Myth 1: blindly chasing the size of the head
As a succulent plant growing in a barren environment, raw stone flowers are small in size and grow relatively slowly, which obviously cannot meet the needs of many lovers. A huge and plump stone can arouse the interest of fans and give birth to a lifelong sense of accomplishment from the deep heart. However, it must be said that among many factors to evaluate the appearance of stone, the importance of pattern, color and plant type is far above size, because the former can better reflect the individual's genetic pedigree, and the size can be increased by adjusting humidity and fertility, but it can't truly reflect the quality or growth age of a single stone, and the truth will come out after molting once. Such stones are both ornamental (edema constitution and light skin color and texture) and healthy.
It is not difficult for this poor plant to urge them to grow up, but it is a hard and careful process to restore their normal appearance. In the author's group of friends, a master bought a stone as big as a fist, and found that the state was wrong after he got it. As a result, he hasn't watered it for almost a year. Only after careful care did he keep the stone and restore its proper pattern and color, but he also paid the price of shrinking his head by nearly half after molting. When you are completely unfamiliar with the age and physical characteristics of stones, it is often futile to chase them blindly. Stones with too much fat and water often eat too much, and the mouth in the middle is as wide as the lips that are about to turn out.
Myth 2: Raising as a desert plant
Because raw stone flowers come from Africa, some people think of Sahara (desert) when they mention Africa, so they think that the habit of stones is the same as that of cactus in American desert. There is a need to correct a wrong understanding here. The origin of stones is in southern Africa, most of which are located in the arid and rainy Gobi area on the west coast of southern Africa, and some of them, like Xunzi, come from the sandy grassland area in northeast South Africa. Most of them grow in conglomerate rocks, accompanied by other succulents or low shrubs, and are all over canyons, mountains and peaks. Therefore, even in areas where there is little rain all the year round, there are often fogs and dew brought by ocean currents. The shelter composed of surrounding stones and plants is an excellent place for stones to hide, and it is not as hot as the Latin American desert near the equator. So generally speaking, the heat resistance and drought tolerance index of stone are much lower than those of desert plants such as cactus. If you need to keep enough sunshine and water shortage all the year round in the case of strong sunshine, the result is mostly tragedy. There are no dry stones, only drowned stones. This catchphrase is just to emphasize that you should never believe everything.
Cactus is more tolerant to dryness, strong light and high temperature than stone. Domestic Longwang Pills can bask in the sun all year round and occasionally water them, but stones should avoid strong sunlight exposure in spring, summer and autumn.
Myth 3: Completely copy the production environment.
I often hear some stone lovers proudly say when talking about their own stone planting methods: I am simulating the original environment! This is how rocks live in South Africa! It is true that simulating the soil composition of origin, suitable temperature, light and humidity is beneficial to the growth of stones, but it is not advisable to imitate blindly regardless of the advantages and disadvantages, or even absorb the disadvantages of extreme environment of origin. It seems that someone has been ignoring a question: in that environment, is the survival rate of native stones higher than our home? The answer, of course, is no, whether in the breeding period or in the adult growth period, the survival rate of stones in that harsh and cruel natural environment is extremely low, otherwise those stone varieties with hundreds of seeds in a pod will not have evolved for so many years, and Fiona Fang has only a dozen or dozens of square meters of native land.
Stones grown in extreme high temperature, dry and barren conditions are not the healthiest or in the best condition. Like African animals, they are eager to get through this difficult period. For example, golden monkeys in the wild have to endure hunger for a long time because of food shortage in winter. Should we also starve them in winter under artificial breeding conditions? Only by providing a comfortable environment conducive to healthy growth can stones multiply in large numbers, ensure excellent health and appearance, and glow with the most beautiful luster. After all, ornamental plants are the first, and it is meaningless to torture them to prove their tenacity.
The harsh environment of origin will make the stone closer to the natural scenery. It is normal that the soil color that blends in with the surrounding environment, and only a part of the slow-growing and shrinking leaves are exposed in the soil. If you keep it at home like this, the ornamental value will be greatly reduced.