Content
Sedum is an unpretentious ornamental plant that diversifies flower arrangements in garden beds or in a city park. The plant develops quickly and begins to bloom regardless of soil fertility. The main thing is to plant it in a well-lit place.
Description of caustic sedum
Sedum acre (lat.) is a honey-bearing herbaceous perennial. This is a semi-succulent plant. Has thickened leaf plates.
Succulents (Latin succulentus - succulent) are distinguished by the presence of tissues to create a supply of liquid. This feature allows them to survive in areas with poor rainfall.
Sedum is a species of the genus Sedum. Represents the family of dicotyledonous plants - Crassulaceae (lat. Crassulaceae).
Sedum is a low-growing species. It has a thin rhizome with branches and many stems with small thickened light or dark green ovoid leaves.
This type of root system allows the plant to be saturated with moisture. During the dry season, the roots appear on the surface to feed on dew and raindrops.
Sedum is found on sandy slopes, forest edges and clearings
The shade of the leaf blades depends on the illumination of the place where the perennial grows. Phenotypic features of sedum are less intense leaf color and lack of flowering in the shade. In the sun, the plant has dark leaves and yellow fragrant flowers collected in inflorescences. The sedum head consists of five petals and ten stamens. Flowering continues from late spring to mid-summer. During this period, the leaves also turn yellow.
Habitat of sedum:
- dry areas of sandy soils;
- glades;
- forest edges;
- embankments;
- limestone;
- slopes with stones;
- brick surfaces;
- ridges and fields of cultural plantings.
Growing regions: North Africa, Europe, Ciscaucasia, Western Siberia and the European part of the Russian Federation.
The best varieties
The sedum genus includes 600 plant species. Today, specialists and amateur gardeners are engaged in breeding and growing about 100 species. Each has many varieties. They differ in the shade of greenery and flowers. The most attractive ones are used for landscaping areas.
Elegance
The perennial variety "Elegance" (Elegans) reaches 10 cm in height, and during the flowering period it grows up to 30 cm. It has branched stems with thick twisted leaves of a dark green shade up to 0.6 cm long. It is covered with leaves even in winter. The inflorescences consist of golden heads up to 1.5 cm in diameter. Sedum blooms from June to mid-July.It is similar to the “Aureum” variety, but is more miniature.
The variety "Elegance" has abundant flowering that lasts 2 months.
Grows on any soil. It grows well on rocky surfaces and is suitable for planting in containers. Tolerates dry periods and frost well. It forms a continuous carpet in the garden area, favorably emphasizing tall plants.
When grown in the middle zone, sedum "Elegance" does not need shelter for the winter. Frost resistance of the variety is up to -34 °C.
Aureum
Bushes of the Aureum variety grow up to 8 cm. The upward-striving stems are covered with small thickened leaves. Shoots located close to the soil surface produce adventitious roots. The plant is decorated with inflorescences of yellow heads. "Aureum" blooms from May to July. At this time, the sedum leaves also turn yellow.
"Aureum" is a decoration of alpine slides and rockeries
It grows and develops fully even on poor soils. “Aureum” will decorate the garden plot with alpine slides and rockeries.
Minus
Variety “Minus” is a decorative type of sedum. The bushes are low, up to 10 cm. The leaves are thickened, bluish-green in color and cylindrical in shape. Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, the tops of the leaf plates acquire a pink tint.
A photo of Sedum acrid “Minus” illustrates the original color of its greenery.
Under the influence of UV rays, the tops of the leaves of the “Minus” variety acquire a pink tint.
Application in landscape design
Sedum will decorate and diversify the landscape of a garden plot or flowerbed in a city park.The plant can be planted separately to create an even cover or complement flower arrangements. As the semi-succulent grows, it will cover bare areas of the lawn with its crown and flowers and will help to effectively decorate the border or boundaries of a garden pond. The long drooping stems of Sedum will look harmonious in hanging baskets.
Thickets of sedum serve as a spectacular decoration for the border of a flower bed.
Features of reproduction
Under favorable conditions, the honey plant grows quickly.
Reproduction methods:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- dividing bushes.
The generative (seed) method of propagation is used to create new varieties. For rapid spread, dividing adult bushes or cuttings is more suitable.
Seeds can be added to seedling containers in March-April. The material is distributed over fertile soil, covered with a layer of sand and covered with a special device or glass.
Young specimens of sedum are placed in a cool, ventilated room and regularly sprayed with water. After 14 days, the containers are transferred to a warmer place. Sprouts appear after a month. Diving is done with the appearance of two leaves.
Before planting in open ground, sedum seedlings are periodically taken out into the fresh air for the purpose of hardening. When cutting, a fragment of the stem must be cut off and planted in a substrate or first placed in water to form roots.
The shoot for planting can be cut with a sharp knife
The division of an adult plant is carried out in the spring. To do this, dig up the bush and disassemble the roots. Young plants with buds and roots are planted soon after cutting.
Optimal growing conditions
In the area for sedum, it is better to choose a sunny place.Specimens planted in shaded areas do not bloom. Sedum will bloom and have strong leaves only in good light. Otherwise, the stems will lengthen and the sedum will lose its decorative effect.
Planting and caring for caustic sedum
In order for the honey plant to grow quickly and gain strength, it is important to plant mature bushes in time and prepare the substrate in a sunny place on the site.
Recommended timing
Sowing of seeds is carried out in early spring in March-April. Cuttings and planting of new specimens are carried out before or after flowering. They quickly “get used to” the chosen place. You can divide adult plants in order to rejuvenate the plantation and plant new ones in the spring or early autumn, so that the bushes have time to take root.
Site selection and soil preparation
“Caustic sedum” is a light-loving crop. The stems and leaves will have a rich green color, and the inflorescences will become large and bright if you choose a sunny place for planting the semi-succulent. Also, the bed can be in partial shade.
Algorithm for planting caustic sedum
Seedlings are planted in open ground in a sunny area in late spring and early summer. The distance between the holes should be 20 cm for the free formation of new shoots. The planting site is fertilized with ash and sand is added. Flowering of young bushes begins after 2-3 seasons.
Cuttings of “Caustic Sedum” can be stored for a long time. Even dry parts germinate. They can be planted throughout the warm season.
Caring for caustic sedum
Sedum or sedum does not require careful care and grows quickly, forming an even natural carpet.
Rich soil composition is also a prerequisite for the successful growth of semi-succulents. But light fertile, super-sandy or moderately acidic soil is especially suitable for the plant.
Sedum often changes leaf color with a lack of sunlight and frequent feeding
When growing “Sedum caustic” at home, you need to wipe off the dust from the surface of its leaf blades for better access to light. If the sedum grows in the garden, you need to remove fallen leaves from it so that the honey plant can begin to grow unhindered in the spring.
Watering and fertilizing
Complex mineral compounds or organic matter can be used as fertilizers for caustic sedum. Fertilizing is carried out in spring and autumn. Manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10. If bird droppings are used, then 1 to 20.
Fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizer activates growth, but the plants become weak and less protected from diseases and low temperatures.
If the sedum grows in a climate with moderate rainfall, it does not need to be watered. But during dry periods, the semi-succulent needs additional moisture.
Loosening and weeding
Young plantings need to be loosened so that air can reach the roots and the soil does not become sour. Adult specimens also need to be loosened and weeded from weeds.
Trimming
Pruning of sedum is done in order to rejuvenate the plant and make it aesthetically attractive. This can be done throughout the warm season, from spring to autumn.If the plantation has grown greatly, the sedum leaves have become pale, and the flowering is sparse - it’s time to prune the bushes, remove dry stems and sluggish flowers. Also, the above-ground part is cut off for the winter.
Wintering
In areas with snowy winters, sedum does not need shelter. The exception is young specimens. As protection against frost, you can use fallen leaves, spruce branches or special material. Adult specimens remain green even under a layer of snow.
Transfer
Sedum bushes need to be renewed every 3-4 years. To do this, in spring or autumn, the plants are divided into several parts and planted in a prepared bed.
In early spring, sedums need to be dug up, the roots cleared of soil and divided into parts. Each shoot must have buds and roots. The cuttings should be treated with a fungicide and the new plants should be placed in a cool, dark place to dry. Next, they are planted in the prepared substrate.
Caring for sedum includes watering, fertilizing, pruning, loosening and weeding
Pests and diseases
Sedum is a disease-resistant plant, but if the soil is waterlogged, rot may occur. In this case, the affected areas must be removed and healthy stems treated with a disinfectant composition.
If aphids, thrips or other pests appear on the bushes, insecticides should be used.
Nematodes pose the greatest danger to sedum.
Signs of damage to sedum by caustic nematodes:
- wilting of stems;
- slow growth;
- thickenings on the rhizome.
Garlic or marigolds should be planted in the vacant area of the garden bed.
Medicinal properties
Sedum is a medicinal plant. It contains valuable substances:
- sedamin (alkaloid);
- glycosides;
- flavones.
Decoctions and ointments with sedum are used to treat skin diseases
An infusion of the semi-succulent herb tones the nervous system, has a constricting effect on blood vessels, helps raise blood pressure levels, and stimulates the gastrointestinal tract. Flavone causes a pronounced diuretic effect. In Bulgarian medicine, sedum has found use for hypotension.
Conclusion
Sedum is an ornamental plant that does not require careful care, grows quickly and blooms profusely. The semi-succulent is notable for its original leaves and golden-yellow flowers. It is resistant to frost and disease. By following simple planting and care rules, you can decorate your landscape with a strange plant that will delight gardeners with fresh herbs all year round.
