Stapelia: home care and a flower photo, how to root a plant and what are the features of propagation by cuttings, as well as what to do if the root system decays

A beautiful monster - that's what gardeners call this flower. Stapelia is a plant of amazing contrast: such a striking contrast of external grace with an ugly smell. And, it would seem, what a daredevil dare to decorate a home windowsill or garden corner with such originality?

But, strangely enough, in the world there are enough admirers of this flower - the center of slipway lovers built in the Swedish town of Uppsala is another confirmation of this. Some guests from the sultry continent are picky and capricious, others are unpretentious and complaisant. From the article you will learn what are the subtleties of caring for this flower and what are the ways of reproduction, and you can also see a photo of this plant.

Features of flower care

Lighting

Stapelia loves bright but diffused light. For growing at home, a western or eastern window is suitable. Southern is also acceptable, but in the midday sunshine the pots need shading. To do this, tulle or gauze is stretched around the window. You can enclose the succulent with a paper screen or stick a reflective mirror film on the glass from a hardware store. Long exposure to sunlight can cause burns on the succulent stems of the plant.

But he needs daily sunbathing. In autumn and winter, leave the slipway without fear in the sun all day. In cloudy weather, highlighting with special lamps (incandescent, fluorescent or LED) is required.

IMPORTANT! If this African guest grew up in the shade for a long time, then accustoming to the light should be neat and smooth.

Stapelia reaches for the light and can grow a curve if you do not turn the pot once a month by a quarter of a full turn. You can not do this during the formation of buds - a capricious beauty can shake them off.

Humidity

A moderately humid climate is ideal for growing. But dry air does not prevent the plant from fully developing. Low humidity for stapelia is harmful, as it contributes to the occurrence of pests on the stems. Succulents rarely need to be sprayed, trying not to get on the opened flowers. Excess water on the petals spoils their appearance and leads to decay.

Temperature

In the warm season, stapelia prefers 22-26 degrees of heat. She can have a real summer vacation on the open veranda or balcony. For hardening and improving overall well-being, it is useful to take the plant out for the whole day to the garden, protecting it from rain and cold, harsh wind.

Autumn and spring are time for rest. During this period, the slipway can withstand temperatures of 13-15 degrees.

Watering

For irrigation, soft, filtered or settled warm water is suitable. Tap chlorine and cold can kill the plant. In summer, you need to water once a week and in moderation.

During the period of active vegetation (in spring and autumn) - once every two weeks, when the earthen lump dries well. If the plant column began to wrinkle - he lacks moisture and watering intensity should be increased. Watering in winter - only after the soil has completely dried to the very bottom of the pot. From December to January, the slipway can not be moistened at all.

Top dressing

In spring and summer, the individual is fed every two weeks with fertilizer for succulents or cacti. Potash fertilizers purchased in specialized stores (Garden of Miracles, Uniflor, Agricola, Gilea, Strength of Life, Reasil) allow the slipway to become stronger and more durable.

Potassium plays an indispensable role in the life of plants. This chemical element stabilizes the water balance, allowing flora to more easily tolerate moisture imperfections. In addition, it normalizes cellular metabolism, improves photosynthesis (which is a key point in building green mass), activates the activity of various enzymes, strengthens stems and reduces susceptibility to rust and powdery mildew. It is better to apply this fertilizer in small doses.

The owner can prepare the complex mixture himself.

To do this, he needs to mix 25 g of potassium phosphate and 40 g of potassium sulfur, add 30 g of superphosphate (or 15 g of double), 1 g of magnesium sulfate and 10 g of potassium sulfate. A gram of this compound is dissolved in a liter of warm water.
The procedure for fertilizing with cow dung is unpleasant for a person, but you can’t do anything for your beloved green pet! Manure and water in equal proportions are placed in a vessel, closed with a lid and put in a dark place for a month. Before use, the contents are shaken and diluted with water 1:10.

ATTENTION! In winter and autumn, succulent can not be fed.

Substrate

A representative of hot Africa loves heavily drained, sandy soil with weak or neutral acidity (5.5-7). From the store you can bring prepared soil for succulent plants, into which charcoal is added to the house. For self-formation of the mixture, turfy soil and coarse sand are acquired. The mixing ratio is 2: 1.

Pruning

When pruning stapelia, sick and stunted shoots are removed. Such manipulations can stimulate growth and improve the appearance of the succulent. They can be carried out every year. The cut point is sprinkled with activated carbon powder or wood ash.

Photo

In the photo you can see how the stapelia looks.

Breeding methods

What is the best way to propagate this flower? Seed or vegetative way? Let's consider both options in detail.

Seeds

The generative method is suitable for the most patient gardeners. Seeds ripen very slowly - a year or more. Another unpleasant nuance is the inability to predict the appearance of the future plant. The reason is the ease of crossing all existing types of slipway with each other.

First of all, you need to wait for the fetus to ripen. This period varies from six months to one and a half years.
Seeds quickly lose their germination, so planting can not be put off. They are rounded, flat, brown. They are cleaned of white fluff and kept for 2-3 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
In early March, sown in a flat container with the finished mixture. The soil should be light (for example, a mixture of peat and sand). Seeds are laid out on the surface, covered on top with glass or cling film to create 100% humidity, and placed in a bright place. The room temperature is maintained in the range of 22-24 degrees. The soil must be constantly moistened.
Shoots appear 3-4 weeks after sowing.
Seedlings are transplanted into individual pots or cups with a diameter of 6-8 centimeters.

The next transplant is only in a year. Young stems are transported more quickly in containers by transshipment. Flowering can be expected in the third or fourth year. Seedlings can be dried by removing the film too soon. Germination of fresh material is close to 100%.

Reasons for the lack of sprouts:

expired;
the seeds were sown incorrectly;
they forgot to water on time.

Cuttings

Vegetative propagation is the most productive and fast. So, how to root a flower?

A shoot is cut off from the mother stem with a sharp blade, dried for two days in the fresh air. As the cuttings, those same old shoots are suitable, from which you would still have to get rid. Cuts are dusted with charcoal. The blade is pre-sterilized. The place is chosen warm with good ventilation.
Cuttings are planted in shallow containers with a mixture of peat chips and coarse sand. Only sand preliminarily calcined in the oven can be used.
The containers are located on the windowsills of the east, south or southwest windows.
The first watering - not earlier than after 2 days. Every morning soil is sprayed and aired.
If the cuttings are poorly rooted, a root stimulant can be used.

IMPORTANT! The prepared pot should have been filled with drainage more than half. Expanded clay, small particles of plastic, clay shards, gravel, and crumb brick are selected for drainage.

Both soil and drainage before planting (and transplanting too) are disinfected - with steam or boiling water.

Transfer

Young stocks need to be replanted every year in the spring. Mature - once every two to three years. If the owner has not carried out a separate pruning, the central shoots are removed from the old specimens. At this age, they will no longer bloom. Due to the weak root system, the transplant pot is taken shallow.

A mature plant taken out of the pot is carefully cleaned of soil residues and left in the fresh air for a couple of hours. After transplanting, the slipway is not watered for several days so that the roots do not rot. As soon as the earth moves away from the edges of the pot to the bottom - you can pick up a watering can. Long-livers just change the top soil layer.

The size of the container depends on the size of the plant. Small pots are prepared for young representatives of the genus; in a year they are replaced by large ones in diameter. Experienced flower growers are advised to opt for a plastic pot, as it retains fluid better. But you can buy unglazed ceramics.

Why doesn't the plant bloom?

Flowering stapelia continues throughout the summer months. One flower lives from 3 to 5 days.

One reason for the lack of flowering is the lack of light.
Another possible reason is a lack of potassium. Because of this, the green mass grows slowly, and the buds are poorly formed. The first sign of potassium starvation is the so-called regional burn. The brown edges of the stems are as if burnt. In case of the first signs of the disease, urgent feeding should be carried out.
The third option is the abuse of high nitrogen fertilizers. If the gardener forgets to add sand to the pot, he will not see the flowering either.

Diseases and Pests

REFERENCE! The more potassium a plant receives during feeding, the greater its resistance to diseases is produced.

If the stems acquire a red-violet color - the plant overheated and may have received a sunburn. It must be immediately rearranged in a shaded place.
Thinning of the stems, their excessive stretching occurs due to lack of light. The pot is rearranged to a lit place or additional lighting is turned on.
Stagnation of water in the soil leads to fungal infections and rotting of the roots. A sign of this is wrinkled shoots. If the area of damage by rot is minimal - you can try to cut off the decayed part and treat the entire bush with a 0.05% solution of Bordeaux fluid. In cases of extensive defeat, salvation is only propagated by cuttings.
If the staples of the slipway began to fade and turn yellow, and then fall off - the problem is in the imbalance of nutrition, an excess of potassium. Doses of bait are halved.

Pest infestations - aphids, mealybugs and spider mites. The fight with each of them has its own characteristics.

Common aphid settles on staples of stapelia and survives due to suction of juice. This process is so active that after a couple of days the plant begins to deform, twist and dry before our eyes. Spraying with Actara gives a positive result in a short time. You can use a folk remedy - tincture of onion husks, garlic or yarrow.
Mealybug also sucks juices from buds and stems, but it is more difficult to deal with it, since chemicals (for example, Actellik, Bankol, Tsimbush) are highly toxic and dangerous to humans. Protect eyes, mouth and nose. The worm requires 2-3 treatments in a row.
Tiny, reminiscent of cotton wool spools, white lumps on the stems, as well as grayish threads on the buds indicate the appearance of a spider mite. Stapelia, soil, a pot inside and out sprayed with acaricides (Neoron, Nissoran, Apollo). After a day, if live individuals have disappeared, another 3-4 procedures are performed (10 days should pass if the weather is mild-warm, 5 - if hot). The remaining live ticks are collected by hand, and the proportions of the drug for subsequent use are increased by 2 times.

What to do if the root system rots?

Decay of the root system due to overflow is a common problem. The stems of the plant turn pale and become sluggish. The only option is cuttings. The cuttings are cut far above the place of decay (or a healthy daughter shoot breaks off) and landed in compliance with the rules of the cuttings.

Content difficulties

Stapelia would be an ideal pet of a home green corner, if not for one “but”. Pollination by carrion flies - this is the "highlight" of this flower. Evolution has taken care of the bait for such pollinators - a smell that reminds one of the stench of rotten meat, the other - rotten fish, and in general - makes you pinch your nose.

The only species that does not have a hideous stench is flavo-purpurea, which grows in Namibia.

Interesting video

Watch a video about the secrets of caring for and growing stapelias at home:

Conclusion

This "shaggy starflower" will be happy to live in any home, whose owners are not afraid of an unusual smell. Moreover, you can easily cope with it at home, for example, by planting a slipway in the florarium or by settling on the balcony. Gorgeous flowers, reminiscent of the fantastic inhabitants of the seabed, will long surprise their owner.