a change in capacity and substrate is performed after 2-3 years. The plant tolerates such manipulations best of all when they occur at the beginning of the growing season.
Before the conophytum is transplanted, it is not necessary to moisten the soil in the flowerpot. After the "living stones" are removed from the pot, then its root system must be cleaned as much as possible of old soil, spread out the root processes or rinse them in water. Watering after transplanting is not recommended for a couple of weeks, so as not to expose the plant to the possible beginning of root rot. It is recommended to put drainage material (about 1.5–2 cm) on the bottom in a new container, which can be expanded clay, broken shards or crushed brick.
Any soil mixture intended for growing succulent plants can act as a substrate for conophytum. But amateur flower growers recommend preparing it with their own hands from:
- clay, river coarse sand, turf soil in a ratio of 0.5: 1: 1;
- equal parts of a humus-sand mixture.
Diy steps for breeding conophytum
To get a new exotic succulent, you will need to sow its seed or use the vegetative method.
For grafting, it is recommended to separate (cut off) the young leaf blade with part of the stem and place it in the ground. After 20–21 days, you can begin to moisten the conophytum blank, since during this time small root processes are formed. Most often, due to the fact that the leaves are fleshy, the stalk is recommended to dry well before planting for 1-2 days, so that the liquid from it stops oozing. As a substrate, you can take sand or peat-sand mixture. And before planting, sprinkle the cut with a root formation stimulator (for example, powder heteroauxin or colloidal sulfur).
Difficulties arise during seed reproduction, since the material is very small. These succulents have cross-pollination, and the seeds will have to wait up to a year to ripen. When the seeds are harvested, it is recommended to keep them cool for several months and soak them in water for 3-4 hours before sowing. With the arrival of the growing season, which begins in the autumn in the conophytum, seeds can be sown. They are placed on moistened soil poured into a container, sprinkled on top with a small amount of clean river sand. The container with crops should be covered with plastic wrap or placed under glass. Until the first shoots appear, it is recommended to carry out daily airing and keep the substrate moist.
When germinating seed material, the heat indicators should not be increased, it is important to create daily temperature fluctuations in such a way that in the daytime they change in the range of 17-20 degrees, and at night the heat does not rise above 10 units.
After 14 days, when shoots have already appeared, the shelter must be removed. Young conophytums should be kept in cool rooms with good air circulation. Usually, when a year passes, the succulent finishes its formation, and flowering can be expected after one and a half or two years.
Conophytum pest and disease control
Although this representative of the flora is quite resistant to diseases and harmful insects, if the growing conditions are often violated, then it can also be affected by a spider mite or mealybug. In the first case, a pale thin cobweb can be seen on the leaves of the conophytum, they will turn yellow and deform. When infected with a second pest, plaque in the form of whitish pieces of cotton wool can be found on the leaves. If such symptoms appear, it is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations, for example, "Aktara", "Aktellik" or "Fitover".
In the case of excessive moisture in the soil, "living stones" begin to rot, when the air in the room is too dry and the temperature is very high, then the growth of the succulent is disrupted and there will be no flowering.
You can also highlight the following troubles when growing exotic conophytum:
- If the old leaves have not completely dried out, and the plant has begun to be watered, this will lead to the fact that new "little bodies" are already developing with not dead old leaves.
- If the growth of the conophytum is very weak, and the same flowering, or it does not occur at all, then this is due to insufficient nutrition for the plant, the pot was not changed for a long time and fertilizers were not applied to the substrate. This led to the fact that in the old soil an imbalance of nutrients began due to the deposition of salts. There was also insufficient watering or lighting levels.
- Brown spotting is a consequence of sunburn of leaves, if a "living stone" stands in the spring and summer under the direct midday rays of the sun, shading is recommended at this time.
- Blackening and softening of foliage occurs during the period of the onset of putrefactive processes, which were provoked by dampness, especially when kept cool.
Description of conophytum species
- Conophytum concave (Conophytum concavum L. Bol.) has a body in the form of an inverse cone, from above it is flat-concave, the color is transparent and light greenish, but on the sides it acquires a purple tint. The length is measured 2, 4–3, 5 cm, with a diameter ranging from 1, 9–2, 1 cm, the slit can reach only 0.8 cm in length. The flowers are whitish in color and can open up to 1, 7 cm in diameter.
- Conophytum biloba (Conophytum bilobum N. E. Br.) has flattened or heart-shaped bodies, which can grow in height up to 3, 4–5 cm with a width of up to 2–2, 5 cm. The contours of the lobes are blunt and sometimes rounded, the depth of the gap between the leaves often varies in the range of 0, 7–0, 8 cm. The edge and keel are cast with a reddish edging. The upper surface is painted gray-green and changes to a whitish-green tone. During the flowering process, which begins in the month of September, buds with yellow petals appear, which reach 3 cm in diameter.
- Round-point conophytum (Conophytum circumpunctatum Schick et Tisch.) possesses numerous small-sized shoots, their color is bluish-green. Dense pillow-like curtains are formed from them.
- Shrub conophytum (Conophytum frutescens Schwant.). The plant is considered the largest in the family, and its height can reach 10 cm. When blooming, flowers of an orange-yellow color bloom.
- Conophytum Pearsonii (L. Bol.) N. E. Br.). A succulent plant can form real pads with its stalks. Its color is bluish-green. Dimensions in width and height vary from 12 to 20 mm. Their shape is very reminiscent of a wide cone with a flat top, which has a smooth surface. The “bodies” of this succulent can reach 0.8–1.6 cm in height, with a diameter of 1–1.8 cm. The outlines are inversely conical, and there is often a flattening at the apex. Its color varies from dark blue-green shades to an almost yellowish-green color scheme. The slit along the length is measured in the range of 0, 2–0, 3 cm and does not differ in great depth. Around this slot, the color zone is darker in color and its surface is distinguished by dots that are slightly different. The flower buds take their origin from the grooves, with a length of 3 mm. The color of the petals is light purple, they are shiny, with full disclosure, the diameter can reach 20 mm. The flowering process occurs in September-October.
- Whitish conophytum (Conophytum albescens) the plant is considered a ground cover, shoots are short in size, on the tops there are two succulent leaf plates, which have a fusion of obovate outlines, with some flattening on the sides of the "little body". Its parameters in length reach 2, 5–3, 2 cm with a width of up to 1, 5–1, 8 cm. There is a gap between the tips of the leaves, formed by a non-accrete part and measured in depth only 0, 3–0, 5 cm. Upper part it is painted in a light gray-greenish color and on the surface there is a pattern of thin whitish pubescence with large dots. Flowers of yellow color are crowned with pedicels, have a pair of leathery bracts.
- Conophytum obconellum when it grows, it can form curtains with cushion-shaped outlines. The "bodies" of the succulent take back conical shapes, equal in height to 2 cm and with the same diameter. In the upper part, the contour has a weakly expressed cordate contour, its length reaches 0.6–0.8 cm. The surface is with short pubescence. The color can be greenish, gray-green or bluish-green, there is a pattern of multiple specks of dark green or dark red color, which are so densely located that they often merge into lines. The flower petals are cast in a milky white or slightly yellowish tint, there is a fragrant aroma.
- Conophytum equal (Conophytum pageae) is a succulent plant, with a blue-green color, reaching a height of 15 cm. The leaves have a spherical shape, or they can be spliced flat sidewalls. The flowers are formed singly, have multiple petals, casting a dark orange or pinkish-red hue.
- Conophytum quaesitum (Conophytum quaesitum) usually takes on compact sizes, the color of the leaves is grayish-green or light greenish, sometimes mottling of a dark green color is present. "Taurus" with rounded flat outlines, in the central part there is a crevice. From this crevice, single growing flowers originate. In the bud, there are many petals of a silvery-whitish color, inside growing stamens with a yellowish color.
How conophytum blooms, see below:
