Multi肉 plant family cultivation - physiological characteristics of South African multi肉 plants
This article's core introduction: knowledge about multi肉 plants, multi肉 plant family cultivation - physiological characteristics of South African multi肉 plants, specific content as follows:
South Africa, located in the southern part of the African continent, most areas have a tropical savanna climate, with abundant rainfall in summer and dry winters. Due to the influence of the Indian Ocean warm current and the Atlantic Ocean cold current, the climate difference between the east coast and the west coast of South Africa is very obvious. The east coast is warm and humid, while the west coast is relatively dry. Because of this, the number of terrestrial plant species on the east coast is significantly greater than in other regions, including the familiar Liliaceae Vellozia plants (also known as Haworthia, or Aloe), and most species of the Aizoaceae family, which grow on the east coast of South Africa.
As for the cultivation of multi肉 plants, Laojiang does not have much experience, mainly focusing on the two aforementioned genera. Although Laojiang also has some understanding of Agave plants native to Mexico, due to climate and environmental factors, Agave plants belong to another system in terms of cultivation research, so they will not be discussed in the following sections.
There are nearly 3000 species of multi肉 plants in South Africa, and the aforementioned two large genera account for only a dozen or so. The reason the article dares to have such a vast title is not because Laojiang is arrogant, but because there is a prerequisite - that is, family cultivation.
Family cultivation is a vague form of cultivation. Due to environmental and conditional limitations, it is impossible to manage different types of plant physiological needs in detail in a family environment. Instead, it can only be managed relatively uniformly based on the fact that plants from the same origin have relatively large commonalities. For example, the habits of winter-growing multi肉 plants are not very different. Although there are many varieties, if you take them seriously, 100 plants can have 100 different cultivation methods. However, if you treat them as one variety and take care of them similarly, the final result will not be much different. This is what Laojiang calls the concept of vague cultivation. The principle of this concept is - fully utilize the available space and cultivate more plants at the minimum cost. It is precisely because of this concept of vague thinking that this lengthy article could be written.
I. Definition and characteristics of the family environment
The definition of family cultivation does not mean that this place is your family's environment. (Nowadays, with such a large gap between the rich and the poor, living in a 500-square-meter garden villa is different from living in a small鸽 house kitchen and toilet) In order not to cause unnecessary disputes and eliminate all harmonious factors, it is necessary to define first. I believe that the family environment refers to: only raising in simple environments such as indoor balconies, window sills, and flower shelves, and业余 cultivation without the intervention of artificial drugs, hormones, and other high-tech means. Outdoor gardens, balconies, and small greenhouses are not included, of course, local use of simple methods for heating, humidifying, etc. should be considered part of the family environment.
The main characteristics of the family environment are:
1. Mainly indoor and non-outdoor environments, with upper space sheltered, rarely direct sunlight, and lighting mainly relying on scattered light. (Don't think that sitting in a deck chair on the balcony sunbathing is sunbathing. The light passing through the awning and glass can only be called light, not sunlight, or you can first go to the road to feel it)
2. The day-night temperature difference is lower than the theoretical temperature difference of the weather forecast, and the high temperature is not too high, nor the low temperature too low. The minimum and maximum temperatures throughout the day are close to the average temperature of the local area on that day. Otherwise, I can only think that you live in a gazebo.
3. The space is relatively closed, and the air circulation and convection intensity need to be interfered with by artificial means. After watering, moisture easily accumulates, but under normal conditions, the humidity change is small, and the average daily value is less than the outdoor air humidity average.
4. Most family cultivation and maintenance implementers are ordinary enthusiasts, not professionals. They do not understand what hormones are, what the pharmacological effects of pesticides are, or what the physiological structure of plants is. Of course, some basic knowledge is still needed, otherwise, if you are proud of raising a living stone flower into a long-nosed king, it will definitely affect the popularity of Laojiang's lengthy article.
II. Physiological characteristics of South African multi肉 plants
Due to the unique geographical location and strange climate of the east coast of South Africa, the special multi肉 plants produced there are very individual. Generally speaking, these plants prefer cool weather and dislike heat but cannot resist freezing point temperatures. They like humidity but dislike dryness, and they are not accustomed to waterlogging. They like sunshine and fear shade but cannot tolerate excessive exposure. Finally, the most distinctive feature is that they integrate the above three points and then do the opposite, and they still survive well... Of course, reaching this level also requires certain prerequisites, and in general, in your homes, tragic events should be happening all the time.
1. Physiological characteristics of Vellozia plants
Vellozia plants are winter-growing plants. In the local winter from May to August in South Africa, there is abundant rainfall, which is the growing season. Since it is a winter-growing plant, it means that this species prefers cool weather. However, South Africa is after all close to the equator, and its geographical location determines that even in winter, the temperature will not be too low. Taking Cape Town in South Africa as an example, the average winter temperature is 7 degrees, and the temperature usually rises to about 25 degrees under sunlight during the day, while occasionally dropping to 2-3 degrees at night. Overall, this temperature is much better than the winter in our southern cities. (Why is there such a big difference between the two places with the word 'south'? Thinking of the cold and damp quilt in Hangzhou in winter, Laojiang shudders with coldness...). There are also unfair things; every year from November to the following February is the summer in South Africa, with an average temperature of 26 degrees. Due to the influence of the geographical environment, there is often a low temperature of around 15 degrees at night. This is the so-called winter warm and summer cool风水 treasure land. For our many flower friends suffering from the southern climate, South Africa can definitely be ranked among the top immigration destinations.
In the summer of the native place, due to rare rainfall, most Vellozia plants are in a protective dormant state, and very few varieties grow in summer. Except for a few rare high-altitude species, other varieties mostly rely on shortening their bodies and half-buried in the soil to resist strong sunlight and the evaporation of moisture. However, fortunately, due to the large day-night temperature difference and the frequent erosion of sea vapor (N-D), water droplets often condense on the plant surface at night, slightly moisturizing the dried life, which is why the Vellozia in the native place can continue to live in the absence of water for a long time in summer.
Vellozia plants are semi-shady plants. Of course, the so-called semi-shady is relative. What is meant by semi-shady here is not that they should be kept in a shaded place for a long time but the degree and duration of sunlight exposure. From the pictures of plants in the native place, it can be seen that in exposed rock areas, the number of Vellozia plants is relatively small, and their condition is not very full, even described as withered and crispy. (Imagine an 80-year-old grandmother in the countryside in the northwest, and you will have a more intuitive impression) In the forest understory and grass, the number and appearance of Vellozia plants are relatively abundant, and the main influencing factor is believed to be sunlight. Based on Laojiang's accumulated experience and related literature references, I believe that Vellozia plants are suitable for 3-4 hours of moderate to weak sunlight exposure per day, which is what we call semi-shady.
Since it is a semi-shady plant, the water requirement should also match accordingly. Logically speaking, since it fears sun exposure, it must fear the loss of water, so continuous water supply is necessary. In the African climate, which is hot and dry, it is注定 that there cannot be abundant rainfall all year round, which requires the plant to have the ability to store water. Having the ability to store water also indicates that Vellozia plants have drought resistance. Generally, plants with certain resistances can die if given too much at once. This is a consensus and can be considered a theorem in this discussion process, which does not require proof. Therefore, the final conclusion is that Vellozia needs water but not a large amount of water frequently. To put it simply - dividing the water supply into four levels: wet, damp, moisturized, and dry, Vellozia should be suitable for "moisturized".
Vellozia plants have a large, fleshy root system due to their water storage capacity and the relationship with the soil in the native place (compared to cacti native to Mexico). Unlike cacti with fibrous roots, the main function of the fleshy roots is to store and transport nutrients, acting as a "pipeline". Therefore, their epidermal cells are relatively large and dense, which is to consolidate their physical form and enhance the "pipeline" function. However, such tissue often has a slow metabolism, and old cells are not replenished in time. Dead cells in an oxygen-deficient environment are easily used as a breeding ground for anaerobic bacteria - this is why fleshy roots are prone to rot. However, Vellozia roots are not completely different from cacti roots. They have a very tragic common point, which is that they have a very low osmotic pressure, meaning that salt from the external soil can easily penetrate into the cell tissue, leading to cell dehydration. We all know how to pickle meat and vegetables. A piece of fatty meat or cabbage, sprinkled with salt, will leak water after half an hour. The same is true for leeches, which dissolve in salt. This is the use of osmotic pressure. The osmotic pressure of Vellozia roots may only be comparable to that of leeches. This is certainly related to the lack of water in the native place. The lower osmotic pressure allows limited external water to be more easily absorbed.
2. Physiological characteristics of Aizoaceae plants
Lithops and Conophytum are also representative multi肉 plants of the east coast of South Africa. Different from the Vellozia genus introduced earlier, most of these plants grow in exposed rock areas, exposed to sunlight all day, lacking clothing and food. A few millimeters of rainfall can make them happy to have children in the breeding season. And once the heavens open their eyes and sprinkle a few more drops of rain, it often leads to a serious consequences of mass rot. Basically, these plants are the typical "ungrateful" type, growing more prosperous in harsher environments (relative to most plants).
Compared to Vellozia, Lithops and Conophytum are full-sun plants with main roots that are semi-woody, have very low water requirements (such as the annual rainfall in the native place of the Dajinyu variety is only a few millimeters), and have stronger resistance and resistance to external erosion than Vellozia, especially in terms of low-temperature tolerance (about -5 degrees Celsius for short periods).
The common point with Vellozia is that they are both winter-growing and have low root osmotic pressure.
The above () introduces the detailed introduction of multi肉 plant family cultivation - the physiological characteristics of South African multi肉 plants, have you understood?