Tubular "cacti" of tavaresia

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Cacti and succulents are considered a completely predictable group of indoor plants. Their appearance is familiar to everyone, even if we are talking about the original flowering beauties. But one plant from this series can surprise even the most experienced gardeners. Previously, it was known as the Decabelone - an amazing, beautifully flowering succulent with a unique color and flower shape, similar to an exotic vision: it’s not easy to understand that this is not a cactus. The shapes of the stems and flowers of the decabelone tavaresia are truly unforgettable.

Decabelone tavaresias and their tube flowers

The most amazing of the representatives of succulents decabelone is non-standard in everything. The plant, which came to us from the deserts of Africa, conquers the hearts of flower growers all over the world with an outlandish color, unusual shape of flowers, and stems. This exot belongs to the family. Koutrov (Apocynaceae).

The most valuable feature of Decabelon is rightly called the "animal" color of huge flowers. Speckles and specks of this type really seem more characteristic of the fauna than the flora. But underestimate the beauty of the stems of this succulent is also not worth it. Multi-ribbed, with very neat denticles and short spikes, they look elegant, patterned and festive, captivating with the contrast of white bristles and a basic, atypically rich green color. Decabelone is constantly growing, releasing more and more shoots and forming bizarre silhouettes of a group of dozens of stems and reaching more than 20 cm in girth.

The small diameter of the stem - only up to 2 cm with a height of more than 10 cm - does not prevent the shoots from looking very harmonious. But the huge stems, so outwardly reminiscent of cacti, seem rather modest in size compared to twice the larger bizarre, almost lying flowers. Huge wide funnel tubes end with wide open triangular petals forming a star-shaped limb. In shape, the flowers of Decabelone resemble either the squid's body or the outlandish representatives of underwater vegetation. A stunning exotic form is even more striking thanks to maroon and red specks and specks, creating a motley ripple on a light yellow background both outside and inside the flower. Typically, decabelone-tavaresias bloom in June and July.

Today almost all kinds decabelone (Decabelone) with one exception, retrained to the genus tavaresis or taveresia (Tavaresia), but these plants are still more often distributed under the old name, and their names can be considered full synonyms. Decabelone or tavaresia - plants are special. Confusing them with other succulents is very difficult.

In the family of this representative of the Kutrov family there are many original species. But in room culture, only three of them are especially popular.

Tavaresia barkley (Tavaresia barklyiformerly known as decabelone large-flowered — Decabelone grandiflora) Is a very spectacular plant with large stems and even larger flowers. Shoots up to 20 cm high with a diameter of just a few centimeters conquer the beauty of 10-14 faces covered with warts-teeth, on which white bristle-like spikes are not immediately visible. The flowers are tubular funnel-shaped, proportional to the stems. With a length of 14 cm in width, they will not exceed 5 cm. The corolla petals are triangular. The color cannot be called anything outlandish: an original red-brown speck appears on a light yellow, paleish background.

Decabelone sophisticated (Decabelone elegans) - a species whose status is still undefined, but still still referring specifically to the genus Decabelone. This plant with slightly smaller and less faceted shoots (up to 8 faces at a height of 15 cm) and much smaller, eight-centimeter flowers. On closer inspection, one can notice grayish spikes on the teeth of the faces, a brighter base yellow color, and a brightening of the specks closer to the middle of the pharynx.

A very rare species is considered tavaresia angolan (Tavaresia angolensis) - succulent with short shoots consisting of 6-8 or 12 faces, small white spines and very large flowers covered with red-brown specks.

Home care for tavaresia

Despite its exotic appearance, decabelone-tavaresia can hardly be called capricious plants. These are some of the easiest succulents to care for, requiring very careful watering, fresh air and stable heat. Even a novice grower can grow decabelone, the plant forgives mistakes for leaving easily, but not with waterlogging.

Tavaresia lighting

The origin of the plant directly determines its light dependence. As in the African deserts, decabelone should receive the maximum amount of light in the rooms. The optimal location for this succulent is south-oriented window sills. Decabelone is not afraid of direct sunlight. So for her, you need to choose the most brightly lit place in the house.

Decabelone is a sun-dependent plant, it can bend towards the light and deform if the lighting unevenly falls on the entire group of stems. To maintain a neat and strict appearance of the stems, it is advisable to regularly rotate the plant in relation to the light source. Turning should be discarded only during flowering.

Comfortable temperature

Difficulties in the selection of temperature indicators comfortable for the Decabelon should not arise. This succulent belongs to the most thermophilic species and reacts poorly to temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius in winter, and spring, and autumn. But the maximum temperature for this plant is not limited, the decabelone-tavaresias perfectly tolerate heat, the temperature indicators are even higher than 30 degrees.

It is impossible to grow decabelone without frequent ventilation and access to fresh air. The plant develops better in rooms with constantly open windows or regular ventilation, but it must be protected from temperature extremes and drafts.

Watering and humidity

This succulent plant is watered very carefully, maintaining light soil moisture. Decabelone-tavaresia is best not to be watered on cloudy days, and even in summer to give the soil partially dry between waterings. The optimal frequency of watering for this succulent is considered 1-2 times a week in the warm season and watering once every few weeks in winter. With winter maintenance, an almost dry regime is very important, abundant watering can lead to elongation of shoots and lack of flowering. The water after the water procedure is drained from the pan immediately, preventing it from standing even for several minutes.

For irrigation of taveresia, you can use only warm water, at the same temperature as air or several degrees warmer, that has settled for at least 3 days. Watering must be done very carefully: even the slightest wetting of the stems can result in the death of the entire plant.

Decabelone feels good in dry air. Measures to increase humidity for the plant do not need to be carried out even when the weather is very hot.

Fertilizers for decabelone

This plant does not like excess nutrients. After transplanting for this succulent, it is better not to feed for 3 to 4 months. If there are no signs of slow growth and lack of nutrients, then you can not feed at all in the first year after transplantation. From the second year of cultivation in one substrate or when growth is slowed down, regular regular top dressing is carried out.

Top dressing for decabelone-taeresia is applied only in spring and summer, with a frequency of 1 time in 3-4 weeks. It is necessary to stop and resume top dressing gradually, carrying out less concentrated top dressings with a lower frequency and gradually bringing these procedures to the optimum frequency in the spring and acting vice versa in the fall.

For this succulent, you can use only special fertilizers for succulent plants and cacti, because the composition of micronutrients is no less important for them than the ratio of macronutrients.

Tavaresia transplant and substrate

A transplant for decabelone is performed as needed. The plant does not need to be replanted annually; it grows quite well in old and cramped containers. Always focus on the state of the plant itself and the filling of the soil, on decorative tasks. Traditionally, taveresia is transplanted once every 2 or even 3 years.

The plant is hypersensitive to rot, so decabelone can not be planted in any soil. For this culture, only a special substrate is used for succulents or cacti, but even an additional portion of crushed charcoal should be added to it to prevent damage to the roots.

Capacities for this succulent are selected from among shallow and decorative. The plant grows well in ordinary and very close pots, so the choice can be safely made in accordance with the style of interior design. The only requirement is the presence of large drainage holes that guarantee a good outflow of water.

The transplant is carried out in the form of transshipment with maximum preservation of the old earthen coma. It is better to avoid contact with the roots and very carefully hold the shoots, not forgetting the protection of the hands. But this procedure brings much more injuries to the plant: thorns break very easily, so contact should be literally minimized. At the bottom of the containers must lay a high layer of large drainage.

For decabelone, starting from the first month after the transplantation, it is advisable to introduce loosening in the care program: the soil should not be allowed to compact, preventing the appearance of crust on it.

Tavaresia diseases and pests

Pests are a rarity on this succulent. The only natural enemy of decabelone is soil and root pests, which need to be controlled with a change in the level of humidity, and treatments with special insecticides.

Where rot is a great danger to taeresia, the risk of losing plants from which is very high even with ordinary heavy watering.

Common problems in growing tavaresia:

stretching stems with improper watering in the winter;
stretching stems in insufficiently bright light;
bending of stems in the absence of rotation of plants to light.

Breeding tavaresias

This is one of the succulents, perfectly breeding. If desired, decabelone can be grafted onto a stock - stapelia or ceropegia - to obtain more stable and original forms, a large number of plants.

The main methods of propagation of plants include growing from seeds and cuttings. When using stem cuttings, they are rooted in wet sand or a mixture of peat and sand. But such a method is not optimal, because decabelones obtained from single stems grow very poorly, form bushes for a very long time, and sometimes even remain with a single stalk. It is better to divide large groups of decabelone into parts and root them similarly to single cuttings. A transplant is carried out only when the roots appear around the perimeter of the stem: often the cuttings produce one small root, and then the development literally freezes. It is imperative to wait for the full rooting.

Decabelone is very difficult to obtain from seeds. Usually this method is used only in industrial cultivation, because germination requires not only lower heating, but also carefully controlled parameters of humidity, temperature and lighting.