Haworthia is a perennial succulent plant from the Asphodel family. Her rosettes with fleshy leaves of an unusual shape are very decorative, so haworthia has long gained popularity as a houseplant. The genus has a great variety. Individual plants are very different from each other, so gardeners often organize a miniature garden. They use haworthia poppies and other succulent plants. The birthplace of Haworthia is South Africa. Mostly arid desert regions. The plant can be found on sandy hills, rocky embankments and among thickets of hard grass.
Botanical Description
Haworthia is a stunted succulent plant. In indoor conditions, its height is 5-15 cm. In nature, old sockets can grow up to 1 m in height. Moreover, the annual growth is very small, and one plant can live up to 20 years. Then it is gradually replaced by children. Rosettes consist of fleshy elongated leaves that are located near the soil. Only sometimes haworthia has a pronounced fleshy stem.
Foliage covered with small warty growths or thin soft cilia has a keeled shape with a pointed or rounded end. The leaves are painted light green, dark green or bluish. Variegated varieties with brown, reddish or silver stains are found. Under a thin, sometimes transparent skin, a fleshy tissue is hidden. It serves to accumulate water. Haworthia rosettes form almost continuous thickets or sods that can cover the entire soil surface.
Even at home, haworthia sometimes blooms. However, flowers cannot compete with foliage in beauty. They bloom in May-June on thickened, short peduncles and are collected in a brush. The cylindrical nimbus has 6 petals fused at the base. The flowers are greenish-white or pinkish. Since flowering requires a lot of strength from the succulents and after it the plants sometimes die, the inflorescences are cut at the stage of budding.
Types of Haworthia
The genus haworthia has more than 150 species of plants. Many of them are used in culture.
Haworthia striped (H. fasciata). A succulent plant, very beloved by flower growers, forms a dense rosette of leaves without a stem, near the ground itself. It consists of thick keeled leaves with a pointed edge. The diameter of such a socket can reach 15 cm, and a single leaf - 5-10 cm. The surface of the sheet is covered with transverse ribs. The dark green surface along the growths is painted in silver or light green.
Pearl haworthia (H. margaritifera). The herbaceous perennial grows fleshy oval leaves 7-8 cm long and up to 25 mm wide. It is practically devoid of stem. Rigid, pointed leaflets are strongly inflated at the bottom, and narrowed and curved at the top. Spiky growths of pearly white color are located along the lateral edges. During the flowering period, produces a peduncle up to 60 cm long with a racemose inflorescence of light green small corollas.
Scaphoid haworthia (H. cymbiformis). The variety got its name for the shape of the leaves, similar to a boat. The bluish-green leaves 4-5 cm long and 1-1.2 cm wide form a dense rosette with a diameter of 8-10 cm. On the surface of the sheet there are windows with transparent skin. Glossy leaves are almost devoid of warty growths.
Haworthia Cooper (H. Cooperi). The herbaceous plant forms a dense rosette of fleshy light green leaves about 25 mm long. Along the edges of the rough leaves are long cilia. The narrowed tip is slightly bent back.
Hawoltia limonifolia (H. limifolia). Small symmetrical rosettes consist of fleshy, keeled leaves with transverse warty stripes and a long, pointed end. The base of the sheet is greatly expanded. The top of the outlet resembles a starfish. The variety Variegata is very popular. Its dark green leaves are covered with wide longitudinal stripes of a golden hue.
Chopped Haworthia (H. truncata). A succulent plant with a diameter of up to 8 cm consists of fleshy leaves with an oval or rounded cross section. Leaves are arranged vertically one above the other in the same plane. They have a thinner base and a thickened top. The upper cut, as if chopped off, ends with a smooth, hard surface. The skin is painted dark green.
Breeding methods
At home, vegetative methods are more often used to propagate haworthia. The plant regularly forms side rosettes that develop well and take root in the same substrate as the mother plant. An overgrown baby with roots in the spring is carefully cut from the main plant. The place of cut is treated with crushed charcoal and the flower is immediately planted in a separate pot.
During spring and summer, cuttings of haworthia are possible. To do this, cut a large, well-developed leaf at the very base, treat the cut with fungicide or ash and air dry for 2-3 days. Then the stalk is planted in a small pot with sandy soil. It is not necessary to cover the cuttings, otherwise they will mate. Watering during the rooting period is not carried out at all or only slightly moistens the soil. Rooting occurs within 3-4 weeks. The rooted stem is transplanted into the ground for an adult plant.
Today it is not so difficult to get haworthia seeds in a flower shop, so you can try seed propagation at home. It should be noted that it is much more complicated and less effective. In addition, varietal traits seedlings do not inherit. Shallow containers with loose soil or wet sand are prepared for crops. Seeds are distributed on the surface and squeezed into the ground. The container is covered with a film and kept in a well-lit place with a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° C. When shoots appear, the shelter can be removed. Watering is carried out very carefully. Warmth and good lighting are key to success. Haworthia seedlings develop rather slowly, so the first transplant is carried out in a few months or even next spring.
Features of planting a plant
Haworthia is transplanted during spring. You need to pick up a pot slightly larger than the previous one. Capacity should be wide, but not too deep. In its bottom, it is necessary to make drainage holes and pour expanded clay, clay shards, or other drainage material at a quarter height.
During the transplant, they try to remove part of the old earth from the roots, as the soil becomes poorer and more acidic over time. In the natural environment, haworthia grows on stony, calcareous soil; therefore, the substrate for it is made up of universal garden soil, fine gravel, river sand, clay, and limestone. It is useful to introduce a small amount of chalk and wood ash into the ground. But organics should be no more than half, otherwise the earth will become too acidic. The soil should be loose and light.
Haworthia is planted so that the leaves and the root neck are on the surface. After planting, the soil is slightly tamped and moderately watered. Adult plants are replanted only when the pot becomes small for the roots and they come out through the drainage holes.
Home Care
If the place is right for haworthia, it is very easy to take care of it. These plants have adapted to harsh environmental conditions and will be happy even for a little attention.
Lighting. Haworthia needs bright light and a long daylight hours. It is placed on the eastern or southern windowsill. Indoors in hot summers, protection from direct sunlight is necessary. In spring and summer, you can take the flower to fresh air in a place protected from drafts and rainfall. Then burns on the leaves do not occur.
Temperature. Haworthia is better suited to cooler environments than to extreme heat. The optimum air temperature from March to October for it is + 15 ... + 25 ° C. In winter, the succulent needs a dormant period. It is taken out into a bright room with a temperature of + 5 ... + 10 ° C. It is important not to allow more severe cooling, otherwise the leaves turn black and wrinkle. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended that you do not let Haworthia come into contact with a cold window.
Humidity. The dense peel on the leaves is an excellent protection against excessive evaporation of moisture, which is why haworthia spends water economically and does not need additional humidification. At the same time, you can bathe it periodically under a warm shower. It is important to ensure that water does not accumulate in leaf sockets and at the base of the stem.
Watering. Haworthia is infrequently watered. Between irrigation, the soil should dry out by 2-4 cm. When cooling, watering is carried out even less often. Excess fluid in the soil can cause root rot. Water the haworthia with warm water closer to the edge of the pot so that the water does not come into contact with the fleshy leaves. During the rest period, watering is carried out 1-2 times a month, when the leaves become slightly soft.
Fertilizer. The plant does not need regular feeding. Only on poor soils it is fertilized once a month during spring and summer. Use plant nutrition with decorative leaves. It is enough to use only half of the dose indicated on the label at a time.
Possible difficulties
Haworthia is susceptible to rot, which can quickly kill an entire plant. With improper care of parasites, scabies and mealybugs may appear on it. Infection usually occurs in the summer in the fresh air or in contact with another infected plant. A hot (up to 45 ° C) shower and spraying with an insecticide ("Aktara", "Mospilan", "Aktellik") help against pests. After 7-10 days, the treatment is repeated to destroy the larvae.
If you look closely at the plant, by its appearance you can find errors in care:
- reddish or yellowish leaves - an excess of fertilizing;
- blackened soft leaves - the plant came under the influence of draft or low temperatures;
- elongated shoot and loose leaf socket - insufficient lighting;
- sluggish leaves with dry tips - lack of watering, dry air.
