Stonecrop caustic - an unpretentious herbaceous plant, which owes its name to the toxic juice contained in it, which helps in the fight against various skin diseases. But despite the decorativeness and useful properties of the culture, before planting it on the site, the gardener should well weigh the pros and cons, since it will be quite difficult to get rid of caustic sludge with uncontrolled dispersal of seeds.
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Stonecrop - plant description
The description of caustic sedum does not replete with colorful epithets.
- The species is represented by ground cover plants with a height of up to 10 cm and creeping shoots covered with thickened, small foliage.
- During flowering, which is observed in the second year after planting from May to August, yellow flowers bloom.
- Over time, seed boxes form in place of flowers, which mature by the end of autumn. The seeds are very small.
- The root system of the plant is well branched.
- A year after planting, the caustic sap forms a beautiful and thick rug.
Common types and varieties
Based on the type species sedum acre, breeders have developed many varieties.
Among them, the following are distinguished by originality and decorativeness:
- Yellow Queen. Plants of the variety have small wedge-shaped leaves and creeping stems, painted in yellow.
- Minus. The smallest variety with beautiful needle leaves.
- Oktoberfest. The variety is distinguished by the light green color of the shoots and white flowers in the form of miniature stars.
- Elegans. Variegated representative of the species with compact, dense bushes.
- Aureum.It is distinguished by color - the leaflets of the variety are painted in green, and at the ends - in yellow.
Do I need to plant a cultivated weed
To decorate stony art objects, such as an alpine hill or rockery, a caustic sedum will do.
However, despite the survivability and rapid spread, it still needs to land, subject to certain rules:
- Stonecrop can grow in shaded places, but it shows the most spectacular and fragrant flowering in sunny areas.
- The plant is undemanding to soils and grows well, both on sandy soils and on fertile loams.
- Landing of the ground cover flora can be carried out throughout the growing season.
- When planting between copies, it is worth observing a distance of 10 cm.
- When the plant is placed in the ground, it should be remembered that the root neck of the caustic stonecrop must be level with the ground level.
- Since the plant has poisonous juice, it should not be placed in close proximity to other herbaceous inhabitants of the garden.
Outdoor cultivation and care
To grow perennial succulent, possessing medicinal qualities, is very simple, with little or no effort.
- Watering. The drought-resistant variety does not need regular and plentiful moisturizing. Systematic watering is required only after planting, when the process of rooting the crop. It is also recommended to occasionally water the caustic stonecrop during a period of prolonged drought, which it tolerates better than overflows, which can cause a loss of decorative qualities.
- Soil treatment. Unlike other species, stonecrop does not need weeding, inhibiting weed vegetation on its own with the help of poisonous juice. Loosening the soil under a plant with a superficial root system is also not necessary.
- Fertilizing and fertilizers. The "live mat" does not need additional nutrition. But to ensure a more aromatic and long-lasting flowering, it is possible to enrich the soil with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers with a reduced concentration of 3 times from that indicated on the package. It is not recommended to use nitrogen in an accessible form, since it stimulates the growth of green mass and reduces the plant's resistance to disease.
- Pruning. After flowering is completed, it is recommended to remove dried flowers in a timely manner to prevent self-seeding and spreading the plant throughout the entire area by blowing small seeds with the wind. Also, after 5 years of growth in one place, anti-aging pruning should be performed. A signal of its necessity will be the appearance of new leaves with a pale color. In the process of cutting old, damaged and dried shoots are removed.
- Wintering. Frost-resistant culture does not need additional protection, maintaining green foliage even under a layer of snow.
- Protection against diseases and pests. Due to the toxic juice contained in the plant, the caustic soda is rarely exposed to pest attacks. When they appear, you just need to trim the damaged and populated parts. Fungal diseases can develop on a crop only if the irrigation regime is disturbed. In order to cure stonecrop, it is necessary to carefully remove the affected parts and treat the “green rug” with a fungicidal preparation according to the manufacturer's instructions indicated on the package.
- Propagation of culture. Stonecrop is propagated by seeds, which are correctly sown directly in the open ground under winter. There they will undergo a natural stratification and, with the onset of spring, will sprout. Also, the culture can be bred vegetatively by dividing the bush. Rhizome should be divided in spring or autumn, excluding the flowering period, during which the plant spends a lot of vitality.
Possible growing difficulties
When growing an unpretentious succulent plant, which is very simple to propagate and does not require specific care, still sometimes difficulties may arise associated with a slower growth rate. The main reasons for this situation are the active replenishment of forces before flowering or the intensive buildup of the root mass. The last condition, as a rule, is noted after the sedum transplant to a new place of growth.
Application in traditional medicine
Due to its benefits, cauliflower is widely used in folk medicine, having diuretic, healing and antiseptic properties.
- Cleansing infusion is used in the treatment of malaria: half a cup of decoction from 1 teaspoon of dry grass and 250 ml of boiling water is drunk three times a day after eating.
- Also, a decoction is drunk with stomach cancer as an adjuvant that relieves the side symptoms of radiation therapy.
- Ointment from stonecrop juice and butter is healed, and open wounds are also disinfected.
- With the help of herbs, compresses are made to relieve bouts of rheumatism.
Important! So that the use of caustic scum does not harm your health, you should consult your doctor before using it.
Sedum scum - how to get rid
A plant with a branched, but superficial root system is pretty easy to weed out. However, over time, seeds spread by the wind germinate again, which makes the crop look like a weed. To remove stonecrop from the site permanently, it is recommended to sift the ground manually. Although this procedure will not give the first time 100% result.
Advice! So that the procedure for removing sedum from the garden is not so painful, you should not allow uncontrolled dispersion of the seeds of the culture.
Thus, cauliflower is an effective groundcover succulent, which, subject to agricultural technical requirements for growing, can easily be used to decorate rock gardens, flower beds and as an unpretentious, rapidly growing lawn.