No matter how we are accustomed to the diversity of the world of plants on our window sills, and yet sometimes they again and again surprise us with new varieties, then with unusual shapes, and even with more pohlesche. Here, for example, ardisia, care at home for which is very simple, after flowering is covered with fruits in the form of small bright red, black or whitish berries. The most frequent guest from this kind of plant is the ardisia of the crenate, let's talk about it in more detail.
Ardiziya krenata: a miracle on our windowsills
What kind of flower is Ardisia? Honestly speaking, it's not even a flower, but a whole bush. It grows in the subtropics of southeast Asia and loves the soft humid climate and diffuse light of the rising sun. In nature, ardisia reaches a height of up to two meters, although there are also varieties of babies that do not grow to 50 cm. Ardisia of the crenate, care for which is the easiest, differs from its brethren not only by high growth, but also by very beautiful dark green leaves with wavy edge and decorative knots. It blooms with white and pink delicate flowers, in place of which ruby-red beads of berries are formed. True, they are not considered edible, but in some eastern countries they are treated with arthrosis and other diseases.
Ardizia: nuances of care at home
Let's start with landing. Indoor flower ardisia reproduces either by cuttings or seeds. According to the statement of the experienced flower growers, the seeds take root much easier, and the plants from them turn out to be more robust and resistant to diseases. For sowing seeds, small pickling pots should be chosen, each of them filled with earth from sand, humus, peat and a leaf component and planted there one seed each. Of course, before planting the soil should be well moistened. The result can be assessed very soon, the seedling will only turn into a real plant after 3 years.
Now about humidity, temperature and top dressing. It would seem that living in warm subtropics, the plant should favor high temperatures, but no. The favorite temperature of ardisia in winter is not higher than + 16-18 ° C, and in summer - not higher than + 20 ° C. But as for the humidity, everything here is in the classics of the genre. All the summer, water should be watered once every 2-3 days and sprinkled periodically. Just make sure that the water does not fall on the flowers, and then the pollen will wash off and the berries will not be tied up, which is annoying. By the way, to make more fruits, you can resort to artificial pollination. Take an ordinary brush from children's watercolor paints and poke it in turn in all the flowers. Pollen, therefore, will move, and berries will be tied up as much as possible. Feed the same flower from spring to late autumn, once a month, along with watering liquid fertilizer for flowering houseplants.
Lighting, as mentioned above, should be scattered. The ideal location of the plant is the eastern window, where the sun peeps only in the morning, not yet hot, hours of the day. Well, transplant ardisia is only 1 time in 3-4 years, because it grows slowly. And while the roots do not begin to unravel the walls of the pot, one can not think about transplantation. Just in the beginning of spring, gently change the top layer 1 cm deep to the new earth.
Indoor plant ardisia: diseases and pests
Ardisia also has its own problems in the form of attacks of spider mites, aphids or mealybugs. It happens, if you overdo it with
Another misfortune is the lack of any mineral substances, most often iron. If this happens, then on the leaves there are bright spots called chlorosis. And with irregular irrigation, ardisia can discard leaves. The way out is to feed and establish a favorable climate.