Rejuvenated (stone rose)

Rejuvenated (Sempervivum) is a plant from the Tolstyankov family. In addition to it, another representative of the genus can be called so - caustic sedum. The Latin name of the flower means "forever alive" and is associated with the high vitality and unpretentiousness of this plant. Some representatives of this genus also carry the popular names "hare cabbage" and "stone rose", symbolizing the original appearance of the rosettes were rejuvenated.

Even in the days of the Roman Empire, the youth enjoyed great interest, it was believed that this plant is able to protect the house from lightning strikes, and there is even a legend that Charlemagne ordered all his subjects to plant this unusual plant on the roofs of their houses. Hence the name of its most widespread type - "roofing young", arose, however, it is worth noting that now almost no one grows this plant on their roofs.

The original shape of the leaf rosettes was rejuvenated and their color is incredibly beautiful, and perfectly complement the interior with decorativeness. There are about 50 types of stone roses, all of them in a wide variety of colors and shades. The combination of vitality with an interesting appearance made the rejuvenate a desirable flower for growing in an apartment and in a garden area.

Description rejuvenated

Rejuvenated is a perennial with fleshy stems and leaves. Its foliage forms a rosette that resembles a rosebud or a head of cabbage. The diameter of such a rosette can be up to 15 cm, but there are also tiny species in which it does not exceed 1 cm. The shape and color of the foliage of the young differ significantly depending on the type and variety of the plant. The leaf blades can be short or long, pointed or rounded at the end. Their main color is most often green, but can be complemented by many other colors: red, brownish, pink or white. There are also completely colored rejuvenates. Some varieties can change color from season to season. The color of plants may vary depending on the degree of illumination. Some species may have pubescence on the leaves.

Rejuvenated is considered a ground cover. The overgrown plantings of this plant resemble a solid carpet of rosettes. This property allows you to use a miniature "rose" in landscape design to decorate the site. Rosettes grow successfully in potted conditions: such plantings require little space.

In addition to decorative foliage, rejuvenation can also delight with its flowers. Flowering occurs only at adult rosettes older than 3 years. During this period, rather large shoots-peduncles grow on them, on which bright flowers of various colors bloom for a couple of months.Usually, the flowering of the young falls in the summer. But each outlet is capable of blooming only once in a lifetime. After that, it dies off, having managed to form one or more baby outlets.

Planting rejuvenated in open ground

If they plan to grow the young in the garden directly in the open field, it must be planted before September. During this time, the bush must have time to adapt to a new place and get stronger enough for the winter. To get planting material, you can purchase a ready-made plant or its seeds at the store.

Rejuvenated has an underdeveloped root system of small size. This allows the flower to live on literally any piece of land, including crevices between several stones. But the soil for its cultivation must be poor, preferably sandy, and have a slightly alkaline or neutral reaction. In the clay soil for the young, you will have to add sand, fine granite or expanded clay to ensure sufficient drainage. Places where water stagnates for a long time will not work for the flower. In such conditions, it will begin to rot. That is why it is necessary to choose a sufficiently dry and sunny place for planting rejuvenated. In the shade, its foliage will be much paler, and its growth rate will decrease. You should not cover such plants for the winter. Under cover, the planting can flush out.

Before planting rejuvenated, you need to thoroughly clean the garden of weeds. They will block the sun for the bushes. The distance between the seedlings should be calculated from the size of the rosettes. Large ones are distributed so that about 12 cm remains between them. For small outlets, this distance can be reduced to 5 cm. The voids are covered with mulch - small pebbles.

Caring for a stone rose in the garden

Gardeners fell in love with the stone rose for its ability to maintain leaf rosettes throughout almost the entire season, as well as for its "indifference" to frost, quality and quantity of soil. Although the youth is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, it still requires compliance with some rules of care:

• Outlets require sunlight to grow healthy. Typically, pots with juveniles are placed on the east or west side of the site or apartment. A sunny south side is also suitable. On the site, sockets can grow even in the sun.
• Household plants are kept only at above-zero temperatures. In the open ground, not all species of rejuvenated can survive the winter, although such plants tolerate the summer heat.
• Rejuvenated prefers medium humidity. But excessive dryness of the air will have a bad effect on the decorative qualities of the plant. Its shoots will become paler.
• Plantings react sharply to waterlogging. Rejuvenated needs only weekly watering in the warm season, and in winter this can be done 2 times less often. For a flower, soft filtered or settled water at room temperature is suitable. Drops should not fall on the foliage.
• The room with the plant should be ventilated. In the summer, it is advisable to keep the young in the air, taking the container with plants to the balcony or even transplanting it into the ground.
• The soil for growing a flower must be very poor; sand is usually taken as the basis of the substrate. In too nutritious soils, the bushes weaken, and the degree of their winter hardiness decreases.
• Due to the fact that the young loves low-nutrient soils, it is almost not required to fertilize such a plant. Young specimens do without feeding at all, older ones (from 3 years old and older) can be periodically watered with a solution of cow dung (1:10) or with a half dose of the composition for cacti.
• A container or a bed with rejuvenation should be periodically cleaned of weeds, as well as wilted leaves or peduncles. Weeding is especially important: any weeds can significantly slow down the growth rate of the young.

Rejuvenated at home

A stone rose can also be grown as an independent houseplant, only for this you need special care.

If the young will be grown at home, in a pot, several types of substrates are suitable for it.This succulent will grow well in a mixture of sand and peat (4: 1), equal proportions of sand and leafy soil, or in specialized soil for cacti. A little crushed chalk or sawdust can be added to the resulting substrate. Drainage must be laid at the bottom of the pot. Shallow but wide ceramic containers are best suited for rejuvenation.

Watering should be done rarely, in winter no more than two to three times a month, and in the warm season once a week. During irrigation, water should never get into the sockets. In spring and summer, it is advisable to put the plant on the balcony or the sunniest place in the apartment.

Young potted plants will need periodic (every 3 years) transplantation. Usually it is carried out when the diameter of the rosette of the plant is equal to the diameter of the pot itself. A drainage layer (up to 1/3 of the total volume) is laid on the bottom of the new tank, and then the selected soil. The rejuvenation is carefully removed from its original place, cleaned of the old soil and carefully examines its roots. Dried or diseased roots must be removed by sprinkling the cut with crushed coal or chalk. After this procedure, the young is transplanted into moist soil. At the same time, its roots must be carefully distributed over the pot. The bush should spend a week after transplanting in the shade. It should not be watered during this period.

Breeding methods rejuvenated

Rejuvenated can multiply in two ways: through rosettes or seeds.

Reproduction by rosettes

The fastest way to reproduce is rejuvenated. Due to the formation of rosettes-children, the flower can grow, forming living rugs. You can use the kids to get new copies yourself.

Such rosettes begin to form in specimens 2 years of age and older. Separate the children should be in the spring or summer, when the adult will fade young. They are carefully cut from the main plant, sprinkling the cut area with crushed coal or chalk. After that, the children should be seated, maintaining a distance of up to 10 cm. If the separated outlets do not yet have their roots, you should not worry, after such a transplant, they are formed very quickly. For a while, the sockets are able to exist peacefully without soil - this property allows you to send planting material by mail. But for successful survival in the chosen place, children need a sufficient amount of lighting, as well as warm weather.

Growing from seeds

Rejuvenated is rarely grown from seed, it takes too much time and labor. To get seeds at home or in the garden, two different rejuvenated plants need to bloom at the same time. But if desired, the seeds can be purchased at a flower shop. They have a very small dusty size. At the same time, the appearance of seedlings obtained from one specimen may differ.

Sowing begins in early spring or at the very end of February. For germination, use shallow containers with slightly moist soil of peat, sand and limestone. Cactus substrates can be used. Each seed is buried no more than 1 mm.

The containers are kept under the foil in a bright and warm place, being careful not to expose them to direct sunlight. The film should be removed daily for ventilation. The first shoots appear quickly enough - about the 4th day. In May, seedlings are planted in their own pots. By the middle of summer, they can be planted in the garden.

Sometimes on the site, the young can multiply by self-seeding. To prevent the uncontrolled spread of rosettes, the peduncles are cut off after the flowers wither.

Diseases and pests

Of all the diseases, the most young are prone to rot. The vigor of the flower does not extend to an overly humid environment. In damp soil, the rosettes begin to acquire a brown color, and then rot. It will be difficult to insure planting against a rainy summer, but the irrigation regime must correspond to the needs of the plant. Rare plant varieties can be further protected on rainy days by covering them with cut plastic bottles.So moisture will definitely not accumulate in the central part of the outlet.

The fleshy and strong leaves of the juvenile protect the plant from some garden pests, but its weak roots can become a target of insects. Among the main pests and diseases of the flower:

• Mealybugs. Their presence can be judged by clots of whitish bloom on the foliage of the plant, as well as in the center of its rosette. In addition, yellow spots may appear on the leaf blades. Such a bush must be washed with soap or alcohol solution, cleaned with warm water and treated with an appropriate insecticide. For reliability, after processing, you can withstand the outlet under a plastic bag for a couple of days. After a week, the procedure is repeated.
• Root worm. It appears as a waxy coating on foliage and drying shoots. If a potted plant is affected, the container with it is immersed in hot water for 15 minutes and then dried. If the method does not help, the outlet should be transplanted into a new pot with fresh soil.
• Root nematode. The leaves of the affected young plant turn yellow and dry up, and the roots are deformed, interfering with the development of the bush. Such a young fish is removed from the ground and its roots are kept in hot water for several minutes. After that, they are treated with a parasite remedy. For example, Lindane will do. The procedure is repeated after 2 weeks.
• Root rot. Fungal disease affecting the root system. It is necessary to treat such a young person in stages. All affected parts are removed from the bush, treating the sections with crushed chalk or activated carbon. After that, the roots of the bush are kept for about half an hour in potassium permanganate or a weak fungicidal solution. If there is a chance of survival of the plant, after processing it is moved to fresh soil.

Birds or beetle larvae feeding on the stems and roots of plants can also harm garden plantings of a stone rose. Birds should be scared away, and you can fight the larvae by transplanting the young to a more suitable place.

Types and varieties rejuvenated with photos and names

In nature, there are more than fifty species of rejuvenated. Such plants can be found in an impressive territory, from European countries to the Russian middle lane. On the basis of natural species, breeders have bred a wide variety of varieties. In gardening and home floriculture, the following types of juveniles are most often found:

Roofing (S. tectorum)

One of the oldest and most widespread species. The name Sempervivum tectorum is associated with a medieval belief. It was believed that such a youth was especially beloved by the god of thunder, so his bushes were planted on the roofs of houses to protect the house from lightning.

This species forms spherical rosettes about 5-15 cm in diameter. They are formed by thick bright green leaves colored red at the ends. The tips of the plates are pointed. In the middle of summer, flower stalks up to 60 cm high are formed. Lilac flowers bloom on them for about two months. Such rejuvenated is often used to decorate rockeries with different shades of stones.

Cobweb (S. arachnoideum)

This species of juvenile lives in the Caucasus, as well as in some Western European countries, choosing mountains for growth. Forms small rosettes with a diameter of no more than 4 cm. Due to their tiny size, it is recommended to plant these plants close enough to each other to create a continuous rug. The foliage of Sempervivum arachnoideum is colored in shades of green and red. At the same time, thin white threads are located at the edges of the leaf plates and in the middle of the rosette, enveloping the plant, like a cobweb. Flowering occurs in July.

Russian (S. ruthenicum)

It is found in the European territory of Russia, as well as in the regions of the Balkan Peninsula.

Sempervivum ruthenicum forms a rosette up to 7 cm in diameter. It is formed by elongated foliage of pale green color. The tips of the leaf plates are pointed and colored red. In the second half of summer, it forms peduncles up to 35 cm in height, yellow flowers open on them. Flowering lasts about 1.5 months.

Escaping (S. soboliferum)

The species lives in Russia and some Western European countries. Sempervivum soboliferum forms medium rosettes about 6 cm in diameter. The foliage is colored bright green, turning red at the tips. There are short light cilia along the edges of the leaves. Flowering begins in summer and lasts about 1.5 months. During this period, small yellow flowers bloom on low (up to 20 cm) peduncles.

Spherical (S. Globiferum)

Lives in the eastern regions of Turkey, as well as in the Caucasus mountains. S. Globiferum has bright green rosettes with a reddish tint at the ends of the leaf blades. The diameter of each rosette reaches 5 cm. The foliage has pointed tips and is decorated with cilia. During the flowering period towards the end of summer, the bush forms yellow flowers.

Caucasian (S. Caucasicum)

Such rejuvenated foliage has a purple hue. Rosettes of S. Caucasicum usually do not exceed 5 cm in diameter and are pointed at the edges of the leaves. Flowers appear on peduncles about 20 cm long. They usually form by the end of summer.

Mountain (S. Montanum)

Distributed in the highlands of Western and Central European countries. S. Montanum forms very small (no more than 2 cm) oblong rosettes of dark green foliage. There are cilia at its edges, and the tips are pointed. Peduncles of this species are also compact (no more than 7 cm). Small pink-lilac flowers bloom on them.

Cassiopeia (S. Cassiopea)

The species is notable for its cold resistance. S. cassiopea can tolerate even severe frosts and can be grown even in regions with harsh winters. The species also has a decorative feature: in autumn its foliage turns green, and in spring and summer it turns red.

Palisander (S. Palisander)

The species forms 6 cm rosettes. S. Palisander stands out with its red foliage. Flowering occurs in June.

Pharaoh (S. Faraon)

A hybrid variety. S. Faraon has very bright light green rosettes with burgundy purple leaf tips. Their diameter can be up to 10 cm.

Other popular rejuvenated hybrid varieties also include:

• Orion. Forms 6 cm rosettes with light cilia. Peduncles reach 20 cm in height.
• A princess. Forms graceful raspberry-green rosettes.
• Reinhard. Green-leaved variety with contrasting maroon tips of leaf plates.
• Rose Madchen. The German spider variety was rejuvenating. Forms small pinkish-green rosettes covered with white fluff.
• Ruby. Variety with burgundy red rosettes.
• Sirius. A fairly large variety with red-green foliage.
• Yulia. Hybrid variety with a gray color of elongated foliage.

Rejuvenated in landscape design

The original and attractive appearance of the stone rose rosettes makes it an excellent component of many garden ideas. One of the most popular solutions is planting young among the stones. You can surround a large stone with rosettes, use them to decorate a rock garden or rockery.

With these plantings, you can frame garden paths and stairs, as well as decorate garden figures. For ennobling the site, young planted in pots is also suitable. They are positioned as effectively as possible, creating different patterns from plants. Low roofs of houses or sheds today are often turned into a home for ground covers, including using young people for this.

Rejuvenated can perfectly fit into an ordinary flower bed. But they try to plant it next to the same low plants that will not block the "stone rose" sunlight. Usually they try to combine it with saxifrage, stonecrop or mosses. You can create a composition from different types of rejuvenated. Thanks to the compact roots, sockets can be planted literally in any container, beating old garden tools (buckets, pots) or special flowerpots.

The healing properties of the rejuvenated

In addition to high decorative qualities, rejuvenation is also considered a healing plant. Parts of it are able to have anti-inflammatory and healing effects. Plant sap has similar qualities to aloe sap.Especially often in the composition of folk remedies, the foliage of a blooming roofing youth is used. Such a set of properties makes rejuvenated an excellent flower for garden or home cultivation.