Sedum Blue Pearl or Blue Pearl: care, conditions and methods of propagation of stonecrop

With the onset of spring, gardens and household plots are filled with new colors and special smells. Stonecrops or sedums take an active part in decorating alpine hills and flower beds.

These perennial herbaceous representatives of the genus Succulents are very unpretentious and easily adapt to life in the most unexpected conditions.

Learn more about this amazing grade of stonecrop and the rules for caring for it in our article.

Plant description

The name of the plant is stonecrop or sedum translated from Latin means "sit", which characterizes the culture as a firmly rooted plant. Another version sounds like "subside", this indicates the painkiller and disinfectant properties of the flower, which were widely used in ancient medicine. In the temperate zones of Europe, the Stonecrop of San Sparkler "Blue Pearl" or Sedum "Blue Pearl" is common.

Botanical characteristic

The genus Sedum belongs to the Tolstyankov family and has about 350 species, representing creeping grassy shrubs with long branches. Stonecrop distribution areas Mexico, Africa, Asia, North America and Europe. Especially great is the variety of sedum species in Mexico. Stonecrops are excellent melliferous plants and attract many bees and insects to the gardens.

Appearance

One of the most popular residents of gardens and summer cottages has become the Blue Pearl sedum. The plant retains an excellent appearance even in the driest summers and delights with juicy fleshy stems and flowers throughout the season. This groundcover succulent plant reaches a height of 15-25 cm and is able to form a dense carpet of bright purple oval leaves and smoky shoots. At the end of summer, the Blue Pearl stonecrop is covered with inflorescences that have a rich pink color.

Growing conditions and flower life span

Sedum "Blue Pearl" - a plant that does not require compliance with special rules of care and will become a decoration of a landscape exhibition, even for inexperienced gardeners.

Stonecrop - a perennial plant that is easily rooted by cuttings, creating a thick openwork rug.

Each shoot in contact with the ground is able to take root and grow as a separate bush, so the life span of a pearl stalk cover can be very long.

Blue Pearl Stonecrop Care

Sedum "Blue Pearl" feels best in open sunny space. If the plant is placed in the shade, then the abundance of flowering and the production of nectar will be significantly reduced.

Sedum "Blue Pearl" is rarely watered, in case of severe drying of the soil.

The culture needs weeding, since the plant is not capable of fighting weeds on its own. Young juicy shoots must be cut in time, simulating the shape of the purple coating. In order for the plant to maintain a decorative appearance, it is necessary to remove dried leaves, stems and inflorescences.

Top dressing is carried out 2 times a year: in spring and autumn, using mineral fertilizers for succulents or infusion from bird droppings with water in a ratio of 1:20.

"Blue Pearl" tolerates winter frosts. The plant can withstand a short drop in temperature to -29 about.

Sedum is undemanding to the composition of the soil and takes root even on a rocky section of the garden. To get a plant with bright purple leaves and achieve abundant flowering, it is better to plant a flower in fertile and fertilized soil.

Breeding methods

You can multiply stonecrop with the help of several options:

Propagation by seeds is used to obtain new varieties and experiments on breeding species, as this is a very laborious and lengthy process. Seeds are planted in boxes at the end of March, sprinkled with sand, lightly sprayed with water and covered with a film to create a greenhouse.
After that, the crops are kept at a temperature of 0 to + 5 ° C for 2 weeks for stratification (the lower shelf of the refrigerator is suitable for this). After 14 days, the boxes with crops are taken out to a room with a temperature of +18 о and awaiting the appearance of sprouts after 3 weeks.
The most popular and uncomplicated method of propagation of stonecrop is considered to be the vegetative method. The cuttings are cleaned of leaves and immediately planted in the ground, immersed in the ground at least one kidney.
Sedum roots well in dividing the bush. To do this, the adult bush is separated and planted in a permanent place in fertilized and moist soil.

Difficulties in maintaining

Stonecrops are resistant to diseases and pests. Occasionally, plants are attacked by sawfly caterpillars, which settle on salad and cabbage beds. Having discovered the caterpillars, the flower is treated with Actelik. With prolonged maintenance in a humid environment, fungus can develop. Stems and leaves affected by dark spots should be cut off.

Sometimes on leaflets you can find aphids that disappear after treatment with a gentle insecticide intended for blackcurrant.

In ancient Greece, there is a legend about how Telephos, son of Hercules, cured the wound inflicted by Achilles by applying the miraculous plant Sedum. This says that in addition to decorative properties, an undemanding stonecrop has healing qualities.