Houseplant bastard: all about growing

One of the most famous indoor plants is fat woman or as the people call it the money tree. It is appreciated for its unpretentious care, and there is also a belief that if there is a tree in a prominent place in the house, then it attracts luck, money and happiness. Even a novice gardener can cope with its cultivation. But before you purchase such a variety, you should familiarize yourself not only with the characteristics, but also prepare the conditions for living.

Content:

• Features of the structure of the fat woman
• Capacity and soil for the plant
• Reproduction methods
• Conditions for keeping
• Care advice
• Transplant terms and rules
• Diseases and pests, the fight against them

Features of the structure of the fat woman

The fat woman has many different names, in addition to the generally recognized one, there are a number of others - Money Tree, Krasula, Monkey tree or tree of happiness. The plant belongs to the genus Fatty, a class of succulents. If at home the tree is compact and neat in appearance, then in the wild the exotic can grow up to 3.5-4 m in height. More than 300 varieties of flowers have been cultivated for home growing conditions.

The homeland of the tree shrub is the arid territories of Africa, South Arabia and throughout Madagascar. The plant has adapted in such conditions to accumulate moisture in its own leaf plates and to do without nutrient fluid for a long period of time, thereby surviving the dry time favorably.

Description of the fat woman:

• Deciduous plates near the tree are located on thick, powerful branches. They are placed opposite each other. Each leaf is endowed with a strong structure, fleshy inner content. It does not hold on to a short petiole, but smoothly passes from a solid leaf plate to the base of the branch.
• In different plant species, foliage can have a specific shape. Most often it comes in the following formats: cylindrical, diamond-shaped, oval or lanceolate.
• Root system plants are predominantly located on the surface. Rhizomes have a fragile structure, they are delicate and thin. The stalk is thick, compacted at the base, juicy due to increased moisture absorption.
• Some varieties can be in the form of both an erect shrub with a branching crown, and a creeping plant. If pruning is carried out correctly, then it is possible to form a crown at will.
• The fat woman blooms both in wildlife and in indoor conditions quite rarely, and then with favorable care. The buds are small but numerous. Mass flowering is observed. Most often, small whitish inflorescences or bright red buds appear.

Capacity and soil for the plant

It is not recommended to buy a fat woman in a flower shop. According to legends, the acquired plant does not endow the home with happiness and does not attract monetary wealth. To obtain mythical benefits, you need to take from friends or neighbors and grow from a sprout yourself.

Reproduction of succulents is carried out by rooting a leaf cutting or leaf plate.

Before deepening the seedlings into the soil for germination of the root system, they should be pre-dried for 2 days in the fresh air. Only in such conditions is the plant able to quickly give the first roots and build up an excellent root system.

Another way to grow the original specimen is to keep the cuttings in water until the seedling gives root shoots. But this is a rather lengthy process and not always successful.

Therefore, initially it is worth preparing not only a special soil, but also a flowerpot for growing a plant.:

• The best option for planting a money tree is rooting in the ground, suitable for cacti or succulents that live in similar conditions in nature. You can purchase soil in a specialized flower shop or prepare it yourself.
• To prepare the soil substrate, you should take 1 part of fine river sand and sod land, as well as 3 parts of leaf land. All components are well mixed, obtaining a homogeneous mass. Additionally, when planting, you need to stock up on clay, brick broken chips, good humus and wood ash... The main thing during planting is not to forget about the drainage at the bottom of the flowerpot.
• In the absence of purchased soil for succulents or prepared with your own hands, you can bury the plant in ordinary garden soil. In such conditions, it will also develop, as in fertile soil, but its leaf plates will be slightly smaller in size, and the trunk will not be as fleshy and thick. But the situation can be corrected by feeding organic and mineral types.

During the preparation of the plant for planting, attention is paid not only to the soil, but also to the flowerpot. It should be based on the fact that the plant has a powerful root system located on the surface. Moreover, if the flowerpot is not large, then the upper spreading part of the bush can easily provoke the overturning of the slide and its fall. Therefore, taking into account such features of the structure of the flower, it is worth choosing a wide and deep container so that it can fully withstand the entire mass of the money tree.

Reproduction methods

The fat woman tends to reproduce in only 2 ways: cuttings or a sheet plate. The easiest method is to get a new plant from a cuttings:

• It is best to plant the sprout immediately in the ground than to wait for a long time for the first rhizomes to appear in the water. At the same time, there is a danger that during transplantation there is a possibility to damage or break off the root, which will lead to a longer rooting period.
• The fastest of all the fat woman releases the first roots in perlite sandy soil or sands of a coarse-grained nature.
• The most suitable time for rooting a young seedling is early spring. Usually, the preparation procedure for planting is carried out from mid-March to the last days of April. Planting during this period, experienced gardeners who are able to recreate the optimal conditions for growing, achieve flowering already in this growing season.
• The length of the seedling should not exceed 7-15 cm. After cutting the cutting, it must be kept in a weak Kornevin solution. The procedure is carried out within 24 hours. This drug is a growth stimulant that provokes the fastest development of root shoots. After that, it is required to remove all the leaf plates located at the bottom and leave the sprout to dry for 2 days.
• After the manipulations done, it is worth rooting the plant in a selected small container. From above, the sprout is covered with a plastic flask using a plastic cup or the top of the bottle. Such conditions almost 100% lead to the production of a young plant, which fully retains its maternal qualities and properties.

If the plant germinates in a different way - when the cutting is kept in water, then planting is carried out only at the moment when the root system reaches 2-3 cm. The planting of a leaf plate is carried out under the same conditions as when growing a seedling from a cutting.

You can also grow a plant by seed.

But in most cases, such an exotic is grown using seeds only to obtain a new variety in the work of breeders. For simple gardeners, such cultivation is quite laborious and time-consuming. Shallow dishes are taken for planting. There must be drainage at the bottom, onto which a soil substrate is poured from above, which has up to 60-70% of river sand in the composition. The seeds are carefully laid out on the surface of the prepared soil, while it is absolutely impossible to bury them.

Watering is carried out only from a spray bottle. After disembarkation, the container is closed with plastic wrap or glass. This is required in order for the planting material to quickly release the rhizomes and begin to give green shoots. Seedlings are installed in a room where it is light and room temperature is maintained. The first green seedlings appear within 14-21 days. After this event, the film or other device is removed completely. Already after 2-3 months, the grown sprouts can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence.

Conditions for keeping

In order for the plant to develop well, to grow the crown optimally, it is worth taking care of placing a flowerpot with a flower, the shrub loves sunlight very much, but when it is located in open sunlight, which has the property of patronizing at noon, the leaf plates can get sunburn. An ideal place for keeping a plant would be a windowsill located on the east or west side. In the northern section of the apartment, the bush will become faded, lethargic and lifeless. The complete absence of sunlight also negatively affects the plant.

On hot sunny days, the shrub can be placed on the floor of the balcony on the south side. In such conditions, he will have enough not only sunlight, but also fresh air. In winter, it is better to rearrange the flowerpot on the southern windowsill. During this period, the plant will have enough sunlight on cloudy winter short days. No specific moisture is required for the plant; it should not be sprayed daily from a spray bottle. The best option would be to place a pallet with water next to the bushes.

It is best to remove settled dust from the sheet plates. In addition, it is worth providing the fat woman with periodic ventilation. But you should not leave the plant in a direct stream of air, it can get sick and die.

In the summer period, when an active growing season is revealed in the money tree, the optimal temperature at which the plant develops well is +21 .. + 26 C.

It is best to place the plant in open ground or simply place it in a garden plot. But with the onset of cool nights, which appear in central and central Russia already in mid-August, the tree should be brought back into the room.

In winter, the money tree is placed in a room with little sunlight, facing south. The temperature during the rest period should be lowered to +10 .. + 14 C. If such conditions are not reproduced, then the shrub will subsequently develop rather poorly and very slowly. If it is possible to take the fatty woman out of warm rooms into a cool zone, then it is recommended to move the tree as far as possible from the heating devices.

Care advice

Active growth and fruitful development money tree possible only if you follow certain rules for caring for the plant. There are the following recommendations:

1. Watering - pouring succulent is strictly prohibited. This can provoke the appearance of rot on the rhizomes or a fungal disease.Watering the shrub is required after the top layer of the earthen coma dries out 3-4 cm deep. During the period of winter dormancy, watering practically stops, but at the same time it should be controlled so that the substrate does not completely dry out, periodically making a slight introduction of nutrient moisture. Drainage holes must be made at the bottom of the pot. Moisture, which turned out to be superfluous during watering, should flow out through them; Watering is carried out only with water previously settled at room temperature. During watering, do not leave the flowerpot in the sun. This will help the soil in the upper layers dry out quickly, while the lower substrate will remain moist, resulting in over-watering. In the summer and during the period when the heating devices are turned on in winter, the fat woman should periodically carry out a warm shower procedure - once a month. The soil is wrapped with plastic wrap and spilled under warm streams. You can remove the protection and install it in its usual place only after all the water has completely drained from the sheet plates.
2. Top dressing - the shrub does not require constant nutrient input. In the summer, it is enough to feed once every 4 weeks. In winter, the interval between nutrient additions increases - once for a period of 3 months.
3. Pruning - a plant when grown at home, in most cases, is formed as a small tree or sprawling shrub. Crown pruning is required starting from adolescence. After 4-5 true pairs of leaves appear on a young shrub. It is worth cutting off the growth point with a sharp blade accurate to the millimeter. Having completed the manipulation, it is worth waiting a little, and the tree will give first-order shoots from the axillary buds of the leaf plates.

Timely fulfillment of the rules for growing a plant, you can get a gorgeous succulent, which in the summer will delight you with its own flowering.

Transplant terms and rules

A plant transplant is required once every 2 years. The substrate is purchased or made independently. Before transplanting, a pot is prepared for rooting. It should be slightly larger than the previous container.

Transplant features:

• During transplantation, you should carefully get the plant out, inspect the root system, while shaking off the soil from the rhizomes is not worth it. This can provoke injury and attachment of pathogenic bacteria or pests to the breakdown. Therefore, it is worth carrying out the transplant using the transshipment method.
• If, when controlling the rhizomes, rotten areas or disease are found, then the affected area is removed. Sections are sprinkled with activated carbon or ash.
• At the bottom of the flowerpot, expanded clay, brick chips or sea pebbles are placed in random order. Then the soil is poured up to Ѕ of the flowerpot. After that, a plant is exposed in the middle and holds firmly until it is completely covered with soil from above.

It is better not to replant old plants. To saturate the nutrients, it is worth removing the top layer of the earth and pouring in new, fresh soil. After the transplant, it is required to shed well the soil substrate. The procedure is recommended to be carried out in early spring. This is the best time to change the soil and start a new growing season.

Diseases and pests, the fight against them

If you do not take care of the money tree, then there is an opportunity to provoke the occurrence of various diseases or the colonization of harmful insects on the surface of the leaf plates. There are the following growing problems:

• Decay of the root system - provoked by the introduction of nutrient moisture at a cold temperature or excessive watering. The fat woman begins to fade, wither, the trunk becomes soft, lifeless, the plant dies.To combat the disease, it is worth drying the soil and shedding an earthen lump of preparations for fungal diseases. If the procedure does not have a positive result, an urgent need to carry out the transplant procedure and cut off the affected parts of the root system.
• The shape of the bush is distorted, the stems are lengthened - the problem is a lack of sunlight. It is worth rearranging the flowerpot on the southern windowsill. It occurs most often in winter.
• Foliage withers and dries - occurs when the air is dry. To eliminate it, it should be taken out into the open air in summer, and sprayed more in winter.
• The formation of white plaque in the sinuses of the leaf plates - the appearance mealybug.
• The appearance of sticky cobwebs of a whitish shade on the stems and leaves of a plant - spider mite.
• Convex neoplasms appear on the greenery and stems - the scale insect settles.

If pests have appeared on the shrub, then with a small volume they are easily removed by hand from the stems. If the malaise is detected too late, then you should resort to chemical insecticides.

Thus, the bastard is an exotic succulent that can withstand a long period of time without water. Although he does not require specific care and is not considered capricious, it is extremely important to control his condition. Otherwise, there is a possibility of losing the plant.

More information can be found in the video: