Transcript:
Hello, everyone! Welcome to urban scaping law. And in this episode, we will be learning about the senecio. Mandrill is here or simply called the blue finger or the blue chalk stick succulent, so this succulent is a very bushy, succulent with blueish green leaves, and it is also a native of South Africa. And did you know that this plant belongs to the same family as the Daisy? That is the Asteraceae family? This plant can grow up to a height of 18 inches due to its spreading nature. Thus, initio can be grown as a ground cover and the most attractive feature of this plant is its bluish leaves like all succulents. This senecio is also a very drought tolerant plant, so this is a blooming, succulent and it blooms commonly. During the summer months, the blooms of the senecio are white in color and they are very unattractive and they are found in clusters. A lot of gardeners who grow the senecio would throw away the flowers and just grow. Those blue chalky leaves. The leaves have a white chalky coating which acts like the sunscreen of the plant. This is used to reflect excess sunlight. Do not touch the leaves unnecessarily and remove its natural sunscreen, so now let us talk about the growing conditions of this plant, so let us first talk about sunlight requirements. So the senecio really likes full. Sun to partial, however. If you are growing this indoors, make sure that this plant faces the south direction. If your terrace or your garden gets copious amounts of sunlight, then please protect it from the afternoon. Intense heat, however, if you live in moderate climates, then it is okay to put this under full. Sun, this is definitely not a cold hardy plant and you cannot grow this when you have Frost. However, there are some instances where it has survived some amounts of frost, but it is always better to be safe than sorry and I must add that this is also very rabbit and deer resistant, so now let us talk about the watering requirements of this plant. So since this plant is a succulent, it requires very minimal water, however, during the hot summer months, make sure that when the soil dries, you replenish the soil with water, however, you can reduce watering during the winter months. You can easily propagate this plant with the help of divisions or with the help of stem cuttings. Do not heavy prune this plant and prune it only if you feel that the plant is growing really tall, and you want a bushier appearance, you can fertilize this plant with a balanced fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizing, this plant once in five or six months will be perfectly fine. Now let us talk about the potting mix that has to be used for this plant, so we will be using 70 percentage sand, 20 percentage compost and 10 percentage garden soil. Remember whatever potting mix you use? It must be well draining because at the end of the day. This is a succulent, and if you have too much of water. Laden, soil or garden soil or clay soil for that matter? Then this plant will rot and die. Thus, initio is definitely an easy and aesthetically pleasing succulent. The distinct blue color of the plant stands out in any garden. The color would go particularly well with the contrasting chartreuse color of the lemon coral sedum. So folks, do not worry. I will definitely come back to you with a very good, succulent arrangement that involves this plant. With this, we have come to the end of yet another episode of urban scape Bangalore. And I really hope that you have enjoyed and liked this show to let me know. If you have really liked this video, please do not forget to. Like, share and subscribe. And if you dislike this video, you can always press the dislike button. If you have any comments or suggestions for this channel, then you can drop in a message in the comment box below. Additionally, for further updates and highlights, You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook, the links to which will be provided below. So thank you for watching Openscape Bangalore and until we meet again, A very warm goodbye.