Aichrison - a flower native to the Mediterranean, in nature grows in the cracks of rocks and does not require much moisture for development. The plant has long taken its place on the windowsills of apartments. There are several varieties of culture, it is worth considering the most popular of them.
Aikhrizon - what kind of flower is it, why is it called the "tree of love and happiness"
The plant belongs to the succulents from the family Tolstyankovye. These species easily tolerate drought. Aichrison began to be called the tree of love due to the heart-shaped shape of the leaves. In the wild, the bush grows in the mountains on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea - Madeira, Corsica, Canaries.
Ahichrison - tree of love
Note! The name of the culture is of Greek origin, consists of two words: ai - "always", and chrysos - "golden".
Short description of what it looks like
A compact spherical bush 30-35 cm high. The stems are fleshy, straight, the root system is superficial, directed horizontally.
Flowering begins in late spring, on flower stalks 10-20 cm long inflorescences are formed from buds in the form of stars. Depending on the species, indoor Aichrison blooms in yellow, red, cream color.
Important! All varieties of ahichrison are poisonous. You should not start a plant in a house where small children and animals live.
At the ends of the shoots fleshy leaves are formed, covered with fluffy villi. Leaves are collected in pairs or small groups of 4-5 pieces. The color of the foliage is dark green, sometimes with yellow and red spots. The leaf form is rhomboid, round, heart-shaped, oval. When cut on the stem, juice with an unpleasant odor comes out.
Aichrison inflorescence
Varieties of flower
In nature, there are 15 species of Aichrison, there are grassy annual forms and shrubs. The following are the most common varieties in nature and home growing.
Aichryson home (Aichryson x domesticum)
A hybrid of point and tortuous species is adapted for cultivation in apartments with insufficient lighting. It is a spherical bush with a diameter of up to 30 cm. Bright green leaves of a rhomboid shape are located along the entire length of the stem, reach a size of 2 × 1 cm. Yellow pointed flowers have a sharp aroma, bloom up to six months.
There is a variety of achigrison variegate gucci - its leaves have a striped white-green color.
Aichryson tortuous (Aichryson tortuosum)
A compact bush of 15-30 cm in size, consists of densely growing lanceolate fleshy leaves. The width and length of the leaves are equivalent, their surface is covered with silver pile. Indoor flower Aichrison pleases with bright bloom throughout the summer. Peduncle length significantly exceeds the size of the stems. Yellow buds in the form of stars with 8-9 petals are located high above the crown.
Aichryson schistolifolia (Aichryson sedifolium)
A plant with a directed vertical form, the width of the shrub is up to 15 cm, the crown reaches a height of 40 cm. Shoots are lignified stems without vegetation along the entire length. On the tops of the shoots are rosettes of fleshy leaves, which in shape resemble clusters of grapes. A leaf plate up to 1.5 cm long is painted in light green with a red coating. Flowering is not violent, the bud has the shape of a yellow daisy.
Interesting information! According to popular signs, Aichrison brings happiness and prosperity to the house. An unmarried girl who planted a flower at home will soon find love.
Aichryson prostrate (Aichryson laxum)
The Aichrison plant, open, is named for the spreading shape of the bush, which can reach 40 cm in size. The leaves of the rhomboid shape of green color can be up to 3 cm in length and up to 1 cm wide. yellow buds. After the buds wither, a significant part of the leaves crumbles, since the bush gives most of the nutrients to the nutrition of flowers.
Aichrison open
Aichryson punctata (Aichryson punctatum)
The brown stems of the shrub reach 40 cm in length, have a hairiness - greater than on the crown. The fleshy leaves of the rhomboid shape are painted in a light green color, collected in inflorescences. Flowering is a cluster of yellow star-shaped buds.
Aichrison care at home
Beginners in floriculture should start aikhrizon care at home while not complicated. In order to achieve flowering and not ruin the flower, you need to observe the regime of watering, temperature and lighting.
Illumination and temperature
The flower is provided with daylight lasting 12-14 hours. In winter, natural light is supplemented by phytolamps or daylight sources. Otherwise, the shoots will stretch and drop leaves.
The plant does not like direct sunlight, the flowerpot is placed away from the aggressive summer sun. The best place for culture in the house is the windowsill on the west side. If the flower of love is on the south side, the window should be shaded with a light curtain.
You should know! The lack of lighting and high temperatures in winter indicate why the stems of the plant are very elongated and impoverished.
From mid-spring to autumn, the flower's favorite temperature is maintained at 20-25 ℃ above zero. In summer, it is recommended to take the flower pot out onto the balcony; the shrub requires light ventilation. It should be borne in mind that the roots of a flower are afraid of drafts, indoors and outdoors there should not be strong blowing.
Aichrison during flowering
In winter, the tree is put into a state of rest, lowering the temperature in the room to 8-10 ℃ heat. They don’t put a flower near the batteries; increased temperature leads to elongation of shoots.
Watering rules and humidity
Moderate watering is important in caring for Aichrison. The plant does not like to be abundantly moistened. It is better to water a flower more often, but with less water. From sluggish sheets, you can understand that the flower does not have enough moisture.
In the summer, a warm shower is arranged in the bath; in winter, the number of waterings is halved. Succulents tolerate drought well. You can play it safe and irrigate 3-4 days after the earthen coma is completely dry.
The shrub does not require spraying the crown from the spray gun, the air in the room must be dry.
note! Abundant watering can lead to decay of the root system of Aichrison.
Top dressing and soil quality
In winter, feeding is not carried out. Starting in April, every 2 weeks they begin to make fertilizers for cacti. After the appearance of the first buds, the bush is fed every week to prolong flowering. In the fertilizer, the nitrogen content should be minimal, since it provokes the growth of foliage and inhibits flowering.
The soil for aichrison should be neutral in composition. Loose soils with a high sand content are suitable. Shrub prefers land with good air conductivity.
Flower Tank Size
The plant feels good in a tight pot. The distance from the roots to the walls of the container should not exceed 2 cm. The underground part of the shrub grows wide, which means that the pot must be shallow. The material of the container is clay, in a plastic flowerpot the roots of the culture will heat up, which will lead to a withering of the flower.
Shrub in a wide pot
Pruning and transplanting
Pruning the Aichrison tree of happiness consists in removing old peduncles and dried shoots. The shoots are cut in the fall, after the end of the growing season.
A plant transplant is performed in the spring before flowering, or in the fall, when all the buds have fallen. In winter, the bush does not need to be touched, the transplant will awaken it from hibernation, the plant can bloom. The culture is transplanted into a new pot as it grows, in the case when the root system no longer fits in the flowerpot.
Land for plants is bought in a garden store. Suitable substrate for succulents. You can make land at home. To do this, mix turf, leafy soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 4. The new pot should be 2 cm wider than the previous one, it is filled with drainage 3 cm. Expanded clay is used for this purpose. After transplanting, the plant is not watered for 5 days, further watering is carried out in small portions 1 time per month.
Additional Information! A transplant should be carried out if the old pot is already small for the roots of the plant. The procedure is carried out in spring or autumn.
Flowering and dormancy
At experienced gardeners, Aichrison blooms at home when the snow on the street has not yet melted. To achieve long and lush flowering, you need to follow a number of rules:
- Keep the plant in a tight pot and do not fertilize it in winter.
- Water the pot once a month, and in February, triple the flower drought.
- Keep the pot in a cool place where the temperature does not exceed +12 ℃ and there are no drafts.
- Provide 12 hours of light with additional lighting.
Fulfillment of these simple conditions will help to get flowers on the bush in April. Frequent fertilizers with mineral fertilizers will prolong flowering until October. After dropping the buds, all peduncles and old yellowed stems are cut off. Preventive pruning will help the bush easier to transfer the dormant period and recover after winter.
Aichrison at rest
Propagation of the tree of happiness
Aichrison propagation is carried out by seed and cuttings. Both methods are quite effective in spring planting.
To propagate the plant with seeds, they are sown in flat boxes with a moist mixture of sand and sheet soil. The container is covered with a film and put in a warm place until emergence. Every day, for several hours, the greenhouse is opened for ventilation.
Note! After 2 weeks, the seeds begin to germinate, the film is removed. After there are 4 real leaves on the shoots, they are picking the seedlings in separate glasses.
Aichrison can be successfully propagated by cuttings. To do this, several strong shoots are cut out on an adult plant, they are divided into stems 7-9 cm long. Each stalk is left to dry in air for 2 hours, then planted in a container with sand, which is moistened as it dries. After 14-20 days of planting, the first root appears, shoots can be planted in individual pots up to 5 cm wide.
Aichrison seedlings when propagated by seeds
Cuttings are carried out after flowering, but you need to make sure that before winter the seedlings have time to take root and go into hibernation. Cuttings can be rooted in soft water with the addition of activated carbon.
Not recommended! Planting cuttings and seeds should not be carried out in a substrate with a heavy acid composition. For reproduction, sand or a substrate for cacti is best suited.
If you properly care for the bush, you can get a scattering of bright yellow flowers at home. Blooming Aichrison on the windowsill will delight people passing by the window.
Some difficulties in growing
Aichrison shows that it is improperly looked after, dropping leaves and refusing to bloom. Shoots without foliage and their strong stretching indicates a lack of light in the room. Sluggish leaves indicate rare watering, the plant is dehydrated. Listed below are the most common symptoms of improper flower care.
Yellowed plant shoots
Why does not bloom
The lack of buds in the spring may indicate a lack of nutrients. It is necessary to increase the number of fertilizers. The pot is fertilized every week with mineral mixtures with a low nitrogen content.
Aichrison may not bloom if it has a disturbed biological rhythm. During a winter transplant, a flower is stressed and misses flowering.
Leaf fall
After lush flowering, the leaves on the shrub begin to dry and actively crumble. This is not necessary to be afraid of. So the plant gets rid of excess crown, which takes nutrients from the flower. In this case, the tree begins to be watered more abundantly to enable it to recover faster.
Waterlogging of the earth can lead to decay of the root part and the gradual death of the whole plant. The tree signals a plentiful leaf fall that watering needs to be reduced.
Drought and the entry of the bright sun onto the crown of a shrub have a detrimental effect on cultural development. You should obscure the window on which there is a pot with a plant and frequent watering.
Aichrison root cleared from soil
A significant increase in room temperature during dormancy can provoke leaf fall. Transfer the flowerpot to a cool room.
On a note! The plant does not like heavy watering with a lot of liquid. Shrub should be watered often, but with a small amount of water.
Diseases and Pests
The shrub can be affected by a spider mite, a scab. Pest control should begin as soon as possible. Insects are destroyed with the help of insecticides, then they examine the crown.
With frequent and heavy irrigation, the root system of Aichrison begins to rot. When the first signs of rot are detected, the bush is taken out of the soil, the roots are dried and treated with fungicides. The damaged part is removed, the plant is transplanted into a new substrate.
