How to grow长生草
In-depth explanation for netizens who are concerned about how to grow 长生草 and the cultivation methods and precautions of succulent 长生草, corrections are welcome if there are any mistakes! My name is "长生草", with the original name: Sempervivum, which means eternal growth. I come from Eurasia, mainly distributed in the mountainous regions of European countries such as Spain, France, Italy, and the northern part of the Balkan Peninsula. My hometown has cold winters and hot summers, with large temperature differences between winter and summer, drastic changes between cold and heat (long and cold winters, short and hot summers), concentrated precipitation, distinct seasons, mainly in summer.
I belong to the Sempervivum genus of the Crassulaceae family, and I am a type of high-altitude growing succulent plant. In the 1st century, people discovered my existence on mountains at an altitude of 4000-5000 meters in Europe. At first, they treated me as moss and threw me on the rooftops and rocks in their yards. I thrive and reproduce in their gardens with my tenacious vitality. It was not until the 20th century that I was valued and loved by cultivators, and I was planted in their gardens, becoming a very popular type of ornamental plant, and gradually expanding from Europe to various countries.
Because my unique method of reproduction is that a large 长生草 can easily burst out with many small offshoots, just like a hen always followed by a group of chicks, so in my hometown, people have given me an affectionate name "Hen and Chickens". Among my family, the most familiar ones should be Guanyinlian, Zimu丹, Zhusi Juanjuan, etc., but we are a large family, and you only know a few common members of the family.
Some people may ask, does 长生草 never die? No, the astonishing reproductive speed of 长生草 always gives people an illusion of immortality, hence the name 长生草. Imagine if 长生草 were really immortal, it would definitely become the research object of many scientists, and might have been eaten to extinction by people seeking immortality.
(Edward's ball)
Some people ask, can it be planted in the south? The answer is definitely yes, some species have the habit of summer dormancy. It is sensitive to high temperatures, and during cultivation, attention should be paid to air circulation. Keep the potting soil moist during the growing seasons of spring and autumn, but do not keep it waterlogged. 长生草 has a long dormant period and should be slightly shaded, with attention to ventilation, cooling, and keeping the potting soil moderately dry to prevent plant rot caused by stuffiness and humidity.
It is prone to rot in summer, with the main growing period in cool seasons. It is suitable for greenhouse cultivation, enjoys ample sunlight, and proper ventilation and cooling measures should be taken in summer to control watering and avoid humid and stuffy conditions. If you are in an area with hot and humid summers, make sure to have good ventilation, increase the proportion of granular soil, and in areas with high temperature and humidity, it is recommended to shade and reduce or stop watering. It is best not to let it rain because the leaves of 长生草 are small and dense, and after rain, the water easily gathers between the leaves. If the sun comes out after the rain, it will be fatal. After the sun shines, your 长生草 will become crystal clear and dazzling, and you will end up with an empty pot.
(Elegant)
Many people think of dense scales when they hear 长生草, and many say that 长生草 is prone to scale insects. Regarding pests and diseases: the most common pest of 长生草 is the scale insect, which is the white, small, fleshy insect. In fact, scales are not only found in 长生草, but other succulents in the Crassulaceae family can also爆发 scale insects. It is just that the dense and small leaves of 长生草 make it easier for scale insects to hide, thus creating the illusion that 长生草 is the home of scale insects. Many other plants can also grow scales, such as vegetables, woody plants, etc.
Scale insects generally occur 1-3 generations per year, a few 4-5 generations. Before the nymphs turn into adults, there is often an intermediate stage, during which they have a stagnant appearance and some even stop eating. This time is around the beginning of spring and the end of May to early June. At this time, most of the nymphs have just hatched and have not yet secreted wax or formed scales, so it is still easy to kill them with chemicals. It is necessary to spray every 7 days for 2-3 consecutive times. The beginning of winter is the best time to kill the eggs, using 1000 times 40%速扑杀 or 40% pure毒死蜱 2000 times to spray the whole plant, which can basically ensure that scales do not爆发 throughout the year. If you can catch these three opportunities to spray, you can get twice the result with half the effort. At the same time, you can also control scale insects by burying small white medicine or furan丹.
Everyone in different regions will have their own methods of care, the above is for reference only, please do not copy. However, I personally recommend shading 长生草 appropriately during cultivation, so that it will not turn liver-colored or even pitch-black. I am in Kunming, where the UV radiation is particularly strong in winter. If shading is not done properly, 长生草 will become like this:
The above is the complete introduction to how to grow 长生草 and the cultivation methods and precautions of succulent 长生草, hoping it can be helpful to you. Don't forget to check out more flower care experience and knowledge!