Aptenia is a wonderful evergreen succulent native to Africa and South America. He got his name thanks to wingless seeds. Actually, the word "apten", from which the name is formed, is translated from Greek. The second name of the plant is mesembryanthemum, which means "midday flower." That's because it opens at noon.
Characteristic features are a fleshy creeping stalk on which thick green flowers in the shape of a heart are opposite. The plant forms the fetus in the form of a capsule with cameras.
The main types of flower
At the moment, several types of aptenia are known, which are divided into many subspecies. In addition, a huge number of flower hybrids with other plants appeared.
Aptenia in a pot
Aptenia variegate
Beautiful succulent, whose homeland is South Africa. Like any succulent, unpretentious to water, the stem can be 30 centimeters long. The color is light purple, the size is small. It is best to plant in partial shade. The main feature is a decorative border around the edge of the sheet in light yellow. Leaves have mottled interspersed over the entire area of the leaf plate.
Atenia hearty
The most common form. Its height can reach up to 25 centimeters. Most interesting this look looks in a cache-pot: shoots hang down on 50-60 centimeters. It blooms from April to August. At this time, the plant is covered with a gigantic amount of purple, burgundy and lilac flowers. The leaves are painted green, they reach a length of 25 millimeters, their diameter is 15 millimeters.
Atenia variegated
This is the same as the succulent "appenia variegate" (variegate). In turn, it is a kind of heart-shaped appenia.
Separately, one can distinguish the flower "lanceolate aptenia", which is characterized by long shoots of green 80 cm long. The leaves have a lanceolate form. This variety resembles a money tree, only the latter is somewhat darker.
Caring for aptenia at home
Caring for all succulents is the same, appenia is no exception. It is necessary to understand in more detail how to care for her, to consider the features of temperature, lighting, watering, soil and fertilizer, as well as humidity.
Many colors of appenes
Temperature and lighting
Aptenia should be placed in a bright room at home to provide it with good flowering. Lighting should be scattered, direct rays harm the plant and are fraught with the appearance of many diseases. It is optimal to grow a plant on a windowsill near windows that face the east side. It is worst to grow it on the southern windows, because here the flower can get sunburn. To solve this problem, you can slightly close the plant from light with the help of blinds or curtains.
When spring comes, it is recommended to increase the illumination artificially. To do this, it is enough to use 50-watt lamps.
If you grow it on the north side or in the shade, then the decorative qualities of the plant are significantly reduced. Leaves become wrinkled, flowers just don't appear.
Important! In summer, a pot with a pot is good to keep on the balcony. It is recommended to place it in a well-ventilated area. Air reduces the chance of sunburn.
Aptenia growth is divided into two phases: growth and peace. Each of them has its own temperature regime. During growth, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 22 to 25 degrees. This is the period that falls in October-February. The succulent dormant phase is from March to September. At this time, the temperature should be in the range of 5 to 8 degrees.
Watering
A beautiful flower is aptenia care and reproduction which is not difficult. In particular, it is unpretentious to watering. During the activity phase, it is necessary to water the plant when the topsoil becomes completely dry. It is very important not to overdo it, because in this case the plant will lose its decorative appearance and may die.
Watering is carried out under the root and throughout the earthen coma in a pot.
Important! It is forbidden to use cold water for irrigation. It is necessary to choose a temperature of water that will be greater than the temperature of the air by a couple of degrees.
Before using water from a water supply system for irrigation, it is necessary to rid it of precipitation. To do this, insist in an open container for several days. If the plant is in a dormant phase, it is enough to water it 2-3 times a month.
Priming
Under natural conditions, the soil is quite poor. It has a lot of sand and stones. There is almost no fertile layer, and the plant is adapted to such conditions. You can not grow it in soil with a high nitrogen content, as this can lead to decay and, as a result, death.
Aptenia in the boot
Humidity
The plant is used to being in a dry climate for a long time, so air without moisture will not be a problem for aptenia (leaving at home for this reason is much easier). In this case, excessive humidity is contraindicated for this flower.
Important! Do not place the plant in close proximity to heating appliances. It's too warm there, especially in winter.
It is also not necessary to spray and rinse succulent to moisturize. If you need to remove dust from the leaves, it is better to do this with a dry cloth.
Appearance of hearty appenia
If the air is too dry, this also adversely affects the decorative qualities. A sign that the plant is overheated or overdried is the appearance of yellowness on the leaves. If such signs are found, the flower should be moved to a cool place. However, it cannot be moistened.
Top dressing
If there is too much nitrogen in the soil, the plant may die. Therefore, you can not use nitrogen fertilizers to feed the plant. It is best to take special mixtures designed for succulents. They can be purchased at flower shops. In them, the nutrient content is in such an amount that will not harm the plant.
Aptenia with red flowers
During the active growth phase, it is necessary to feed aptenia at least once a month, it is better - more often. When the flower is at rest, it does not need to be fed.
How aptenia breeds
Almost any plant propagates in two ways: by grafting and using seeds. The first is also called vegetative. It is much faster and better guarantees the result.
In addition, the vegetative method allows you to make the same plant as the parent. When propagated by seeds, the offspring may have a different set of genes and not inherit a number of attributes important for the decorative qualities of aptenia. In particular, this method is not recommended for the propagation of hybrids.
Seeds
This procedure is complicated due to the fact that the seeds have an incredibly low germination. Therefore, they must be laid on the surface of the soil. Mixtures for rooting cuttings can be used as a substrate, although if there is none, it is enough to have only sand.
Seeds are stored at a temperature of 21-25 degrees in a place with good diffused lighting. Before spreading the seeds, the substrate is moistened, after this procedure it is covered with glass or film. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the protective coating is removed.
Note! It is necessary to transplant the plant into more suitable soil when it reaches 50 mm in length. At this point, it is necessary to maintain the temperature at the level of 16-18 degrees. When the sprouts get stronger, you can increase these values.
As for watering, it needs to be carried out often, but a little.
Cuttings
First you need to select a stalk. This can be done during forming cropping or separately. It is forbidden to put it directly in water in order to take root. Moreover, before planting it must be dried for 12 hours, while avoiding direct sunlight.
The substrate for cuttings consists of 1 part of land for succulents and 2 parts of sand. He is poured into tiny pots and moistened, put cuttings there and wait until they take root. To maintain soil moisture, it is necessary to spray it with a spray gun from time to time. You can transplant a plant into a full pot when the first leaves and shoots appear on it.
Thus, aptenia is an unpretentious plant in care, which is not demanding for watering, moisture. Even when grown, there are nuances.
