How to Care Aptenia care: Succulent with bright beautiful flowers
Aptenia is a succulent perennial herb with bright reddish or purple flowers. The flowers resemble that of a daisy and are present above the succulent stems and leaves. They are sun-loving and prefer warmer climates. Aptenia care is effortless and are low maintenance plants. The plants are hard to kill and require very little care. They can grow up to a height of 15cm and spread up to 2 feet long.
Quick Tips for Aptenia Care
| Other Common Names | Ice plant, heart leaf ice, the baby sun rose, red aptenia, aptenia |
| Type | Indoor/outdoor flowering plant |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Flowering | Spring, summer |
| Light | Low to moderate bright direct sunlight, can tolerate partial indirect light. |
| Water | When the soil is dry |
| Temperature | Warm conditions |
| Soil | Well-drained sandy soil |
| Fertilizer | Any liquid houseplant fertilizer |
| Habitat | South Africa |
| Toxicity | No |
| Common Diseases | Not prone to any diseases. Root rot is a common disease because of excess watering. |
| Scientific name | Mesembryanthemum cordifolium |
Aptenia Buying Instructions
- Buy a healthy plant with thick and shiny leaves.
- It is easy to propagate, so do not buy multiple plants. Instead of buying multiple plants, take a plant and then propagate it.
- This is one of the best plants for hanging baskets.
Overview of Aptenia
Aptenia is an evergreen succulent plant belonging to the family Aizoaceae and native to South Africa.
The plants can either be grown as a creeper or a bush that spreads over the ground. They flower during spring and summer. The leaves are green, thick, fleshy small round with papillae on them. The stems are green and round.
The plant can raise up to 60 cm and has a woody base. The flowers open during the day and close at night. The flowers are primarily red or purple coloured and can either be in clusters or alone. Â
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Special features:
The flowers grow in the leaf axis and can be solitary or in clusters. The colored petals are actually developed stamens. Normal stamens are yellow-colored.
Usage and Advantage of Aptenia
- This plant is grown as an ornamental plant
- They are like a love and luck charm
- These plants are used in traditional medicine to treat inflammation
- It is used as a ground cover in gardens.
General Aptenia Care
Special Care:
The aptenia plants can be pruned once the plants grow out of shape or start to spread. The plants can be re-potted once they outgrow the pot. Re-potting can be done after the rainy season.
Soil:
The aptenia plants prefer well-drained sandy soil with proper drainage and less organic content.
Water:
The aptenia plants should be watered only when the soil is dry. They do not prefer wet soil. they can be deeply watered whenever the soil is dry and left unwatered till the soil turns dry again, excessive watering can harm the plants.
Light:
This plant prefers bright direct sunlight. In regions with hot afternoons the plant can be placed in areas with partial shade.
Fertilizer:
Any liquid fertilizer can be used twice or thrice during its growth period. (spring-summer)
Pests and other problems for Aptenia
The Aptenia are not prone to pests or pathogens. Excess watering can lead to root rot.
Propagation of Aptenia
The aptenia plants can be propagated through seeds or cuttings.
Seeds: The seeds can be sown on a well-drained sandy soil during spring or summer and watered regularly to maintain moisture.
Stem cuttings: The stem cuttings are placed on the soil to develop new roots. The nodes of the stems develop roots when they come in contact with soil. These can be further chopped and planted separately to develop onto a new plant.
