Young, which is also called stone rose or hare cabbage, is a plant belonging to the Tolstyankov family. The Latin name for the species is Sempervivum.
This species is distinguished by its characteristic appearance: the leaves and flowers of the plant form complex, but geometrically correct patterns that harmonize very well with almost any landscape design.
And by planting different varieties of young, you can get real masterpieces of floristic art, filling flower beds or alpine slides in your garden or in your summer cottage with a carpet of unusual flowers.
Thanks to their attractive appearance, any young compositions look very impressive, and it doesn’t matter what they decorate - a garden plot or a balcony, they are located in small pots on a windowsill or huge flowerpots in parks.
But do not think that this plant, being very decorative, requires any special conditions of detention and can only be grown at home in a pot on the windowsill. One of its names - “survivor”, as it were, hints to the gardener about the unpretentiousness and ease of caring for a flower.
Indeed, juveniles are able to endure harsh winters and grow every year over ever larger areas. Perhaps the only thing that does not allow him to compete with weeds is his relatively small growth and low spreading rate.
In ancient times, magical properties were attributed to young people, in particular, its Russian name comes from the belief that the plant was able to maintain the youth of the human body. Currently, all these prejudices have already been forgotten and the main use of the plant is to use it for decorative purposes.
But the use of youth is not limited to the functions of decor. Some varieties of plants have medicinal properties: decoctions of their flowers have a disinfectant and wound healing effect.
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Appearance and description of the plant
Large fleshy star-shaped leaves - the main sign of young
Young is a perennial fleshy grass with pubescent glandular hairs (sometimes completely naked varieties are also found). The plant forms very dense rosettes consisting of many leaves. The leaves themselves are quite thick, succulent. Their shape is usually ovoid, rarely oblong.
The flowers are sepals and petals fused at the base, numbering from 8 to 20. The petals are slightly longer than the sepals, they are star-shaped. There are always twice as many stamens as petals (from 16 to 40). Flowers are always collected in panicle-type inflorescences. It blooms young in early or mid-summer.
The root system is dense, consisting of several rhizomes, connected to each other by underground lateral shoots - stolons. Thanks to the stolons growing in different directions, the young are able to cover large areas.
The species diversity of juveniles is very high.More than 500 species of this plant have been described, differing from each other in the shape of leaves, rosettes, and flowers. Each species has its own unique shade. Of these species, about 50 have perfectly adapted to life in the climatic conditions of a temperate climate in the CIS.
The species diversity of juveniles is shown in the photo below:
Species diversity young
But, of course, most types of stone roses are indoor ornamental plants. They are thermophilic and in our climate can be grown exclusively at home.
Some types of indoor stone roses can also be grown outdoors, but they are significantly smaller., in addition, with too severe winters, they can freeze out. Therefore, when choosing plants for landscaping a garden, you should accurately know their growing characteristics.
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Echeveria - a plant similar to young
The name "stone rose" refers to another plant of the Tolstyankov family - echeveria. these related species are indeed similar, since both are succulents and they look almost the same.
But, unlike the young, which mainly grows in the mountains of Eurasia, echeveria is a resident of Central America. It does not tolerate frost at all, as it is adapted to life in the arid sands of the Chihuahua desert.
In addition, this wild plant is much larger than the young. Succulent leaves are able to contain a large amount of water and nutrients that have refreshing properties.
It is very difficult to grow echeveria even in apartment conditions, since it is rather problematic to provide it with the necessary temperature and humidity.
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Varietal varieties
The most popular juvenile varieties for growing in garden conditions are the following:
Rejuvenated roofing
Rejuvenated roofing
The name of the species comes from its field of application - straw and clay roofs were covered with this plant. This was done on the basis of signs and superstitions that lightning will not strike houses on the roofs of which there is this plant.
Rosettes of roofing youngsters reach a diameter of up to 20 cm (average size is about 10 cm). The leaves are oblong, having a lanceolate shape. They are convex on both sides, their color is dark green. The tips of the leaves are reddish or red-brown. There are no hairs on the leaves.
Roofing juvenile flowers are red or pink. They are located on long peduncles (from 20 to 60 cm). The flowers can have up to 16 petals, pubescent at the base.
The habitat is extensive: central, western and southern Europe, the Alps, the Caucasus, Iran.
rejuvenated mountain
rejuvenated mountain
The rosette is medium-sized, consisting of green leaves and red-pink flowers. The height of the stem can reach 7-18 cm. The stem is always densely pubescent. The roots are thin, creeping. The plant forms a kind of bush, on which there are dense vegetative and generative shoots that form in the axils of rosette leaves.
Prefers to grow on rocky substrates. Distributed mainly in mountainous areas at an altitude of 1400 to 1900 m. Distribution area - mountain ranges from the Pyrenees to the Carpathians. The extreme border of the range is located in Western Ukraine.
young caucasian
young caucasian
In appearance it resembles a mountain, but there are several differences. In particular, the plant has stiff cilia on vegetative shoots. The height of the stems can reach 20 cm, the diameter of the leaf rosettes is up to 5 cm. The flowers are predominantly purple (less often reddish-lilac).Also, like the mountain, it prefers stony soils. Is a calciphil.
It is endemic to the Caucasus. It is found on the territory of Georgia, Azerbaijan, southern Russia. Grows at altitudes of 1 km.
Young pygmy
Young pygmy
The rosette of this succulent has very small, almost miniature, dimensions. (the diameter of the largest reaches 25 mm). The leaves are pointed at the edges and have many small cilia.
The small size of the rosettes does not affect the growth rate and spreading rate of the plant. Rather, on the contrary, among its relatives, the juvenile dwarf has almost the maximum spread rate. A dense cover of small rosettes in just a couple of seasons increases its area by 2-3 times.
The flowers were juvenile lilac-red with a clearly visible stripe in the center. The length of the peduncles is quite large - some reach a height of 25 cm.
Rejuvenated marble
Rejuvenated marble
It has variegated leaves covered with red stains. Often the color of the leaves is completely red or burgundy. Planting this plant will be a real decoration of any garden. Young leaves have a slight pubescence, in adult plants it is absent. The edging along the edges is light.
The range includes Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. It grows exclusively in sunny areas, falling into the shade, quickly withers and dies out completely in 1-2 seasons. In this regard, it is listed in the Red Book in many countries.
rejuvenated cobweb
rejuvenated cobweb
It has a very unusual appearance, since the leaves are covered with cobwebs. At first glance, it seems that the plant is attacked by a spider mite, but in fact this is its usual state. Rosettes of small diameter (up to 4 cm) purple. Prefers well-drained stony soils. It is a thermophilic calciphil. Nevertheless, the winters of our climate endure without problems.
It reproduces mainly vegetatively, although it blooms annually with the formation of long (up to 25 cm) peduncles. The range is from the coast of the Bay of Biscay to the Western Carpathians.
Young offspring
Young offspring
Another name for the species is juvenile shoot-bearing. Sockets of this variety have a spherical shape. Their diameter rarely exceeds 5 cm. The leaves are fleshy, painted in green or emerald color. Prefers to grow in pine forests on sandy or sandy soils.
Distributed in Central and Eastern Europe, including Central Russia. It has medium competition with tall grasses, therefore not widely used. However, in regions where there are no competitors, they are able to grow and bear fruit abundantly, literally “capturing” entire fields. In this case, a continuous cover of juveniles is formed.
Young Russian
Young Russian
It is a perennial up to 35 cm high. The diameter of the rosettes reaches 7 cm. The leaves are oblong ovate-wedge-shaped. The flowers are large and beautiful, up to 5 cm in diameter, yellow or green-yellow. Flowering occurs at the end of July / beginning of August.
The range is quite wide: from the Eastern Balkans to the Volga. It prefers to grow in pine forests, on rocks, in mountainous and rocky areas.
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Due to its excellent unpretentiousness and survival, this plant can be successfully grown even by novice gardeners, since it practically does not require care.
Usually, it’s enough just to provide him with the necessary conditions (a site in the sun and drained soil), the bush will do the rest for the grower himself. The optimal temperature for growing juveniles is the range from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Mistakes in caring for a plant, as a rule, manifest themselves in excessive "indulging" it. Abundant watering and top dressing, as well as too fertile land - not the best option for young. Rather, on the contrary: the plant will not absorb excess nutrients and water, but potential pests: weeds and fungi can take advantage of their abundance.
For young adults, we recommend the “Spartan” way of care - succulents themselves are not only able to supply themselves with sufficient nutrients, but can even store in the soft tissues of their leaves.
Landing
Planting young rosettes is carried out with a small piece of stolon
The choice of soil for the plant is quite specific. He needs rocky or sandy areas. It is allowed to plant juveniles in alumina and even plant it in chernozems, but at the same time there should be small pebbles in the root layer to ensure good drainage.
Expanded clay, small gravel, pebbles, gravel with a fraction of 4-5 mm, etc. will also be suitable drainage filler. Actually, the preparation of the place where the young should be planted should always include the creation of a drainage layer.
As noted earlier, the site for youngsters should be located on the sunny side. You can plant plants at any time of the warm season - a stone rose can take root perfectly in a very short time.
watering
Water treatment of succulents
A feature of succulents is the ability to accumulate fluid reserves, so frequent or abundant watering for a stone rose is not required. Moreover, too frequent watering for the plant is harmful, and if the drainage system does not fulfill its role, it is possible to ruin the plant in a very short time.
top dressing
Agricola - one of the simple solutions for top dressing young
Until the age of three, youngsters do not need top dressing. In the future, in order to maintain the former beauty in the young, it should be regularly fed. Adult plants can be fed at intervals of once every 2-3 weeks, and then, do this only during the growing season. Usually fertilizers are used for cacti with a decrease in their concentration by half.
For juveniles, basal top dressing is used. If you use top dressing with spraying foliage, or if the concentration of fertilizers is exceeded, the leaves of the rosettes begin to stretch and disintegrate. If a similar phenomenon is observed, top dressing should be stopped and not applied next season.
rest period
Succulents go dormant in winter
It is recommended at this time to bring heat-loving varieties from the garden into the room and put them in a cool place. Here they are recommended to be kept until mid-spring. The frequency of watering is reduced to 1 time in 1-2 months. In this case, moisture should not be allowed to get on the leaves of the outlet.
Plants in the garden do not need special care. If they are frost-resistant, they perfectly tolerate wintering under a layer of snow. In the case of a snowless winter, it is recommended to cover individual sockets with plastic bottles, and cover the continuous covers with agrofibre.
Shelter can also be made from other means. For this purpose, coniferous spruce branches or straw are ideal. They should be carefully poured on top of a carpet of rosettes with a layer 10-15 cm thick. In case of windy weather, you will also need agrofiber or plastic film to cover the straw from above.
reproduction
Reproduction was young with the help of leafy cuttings
This process occurs independently, without the help of a gardener.The only thing to do is it is to plant young shoots, cutting off the stolons that go from mother plants to children with digging and transplanting the latter. Actually, reproduction by shoots is the easiest and most intuitive way to reproduce young.
If you want to get a large amount of planting material, propagation by cuttings is used. To do this, take a large outlet and divide it into separate petals. They are planted in a small container with a moist cactus substrate. The cuttings take root and take root quickly enough, but it is recommended not to transplant them immediately after the formation of roots. Only after small sockets have formed, they should be seated in a permanent place.
In some cases, seed propagation is also used. Every year, by September, seeds ripen in the young. The fruits are multi-seeded leaflets. On each peduncle, from 100 to 250 seeds are formed.
They can be used for planting. The seeds do not need pre-drying, it is enough just to plant them in open ground or in a pot in the middle of autumn and shoots of young plants will appear next spring.
Most juvenile varieties are able to propagate by self-sowing, to avoid this, pruning of flower stalks should be carried out immediately after the end of their flowering.
Diseases and pests young
An ordinary starling can cause damage not only to the cherry crop, but also to the juicy young leaves
Like all representatives of the plant kingdom, juveniles are a food base for some animal species. Sometimes they can cause significant damage to plantings, since the delicate and soft tissues of the plant have practically no protective functions.
First of all, the juvenile pests are birds of the Corvidae and Skvortsov families. Crows, jays and rooks love to feast on juicy rosettes and plant buds. The root system of the young is of interest to the larvae of the cockchafer.
You can fight birds with the help of various repellers or scarecrows. Save the plant from the larvae is much more difficult. Often the only effective remedy is to transplant plants to a new place and dig up the soil while killing the larvae.
May beetle larvae are able to eat the roots of almost all types of garden plants.
Best of all, as soon as traces of the activity of the cockchafer are noticed, immediately transplant the largest sockets to a new place or temporarily transfer them to pots.
Excessive air humidity can lead to the formation of rot on the rosettes and flower stalks of the plant.. First of all, the lower part of the plant is exposed to decay. At first, the rosettes lose their rich color, then crack and turn brown. Over time, the rot is transferred to neighboring outlets.
Disease control does not involve the use of chemicals or the use of sprayers. It is necessary to get rid of damaged sockets as soon as possible and remove them from the landing. In this case, you will have to remove neighboring, possibly even healthy shoots and sockets.
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Application in landscape design
Path from various species of young in a flower bed
The simplest application of youth - to create cover areas, as well as to decorate the borders of paths or curbs. This is a traditional use of the plant, used in landscape design since Roman times.
Molodilo has a wide palette of colors, so you can even create plant carpets or lawns in the form of paintings with complex elements. Naturally, maintaining such a picture unchanged will require serious time costs, but the process is worth it.
Carpet with an intricate pattern of various stone rose hybrids
In nature, most species of juveniles grow in mountainous areas, so they will be an ideal filler for any alpine slide or rockery. At the same time, given that the plant practically does not require soil, individual bushes of a stone rose can be placed in your garden in large crevices of stones.
The use of youth in rock garden design
An interesting option for using a plant for decorative purposes is the creation of a florarium. This is the name of a terrarium or an aquarium in which only plants are located instead of animals.
To some extent, the florarium is the pinnacle of minimalist landscape design - it reproduces a corner of nature in the smallest scale that can be placed, for example, on a desk.
Typical florarium with young
As a plant for a florarium, young ones are best suited, since they require high-quality soil and some special conditions of detention. However, one of the conditions still have to be met - a sufficient amount of light. But with this, as a rule, there are no problems, since the design of the florarium involves its installation in a sunny place or the presence of constant illumination in the form of fluorescent (or LED) lamps. Phytolamps can also be used with them.
Even in the conditions of the florarium, the juvenile is able to actively grow. To avoid filling the entire volume of a miniature ecosystem with it, it is necessary to thin out the population from time to time and plant out daughter outlets.
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rejuvenated
Young is a low-level ornamental plant with fleshy leaves collected in rosettes. It is able to cover large areas with a thick cover of its sockets. The color of the leaves is the most diverse - from emerald green to red-brown. Due to its unusual appearance and high unpretentiousness, it is often used in landscape design for flowerbed design, alpine slides and rockeries.
Caring for a stone rose is relatively simple: the most important thing is to provide the plant with a brightly lit area, preferably with calcareous soil, and not overdo it with watering. The rest of the plant will do for the owner itself.
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