The original indoor flower, stapelia, attracts attention when the time comes for flowering. Its large single flowers have a beautiful regular shape, peculiar shades and a characteristic aroma - the plant attracts flies to them.
He does not need insects for food, but for pollination and seed formation. In the regions of South Africa, where the plant comes from, there are no bees or butterflies.
Description
The plant belongs to the family Kutrovy (Lastovnyh), to the genus of succulents. The flowers are different, from small, up to 5 mm, to huge - 30 cm. For indoor slipways - 5-6 cm. The shape is a regular five-pointed star, reminiscent of a very open bell.
Shades - flesh-burgundy, brown, beige in a black strip or nettle. Some species have heavily pubescent flowers.
Description of the general appearance: the stems are calm shades of green, grayish-green, bluish, in the sun they can become violet-brownish. They are numerous, juicy, with serrated edges, can reach a length of 60 cm. There are no leaves.
Difference from cactus
The plant is often confused with a cactus. Indeed, its ribbed stems resemble the epiphyllum, which is often grown in room culture and is a cactus. However, stapelia has nothing to do with this group of plants. This is a succulent from the Lastovnev family (order Gentian-flowered). While cacti belong to the Cactus family (cloves order).
Kinds
The rooms grow a variety of species (sometimes erroneously called varieties) of slipway.
| Name | Description |
| Large-flowered stapelia or grandiflora (S. Grandiflora) | The flowers are maroon, similar to stars, very large - 15-20 cm. The large-flowered species has no smell. There is a view of Stapelia tavaresia grandiflora. Despite the similar name, it has a completely different type of flower. They look like huge long bells. |
| Stapelia variegated (Stapelia variegata) | Flowers 5-8 cm, exotic, light yellow, variegated, in black specks. The smell is quite pronounced. |
| Giant stapelia (Stapelia gigantea) | Has huge flowers, up to 35 cm in diameter. Light yellow, richly covered with dark lines. The smell is very strong, reminiscent of rotten meat. |
| Stapelia ferruginous (Stapelia glanduliflora) | The flowers are medium-sized, up to 5 cm, yellow-green, but the original ones are very hairy. The hairs are in the form of small pins with a thickening at the end, white. Because of this, it seems that the flowers are plentifully covered with dew. |
| Golden purple stapelia (Stapelia flavopurpurea) | Flowers are small in size, up to 4 cm, shape - a strongly dissected star, with very narrow elongated petals of light green color. The petals are wrinkled, which is why their surface resembles a doodle. The aroma is pleasant. |
| Wilpman Stapelia (Stapelia wilmaniae, or leendertziae) | Spherical bright red flowers resembling bells in shape, 12.5 cm long. |
| Hirsut Stapelia, or Hairy (Stapelia hirsuta) | Dark red stars, richly covered with hairs, 5-15 cm, resemble rotting meat in appearance and aroma. |
| Stapelia divaricata (Stapelia divaricata) | The flowers are very smooth, wax stars of a light cream shade, slightly pinking to the tips of the petals, up to 4 cm. |
Stapelia Comb (f. Cristata) is a form of some species (gigantea, grandiflora, herrei), with characteristic fused stems resembling sea ridges.
The genus guernia (hernia) is very close to the slipway - more compact plants with spiky shoots and varied, amazing shapes and colors, flowers.
Home care for slipway
Stapeli unpretentious, they will need a minimum set of conditions. This is an excellent plant for busy people who do not have the time or experience. Care at home for this flower comes down to simple rules.
Location, Illumination
Lighting for the plant requires bright, but the stems can be damaged by direct sunlight, up to burns. Therefore, shading is required on the south window or balcony in the hot season.
Notice the lack of lighting is not difficult: frail, elongated, thinned stems. The excess is a purple tint of the skin and brown dry spots of burns.
Temperature
In summer, slipways will be satisfied with standard room temperature. In winter, as with any desert plants, preferably + 10 ... + 14 ° C. During dormancy flower buds are laid. But if there is no way to organize coolness, you can leave the plant at a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° С. The flower will not die, it will survive until spring. True, in this case, you won’t have to rely on plentiful summer flowering.
Watering, humidity
The plant does not need abundant watering. In the summer, water moderately, 1 time per week. In winter - it is better to refrain from watering. But, if the temperature to the apartment is high and the plant has not gone to rest, watering is necessary.
This should be done less frequently than in summer, 1 time in 2 two weeks, while it is advisable to arrange illumination of the plant, otherwise the stems will be very long. The land between the irrigations should dry well.
Spraying is not necessary, in extreme cases, the plant can be washed, but only with severe contamination.
Top dressing
The plant does not need abundant nutrition, but for better growth and flowering in the summer, you can make any complex mineral fertilizer for indoor flowers or special for cacti.
Top dressing is carried out several weeks before the expected flowering and during the appearance of buds.
Fertilizer is diluted with water 2-3 times in comparison with the dosage specified in the instructions so as not to burn the roots. You can water the resulting solution only on already moistened soil.
Rules for boarding and transplanting
The plant is not required for the composition of the soil mixture, but fatty mixtures with a high humus content should not be taken. Stapelia will suit the usual soil for cacti.
The best option for planting is sandy loam with a pH of 5.5-7. Good drainage is required. The composition of the home-made mixture: turf land (2 parts), quartz or river sand (1 part).
The pot needs to be taken not high, but wide, the root system of the stocks, unlike many plants that store moisture in the stems, does not go deep and does not differ in activity.
1/3 of the pot is filled with drainage. When transplanting, the plant rid of old shoots in the center, they do not form flower buds.
After transplanting, the slipway does not need to be watered for 5-7 days to avoid the harmful effects of moisture on injured roots. As soon as this period passes, the first watering is carried out.
It’s not necessary to transplant a well-feeling adult plant every year; it’s enough to refresh a couple of centimeters of soil by removing the top layer and replacing it with fresh soil. Old shoots are removed.
Breeding
Stapelia easily propagates by seeds and stems. Cuttings are separated from the main stem, put in water or immediately planted in a mixture of sand and peat (ready-made soil mixture). The second breeding option is preferable. Before rooting, the cuttings are dried at room temperature for several hours (dry). This is necessary so that the cut heals.
The milky juice of the plant is poisonous, dangerous for many insects. This property makes it necessary to work carefully with cuttings. This will not bring much harm, but can cause irritation of the mucous membranes.
Reproduction by seeds is a rarity, but also does not cause difficulties. Seeds are pretty easy to get at home. They are collected from elongated pods, which from time to time appear on the plant. Seeds of a flower look like a dandelion seed. They are sown in the spring in a mixture of sand and sheet soil, kept in a bright place at a temperature of + 24 ° C. After 3-4 weeks, seedlings will appear, they will be dived into small pots for succulents (6-8 cm). After a year, the plants will be large enough to perform the first transplant into a new container.
Pests, diseases
Stapelia can be affected by aphids, mealybugs and spider mites, but this is in exceptional cases - if improper care is organized. In general, at home, the plant has an extremely high immunity to pests and diseases.
The only serious mistake is overfilling or overfeeding with fertilizers, or too heavy, moisture-holding soil. With excessive moisture, the plant begins to get sick with bacterial rot.
Errors and solutions
The main errors are obvious to the eye: the plant does not please flowering or has elongated ugly stems.
There are several reasons for the lack of colors:
- Wintering is too warm, lack of rest period.
- Stresses: plentiful watering, lack of light, excess fertilizer.
- Lack of potash fertilizers, excess nitrogenous.
- Bay, too dense soil, poor drainage.
If the stems are stretched, the slipway lacks the sun. You need to rearrange it on a lighter window sill, make lights or arrange cooler conditions.
Errors in caring for the slipway are rare, the cultivation of this exotic can be safely recommended to beginners. And sophisticated flower growers will not pass by. The plant is very original and attracts attention. The use of a flower is not only in its decorativeness and unusualness. Astrologers believe that stapelia expels negative energy from the apartment.
