Gasteria: home care and breeding methods
Content:
Succulents and cacti can often be found on the windowsills of houses. They are cute and neat looking. The article tells about a plant of the type of Gasteria: an overview of the varieties, the rules of growing and care, the breeding procedure.
Gasteria: types and description
Gasteria is a genus of the Asphodelic family, which consists of 26 species. The most popular of them are: Gasteria Spotted, Gasteria Warty, Variegatnaya, Armstrong and Batesian. The name comes from the Latin word "gasltron", which means "pot-bellied vessel".
The flower has a useful property: it cleans the air very well, so it is often placed in bedrooms.
Gasteria
Gasteria Spotted
Dark green succulent with light yellow small spots, reaching a height of about 20 cm.
The leaves are smooth, tapered towards the end, and flowering occurs in the form of bright red flowers.
Gasteria warty
Thin leaves, reaching 20 cm, are covered with numerous white warts, which makes them rough.
It blooms with pink or red flowers. They can be with green blotches.
Gasteria variegated
A small succulent plant, where there is no stem, and the leaves are collected in a rose.
Variegat plants are those parts of which are not able to synthesize chlorophyll, so they differ in different green-yellow or green-white colors. So it is here: the leaves are long, fleshy, to the end they are sharpened with a green-yellow color. They are located in two rows, one above the other.
Different types of gastria
Gasteria Armstrong
The 10-centimeter plant has thick, smooth dark green leaves and orange flowers when in bloom.
An interesting feature: old leaves always grow horizontally, and new ones at first tend upward, and then bend downward, forming bizarre plexuses.
Gasteria Batesiana
A succulent growing with a rose has rough triangular-lanceolate leaves with light tubercles and reaches 18 cm in height.
It blooms with pink-orange flowers.
Gasteria: home care
Since the flower is native to Africa, there is no need to create special moisture. The living conditions of a person are excellent for him.
You can buy the soil (the most suitable - for cacti and succulents) or cook it yourself. To do this, you will need: sheet soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 1. You can also add small stones. The acidity content should be between 5.5 and 7 pH.
In the active period, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers will be beneficial, which have a positive effect on both flowering and the entire body of the plant as a whole.
However, this should be done carefully, because the plant does not tolerate constantly wet soil. In winter, watering is reduced (once every 2-3 weeks), because the water does not have time to be completely absorbed, and stagnation cannot be allowed.
During the active period (spring-summer), the temperature should be from 18 to 25 degrees, and during the rest period (autumn-winter), it should be lowered to 12 degrees. This is done to admire the flowering of gastria, because it will not bloom without a change in temperature regimes.
The genus grows well in lighted places, but without direct sunlight. Also, the plant will feel comfortable in the shade. It is best to look after it on the east or west windows. On the southern ones, it will dry out, and on the northern ones it will grow, but the owner will not see how Gasteria blooms.
During the spring-summer period, the flower can be taken outside. It is quite sensitive to precipitation, winds and sunlight, therefore, before taking out, you need to carefully choose a place.
Before the dormant period, it is necessary to saturate the flower with light: sunbathing can be done both 8-hour and 16-hour, using fluorescent lamps.
Gasteria Armstrong in a pot
Reproduction methods
To propagate Gasteria by cuttings, it is necessary to cut off a part of a long and strengthened leaf, dry it a little (12-24 hours) and plant it in the ground for succulents or cacti. Watering is the same as for an adult plant.
The most important stage in reproduction by root shoots is the separation of the daughter plant from the mother plant, because if this is done inaccurately, then the root of both organisms can be disturbed, after which the first may not take root in a new pot. Further, the procedure is identical as when propagating by cuttings: dry, plant, water.
Reproduction of gastria leaf
Gasteria is a flower that is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, beautiful flowering and neatness. However, do not forget that it is easily affected by weather conditions.
