1、 Introduction to black mage
Alias: purple lotus palm
It is the original species of aeonium arboreum. There are mainly two kinds of black mages, aeonium arboreum 'atropurpureum' and aeonium 'zwartkop'. The former has a smaller head, shorter head and darker color, while the latter is larger and lighter color.
(in fact, master Ye Mo can't make it very clear.)
Mage is a general name of the genus lotus palms. There are about 40 varieties (excluding horticultural varieties). According to the shape and leaf color, they are: round leaf black mage, sharp leaf black mage, ink mage, etc.
Varieties include: Black mage, mage original species, black mage brocade, purple cashmere mage, dark rose, voodoo, Cyclops, censer plate, green mage, etc.
(black mage primitive species, below)
Purple cashmere mage
Black mage brocade (isn't that great? But it's not mine.)
Dark rose
Voodoo
Censer pan
The black mage below is really black!
Of course, there are also old ones, fresh ones!
(I really want this big pot. It's all lotus palms. It's gorgeous.)
2、 Introduction to growth environment
Black mage likes warm, dry and sunny environment, drought resistant, not cold resistant, slightly resistant to half shade. It grows fast in the cold season and sleeps for a short time in summer.
Have you ever seen such a brilliant lotus palm? Some people say that the black mage will die after flowering, but some penyoushui have tried to bloom and never die, maybe because of the change of conservation environment.)
Propagation can be cut in early spring rosette leaf disc cuttings, the rest of the stem will be a group of tillering buds. In early summer, not only the survival rate of cuttings was affected, but also the sprouting on the stem was less, and the propagation of leaf cuttings was not easy.
The black mage is a "winter type" (dormant in summer, growing in winter, spring and Autumn). It is resistant to drought, cold and half shade. When the sunshine is too little, the leaves turn green.
Black mage's leaves are easy to turn black, so it is better than other succulent plants in absorbing heat. Too much sunlight will cause the leaves to become soft. During summer dormancy, the bottom leaves will wither, which belongs to normal metabolism.
3、 Daily maintenance
1. Four seasons maintenance
Black mage has a short period of dormancy in high temperature in summer. It grows slowly or stagnates. It can be maintained in a well ventilated place to avoid long-term rain. It also needs a little shading, moderate watering and no fertilization.
Spring, autumn and early summer are the main growth periods of the plant, so sufficient sunlight should be given. Although it can grow in the half shade, it will turn dark green near the growth point, and the black purple leaves of other parts will also turn pale and light brown, affecting the ornamental.
2 change basin and soil
Change the basin every 1-2 years, the basin soil should be fertile, and has good drainage. It is often used after mixing 2 parts of coarse sand or vermiculite, 1 part of rotten leaf soil and 1 part of garden soil. If it is possible to mix appropriate amount of plant ash or bone meal as base fertilizer, the effect is better.
PS: if the rhizome is rotten and can't be saved, you can try cutting propagation, cutting robust and full fleshy stem, and cutting in vermiculite or sand.
3. Watering and fertilizing
If the minimum temperature is not lower than 11 ℃ in winter, it can be watered normally to make the plant continue to grow, but no fertilization is necessary.
If the temperature is lower than 10 ℃, water should be controlled to make the plant dormant, and it can also tolerate the low temperature of 4 ℃ - 6 ℃.
The basin should be changed every 1-2 years. The basin soil should be fertile and have good drainage. It is usually used after mixing 2 parts of coarse sand or vermiculite, 1 part of rotten leaf soil and 1 part of garden soil. If it is possible to mix appropriate amount of plant ash or bone meal as base fertilizer, the effect is better.
4 reproduction
It is difficult to breed the tiller buds that can be cut from the top.
Note: in the process of maintenance, the leaves under the crown of black mage will slowly dry and fall off, and new leaves will grow on it. This is also a normal phenomenon.
There must be no water in the center of the canopy, especially in summer, which will burn the growth point. Although the probability of occurrence is small, the consequences are still very serious.
Like to raise flowers, enjoy flowers, and communicate with basin friends! Can pay attention to the public flowers and potted plants! huahuipz