The Orostachys iwarenge is a small perennial succulent plant native to the East.
Its leaves are simple, oval-shaped or spatulated gray-silver tone distributed as a rosette. It belongs to the family Crassulaceae.
This plant can measure between 10 – 20 centimeters approximately.
It grows in height during conical flowering, which occurs in late summer and early fall, consisting of beautiful whitish or orange flowers.
Once the plant blooms her existence end, no without having left numerous children of up to 10 cm long, which are rooted easily and at any time of year
Using these little plants you can spread the plant easily.
It is important to transplant these little children new shoots to other pots to avoid pots overpopulated copies.
The pots should be wider than tall so that the plant can easily grow towards sides.
The Orostachys iwarenge “Chinese Dunce Cap” like locations in full sun and tolerates quite a bit well cold.
Tips to take care of the Orostachys iwarenge “Chinese Dunce Cap”
Illumination
Place the Orostachys iwarenge “Chinese Dunce Cap” in full sun all year.
Indoors, it must be placed under a skylight or near a window where it receives good lighting.
Rotate the pot regularly so that all faces of the cactus receive the same amount of light and so grow perfectly.
Temperatures
Tolerate a minimum temperature in winter of 0ºC, at lower temperatures the plant could die.
In the case of strong winters, the best option is to locate the plant inside.
It is important to take care of the plant from environmental humidity since hairiness is very prone to rot if the atmosphere is humid and to that, we must add that succulent and cacti are susceptible to moisture.
In the cold. They stop their growth.
Irrigation
You can water this plant every 7 or 10 days from spring until the end of summer.
In winter, very light or zero.
The important thing is to let the substrate dry completely before the next watering especially in wintertime (it is advisable at this time to leave the dry substrate for several days).
Multiplication
TheOrostachys iwarenge “Chinese Dunce Cap” can multiply by seeds in spring and cuttings.
Seeds germinate rapidly and seedlings tend to be quite resistant from an early age.
The best time to plant this plant is in spring.
You should only use a small pot and add a special substrate for cacti and succulents with good drainage.
Then spread the seeds on top of the substrate, and add a very light layer of the substrate to the seeds.
Keep the substrate moist (but avoid waterlogging), and keep the pot in a place where it receives good sunlight.
Once the plant is ripe and suitable for manipulation, it can be transplanted into a definitive pot.
Pruning
This plant does not need to be pruned. Only remove the leaves that are battered or dry, so that the plant looks better.
Plagues and diseases
The Oreocereus celsianus “Old Man of the Andes” is mainly attacked by mealybugs, which invade bare stems.
Usually, the highest concentration of this pest is observed at the end of growing stems where the epidermis is softer.
Fertilizer
You can apply fertilizers, but with low nitrogen content,
during its growth stage. In the greenhouse, it is better to use compost for cactus or mulch.
Transplant
This plant does not need a frequent transplant, it should only be transplanted at the time when the plant does not have enough space to grow.
If the plant is planted directly in the garden, transplantation is not necessary.
I hope this article was helpful. Thank you for reading.