Senecio is a less common name for the many-sided ragworts known to many plant growers, which are successfully grown both in the garden and as a flower in a pot at home. These herbaceous perennials are so diverse in form that it is difficult to accept the fact that they are all representatives of the same group. However, these are close relatives who are absolutely no different from each other in the principles of cultivation and care. It is a surprisingly diverse yet incredibly united flower culture.
Biological description
All godsons are classified as succulents, i.e. plants capable of heating up moisture reserves and living off them in depleted growing conditions. The species diversity of senecio is enormous, including coniferous greens, pea-like greens, and climbing ones like ivy. Their shoots can grow like vines, or they can form bushes and even trees. Moreover, they can be pubescent and bare, erect and drooping, and the shape of the leaves of this group of plants makes it almost impossible to cover. In nature, there are more than 3000 of them. And they all have only one thing in common - the classic inflorescence-basket.
Senecio is grown both as a potted and garden crop. There are species that are intended for cutting. From ragworts alone you can create a rich collection of succulents, which will be very diverse.
Large-tongued variegated groundsel: description of appearance and characteristic features
Macroglossus is a tall vine with medium-sized fleshy leaves. A characteristic feature of the leaves is their triangular or pentagonal shape with a protruding segment that resembles a tongue. The foliage color is bright green or variegated with yellowish streaks and stripes.
Large-leaved ragwort is grown as a hanging plant
Due to the fact that the plant is widespread in the wild in the African province of Natal, it is often called Natal ivy. Despite some external similarity with ivy, it is still a succulent, as it has characteristic fleshy and dense foliage with the obligatory waxy coating, which is not typical for ivy.
Important! Raspberry juice is poisonous, so you should prevent its contact with the skin and mucous membranes, as this causes allergic reactions and local irritation, and ingestion, because this causes symptoms of poisoning.
The cuttings have a brownish, purple or violet color, and in early spring the succulent blooms with small pale yellow flowers that look like daisies.
The cross is characterized by yellowish spots and stains on the leaves
The genus of plants to which the grasshopper belongs is very diverse and extensive. At the same time, the absolute dissimilarity in appearance of some varieties is striking. In addition to the large-tongued one, other types of ragwort deserve attention:
- Creeping ragwort is a low evergreen perennial shrub with lanceolate leaves of a grayish-blue color and white flowers;
- Ficus ragus (blue) is a very unusual species. The plant has narrow and elongated leaves directed upwards and colored bluish-gray;
- Haworth's ragwort (Senecio Haworthii) is a perennial low bushy plant whose leaf blades are shaped like cylinders, tapering towards the top, and arranged in a spiral. The leaves are covered with a grayish-white felt coating on top;
- thick ragwort (Senecio Crassissimus). This species is a little reminiscent of Crassula, only its leaves are oval with a pointed end and a rough surface. The grayish-green leaves are colored reddish along the edges;
- Herrein's ragwort (Senecio Herreianus) is a hanging plant in the form of densely growing and branching shoots with small bright green leaves, reminiscent of gooseberry fruits in shape;
- godson Fulgens (fire). The leaves are flat, wide, rounded with a bluish-gray coating. It got its name thanks to its bright orange-red flowers.
Common groundsel blooms with yellowish flowers reminiscent of chamomile
Popular varieties of Senecio, photo of flowers
With all the great variety of ragworts in indoor culture, the following varieties are most widespread.
Godson Rowley
The undoubted leader among the Senecio. It is valued for its rapid growth and spectacularly hanging thin shoots with “peas” of leaves seemingly strung on them. The plant is popularly called “string of pearls”. The inflorescences are spherical in shape and have a cinnamon scent.
Ashy ragwort (Senecio Maritima)
In nature and when grown indoors, it is a perennial; it is grown on the site as a one-year plant. It is valued by landscape designers for its particular attractiveness as carpet plantings. In warmer regions it is grown as a wintering balcony crop, which in Europe is especially valued as a Christmas decoration for homes. The foliage is silver in color, against which the bright yellow inflorescences look contrasting.
Thicker groundsel (Senecio Crasissimus)
An erect shrub variety with stems growing up to 40-50 cm. The shoots are branched, rough, the leaves are green with a grayish-silver tint, oval with a slight point at the ends. The inflorescences are yellow, formed on a high peduncle.
Creeping ragwort
A variety characterized by short stature. Forms a compact upright shrub about 10cm high. The leaves are ligulate, linear-lanceolate, small (3-4 cm), directed straight upward. The shoots are fleshy. Valued for its muted color in bluish-gray tones. It looks unusual in a flower pot and contrasts perfectly with decorative pebbles as mulch. The flowers are white, sparse, collected in baskets.
Senecio rooting
The stems are creeping, ampelous, thin. branching, up to half a meter in length. The elongated thick leaves are round in shape, sparsely spaced and look very impressive due to their claw-like bend.
Senecio is often confused with cineraria. These are close relatives, but still different plants.
More about the godson
Raspberry is a herbaceous plant (can be annual or perennial) that belongs to the Asteraceae family. There are a large number of plant varieties that can even be presented in the form of shrubs and trees. In home culture, Rowley's ragus is most widespread. Its natural habitat is South Africa. The plant is a succulent, so it can grow even in poor, rocky soil.
Distinctive features of the plant:
- Rowley's ragwort has long stems with unusual rounded leaves. They are water reservoirs. From the outside it looks like this: someone attached threads to the pot and strung beads on them.
- On each leaf you can see a thin strip, the task of which is to transmit the necessary amount of light for the process of photosynthesis. Thanks to the spherical shape of the leaves, the plant loses less moisture in the sun.
- Having provided proper care for the godson Rowley, he will thank you for this with small white flowers. They smell very nice (the smell is reminiscent of cinnamon). Flowering duration is one month.
Home care
Senecio is, like all succulents, a hardy crop that can more easily withstand lack of care than heavy watering and other excessive measures. They can be easily grown at home by inexperienced and even careless gardeners. But you still need to know some simple rules of agricultural technology.
Lighting
Without exception, all varieties of crosses belong to light-loving crops, which, however, are ready to put up with some inconveniences in this regard. But they need to be provided with several hours of full sunlight. Ideal for them would be western and eastern window sills, slightly shaded southern windowsills at midday (the light should be diffused) or other locations of equal illumination. Lack of light is expressed in increased growth due to thinning shoots and loss of bright foliage color.
Watering
All succulents require moderate watering and do not tolerate waterlogging, and ragworts are the most sensitive in this regard. This point is the most difficult and strict to implement. Even during the active growing season (spring-summer), watering should be moderate. You don’t need to focus solely on the recommended frequency, but check each time whether the substrate is dry enough for the next watering. After the earthen ball dries out completely, it needs to be allowed to remain in this state for 2 days.
By autumn, these moderate procedures begin to be reduced even more, increasing the pause and preparing the succulent for wintering conditions. During the dormant period, almost dry conditions are created for the flower in the pot, occasionally adding moisture so that the greenery does not wilt. If there are no signs of loss of their elasticity, you don’t have to water the plant at all. It is unacceptable to use hard, calcareous water. In addition, it should always be well settled.
Air humidity
Crosses do not need humidified air at all; they feel even better in a dry room. Therefore, there is no need to take any measures to moisturize, much less spray the plant.
Temperature
Despite its southern origin, Senecio cannot be considered a fan of hot greenhouse conditions. Comfortable temperatures for it lie in the range of +22...+27C in spring and summer with a gradual decrease during the rest period, within the limits of what is possible for city apartments. If it is possible to provide cool temperatures of +12...+15C, the plants will have a great rest and will actively grow in the spring. The minimum threshold is considered to be +7C, but such a decrease is permissible only for a very short period.
Small deviations from the recommended temperatures are not critical, the main thing is that they should not be sharp.
As for drafts, the plant tolerates them well for a short time, but you cannot place a flower in a pot where there are constant drafts. One of the recommendations on how to care for senecio is frequent ventilation, since the culture loves fresh air. In the warm season, if possible, they can be placed outside, but not in direct sunlight. But any change in conditions should not be abrupt.
Top dressing
Feed the ragworts according to the usual strategy for succulents, 1-2 times a month, but only during the active growing season. Autumn and, especially, winter feeding can deprive the plant of the necessary resting phase. Ready-made compounds for succulents are used as fertilizers.
The soil
The easiest way is to use ready-made soil mixtures made for cacti and succulents. If it is not possible to buy a ready-made substrate, you need to select a loose, moderately nutritious and acid-neutral soil. It can be a mixture of leaf soil and coarse sand (2:1); some specimens grow better in a sandy-clay substrate. Much depends on what the plant is used to, therefore, when purchasing an already grown specimen of a flower in a pot, you should pay attention to what it grew in, or ask the seller about the composition of the soil.
Transfer
Actively growing young specimens require transplantation annually. Starting from the 3rd year of life, they need to be replanted only as needed. It is recommended to do this in the spring, when the plant is preparing or just starting to wake up. A fairly high drainage layer is poured into the bottom of the new dish (higher than for ordinary plants). When replanting, it is necessary to monitor the position of the root collar; its level must be maintained; deepening is unacceptable. Transplantation is carried out by transshipment with minimal damage to the root system.
Application
Hanging baskets will look very impressive with ragwort in them due to its stems hanging from them. They can also be used as a ground cover plant.
If you properly care for the cross, this plant will be able to decorate the house for many years. When a plant begins to lose its attractive appearance, it can be replaced with a new one grown using cuttings.
It is important to remember that this plant is poisonous and should not be ingested. When working with it, you need to protect your hands with gloves.
Reproduction
Reproduction of senecio is considered as simple as caring for a flower. There are three methods available for this: cuttings, seeds and layering.
Seeds
The method is rarely used due to the length of the process, as well as the difficulty of obtaining seed material. The fact is that at home, senecio rarely bears fruit, and when buying ready-made seeds, there is a high risk of buying a low-quality product due to the short germination period. Ideally, these should be seeds no older than 1 year. Before sowing, the seed material is soaked until germination, after which it is laid out several at a time in a container with a very shallow depth. Planting in a permanent place is carried out after the seedlings form cotyledons.
The first individual pots for Senecio seedlings should be small, “according to their height.”
Green cuttings
This is the easiest and fastest way to obtain new copies. For cuttings, choose apical shoots 8-10 cm long. The lower pair of leaves is removed, and the cutting is left in the air for several hours to dry the cut. Then the green cuttings are placed in a sandy substrate, and the container is placed in a warm and bright place, where they usually quickly take root. The substrate is not moistened; it can be almost dry, only lightly sprayed with a spray bottle, but in no case wet.
It is better to plant rooted cuttings in a permanent place in several pieces for better decorativeness of the plant.
By layering
The method is not available for all varieties, but only for ragworts with creeping, hanging stems. To do this, prepare a wide container with a suitable substrate, which is placed next to the adult specimen. Having made a small groove, the shoot is placed in it, gently pressing it with a wooden slingshot to secure it to the ground. As soon as young shoots appear from the dormant buds, the plant can be separated from the mother bush. If you plan to transplant it into another container, it is better to do this not immediately after separation, but after adaptation in 1-2 weeks.
Useful properties of cineraria
In addition to its attractive appearance, cineraria also has the ability to purify and ionize the air in the room where it is located. By absorbing toxic compounds and enriching the environment with oxygen and phytoorganic substances, the plant noticeably improves the microclimate of the home, which ultimately has a beneficial effect on the well-being of its owners.
Diseases and pests
The culture is considered resistant to infections and indoor pests. But negligence in care, especially regarding watering, can cause diseases such as powdery mildew or root rot. For the same reason, mealybugs can appear in a flower pot. Weak specimens can be affected by aphids and spider mites, which again is most likely against the background of high humidity. The first and main help to the plant is the correction of care. It is advisable to treat it against pests using mechanical methods, but resorting to the use of insecticides indoors is permissible only in advanced cases. As for rot and fungal infections, all damaged parts of the stems will have to be cut out, the sections treated with wood ash or activated carbon, or sprayed with a fungicide.
Possible problems when growing senecio
- Drying and falling of leaves, formation of brown spots on them. Too hot room (often such conditions are created on the windowsill between glass and curtains) and/or extremely dry conditions.
- Dry spots on leaf blades. Most likely, these are burns from direct sunlight.
- Spots of yellow or dirty brown color. The cause is overwatering.
- Reduction in leaf size, increase in internodes, elongation of weakly leafy shoots. Lack of light, plant too shaded.
- Loss of color brightness in variegated varieties. The problem can be caused either by a lack of light or by the pan being too tight.
