Chlorophytum is one of those plants that is known to almost everyone since childhood. If it did not grow in the house, as an indoor flower, then it could be found in a hospital, at school and other municipal institutions. What made the flower so popular and how to grow it, we will tell further.
Botanical description of the plant
The genus chlorophytum has 196 plant species. In our article, we will talk about one of the unusual representatives - chlorophytum curly. The flower got such an interesting name due to the fact that its leaves are twisted in an arbitrary way. The plant has virtually no stem. Leaves emerge from the basal rosette. In their form, they are very similar to blades of grass, which is why the plant itself becomes like a thick herbaceous bush. Such a bush grows almost evenly, which is in breadth, that up.
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The leaf plates have a two-tone color: in the middle of the green leaf, along, there is a wide white stripe. They are linear-lanceolate in shape. The root system of the flower is tuberous, thickened. This root structure allows you to accumulate a large amount of moisture, so that if the need arises, then chlorophytum could survive the dry period.
During the flowering period, chlorophytum first throws a long stem (whisker), at the end of which small, nondescript white asterisks appear. Flowering continues throughout spring and summer. When they fade, the fruit-boxes are tied, and small bushes-babies (sockets) with aerial roots appear. Chlorophytum also releases a mustache to form daughter rosettes.
Important! The first flowering mustache appears a year and a half after planting curly chlorophytum.
Beneficial features
- The popularity of chlorophytum is due to the list of its beneficial properties:
- cleans the air of germs, dust, spores of fungi, mold;
- absorbs household gases, exhausts, chemical vapor;
- able to release moisture if he receives it in sufficient quantity;
- emits a large amount of oxygen.
Growing conditions
Chlorophytum perfectly adapts to any environment. But it is not advisable to create extreme conditions for him so that the flower can help you, and not spend all his strength on maintaining his existence.
Placement and lighting
A flower for growth and development will be enough only 3-4 hours of daylight. This is the minimum of lighting at which chlorophytum can safely exist. But if you want your flower to please the splendor of the bush, color saturation and delicate flowers, then it is best to place it on the shaded eastern and western windowsills.
Temperature mode
It is especially undemanding to temperature. It will not die, even if it falls below + 10 ° C, but only if this phenomenon is short-lived. For a long time he will not be able to grow under such conditions. If the temperature is within +10 ... + 12 ° С and the soil is dry, then chlorophytum will feel normal for a long time. The optimum temperature range for it is +15 ... + 30 ° С. In the warm season, it can be taken out to the balcony or loggia. With the advent of cold weather, it is better to put away from those windows from which it blows. Drafts are fatal to chlorophytum.
Air humidity
What will be the concentration of moisture in the air in the room for chlorophytum does not matter. It will do fine in hot weather without spraying. But it is desirable to remove dust from its leaves. This can be done using an ordinary warm shower. Perform the procedure preferably in the morning.
Important! Dust must be washed off very carefully, since long thin leaves break easily. If this happens, it is best to remove the sheet completely so that there is no bacterial infection. New leaves will appear quickly.
Home Care
As unpretentious chlorophytum to living conditions, and unpretentious in care. It is easiest to care for, therefore it is an ideal plant for beginner gardeners.
Watering
For a flower, drought is less terrible than waterlogging, since it begins to wither from this. The root system helps him survive short-term drought.
Irrigation should be carried out as soon as the topsoil dries. After 60 minutes after watering, the water that collects in the pan should be drained. The plant is not demanding on water quality. Ordinary tap water is perfect for him. In winter, watering should be reduced. Irrigation time is selected, focusing on the state of the soil. So, if in summer you watered a flower twice a week, then in winter once a week will be enough.
Top dressing
If the soil was correctly selected for the planting of chlorophytum (a substrate was used for decorative deciduous plants), then it does not need additional fertilizing. If you wish, in order to get a lush bush of saturated color, you can apply liquid fertilizers every two weeks, designed to stimulate growth. If you planted a flower in the depleted land and saw that the foliage is losing its color and begins to dry out, then you need to feed it with complex fertilizers.
Pruning
Chlorophytum curly by nature has a lush bush shape and you do not need to adjust it. Only a mustache should be cut if you do not want to breed it. So that the decorative appearance does not suffer, diseased and broken leaves should be cut.
Transfer
The bush grows very quickly, so it needs an annual transplant. Perform it in the spring, usually in March-April. The pot is selected in size, or even two more. It is filled with universal soil, always with a drainage layer at the bottom.
Did you know? Chlorophytum was the favorite flower of the famous German writer Johann Goethe. He did not cease to amaze at the unusual appearance of the plant and its "children" hanging on the sides of the mother bush.
The plant is removed from the old tank by lightly loosening the soil, followed by transshipment of the bush. The root system is freed from the ground, and the plant is placed in a new container. Sprinkled on top of the soil and tamped a little. Abundantly irrigated and sent to its original place.
How to propagate
The plant propagates by generative and vegetative methods.
Dividing the bush
Usually this method is used if the bush is very large and it is necessary to thin it. Most often, plants aged 3-4 years need this technique. The procedure is carried out at the time of transplantation of the bush (in spring). The flower extracted from the pot is carefully released from the soil and cut into several parts with a sharp sterile knife. Each part should have full leaves, several pieces, and developed roots. All parts are planted in individual pots. The survival rate of this method of reproduction is very high.
Rosettes
Chlorophytum releases a mustache on which rosettes appear a year or two after planting. Children grow quickly and with the advent of several aerial roots are ready for separation from the mother plant. Tearing them off is very simple. The procedure for planting outlets is possible all year round.
For rooting, the outlet is placed in a container of water. When the young bush gives roots 20 mm long, then it can be transplanted into a pot with soil.
Seeds
It is possible to grow a flower from seeds, but it is difficult. This method is used usually by breeders to obtain new subspecies. If at home you decide to grow chlorophytum from seeds, then you need to perform the following steps:
- Get seed at the store.
- Soak the seed in a growth stimulator for a day.
- Prepare the soil by mixing peat and sand in equal proportions. Moisturize it.
- Spread the seed on the surface of the earth by slightly pressing it into the soil.
- Cover the container with foil or glass and leave it in a warm, bright place.
- Every day, carry out the ventilation procedure (10-15 minutes) and remove the condensate.
- After a half to two months, shoots should appear.
- When the seedlings form 2-3 leaves, pick on individual pots.
Did you know? Modern botanists still can not come to a single decision as to which family belongs to chlorophytum, to Sparzhev or Agavov.
Growing difficulties
Chlorophytum is an unpretentious flower, but not proper care can harm it. Due to non-compliance with the rules for the care and maintenance of plants, it can be attacked by:
- spider mites;
- scale shield;
- aphid;
- mealybugs.
In addition to pests, a common problem is the drying of the bush. This can happen due to an excess of sodium in the soil, low humidity, high humidity of the soil and drafts. To solve the problem, you need to review the composition of fertilizers, regularly ventilate the room and find another place for the flower.
Chlorophytum kinky is a real find for gardeners. This plant is not only not demanding in care, but also can bring many benefits to its owners. In addition, its simple but unusual appearance will complement any interior.
Reviews
I adore my chlorophytum, it was grown from a small child, and I forgot about it, too, so for two days I had a piece of butter in my sheepskin coat’s pocket, it froze and crumpled. When I discovered, I felt ashamed in front of him, so I organized the terra vita soil for him and a bright place, a grateful bonichka turned out to be! : lovess: From a good mood, the leaves curl and get blond, but if you remove Bonya from his favorite bright spot on the window, he is immediately offended: he straightens the leaves and becomes more green. I tried to somehow attach it over the aquarium for aesthetic reasons, so he was so indignant that I had to return it to its place! : lol:
