View like fatty tree (Crassula arborescens) belongs to the genus Crassula, Crassulaceae family. This plant is endemic and in nature it can be found only in South Africa at the Western Cape. It usually grows on sunny, hilly slopes, sometimes forming fairly large colonies.
Such a succulent stands out from the rest in that it has a squat and rather thick trunk. The bark on it is smooth green in color, and on its surface there are traces of scars that remain from dead leaves. Thanks to this feature, the fat woman is similar to a tree with a rather lush crown. The height of an adult plant can reach 3 meters. Its leaves are simple, fleshy, almost petiolate, whole-edged and opposite. They seem to be a little inflated. The slightly curved leaf reaches 2 to 5 centimeters in length and has a rounded-oval shape. The leaf plate is painted in a greenish-bluish color, and on its surface there is a layer of white waxy bloom. In this case, along the edge of the leaf is painted in burgundy red.
In nature, such a fat woman blooms in the spring. However, when grown indoors, flowering is a rare event. The small five-petalled pinkish-white flowers are star-shaped. They are collected in axillary inflorescences that have the shape of a brush. When the plant has bloomed, it will produce XNUMXmm oval fruits containing many small seeds.
This plant has 2 subspecies. Namely, treelike crassula, subspecies treelike (Crassula arborescens ssp.arborescens) and crassula treelike, subspecies undulatifolia (Crassula arborescens ssp. Undulatifolia). In this case, the second subspecies has slightly wavy leaves that grow on the shoot almost vertically upwards. These subspecies grow in different habitats that do not overlap. So, the first of the subspecies grows in the territory from the province of KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland to the Small Karoo, and the second – in the southern regions of Klein and in the mountains of the Eastern Cape.
The tree fat woman is relatively popular among flower growers. Such a flower is grown not only because of its attractive appearance, but also because of the existing belief. It lies in the fact that the fat woman is able to attract luck and wealth into the house. It is also popularly called the “money tree”.
Caring for a tree fat woman at home
Such a plant is undemanding to care for and does not differ in a whimsical character. It can be grown quite easily by both experienced flower growers and beginners.
Illumination
This is a very light-loving plant. For him, it is recommended to choose a well-lit place, while the presence of direct rays of the sun is mandatory. It is recommended to put it on a window of south-west or south-east orientation. When placed on a south-facing window, the fat woman will need shading from the midday rays of the sun in the summer. Otherwise, sunburn may form on the surface of the leaves.
When placed on northern windows, such a plant will develop and grow quite normally. However, its stems will be less massive and longer, and the crown will lose its spectacular fluffiness.
Temperature conditions
Such a flower will grow and develop normally if in the warm season it is provided with a temperature regime of 22 to 30 degrees. In winter, it needs a coolness of 10 to 12 degrees. If it is warmer in the room at this time, this will lead to stretching of the shoots and the death of some of the foliage. To prevent this, during a warm winter, you need to arrange additional lighting for the plant. To do this, you will need powerful artificial lighting similar to solar. Daylight hours in this case should be equal to about 10 hours.
It should be remembered that the tree bastard reacts extremely negatively to drafts and sudden changes in temperature. In the warm season, it is recommended to move it outside. In this case, you should choose a place for it, protected from precipitation, but at the same time letting in a sufficient amount of sunlight.
How to water
During intensive growth, moderate watering is required. So, experts advise watering the plant only after 2/3 of the soil in the container is dry. In winter, watering should be sparse, but the earthen coma should not be allowed to completely dry out.
Air humidity
This flower is quite suitable for living in conditions of not too high humidity. Moreover, it does not need to be humidified from the sprayer even during the heating season. For hygienic purposes, a warm shower is recommended. However, this procedure should be carried out carefully so as not to damage the wax coating on the foliage.
Earth mixture
This plant is not very demanding on the soil mixture. So, a suitable soil should be loose, allow water and air to pass through, and be well drained. You can buy ready-made soil for planting at the store. You will need a succulent and cactus mix. If you wish, you can do it yourself, for this by combining sheet, clay-sod and humus soil, as well as coarse river sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 1.
It is recommended to plant a fat woman in a fairly wide and low container. The fact is that it has fibrous superficial roots. Don’t forget to make a good drainage layer at the bottom. To do this, you can use broken clay shards or expanded clay.
Fertilizer
Top dressing is carried out quite carefully. It is necessary to fertilize the plant from mid-spring to the beginning of the autumn period 1 time in 4 weeks. To do this, use a special fertilizer for succulents and cacti. In winter, fertilizers cannot be applied to the soil.
Transplant Features
While the plant is young, it should be transplanted every year. It is carried out in the spring and takes a container slightly larger than the previous one. Adult specimens are transplanted once every 1 or 3 years.
Methods of reproduction
Can be propagated by stem as well as leafy cuttings; in rare cases, seeds are used for this. Carefully separate the cutting and plant it in a 1: 1 peat-sand substrate. Such a procedure is carried out in the spring. Under favorable conditions, full rooting will occur after about 3 months. Watering should be very sparse. So, you just need to moisten the substrate a little.
Before you start sowing seeds, study the instructions on the package or in the special literature.
Pests and diseases
Resistant to pests. In rare cases, a spider mite can settle. To destroy it, use fitoverm or actellic.
The plant can hurt due to a variety of rot, which appear as a result of improper watering or due to high humidity.
Attention! It is impossible to ingest parts of this plant inside, because it contains a high content of arsenic.
