Autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, with the duration of daylight becoming shorter and the temperature cools considerably. In your succulent garden, you will also experience the awakening of the winter growing succulents like Aeoniums and the beautiful and exciting flowers of various Crassula’s and Kalanchoe’s starting to blossom. Some of you may have some concerns if your succulents will cope with the cold and the rain when it sets in, in the Western Cape. Here are some essential tips to help to see your succulents through the winter season:
Water and your succulents:
Reduce watering your succulents in containers and your garden, as the evaporation rate of the soil reduces during the winter. Add water only when the soil is dry. Remember to turn off your sprinklers system during the winter. Clean the trays where your potted succulents are standing to keep the pots from draining freely after rainy days. Check regularly and remove fallen autumn leaves that may become a problem in the trays on top of healthy succulents.
Sunlight and your succulents:
Ensure your succulents get enough sunlight with the shorter daytime light, and also check for overlying tree branches that reduce the amount of sun your succulent garden receives. If possible, prune these tree branches back to increase the light. If your succulents in containers are getting too little light, move them (if possible) to an area where they will receive significant light over the winter period.
Soil and your succulents:
The best soil for succulents is a coarse, fast-draining mix, whether in the ground or a container. Ensure that your succulents in containers’ have holes at the bottom that are clear for excess water to drain freely. Also, ensure that the container trays are emptied regularly to prevent standing water.
Pruning of your succulents:
Succulents do not need regular pruning; they usually are pruned to remove dead flowers or to cut back long and ugly growth. Be careful if you prune hard in winter because most succulents are in their resting period, and new growth will take a while to start.
Pest and diseases and your succulents:
Aloe mites and fungi become a reality during the colder winter months, so keep an eye on your Aloes! If you need advice, contact your retail nursery on how to control these pests.
Give a little extra love to your succulents: Succulents are easy to grow and need little care. Remember that most of our proudly South African succulent grows naturally in the drier areas of our country. Please take extra care when planting them to help them survive our wet Western Cape winter.
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Succulents are so varied in shape and size, but the wonderful world of string succulents, well, these are just beautiful!
Look how pretty!
Succulents are long-lasting, beautiful, unique, low maintenance, truly amazing and beautiful plants! Succulents with trailing or hanging growing habits are growing more and more in popularity and add a lot of charm and character to every garden or home.
Caring for them is as easy as 1,2,3
String succulents are similar to other succulents when it comes to their care but differ in appearance, form, colour, blooms and size. Their growth habit makes them excellent for indoor or outdoor hanging baskets, container gardening, and instrumental in vertical gardens.
Don’t overwater and keep your hand on pruning!
They need well-drained soil and a bright shade (when indoors, put them near a sunny window). They are sensitive to overwatering, and damp soil can cause root rot. The soil should dry out completely between watering, and they should be fertilized once a month with a liquid fertilizer (or half-strength compose tea) in summer and spring. Prune back any stems that are looking straggly to keep plants neat.
Proudly South African!
Strings are proudly South African plants and occur naturally in the Western and Eastern Cape. The string family has so much character and worth falling in love with. Always remember that they are toxic to our house pets and humans.
Here is some info on string plants we have available at our Succulent Trading Post @ Klein Joostenberg:
String of pearls/peas – Senecio rowleyanus
This beautiful trailing succulent receives its common name from the size and shape of its small, round, pea-like, green leaves that are lined on its stems. Trumpet-shaped flowers appear in summer and are small, nearly white and fragrant.
String of beads or tears – Senecio herreianus
String of beads’ trailing stems is lined with oval, curved green pointed leaves. Fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers are small in white to nearly white and appear from spring to summer.
String of bananas or fishhooks – Senecio radicans
Being relatively hardy, these are great strings to start your collection with. They are tough, fast-growing and mostly trouble-free. They can also tolerate full sun if given protection from the extreme afternoon sun.
String of dolphins – Senecio peregrinus
This rare succulent with lush green leaves that looks like tiny dolphins jumping out of the waves is quirky and unique. The longer the stems get, the more leaves you have! White flowers with a tinge of pink in spring and summer.
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One aspect of plant care that often causes a few headaches is pruning. How and when it should be done varies from plant to plant, and if done improperly can harm your plants or delay your flowering or fruiting time.
Here are a few basic tips so you can enjoy your flowers, fruit and even your pruning:
First things first …
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
I am a tool fanatic, and proper pruning is impossible without the right tools.
Secateurs
They are used for the young and thinner branches and always should be sharp to avoid tearing and splitting twigs and branches.
Lopper or long-handled secateurs
They give you more strength to cut thicker branches, and also give you added leverage to reach way into bushy shrubs or up into a tree.
Pruning saw
For the thick branches or trees or older shrubs.
Hedging shears
For the pruning and shaping of formal hedges and topiaries, or general trimming of shrubs.
All these tools should be kept sharp so that they will cut cleanly and easily. It is also good practice to wash all these tools after use with soapy water and to sterilise them by wiping it with ethanol. This prevents the spread of pests and diseases in your garden. Always dry thoroughly after cleaning to prevent rust and grease all the moving parts.
Pruning tips for al shrubs, roses and fruit trees
1. Remove all dead, diseased or broken twigs and branches;
2. Remove water sprouts, suckers and crossing branches;
3. Remove all crowded and crossing growth that doesn’t allow air circulation (especially when in full foliage);
There is one basic rule for shrubs, climbers or groundcover and succulents that only flower once a year: they need to be pruned or trimmed immediately after flowering has stopped.
In autumn and winter, you should prune back the following shrubs after flowering:
Hydrangeas need to be pruned mid-July, and you need to prune one- third of the plant back.
Roses and fruit trees (deciduous fruit trees) also needs pruning in their dormant season. With roses half to two- thirds of the branches needs to be pruned back. Always cut above an outward-facing node.
Bonsai and formal hedges need regular pruning or trimming to keep their shape.
Pruning encourages new growth, helps manage the size of plants, promotes better blooms and fruit, and also healthier plants. After pruning, remember to give your plants a good mulch which will help your plants with that extra “vooma” when new growth starts.
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Pruning and winter go hand in hand and play an essential part of a plant’s care whether it is a tree, shrub or groundcover. July in the Cape is rainy, windy and cold outside but this is the time to do pruning to encourage healthy growth, flowers and fruit for summer.
Why do we need to prune?
1. Your first objective is to maintain the health of your plants by keeping your plants free from dead or diseased branches, and encourage new growth and healthy-looking plants;
2. Prune to shape your plant as it grows, especially when it is young to make it bushier or more compact when using plants as a hedge;
3. To prevent a plant getting too large for the space it was originally planted in, or when blocking a beautiful view;
4. Plants can become old and leggy, but you can rejuvenate them by pruning them back, especially fast-growing plants needs regular pruning;
5. Prune to correct some defect like eliminating branches that rub against other branches, or so that more light or water can reach the inner branches or improve air circulation. Pruning branches to correct the balance between the crown and roots promotes healthy plants;
6. If your plant is a flowering or fruiting type, you need to prune to encourage the best conditions for prolific flowering and fruiting. Additionally, this allows air and sun to reach fruit in the centre;
7. To achieve sculptural shapes, known as topiaries, the two-dimensional pattern achieved by pruning and tying fruit trees or shrubs to a frame (known as espalier). The deliberate dwarfing of certain trees or shrubs that mimic the shape of fully-grown trees in a small container (known as bonsai). These are all fashion novelties, and these differently trained or shaped plants are used as an architectural elaboration of your house.
Pruning is more than simply cutting of branches of a tree or a shrub to keep it from overgrowing. Pruning is the key to controlling the size or shape of your plants, their flowers and fruit. It also promotes new life in your garden as well as healthier and better-looking plants.
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