Aichrizon: flower photo, home care and 2 methods of propagation

Among the Crassulaceae family there are many unpretentious but beautiful flowers, and one of them is aichrizon, a perennial indoor plant that captivates with the exquisite beauty of rosettes of delicate leaves and a scattering of golden star-flowers. At home, aichrizon grows quickly, is easy to care for and easily reproduces.

Photo of aichrizon:

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How to care for aichrison in an apartment

Aichrizon was popularly called the flower of love or the tree of happiness. The succulent bears such names exclusively in Russian-speaking countries.

According to one version, the flower is called so because of the leaves, the shape of which resembles small hearts.
According to another version, the flower brings happiness and love to families who lovingly care for it.

Description and photo of domestic species of aichrizona

Succulent aichrizon has about 15 species of perennial and annual succulents. Not all of them have become widespread in floriculture. Description and photo of domestic species of aichrizona:

Aichrizon home. It is distinguished by its small height (up to 30 cm), fleshy leaves 1 cm wide with short pubescence, club-shaped. Particularly interesting is the variegated form "Variegatum", which has a pale yellow border along the edge of the dark green leaf blades.
Aichrizon sedum-leaved. It is distinguished by active leaf growth and the absence of white pubescence. Leaves with reddish inclusions are collected in rosettes up to 12 cm in diameter.
Aichrizon prostrate (other name - loose). The species is distinguished by looser rosettes of leaves than other species. The leaves are longer, with white hairy pubescence. The plant develops more actively in the fresh air.
Aichrizon sinuous. A highly branched species with dense rosettes, growing no higher than 20 cm. The rosettes consist of fleshy diamond-shaped pubescent leaves on a short petiole.
Aichrizon point. Bushes of the species grow up to 40 cm. Light green leaves in the form of diamonds on elongated petioles.
Aichrizon shrubby. Notable for its dwarf size (up to 15 cm). The rosettes of leaves of the species are loose. Long leaf blades are covered with white fibers. The foliage has the original property of changing color depending on the lighting. In bright light the leaves appear bronze, and in low light they appear dark green.

Planting aichrizone

The roots of the flower of love are located in the upper layers of the soil. This is due to the succulent growing in natural conditions on rocky slopes with a small amount of soil layer. Therefore, aichryzons feel good in small pots of any shape, as in the photo.

Designers actively use this fact by placing perennials in designer flower pots and glass vases filled with sand and small pebbles. Aichrizon is also grown in shallow trays in combination with other succulents.

Planting an indoor flower should be done in the spring, when all life processes in the plant are activated.
The tree of love is not picky about the composition of the soil. But professionals advise using store-bought soil for succulents and cacti or making a soil mixture of equal parts:

peat;
leaf soil;
turf land.

You can dilute the earthen mixture with a small amount of fine sand. Drainage is necessary to ensure the release of excess moisture and access of the roots to air. Brick chips and crushed charcoal are added to it.

After planting, the plant should be watered no earlier than 4 hours later.

Air care at home

Aichrizon is unpretentious to light, grows at any temperature, can do without feeding, is not susceptible to attack by pests, and rarely gets sick. But in order to get a beautiful plant, it is important to follow the rules of care that ensure a comfortable microclimate. Then the aichrizon will delight you with beautiful rosettes of greenery and golden stars of flowers.

Lighting and location selection

When caring for a flower of love at home, it is worth remembering that the optimal lighting for it is diffused light. This means that it is better to place an indoor flower on the eastern and western windowsill.

On the northern window sill, the airy zone will not have enough lighting and the succulent will have to be illuminated. On southern windows it is necessary to shade the plant from direct sunlight.

Important! Do not allow direct sunlight to hit the leaves of the tree of happiness - this will lead to burns of the leaf plates.

You can diffuse sunlight using a screen made of mosquito net, tulle or gauze. In addition, you should periodically rotate the flower so that the crown develops evenly.

In the autumn-winter period, when daylight hours become short, the diffusing screen can be removed until spring.

Temperature

The comfortable temperature for flower development is +18°...+24°C, but even at higher temperatures the plant will not die. When caring for the tree of love in hot weather, it is necessary to avoid drafts, in particular, do not place it under air conditioning.

In winter and autumn, during the dormant period, the succulent needs a low temperature in room conditions - +8°... +12°C. At higher temperatures, +15°...+22°C, the shoots stretch and the leaves fall off.Therefore, you should avoid placing perennials near heating appliances.

In a city apartment it is not easy to find a suitable place for air-conditioning in winter. A way out of the situation may be an insulated balcony on which you can place a flower.

If this is not possible, leave the plant on the windowsill, but place a sheet of foam under the pot. This will help isolate the heat coming from the batteries.

How to water

As a representative of succulents, aichrizon easily accumulates and retains moisture in shoots and leaves for a long time. This helps the flower survive skipping watering and makes caring for it much easier. Water for irrigation should be settled or filtered, at room temperature.

Advice! You can soften hard water by adding 1-2 drops of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

Watering regime in different seasons:

in summer - once a week;
in winter - 1-2 times a month.

It is difficult for novice gardeners to determine when it is time to water the aichrizon. But you can check the need for moisture in a certain way: you need to gently press on the trunk and leaves of the plant. If they feel springy and dense to the touch, then the plant has enough moisture and the next watering should be skipped. If the trunk is limp, parts of the plant lose their elasticity, it is necessary to water the perennial.

When determining the need for watering, do not forget about the condition of the soil: it should not dry out, but at the same time it should not be soggy. Due to dampness, the roots rot, which leads to the death of the flower.

When taking care of the health of a flower, you should adhere to the rule: it is better to skip watering than to allow excess moisture.

In warm weather, once a week, the foliage should be washed with water at room temperature to remove dust. When performing this procedure, you should cover the soil in the pot from flooding with water, for example, with film.

In winter and autumn during the dormant period, a shower is not needed so as not to bring the plant out of hibernation.

How to feed aichrizon

The flower of love needs feeding during the period of active growth, in spring and summer, especially during the formation of flowers. The main thing in caring for aichrizon is to remember that indoor flowers do not like high concentrations of nitrogen.

It is better to use commercial fertilizers for succulents, as they contain a minimal amount of nitrogen. Fertilizing is combined with watering and carried out twice a month.

In autumn, when the aichrizon is preparing for the dormant period, the plant does not need feeding.

Flower pruning

As the flower of happiness grows, the leaves gradually fall off, leading to bare shoots. Also, shoots elongate during wintering in warm conditions. This is a natural occurrence in the life of a succulent.

Advice! To form a beautiful crown, dried and bare shoots must be pruned.

The plant can be given a spherical shape, as in the photo, or formed into a small tree. Aichrizon tolerates the pruning procedure painlessly. If it is neglected, then the overgrown shoots break under their own weight. The formation of the crown provokes the appearance of new branches; it can be done several times a year.

Transfer

When transplanting an indoor love tree, experienced gardeners are guided by simple rules:

Replanting should be done during the growing season as needed. This moment comes when the roots fill the entire volume of the pot.
If the plant is young, replanting is necessary once every 1-2 years; adult specimens are replanted no more than once every 3 years.
When choosing a new pot for replanting, you can follow the general rule for any succulent - the new container should be 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one and no more than 3 cm in depth.

Flowering aichryzon

The tree of love and happiness blooms in the third year of life, usually in April - May, with increasing daylight hours. Aichrizon produces a panicle-peduncle strewn with yellow or golden inflorescences.

The flowering of the tree of love lasts up to six months, but is accompanied by the loss of leaves and drying out of the branches. This is the norm, since the plant devotes all its energy to flowering. It is during this period that the loss of leaves does not indicate poor care.

Therefore, you should not increase watering during flowering. When the tree of happiness fades, the peduncle needs to be cut off, increasing watering.

Often the tree of love does not bloom for a long time. You can influence this process if you follow the necessary rules for caring for airborne soil in the autumn-winter season:

Rare watering, focusing on the elasticity of the leaves.
Wintering in a cool and well-lit room.
Small pot size - no larger than the size of the root system.

Reproduction of aichrizon

When caring for airborne flowers at home, sooner or later you will want to increase the number of indoor flower specimens in one of the following ways: by seed or cuttings.

Propagation by seeds

Small dishes are suitable for planting seeds. The soil should be light, so leaf soil is mixed with sand in a ratio of 1:0.5. The seeds are scattered evenly over the surface of the soil and sprinkled with sand 2 mm thick.

Then the crops must be moistened with a spray bottle and covered with glass or film. This technique allows you to get a greenhouse effect. Germination temperature +20°…+25°С.

Important! During this period, it is necessary to ventilate the mini-greenhouse and moisten its surface.

The seedlings will appear in 2 weeks; the film or glass should be removed. After 2-4 leaves appear on the seedlings, you need to thin out or plant the seedlings into a common container according to a 3x3 cm pattern. The amount of diffused light during this period should be increased.

When the bushes grow, they are planted into individual shallow bowls, changing the composition of the soil. Now the soil should consist of turf, leaf soil and sand in a ratio of 1:1:1. At this stage, the seedlings need to be watered daily, and the temperature should be +16°...+18°C.

Propagation by cuttings

Indoor aichrizon is easy to propagate at home by cuttings with or without aerial roots.

Rooting of aichryzon leaves

The cuttings are cut off from the mother bush with a sharp knife. To obtain the largest cross-sectional area, the incision is made at an acute angle. The photo shows that the cut is made below the aerial roots by 0.5-1 cm.
The cut shoot is kept in a dark and dry place so that the cut withers and dries.
To root, just stick the cutting into moist soil and monitor the moisture content of the latter. The soil mixture is prepared from soil for succulents and sand in equal proportions.
After 2-3 leaves appear, the shoot is transplanted into new soil, consisting of leaf soil, turf soil, sand (1: 1: 1).
The seedling is moved to a permanent place after 3 - 4 weeks.

It is possible to root cuttings of the tree of happiness in water, but with the obligatory addition of coal. It is more difficult for cuttings to take root in water, because the possibility of rotting cannot be ruled out.

Propagation of aichrizona by cuttings is more effective than seed propagation, since the seeds quickly lose their viability.

Signs and superstitions associated with flowers

The psychological climate in the family is determined by the state of the flower.

If the tree of love grows actively, blooms beautifully and on time, it means there is harmony in family relationships.
If a flower loses its leaves, they wither and the plant develops slowly, it is believed that there is negative energy in the house, and quarrels often arise that depress the plant. There is a reason to reconsider the behavior so that the flower does not die for no apparent reason.
A love flower is often given to newlyweds as a housewarming gift, so that prosperity, happiness and harmony reign in the new home along with the flower.
And if the flower of happiness blooms in a bachelor’s house, this means that a meeting with a soul mate is not far off, and this meeting will lead to strong family relationships.
A blooming aichrizon in a person who has just started a relationship indicates that the relationship should be confidently developed, everything will turn out well. If, on the contrary, the flower begins to fade, this is a warning: perhaps the candidate is not suitable.
Another quality of the flower of happiness is that it neutralizes negative energy, protecting the house and its residents from troubles and health problems.

Common mistakes when growing aichrizona

The big advantage of a succulent is that it is rarely attacked by insect pests. But mistakes when caring for airborne areas indoors can cause the following problems:

Pulling out shoots – the reason is a warm winter or lack of light. The solution is to rejuvenate the plant by shortening the elongated shoots. The tops of the shoots can be rooted.