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Ice Grass "Inej" (Midday, Crystal Grass, Iceman)
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.
2.37€
Ex Tax: 1.95€
Ex Tax: 1.95€
Crystal Grass (Ice Grass, Iceman, Midday) is an annual plant. The leaves are fleshy, covered with shiny papillae, giving the impression of a continuous ice cover.
The flowers are whitish, pink or red, in 3-5-flowered racemes. The corolla of flowers consists of many thin, linear petals. In the climatic conditions of Estonia, they are most often used as a flyer.
Usage: in borders. It goes especially well with species with silvery foliage.
Location: plants are warm and light-loving.
Soil: thrive in light, sandy soil. Excessive dampness is not tolerated.
Propagation: seeds and cuttings. Seeds are sown in mid-March in greenhouses or at home in a soil mixture with a predominance of sand. Until the shoots appear, the temperature is maintained at +12 + 15 ° C, then (after 1-2 weeks) it is reduced to +10 degrees and the crops are placed in a bright place. They dive into small peat pots in a light soil mixture with a large proportion of sand. They are planted in open ground when the threat of frost has passed (in early June), at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. In winter, mother cultures are stored in greenhouses at a temperature of + 8 + 10 ° C.
Cuttings are carried out from March to May in sandy soil. Rooted cuttings grow rapidly, forming undersized bushes that do not require a haircut.
Mesembryanthemum is grown on dry slopes, in rocky gardens as a carpet. Greens baked with butter taste like spinach, so crystal grass is also grown as a vegetable crop.
All her leaves and shoots are covered with transparent bubbles, sparkling in the sun, as if sprinkled with diamond chips, turning the flower bed into a real island of treasures. Some kind of unreal, bewitching beauty of this plant makes you freeze in admiration.
Crystal Grass is edible. The leaves and young shoots are edible. The taste, like most salads, with a slight sourness, but thick fleshy leaves crunch like a vigorous cucumber, and in combination with cucumber grass (borago) replace it in salads while it is not yet ripe.
In late autumn, you may encounter another miracle - once in the warmth, the Crystal Grass blooms again! Flowers bloom one after another, without water and roots, turning a cut armful into a blooming flower bed. It blooms for a long time (several weeks) - this is how large the supply of water and nutrients in this plant is.
To get your seeds, you need to wait until the seed pods are completely dry, then place them in warm water. Having soaked, the boxes open, revealing small brown seeds, now it remains only to rinse them in water.
If you decide to decorate your garden with this wonderful jewelry-like plant, then plant it only in a sunny place, because in the shade the Crystal Grass grows frail and does not bloom. The rest of the cultivation is not difficult. The plant does not require constant watering, which is very convenient.
Crystal grass grows very quickly, the first crop of young leaves and shoots can be harvested as early as four weeks after planting. In addition to beauty and taste (closer to autumn, the leaves become sour, like lemon), this plant has another advantage - the leaves contain a lot of water and can be used in the morning for washing instead of lotion. They do not dry out or tighten the skin. Try to grow this wonderful plant, you won't regret it!
The flowers are whitish, pink or red, in 3-5-flowered racemes. The corolla of flowers consists of many thin, linear petals. In the climatic conditions of Estonia, they are most often used as a flyer.
Usage: in borders. It goes especially well with species with silvery foliage.
Location: plants are warm and light-loving.
Soil: thrive in light, sandy soil. Excessive dampness is not tolerated.
Propagation: seeds and cuttings. Seeds are sown in mid-March in greenhouses or at home in a soil mixture with a predominance of sand. Until the shoots appear, the temperature is maintained at +12 + 15 ° C, then (after 1-2 weeks) it is reduced to +10 degrees and the crops are placed in a bright place. They dive into small peat pots in a light soil mixture with a large proportion of sand. They are planted in open ground when the threat of frost has passed (in early June), at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. In winter, mother cultures are stored in greenhouses at a temperature of + 8 + 10 ° C.
Cuttings are carried out from March to May in sandy soil. Rooted cuttings grow rapidly, forming undersized bushes that do not require a haircut.
Mesembryanthemum is grown on dry slopes, in rocky gardens as a carpet. Greens baked with butter taste like spinach, so crystal grass is also grown as a vegetable crop.
All her leaves and shoots are covered with transparent bubbles, sparkling in the sun, as if sprinkled with diamond chips, turning the flower bed into a real island of treasures. Some kind of unreal, bewitching beauty of this plant makes you freeze in admiration.
Crystal Grass is edible. The leaves and young shoots are edible. The taste, like most salads, with a slight sourness, but thick fleshy leaves crunch like a vigorous cucumber, and in combination with cucumber grass (borago) replace it in salads while it is not yet ripe.
In late autumn, you may encounter another miracle - once in the warmth, the Crystal Grass blooms again! Flowers bloom one after another, without water and roots, turning a cut armful into a blooming flower bed. It blooms for a long time (several weeks) - this is how large the supply of water and nutrients in this plant is.
To get your seeds, you need to wait until the seed pods are completely dry, then place them in warm water. Having soaked, the boxes open, revealing small brown seeds, now it remains only to rinse them in water.
If you decide to decorate your garden with this wonderful jewelry-like plant, then plant it only in a sunny place, because in the shade the Crystal Grass grows frail and does not bloom. The rest of the cultivation is not difficult. The plant does not require constant watering, which is very convenient.
Crystal grass grows very quickly, the first crop of young leaves and shoots can be harvested as early as four weeks after planting. In addition to beauty and taste (closer to autumn, the leaves become sour, like lemon), this plant has another advantage - the leaves contain a lot of water and can be used in the morning for washing instead of lotion. They do not dry out or tighten the skin. Try to grow this wonderful plant, you won't regret it!
Bot. syn.: Cryophytum cristallinum (L.) N.E.Br., Cryophytum nanum N.E.Br., Cryophytum parvum L.Bolus, Gasoul crystallinum (L.) Rothm., Mesembryanthemum breve L.Bolus, Mesembryanthemum glaciale Haw., Pentacoilanthus crystallinus (L.) Rappa et Camarrone, Perapentacoilanthus crystallinus (L.).
