Godson Rowley comes from Namibia and for his appearance called "strands of pearls". The succulent accumulates moisture in the leaves, thanks to which they have a round shape (in the form of peas) and a hard skin.
It’s worth mentioning right away that Rowley’s ragwort is a poisonous plant! It should never be eaten as food - it can cause destruction of the liver and oral mucosa. The poison is not dangerous for the skin, but it is advisable to carry out all work on caring for the flower with gloves. It is not recommended to have a succulent in a house where there are small children and pets.
The flowering period occurs at the end of spring. Tubular flowers pale pink They look like dandelions and have a cinnamon scent. The length of the stems can reach 60 cm.
Rowley's godson, which does not require care special effort, need to be planted in nutritious and loose soil. You can prepare the earth mixture yourself. To do this, you need to mix leaf soil, humus, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1. Flower growers advise planting ragwort in hanging pots. The stems can fall freely from them, which gives the flower a more lush and beautiful appearance.
When choosing a location, you need to consider that the flower loves sunlight. However, midday Sun rays can severely burn the leaves. Therefore, you should choose a western or eastern window. In the morning and evening, direct sunlight will fall on the ragwort, and scattered rays will fall on the ragwort in the afternoon. When caring for a plant, you must consider the following rules:
- 1 The succulent tolerates any air humidity and does not need spraying.
- 2 The air temperature during the warm period should be within +22...+26°C. If it is higher, leaves may begin to fall. IN winter period the temperature must be maintained at +12...+15°C. Under no circumstances should the temperature drop below +7°C.
- 3 Particular attention should be paid to watering. Due to excessive watering, the roots of the flower may rot. It is worth moistening the soil as the top layer dries. During the growing season, the succulent needs more water than during the dormant period. In winter, watering should be reduced to a minimum, especially in severe frosts. Water must be poured carefully, avoiding it getting on the peas. Flower growers recommend taking water without chlorine for irrigation and leaving it for at least a day. If necessary, you can add a pinch of citric acid to soften.
It is worth saying that Rowley's ragwort does not need pruning. And here side shoots you can pinch. After these manipulations they will branch better.
Feeding, transplanting and propagation
From March to August the plant needs fertilizer. During this period, fertilizing is applied 2 times a month. Fertilizer should be chosen with a low nitrogen content or one that is suitable for cacti.
Young ragworts need to be transplanted into a larger pot every year. Adult specimens can be replanted every 3-4 years. Transplantation should be done in the spring. At the same time, you should be careful with the leaves and roots - they are very fragile and can break. Experienced gardeners It is not recommended to replant the plant - this does not save it from bald stems. The best solution would be reproduction.
Rowley's godson breeding stem cuttings, seeds and layerings. Seed propagation- a very problematic activity. The fact is that seeds can sprout only if they are freshly harvested. Otherwise, the flower simply will not germinate.
Propagation by layering is carried out as follows: a pot is placed next to the plant and several stems are lowered onto moist soil. They are pressed to the surface and the shoots are allowed to take root. Once rooted, the stems can be cut from the mother plant.
The easiest way to propagate is by cuttings. In spring, shoots 5-6 cm long are cut from the flower and dried in air. Several shoots can be planted in one pot at once. This will add splendor to the future flower. The soil should be moist, but you should not overdo it with water. After a week, the shoots should have roots. The pot should be placed in a bright, warm place.
Pests and possible difficulties
Pests and various diseases although rare, they affect the plant. The leaves will help you understand what exactly caused the disease. Powdery mildew appears as white plaque. Fertilizing with nitrogen enhances its development. The infected parts must be removed, and the flower itself must be wiped with foundationazole at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter of water.
Spider mites can appear due to very dry and hot air. The leaves change color to brown, and their inside you can see the cobweb. To prevent ticks from appearing, you should regularly ventilate the room and wash the leaves with water. If the ragwort does become infected, it must be treated with a special chemical.
Gray rot can develop due to excess water, hypothermia or poor lighting. Dry spots appear on the leaves, and a yellow border appears at the edges. Copper oxychloride and following the rules of caring for the plant will help get rid of the disease.
Greenhouse aphids destroy shoots and leaves, which immediately turn yellow. As a preventive measure, you need to regularly wipe the leaves. warm water. Insecticides will help destroy aphids.
In addition to diseases and pests, other difficulties may arise when growing Rowley's ragwort:
- 1 Roots rot due to excess moisture in the soil. It is recommended to reduce watering.
- 2 As a result of prolonged exposure to the sun, under direct rays, brown dry spots may appear on the leaves, and the flowers dry out quickly.
- 3 Due to lack of lighting, the shoots become elongated and the stem is not covered with leaves. In addition, the inflorescences may wither without developing.
- 4 Leaves lose color if the pot becomes cramped or lacks sunlight.
- 5 Leaves and flowers may dry out and die due to too much high temperature.
- 6 Due to overwatering or heavy use cold water brown spots appear.
The main thing when caring for ragwort is maintaining the temperature regime and proper watering.
That's what they call it poetically interesting plant because of original leaves, having a spherical shape and like beads, strung on thin creeping or hanging shoots. This demonstrates its ability to survive in the extremely dry conditions of its natural range.
Rowley's ragwort is a perennial leafy succulent. He comes from Namibia (a mountainous region of Southeast Africa), where water is truly worth its weight in gold. Its original spherical leaves, about 1 cm in diameter, are covered with a hard skin on top, which allows them to compactly accumulate and reliably store the extracted moisture. And so that sunlight gets inside this unusual leaf surface, there is a narrow transparent “window”.
The leaves are arranged alternately, on short petioles, and in appearance they are very similar to berries. There is even a small tail, like a gooseberry or currant.
Rowley's ragwort blooms in late spring - early summer. The flowers are tubular, white or light pink, collected in a dense inflorescence-basket, like a dandelion or daisies, located on a high thick peduncle. They emit a light, pleasant aroma of cinnamon.
The shoots are the same color as the leaves - bluish-green, thin, and can take root anywhere in contact with moist soil. This is another way the plant adapts to harsh survival conditions. IN wildlife shoots can reach a length of 2 meters when grown in room conditions– maximum 1 meter. At favorable conditions contents can grow by 20–30 cm per year.
On a note
Godson Rowley, like all representatives of this genus - poisonous plant, contains poison that disrupts metabolic processes and leads to serious liver damage. In this regard, it is strictly contraindicated to grow it indoors where small children can have free access to it.
Types of ragwort
The genus of ragworts (Senecio) belongs to the Asteraceae family - the largest family dicotyledonous plants. And the genus itself is polytypic, includes more than 2 thousand species distributed throughout to the globe. Among them not only herbaceous plants, but also shrubby and tree forms. Many are cultivated as ornamental plants.
About 30 species, outwardly very different from each other, are cultivated in indoor and greenhouse conditions. Similar to Rowley's ragus, which is most common, are Gerrein's ragus and lemongrass.
Gerreina(S. herrejanus) is distinguished by its oblong, ovoid leaves, on the surface of which there is not one, but several light stripes that transmit sunlight into the leaf. The tail at the top of each leaf is more pronounced, which is why this species has another synonymous name - K. nail-leaved.
Lemon-shaped(S. citriformis) has leaves that look like small lemons. They are bluish-green in color and covered with a waxy coating. At home, lemongrass blooms extremely rarely.
Rowley's ragwort has a variegated form, developed recently, with variegated leaves in the form of light, shapeless spots on a green background.
Care and cultivation of ragwort Rowley
The basic rules for growing and the subtleties of caring for Rowley's ragwort are the same as for most succulents. The soil needs to be moderately nutritious, loose, neutral. You can prepare a multicomponent substrate yourself by mixing equal parts of leaf, humus and peat soil with river sand and brick chips. Broken brick or another type of baking powder - perlite, vermiculite, it is advisable to add when using purchased ready-made soil for cacti and other succulents.
Rowley's ragwort is grown as a hanging plant and as a ground cover plant. Depending on this, containers for planting are chosen - hanging pots, tall flowerpots or wide, shallow dishes. At the bottom of any container you need a good drainage layer.
To grow a plant, you need bright, diffused lighting; direct sunlight is also acceptable, but only in the morning or evening. At noon, if the plant is standing near a window facing south, shading is necessary to avoid burns on the leaves. The temperature in summer and spring should be between +22–26°C. In winter there is a period of rest when optimal temperature+12–15°C, no fertilizing is carried out, and watering is reduced to a minimum. At the same time, lighting should still be sufficient. This plant really does not like drafts, and also when it is often moved from place to place or turned in different directions.
Since Rowley's ragus comes from arid areas, even during the active growing season it should be watered moderately, 1–2 days after the top soil layer has dried. Water for irrigation is used that is soft and settled at room temperature. In autumn, in order to prepare the plant for wintering, the frequency of watering is reduced. Dry air, as is usually the case in apartments, is not harmful to succulents, so it is recommended to spray only when the leaves become dirty.
For fertilizing, choose fertilizers for succulents with a low nitrogen content; you cannot add pure organic matter. The frequency of feeding is once every 2-3 weeks from spring to August, in the fall - once or twice during the entire season will be enough. Transplantation is needed as needed, once every 2–3 years. The plant tolerates it very painfully, so even young plants need to be carefully transferred to another pot along with a lump of earth, trying not to break the fragile stems, which are usually tightly intertwined. It is better to replace old plants that have lost their attractive appearance.
Reproduction of Rowley's godson
One of the most simple ways propagation of Rowley's ragwort - cuttings. Any part of the shoots 5–10 cm long is cut into cuttings and removed lower leaves and dry the sections for 2–3 hours. Root in the light in a light, damp sandy substrate. Roots appear in the internodes in about a week, after which the cuttings are planted in a pot with soil mixture. In order to get more lush plant 6-8 cuttings can be planted in one container at once.
In autumn and winter, rooting cuttings may not always be successful, and at this time it is better to propagate the succulent by layering. As a layering, choose one of the branches and pin it in a nearby pot with soil mixture, sprinkle it with earth on top. As soon as the branch takes root, it is separated from the mother plant.
The seed propagation method is more complex, and only the freshest seeds are needed, because they quickly lose their viability.
Diseases and pests
Of the diseases, the most dangerous for the godson Rowley fungal diseases- such as real or false powdery mildew And gray rot. These diseases are usually caused by excessive moisture and other care errors. So, with a lack of lighting, plants grow poorly, do not bloom, shoots become very elongated, and leaves become pale and small.
Excessive watering and the use of cold water also primarily affects the condition of the leaves, which become covered with yellowish-brown spots. In this case, all affected parts of the plant must be removed, and the cuts must be sprinkled with fungicidal preparations. When the temperature is too high, the beaded leaves turn yellow, become wrinkled and fall off.
Appearance brown spots on the leaves and their drying out can also be a consequence of high temperature, low air humidity and insufficient watering, but most often speaks of defeat spider mites. The plant is also attacked by pests such as scale insects, thrips, mealybugs and greenhouse aphids. In order to effectively combat pests during this time, it is advisable to isolate it from other plants and in the future not allow it to be too close to them.
Godson Rowley in photographs
Rowley's ragwort is a plant favored by gardeners for its unusual appearance. Its numerous thin shoots are densely covered with leaves. spherical. The spectacle is truly beautiful. The flower resembles a necklace with green beads of different sizes. When people see it for the first time, they wonder – what is it, a flower or a dummy? Today, readers of “Popular About Health” have the opportunity to get to know a native of Africa and find out what it is like to care for Rowley’s ragwort at home, and the attached photos of the flower will help you take a good look at this miracle of nature.
Rowley's godson - description
Take a look at the photo of Rowley's godson - its numerous shoots at home reach half a meter, while in nature they grow up to two meters in length. This is a native of Africa, and to be more precise, Namibia. There the plant adapted to difficult conditions, which made him hardy and non-capricious. The leaves of the flower are especially interesting. They're round like balls different sizes, green. This shape of the leaves allows the ragwort to accumulate moisture and capture more quantities Sveta.
This representative of the flora belongs to the extensive Asteraceae family. At home, the Rowley flower is an infrequent guest, although it cannot be called capricious. Perhaps such insignificant popularity is explained by the fact that the flower is poisonous. When it gets on human skin, its poisonous milky juice does not pose a danger, the main thing is that it does not spread to the mucous membranes. Florists use it more often as hanging plant, and some - as ground cover. If long shoots end up lying on the ground, they will take root within just a week. If you are interested in this African plant and would like to grow it at home, then we suggest that you consider in detail the requirements that must be observed when caring for it.
In the photo is the godson Rowley
Caring for ragwort Rowley at home
This godson can tolerate the most extreme conditions- only excess moisture can destroy it. It tolerates heat, drought, cold weather well, and can be in direct sunlight or in partial shade. Caring for such a flower is pleasant and easy. And now in more detail about the features of cultivation.
Lighting
At home, the godson Rowley loves bright light. Although it is not afraid of direct rays of the sun, it is still better to place the pot on a western window so as not to expose the flower to stress. If you locate it at the back of the room, then choose the one with the windows facing south. In winter, the succulent must be illuminated. Length daylight hours should be about 12 hours. If this is not done, the shoots will become very elongated, the leaves will become smaller, and the flower will lose its decorative effect.
Watering
In the warm season, watering is carried out frequently, and enough water is poured so that the surface substrate has time to dry out within 2-3 days. In winter, if the succulent is kept in a cool room, watering should be reduced significantly. The soil is moistened approximately once every 6 days. If the plant is kept under normal conditions room temperature in a room with heating devices running, Rowley's ragwort continues to be watered as usual. It is advisable to use softened water, adding a couple of drops of lemon juice per liter.
The soil
The Rowley plant thrives in loose soil. light soil. Perfect fit ready mix, intended for succulents. In such a substrate root system will not rot, and water will easily seep into the pan. Drainage must be placed in the pot.
Humidity
You definitely won’t have to worry about the humidity level in the room where this succulent has settled. Raspberry naturally grows in arid climates, so it does not need to be sprayed and the room needs to be moistened. Unless sometimes it makes sense to remove dust from a plant by giving it a summer shower.
Air temperature
During the period when the flower is actively growing - this occurs in March-September, Rowley's ragwort needs warmth. Suitable for him temperature regime– 23-26 degrees. This is exactly the “weather” that usually prevails in any apartment if you live in middle lane. The plant also tolerates heat well. But starting from October, the flower likes to rest. It would be wise to place it in a cool room (temperature around 13-15 degrees Celsius) for the entire winter.
What and when to feed Rowley's ragwort?
For feeding, it is better to buy ready-made nutrient mixtures for succulents, they include all the necessary substances for active growth. The main thing is that there is a minimum content of nitrogen compounds. Fertilizing is introduced throughout the entire growing season (spring-autumn) once every two weeks. In winter, the succulent is not fertilized, even if it is kept warm.
Pruning, replanting
The considered ragwort at home grows, on average, 30 cm per year. If its shoots seem too long to you, then pinch them every year in the spring, then the flower will become denser.
Caring for a flower does not require annual replanting. The succulent is replanted only if necessary, when its shoots fill the entire space of the pot. After four years It makes sense to renew a flower; it loses its former beauty. Then several of its stems are sprinkled with earth and moistened. When they sprout roots, the shoots are cut off from mother bush and rooted in a separate pot.
Godson Rowley – perfect option for those who experience the joy of the abundance of greenery in the apartment, but do not always find time to take care of their plants.
– arid mountainous regions of Namibia (South-West Africa).
This type of ragwort has thin long creeping shoots, rooting in the internodes, with green alternate short-petioled spherical leaves, up to 1 cm in diameter, with a small tip-tail, reminiscent in shape of the berries of unripe gooseberries or currants. Thanks to such peculiar shoots, the plant received the name “string of pearls.”
Rowley's ragwort blooms in late spring. At this time, pale pink tubular flowers bloom on long thick peduncles, collected in dense inflorescences-baskets, similar to the inflorescences of dandelions. The flowers are fragrant, with a light delicate scent of cinnamon.
In nature, the plant reaches two meters in length. In indoor culture, its size is somewhat more modest - 0.6 - 1 m. This species is grown as a hanging or ground cover plant.
Currently, a variegated variety of Rowley's ragus has been developed with large white shapeless spots on pea-shaped leaves.
Caring for ragwort Rowley at home
Although caring for this plant is not that difficult, it is not one of the easiest to care for. indoor culture. Here are a few basic requirements that should be followed to create comfortable conditions for the godson.
Lighting. The plant prefers bright diffuse light, but can easily tolerate direct sunlight in the morning and evening hours. It should be shaded from the midday sun. When placing in a room, it is advisable to choose windows in the southern, western and eastern directions. On the northern window it will not have enough light, which will lead to elongation of the stems, shrinking of the leaves and loss of the overall decorative appearance of the plant. To avoid these problems, you will have to use additional backlighting.
Temperature. Rowley's godson is quite suitable for a summer temperature of 22 - 26 °C, corresponding to central Russia. In winter, during the dormant period, it is recommended to reduce the temperature to 12 – 15 °C. At lower temperatures, the plant may freeze, and at higher temperatures high leaves may begin to fall off.
Watering. During the growing season, this succulent needs abundant watering. It is advisable that the soil is slightly moist at all times, but not wet. Can be dried a little upper layer, but under no circumstances should you flood the plant. Excess water will quickly lead to rotting of the roots and stems.
In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum, especially when kept cold. You just need to make sure that the earthen lump does not dry out completely.
Water the ragwort with soft, settled water without chlorine. To do this, the water is left to settle for 24 hours and, if necessary, further softened by adding citric or acetic acid.
Air humidity. Rowley's ragwort does not require increased air humidity. He feels fine even when the central heating radiators are running.
The soil. The plant prefers neutral, loose nutrient mixtures. Suitable for growing ready soil for cacti and succulents with the addition of loosening components such as vermiculite, perlite or brick chips. If you have the desire and opportunity to cook earth mixture independently, we can recommend the following composition: leaf, humus, peat land, sand and brick chips in a ratio of 1:1:1:1:1.
Fertilizer. During the period of active growth, ragwort is fed once every two weeks. complex fertilizers with low nitrogen content. You can use fertilizers for cacti and succulent plants for these purposes.
Trimming. The plant does not need pruning, but for better branching the shoots can be pinched.
Transfer. Young specimens are replanted annually in the spring. Adults - once every three to four years, as needed, when old pot it gets cramped. When replanting, you should be very careful with the plant and try not to damage the fragile leaves and roots. And it is necessary to create good layer drainage, protecting the plant from flooding.
Experienced flower growers who grow this plant recommend not replanting it in adulthood, but renewing it, since replanting will not improve the appearance of bald stems.
Reproduction. Rowley's ragwort is propagated by stem cuttings and layering all year round, but in the spring-summer period, rooting occurs faster and is more likely.
When propagating by stem cuttings, use segments of shoots 4 - 5 cm long. They are rooted in a pot prepared for them, dropping several pieces on the surface at once, for greater splendor of the future specimen. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the soil is constantly moist. Roots appear in the internodes within a week. To make it more lush, you can plant several plants in one pot at once.
When propagating by layering, another pot is placed next to the mother plant and several ragwort lashes are placed on moist soil, “pinning” the internodes to the surface, having previously pinched off several leaves in these places. After rooting, the cuttings are cut off from the mother plant.
Propagation by seeds is possible, but only fresh, as they quickly lose their viability.
Pests and diseases. The plant is damaged
This plant is one of those that people fall in love with at first sight. The combination of unusualness, beauty and unpretentiousness captivates many. Some people see strings of pearls in its spherical leaves strung on thin stems, while others see green pea. Having delved into the reasons for such an exotic “appearance”, one cannot help but admire the will to live of the godson Rowley and his ingenuity. Such an unusual character of the plant is due to the extremely difficult tasks what he has to decide in nature.
Look out the window, pea leaf!
Since Rowley's godson comes from the arid regions of southwestern Africa, he has to put in a lot of effort to survive. First, the plant must quickly obtain water from upper layers soil during rain, and therefore it has the ability to send out roots from any node on the stem and become ground cover. In addition, thanks to this feature, the ragwort can quickly recover. A part of the stem a few centimeters long is enough to give life to a new plant.
Secondly, the godson has to be able to reliably store the extracted water during a drought. The flower manages to achieve this thanks to its dense skin and the shape of the leaves ideally adapted for this purpose. After all, it is the ball that allows you to hold the largest volume of water.
Finally, another natural need of the plant is to increase the amount of sunlight it absorbs. Since the leaf area is very small, and its main purpose is to retain moisture, the spherical leaf has a “window” to receive sufficient sunlight. Passing through transparent fabrics"window", the sun's rays are absorbed by cells located inside the leaf.
Reproduction of ragwort: different methods
The botanical genus of ragworts is very diverse and includes several thousand varieties, but only Gerrain's ragus (with ovate leaves), lemon-shaped ragwort (with leaves similar to lemon fruits) and the recently bred variegated form of Rowley's ragus have visible similarities with Rowley's ragus.
In nature, the length of the plant reaches two meters. Its lashes branch and intertwine. In late spring they are covered with many small white flowers, shaped like dandelion flowers and with a delicate aroma.
As for the offspring, the easiest way is to create a new “family” of Rowley’s ragwort by propagating it by stem cuttings.
This is done in spring and summer. At this time of year, it is enough to place the cutting on damp soil and press it slightly to the ground so that the “pea-shaped” leaves are above the soil and the stem touches it.
You can also put the cutting in a saucer with not big amount water and wait for roots to appear. It is important to ensure that the soil under the cutting does not dry out.
But as easy as this plant takes root in spring and summer, it is just as difficult to root it in winter and autumn. The only way out is layering. To do this, you need to place a branch of a growing plant on top of moist soil in a separate pot and make sure that the soil under the cutting does not dry out. After rooting, the cuttings need to be cut off from the mother plant.
Don't let the peas get sick
The soil should be sufficiently fertile and loose. For example, a mixture of universal soil, vermiculite and sand is suitable. If the soil is poor, then the plant, of course, will survive, but its growth will be slow or even stop completely, and the “pea-sized” leaves will become small.
In summer, regular watering is necessary, but 2-3 days after drying earthen coma. At excessive watering the decorative effect deteriorates - the stem stretches, increasing the distance between the leaves, the leaves become smaller and cease to be “full”, and there is a risk of rotting.
In cool winter conditions, watering is sharply reduced - to once a month; in warm conditions, watering is reduced slightly. In summer, the plant requires a temperature of +20-28 °C, in winter - +10-15 °C.
Dina Veynarova, Orenburg
Good to know
Godson Rowley
- light-loving, but requires shading from the scorching rays of the sun;
- easily tolerates dry air, does not require spraying;
- V suitable conditions grows by 15-30 cm per year. At home, lashes can reach one meter;
- to increase the decorative effect when placed in an ampel arrangement, 8-10 cuttings can be planted together;
- most often dies from rotting after excessive watering;
- looks impressive in the interior hanging planters, flowerpots in the form of busts (imitating hair) or as ground cover plant in compositions.
