Succulent plants seem to have risen siginificantly in popularity recently, but despite this many people are still unaware of these amazing plants.
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So what is a succulent? Succulents are plants that store water - in their leaves, stems or their roots. This wide definition means this group is incredibly diverse. Most succulents store moisture in their leaves and these tend to be fleshy and thick.
Are succulents really cacti? Though all cacti are succulents, not all succulents are cacti. For a plant to be a cactus it must belong to the Cactaceae family, a family of 127 genera and over 1700 known species. To be a succulent you just need to store water.
Succulents tend to thrive in very dry climates and they don’t like humidity. Correct watering techniques will ensure good growth and beautiful flowering. Even succulents need water to survive, but they can go easily through long periods of drought, relying on the water and nutrients they have stored.
Succulent plants prefer warm temperatures and suffer badly with frosts. Freezing will often cause the plant to die and the leaves to go mushy and rot.
Some of the most popular succulents include:
Aloe vera – This plant has sap that has been used to treat sunburn and wounds for hundreds of years. It has prickly teeth along the leaf margins so needs to be kept where you won’t accidentally brush against it. The soil needs to dry out between waterings and this plant should never sit in water. It likes direct sunlight.
Sempervivum species – often called Hen and Chicks, this is a very popular genus and a big group of plants with 3000 named cultivars in a wide range of sizes and colours. They are quite frost-resistant and easy to grow in rock gardens. Hen and Chicks like full sun and hate damp conditions. Make sure they are planted in a free-draining mix.
Euphorbia milii – the Crown of Thorns. This little treasure can flower most of the year if it gets enough light. This succulent likes a bit more water than some of the other succulents, so when it’s flowering only let the top third of the pot dry out between waters. If your Crown of Thorns loses all its leaves, you probably let it dry out completely. More often than not it will grow new leaves within a month as soon as you rectify the water problem.
Diary
If you’ve been thinking about studying horticulture, Wodonga TAFE has a Certificate III in Horticulture course timetabled to begin at the end of February 2018 running Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Visit, www.wodongatafe.edu.au/courses/AHC30716/Certificate-III-in-Horticulture.
