At home, chlorophytum is usually grown as an ampoule indoor plant in containers that are suspended, or flower pots are placed on special decorative structures.
What does chlorophytum look like
The chlorophytum plant belongs to the Asparagus family. Depending on the variety, it can reach a height of 25 to 55 cm. The arched long leaves of the plant are of a solid green color, as well as with lighter stripes along the entire surface of the leaf plate. However, modern selection brings out all new varieties with different shapes and colors of leaves.
What does a chlorophytum flower look like, which is grown as an ampelous plant?
Briefly about the history of the appearance
The birthplace of chlorophytum is the lowlands of the rivers in the tropics of the American continent. Most often in the natural environment, the plant is found in South Africa.
Common varieties
The most famous variety of ornamental plants is crested chlorophytum. Its stem is shortened, and the leaves have a light green color. Another common variety in floriculture is Cape chlorophytum. The leaves are lanceolate, tapering towards the end. The winged chlorophytum has wide dark green lanceolate oval-shaped leaf plates. Petioles of the plant are orange in color.
Note!Which of the varieties to choose for home growing, everyone decides for himself. The rules of care are the same for all varieties.
Is it possible to plant chlorophytum outdoors
The flower can be planted in open ground in spring and autumn. On the street in summer, chlorophytum grows better, the space for the growth of the root system, natural light, constant ventilation and useful substances in the earth affect. However, before the onset of frost, gardeners again transplant a flower into a pot and bring it home.
Chlorophytum: home care
Non-capricious chlorophytum can be grown even by an amateur amateur grower. However, this does not mean that the flower does not need to be looked after at all. You need to care for the flower, if you follow a few rules, chlorophytum will not cause problems.
Only proper care will save the flower from disease
Temperature
For growth, a plant requires room temperature from 15 ° C to 25 ° C. It dies at temperatures below 10 ° C. Chlorophytum does not tolerate cold drafts, so it is necessary to protect it from adverse climatic conditions.
Lighting
Chlorophytum grows well and with minimal illumination of the room. The main thing is not to completely deprive the flower of sunlight, otherwise, like any plant, its growth will be delayed, and the leaves will be small. The reason is a violation of photosynthesis in the tissues of the plant, which does not function without light.
Note! The flower does not tolerate strong light, so you need to grow it on window sills from the eastern or northern part of the house. The dried edges of the sheet plates are the first sign of excessive light in the room.
Watering
A tropical plant loves moisture, so when it is left, regular watering is necessary. Watering in hot summers is necessary abundantly, and in the cool winter months, the procedure is carried out only when the top layer of soil is dried in a pot.
After irrigation, soil loosening is mandatory to avoid moisture stagnation. Only this is done very carefully, otherwise the probability of damage to the root system is high.
Important! Watering can not be carried out with hard cold running water. Water should stand for some time and warm to room temperature. If possible, it is better to use rainwater or river water for irrigation.
Spraying
Needs to spray the ground part of the bush. This is done using a spray bottle with water. It is necessary to spray the plant carefully, but not with a strong pressure, otherwise the leaves and flowers will be damaged. Particular attention should be paid to a small hollow in the middle of the sheet plate, where the largest amount of dust accumulates.
Spraying helps to get rid of dirt and dust that has accumulated on the leaves, and also additionally increases air humidity.
Humidity
The flower requires increased humidity in the room. In winter, due to heating, the air in the room becomes dry, so humidity must be increased. To do this, regularly spray the flower with water, hang a damp cloth on the heating pipe, or place a container of water next to the pot.
What pot and soil is needed for chlorophytum
Chlorophytum has very thick and long roots, so a spacious container is needed to grow it. In the first years of growth, it is necessary to transplant and change the pot.
If the plant grows, change the pot
The substrate for planting should consist of a mixture of rotted leaves, turf, sand and humus. During cultivation, the soil in the pot should always be loose and moist.
Top dressing
For healthy growth, fertilizing is mandatory. In the spring, at the beginning of active growth, they begin to feed the flower with organic and mineral fertilizers. It is best to use special integrated for decorative deciduous plants. They already contain the required amount of minerals and nutrients.
When and how does chlorophytum bloom
The flowering of an indoor decorative flower, chlorophytum, usually occurs in the summer. But depending on the variety and care, the plant can dissolve the buds at any other time of the year.
Types of flowers
Flowers of all varieties have the same color and shape. Inflorescences of the plant are not of interest in floriculture due to the small size, rarity and unremarkable appearance.
The flower has a pearl white color.
Flower shapes
Small flowers of pearl color are in the form of small panicles. Each inflorescence has five or six flowers that are on a long peduncle. In the middle are long stamens, the base of which is white, and the tips are orange. In some varieties, the ends are also white.
Flowering period
With proper care, chlorophytum begins to bloom 2 or 3 weeks after the spring transplant. It blooms usually within 1.5-2 months.
How is chlorophytum propagated?
It is not at all difficult to propagate a chlorophytum indoor decorative plant. All methods do not require much effort and time. At home, the flower is propagated most often by dividing the bush and using daughter sockets. Rarely can reproduce through the seed.
Reproduction by daughter sockets
Rosettes propagate varieties that do not have antennae. Separate the required number of outlets with roots from the main bush. Then the sockets are seated in separate containers.
Planting outlets in separate pots
Reproduction by dividing the bush
Division of the bush is the most common way of propagating chlorophytum. Usually it is carried out when transplanting into new soil and capacity. The plant grows rapidly and requires frequent transplantation, during which the flower can be propagated. The bush is gently pulled out of the pot and divided into several seedlings with a clean sharp knife. When planting in the pots, the places of cuts must be treated with ground tablets of activated carbon.
Chlorophytum transplant
Chlorophytum has a powerful root system, and the flower itself grows quickly, so a transplant is necessary every year. The procedure is carried out in early spring. Before transplanting a plant, it is necessary to prepare planting materials and equipment in advance. The plant is tested for disease and pests. Garden tools are disinfected.
The soil for planting should include humus, compost soil and sand. In order to avoid stagnation of moisture, a layer of expanded clay crumb for drainage is placed at the very bottom of the pot. On top of it add a little soil, put a bush on top and fall asleep around the ground. You need to plant the flower carefully, often when tamping the soil, the plant is damaged. Then you need abundant watering with soft water. After this, the plant will only be periodically looked after. How to care for chlorophytum correctly has been described above.
Note! Before planting the plant in new soil, experienced growers are advised to keep the bush in a cool place. It should stand there for about 4 hours.
Possible problems in growing chlorophytums
Problems and illnesses arise due to improper care or its absence. The plant is resistant to various diseases and pests, but mistakes in growing and negligence of the owner of the flower can worsen its condition. If the necessary measures for treatment are not taken in time, the plant may die.
Often problems arise due to the characteristics of the variety, and sometimes, on the contrary, the variety has advantages in its cultivation. For example, when caring for chlorophytum curly at home, flower growers do not face the problem of pests. The fact is that the flower has a high antibacterial property, which repels parasites.
Yellowing leaf tips
Chlorophytum leaf tips dry
Often, gardeners wonder why the ends of leaves begin to dry in chlorophytum. But not everyone notices that before drying the plant shows that it is sick. At first it begins to weaken, has a sluggish and unhealthy appearance, its growth slows down. Then the tips of the leaves begin to turn yellow.
Causes of yellowing of chlorophytum leaves:
- when planting, ordinary soil without fertilizers was used. As a result, the plant lacks nutrients for healthy growth. It is necessary to fertilize with complex fertilizers, the purpose of which is to saturate the soil with the necessary mineral and organic substances. In the spring, you need to transplant the flower into a nutrient substrate. The drug is applied according to the instructions and the recommended dose prescribed on the package;
- increased dryness in the room where the flower is grown. Frequent airing of the room is necessary without allowing cold drafts. To increase humidity, the amount of watering, spraying is increased and a container of water is placed next to the plant;
- increased room temperature. They are struggling with the problem, as well as with dry air. On hot days, the plant must be placed in a dark, cool place;
- mechanical damage. Perhaps, due to inattention, the flower was damaged when moving to another place or when loosening the root;
- lack of transfers. The root has grown and it is crowded in a small pot.
Flower leaves may turn black
Why do chlorophytum blacken leaf tips
Improper care of chlorophytum leads to another problem - blackening of the ends of the leaves. First, the leaves become covered with brown spots and turn brown, then they begin to blacken. The main reason for this behavior of the flower is excessive soil moisture or the absence of loosening, which causes stagnation of moisture in the soil. In winter, watering the flower should stop so that he can rest.
Note!The leaves also turn black due to hypothermia, so you need to rearrange it in a lit and warm place.
Growing healthy chlorophytum at home is possible with proper care. The plant, in addition to a beautiful decorative appearance, has useful properties and is appreciated among flower growers. A beautiful flower fights bacteria and germs in the air, so it is an ideal indoor plant in a child’s room.
