Haworthia striped and other types: home care
Content:
Haworthia (Latin Haworthia) is a genus of succulents, miniature herbaceous flowers. Recently, Haworthia has become popular and is used not only in garden design, but also to create mini-gardens in greenhouses, when decorating a home.
In nature, the species is found on the rocky and sandy slopes of South America and Africa. Locals call it a "living stone". Because escaping from the hot sun, the Haworthia cactus hides in the sand, exposing only the tops of the leaves to the surface.
The texture of the leaf can be smooth, transparent, covered with the finest lace, strewn with pearls, sprinkled with white dots-snowflakes.
Haworthia: species and varieties
Haworthia is a perennial succulent. A stem about 8 cm long grows from the root, from which fleshy leaves with sharp ends, gathering in a socket, are beaten off. The fleshy dark green leaves are watery, which allows the plant to do without water for a long time.
Beautiful Haworthia
Common varieties
The Asphodel family is represented by a wide variety of succulents with hard carved leaves. About 150 succulents belong to the Haworthia family, including Reinwardt's Haworthia.
Distinctive features by grade are shown in the table.
| View of Haworthia | Popular varieties | Distinctive features of the leaves |
| Stiff-leaved (pouring hard, triangular, color - rich green with specks) | Haworthia striped | pointed leaves of green color, sharp, fleshy, on the underside - transverse silvery ribs |
| Haworthia pearl | it is distinguished by oval leaves, the width of which can reach 20 cm, the top is curved; the edges of the leaves are silvery, prickly | |
| Haworthia limifolia (lemon-leaved) | leaves fit tightly to each other; the base is wide, the upper part is sharp, covered with silvery stripes resembling waves | |
| Haworthia meandering | small leaves are convex, covered with pimples, arranged in a circle; their color is dark green | |
| Window (goes deep into the ground, at the tips of the leaves of the "window" through which light enters) | Haworthia retuza (blunted) | triangular leaflet, sticky, the upper part is curved; in color - green, different shades of red; variegated |
| Haworthia navicular | the color of the leaves is gray-green, their width is 1; without build-ups, smooth, transparent windows shine through on the surface of the sheet | |
| Haworthia Cooper | fleshy leaves with rough edges covered with fine hairs-cilia | |
| Herbaceous (leaves are juicy, rosette straight from the root) | Haworthia cobweb | a thin sheet, silver threads of a cobweb stretch along it, the color is yellow-green, |
| Haworthia netted | light yellow-green leaves are covered with a net of dark veins; leaves are hard, curved | |
| Haworthia chess | sheet plates are triangular, the edges are jagged, the upper part is covered with a white mesh, the lower part is covered with tubercles |
Haworthia striped can be confused with spinous aloe. Experienced gardeners suggest that aloe has "tendrils" at the tips of its leaves that break off as the plant ages.Haworthia has no such "antennae" with striped ones.
The name of the unusual pearl was given by the English botanist Hardy Haworth, who devoted his life to the study of succulents. Haworthia was among them. Hardy Haworth's observations resulted in his work on succulents. It was this fact that prompted his followers to name one of the genera of succulents by the name of a naturalist.
Variety of succulents
Haworthia flower: home care
The plant is unpretentious, but home care has its own subtleties. If you do not break them, then an unusual flower can become a long-liver. For example, Haworthia retuza can live for about 30 years, growing by one or two centimeters per year.
The main components of care are listed below.
Temperature conditions, lighting
The succulent Haworthia is legendary: it can withstand temperatures as low as -7 ° C. If the thermometer drops below, then the plant stretches in spring, and the rosettes change shape.
In the summer, the flowerpot should be put out on the street. When it rains, do not forget about your pet: you need to cover it with some kind of container. The development of the variety is not affected by the heat of the day, but hot nights will be disastrous. The rosette leaves will darken and begin to rot.
Haworthia, like all succulents, is drawn to the light. If the lighting is insufficient, the flower will begin to stretch. Burning sun rays are well tolerated only by rigid-leaved species, and variegated varieties lose their color.
Humidity, watering, feeding
Haworthia cactus in nature often grew in an arid climate, so nature protected it from such conditions. This quality has also been preserved in indoor specimens. Therefore, flower growers, before taking up the watering can, need to check the condition of the soil. If it is wet, then the plant should not be watered. In winter, the duration between waterings increases, since excess moisture can cause root rot.
Feeding succulents is combined with watering, since fertilizers are better absorbed if they are dissolved in water. You can take funds for cacti, but the concentration of the solution should be reduced. Top dressing is done periodically in spring and summer. For some plants, the frequency may be higher. For example, home care for a striped haworthia involves feeding every month.
Required soil, planting pot
Haworthia is unpretentious. Under natural conditions, it can grow on stony soils. Therefore, when planting a specimen, you need to mix solid components - gravel, coarse sand, crushed shell rock, clay.
Such soil is good for air permeability, Haworthia feels great and can do without transplanting for many years. For a rocky plant, it is better to take shallow ceramic flowerpots, the walls of which repel moisture. The shape of the flowerpot should not be round, the roots of the plant are spread evenly in all directions.
Blooming Haworthia
Beginner flower lovers are interested in how stone haworthia blooms at home? Succulent blooms rarely, so they do not count on it. But many growers grow unpretentious specimens solely because of the beauty of the leaves.
If you still want to see the Haworthia flower, then you need to create conditions for this. In early spring, a shoot appears, and then plain flowers open on it. Haworthia limifolia has pale pink flowers in a cluster.Hawortia fasciata produces a long peduncle, which is covered with tubular white flowers. On a meter-long peduncle of the haworthia pearl, racemose inflorescences of small light green corollas flaunt.
How to propagate haworthia
You can grow a new specimen in different ways, but, in any case, it is better to reproduce haworthia in the spring:
- cuttings
Those who have been growing Hawortia for years claim that sometimes its leaves fall off and grow back, taking root. This property can be used and, with the onset of spring, cuttings are prepared.
For this, a leaf is cut at an oblique angle at the base of the plant. The cut is treated with a fungicide, dried in the air for several days and planted in a container with moist sandy soil.
You do not need to cover the cuttings, they can rot. The soil should be moist, but not wet. Within a month, the cutting should take root. When the root processes are well branched, the cutting can be planted in a new place.
- seeds
Florists who collect unusual varieties often try to grow it on their own. This method is laborious and not always effective. It is especially offensive that the varietal characteristics of the seedling may not be preserved.
It is necessary to prepare a shallow container, fill it with a soil mixture of leaf turf and sand. Seeds purchased from a flower shop are spread evenly over the surface of the container and pressed into the ground.
Nondescript beauty
For germination, they need two conditions: a fairly high temperature - up to + 25 ° C and good illumination. Ventilation and regular moistening with a spray bottle are also required.
With the emergence of seedlings, the film must be removed from the container. Seedling care is very painstaking. It will take several more months before the seedlings can be planted in flowerpots.
- breeding by rosettes
The easiest way is vegetative reproduction. On the shoots of an adult cymbiformis, small rosettes appear annually, which eventually take root next to the mother plant.
This outlet must be carefully cut off. Sprinkle the place of the cut with charcoal, and put the cut part in a separate flowerpot.
How to transplant Hawortia
It is better to breed and transplant a stone guest in early spring, because it is at this time that plants begin to grow actively. Usually, succulents need to be transplanted if the plant grows and the flowerpot becomes small. Small leaves on young rosettes suggest this.
Choose a wide but shallow container with low edges. In deep flowerpots, the stone guest will be too spacious, and it will begin to grow downward.
The best soil is a mixture of turf, sand, clay, hard elements (gravel, broken brick, shell rock). The soil should not be neutral, otherwise the plant will wither.
Instructions for transplanting a succulent:
- It is necessary to remove the plant from the old flowerpot.
- Carefully examine the root system, make sure that there are no pests in the roots.
- Remove old soil from the roots, cut off dry parts.
- Prepare drainage, soil.
- A plant is placed on the poured drainage and a small layer of soil, earth is poured in a circle with a free hand and lightly compacted.
Reproduction of a stone miracle
The plant needs to be watered and placed in a shaded place.After the tips of the leaves have become bright, which indicates that the specimen has grown, the flowerpot can be put in a permanent place and do not forget to take care of it.
Problems with Haworthia
Haworthia is almost not affected by pests, but if you violate the rules of care at home, then the instance will lose its attractiveness:
| Plant problem | Possible reason |
| the leaves are stretched out, their color has become dull, the tips are bent | high winter temperature |
| the ends of the leaves are dry | the plant lacks moisture, it is hot |
| lower leaves fall off | excess moisture in the soil |
| sockets are pulled out | not enough light |
| leaves turn red | the soil is too saturated with mineral fertilizers |
| the leaves are blackened, rotten | room temperature is low |
An attentive florist notices all the slightest changes in the condition of the plant, and tries to find reasons to return the attractiveness of the succulent.
Attractive specimen
The exotic look of Haworthia makes one think about the difficulty of leaving. However, it turns out that the specimens are undemanding to growing conditions. They stand out among other plants for their uniqueness - leaves of unusual color and shape. According to popular beliefs, the stone miracle is very useful and gives positive energy to those around. This is one of the incentives for flower growers to replenish their collections with new types of succulents.
