Epipremnum is a perennial densely branching vine. The name means "on the trunk." Indicates the way the plant exists. It belongs to the Aroid family. The genus has more than thirty varieties.
Has dissected or whole cirrus leaves located on an elongated petiole. Their shade is different, depending on the variety. The plant has a leathery, smooth structure. It blooms only in the wild, with home breeding so far no one has been able to achieve this.
Types and their differences
Caring for a liana at home is simple. Therefore, an ampel plant is popular. Common types that do not require special care and their distinctive features:
View | Description, differences |
Golden (Aureum) | Dense hard leaves with golden spots and lines on a dark green plate. In length - 0.6 m, in width - 0.3-0.4 m. Different varieties have a difference in pattern. For example, in a golden (golden) sweat it is solid yellow. The variegate marble queen is silver-white. |
Pearls and Jade | Small size. The plates are 8 cm long and 5 cm wide. They have spotty colors: green, white, gray. It is rare to find two identical sheets in tone. They have not an ordinary smooth surface, but tuberous. The stem is green with bright longitudinal lines. Petioles are elongated, almost the same size as the plates. |
Forest | Reaches 6 meters. Leaves are oval-lanceolate with an emerald shiny surface. Plates up to 15-20 cm long and 5-6 cm wide. |
Cirrus (pinnatum) | The largest variety. In the wild reaches 35-40 meters. When breeding, the house grows to 10 meters. Adult specimens have cirrus-dissected leaves of a dark greenish tint. |
Marble | Liana up to 15 meters in height. In young seedlings, the stem is smooth, with age, many plaques appear on it. The older the specimen, the more there are. The leaves are ovoid on shortened petioles, 12-15 cm long, 6-7 cm wide. Two varieties are distinguished: argyraeus, exotica. The first with underdeveloped green leaves with silver spotting. The second - with plates with elongated silver stains. |
Angoy | The angular stem is 13-15 meters. In adult specimens, he is in warts. Petiole is underdeveloped, 2-3 centimeters. Egg-shaped plates are hard and dense, with blurry silver spots on a dark greenish background. |
Marble Queen | Reaches 4.5 meters. It grows well in diffused light, adapts to the shade. |
Fish bon | It features large multi-dissected leaf plates. It has elongated internodes. Need backup, shading. |
Mix | The decorative period is year-round. In Britain, the liana is called "bloody ivy." In the US, the Golden Potos. |
Skeleton key | Rare variety with large green leaves. |
Neon | Growing slowly. Leaves are golden, internodes are shortened. |
Silver Ann and Thai Clone | Varieties that are extremely rare. |
You will not see blossoms at home on any variety, but thanks to the decorative appearance, a liana will decorate any interior.
Home Care
In order for the liana to take root well at home, it is necessary to observe some care requirements. They vary depending on the season:
Parameter | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
Location / Light | It is recommended to place at the east or west windows. If the pot is placed on the south windowsill, it must be darkened from direct ultraviolet rays. It is impossible to completely isolate the liana from the sun, it will stop growing and lose its decorative appearance. The light must be diffused. | |
Temperature | There is no need for a special temperature regime. Recommended - not more than + 25 ° ะก. | The temperature must be lowered, but not less than + 12 ° C. |
Humidity | Not important for the plant, it survives well at normal room humidity. | When operating heating appliances, spraying is not necessary. |
Watering | Once every five days. | Once a week and a half. Between procedures, the ground should dry. |
Planting, soil, pot selection
The planting pot must be taken with medium depth and width. The root system grows rapidly, but if there is too much space, it rots due to oxidation of unused soil. Young specimens are planted in cups of several pieces.
Landing is done as follows:
- the sprout is soaked in water for several days;
- the material is placed in the soil for ornamental plants for three to five centimeters.
The soil is taken aerial. You can buy it or make it yourself: mix turf, leafy soil, sand, peat. Do not forget about the drainage layer. Pour into 1/3 of the container. This will help to avoid moisture stagnation and further decay.
Fertilizer
The growing season lasts from April to October. Feeding is necessary every two weeks. For fertilizer use organic for indoor flowers.
From October to April, the epipremnum is at rest. It does not need to be fertilized if it is placed in a cool room. In rainy weather, there is also no need for feeding. If the plant is placed in a warm room, then the fertilizer is used every four weeks.
Features of pruning, transplanting, reproduction
Young creepers transplanted in the spring every year. Mature - once every three years. Sprouted shoots are removed. They are put in the water. When they take root, they are planted back in the pot. The plant becomes more magnificent. It does not need to be trimmed, but to give a decorative look, it can be done periodically.
Liana propagated by cuttings. They are cut into small fractions of 2-3 sheets, planted in a container of 7-9 cm. Rooting occurs within 14-17 days. After this, the plant is pinched for good branching. As soon as the root system braids around the earth, the epipremnum is transplanted into a separate container 10 cm high.
Diseases and Pests
Epipremnum is affected by the following pests:
- Aphids: nourished by plant extract. To get rid of the insect, the vine is treated with a soapy solution, sprayed with infusion on a citrus peel. Use drugs Fitoverm, Trichopolum, Fufanon and others.
- Scale: brown spots appear on the leaves. You can cope with the pathological condition with the help of drugs from the store (Aktara, Actellik and others).
- Spider mite: the plant begins to dry, a thin spider web appears. Liana is recommended to rinse in the shower. If this does not help, treat with purchased poisonous drugs (Actellik, Fitoverm and others).
Diseases arise due to errors in care: excess and stagnation of moisture, improper temperature, lack or excess of lighting. The plant withers from this, the leaves dry, darken or turn yellow. To get rid of unpleasant manifestations, you need to eliminate errors in the content.
The benefits and harms of epipremnum
Scientists have found that epipremnum cleans the air. A pot with a plant is recommended to be placed in the kitchen. A lot of oxygen is consumed there, and a liana filters the air, eliminating xylene, benzene, formaldehyde.
In the East, there is a belief that epipremnum energizes with life, improves endurance, helps the development of mental abilities, favors career advancement, social activities. Improves physical and emotional state. In the home where the flower grows, a good atmosphere always reigns.
However, epipremnum can also harm a person, as well as pets. The fact is that the plant is toxic. If its extract gets on the mucous membranes, irritation will appear. In severe cases, edema may develop. To avoid adverse effects, it is recommended to keep the liana away from children and animals: for example, in a hanging pot.
The difference between epipremnum and scindapsus
Two close genera from the same family. But still these are different plants. Initially, only scindapsus existed. Then the genus epipremnum was isolated, part of the varieties were transferred to it.