Common varieties of argyroderma and description, basic rules for cultivation at home, pests and diseases. Argyroderma is a flower that nature has awarded with exclusive external data. Thanks to this, a beautiful succulent plant is gaining more and more popularity and demand in our area. This natural wonder will serve as a beautiful and always appropriate attraction in your home. The original flower will undoubtedly attract the attention of any person who visits your home.
Pedigree and places of natural growth of argyroderma
Argyroderma (lat. Argyroderma) is a very small leafy plant that belongs to flowering succulents. It originates from the large Aizov family (lat. Aizoaceae). He revered places such as the Cape Province of Africa, South Africa, as well as the Karoo Desert with his homeland. The favorite habitats for succulents are rocky and sandy soils.
Description of the appearance of argyroderma
The flower got its interesting name for a reason. The leaves of this graceful plant have a peculiar silvery hue, and in translation from the Latin language "argyrum" means silver, respectively, "derma" is skin.
This flowering dwarf plant has a very graceful appearance, which at first glance resembles small green stones. The semi-accrete, fleshy leaves are in the shape of a semicircle, which is colored green with a silvery sheen. These gray-green elements of the succulent grow, facing each other with their flat surfaces, forming the so-called rosettes.
Each of these rosettes is represented by leaves in the amount of 2 or 4 units. The diameter of each leaf is relatively small - only 2–3 cm, each pair of leaf blades is separated by a fairly deep groove. Young leaves appear between older leaves, which then die off. From this groove between them, a short flowering stem emerges. Later, a flower begins to flaunt on it, often in a single number, with a huge number of petals, the diameter of which is approximately 2-3 cm. If you look closely, this flower looks similar to a daisy, yellow, white or pink. There is also a fertile period in the life of argyroderma. Most often, the fruits ripen in spring (March-April), in appearance they resemble small closed capsules, the diameter of which is about 8-12 mm, these capsules are formed by accretion of carpels and are divided into 7-29 lobules.
Common types of succulent
In world nature, there are about 50 different representatives of argyroderma, but, unfortunately, not all of them are found in our time and in our area. The most famous varieties are presented to your attention:
- Argyroderma bowl-shaped - Argyroderma crateriforme. In this representative of the world flora, you can see small leaves, the diameter of which is about 2-3 cm, they take a semi-egg shape. During the flowering period, it pleases us with a flower, the petals of which are painted in a bright yellow tone with a magical shine, there are also yellow anthers and white stamens.
- Argyroderma oval - Argyroderma ovale. The peculiarity of this plant is the color of its cylindrical leaf plates. The range of colors ranges from lime green to rich silvery green. During flowering, a very beautiful single flower appears between the upper leaves, located on a distinctively short peduncle. Flower petals, colored white, pink or yellow. The diameter of this decoration is on average 2–3 cm.
- Argyroderma testicular - Argyroderma testiculare. This dwarf succulent has a certain distinctive feature of its appearance - these are small-dotted spots of white color, located on the leaves and the largest flowers, among other representatives. In this magical plant, each leafy rosette has a diameter of approximately 2.5–3.5 cm, it is formed by thick juicy leaves, painted gray with a bluish tint, or in a green tone with a bluish sheen. The leaves face each other with their flat surfaces. This type of argyroderma also has a short peduncle emerging from the groove between the leaf plates. The flower, which measures 3, 5–4 cm in diameter, is endowed by nature with a beautiful pink color. You will notice that the beautiful pink flower bears some resemblance to chamomile.
- Argyroderma Delaeta - Argyroderma Delaetii. It received its name in honor of F. Delaet, a famous Dutch cactus trader. This perennial succulent has a particularly beautiful flowering. The color scheme is very diverse, the petals can be painted in white, violet, red and purple colors. The flowering period falls in July and lasts until September. The leaf plates, painted green with a lime or gray tint, have the shape of a cut egg, with the edges slightly elongated upward.
Cultivation of argyroderma, watering and reproduction
As for growing this original jewelry with your own hands, there is nothing supernatural in this. By adhering to the basic rules and tips for care, you will receive an excellent and unique specimen for your plant collection.
- Optimal place in the sun. For the reason that argyroderma is a native of hot Africa, it needs conditions that bear at least a little resemblance to its homeland. This beauty should be pampered with good lighting all year round. To do this, you need to choose a location that bathes in sunlight for most of the day. During times when the day is too short, it is recommended to create artificial light sources for your green pet. You should know that in the scorching sun, in its homeland, argyroderma tends to dip slightly into the sand, which allows it to hide from excessive insolation. At home, during a period of intense heat, this African beauty should be provided with a light diffused shadow.
- Correct watering. As for moisture, it cannot be said that this green miracle cannot do without water for a day, on the contrary, excessive waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed. It is recommended to water the flower only during the period of intensive growth and development, or at a time when flowering occurs. The moistening process must be carried out through the sump, and it must be remembered that after a few hours, excess liquid should be drained in order to prevent waterlogging of the soil. For humidification, rainwater or filtered tap water is considered the most suitable. During the dormant period, which lasts approximately from October to April, argyroderma does not need liquid at all. Every drop of moisture that gets on your green pupil during the rest period can be very detrimental to his health.
- Temperature. Hot weather conditions are native to this original perennial plant. For this reason, it feels quite comfortable in the summer at room temperature, from 19 to 25 degrees. The situation with the temperature in winter is more complicated, but this is not a particular problem either. In order for the winter cold not to harm your magic flower, you need to prepare it for them in advance. It is recommended from the middle of autumn to start gradually reducing the temperature of the room where our succulent miracle lives. The optimal indicator of the thermometer, at which the argyroderma will feel comfortable in winter, is 13-15 degrees. The minimum temperature is 8-9 degrees.
- Air humidity coefficient. As for the humidity of the external environment, many plants can envy the unpretentiousness of your green pet. It feels great in dry air. For this reason, it absolutely does not need spraying or artificial humidification of the environment.
- Choosing the most suitable potting mix. There are two options for preparing the ideal soil for planting argyroderma. You can go to the store and purchase a soil mixture that is designed for succulent plants, adding a small amount of sand to it, you will get a suitable substrate for planting your flower. You can also prepare the soil with your own hands. To do this, you need the following ingredients: turf soil, wet peat or humus (leafy earth), and also perlite or coarse sand. In order to make an ideal soil mixture from them, you need to combine them in proportions 1: 1: 2. There is another algorithm for creating a soil substrate for argyroderma: coarse sand and sod earth or humus, in a 2: 1 ratio, it is also recommended to add here - crushed brick, old crushed plaster or weathered clay. It must be remembered that if the sand you use to prepare the soil is contaminated debris or dusty suspension, then you should expect the earth to “cement” as it dries. To prevent this phenomenon, the sand should be thoroughly rinsed beforehand.
- Plant propagation methods. In principle, two methods of reproduction of this inhabitant of the African provinces are known in nature - reproduction by seeds and a vegetative method (by dividing overgrown groups during transplantation). Reproduction using cuttings is extremely rare. As for the seeds, you can buy them in the store and prepare them yourself, if you or your friends already have this wonderful flower in your house. This can be done by the following methods: the resulting fruit must be kneaded, after which the seeds must be carefully selected from the capsule particles. Or you can immerse the capsule, which is already fully ripe, in a container of water "upside down", which will lead to the opening of the cell lids, and the seeds, in turn, end up at the bottom of the container. After harvesting the seeds, they should be thoroughly dried in a shaded dry place.
- The process of planting seeds. This action will not give you much trouble. All you need to do is place the seeds in a pre-selected soil substrate, but not too deeply. The distance between adjacent plants should be approximately 0.5-1 cm. After that, your plantings should be sprinkled with coarse sand. The most suitable time for planting seeds is the end of winter and the beginning of spring, then the seedlings will not require additional lighting for themselves and will have time to get stronger by the next winter cold.
- Correct care of crops. Young seedlings should be kept at a temperature of 19-25 degrees, after making a glass or polyethylene shelter for them. It is necessary to provide your child with optimal oxygen drainage, for this, after the first shoots appear, you need to remove the shelter for a few minutes every day, and when the first leaves reach one month old, ventilation should be increased and lengthened (several times a day, for 5-10 minutes). After 1, 5–2 months, the shelter will need to be completely removed. Flowers usually appear 3-4 years after sowing.
- Essential nutrients. If we talk about dressing, then we cannot say that the flower will require them from you, but it is still recommended during the period of intensive growth and budding. For this, mineral fertilizers for cacti or succulent plants are ideal.
- Moving to new pots. A transplant should be carried out every 2-3 years, before new growth begins. For transplanting, you should prepare not small containers with drainage holes and a wide surface. The bottom layer should be laid out with broken brick or expanded clay. Before and immediately after transplanting, refrain from watering. It is better for them to provide drier living conditions, this measure contributes to faster healing of wounds on the roots.
Argyroderma problems at home, pests, fight
In principle, argyroderma is a staunch and hardened representative of the green "army" of the planet, but nevertheless, it suffers from some pathological conditions. The presence of which, the flower will notify you with changes in the features of its external appearance:
- In the event that your pet has wrinkled spots of light shades on the leaves, you need to pay attention to the living conditions, most likely sunburn led to this condition. Provide the flower with a light shade and the problem will go away on its own.
- The leaves and the whole plant as a whole have slowed down too much in growth - you should feed the flower, or make a transplant.
- The growth of young leaves outpaces the dying off of older ones, the most common cause of this problem is watering too early after a recent transplant.
- If the leaves began to noticeably fade or darken and become softer in structure, this is a signal of waterlogging of the soil. It is urgent to reduce the abundance of watering, otherwise the plant may rot completely.
- Your green pupil is in no hurry to please you with fabulous flowers - he needs a little more sunlight.
If we are talking about pests, then such harmful insects as mealybugs, thrips, mushroom gnats and spider mites are dangerous for argyroderma. Fighting with the above insects is not at all difficult, well, and the result is very effective. You just need to know how to do it:
- Mealybug. Fighting this pest is not at all difficult and does not require much effort. Using a soft brush or cotton swab, previously soaked in soapy water, remove the worms from the plant, then spray the leaves with a solution of tobacco or garlic. If you prefer to use chemicals, then Aktellik, Admiral and Aktara will come in handy in this matter.
- Thrips. Of the folk remedies, solutions of mustard, paprika, tobacco or celandine are considered the most effective. As for chemical insecticides, there is a very wide range of products: Vermitic, Fitoverm, Agravertin, Intavir and many others.
- Mushroom gnats. If your pet has been visited by these harmful insects, then you should immediately run to the store and buy chemical preparations, as to fight them with the help of folk methods - Sisyphean labor. Such drugs as "Regent", "Dimilin", "Bazudin" and "Diflubenzuron" show themselves very well.
- Spider mite. At the first stages of the destruction of this pest, you can use folk methods, such as: ethyl alcohol, laundry soap, garlic infusion. If the condition of your pet is not very bad, these funds are quite enough, otherwise it is necessary to use a more powerful weapon - chemical insecticides. The most effective are the following: "Actellik", "Fitoverm" and "Neoron". There is also a biological method, its advantage is absolute harmlessness to people and pets. The essence of the method is to add predatory mites - amblyseus and phytoseiulus.
For more useful and interesting information about argyroderma, see this video:
