Cotyledon, a beautiful succulent to decorate the rockery

The cotyledon is an incredibly pretty succulent plant and we could even say adorable. There are some species, such as the C. tomentosa that you can see in the image, that having the leaves covered by hairs makes you want to touch it, and even more so when they tell you that they are very soft 🙂.

As if that were not enough, it is very easy to care for and much more to maintain. What's more, I can tell you from my own experience that, if you dare to plant it in your rockery, you will only have to water it the first year. From the second it will remain alone 😉. Do you want to know more about him? 

What are the cotyledons like?

The Cotyledon is a genre of non-cactaceous or succulent plants endemic to southern Africa. It is made up of a total of 12 accepted species, out of 431 described, the best known being the C. orbiculata, C pendens and C. tomentosa that you can see in the images in this article.

They can be herbaceous or shrubby, with fleshy leaves forming more or less erect rosettes whose height is between 20 and 50cm, being the C. orbiculata One of the biggest. They produce bell-shaped flowers during spring, yellow or red depending on the variety.

What care do you need?

This plant does not need much to grow well, just the following:

• Location: it can be both indoors and outdoors, in a very bright area.
• Soil or substrate: it is not demanding, but it is important that you have good sewer system.
• Irrigation: once or twice a week in summer, and every 10-15 days the rest of the year.
• Subscriber: it can be paid with liquid fertilizers for cacti and succulents in spring and summer following the instructions specified on the package.
• Planting or transplanting time: in spring.
• Multiplication: by stem cuttings in spring and summer. You simply have to plant it in a pot, put it in semi-shade and water regularly. It will root after about two weeks.
• Pests: none serious, except for snails. Against these we recommend sprinkling diatomaceous earth on the substrate. The dose is 30 grams per 1 liter of water. In case you can't get it, Click here.
• Rusticity: withstands mild frosts down to -1ºC; however, you need protection against hail.

Did you know the cotyledon?