Money tree - how to care for a houseplant, its homeland and name

Homemade flower Crassula is not only interested in flower lovers. How to care for this houseplant, it is important to know those people who attach great importance to signs, according to one of which the money tree is able to attract finance to the house where it grows.

Homeland of the money tree, its name, characteristics and varieties

The birthplace of the plant is Madagascar and the tropics of Africa. The genus is called Crassula, and the name of the family (Crassulaceae), which consists of more than 300 species, sounds similar. The name Crassula is also found - this is a Russian transcription of the Latin name, meaning "thick, full."

This plant should be kept away from children and pets. Under natural conditions, they accumulate arsenic. This does not fully apply to indoor flowers, but it is better to protect yourself.

Representatives of the genus are very diverse in appearance. Mostly they are perennial. There are miniature ones, and there are giants up to 3-4 m in height.

The leaves are opposite (they leave in pairs from the shoots), simple, fleshy, green, dark green or shiny silver. They may have a red border or red spots.

The flowers are small, yellow, white, lilac-pink, bright red, resembling asterisks in shape, collected in panicle-umbellate or racemose inflorescences (more rarely, single).

Features of money tree care at home

Caring for a fat woman is simple, partly for this she is also loved by flower growers. However, some subtleties of growing still need to know.

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Lighting

The southeastern arrangement of the pot in the room most comfortable for the plant corresponds to the eastern practice of Feng Shui, which is aimed at achieving the energy balance of a person. The fat woman likes bright lighting, although scorching sunlight should be avoided, otherwise the leaves will begin to redden, wither and then fall off. Near the eastern and western windows, you can also place succulents.

Temperature and humidity

In autumn and winter, the temperature for the plant is recommended not to increase more than 15 degrees and not lower than 4. In spring and summer, the optimal temperature regime is 16-25 degrees.

Humidity is not particularly important, but hygienic care of the plant is necessary. It is necessary to clean the dust from the leaves with a moistened soft sponge. You can wash the tree in the bath with warm water, after covering something with soil.

Watering and feeding

The fat woman with its fleshy leaves accumulates moisture and does not need frequent watering. However, it is undesirable to allow the earthen coma to dry out. In this case, the leaves darken and fade. Excess moisture will lead to decay of the roots, and then the death of the plant. In summer, watering is needed every 7-10 days, and in the hot period - 2 times more often. In winter - no more than 1 time in 2 weeks. Water for irrigation should be at room temperature.If it is colder, the succulent will begin to drop its leaf blades.

Special fertilizers for succulents and cacti are suitable as top dressing. For the normal development of the plant, a balanced composition is required: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. The best ratio is 9:18:24.

Nitrogen is not particularly required, so do not buy special additives in which it is present in large quantities, otherwise the plant will die. If there is little potassium, then yellowish spots will appear on the plant, and excess will lead to the destruction of the root system. With a lack of phosphorus, the leaves will begin to darken.

The popular remedies are "Gilea - fertilizer for cacti" (for 1 liter of water - 2 caps of the substance) and Pokon (for 1 liter of water - 10 ml of the drug).

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For foliar feeding, it is advisable to use phosphoric flour diluted in water.

Very useful calcium top dressing, which can be prepared from eggshell. To do this, dry the shell of boiled chicken eggs (about 10 pcs.), Grind into powder, pour 1 liter of boiling water and put in a dark place. After 2 weeks, the infusion is ready for irrigation. The crushed shell is also suitable as drainage (layer - 2-3 cm).

Top dressing should be applied only to moist soil during the period of active growth (from April to September) with a frequency of 1 time per month.

Rest period

From September to March, the fat woman has a rest period. During this period, she needs cool conditions, a minimum of moisture and no fertilizing. Do not place a container with a plant near heating systems and heaters. Otherwise, the tree will begin to fade and drop leaves.

Diseases and Pests

Crassula is quite resistant to diseases and pests. Mostly problems result from improper care. By symptoms, you can understand what is happening to her, and take appropriate measures:

1. Leaves fall. This happens quite naturally and occurs once in 2 years. Although "leaf fall" is possible due to waterlogging or lack of moisture, as well as watering with cold water. In addition, burnt and reddened leaves that were exposed to direct sunlight fall off.
2. The leaves became soft. The reason may be excessive watering, lack of light and non-compliance with the optimum temperature.

   

3. Black circles appeared on the leaves. This indicates severe sunburn. Affected leaves should be removed, and the pot rearranged to where the sun's rays will not be dangerous.
4. The plant withers, turns yellow and dries. Perhaps the plant is hot and lacks oxygen. In winter, it is difficult to provide fresh air without cold, but in spring you can take a fat girl out onto the street or balcony.

   

5. Brown, brown, white, brown-red or yellow spots appeared on the leaves. If the spots are white, brown or brown, then it is necessary to fight with fungicides with fungal diseases. If brown-red or yellowish, then the scabies juice is sucked from the plant (insect up to 5 mm in size with a shield on the back, like a tortoise shell). To get rid of scale insects, you need to use the following methods once a week:
   • remove the parasite from the plant with a soft toothbrush or cotton swab dipped in an insecticide, kerosene or alcohol;
   • treat the leaves and trunk with soapy water;
   • spray the tree with an insecticide.

     

6. Yellow spots formed on the leaf plates, and between them a spider web. These are signs of a spider mite. Small (0.3-06 mm), red (but maybe a different color) the pest arranges a web for its offspring. And he eats the cell sap of the plant.You need to deal with it with Fufanon, Fitoverm, Aktofit and Actellik (in accordance with their instructions) and treat the surface of the tree with soapy water.
7. In the axils of the leaves, on the stems and around the root neck, cotton-like formations appeared. Mealybug could leave such traces. This sucking white parasite, quite noticeable (3-6 mm, may be larger), actively moves throughout the plant. Males even have wings, but in adulthood there is no mouthpart.

   

   But it is present in larvae and females that intensively suck out the juice not only from the upper part of the tree, but also from the root system. If there are few pests, then the mechanical method will help: processing the entire surface with a soapy solution. If the situation is critical, then you will have to use Fitoverm, Calypso, Actellik, Biotlin.

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How to propagate and transplant a houseplant at home?

The fat woman propagates by seeds, cuttings and leaves, each method has its own characteristics.

Seeds

Seed propagation is more laborious and time consuming. This is the prerogative of breeders who seek new varieties. Nevertheless, flower growers can practice interesting things. To do this, you need:

• fill with soil mixture (sheet soil and sand - 1: 0.5) clean plates;
• scatter seeds over the surface and sprinkle with sand;
• moisten and cover with a transparent material to ensure sufficient humidity (the top layer should always be slightly moist, but not wet);

  

• dive emerging seedlings into plates with a moistened mixture of leaf and turf soil, as well as sand (1: 0.5: 0.5) and place in a place that is lit, but protected from scorching rays;
• when the sprouts reach a height of 5-7 cm - transplant into containers with a light substrate and observe the air temperature of 15-18 degrees.

Cuttings

A simple and popular way. It is necessary to separate the process from the plant (10-12 cm) and dry it for 1 day. You can root in water or in the soil mixture.

To root in water, remove the leaves at the bottom of the petiole and place it in a container of water so that it does not sink completely. It is advisable to add Cornevin (a root stimulant) or charcoal to the water. Direct sunlight should not fall on the stalk. After 2-3 weeks, he will have roots, which means you can plant in a pot.

To root in the soil, it is necessary to prepare a clean container with drainage and fill the soil mixture (garden soil and sand - 1: 1) with half of its volume. Next - make a small indentation in the soil with a stick, place a stalk there, add the mixture (without tamping) and water moderately. In a year, the young plant will be ready for transplantation. Until then, you do not need to change its location.

Leaves

A money tree sometimes discards leaves that independently take root. You can help him multiply in this way. Separate the lower, well-developed leaf and leave it alone for a day.

Then - root in a flat container or in a vial of water (root stimulant is also useful) with immersion of the lower end by 0.5 cm. When the roots appear, the leaf should be "relocated" into a shallow bowl, and after 1 month - into the pot.

To root the leaf in the soil, you need to moisten it with water with Kornevin, dig it 1/3 in a bowl with peat and sand, and then cover with transparent material. Every day, you need to ventilate the greenhouse and spray it with warm water while drying the top layer of the soil.

Common Fat Care Questions

The fat girl can become the first indoor flower, because it is quite easy to care for it. But in order for the fat woman not to upset her appearance and “generate income”, one must follow the rules listed and take into account the recommendations.