Succulents: how to choose and take care of them

In current language we speak of succulents referring to those plants that have the ability to accumulate liquids in their tissues. Actually it is more appropriate to speak of succulent plants, a term that better identifies them and includes plants characterized by particular tissues, the aquifer parenchyma, through which they can store and absorb large quantities of water.

Certainly suitable also for those who do not have a particularly green thumb, as they do not require particular attention, the succulent plants come from the desert areas of Africa and Asia and the tropical areas of South America and have a rather mysterious origin as they have not been found their fossils, it is difficult to trace their history.

The families

The main families in which we find succulent plants are:

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• Agavaceae, which includes the famous Agave;

• Aizoaceae, characterized by transformations of the vegetative system (flowers);

• Aloaceae, of which Aloe is part;

• Apocynaceae;

• Asclepiadaceae, a large family with about 1700 species of herbaceous and often lianose plants;

• Asteraceae;

• Cactaceae, which grow in particularly arid areas and therefore have very deep roots suitable for seeking water in the soil;

• Crassulacae, the richest family of species (over 3000) spread all over the world;

• Euphorbiaceae;

• Liliaceae.

How to take care of it

If it is true that succulent plants do not require particular attention, it is also true that they cannot be totally neglected and also need some little care, also because they are plants with an undisputed exotic charm and which, precisely for this reason, require some precaution due to the fact that we keep them at home and in a climate that is not properly suited to them.

-Little water but lots of light! Since they are native to the desert, they are used to very dry but bright climates.

- In the heat. For the same reason mentioned above, the temperature of the environment in which the plant is placed must never be below 5 °.

-For a correct "irrigation plan", consider that they come from areas where a period of rain alternates with a long period of drought. In the apartment you will therefore have to try to reinterpret this climatic phenomenon: in winter watering must be little abundant while in summer more frequent. In particular, water them once a week in summer, even 2 if it's very hot, and once a month in winter.

-Be careful though if your succulent plants belong to some species, such as the caudiciformes, which go "on vacation" in the summer, in the sense that they rest. In this case you will have to water them a little during the hot months and more frequently in the cold ones

-For the light, just place them in a bright spot in the house, better if it is not too closed, so that the air circulates and does not stagnate.

- Towards the beginning of spring. fertilize them with a suitable fertilizer.

Which one to choose

Beautiful to look at and able to furnish any environment with simplicity and essentiality, succulents can be chosen on the basis of their aesthetics, but also considering some of their properties or curiosities, such as these:

Crassula: has a good absorption power of electronic pollution produced by household appliances and has an air purifying action;

Mammillaria: the milk it produces is used by the natives of America to treat diseases related to the ear, such as deafness or simple earache;

Agave: known for its benefits associated with beauty, it is particularly known also because the richness of the fibers of its leaves allows for weaving and it produces hats and hammocks. The juice obtained from the plant is also the basis of tequila.

Conophytum: particularly suitable if you have children or animals at home as it has no thorns and therefore avoids the risk of scratches or cuts.