Delosperma SUTHERLANDII

Delosperma SUTHERLANDII - Sutherland's hardy ice plant, Sutherland ice plant, Delosperma sutherlandii, Hardy Ice Plant.

Delosperma is a large genus of succulents in the family Aizoaceae, comprising about 150 species. They grow in Southern and Eastern Africa, from coastal dunes to the highlands of the Drakensberg, where snow lies in winter.

The plants are perennial, more often prostrate and forming dense mats, less often ascending dwarf shrubs. The leaves are fleshy, cylindrical or flat, covered with small glistening papillae - water-storing cells. A number of mountain species have a stout woody or tuberous root.

The flowers are daisy-like, with numerous narrow petals, very bright: purple, pink, yellow, orange, or white, often with a contrasting center. The fruit is a capsule that opens from moisture. The seeds are small, and it is they that gave the genus its name.

Sutherland's hardy ice plant is an evergreen mat-forming perennial from South Africa. Shoots up to 20 cm (8 in) high grow annually from a perennial woody root, and the herbaceous parts are covered with short stiff hairs.

The leaves are flat, ovate or oblong, narrowed to a slender tip, 5-8 cm (2-3.1 in) long, pubescent entirely or only along the margin. The flowers are large, purple to pink, opening from late spring to mid-summer. The species is drought-resistant and overwinters well in open ground.

Delosperma seeds are very small, dark, and mature in dry capsules that open from moisture. Soaking such small seeds is impractical, so the substrate itself is sanitized: before sowing, it is drenched with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dried slightly. Scarification and stratification are not required.

Sowing is carried out on the surface without burying, into a sterile fine-grained mineral substrate with a top layer of washed sand. Sowing is moistened from a spray bottle with a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminosol, Epin, or Zircon, covered with a transparent lid or placed in a propagator, and germinated in bright diffused light at a temperature of 18-24 °C (64-75 °F), without overheating under direct sun.

Under favorable conditions, the first sprouts appear within a week, main germination is completed in 2-3 weeks, and individual seeds may delay up to 4-6 weeks. Sowings are ventilated daily and condensation is removed: stagnant moisture is especially dangerous for Aizoaceae seedlings and quickly causes fungal infections. Pricking out is carried out only after noticeable strengthening of the plants, with minimal damage to the roots.

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The plant needs the brightest possible location with bright diffused light and several hours of direct sun. Both the density of the mat and whether the flowers will open depend directly on the illumination.

In summer maintenance is warm, in winter cool and dry. A cool overwintering is necessary for bud initiation, whereas in warmth and dampness shoots stretch out and easily rot.

Watering is cautious, in small portions, only after the substrate has dried out completely. In winter, watering is sharply curtailed. Stagnant water in the tray is impermissible.

The substrate must be very loose, poor, and mineral, with a high proportion of coarse sand, fine stone chips, and perlite. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot, and the container must have drainage holes.

Fertilizer is applied rarely, only during the active growth period, with a weak solution of fertilizer for cacti and succulents with a low nitrogen content. Excess nutrients result in loose, watery growth.

Repotting is carried out at the beginning of the growth period, after which the plant is kept without watering for several days. Only completely dried-up remains of old leaves are removed.