Many people, choosing a house flower in their home, pay especially close attention to specimens that have original flowers or leaf color. These include a ctenant.
From the history of appearance
The flower is native to South America. More specifically, from the rainforests of Costa Rica and Brazil. The plant belongs to the Marantov family. As a room, it began to be grown in the last century. Initially, no more than a dozen varieties were suitable for home growing, but a fairly large number of hybrids were created on their basis by specialist breeders. Today there is a very diverse mosaic of species of ctenants. Moreover, the brightest representatives are hybrids of the original varieties.
Ktenanta is able to decorate any interior
Description
Most varieties of ctenants have an interesting contrasting sheet. The birthplace of this plant is South America, where this evergreen deciduous shrub can be found without problems in its usual habitat - in the jungle.
In wildlife, the ctenant can grow very much.
It is not too difficult to organize a flower such as a ktenant at home. This native of the tropics is not distinguished by excessive whimsicality. Thanks to its very compact size, the flower of the ktenant will fit perfectly even into the smallest room.
Blooming ctenants when caring for her at home is a rare occurrence. Even if the plant is provided as close to natural conditions as possible, it is not at all a fact that buds will ever appear. However, most flower growers are not at all upset by this fact - the flower looks generally rather inconspicuous. It is a small spikelet of red or white.
Important! The fact that a ctenant of any kind practically does not bloom in an apartment environment makes it the best option for people who are allergic to pollen.
Popular varieties
There are a large number of tropical flower varieties, therefore it is worth considering more closely those varieties that are best suited for planting in an apartment on the windowsill.
Ktenanta Oppenheim
The Oppenheim ctenanta at home care creates a minimum of problems. It is often chosen by those who do not like to spend a lot of time caring for flowers. The Oppenheim Ktenant is a rather tall species, growing in a pot up to 120 cm, in nature - up to almost 2 meters. The leaves of this variety are characterized by a lanceolate form. They grow to a length of 20 or 30 cm. The color of the foliage of the Oppenheim calathea is an alternation of grayish-green and gray stripes.
Ktenant Lubbers
Ktenant Lubbers is another optimal variety for the windowsill. Caring for him is very simple. The description of the variety is as follows: the height of the plant is from 80 to 100 cm, the leaves are oblong in shape, dark green above, pale green with mottled veins in the lower part.
Ktenanta Amagris
Ctenantha Amagris is known to many. This herbaceous perennial has oval oblong leaves, the length of which ranges from 15 to 25 centimeters. Their color is silver-green, very light, along the veins there are thin stripes of a dark green hue. Another feature of the Amagris leaf is the burgundy shade of its lower part. All together it looks very impressive and original.
The ctenanta is pubescent
Among flowers, ctenants of different types of ctenant, pubescence is considered the most moody. The plant is particularly picky about air humidity, temperature and drafts. The flower looks very interesting. It has dark green egg-shaped leaves with light green stripes. The latter look as if they were painted with paint with a brush. The variety grows downy to 80 centimeters in height.
Ctenantha squeezed
Another interesting variety, which often has a place on the windowsills, is the kenanthe calathea compressed. This species grows on average up to 90 cm. Among the features of compressed ctenants are glossy oval leaves, the length of which can reach 30 cm. They are usually located on high basal carts. Leaf blades with solid, dark green saturated shade.
Ctenantha Burle Maxi
Many know Ctenantes Burle Maxi as the smallest plant in the family (up to 20 cm), which is characterized by very original colored leaves. The foliage itself is thick, almost rectangular in shape with wide dark stripes and a reverse side of a dark purple color. In nature, Burleigh Maxi forms an almost continuous carpet, consisting of bright leaves, whose length is 10 cm, width - 5 cm.
Ctenantha Setosa
In Setoza’s ctenanta, elongated dark green leaves are egg-shaped. The longitudinal strips located on them are most often painted in a bluish or light green hue. The height of the plant can reach 80-90 centimeters. Perennial feels like a houseplant quite comfortable and does not require special conditions for successful cultivation.
Ktenanta Tricolor
The main feature of the Tricolorr ctenants is (as the name implies) tricolor leaves. This is a hybrid of the Oppenheim variety, with striped yellow-green leaves and a bright purple backside. Externally, the flower resembles one of the varieties of Stromanthus.
Important! Ktenanta - a poisonous flower. It is not recommended to be grown in homes where pets live.
Home Care
Any houseplant for proper growth requires proper care. In the case of the ctenant, we are talking about the following significant points.
Temperature mode
The flower is highly sensitive to any temperature changes. Drafts and hypothermia of the root system can trigger a disease or even death. The soil without fail, regardless of the season, should warm up above + 18 ° С. In summer, the optimum temperature is +22 degrees.
Lighting
Lighting is required quite bright, but at the same time diffuse. If the light turns out to be too bright, the leaves may begin to fade, and the size of the plates will decrease. In winter, indoor shrubs in most cases will require additional lighting due to the short daylight hours. You can solve the problem using fluorescent lamps.
Watering
Watering a planting requires moderate. In warm time, the soil needs to be moistened more often than in winter. In no case should drying or bogging occur. For the procedure, well-defended soft warm water is best suited. It is allowed to use water passed through the filter.
Spraying
To maintain a suitable humidity level, spraying is required.
Important! There is one small secret how to spray a plant so that there are no spots or stains on the leaves. It is about using a fine atomizer.
The procedure in the summer should be carried out twice a day. It turns out that it is not out of place to put the pot in a tray with wet moss from time to time.
Humidity
To maintain a high level of humidity, along with spraying, it is recommended to get an air humidifier. With its regular use, the ctenant will feel especially comfortable.
Priming
When planting a plant, it is necessary to organize drainage at the bottom of the pot. The soil itself should be slightly acidic, loose and nutritious. It is allowed to use ready-made substrates for arrowroot or azaleas.
Top dressing
In spring and autumn, mineral fertilizers must be applied to the soil with a frequency of once every two weeks. In the cold season, feeding is enough once a month and a half.
Propagation Features
Many gardeners are interested in how the propagation of the ctenants is made.
Seed germination
By germinating seeds, it is very difficult to propagate a culture, since it practically does not bloom in room conditions. Accordingly, the problem of finding planting material arises.
Rooting cuttings
Often the flower is propagated by apical cuttings. To do this, they are cut in the summer period, carefully making sure that at least three leaves are present on each stalk. The cuttings are placed in a container of water, carefully covering with plastic wrap. When young roots appear, the seedling can be moved to the ground.
Air lay
Air layers are a segment of a plant that is specially stimulated to form roots by surrounding with soil. This method is practically not used with a ctenant.
Bush division
Most often, the described indoor flower is propagated by dividing the bush. Typically, the method is applied to an adult instance. The plant is pulled out of the ground, the roots are shaken from the ground, divided into several parts, trying not to damage the root system, and transplanted into different containers.
Transplant Features
Young specimens are usually transplanted annually in late spring. Older plants are quite capable of growing in one place for about 3-5 years.
The ctenant must be transplanted very carefully
When transplanting, particularly close attention should be paid to the size of the pot. It is selected in direct proportion to the size of the rhizome. In no case should you choose too large a capacity. In it, the plant will be uncomfortable. Excess land can turn sour and become a place of accumulation of mushroom mosquitoes. The best option would be ceramic pots in which moisture evaporates, including through the side walls.
Growing problems
In the process of growing ctenants, one can encounter a number of problems. Most often we are talking about the following points.
Incorrect care leads to plant disease
Yellowing and falling of leaves
In some cases, the leaves may curl, turn yellow, and begin to dry. The answer to the question why this happens most often lies on the surface. Typically, leaf fall is associated with a lack of watering or stagnation of moisture. It is enough to review the organization of soil moisture and start doing everything right so that the plant comes to life.
Blanching leaves
The most common cause of blanching of leaves is too low air temperature. Also, a draft can cause a similar problem. Moving a pot of culture to a more comfortable place will quickly return the plant to a healthy appearance.
Drying leaf tips
An incorrect irrigation regime can lead to drying out of the ends of the leaves. The fact is that water for irrigation displaces air from the pores of the substrate, which leads to oxygen starvation of the culture. If you do not fill the soil, the problem will be resolved by itself.
Falling leaves
As a rule, falling of the lower leaves indicates the beginning of the process of decay of the root system. The number and volume of irrigation should be reduced.
Pests
The greatest harm to the ctenant is caused by scale insects and spider mites. Due to the fault of the first, brown plaques appear on the surface of the stems and leaves, sucking out the cellular juice. As a result, the leaves begin to dry and fall off. Wipe the leaves with a soap solution and spraying with 0.15% Actellik solution.
As for the red spider mite, infected leaves become paler, white spots appear on them, and they begin to fall off. You can effectively deal with the pest with the help of Derris, Fitoverm, Fufan or Actellik.
Ktenanta - a plant that requires attention and care
Signs and superstitions
A certain amount of superstition is associated with the flower. Moreover, all of them are mostly positive:
- If you put a ctenant in the bedroom, family relationships will become more harmonious and gentle.
- The plant helps to restore strength, it must be brought to people experiencing stressful situations or suffering prolonged depression.
- Placing a flower in a children's room will help the child to reveal his creative abilities and make him more purposeful.
Ktenanta fits perfectly in both home and office interiors
To believe or not to believe in omens is everyone's personal business. A flower is really worth it to become an adornment of any room.
