Delosperma Cooper

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Delosperma Cooper (lat. Delosperma Cooperi) - flowering culture; a representative of the Delosperma genus of the Aizovy family. Found naturally in southern Africa. It is famous for its high decorativeness, suitable for landscaping and decorating borders, alpine hills, flower beds. Looks great on terraces and balconies in pots, flowerpots. The species is cultivated both in the open field and at home.

Characteristics of culture

Delosperma Cooper is represented by perennial herbaceous plants up to 20 cm high. In the process of growth, the plants form lush dwarf shrubs up to 50 cm wide, completely covered with large flowers of bright color. The root system is highly branched, powerful, individual roots go deep into the ground. This feature allows plants to extract moisture and nutrients in drought and heat, therefore, such climatic features are absolutely not terrible for the species in question.

The foliage of Cooper's delosperm is fleshy, grows in pairs, has a green-gray tint, looks like a continuation of shoots. It should be noted that the foliage of this representative is very dense and does not break when pressed, but bends. The flowers are from 3 to 5 cm in diameter, the petals are pink or pink-purple in color, the middle is less intense in shade - it has a yellow color, smoothly turning into peach. If you plant several plants next to each other, they form a colorful carpet, because a huge number of flowers are formed.

Growing features

Like all members of the genus, Cooper's delosperm is a warm and sun-loving culture. She will not tolerate fellowship with a shadow, especially a thick one. On such sites, the plant will feel defective, often get sick, and the absence of flowering is guaranteed. But in sunny areas, the plant will show all its beauty, of course, with a favorable climate and properly selected soil.

Cooper's delosperma also has special requirements for soil. It is very important to plant a crop on areas with loose, water and air permeable, light soils with a pH of 6, 5. It is recommended to add a brick broken into small crumbs when preparing the soil for planting, it will not allow stagnation of moisture, which the plant does not like. In no case should Cooper's Delosperma be planted in areas with saline, waterlogged and heavy clay soils.

Care features

It should be noted that Cooper's delosperm is demanding to care for, if you leave the plant on its own, then you will not be able to achieve active flowering. Watering is recommended in the morning. It is advisable to use water that is settled, not cold. Waterlogging should not be allowed, since the root system can rot and eventually die. When growing Cooper's delosperm in a pot, watering is carried out as the soil dries up, and in winter only at the moment when the soil in the container dries up by 50%.

Cooper's delosperm has a positive attitude to feeding. It is recommended to apply a complex of mineral fertilizers to the soil annually. Before applying, it is important to carefully read the instructions, since an excess of fertilizers can lead to poor flowering and elongated shoots, as a result, the plants will not look like a carpet, but rather rare and not at all attractive. During the season, 4 feeding is enough with an interval of 20-25 days. When growing Cooper's delosperm in a pot, top dressing is carried out only in spring and summer. For this purpose, a complex of mineral fertilizers is also used, always mixing it with water first.

Cooper's delosperm does not need trimming. This manipulation is carried out if necessary, for example, to accelerate growth. The flowers are removed in order to extend the flowering period and maintain high decorativeness. By the way, in cloudy and rainy weather, the flowers close and re-open when the sun appears.