Tolstyanka: care, maintenance, reproduction

The same name of succulents, included in the familyTolstyankovye, has more than three hundred species, most of which are perennials. They grow mainly in the Southern Hemisphere: in Africa and in Madagascar, in South America. Many species are cultivated as indoor ornamental plants.

In indoor floriculture are most commonoat leafy (or oval, Crassula ovata), tree-like (Crassula arborescens), thick-skinned Nile (Crassula nealeana). The first and second of them are miniature trees with large fleshy oval leaves. They are green in ovoid, they are of green color, in tree-like - with a red band along the perimeter. It is the representatives of these species, and more often the egg-shaped fatigue, is usually called the "money tree". The Nile Tolstyanka stands apart from these plants: it is a miniature shrub with creeping stems, which seem to be strung thick, dense little leaves. This ampel'naya polustyanka, care of which is also quite simple, is widely used in interior gardening.

Tree-like, as well as ovoid-like thickening, carewhich do not require special effort, are easily grown from a handle or even a separate leaf. Parts of plants quickly and well take roots not only in the ground, but also in water. Of course, you can purchase an adult money tree in a flower shop, however, there is an opinion that only the plant, a talisman grown by own hands, will bring prosperity to the house. Plant it in a special land for succulents and cacti, but you can prepare the mixture with your own hands, adding large sand to the turf or garden soil (1: 3). To plant the Nile fatty, mix the earth with sand and peat. It propagates with stems, which are perfectly accepted.

Types of fatty fish, cultivated ashouse plants, do not create special difficulties for their owners. However, it should be noted that they do not like high humidity, so placing them near a tray of water intended for moisture-loving plants is unacceptable. Do not spray them, you can only gently wipe the leaves from dust. Care for a tree-like tree, as well as for ovoid, assumes moderate watering in the summer and very scarce - in the winter. Tolstyanka Neil likes abundant watering in the summer, and in winter it should be watered moderately. These plants are light-loving and thermophilic. In winter, the temperature of their content should not be below + 8-10 degrees Celsius.

Since the "money tree" comes from the southernregions of Africa, in the middle strip for flowering, he usually lacks heat and light. For this reason, a tree-like peasant woman, whose care does not require much time and effort, blooms extremely rarely, usually at the end of summer or early autumn, and only if she "lives" on southern windows. Her flower is a whisk with pale pink or white flowers. The small cream flowers of the Nile are printed in April-May.

"Money tree" does not require frequenttransplantation. As the fatty grows slowly enough, it can be transplanted every few years, necessarily adding to the ground drainage. The tree must be periodically turned to the window one or the other side, otherwise it will bend sideways and may even fall.

According to the rules of Feng Shui, the "money tree"should be placed in the so-called "wealth zone" - in the south-eastern sector of the premises. The Chinese decorate the tree with a ribbon and hang coins on it to attract wealth to the house. You can also place a figure of a dragon in the branches of a fat girl - according to Feng Shui, it not only helps to attract money, but also protects them from thieves.

Thus, the answer to the question of howto care for the fatty, it sounds like this: you need to keep the plant in a well-lit place, in a moderately moist soil, suitable for growing cacti and succulents. In this case, the fattened, caring for which is quite simple, will certainly please its owners with good growth, and, possibly, with flowering. The main reason for the failures in the cultivation of the "money tree" is abundant watering, leading to the decay of its roots.