Unusual flower Echeveria Miranda: all the delights of this plant
Among the variety of forms, colors and textures of succulents stands Echeveria. For its unusual appearance, it received the associative name "stone rose".
Echeveria perfectly survives in apartments and office premises, although its homeland is the southern part of the USA: Mexico, Peru, California, Texas.
Large green echeveria with very shiny glossy leaves that form a symmetrical rosette that resembles an open flower in shape. Unpretentious succulent plant, can tolerate direct sunlight.
Botanical Description
Echeveria Miranda (lat.Echeveria Miranda) - a very popular species among gardeners. It is characterized by the presence of several small, neat sockets on a short stem. Succulent in shape resembles a lotus flower.
The species was bred by breeders and is hybrid, so its leaves come in a variety of colors and shades: lilac, pinkish, yellow, silver and others.The stone rose is a perennial plant with oval leaves pointed at the end. These thick leaves are folded into a rosette like a rose flower. The average foliage size is about 25 cm long and 15 cm wide. The stem, holding all the leaves on itself, can sometimes be invisible to the eye, and sometimes grows up to 70 cm.
Photo
We offer to see a photo of Echeveria.
Home care and maintenance
Most succulents are provided with basic care., which will be discussed below.
To preserve the brightness of the color of this type of echeveria, the plant is provided with constant sunlight. Scattered streams of light are allowed, without direct sunlight.- Comfortable air temperature in summer is 23-25 C. In winter, do not allow cooling below 6 C.
- Watering is practiced moderately, without spraying the leaves, as this starts the process of rotting. In winter, during the dormant period of the plant, the amount of liquid and the frequency of irrigation are reduced. Succulents are watered with settling water only in the pan and wet the soil directly. Moisture on the leaves and stalk will cause consequences in the form of rot.
- The plant feels good in diffused lighting, without direct sunlight. With proper care, the leaves will become denser, their edge will gradually become reddish. If the plant is in the house recently, it is exposed for a short time, gradually increasing the number of "sun baths".
- Echeveria trimming is not required. At the end of the flowering period, lateral shoots with rosettes stop in order to propagate the plant.
- Desert succulents feel great in low-nutrient soil with a low pH. The substrate is purchased in a store labeled “for succulents (cacti)” or made up independently of earth, coarse sand and broken stone (or expanded clay) in equal proportions. A few small stones are poured into the bottom of the pot to create the effect of aeration of the stones and to prevent stagnation of water. However, in the process of development and growth, the plant is fed with a product suitable for feeding cacti. In winter, fertilizer is not required.
- The echeveria pot is taken shallow, 1-2 cm larger than the diameter of the flower itself. A container with a large number of drainage holes is welcome. A stone rose is transplanted once every 1-2 years, not counting the transplant of a plant just brought from a store or nursery.
Breeding
There are several ways to grow a new echeveria: using seeds, leaf, top or rosette. Reproduction methods:
- Seed propagation considered the most time-consuming method. Labor costs are paid off by the relatively low cost of seeds. The method is characterized by the complete absence of any guarantees of a positive result.
Seeds are planted in a mixture of peat and sand in early spring to a minimum depth and covered with a film on top. Watering is done by spraying the plantings from the spray gun.
Maintaining a temperature of 23-25 C gives condensate, which is periodically washed from the covering material. Periodically arrange ventilation. Seedlings germinate in two weeks. After that, the film is removed and after a few months the matured sprouts are planted in separate flat containers of small sizes. Typically, this method is not practiced at home due to its duration and complexity.
- Leaf propagation carried out much easier, but not suitable for every type of echeveria. The cut leaf takes root well for 1 week in sand or loose soil. The lower healthy leaf is separated from the plant and allowed to dry to avoid rot formation. A substrate is prepared: two parts of the earth and one part of sand, the mixture is sprinkled with perlite on top.
The soil is moistened from the spray gun, then into it at an angle, slightly indenting, a sheet is inserted a few millimeters. The container is covered with a film and maintained at a temperature of 23-25 C. Planting is aired daily, and the soil is moistened as it dries. After 2-3 weeks, the first baby rosettes will appear. When the parent leaf dries up, new plants are transplanted into individual pots and subsequently taken care of as adult plants.
- The top of the echeveria occurs if the stem of the plant is too long. In this case, the top is cut with a sharp knife and the lower leaves are separated from this part. The cut off top is dried for a couple of hours and planted in a substrate, the composition of which is described in the previous paragraph. Using the film, they create a greenhouse effect, aerate and moisturize the plant as necessary. The remaining stem, from which the upper part was separated, will sprout over time, so they take care of it, as before.
- Stone rose propagation by rosettes - the most popular method. A large and healthy-looking outlet is separated from the mother plant. Slices sprinkled with chopped activated carbon or wood ash. Next, the future seedling is dried and placed at a shallow depth in coarse sand, previously well-moistened. The temperature is maintained between 22-24 C.
Rooting occurs within a month, the next year the plant also remains in the same capacity.
The method of propagation by rosettes allows you to get early peduncles (already in the year of planting), unlike other methods, when the plant blooms only for 2-4 years after propagation.
Diseases and Pests
Despite resistance to diseases and pests, eheveria Miranda is attacked by insects, the spread of rot, or other problems.
Observing simple precautions and watering regimen, they can be easily avoided.
- Mealybug and aphids. The main signs are white sticky plaque on the leaves, desiccation of the plant, falling leaves. This happens when the wax coating of the leaves is damaged. They remain unprotected and sucking insects settle in the bosoms of the plant to feed on them. At the first signs of an insect attack, the plant is washed with soapy water using a cotton swab and treated with special infusions (on tobacco or garlic) or insecticides.
- Rot, powdery mildew. Appears in case of violation of the irrigation regime and moisture on the plant itself. In this case, it is necessary to transplant the echeveria into completely clean soil, remove damaged parts. Sometimes they resort to radical measures: they cut off the top, later planting it in the ground, eliminating everything else.
- Withering. Other problems appear due to violation of the conditions of the plant and are solved by proper care. Too small a pot or insufficient watering will cause the succulent to stop growing, the lack of lighting will make the leaves pale, and the high temperature in the room will cause the leaves to wrinkle and the outlet to shrink.
If the stem and leaves turn black, then the flower is cold. In these cases, the irrigation schedule is adjusted, the pot moves to a cooler or warmer place without drafts, periodically exposed to the light.
Flowers similar to this species
Due to the outward similarity, Miranda's echeveria is confused with some plants, especially judging by the images.Some flowers are similar to a stone rose flower shape. Here are some of its “counterparts”:
- The most similar plant comes from the family Crassulaceae, has small dense leaves collected in a rosette, and is called sempervivum. Unlike echeveria, it easily tolerates cold, characterized by an extremely short stem and an abundance of outlets.
- In form and color, the appearance of Echeveria Miranda resembles a lotus flower, and it would be more correct to call it a stone lotus, not a rose. And, although the lotus family and the family Crassulaceae have little in common, the similarities in appearance are quite large.
- Aeonium, a tree-like succulent, stands out with a pink-like rosette. Dark green, shiny leaves make up a lot of rosettes placed on a branchy shoot. The plant, like all succulents, requires drainage, proper lighting and regular watering.
- Haworthia is a dwarf plant, the edges of the leaves are dotted with cloves. Succulent foliage also folds into a rose in a circle. Unlike the previous types, it is placed in a shaded place and watered abundantly. The optimal soil for such a plant is small stones.
Conclusion
Stone rose is considered a popular domestic plant because of its unusual appearance and simple content. Like any succulent, it easily tolerates drought, slowly grows and develops. The wax layer on the leaves protects the echeveria from pests and direct sunlight.
Echeveria has many subspecies that differ in shape, size, color of leaves, so lovers of succulents can choose a plant to their taste.