Plant differences, tips for caring for Rochea, DIY breeding steps, pest and disease control methods, facts for the curious, species. Rochea belongs to the Crassulaceae family and is therefore a succulent plant. That is, a plant that can accumulate moisture in its parts in order to endure arid unfavorable climatic periods. This helps Rohea survive in its natural habitats - in the south of the African continent. In the genus, scientists have counted only four varieties and only one is grown in room conditions - Rochea crimson (Rochea coccinea).
The plant got its botanical name thanks to the Swiss botanist Daniel Delaroche (often pronounced de la Roche), who lived in 1743-1812. But because of the pronunciation, the plant is often called Rosheya.
So, all Rochea have a succulent appearance and do not differ in high parameters in height - they are 30–70 cm. Basically, these are dwarf shrubs or shrubs with thick leaf plates (due to the liquid filling them). The leaves are arranged oppositely crosswise. They have splicing at the base. The length of the sheet plate reaches 25 mm.
During flowering, buds are formed, which are collected in umbellate inflorescences, in branched bunches. The shape of the flower is tubular, and aroma is often present. The corolla consists of five petals. The color of the petals is snow-white or yellow, but there are varieties with red flowers. There are plants with a double petal color - red and white. The flowering process can be extended throughout the summer months. When flowers wither during indoor cultivation, it is recommended to remove the flowering stem to its base.
The plant is quite easy to care for, its growth rate is average, so in a year the shoots lengthen by only a few centimeters. If the rules for care are not violated, then the Rohea can delight the owners with its appearance and flowering from 5 to 15 years.
Growing and caring for Rochea indoors
- Lighting and location selection. The plant needs bright and direct light. With the arrival of summer, at lunchtime, when the sun becomes very scorching, shading is performed using translucent curtains. Some flower growers make curtains from gauze, or they attach tracing paper (translucent paper) to window glass. Thus, the pot of rochea can be inserted on the window sills facing the east, west or south side. In the northern location, the plant may lack light and its shoots will begin to lengthen, the foliage will become smaller, which will deprive the succulent of its decorative attractiveness. However, if there is no choice, then it is recommended to carry out supplementary lighting with special phyto-lamps or fluorescent lamps.
- Content temperature. When growing Rochea, it is necessary that in the summer the heat indicators do not exceed 27 degrees, and in the winter months the temperature does not fall below 8 degrees. In general, this succulent is a fairly stable plant, which with regard to the temperatures of the content - in summer it can survive the heat, and in winter it will not be harmed by the cold air from the window. But still, you should not abuse it and put Rohea in an icy draft.
- Air humidity when growing this inhabitant of the African southern regions are not an important parameter. The plant will feel great in dry indoor air or with operating heating devices or central heating batteries.
- To water Rohea is recommended in the summer so that the soil on the surface dries well between humidifications. The frequency of watering in the hot season should be once every 7 days, with the arrival of autumn, humidification is performed once a month, and when winter comes, there is no need to water at all. If, when watering, the water is glass in a stand under the pot, it should be drained after 10-15 minutes so that the substrate in the pot does not become waterlogged and, as a result, the root system does not start to rot. The water, which is watered with succulent, should be warm and well-separated. For better absorption of moisture, it is recommended to use collected rainwater or use river water, melt snow in winter and warm the liquid to room temperature. When there is no possibility, then distilled water is suitable, but in the absence of such water from under the water supply is passed through a filter, boiled for half an hour, and then defended for several days. In this case, all calcareous compounds will remain at the bottom of the container, the water must be carefully drained, trying not to capture the sediment and then water the plant.
- Fertilizers. With the arrival of spring time, Rohea begins to activate vegetative growth and it lasts until September. At this time, it is recommended to feed the succulent. But since in nature such shrubs live on rather scarce soils, the preparations are applied once a month. It is necessary to use formulations intended for fertilizing cacti.
- Transplantation and selection of substrate. With the arrival of early spring, every two years, it is necessary to change the Rohea pot and the soil in it. In a new pot, a layer of drainage material is laid on the bottom, which will prevent soil acidification. Before transplanting, small holes are made in the container itself, from which water that has not been absorbed by the succulent root system can flow freely. The substrate can be used commercially, which is intended for succulents, but a little river sand is mixed into it. If the florist decided to prepare the soil mixture himself, then coarse-grain sand (perlite, vermiculite or agroperlite), sod soil, leafy soil (it can be collected in a park or forest from under birches, capturing a few rotted leaves) or humus, peat (in a ratio of 2: 2: 2: 1). Often, a little more brick chips, sifted from dust, are placed in such a substrate.
- Features of care for Rochea. In order for the plant to please with a large number of flowers, with the arrival of the last month of winter, you need to cut off the shoots by two-thirds of their length. Since over time, the shoots of the succulent, bending, begin to hang down, then when transplanting it is better to select a higher capacity. The plant loves very much when the room in which it grows is often ventilated. With the onset of constant warm temperatures, you can take the rohea out to the balcony or garden, under the crowns of trees, but so that there is no too thick shade there. But in the latter case, you need to take care of shelter from the rains, since when the substrate in the pot is waterlogged, the roots of the succulent rot very quickly. To stimulate flowering, semi-warm conditions are required.
Rohea self-breeding rules
To carry out the propagation of the plant, the seed method and cuttings are used.
To get a new Rochea from seeds, you will have to work hard, since they are very small and the process will be quite complicated, so this method is rarely practiced.
It is best to cut the cuttings from the stems. For this, well-developed branches are selected. Experts recommend carrying out such reproduction in the period February-April or August-September, but the first option is preferable, then flowering can be expected in July-August. For several days, the cuttings are left to dry out a little so that the liquid stops oozing from them. Then there is a planting in a peat-sand mixture (parts of the components are taken in equal proportions) or compost soil and river sand are mixed (in a ratio of 1: 2).
Planting is carried out in separate pots or in seedling boxes. Cuttings are located at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other, if boxes are planted, or 4-5 pieces in one container, the diameter of which is 3 cm. 2 pieces. The germination temperature should be between 20-22 degrees.
The cuttings are wrapped in plastic bags or placed under a glass jar. At the same time, daily ventilation is recommended in order to remove condensation. Also, do not forget about watering the soil in pots if it is dry.
If the cuttings were planted in the summer, then after rooting they are kept until February with a heat of about 8-10 degrees. When young plants are sufficiently developed, and their height parameters will be 7–8 cm, then shoots are pinched to stimulate branching. Secondary pinching is performed at the end of the summer season. Then you can transplant young Rochea by transferring them into large containers with a more fertile substrate.
Growth stimulants will also be useful, which must be added when the rochea were just transplanted or the root system of the cuttings is fully formed and developed. This procedure is performed two times: the first - in mid-March, and the second - when April ends. During the growth period of young plants, watering should be moderate and not too frequent so that the roots do not rot.
Rohea diseases and pests - methods of dealing with them
Sometimes pests such as mealybugs, aphids and scale insects may appear on the plant if the rules of care are violated:
- the first looks like whitish bunches on the back of the leaves and, especially in internodes, similar to cotton wool lumps, as well as a sticky sugary bloom (padi);
- the second is clearly visible on the plant, since it is represented by small bugs of green or black color, a sticky bloom is also present;
- the third appears in the form of small brownish-brown plaques, which are attached to the back side of the leaf plate; the pad is also visible.
Florists in the initial stages recommend wiping the leaves and stems of the plant with solutions that do not have a strong chemical effect. These are:
- Soapy. It is prepared on the basis of grated laundry soap, which is dissolved in a bucket of warm water. Then the drug must be insisted for at least 8 hours, strain through cheesecloth and process the rochea.
- Oil, prepared using rosemary essential oil, 2-3 drops are diluted in a liter of water.
- Alcoholic, it is often the usual pharmacy tincture of calendula on alcohol.
Foliage is wiped with such means, but in case of damage by a mealybug, it will be necessary to remove all pests with a cotton swab. It is moistened in one of the above preparations and removed from the leaves or stems of insects. Often used solutions made from onion husks, garlic gruel or tobacco infused with water. However, they do not always give a 100% positive result, and if a week has passed after treatment, and the pests can still be seen or their waste products (pad is a sticky sugary bloom on leaves and shoots), then you will have to use more "heavy" drugs. It is necessary to carry out treatment with insecticidal compositions, for example, Aktellik, Aktara or Fitoverm.
If the foliage began to wrinkle and wither, then most likely the reason is the strong drying out of the earthen substrate. When in winter Rochea is kept at low rates and there is a constant waterlogging of the soil in the pot, then rotting of the root system is possible. With insufficient illumination, the stems of the plant begin to stretch ugly, and leaf plates are very rarely located on the shoots.
Rohea facts for the curious
There is inaccurate information that the plant was named after the son of Daniel Delaroche - François (1781-1812 / 1813), who, like his father, was engaged in botany in addition to ichthyology. Daniel Delaroche himself lived and worked in London for a long time as a doctor and was actively involved in the development of a vaccine against such a terrible disease as smallpox. And only in 1798 the Delaroche family was able to return to Paris, where Daniel himself became the teacher of another famous scientist in the botanical world, Augustin Pyram Decandol. The grateful student in 1812, when his teacher died of typhus, named a whole genus of plants - Rochea in his honor.
Rochea species
Rochea crimson (Rochea coccinea) is also often found under the name Сrassula coccinea. The plant is a shrub or semi-shrub, which does not exceed 30–60 cm in height. The shoots are weakly branched, but they are densely leafy. The leaves have an oblong-ovoid shape, reaching 18–25 cm in length. At the apex they are pointed opposite, often joined at the base. During flowering, numerous buds are formed, from which umbrella branched inflorescences are collected. The diameter of the inflorescences is 3.5–5 cm. Usually, the inflorescences on a common peduncle are in a bunch. The color of the petals in the flowers is scarlet-red. The native growing area is the south of the African continent.
It is widespread in home cultivation, as it has a great decorative effect. The most common varieties are:
- Bicolor is distinguished by red and white flowers;
- Florealbo flaunts with snow-white flowers;
- Grasers Rot when blooming, red flowers are formed;
- Johannisfeuer - flower petals in bright or dark scarlet red.
There are also other decorative varietal plants.
- Rohea jasmine (Rochea jasminea) grows in the form of a shrub, with branching shoots creeping along the soil surface. The leaf plates are oblong-spatulate, narrowed, no more than 2 cm in length. The apex is obtuse, the upper side is painted green, and the opposite is red, cilia grow along the edge. The top of the peduncle is crowned with white flowers, which in their outlines are similar to jasmine flowers. The flowering process takes place all summer long. The native habitat is South Africa.
- Rochea fragrant (Rochea odoratissima) often found under the name Crassula odoratissima. Semi-shrubs, reaching 15-30 cm in height, with upright shoots. The shape of the leaf plate is linear-lanceolate. The length of the leaf is 2.5–4 cm. The arrangement of the leaves is dense and loose, fusion occurs at the base, the surface has weakly pronounced grooves. Flowers connected in an umbellate inflorescence are numerous. They gather in several pieces in piles, reaching a diameter of 2.5 cm. The color of the petals is white or pale yellow, there is a strong aroma. Abundant flowering is observed from late spring to June. Variety native to South Africa.
- Rochea multi-flowered (Rochea X versicolor) also referred to in botanical literature as Crassula versicolor. The height of these shrubs is 30–60 cm. The shoots are branched in the lower part. The leaves have oblong-lanceolate forms, thick, have splicing at the base, have cilia along the edge, cartilaginous. The resulting inflorescence consists of a large number of buds. Its outlines are umbellate, with several flowers collected in bunches, which are no more than 2.5 cm in length. The shade of the petals can be white, cinnabar or purple. Abundant flowering occurs from July to August. The native territories are the lands of South Africa. The plant is a natural hybrid derived from the varieties Rochea coccinea and Rochea subulata. The species is particularly decorative and suitable for cultivation in rooms.
