Stonecrop, or sedum (sedum) - an amazing plant with a rich history. Many ancient myths and beliefs are associated with it. Gardeners distinguish many varieties of culture: bushes, creepers, creeping on the ground. Sedum is grown both in the garden and at home. Florists appreciate many varieties of plants for their "unhampered character" and simplicity.
Stonecrop characteristics: varieties and varieties
A low herbaceous plant is succulent. It easily withstands drought, grows in infertile soil.
Two types of stonecrops are conventionally distinguished:
- Not at all adapted for growing in the climatic conditions of the Russian plain. They are bred at home as perennial crops, or annual flowers growing on flower beds in open ground.
- Ground cover - perennials. Resistant to frost and other vagaries of nature. Under natural conditions, they are found in the southern regions of the country (for example, in the Caucasus).
Stonecrop pink
Stonecrop Features
Shrub or shrub with branched stems up to 60 cm high. The foliage is dense, elastic, of different sizes, shades and shapes:
- cylindrical;
- flat.
Strong leaves are located on thick stems, not on petioles. The variety of colors of leaf plates (blue, pink, green, gray) depends not only on the variety, but on the growing conditions.
Note! The foliage of even one type of sedum is different if the growing conditions are not the same.
Small flowers-stars (yellow, blue, pink, white) are collected in inflorescences-caps, which makes the plant look beautiful and elegant. It blooms until late autumn, when garden colors fade, and only stonecrop stands out as a bright spot against the background of wilted plants.
The pleasant smell attracts many bees circling over the bushes of the honey plant.
Varieties and varieties of culture
Florists account for more than five hundred species of these succulents. As a decorative culture, only some of them are grown. Applied as decoration rock gardens, borders. At home planting stonecrop, which is easy to care for.
Important! Since under natural conditions the sedum grows on rocky soils, hanging long stems down, at home the flower is grown in a cache-pot like an ampelous plant.
Large stonecrop ordinary
It is represented by two well-known varieties:
- Windsor Linda;
- Matron.
Perennial up to 30 cm high. On a thick stem are strong, fleshy leaves, serrated on the edges. Flowering - on the top of the stem are small flowers collected in umbrellas. Sea-green foliage with pink-brown spraying. Pale pink flowers, gathered together, look bright and festive, decorate an alpine hill, a border.
Matron more than half a meter high with straight dense stems
Linda has burgundy stems, dark red leaves, hemisphere inflorescences. Exotic beauty from Mexico heat-loving Matron. It is grown only at home as an ampel culture. In the summer, when it’s warm, hang a flowerpot with a plant on the balconies, in the summer cottage under a canopy. On long (up to 1 m) shoots, rising 20 cm and falling down, thick leaves. From a light touch, they fall.
Variety red-colored
A short plant with shoots creeping on the ground up to 30 cm long. Leaves are stacked on top of the stems. The foliage is round, fleshy, dense, at the base - juicy green, at the ends - red. Yellow flowers on a red-green background look spectacular.
Stonecrop prominent
It grows in nature in Asian countries. The plant is medium to half a meter tall. The roots are tuberous. On straight stems are blue-green leaves.
Stonecrop Kamchatka
Mid-sized representative of the family. On the territory of Russia it is found in the Far East. The life span of the plant is up to 15 years. For the 5th year, an exotic look of sedum deteriorates. The transplant of stonecrop is becoming relevant.
Planting a plant
Sedum is a photophilous culture, so the place where to plant stonecrop should be bright. Under natural conditions, the plant grows among rocks and stones.
In fertile soils, the decorative properties of sedum will be manifested with the greatest return. Flowering will be lush and long, and the greens are bright and shiny.
Seed planting
Succulent culture is grown from seeds or seedlings. The most troublesome way is seed. But for many gardeners, he is preferable. Planting material procured independently is a guarantee of the health of the future plant.
Stonecrop planting technology:
- Seeds are sown in the spring (late March-April) in boxes, containers that fill the garden soil with coarse sand. The seeds are buried, leaving an interval between them of at least 5 cm.
- Wet crops with plenty of water. Cover with glass or film, sent for stratification.
- The room should be cool with a temperature of +1 ℃ to +5 ℃ (refrigerator, underground, basement).
- The entire period of stratification conducts ventilation of crops, makes sure that condensation does not collect on the glass or film. The soil is constantly moistened.
After 2 weeks, the crops are returned to the room with a temperature of up to +20 ℃. 20-25 days after sowing, the first sprouts should appear.
Note! Do not allow the complete drying of the soil.
Sometimes individual gardeners use winter sowing. Sown in the same way, but sent for stratification in the greenhouse. In April, seedlings bring home for growing.
Planting seedlings
Stonecrop shoots are small. After their friendly appearance, the glass or film is removed. Plants dive if not planted in a separate pot. Traditionally take care of seedlings:
- watered;
- loosen;
- temper.
Hardening is carried out a week before planting in the ground. Seedlings are sent for a walk, each time increasing the time spent on the street.
Planting stonecrop in the ground
Beginning gardeners sometimes find it difficult to plant a stonecrop correctly so that it can easily take root:
- When the weather is stable and stable, night frosts will stop (end of May), it is time to transplant seedlings to a permanent place.
- Before planting, fertilize the soil with organic matter. The distance between the planting pits is at least 20 cm. Plants are watered abundantly.
An unpretentious stonecrop grows on scarce soils, but without sunlight it is bad for him, although light partial shade at the place of cultivation is possible. Ground cover sediment planting and care for it do not differ from the cultivation of other varieties.
The first flowers on the bushes will bloom in 2-3 years
Watering and loosening the soil
Despite the undemanding to growing, minimal care is necessary. Caring for a plant does not require excessive effort. Sedum withstands drought, but this does not mean that it should not be watered, especially if the summer is hot and arid.
In a temperate climate with sufficient rainfall, stonecrop without watering. It is not worth pouring a plant. Loosen the soil around the bushes regularly, providing oxygen to the root system. Sedum needs frequent weeding, otherwise the weeds will strangle the surface roots of the spreading plant species.
Breeding methods
Stonecrop is planted with seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush.
- The propagation of stonecrop by cuttings is available even to an inexperienced grower. In spring, in warm weather, cut the stalk with a sharp knife, leave 2 buds on it, remove the lower leaves. They are buried in the soil by 3-4 cm or the cut cuttings are immersed in water. As soon as the roots grow, transfer to a flower bed or flowerpot. Even if you leave the cuttings without water, they will take root roots.
- How else is stonecrop propagated? By dividing the bush. The method is convenient when you need to update the bush. They dig a plant, separate old roots and shoots, leave young stems with new roots and buds. Divide before the start of active development of the plant.
- Stonecrop by seed propagation is the most troublesome way. Gardeners wait for the flower stalks to dry, then they are cut with a sharp knife. Since the plant blooms for a long time, until winter, the seeds often do not ripen. Experienced flower growers do not advise propagating sedum.
Note! When harvesting seeds from hybrids, it should be borne in mind that their parents have no properties. Each gardener chooses how to propagate the stonecrop.
Fertilizers and fertilizers
It is enough to fertilize the earth with organic matter (manure, humus) in preparing the site for planting. Florists recommend being careful with nitrogen fertilizers, since foliage deteriorates from them, the plant loses resistance to frost.
Complex mineral dressings with phosphorus and potassium are permissible for high stonecrops no more than 2 times during the summer period.
Plant transplant
Gardeners do not recommend growing a bush for more than 5 years in one place. The plant is healed by changing the place of cultivation.
How to transplant stonecrop? Step-by-step instruction:
- In early spring, until the sedum “woke up” after winter dormancy, the bush was carefully dug up.
- With a sharp knife, the parts are separated, leaving roots on each bud, and removed in the shade for 2-3 hours.
- Treat the separation sites with fungicidal agents before planting the plant on a new flower bed.
Stonecrop Cropping
When the sedum fades (in late autumn), all vital processes in the plant slow down, gardeners cut the shoots under the root. In ground cover species, shoots that rise above the "carpet" are trimmed.
Pests and diseases
Stonecrop - a viable culture, rarely sick. Plant problems arise from improper cultivation or from bad weather conditions.
Caterpillars on a stonecrop
From frequent watering, the roots rot, conditions are created for the life of fungi. From diseases, stonecrop is treated with fungicide preparations if the disease is in an early stage. It is useless to spray plants with an advanced disease, they destroy it.
The vital activity of aphids, caterpillars, sawflies, weevils and other "lovers" of stonecrop harms the health of the plant. Fight pests with insecticides: actellic, phytoerm.
Flowering and care during this period
Not all varieties of stonecrop bloom equally beautifully. The low varieties have interesting foliage, and the bushes have amazingly beautiful inflorescences. Sedum blooms in different periods, depending on the variety. Already at the beginning of June, a false sedum blooms with flowers of various shades: from yellowish-white to cherry. Simultaneously with it, flowers bloom on the stonecrop bent. Closer to the fall, sedum blooming prominent. During the flowering period, stonecrop care of the plant is simple:
- remove faded inflorescences in time;
- prune wilted leaves.
These actions will preserve the picturesque appearance of stonecrop.
Winter preparations
Sedum is prepared for winter peace after flowering. At the bush, cut old dry shoots at the root. In order for the plant to overwinter without damage to health, it is covered with spruce branches, needles, and straw. In winter, they throw a lot of snow on the place where the stonecrop grows. In areas with frosty and snowless winters, the plant is additionally covered with non-woven material.
Use in landscape design
Stonecrop wonderfully fit into any landscape composition. Decorate the slide, rock garden. The plant is planted singly in a flower bed and in groups during the design of borders, garden paths.
Creating a floral arrangement in a summer cottage, the designer will realize the most fantastic ideas with the help of stonecrop. Creeping on the ground, the sedum drowns out the growth of weeds, braids them with stems. That is why it is impossible to plant groundcover with flowers. It is used as carpet compositions on lawns.
Ground cover species will be decorated with colorful "carpets" lawns, house territories, recreation areas
Beneficial features
In addition to decorative qualities, stonecrop is endowed with healing properties. It contains:
- alkaloids;
- vitamins;
- tannins;
- flavanoids;
- coumarins.
No wonder sedum is used for many diseases in the form of decoctions, tinctures, extracts. They have an anti-inflammatory effect, diuretic, analgesic and tonic.
Extracts with sedum heal wounds, burns. Broths treat atherosclerosis, gout, and the nervous system. Stonecrop - a unique plant that combines a magnificent appearance and useful properties.
