Nowadays it is becoming fashionable to decorate the home interior with exotic pot plants, and in particular with succulents.
They are valued for unpretentious care and beautiful decorative qualities.
Among succulents, rare unusual plants deserve special attention, for example, cotiledon (silver crown).
Homeland and characteristics
This flower belongs to Family Cradle. His homeland are considered the territory of Ethiopia, the South, as well as the Arabian Peninsula.
He is perennial bushy (rarely rosette) plant. The leaves are juicy, green or silver-green color, rounded, covered with pubescence, sometimes wavy at the edges.
The shoots are thick, brittle, ligneous with time. Five-lobed flowers, collected in umbellate inflorescences, bright color, bell-shaped. Flowering long. Among the crass jugs, such plants as Kalanchoe, Adromiscus are also popular.
A photo
Home care
For the plant not difficult to care. Both experienced and novice amateur florist can learn this. Among the succulent plants not demanding in the content of the following popular: Gasteria, Groundseller, Adenium obese.
If you follow the not complex tips, problems with growing will not arise.
After the purchase
Flower required need to transplant. The capacity and the substrate in which the flower was located, not suitable for permanent growing. Take care in advance on the acquisition of a suitable container and the preparation of a soil mixture.
Lighting
Flower likes good lighting.
With its lack of shoots drawn out, and the leaves become small.
The best place to grow is light window sillsfacing south.
He will be comfortable also on the eastern and western windows, but he will wait for flowering complicated.
Temperature conditions
The room should be moderate, comfortable temperature: 20-25 degrees in summer and in the spring, 15-16 degrees in winter.
Late spring and summer in warm weather more often. take the pot to the airso that he breathes and warms himself in the sun. In the country house you can leave it on the open terrace.
Be careful! Succulent does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature.
August nights are already cool. At night, bring in the house.
Protect the plant from drafts.
Make sure that the room temperature during the rest period was not below 15 degrees. The flower can start to hurt and perish.
Watering
In the spring and summer, cotyledon is watered as the soil dries (1-2 times a week).
The lack of moisture will not bring as much harm as its surplus.
Moisture stagnation can provoke root decay, fungal diseases.
Late autumn watering gradually stop until spring.
Air humidity
The flower is well adapted for growing indoors with dry air. Additional moisture is not required.
Soil selection
For the flower suitable substrate for cacti and succulents. You can cook it yourself from clay soil mixture, coarse sand, leafy ground. Add some fine gravel or brick dust as drainage, peat and sand.
Top dressing
Cotyledon fertilized only in spring and summer. As a fertilizer suitable for succulents and cacti.
To frequent flower dressing not exacting.
Breeding
Succulent can be propagated cuttings or seeds.
Cuttings - the most simple and fast way.
For this cut a small stalk (8 cm), sprinkle with the cut area with pounded coal and leave to dry for 2-2.5 days. Rooted in wet substrate.
Seeds multiply less. For that their sown in small containers on a wet substrate and lightly sprinkled.
Top need to cover with a glass jar to create greenhouse conditions. 1-2 times a day do not forget to remove the glass for a whileto air seedlings and water (if necessary). When the seedlings grow (after about 3 weeks), it will be possible to transplant them into separate containers.
Repotting
The young plant is transplanted every year in March. Adult needs a transplant only when necessary (1 time in 2.3 years).
Pruning
To increase bushiness, tall species can be pinned from time to time to regulate their growth.
Although they do not look very aesthetically pleasing, their early removal can harm the plant.
After they are completely wilted, you can carefully pinch them off.
Bloom
Flowering problems may result wrong care.
Important to water properly, adhere to temperature conditions, feed the plant, grow in a well-lit place.
The lack of lighting is bad for the beginning of flowering.
Lifespan
About 5 years. The plant requires rejuvenation.
Kinds
Among the existing species most often found in culture:
Eliza (Eliase)
Represents compact shrub with succulent spatulate leaves, rounded at the ends. Shoots weakly branching, upright. The flowers are bright, orange-red, look like bells. Petals are elongated, bent at the end.
Lady Smith (Ladismithiensis)
It is a small shrub about 30 cm. Stem slightly branched. The leaves are fleshy, juicy, with small teeth at the edges, covered with light pubescence from above.
Flowers are bell-shaped, bright, orange. Botanists secrete a species characterized by variegated leaves.
In literary sources, botanists may refer Lady Smith to the Subtype of Cotiledon Felt.
Rounded (Orbiculata)
Cotyledon Rounded most popular view. Its name was due to the rounded shape of the leaves, forming a beautiful outlet. The leaves are solid-edged, smooth, 7-12 cm in length, the surface is covered with a light wax coating, the edges may acquire a red tint.
In nature grows up to 90-30 cm in height. Flowers are red, bell-shaped. The rim ends with five curved teeth. Peduncles 25-30 cm. Umbrella inflorescences.
Attention flower growers! Cotiledon rounded poisonous, with all parts of the plant. Handle it very carefully.
It is recommended to replant in silicone gloves.
Ingested juice can lead to poisoning, convulsions and even paralysis..
Papillaris (Papillaris)
Another name is papillary.
Small shrub with creeping stems.
The leaves are grayish-green, with a thin powdery coating, oblong-cylindrical, pointed at the edges, up to 3-4 cm in length.
Edges may be red.
Located on erect, branching stems up to 20-30 cm tall.
The flowers are reddish or yellow-green.
Felt (Tomentosa)
Succulent 10-15 cm tall, with pubescent thin stems, 3-4 mm thick. The leaves are fleshy, juicy, oblong-ovate, with cloves at the end. Red flowers.
Undulata
Plant up to 75 cm tall, with branchy straight shoots and diamond-shaped, erect leaves, wavy on the edges and covered with white stripes. Flowers are red, in white stripes.
Inflorescences umbrella-shaped. Peduncles long, up to 25 m in height. Differs in long long flowering. Homeland - Cape Province of Africa.
Lévizia
Cotiledon Lévéia - rare view. In nature, it is found in the dry regions of western North America.
Perennial shrub with smooth leaves (3-5 cm).
The edges can be with a red border, wavy.
Basal sockets may vary in shape.
Flowers numerous, with 13-15 petals, light pink, orange or red with dark stripes. It blooms from May to June.
Problems
Improper care behind the plant can provoke development of diseases, pest and other problems.
Common diseases:
Root rot - result excessive watering and stagnation of water. Important time to transplant plant to save him from ruin. When transplanting need wash the roots, remove the affected parts, process in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
The appearance of rot on the leaves associated with the ingress of water on them during watering.
If possible, the affected parts should be removed, transplanted (if required), the flower should be watered correctly.
Pest damage: Plant may be affected mealybug
When it detects a pest, you can try to remove manually with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. 
If this does not work, it can be treated with insecticides.
Other problems:
If the plant leaves fall.If you take good care of the flower, yellowed and fallen lower leaves considered a natural aging process. This is normal.
The leaves may start to wither and fall off as well. excessive soil moisture. In this case need less water plant, otherwise it will lead to the formation of rot.
If the flower began to drawMay be caused by lack of light. Often this happens in the autumn-winter period, when the days are gloomy, rainy, it starts to get dark early on the street. The problem can be solved with additional artificial lighting.
Slow growth.Can be caused by a lack of nutrients (fertilizers), as well as when grown in the north, north-west, north-east apartment windows.
Cotyledon is a favorite plant of many gardeners. It attracts attention with a unique decorative look, unpretentious care and charming flowering.
If you give the flower the necessary care and attention, for a long time it can become a real decoration of any modern apartment.
This video will be useful to you if you have cotyledon in your home:
