Haworthia (lat. Haworthia) - a genus of succulents, miniature grassy flowers. Recently, haworthia has become popular and is used not only in garden design, but also for creating mini-gardens in greenhouses, when decorating a house.
In nature, the species is found on the rocky and sandy slopes of South America and Africa. Locals call it a "living stone." Because fleeing from the hot sun, the haworthia cactus hides in the sand, exposing only the tops of the leaves to the surface.
The texture of the leaf can be smooth, transparent, covered with the finest lace, studded with pearls, studded with white dots-snowflakes.
Haworthia: types and varieties
Haworthia is a perennial succulent. A stem about 8 cm long grows from the root, from which fleshy leaves with sharp ends, gathering in a rosette, beat off. Fleshy dark green hue leaves are watery, which allows the plant to do without water for a long time.
Beautiful haworthia
Common varieties
The Asphodel family is represented by a wide variety of succulents with hard carved leaves. About 150 succulents belong to the family of Havortia, including the Haworthy of Reinwardt.
Additional Information! Florists are fond of growing unusual specimens, trying to create extensive collections of miniature succulents. There are both small varieties and quite large ones. For example, in Haworthia retuza, the sheet length is 5 cm.
Distinctive features by grades are shown in the table.
View of Haworthia | Popular varieties | The hallmarks of the leaves |
Hard-leaved (pour hard, triangular, color - saturated green with dots) | Haworthia striped | pointed green leaves, sharp, fleshy, on the underside - transverse silver ribs |
Haworthia pearl | differs in oval leaves, the width of which can reach 20 cm, the top is curved; the edges of the leaves are silver, spiky | |
Haworthia limifolia (lemon leaf) | the leaves are tight to each other; the base is wide, the upper part is sharp, covered with silver stripes resembling waves | |
Winding haworthia | small leaves are convex, covered with pimples, arranged in a circle; their color is dark green | |
Window (deeply penetrates the ground, at the tips of the leaves of the "window" through which light enters) | Haworthia retusa (blunted) | triangular, sticky leaf, the upper part is bent; the color is green, different shades of red; motley |
Scaphoid haworthia | the color of the leaves is gray-green, their width is 1; without growths, smooth, transparent windows appear on the surface of the sheet | |
Haworthia Cooper | fleshy leaves with rough edges covered with thin ciliated hairs | |
Herbaceous (leaves are juicy, diverge by a rosette directly from the root) | Haworthia arachnoid | a thin sheet, silver web threads stretch along it, the color is yellow-green, |
Net haworthia | light yellow-green leaves covered with a net of dark veins; hard, curved leaves | |
Chess Haworthia | leaf platinum has a triangle shape, serrated edges, the upper part is covered with white mesh, the lower part is with tubercles |
Striped haworthy can be confused with spinous aloe. Experienced gardeners suggest that aloe have “antennae” on the ends of the leaves, which break off as the plant ages. Haworthia striped has no such "antennae".
Additional Information!Florists are distinguished by succulent varieties in patterns on the surface of the leaves.
The name of the unusual pearl was given by the English botanist Hardy Haworth, who devoted his life to the study of succulents. Among them was haworthia. The result of Hardy Haworth's observations was his work on succulents. It was this fact that prompted his followers to call one of the clans of succulents the name of a naturalist.
Variety of succulents
Haworthia Flower: Home Care
The plant is unpretentious, but home care has its own subtleties. If you do not break them, then an unusual flower can become a long-liver. For example, Haworthia retuza can live for about 30 years, growing one or two centimeters per year.
The main components of care are listed below.
Temperature, lighting
There are legends about haworthia succulents: it can withstand a temperature drop of -7 ° C. If the thermometer column drops below, then the plant stretches in the spring, and the rosettes change their shape.
In the summer the flowerpot needs to be exposed outside. During the rain, one should not forget about the pet: it needs to be covered with some kind of container. The heat of the species does not affect the development of the variety, but hot nights will be fatal. The leaves of the outlets will darken and begin to rot.
Haworthia, like all succulents, reaches for the light. If the lighting is insufficient, the flower will begin to stretch. Burning sunshine is well tolerated only by hard-leaved species, and variegated species lose their color.
Humidity, watering, top dressing
Cactus haworthia in nature often grew in an arid climate, so nature protected it from such conditions. This quality has been preserved in indoor specimens. Therefore, gardeners, before taking on a watering can, need to check the condition of the soil. If it is wet, then the plant should not be watered. In winter, the duration between watering increases, since excess moisture can cause root decay.
Attention! During home care haworthia is watered exclusively with protected water!
Fertilizing succulents is combined with watering, since fertilizers are better absorbed if dissolved in water. You can take funds for cacti, but the concentration of the solution should be reduced. Top dressing is done periodically in spring and summer. For some plants, the frequency may be higher. For example, caring for a striped haworthy at home involves feeding every month.
Required soil, planting pot
Haworthia is unpretentious. In natural conditions it can grow on stony soils. Therefore, when planting a specimen, it is necessary to mix solid components - gravel, coarse-grained sand, crushed limestone, clay.
Such soil passes good air, haworthia feels great and does without transplantation for many years. For a stony plant, it is better to take shallow ceramic flowerpots, the walls of which repel moisture. The shape of the pot should not be round; the roots of the plant are spread evenly in all directions.
Additional Information! In round containers, the roots begin to bend, which causes them to rot.
Blooming haworthia
Beginning flower lovers are interested in how stone haworthia blooms at home? Succulent rarely blooms, so this is not expected. But many flower growers grow unpretentious specimens solely because of the beauty of the leaves.
Attention! A mix of haworthia is an interesting solution in the design of the room. Interior decoration will be very effective.
If you still want to see the haworthia flower, then you need to create conditions for this. At the beginning of spring, an escape appears, and then unprepossessing flowers open on it. In haworthia lymphifolia, pale pink flowers are collected in a brush. Haworthia fasciata produces a long peduncle, which is covered with tubular white flowers. On a meter flower spike at the haworthia pearl, racemose inflorescences from small light green corollas flaunt.
Important! Haworthia spends a lot of energy on flowering, therefore, as soon as the flower stalk has dried up, the plant needs to be transplanted, otherwise it will die. Many flower growers, knowing about this feature, cut off the peduncle as soon as it appears.
How to propagate haworthia
You can grow a new instance in different ways, but, in any case, it is better to breed haworthia in the spring:
- cuttings
Those who have been growing haworthia for years claim that sometimes leaves fall off and grow, taking root. This property can be used and with the onset of spring to harvest cuttings.
To do this, a leaf is cut at an oblique angle at the base of the plant. The slice is treated with fungicide, dried in the air for several days and planted in a container with moist sandy soil.
Cuttings do not need to be covered, they can rot. The soil should be moist, but not wet. Within a month, the stalk should take root. When the root shoots are well branched, the stalk can be planted in a new place.
- seed
Florists who collect unusual varieties often try to grow it on their own. This method is laborious and not always effective. It is especially disappointing that the varietal traits in the seedling may not be preserved.
It is necessary to prepare a shallow container, fill it with a soil mixture of leaf turf and sand. Seeds purchased at a flower shop are evenly distributed over the surface of the container and pressed into the ground.
Plain beauty
For germination they need two conditions: a rather high temperature - up to + 25 ° C and good illumination. Ventilation and regular humidification with a spray gun are also required.
With the advent of shoots, the film from the container must be removed. Care for seedlings is very painstaking. It will take several months before the seedlings can be planted in flowerpots.
- propagation by rosettes
The easiest way is vegetative propagation. Every year, small rosettes appear on the shoots of adult cymbiformis, which eventually take root next to the mother plant.
This outlet must be carefully cut. Sprinkle the place of cut with charcoal, and plant the cut part in a separate pot.
Additional Information! A stone flower grows slowly - you can not transplant it for 2-3 years, but if you want to form a large outlet, you will need to separate the newly grown outlets every year.
How to transplant haworthia
It is better to engage in reproduction and transplantation of a stone guest in the early spring, because it is at this time that plants begin to actively grow. Usually, succulents need to be transplanted if the plant grows and the flowerpot becomes small. This is suggested by small leaves on young outlets.
A wide but shallow container with low edges should be selected. In deep flowerpots the stone guest will be too spacious, and she will begin to grow down.
The best soil is a mixture of turf, sand, clay, solid elements (gravel, broken brick, shell rock). The soil should not be neutral, otherwise the plant withers.
Instructions for transplanting succulents:
- It is necessary to extract the plant from the old flowerpot.
- Carefully inspect the root system, make sure that there are no pests in the roots.
- Remove the old soil from the roots, cut off the dry parts.
- Prepare drainage, soil.
- A plant is placed on the poured drainage and a small layer of soil, with a free hand, the earth is poured in a circle and slightly tamped.
Reproduction of a stone miracle
The plant must be watered and placed in a shaded place. After the tips of the leaves became bright, which indicates that the specimen has grown, the flowerpot can be put in a constant place and do not forget to look after it.
Haworthy problems
Haworthia is almost not affected by pests, but if you violate the rules of care at home, then the instance will lose appeal:
Plant problem | Possible reason |
the leaves stretched out, their color became dull, the tips bent | high winter temperature |
the ends of the leaves became dry | the plant does not have enough moisture, it is hot |
lower leaves fall away | excess moisture in the soil |
sockets are pulled out | not enough light |
leaves turn red | the soil is too saturated with mineral fertilizers |
leaves turned black, rotted | room temperature is low |
The attentive florist notices all the slightest changes in the state of the plant, and tries to find reasons to return the succulent to its attractiveness.
Attractive specimen
The exotic look of haworthia suggests the difficulty of leaving. However, it turns out that the specimens are undemanding to growing conditions. They stand out among other plants for their uniqueness - leaves of an unusual color and shape. According to popular beliefs, the stone miracle is very useful and gives positive energy to others. This is one of the incentives for flower growers to replenish their collections with new types of succulents.