The popularity of spathiphyllum is due not only to the exquisite pattern of the bush. There is a popular belief that the presence of a plant in a house brings love with it. In the process of growing, the question arises of how to transplant the flower "female happiness" to ensure its intensive development.
Description of the spathiphyllum plant
The bush has no stems, small leaves grow directly from the roots, forming dense green bunches. The roots are quite short. Small tubercles are visible on the primordium of the trunk. These are aerial roots characteristic of plants of the Aroid family. The leaf blade is oval-elongated, pointed, with a noticeable middle vein.
What does the plant look like
The lateral veins are also distinctly distinguished. Small flowers form a white ear on a long peduncle, around which on one side there is a white oval veil with a pointed apex. The name spathiphyllum reflects the specific appearance of the flower: in Greek, "spata" means a veil, and "phylum" means a leaf.
Elegant flowering of spathiphyllum lasts several weeks, from mid-spring to July. Some varieties bloom from late March to early fall. With good care, the plant forms flowers also in the fall.
If the spathiphyllum does not bloom for a long time, a transplant performed in accordance with the right recommendations activates the vitality of the plant. In a popular room culture, the rest period begins in October and lasts until January. At this time, provide a temperature of at least 16 ° C and infrequent watering. At high humidity, flower stalks are created in the winter.
For the successful development of spathiphyllum, the following requirements must be observed:
- constant high humidity;
- moderate watering, so that the substrate is constantly slightly moist;
- plentiful spraying, as the plant comes from rainforests;
- location in the area of ambient light or artificial lighting, but not in direct sunlight;
- preferable northern exposure or placement on side platforms near windows;
- comfortable temperature within 20-23 ° С.
Important! If spathiphyllum is constantly in a dull shadow, the leaves become small.
Why there is a need to transplant spathiphyllum
A plant develops well if there is sufficient space for the roots. Spatiphyllum transplantation at home is carried out in such cases:
- the bush has just been bought and is in a small pot;
- regularly in 3-5 years in the spring to ensure development, as the bush grows rapidly, and the roots are intertwined, wrap around the entire substrate, bulging to the surface;
- if inside the bush the lower leaves dry out;
- for reproduction, choosing a fragment from the beam where there is a growth point and roots.
There is another important reason when you need to think about how to transplant spathiphyllum faster: in the absence of flowering.
Additional Information. Transplantation is not needed if the tops of the leaves turn yellow. This is a sign that the air in the room is too dry for spathiphyllum.
Post-Transplant Guide
A plant from the store is transplanted in 15-25 days. The waiting time before transplanting the spathiphyllum serves to adapt it to new conditions in a residential building. For the bush, the temperature and light regimes change dramatically. Immediate planting in a new substrate will be an unnecessary stress factor. Overgrown bushes are usually moved by transshipment without breaking the old earthen lump.
Roots
Step-by-step actions when you need to plant a recently purchased and already acclimatized plant:
- before transplantation, spathiphyllum in a container is abundantly watered;
- when the water is absorbed, the plant is carefully removed, the roots are inspected and the old drainage selected;
- put the plant in a new pot on the laid drainage and a small layer of soil, if necessary, protruding processes straighten and sprinkle with soil;
- the top layer of the substrate is compacted and watered;
- if the substrate settles after watering, pour the prepared soil.
Features of transplanting flowering spathiphyllum
It happens, suddenly there is a problem, how to plant spathiphyllum in bloom. The plant will tolerate summer movement without traumatic consequences. Adhere to the following rules:
- the substrate is watered abundantly, then after 30-40 minutes they are removed from the container;
- if the transplant is carried out due to signs of the disease, the roots are examined and rotten ones are cut off with a sharp disinfected knife, and too shortened;
- pruning flower stalks with secateurs at the base so that the plant directs energy only to adapt to a new substrate;
- remove yellowed, withered leaves and those that have just begun to form;
- the updated bush is put in a pot, pour and condense the substrate.
To plant a large developed bush of spathiphyllum can be whole, it is better to divide it into several parts with healthy rhizomes. If transplantation is carried out, without much interference with the root system, several young flowers are left, old ones are removed.
Peduncles
Creating comfortable conditions for spathiphyllum after transplantation, take care of sufficient moisture. The first 10-13 days, a frame is installed above the bush, and a plastic film is placed on top. Shelter will protect the plant from the rapid evaporation of moisture.
During this period, the substrate is watered after the top layer becomes dry. Leaves are sprayed once a day. In the case when the leaf blades droop, spraying is speeded up, up to 2-3 times a day.
Note! Moving a plant from one container to another, the beginnings of aerial roots are left on the surface. The processes gradually increase and deepen into the soil.
Selection rules
When planting a large bush of spathiphyllum or transferring a purchased plant to a new container, pay attention to the choice of pot and soil recommended for indoor culture.
Pot
Choosing which pot is needed for spathiphyllum, determine the size of the previous one. The plant is planted in a container that exceeds the former container by 1.5-2 cm in width and height. Florists noticed that spathiphyllum blooms profusely when the roots cover the entire substrate.
Pruning
In a too spacious pot, the bush will build up the root system and only then eject the peduncles. Suitable containers with holes on the bottom through which excess water flows into the pan after irrigation. As with any houseplant, drainage of 1-2 cm is required for spathiphyllum.
Ground
Spathiphyllum develops well in a slightly acidic substrate, pH 5-6.5, loose and light in structure. In such soil mixtures, excess moisture seeps into the sump. In the distribution network, choose a universal mixture for aroid or tropical flowering plants, which is mixed with a handful of sand. Many flower growers independently prepare the substrate. You can choose the appropriate, usually the most simple in execution, from several options:
- 3 parts of peat, 2 parts of leafy soil, 1 part of humus, sand and bone meal;
- 1 part of leafy soil, peat, humus, sand, 2 parts of turf land;
- 1 part of leafy soil and peat, half of the soddy soil and sand.
Pot
Peat is used by horseback. Woody bark, coconut fiber, charcoal and brick chips are also added to the substrate for friability. Additives make up no more than 10% of the total mass. They also lay sphagnum moss, which protects the soil mixture from drying out.
When transplanting add fertilizer - 0.5 teaspoon of superphosphate. If the substrate is prepared independently, the earth is shed with a dark pink hot solution of potassium permanganate.
Fertilizer
For good flowering, spathiphyllum is regularly supported by top dressing, otherwise a beautiful green bush will grow, but without original white bedspreads with flower ears. Or flower stalks will be ejected for a short time and at long intervals. It is especially important to feed the plant in the spring and summer, when all processes are activated: once in 10-16 days.
Priming
In winter, when a resting period sets in at room culture, the substrate is fertilized once every 30 days. Spathiphyllum responds well to organic fertilizers that can be purchased in stores, especially bird droppings. Any universal preparations for flowering indoor plants are also suitable: "Flower", "Azalea" and others.
If no fertilizer was applied at the end of February or in March, the spathiphyllum finishes blooming in June and the peduncles do not form again. At the same time, you can not give too much nitrogen preparations, since the green mass will increase, but not the buds.
Note! Growers noticed that the appearance of brown spots on the leaf blades is evidence of excess nutrients.
Mistresses often pour “feminine happiness” with chilled liquid after cooking pasta or potatoes used from the aquarium with water. In the late autumn and winter periods, when the intensity of natural lighting decreases, the humic fertilizer "Universal Plant Balm" is used for spathiphyllum. The drug stimulates the culture and helps to survive the lack of light.
How to choose the right time for a transplant
The best time for a planned spathiphyllum transplant is spring. Changing the soil mixture will give the plant new nutrients, the roots will quickly gain their mass, and buds will begin to form. Overgrown bushes are also planted during this period.
A green islet of spathiphyllum with graceful leaves and white bracts is occasionally in need of a transplant. Substrate replacement and top dressing have a beneficial effect on the development of a houseplant and stimulate a new wave of flowering.
