Crassula of the Nile. Fat woman minor - home greenhouse decoration
Crassula minor (crassula minor)- an artificially bred variety, which is a type of crassula ovata. The leaves of the plant are quite small - no more than 1.5 centimeters in length and 1 centimeter in width. They have an oblong shape. The coloring is very interesting, which allows you to complement any garden compositions with a fat woman - the edges of the leaf are framed in red at the top and bottom, and the middle of the leaf is dark green. Depending on the lighting, the houseplant changes its shade.
The trunk of a young fat woman is green, fleshy and soft. Over time, when the lower leaves die, it becomes bare and stiff. This property of the plant allows, as it grows, to form miniature trees from it.
Home care
Growing a healthy and beautiful "money tree", which, according to many popular beliefs, attracts financial well-being to the house, is impossible without proper care for it. These are elementary actions that will not take much time, but will provide the plant with the necessary nutrients and create comfortable conditions for growth.
Landing
After purchasing Crassula minor, it should be transplanted into suitable soil. Usually they take ready-made soil for cacti or prepare the substrate on their own: 1 part of peat, leaf and sod land and 0.5 parts of sand. The soil must be well drained, for this, small broken bricks or charcoal are poured into the pot.
The choice of the pot itself depends on the diameter of the crown of the plant. Fat women prefer shallow, but wide containers, their root system is small and does not need space.
The usual transplantation of Crassula minor is carried out annually in the spring by transshipment, keeping a piece of earthy coma at the roots.
Watering
The fat woman needs specific watering. Excessive fluid intake can lead to the death of the "money tree". Moisten the soil only when it has dried out to a depth of more than 3 centimeters.
From spring to the end of autumn, the fat woman minor is watered 1 time in 1-2 weeks. as soon as the soil needs it. In winter, when the plant is transferred to a cool room, it needs to moisten the soil mixture only once a month.
You should not allow the earthen clod to dry out, so that the roots of the crassula are not damaged. If the plant does not have enough moisture, it immediately becomes noticeable on the darkened leaves, which wrinkle and stop shining.
Excessive moisture threatens to rot the root system and stem.
Pruning and crown shaping
Crassula minor lends itself easily to crown formation. This allows you to make it a real decoration for a home mini-garden. As soon as 3-4 pairs of leaves grow on a branch, the next hatched bud is pinched off. At this place, 3-4 buds are again formed, and the plant will begin to branch in different directions.
Long branches of the fat woman can be cut. To do this, he uses a sharp knife or blade, and the cut must be sprinkled with wood or crushed activated charcoal.
Air humidity
Crassula minor, like all members of the succulent family, does not react to air humidity and does not need to be sprayed on the leaves. Irrigation can only be used as a way to wash the crown from dust.
Fertilizer and top dressing
In winter, the fat woman minor is fed with universal fertilizer or cactus nutrient solution, using half the dose. It is enough to carry out the manipulation once a month to provide the plant with the necessary supply of excipients. In spring and summer, fertilize with a full dose of 1 time in 3 weeks.
Light mode
Crassula minor is photophilous. In the summer, from the scorching sun, it should be shaded to avoid burns on the crown. In winter, the plant is placed in a well-lit place or illuminated with a lamp to compensate for the lack of natural light.
Thermal regime
Crassula is a heat-loving plant. In summer, a comfortable temperature for Crassula is 20-25 degrees above zero. In winter, the succulent should be provided with a lower temperature - up to 15 degrees, so that the plant overwinter well.
Reproduction methods
Crassula propagate by cuttings and leaves. These are the simplest ways to guarantee the rooting and further growth of the plant.
The krasula leaf is torn off and placed in water for a day. Then it is transferred to a pot and sprinkled with earth. Watering is plentiful.
Propagation by cuttings is no less simple. The stalk is separated from the plant, dried for 1-2 days and placed in a mixture of earth and sand or in a prepared mixture for cacti. The first watering is carried out after 3 days, allowing the plant to adapt a little. The next moistening of the soil is carried out as it dries.
Bloom
The "money tree" blooms only in the tenth or twelfth year of life. The plant shoots an arrow with small flowers. This phenomenon can be observed only in the summer.
Insecticides sold in stores will help get rid of pests. Their chemical composition is destructive for pests, but safe for the plant.
It is much more difficult to get rid of the fungus that has affected the root system. The reason for its appearance and spread may be excessive watering with cold water immediately from the tap. If fungal damage is detected, the fat woman should be pulled out of the pot, the roots should be freed from the earthy clod, washed, treated with special antifungal agents and transplanted into a new soil mixture.
Crassula minor requires human assistance for proper development and growth. This miniature and original plant will be a bright addition to the garden of "living stones" of succulents or will delight the eye with a single shaped tree.
Photo
The Tolstyankov family contains three hundred species of succulent plants. They differ in size, color, type of base of leaves or basal rosettes, shape of inflorescences, petals from bluish-white to yellow and red shades. Care is simple, and the pleasure of growing, forming a crown justifies the time spent. To ensure the healthy existence of Crassula, its properties and varietal characteristics are taken into account.
Variety of indoor succulents
Some plants live in greenhouses. The conditions in them are close to natural, it is difficult to care for Crassula. Others withstand the specified parameters of maintenance in standard apartments. Crassules are divided into groups according to common features and properties:
- decorative flowering;
- columnar;
- ground cover;
- treelike.
Numerous and recognizable among indoor representatives is Crassula (money tree). Rare specimens are found among collectors. Having got acquainted with them, they choose and plant a suitable plant.
Recognized varieties and their features
| Group name | View | Description | Photo |
| Decorative flowering | Crassula Crimson (C. Coccinea) | Weakly branched shrub. Leaves 16–26 cm long, opposite, fused. Umbrella lush inflorescences are dark red, bloom in June. | |
| Schmidt's fat woman (C. Schmidtii) | Height up to 12 cm, the lower leaves are in the form of a rosette, the upper ones are narrow and long, green with a reddish tinge. In European countries, they are used as an annual, after flowering they are thrown away. |  |
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| Crassula crescent (C.falcata Wendl) | On the tops of meter-long stems, red inflorescences bloom annually in July-August. Thick leaves of a curved shape with blunt ends wrap around the stem with fused bases. |  |
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| Treelike (money tree) | Crassula Ovata, ovoid, oval (C. Ovata) | A thick, erect trunk grows at home up to 0.5–1.0 m tall. The crown is branched, the leaves are 2-3 cm, oval shiny. The green color in the sun is complemented by a reddish rim. Blooms in autumn. |  |
| Fat Hobbit (C. Hobbit) | A miniature tree with a powerful trunk up to half a meter high. Leaves 3-4 cm long everted and fused, expanding towards the end. The color is juicy, green (turning yellow in the sun) with a red top. |  |
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| Crassula Sunset (C. Ovata cv. Hummel's Sunset) | Decorative variety of oval fat woman. The green of the leaves is diluted with yellow shades, along the edges with a red border. Turns green in low light. Blooms after seven years of cultivation. |  |
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| Fatty Minor (C.ovate Minor) | Dwarf form, grows slowly, capricious care. The leaves are reddish, up to one and a half centimeters long, 0.5 - 1 cm wide. |  |
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| Ground cover (mossy, creeping, lycopsform) | Crassula Springtime (Crassula SpringTime) | Ampelous succulent with shoots up to 0.4 m, covered with green leaves. Blooms in white and pinkish hues. Easy to grow perennial, so it is used to cover the ground near large flowers. |  |
| Crassula muscosa (Crassula muscosa) | Upright herbaceous stems 25-30 cm actively grow. Triangular leaves are small, mossy, about 0.4 cm long, densely arranged in the form of a tile. The coloring is decorative, from green to bronze. In July-August, small whitish flowers appear. |  |
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| Columnar | Crassula rock or broadleaf (C. Rupestris) | Perennial herbaceous plant with creeping shoots. Height - 0.6 m, the leaves are thick ovate, 1-2 cm long and wide, the edges are reddening. |  |
| Crassula perforated or Perforate Variegata (C.perforata Variegata) | The stems of the bush tightly clasp the triangular leaves. The color changes with the season, from green through yellow to pink and red. In summer, the plant is kept in partial shade. |  |
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| Crassula Buddha's Temple | A large erect perennial of square columns, densely covered with upward curved triangular dark green leaves. After growing above 0.15 m, it falls apart. It grows slowly, two to five centimeters a year. Petals are white-pink, buds are red. Flowering time is variable. |  |
A necessary condition for the well-being of succulents is full sunlight and low watering. They are not picky, and a beginner will be able to grow a healthy eye-pleasing flower.
House keeping rules
For the harmonious development of the Fat Woman, a bright light is needed. She is so ready for this that she has defense mechanisms in case of an overabundance. In mid-latitude conditions, the flower is placed under direct sunlight and aired, in the spring they are taken out to the balcony or garden, sheltered from the rain.
Thick fleshy leaves contain a supply of moisture, so in summer the earth is watered when the surface layer dries two to three times a week, in cold weather - when the leaves lose their elasticity. Winter maintenance in the house is a test for a flower, during this period it suffers from a lack of light.
It is necessary to create such conditions under which the succulent would not start growing and retain its decorative effect. For this purpose, a drought is arranged from November to March, watered with visible wilting. The window sill with a temperature of 6–15 ° C becomes the habitat for this time, minus values are dangerous.
Growing in offices or apartments under artificial lighting is not effective, the intensity of the rays is so low compared to what is required that the plants stretch out, lose their attractive appearance and die. The only acceptable option is to store until spring at a cool window without watering.
Crassula is transplanted when the volume of the pot is completely filled with roots. To stimulate flowering, this operation is repeated at least once every two years. A larger pot is selected, drainage is poured up to 10–15 cm. The succulent is transferred into a new container and the voids along the walls are filled with fresh soil. Pre-cut long roots. To maintain compactness, they do not transplant, but replace the top layer annually.
Formation of the money tree
Pinching the tree-like Crassula begins during growth, so that hemp does not form when pruning thick shoots. The shape of the top depends on the pot. In a large container, the roots grow intensively, the trunks stretch out, become thinner and weaker. To avoid this, choose a low pot with a diameter equal to the size of the crown.
Upon reaching a height of 12–15 cm, the top two leaves are removed, and four will appear instead. This is done with newly formed rudiments, for branching and crown density. At the same time, the tops of long or irregularly growing shoots are cut off to obtain a spherical or oval shape.
According to the plan, one trunk is left or a plant is formed with several shoots. Creating a bonsai-style tree, flower growers bend, tie up, give the right direction. Branches stretched out over the winter are shortened in the spring to a predetermined size.
How to care for purchased plants?
Many of the store flowers are of Dutch origin. They are grown in greenhouses, where peat is used instead of soil. These plants are treated with growth stimulants, an exorbitant amount of substances and fertilizers are applied to suppress pathogenic microflora.
When moving the purchased succulent to the store, then the conditions of detention change for the buyer. Peat is difficult to wet thoroughly, and after drying, the water bypasses the middle of the coma, flows down along the walls of the pot. Waterlogged substrate provokes rotting of the root system. It is dangerous to intensively feed the Crassula at room conditions, it threatens with death, and without top dressing in poor soil, she starves. Nitrogen fertilizers are not applied, from this the appearance of the bush worsens.
The plant bought in the winter is not disturbed, but in the spring it is certainly transplanted. Peat is completely removed, rotten and dead roots are cut out. Succulents acquired during the growing season are transplanted immediately or cuttings are taken from them for propagation. If there is no growth, the mother plant is discarded.
Phytosporin is used as a preventive measure; with a developing process, it will no longer give the desired result.
A serious danger is represented by diseases that affect the roots. Fungal rots develop gradually under cool conditions, bacterial rots develop rapidly in warm conditions, the plant dies within a few days. If mold or water spots appear, damaged fragments are immediately removed. If the base of the trunk is damaged, the upper part is cut off and rooted.
Features of reproduction Crassula
Succulents are bred with lateral shoots, leaves and seeds. Some species grow aerial roots on trunk fragments, which simplifies the task. Each of the practiced methods finds admirers depending on the indications for use and personal preferences.
Some like to pollinate flowers, collect seeds on their own and feel like a breeder, others like to go the easy way and buy ready-made samples from professionals. The impatient choose the accelerated vegetative method.
Reproduction by cuttings and leaves
When cutting, parts of the plant are left on the window to dry the damaged tissues for 5–30 days to avoid further decay, then planted in the ground (perlite, vermiculite, sand), placed in a room with diffused light. Stem cuttings root in one to four weeks. Water after the topsoil dries out. To stimulate root formation, Kornevin or Heteroauxin is used, although this is not necessary.
When propagated by a leaf, it is broken off entirely, placed on the loosened surface of the soil of an adjacent pot. After 10–20 days, roots form, followed by reproduction buds that were already in the rudiment at the base of the leaf.
A rosette grows in two to three months. She uses the nutrients of the maternal part. As the baby takes root, the leaf dies off. If breeding was carried out in sand, vermiculite or perlite, young plants are transplanted into the ground after taking root. It is bought in a specialized store or made independently in the following proportions:
- 1 part of garden land + an equal amount of decomposed grassroots peat;
- soil suitable for garden flowers in half with coarse river sand;
- any substrate mixed with black peat and perlite, vermiculite or foam chips in equal proportions.
The diameter of the pots is 5-7 cm, watered after the substrate has completely dried. Within six months, a young crassula grows. Succulents successfully breed from spring to late summer. Autumn and winter cuttings suffer from lack of light and rot in damp soil.
If the mother leaf is torn off without a growth point, it is overgrown or old, rooting will not take place!
Breeding by sowing
Seeds are ordered from domestic collectors, in foreign online stores or brought from afar. Most often, outlandish plant varieties are acquired in this way.
When propagating by sowing, the main task is the destruction of microflora, succulents are unstable to pathogenic microorganisms of fertile land. To do this, pounded coal is added to the poor composition, steamed for half an hour in a water bath (heated in an oven or microwave).
Containers (transparent containers tightly closed with a lid) that provide the seedlings with the necessary moisture are sterilized, filled with a treated soil mixture. The seeds are dusty, so they are scattered on the surface. Coarse-grained sand is bought at an aquarium store.
Place the dishes under bright lamps with low heat, suitable - modern economical high power. They are kept on twelve hours a day. Seedlings appear on the 5-14th day. After 1-3 months, the sockets are seated and placed on a sunny window. For different species, the period of development of a full-fledged plant is from six to twenty-four months.
The seeds of most Crassuls are rapidly losing their germination, while others either do not set them, or varietal characteristics are not transmitted during reproduction. In this situation, cuttings will be a reasonable way out.
Exotic plants bloom brightly, leaf blades differ in shape and shades, the appearance is diverse. But for the manifestation of varietal decorativeness and the preservation of health, they expect attentive care from the grower and the fulfillment of maintenance requirements.
The genus Crassula (Crassula) is quite numerous, it is distinguished by a variety of species. Most of them belong to the succulents of the Crassula family, of which there are more than 350 species in nature. They grow in the driest places on our planet. The more difficult the living conditions, the more bizarre their appearance, the more interesting their color and the more unusual the flowers. Crassula grows in Madagascar and in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. Most fat women in South Africa. Translated from Latin, "Crassula" means "thick". The leaves of the Crassula justify the name of the flower - they are fleshy and thick. According to external signs, different types and varieties of fat women are very different from each other. Among them there are very tiny plants, but there are also giant trees, up to several meters in height. But all species also have similarities - this is the opposite arrangement of leaves on the stem and the absence of dissection of leaf plates. Moreover, each pair of leaves is located at right angles to the previous pair. The flowers of Crassula of various colors are usually small in size and collected in inflorescences. The number of stamens and the number of petals are the same.
All types of Crassula have arsenic in the juice of the leaves. Eating leaves is life-threatening!
Many types of Crassula do well in our apartments, but some are cultivated only in greenhouses. The most common types of fat women in indoor floriculture can be divided into three groups: tree-like, creeping (ground cover) and spike-shaped (columnar). Let's consider each type in turn.
Tree Crassula
Because of the leaves that look like coins, tree-like Crassula is called differently in different countries: “Silver Tree”, “Silver Dollar”, “Coin Tree”, “Tree of Happiness”. We have taken root such names - "Money Tree" or Fat Woman.
This group includes the most popular types of fat women due to their unpretentiousness and spectacular appearance. Grown in the form of bonsai, mini-trees with a beautiful crown and a thick fleshy stem can decorate the interior of any room.
Here are the most common tree-like varieties of Crassula (Fat Woman, Money Tree) in indoor floriculture:
Oval or Ovata (Ovata)
Crassula Ovata (Crassula Ovata)
Ovata is the most unpretentious, shade-tolerant and, therefore, the most common variety of Crassula in amateur floriculture. She hails from South Africa. The height of the tree is from 60 cm to one meter. Its woody stem is highly branched. Over time, it turns brown. Evergreen glossy, often with reddish edges, leaves grow without petioles, in the form of an ellipse. They are up to 5 cm long, up to 2.5 cm wide. The underside of the leaves has a reddish tint. Thick numerous leaves are able to retain a large amount of moisture. An adult plant blooms in the autumn-winter period. Small flowers in the form of stars have a white-pink color. Ovata withstands a temperature drop of up to 10 degrees, even short-term weak frosts are unimportant to her.
Purslane (Portulacea)
Crassula Portulaca (Crassula Portulacea)
Crassula Portulaca is a variety of Ovata and is similar in many ways to it. It is also a very common species in home floriculture. It is distinguished by the presence of aerial roots on the trunk and branches, first white, and darkening over time. It blooms only in adulthood and then not always. Its small flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences. The color of the petals is white and pink.
Silver (Argentea)
Silver Crassula (Crassula Argentea)
Another type of Ovata. It differs in that the green surface of the leaf plates is covered with light specks. And the leaves have a silver sheen.
Ovata Minor
Crassula Ovata Minor (Crassula Ovata Minor)
This is a compact form. Her "Crosby's Compact" variety is much smaller than the natural variety. The young plant has a fleshy green trunk that becomes woody over time. Oblong small dark green leaves have a red border around the edges. Their size does not exceed 1.5 cm in length, 1 cm in width. The flower grows slowly and looks great in mini-gardens.
Ovata Oblique (Ovata var. Oblique)
Crassula Ovata Oblique (Crassula Ovata var. Oblique)
This is a less common form of Ovata. It differs in pointed, with a slightly raised tip and slightly curved down sides, leaves. The leaves are slightly larger than those of Ovata.
Ovata Oblique Tricolor (Ovata var. Oblique cv. Tricolor) and Ovata Oblique Solana (Ovata var. Oblique cv. Solana).
Crassula ovata var. Oblique cv. Solana
These hybrids are a variety of Crassula Obliqua. The tricolor has white stripes on a bright red border. Solana leaves are decorated with bright yellow stripes, which are arranged asymmetrically. Their number varies in different shoots. On some leaves, chlorophyll-free areas are absent altogether. We recommend removing completely green shoots so that the flower does not lose its variegation and decorative effect.
Milky (Lactea)
Crassula Milky (Сrassula Lactea)
This is a rather large shrub (up to 60 cm) with rather large leaves, decorated with white dots along the edge. And the Tolstyanka Dairy blooms with thick white panicles. Hence the name of the species.
Hobbit and Gollum
These hybrids were obtained by US breeders in the 70s of the last century from crossing Crassula Ovat and Milky. They are similar to each other. They have the original shape of the leaves. The leaves of the Hobbit are turned outward and fused from the base to the middle, while the leaves of Gollum are completely rolled into a tube with funnel-shaped expanding tips. The nature of growth and size of the tree is the same as that of the ordinary species of Crassula Ovata, only their trunks are even more branched. Hybrids are very decorative, suitable for creating bonsai. They have several variegated forms.
Ovata Sunset (Ovata cv. Hummel's Sunset)
Crassula ovata cv. Hummel’s Sunset
This hybrid has leaves decorated with white or yellow stripes and a pronounced red border around the edge. The Dutch variety of Ovata bought under this name with very beautiful yellow-red leaves may disappoint you, since the color of the leaves retains its original color only under constant bright light, which can be arranged in greenhouses, and at home, usually, the leaves become just green .
Tree (Arborescens)
Crassula Arborescens (Crassula Arborescens)
This large tree, up to 1.5 m in height, has almost round leaves (7 cm long and 5 cm wide). The color of the leaves is bluish-gray, along the edge there is a narrow red border. The underside of the leaves is reddish. Leaf plates are often covered with dark speckles. The flower is very decorative, in appearance it resembles Crassula Ovata, but it is more demanding in care - it loves good lighting and does not tolerate waterlogging of the roots at all. At home, it rarely blooms with small white flowers. A miracle can happen if you guess with the location of the pot (the western side of the apartment is preferable to others), with lighting and watering. But even without flowers, the decoration of the flower is its juicy, fleshy, glossy, leaves.
Ground cover (creeping) Crassula
These are herbaceous plants that grow very quickly and cover the space allotted to them with a carpet.
Lycopodoides (Lycopodioides)
Crassula Lycopodioides (Crassula Lycopodioides)
This species is markedly different from others. A small bush (not higher than 25 cm) is very similar to a bizarre coral or club moss. It reproduces well, quickly gives a lot of shoots, which literally fall out of the pot in a matter of weeks. Shoots are creeping, tetrahedral, fleshy, their tops are slightly raised upwards. In appearance, the flower looks like a club moss - hence the name. Thin and pointed leaves in the form of small scales are folded in four rows and fit snugly to the trunk and to each other. From a distance, the stems resemble green ribbed worms. In intense light, they acquire a reddish tint. This Crassula blooms with small white flowers-stars, inconspicuous in appearance. Grows well in the shade. Unpretentious. Often used as a groundcover in gardens, as a green lawn. It also serves as an excellent beautiful background for other flowers, gets along with any kind of plants.
False Lycopodoides (C. Lycopodioides ssp. Pseudolycopodioides)
Crassula Lycopodioides (Crassula Lycopodioides ssp. Pseudolycopodioides)
It is a kind of Lycopsoid. Differs in more curved stems and less pressed to the stem leaves. Stem plates are more splayed and, depending on the variety of Crassula, may have a variegated, silvery or yellow color.
Tetrahedral (Tetralix)
Crassula Tetralix (Crassula Tetralix)
Tetrahedral Crassula has fleshy, awl-shaped leaves with a pointed tip. Leaves are up to 4 cm long and 0.4 cm thick. They are located along the entire stem at a short distance from each other. Its stems are abundantly overgrown with brown aerial roots, designed to capture moisture from the air. This semi-shrub is easy to shape into a small showy tree.
Spot (Ricturata)
Crassula Spotted (C. Picturata)
Very decorative look. It has lodging, strongly branching shoots. Leaf size up to 1.5 cm long and 0.8 cm wide. The green surface of the leaves is covered with red dots, and on the reverse side - purple-red. Thin transparent cilia are placed along the edges. Crassula Dotted is used as an ampelous plant.
Offspring (Sarmentosa)
Crassula Sarmentosa (Crassula Sarmentosa)
This small, perennial, abundantly branching herbaceous plant has pointed leaves, which are decorated with teeth along the edges. In addition, the edge of the sheet is often variegated: red or light green. Stems up to one meter long quickly spread over the territory allotted for the plant and take root easily, giving life to new shoots. Shoots reach a meter in length, and leaves - 3.5 cm. Flowers from 5 to 8 mm in diameter are collected in panicles of white or cream color.
Crassula Round or Rosette (C. Orbicularis / Rosularis)
Crassula Round or Rosette (Crassula Orbicularis/Rosularis)
This is a perennial herb. In appearance, it resembles an aeonium - its leaves are collected in rosettes that look like flowers. They are fleshy, light green in color, with pointed reddish tips. The length of the leaf barely reaches 2.5 cm. The plant branches profusely and quickly occupies the area allotted for it.
Spike-shaped (columnar, columnar) Crassula
This group of fat women got its name because of its unusually picturesque structure. These are upright bushes with little or no branching stems. Their paired leaves grow together at their bases and cover the stem in such a way that it seems that they are tightly strung on the stem.
Perforate (Perforata)
Crassula Perforata (Crassula Perforata)
This small plant has diamond-shaped leaves that are arranged in pairs, grow together at the base and cover the stem. The arrangement of the leaves is cruciform. The stem is sparsely branched and rigid. The leaves are light green in color with a bluish bloom and a red border around the edge. The length of the leaf is up to 2 cm. The length of the trunk is up to 20 cm, and the diameter of the trunk with leaves is about 3 cm. Flowering occurs in winter. Numerous small white flowers are collected in dense inflorescences at the top of the shoot. Perforate can be grown as an ampelous plant.
Perforate Variegata (C. perforata Variegaga)
Crassula Perforata Variegata (Crassula Perforata Variegaga)
This is a type of Perforate. Young leaves have bright yellow stripes along the edge or in the middle, while older ones, at the bottom of the trunk, are completely green. In spring, the whole plant turns green.
Grouped (Socialis)
Grouped Crassula (Crassula socialis)
This low-growing perennial herbaceous plant has thin, highly branched stems, on which leaf rosettes are densely arranged. The leaves are rounded, small, smooth, flat, up to 5 mm in length. Their color is bluish green. Thin cilia are placed along the edge of the leaf blade. Crassula Clustered grows well, forming a dense cushion. Inflorescences are at the tops of the shoots. The flowers are white-pink, small.
Rock (Rupestris)
This tall plant has creeping or erect stems up to 50 cm high. Its shoots are herbaceous at first, and become tree-like in adulthood. They spread horizontally, only slightly pulling up the tops of the shoots. With the right appropriate pruning, this subshrub can make a beautiful looking bonsai. Its leaves are dense, smooth, depending on the variety - in the form of a rhombus or ovoid, up to 2.5 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. The leaves are placed on the stems in pairs and crosswise. Due to the fact that the petioles are absent, and the bases of the leaves are fused and tightly clasped around the stem, the bush looks very decorative - it seems as if the leaves are strung on stems like beads. The color of the leaf plates is usually light green with a blue tint. A dotted or continuous strip of reddish-rusty color runs along the edge. Crassula Rocky blooms in the summer with pink or yellowish fragrant umbrellas.
Cooper (Cooperi)
Cooper's Crassula (Crassula Cooperi)
This is a miniature groundcover. Its height is not higher than 15 cm. The leaves have a sharp top with a large villus in the center, the edge of the sheet has sparse villi. The color of the leaves is unusual - brown-green with brown spots. The leaves are arranged in a spiral on the stem. The top of each stem of Crassula Cooper is crowned with an inflorescence of small, white or pink flowers. Flowering is long.
Temple of the Buddha (cv. Buddha`s Temple)
Crassula cv. Buddha`s Temple
Crassula Temple of the Buddha is an upright, almost non-branching plant, forming compact square dark green columns of leaves tightly pressed to the stem. The tip of each leaf is curved upward, making the column resemble the roof of a Chinese pagoda. It grows slowly, no more than 3-5 cm per year. The leaves are paired, fused at the base, juicy, triangular. Their length is about 1 cm, the width at the base is up to 2.5 cm. As the shoot develops, the leaves stack tightly one on top of the other. Quadrangular columns of regular shape are formed. If you look at the bush from above, it looks like a square or a cross. Under comfortable conditions, red buds form in dense short apical inflorescences of the plant. The flowers appear pinkish, almost white, sterile.
Monstrosa (Lycopodioides monstrosa)
Crassula Monstrosa (Crassula Lycopodioides Monstrosa)
It has an abnormal growth of stems, like in comb-shaped forms of cacti - the shoots grow asymmetrically, with kinks. Their thickness does not exceed 0.5 cm. They are covered with small (2x2 mm) scaly triangular yellowish-green leaves.
Deceptor
Crassula Deceptor (Crassula Deceptor)
This is a low (up to 10 cm) bush with very short, thick and tetrahedral leaves (1.5 cm). The stem is completely hidden under densely planted greenish-gray leaves with silvery patches.
Decorative blooming Crassula
Finally, we will introduce you to some decorative flowering varieties of Crassula, which annually delight their owners with colorful flowering.
Crescent (Falcata)
Crassula Falcata (Crassula Falcata)
Crassula crescent is a semi-shrub with a straight, slightly branched stem. It reaches a meter in height. It has crescent-shaped grey-green leaves. They are juicy, fleshy, at the base - fused and clasping the stem. Their length is about 10 cm. It blooms in July - August with bright red-orange flowers, which are collected at the top of the shoot in large, up to 20 cm in diameter, umbrella inflorescences. The peculiarity of the variety is that after flowering, the top of the shoot is removed to well-developed leaves. They are waiting for the appearance of side shoots, of which one, the strongest, is left. The rest are used for propagation by cuttings.
Schmidt (Schmidtii)
Schmidt's Crassula (Crassula Schmidtii)
Crassula Schmidt is a ground cover variety that is most common in Europe. There it is grown as an annual, and after the bush fades, they are thrown away, planting new specimens. The height of the bush is not higher than 10 cm. The plant has dense lanceolate leaves, different in shape from other species: they are narrower and pointed at the ends. The color of the leaves is remarkable. From above they are green, with a silvery coating, from the inside - a little reddish. The stem is also greenish-pink. This Crassula blooms with red flowers of a carmine hue. The plant has a remarkable decorative effect and is widely used by landscape designers.
Justi-Corderoyi (Justi-Corderoyi)
Crassula Justi-Corderoyi (C. Justi-Corderoyi)
This variety is also preferred to be planted in Europe as an annual. It is similar to Schmidt's Tolstyanka. Only his leaves are flattened, rounded below, and the edges are with cilia. The flowering plant forms bright carmine buds with reddish inflorescences.
Crassula perfoliata (C. perfoliata)
Crassula Perfoliata (Crassula Perfoliata)
This type of Crassula also annually pleases caring flower growers with beautiful flowering. In height, this species can reach from 50 to 100 cm. The stems are erect, slightly branched. Leaves, as if strung on a stem, give it a special decorative effect. They are juicy and meaty. They are triangular or lanceolate in shape. Their length is from 10 to 15 cm. The upper surface of the leaves is dotted with red dots, and their edges are covered with a number of barely visible, small teeth. Abundant flowering occurs in the summer months. Small flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences. Their color is white or red. Pedicel (about 10 cm) grows from the top of the stem.
Conclusion
We introduced you to the most attractive, from the point of view of beauty and unpretentiousness, types of fat women (money tree), which even a beginner can grow in his house. Choose which variety you like best. In favor of such an acquisition, we add that the leaves of the Money Tree secrete biologically active components that have a positive effect on the human body and have a bactericidal effect. It is believed that the Tolstyanka forms a stable energy atmosphere around itself. It cleanses the house of negative energy. While she is in your house, happiness and financial well-being will not leave him.
The rather unusual appearance of this inhabitant of the desert regions of Southwest and South Africa has led to the emergence of many popular names: "Rat's tail", "Lizard's tail", "Lightning" plant, etc. Yes, and one of the Latin variants can give an idea of the appearance of the plant: "Lycopodioides" - "similar to wolf paws."
Despite the lack of romance in the names, Mossy Crassula is very decorative. Its long grassy stems reach 25–30 cm in height. Upright, they grow rapidly and occupy the entire area allotted to them. Small mossy leaves up to 4 mm. long densely cover the stem. Their usual color is bright green or variegated, but if you put the plant in direct sunlight, after a while the plates will acquire a bronze tint. Triangular in shape, the leaves resemble tiles in their arrangement and density of growth.
In the summer months, usually in July-August, inconspicuous small flowers of yellowish and white color appear on the bush.
In summer, the plant can be taken outside, but a few points should be taken care of: the pot must be protected from rain and midday sunlight. The plant will tolerate partial shade, but the best option would be the illumination of morning or sunset rays.
Briefly: April 2018 seed collection. Description
The plant Crassula or Crassula is a representative of the genus of succulent plants of the Crassula family, which includes, according to various sources, from 300 to 500 species. More than two hundred of them grow in South Africa, many in tropical Africa and Madagascar, some species are found in the south of the Arabian Peninsula - crassulas are distributed mainly in the southern hemisphere. The name of the genus comes from the word "crassus", which means "thick", which in most cases is the fleshy structure of the leaves of many members of the genus. In indoor floriculture, crassula flowers are known as "money tree" or "tree of happiness."
Crassula is the guardian of your health: it releases substances into the air that have strong antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. In addition, crassula leaf juice, like aloe juice, is used in folk medicine in the form of lotions for the treatment of herpes, bee and wasp stings, as well as for bruises, cuts and abscesses; in the form of a rinse for the treatment of sore throats and inflammation of the gums; in the form of rubbing at night with arthritis. However, it should be remembered that crassula juice should not be taken orally, since it contains arsenic in high concentrations.
It is believed that Crassula brings good luck in business and prosperity to the house, which is why, and also because of its unpretentiousness in care, Crassula can often be seen not only in apartments, but also in the offices of trading companies and shops.
Crassula. Care and maintenance:
Most crassulas will not be harmed by direct sunlight, so you may well place a pot with a plant on a south window, although the best place for a crassula is the windowsill of a window facing southwest or east. The lack of light negatively affects the decorativeness of the crassula - the shoots are drawn out, the leaves fall off. If you have the opportunity to keep Crassula outdoors in the summer - on a balcony or terrace - this will benefit the plant. Crassulas are thermophilic, therefore they tolerate summer heat normally, and in winter they do not suffer from proximity to working heaters like other plants, at the same time they feel great in winter and in cool rooms at a temperature of 10-15 ºC. Low air humidity is also not a problem for Crassula.
In fact, the constant care of Crassula includes only infrequent watering of the plant, washing the leaves and top dressing. How to water Crassula, which, as has been mentioned more than once, is a succulent? How often to do it? In summer, moisten the plant only after the topsoil has dried, in winter, let the soil dry 2-3 cm deep. Much more than drought, Crassula is afraid of waterlogging, so she will calmly transfer your departure to summer vacation for 3-4 weeks.
Crassula is fertilized in the spring and summer once a month with liquid fertilizer for succulents and cacti; in autumn and winter, the plant does not need to be fed.
Crassula formation. The formation of a tree must begin when the plant is still young, because when an already mature tree is formed, stumps remain at the site of removal of leaves and truncation of shoots, which affects the decorative effect of Crassula. First of all, you need to choose the right pot for the plant: the crassula root in a vessel that is too large tends to go deep, and the crassula itself rises, which makes the trunk stretch, becoming weak and thin, so the pot for the crassula needs a small and, most importantly, shallow. As for the composition of the soil, the soil for crassula should contain three parts of soddy land, one part of humus soil, leafy soil, sand and fine gravel or brick chips. When the crassula reaches a height of 15 cm, pinch off the two smallest 
upper leaf - branching should begin at this place, that is, instead of two, two pairs of leaves should appear. As the crassula grows, remove the top leaves in places where you think the shoots should branch - this will form the crown of your money tree.
Crassula transplant. Crassula is transplanted as needed when the roots fill the entire pot, not necessarily annually, but if you want to see the flowering of Crassula, then transplant it at least once every two years. It is better to do this in the spring, at the beginning of active growth. How should Crassula be transplanted? Take a slightly larger pot than the previous one, put a decent layer of drainage material in it - expanded clay or chipped shards, then transfer the crassula from the old pot to a new one with a clod of earth and add fresh substrate as needed to fill the voids. If the crassula root has become too long, shorten it before transplanting to fit in the new pot. If you want to keep the crassula compact, try not to transplant the plant at all, replacing only the top layer of the substrate in the pot every year.
Crassula. Sowing seeds:
Crassula seeds are sown in wide bowls with soil of the following composition: leafy earth - 1 part, sand 0.5 parts. The bowls are covered with glass, which is removed daily to remove condensate and ventilate the crops. Seeds germinate in two weeks. Slightly grown seedlings dive at a distance of 1 cm from each other into a container with soil from one part of leafy soil and half a part of sand and light soddy soil. Contain picked seedlings under bright diffused light. Strengthened and grown crassulas are planted in pots 5-7 cm in diameter in the soil, consisting of leafy, soddy soil and sand in equal parts, and kept for the first time, until they take root, at a temperature of 16-18 ºC, and then transferred to a permanent place .
