The decorative-deciduous flower of Aglaonam comes from India. In nature, it grows in the lower tier of the forest and along the banks of rivers. The flower is a relative of the diffenbachia and a useful houseplant. He destroys streptococcal infection, effectively purifies the air of harmful substances. A shade culture with colorful foliage will decorate many corners in the house.
What does the flower of Aglaonema look like?
Externally, the plant looks like a small bush with a height of 0.25-1 m. On its erect short stalk sit elongated fleshy leaves. The color of the plant is found in all shades of green, various variegated strips and spots may appear on the plates. Under suitable conditions, it becomes even more beautiful, since the aglaonema blooms with small cobs, covered with white, pink or greenish small rosettes. After ripening appear orange or ruby oblong fruit-berries with one seed inside, suitable for sowing.
Aglaonema - species
All varieties of the Aglaonema flowers according to the height of the bushes can be divided into three groups:
- short, up to 25 cm with creeping or drooping stems;
- medium-sized, with leaf plates growing to 30 cm in length;
- high, up to 1 m in size, with leaves up to 40 cm, look decorative.
Aglaonema - popular species:
- Aglaonema Maria. Medium bush with dense foliage of juicy emerald color. The plant is shade-resistant, can grow in a room with artificial light.
- Aglaonema Crete. It refers to red species with a crown of bright coloration with green, pinkish, purple hues. To gain foliage, the bush needs bright illumination.
- Aglaonema modest. The plant reaches 50 cm in height, the leaves are elongated to 20 cm, pointed, rounded with pronounced veins, the color of the bush is bright green.
- Aglaonema Silver Quinn. The plant is up to 40 cm tall, stands out by the silvery-blue surface of the leaves, it needs a lot of light to obtain variegation.
- Aglaonama Silver Bay. It has impressive dimensions, reaching a height of 1 m. It has a straight trunk and a dense crown with leaves 30 cm long, pointed, dark green with a clear gray in the middle.
- Aglaonema Butterfly. Belongs to red varieties, the central part of the leaf has ruby veins, the main plate - a saturated green color.
- Aglaonema is changeable. A straight-standing bush with elongated elliptical dark green glossy leaves up to 30 cm long. For cultivation, rooms with scattered light are needed.
- Aglaonema Peacock. A medium-sized plant with a lush crown from elongated leaves. The color of the plate is light green, covered with whitish lines, resembling the feathering of a peacock.
- Aglaonema White lance. The second name is a white spear. Its narrow glossy leaves are collected in a dense outlet. They grow upwards, reach a length of 25 cm, are spear-shaped. The leaves are painted in a gray-green color, along the edges of the plate there is a bright emerald rim.
Aglaonema - landing
Bought in the store flower Aglaonema not immediately transplanted - give him 2-3 weeks for adaptation. Rules of landing:
- in the chosen pot drainage is laid - small pebbles, expanded clay, broken crocks;
- up to half the volume is filled with earth;
- the house flower of Aglaonema is placed in the center of the pot, the roots are carefully spread, the substrate replenishes;
- The young plant does not recede, the adult is allowed to sit down a bit during transshipment;
- the bush is lavished with warm water.
Growing aglaonema
Many florists are experiencing how to grow Aglaonema lush and beautiful. For this, we need to study the characteristics of this plant:
- Culture prefers scattered light and slightly shaded places. Under direct sunlight and next to the radiators, it is best not to install it.
- The temperature regime in the summer is + 20-25 ° C, in winter - slightly lower.
- As a representative of the tropics, the flower of the Aglaonema needs warmth and high humidity, it will require systematic irrigation - twice a week, especially in dry weather.
- The flower does not like drafts and contacts with smoke, especially with tobacco.
Primer for Aglaunums
To make the plant lush and attractive, you need a nutritious primer. The soil for Aglaonema should be loose, it is good to let in air and water. Optimal composition for self-preparation: three parts of leaf land, one - peat and sand, half - humus and charcoal. You can also buy ready-made soil for violets, azaleas or heather. Such a composition is ideal for a tropical bush.
Pot for aglaonema
The flower has a friable and superficial root system, so a deep vessel is undesirable for it. Room house Aglaonema gives a good growth of leaves, it develops better when its roots are limited by the small volume of the pot. Preference should be given to a broad (with the expectation of the emergence of young shoots) and a shallow vessel, given that a quarter of its height should take drainage .
Flower Aglaonema - home care
For home Aglaoneme, care consists in proper watering, spraying, feeding, timely transplantation. To maintain high humidity, the pot can be placed in a tray with wet claydite or pebbles. Do not touch the bottom of the vessel with water. The leaves of the flower are recommended to be systematically wiped and bathed in the shower. Then they will always be bright and shiny.
Aglaonema - watering
Home flowers Aglaonema in care from April to November require abundant watering, immediately after the drying of the upper layer of soil. In this case, one should not allow moisture stagnation in the roots. The abundance and frequency of watering are adjusted depending on the temperature in the room - in cool conditions, the flower of the liquid needs less. In winter, moistening is reduced, producing it only two days after the drying of the earth coma. Approximately in normal conditions, watering is carried out in summer - every other day, in winter - once a week.
Indoor flower Aglaonema - top dressing
Cultivation of Aglaonema provides for systematic fertilization of the plant with compounds that include potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. During the period of active growth (from March to September), the flower is fed every 2 weeks with liquid mineral preparations for ornamental foliage - Uniflor-micro, Uniflor-growth, Crystalon, Pokon, Agricola , Bona Fort. In winter, you do not need to fertilize a flower.
Aglaonema - pruning
There is one secret, how to make bush aglaone, without harming the plant. For this, the bush is not allowed to bloom, pruning the emerging shoots with rosettes-buds. Such a procedure will provoke the formation of new kidneys, the plant will grow, become beautiful and more magnificent. In addition, as the stalk grows near the flower of the Aglaonema, the shoot looks bald. Then you can trim the top of the trunk, which formed voids. Soon on the stump there will be young shoots and leaves. Cut off the cutting can be put in water or in the ground under the film for rooting.
How to transplant to Aglaonema?
The flower grows slowly, releasing up to 5 new leaves a year. Until the age of three, Aglauna needs an annual spring transplant. In this case, the bush is placed in a new pot - more than the previous one by 2-3 cm in diameter and in height. Adult shrubs are transplanted less often - every 3-5 years, but if necessary, replace the top layer of the soil. To do this, carefully remove 2 cm of old earth, and fill a new one. To transplant a mature flower is necessary only if it is overgrown. On the need to perform the procedure signals the loss of the lower leaves with the growing upper part of the bush.
Aglaonema - reproduction
There are three ways to grow a flower. Room Aglaonema - as it propagates:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
The easiest way is to divide the bush in the spring. In April-May, when transplanted from a plant, strong shoots with 3-4 leaves and roots are picked. At the same time, the underground part is neatly cut with a knife, and the bush is not torn to pieces. The daughter flower for rooting is placed in a separate vessel with fertile soil, with competent irrigation and fertilization it quickly grows.
Aglaonema - reproduction by cuttings
When the flower of Aglaonema passes the rosette stage and the trunk begins to appear, one can start to propagate it with cuttings. The stem with the tip is cut off, if possible, the trunk is divided into as much as 9-12 cm each, so that they have leaves. Cuttings are allowed to dry for a couple of days, the places of cuts are sprinkled with charcoal. How to root Aglaonema:
- Cuttings are planted in peat, mixed with sand, to a depth of 5 cm;
- the temperature for rooting is needed + 22-25 ° C, then the roots are formed within a month;
- if the flower is provided with a bottom heater, it can be rooted at any time of the year. If not, it's better to wait for the summer;
- when the culture is strengthened, it can be planted in a separate pot with soil for adult plants.
How to propagate seeds to Aglaonam?
In summer the plant can blossom, resulting in the formation of fruits of a red shade. They contain seeds that can be used for reproduction. Keep them there is no sense - they quickly deteriorate and lose their germination. How does Aglaonema divorce from seeds:
- the seeds are washed, immediately sown in a bowl with a substrate of peat and sand in equal parts;
- keep them warm and regularly watered;
- shoots hatch quickly, when decorating real leaves, the flower is dived into individual pots;
- After 3-4 years, well-developed lush plants are obtained, while varietal traits can be lost.
Aglaonema - diseases and pests
The appearance and health of culture is influenced by some insects:
- Spider mite appears when the air is very dry. With it, the leaves become dull, they can fall off. To heal the bush, the damaged plates must be removed, and the crown should be treated with Aktellik.
- Powdery intestine shows cotton balls in the sinuses, insects attack leaves, while the plates dry, deform, the flower can die. To defeat the parasite, the bush must be treated with a soap solution, in case of severe damage, it may be necessary to use Carbophos.
- Thrips are dangerous, they appear dark small patches on the leaves. A part of the crown turns yellow, the parasites eat it. The flower should be washed with soapy water and rinsed with clean water. When watering, you should make an insecticide - Confidor, Aktaru. Thrips fly, their signs should be looked for on other plants.
- The aphids damage the lower part of the plates, while the Aglauna leaves dry, the young shoots die. To destroy the parasite, it is necessary to treat the hive with Pyrethrum solution.
Some problems with growing:
- The leaves twist, suffer from brown spots. This occurs in the case of freezing, with a sharp drop in temperature or when the flower is in a draft.
- The shrinking of the leaves and the appearance of brown glades lead to dry air and low humidity in the room. The bush should be sprinkled, the pot should be placed on wet claydite.
- Yellow spots on the leaves are burns and appear when the culture is in the sun. In this case, the bush loses its color, turns pale. It must be put in the shade, sprinkled with water.
- When watering with cold or hard water, the flower begins to grow slowly, the leaves become brown. It can be softened by adding 0.2 g of 10 liters of oxalic acid or citric acid, then keeping the day. Water the flower with standing water at room temperature.