The scientific name : hottentot fig
Carpobrotus eduufis N.F. Br
The original home(native) hottentot fig.
South Africa.
Botanical description of hottentot fig
Carpobrotus eduufis
Hottentot fig is a creeping succulent . It is a strong-growing perennial plant, reaching an extension of a meter or more. The leaves are simple, opposite, thick, fleshy, with a separator of three curved corners.
As for the flowers, they bloom half the day and have a large yellow color, then turn to pink with age.
There is also another type of hottentot fig, the color of the flowers is purple.
The hottentot fig cactus also blooms throughout the summer, and the fruits are fleshy, brown in color.
They are eaten and jam is made from them, and they are lovely .
hottentot fig plant propagation.
The hottentot fig cactus plant is propagated by planting cuttings at any time of the year, whether during the summer or winter, as well as during the quarter and autumn seasons.
Where the cuttings are taken at the appropriate length and are planted in shrines with good soil of silt, peat moss and coarse sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1, and they are well taken care of from watering and care until a suitable root system is formed.
When a suitable root system is formed, the plants are separated into suitable pots or planting bags, provided that they are recycled in larger pots after that until they are planted in the permanent land.
Watering a plant hottentot fig
plant needs very metered watering , so it must be moderate , and the plants are only watered when the surface of the soil is dry and at a depth of about 5 cm.
Watering should not be heavy, but should be very moderate, and the watering process depends on the nature of the soil and the environmental conditions in the region.
hottentot fig plant Fertilizing.
A live, cooled cactus plant needs good fertilization, whether organic fertilization or NPK neutral chemical fertilization.
hottentot fig plant needs well-degraded organic fertilization
hottentot fig plant is also fertilized with neutral chemical fertilizer NPk 12 – 12 – 12 at a rate of 300 g in two batches, the first batch during the month of March and the second batch during the month of August.
Fertilizer must be added when the land is dry, provided that the fertilizer is well mixed with the soil, and then watered. Watering should also be moderate, without being extravagant at all.
hottentot fig Light requirements.
hottentot fig cactus plant is a cooled flag of the cacti that, when grown, need sunny places as well as bright light, so it must be planted in sunny places in the garden.
As it is known that light is very important for the process of photosynthesis, in which the plant uses the energy it derives from the light that reaches the mechanism in the representation of carbon dioxide and water to build carbohydrates, from which the rest of the food components are created.
Plants differ in their needs for light, some of them need direct light in large quantities, others need bright light for longer periods, and others need diffused and dim light in varying quantities.
However, it was noticed that the excessive light reduces the elongation of the internodes, so the plants shorten, their leaves turn yellow, then turn brown, and the leaves may shrink, wither, and then fall off.
Also, plants exposed to insufficient light increase the elongation of the internodes clearly and become secretive, and the leaves turn yellow, then wither and fall after that, and plants often fail when the appropriate light does not reach them to reach the stage of flowering.
It is known that direct light is sunlight, the intensity of this light varies according to the original destinations, as the southern side provides plants with direct light accompanied by a rise in temperature.
While the eastern and western sides provide direct light for plants at certain periods of the day, the side provides warm sunny weather in the morning and the somewhat cold luminous weather in the afternoon – and the complete opposite in the side occurs at the western side.
hottentot fig temperature requirement.
It is known that the hottentot fig cactus plant is a tropical plant with a high temperature compared to other regions of the world, so care must be taken to grow cactus plants in high temperature places.
Where it is very important to know that temperature is one of the important weather factors that affect the growth rate of plants as well as the general appearance of plants through its impact on the process of photosynthesis and also the process of transpiration and evaporation from the surface of the soil.
The temperature andd humidity needs of plants are generally divided into two parts, as follows:
1- The group of plants that need high temperatures between 20-35 degrees Celsius, which is the group of tropical and semi-tropical plants, such as the cactus plant, a refrigerated flag, as well as most of the cacti.
2- A group of plants that tolerate medium temperatures from 15-20 degrees Celsius.
3- A group of plants that need relatively low temperatures from 10-15 degrees Celsius.
There are some precautions that must be taken into account so that the heat does not stop the growth of plants, including the following:
1- Do not plant plants that are not suitable for the temperature in the area in which plants are to be grown.
2 – Not exposing plants in general to air currents that are not commensurate with the nature of the plant, as it is necessary to work to protect plants from them by using mats by covering them or suitable burlap for that.
3 – Keeping plants away from sources of heat radiation, such as not burning the waste next to the plants, as the heat resulting from the fire operations that take place next to them increases the process of evaporation and carving and may lead to the burning of leaves and branches adjacent to the fire.
4- Newly pups plants with a small, newly formed root system need a lower temperature than older plants, even
A suitable root sum is formed.
Therefore, all these factors must be taken into account, whether the degree of plant need for light or heat, in order to obtain good plants.
Planting of Hottentot fig cactus indoors and home gardens.
Hottentot fig is grown in home gardens, as it is a beautiful creeping cactus, and it may be used in the garden as soil covers in certain places of the garden.
It can also be planted in garden entrances or under trees to hide some defects in the garden.
The Hottentot fig plant can also be grown indoors on sunny . It can also be grown in hanging hibernation, which gives a beautiful view of the place, provided that it is in well-lit, sunny places.
Hottentot fig
Hottentot fig plant is grown for ornamental purposes gardens in public gardens.
