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To decorate alpine slides, borders of flower beds and slopes, many flower growers use false stonecrop (Sedum spurium). The creeping succulent has gained popularity for its spectacular appearance and unpretentious care. Despite the fact that the mountain slopes of the Caucasus and subalpine meadows are considered the natural range of the plant, today sedum grows in more northern regions and has established itself as a frost-resistant species.
Description of stonecrop false
Sedum is a herbaceous perennial plant of the Tolstyankov family, with a creeping rhizome and highly branched fibrous roots. Its height is from 5 cm to 25 cm. The stems of the false stonecrop are located on the ground or slightly rise above it. On short (up to 6 cm) vegetative shoots, the leaves are crowded, on longer (up to 25 cm) – fertile stems, foliage with pubescence, rough.
The leaves of the sedum are fleshy, saturated green, opposite, 3 cm long. The shape of the plate is ovoid, with a blunt wedge-shaped end and a serrated edge in the upper part. Depending on the variety of stonecrop, the inflorescences are unevenly branched or in the form of shields-umbrellas.
A distinctive feature of the false stonecrop is the absence of leaves around the inflorescences. The diameter of the flowers is 1,5 cm. Their petals are pink or red, collected in a corolla.
Sedum forms straight, striped, woody fruits 1 mm long, united in 5 pieces. Seeds are small, numerous.
Varieties of false sedum
The plant looks decorative, even if it does not bloom. It is used not only to decorate the landscape, but also in folk medicine. The most popular are several varieties of stonecrop false.
Sedum false Blush
Stonecrop false “Blush” (Sedum spurium coccineum) refers to perennial plants. Its creeping shoots during the growing season form a very dense cushion of leaves and inflorescences.
Leaves of sedum “Blush” are obovate heart-shaped. Their color changes from deep green to a slight shade of red. Inflorescences are purple, in the form of umbrellas.
Stonecrop false variety “Rumyanets” is undemanding to the composition of the soil, it can grow on any soil, but it feels especially comfortable on a sandy substrate with a low lime content.
Sedum false “Blush” blooms for about 2 months, starting from mid-summer
Sedum false Purple
Stonecrop “Purple” (Sedum spurium purpurea) has another name – sedum grass. According to legend, the juice of this particular plant raised the sick Ilya Muromets, who had been sitting on the stove for 33 years, to his feet.
A perennial succulent from the Tolstyankov family grows in the form of a small bush, consisting of straight stems covered with dense leaves. Purple umbrellas of inflorescences attract attention due to their splendor and impressive size. The roots of the plant are fibrous, spreading over the surface of the soil shallowly. Strong stems up to 60 cm high grow in spring and die off in winter.
In the wild, Sedum “Purple” is found throughout Eurasia, except for the Arctic, is widely distributed in China and Japan, in the north of America.
Stonecrop false “Purple” has decorative and medicinal properties
Sedum false Raspberry
In adulthood, stonecrop reaches a height of 25 cm. Its dense, creeping shoots are covered with bright green leaves. One plant is able to spread over the surface of the earth by 50 cm, densely covering the soil with shoots and inflorescences. The leaf plates of the false “Raspberry” sedum (Sedum spurium Purple Carpet) are fleshy, 4 by 6 cm in size.
Flowering lasts about 2 months – from June to August. During this period, pink or crimson petals of inflorescences cover all plants so that neither stems nor leaves are visible. Growing sedum false “Raspberry” from seeds is not difficult, because after ripening, in the fall, they have a high germination rate.
Sedum false “Raspberry” is used to decorate terraces, arbors, as accent and background spots in the landscape
stonecrop false voodoo
A dense low carpet of slightly raised shoots forms a false stonecrop of the Voodoo variety (Sedum spurium Voodoo). Its stems are only 5 cm long, fleshy, creeping, with adventitious roots.
The variety is common in countries with a mild climate, grows on any soil, and even in rocky cracks.
Voodoo roots are creeping, superficial. The leaves are glossy, burgundy, with teeth along the edges. The color of the leaf plates changes gradually – from bright (spring) to pale (summer). Sedum “Vudu” flowers are bisexual, pink-crimson, up to 1,5 cm in diameter.
The succulent easily tolerates drought, as it accumulates moisture in the leaf plates for future use. Often it is used for decorating and landscaping sod roofs.
Stonecrop false “Vudu” is hardy, grows well both on the street and at home
Stonecrop false Tricolor
The variety of false sedum got its name for the triple color. The white stripe framing the green leaf plate turns pink in spring and autumn. The height of the perennial in adulthood is 15 cm. Medium-sized succulent leaves cover them tightly from top to bottom, forming a thick carpet.
Stonecrop false “Tricolor” looks good on slides or in containers
The flowers of the false “Tricolor” stonecrop (Sedum spurium Tricolor) are pale pink. The more sun on the site, the more abundant the stonecrop blooms. Sometimes in the general array of foliage stems appear in a monocolor – green or purple. Such shoots are advised to be removed in order to maintain the purity of the variety.
Planting and caring for stonecrop false
Sedum is an unpretentious plant. He needs maximum attention only in the first weeks after landing in a permanent place. Timely weeding will allow young plants to take root, strengthen and begin the growing season.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
To preserve the decorative effect and successful vegetation of sedum, it is necessary to carefully select the place of its landing. It must meet a number of requirements:
- Be well lit.
- Location – away from trees and shrubs.
- Free from fallen leaves.
False sedum will not die in the shade without sunlight, but its stems will stretch, the petals will become pale, unattractive, or flowering will stop altogether. Fallen leaves are removed so that it does not interfere with the growth of sprouts.
Rules of landing
The optimal time for planting stonecrop in the ground is from May to October. Its transfer to a later date reduces the likelihood of the formation of powerful roots and successful wintering of the plant.
To plant a succulent in the ground, you must:
- Prepare a hole 20 cm deep, 50 cm in diameter.
- Mix humus with sand in a ratio of 1 to 3.
- Fill the prepared planting hole with the mixture.
- Plant plants.
- Water them.
- Lay the soil around the plants with fine gravel or crushed stone.
Subject to the rules of planting and careful care, stonecrop is able to grow in one place for at least 5 years.
Watering and top dressing
Sedum is able to accumulate moisture in its leaf plates, in the stems. For this reason, it does not need frequent watering. In a humid climate, you can do without it at all if the ambient temperature reaches +25 ⁰С. Excess water leads to root rot and plant death.
False stonecrop planted in fertile soil does not require top dressing. The nutrients in the soil are quite enough, otherwise the plant will “get fat”, quickly begin to grow green mass, and stop blooming.
Sedum prefers to grow in sunny areas
If the soil is poor, stony, it is fertilized twice a season – a month after planting and immediately before flowering. For this purpose, a special fertilizer for succulents is used, containing a complex of micro and macro elements.
Reproduction of false sedum
In the wild, sedum seeds are carried everywhere by birds and small rodents. Gardeners propagate succulents in three ways.
With the help of cuttings
The method is one of the simplest and most reliable. A cutting 15 cm long is cut from the top of the shoot and planted in a pre-prepared moist, light substrate with a high sand content. The method is used from May to September.
Seeds
This technique is laborious, most often used by breeders. The best time for sowing is early spring.
Seeds are distributed evenly over the surface of the soil in boxes or pots. After moistening with a spray gun, cover with a film and harden at 5 ⁰С. After 3-4 days, the containers are transferred to a warm place (20 ⁰С). When shoots appear, seedlings dive into separate pots.
By dividing the bush
In early autumn or late spring, an adult mother plant is carefully dug up, the rhizome is divided into several fragments. Each of them should contain full-fledged roots and 2-3 live buds. The cut sites are disinfected, the plants are planted. As soon as new shoots appear, the old ones are cut out.
Diseases and pests of false sedum
The perennial rarely gets sick and is rarely damaged by pests, but under adverse weather conditions, insects may appear on some parts of the plant:
- aphid – sucks the juice from the leaves, they become sticky, covered with specks;
- thrips – damage the tops of the shoots;
- weevil – destroys young foliage and buds.
For their extermination, both folk methods (treatment with soapy water) and modern preparations (insecticides) are used.
High humidity or excessive watering often leads to the appearance of fungus on plants. All shoots on which dark spots are found are immediately cut off and disposed of.
Photo sedum false
Among the wide variety of varieties of false stonecrop, several of the most famous can be distinguished.
Sedum false “Blush” – a light-loving plant, it can stretch out in the shade
Sedum “Purple” inflorescences are green in spring, turn pink later and acquire a bright, saturated color at the end of summer.
In autumn, after the end of flowering, the foliage of the plant falls off, the stems of the “Raspberry” stonecrop are exposed
Stonecrop “Vudu” easily tolerates severe frosts, drought and poor nutrition.
The colors of sedum false “Tricolor” are brighter, the more sunlight the plant receives
Conclusion
By planting a false stonecrop, you can change the landscape design beyond recognition. The succulent will become the highlight of the garden, all the elements of which will sparkle in a new way thanks to its unusual appearance, brightness and rapid growth.
