Crossandra is an evergreen shrub which has come to us from the warm regions of India. Very elegant and colorful flower. On the windowsill you can grow a krassandra up to half a meter in height. The leaves of this plant are very bright and saturated green. At the same time they are very smooth and beautifully shiny in the sun. Beautiful and bright colors of the cross-country will delight you from May to September.
Types of cross-country
There are about 50 species of this plant. All of them are beautiful and interesting in their way, all have very smooth and shiny leaves. In nature, the cross-tree grows to a meter.
For growing on the windowsill, the orange cross-band is the most suitable. Its scientific name is a funnel-shaped cross-frame. She has tubular flowers, consisting of five lobes. Flowers red-orange with a yellow spot. Orange crossers have dwarf varieties with salmon-pink flowers.
Another species that can be grown at home is the nicotine cross-dress. This species has brick-red flowers, it grows to 60 cm. The leaves are dark and shiny.
Less commonly, you can find a cross-dressed Guinean and a cross-barrel stem. The first one has very beautiful lilac flowers.
How to care for a cross-dress?
To the plant pleased you with beautiful and colorful inflorescences, you need to know some of the subtleties of caring for a cross-dress. This plant came to us from the tropics and requires special conditions:
- The temperature for the cross-barrel should not fall below 15 ° C. This flower is afraid of drafts. Do not allow temperature changes: the plant will discard the leaves.
- To properly care for cross-dressing, you need to provide bright scattered light. You can put a flower pot on a southern window in the winter season.
- Watering. In winter, watering should be moderate, and in summer - abundant. Crossandra is very fond of moist air. Periodically spray it from the spray gun. In the flowering period, try not to fall on the flowers: they are very fragile and can simply crumble.
- For abundant and constant flowering, always tear off the wilted flowers.
- If the plant has little light, flowering may not occur at all.
- For a good flowering, do not forget about pinching young shoots.
- Water the plant only with water at room temperature.
- Update the plant should be every 3-4 years, then you can achieve abundant flowering.
How to transplant a cross-dresser?
Transplant the crossband every year, if the plant is young. For adult plants, transplant should be done only as needed. For this plant, a mixture of clay and peat is suitable in equal proportions. For better drainage, you can add a little sand. At the bottom of the pot during transplantation, it is necessary to pour a small layer of expanded clay or other drainage.
Diseases of the cross-dresser
In order to properly care for the cross-dress, you need to properly study her illness and possible pests:
- If the plant has thrown off the leaves, it indicates a lack of watering. If even for a very short period the cross-dresser does not receive enough moisture, this will result in the discharge of the leaves. The cause may be drafts and too cold air. Perhaps the plant is in direct sunlight.
- The tips of the leaves acquired a brown shade (dried up). The air humidity is too low. Spray the plant more often.
- The leaves turn yellow and fall off, the petioles may have a brown color. This indicates excessive watering.
- Yellowed leaves are a signal of a lack of nutrients. Add fertilizer to the water.
- Cross-dressing is often damaged by various types of leaf mold. You can treat the plant with fungicide. Damaged leaves should be removed.
- The worst enemies of the cross-band are spider mites and aphids.