Washington is a fast-growing subtropical palm tree. The historical homeland of the plant is the south of the US and the north of Mexico. This kind of fan-shaped palm tree was named after George Washington, who was the first US president.
The palm of Washington, thanks to its endurance (withstands temperatures to -10 ° and drought-resistant), adorns, like a park plant, the avenues of the Black Sea coast. Used in the design of winter gardens, shop windows of large shops, foyer offices, halls of cultural and entertainment institutions.
The height of the tree in natural conditions is 30 m. The large leaves are fan-shaped. The trunk is rough, on the trunk in the nature there are dried leaves petals, creating a peculiar skirt. It is home to birds and rodents. When the plant is cultivated, the "skirt" is removed to make the plant look more aesthetic.
How to care for a palm tree washingtonia?
Washington is a light-loving plant that perfectly feels on windows facing east and west. In winter, it is desirable to keep the palm in a rather cool place. If the heater is nearby, the plant suffers from such proximity: leaves dry. But also the drafts of the palm bear poorly, therefore it is impossible to allow through ventilation of the room where this indoor plant is contained.
Care for Washington includes frequent and abundant watering in spring - summer, and moderate - in autumn - in winter. You can not tolerate water stagnation, so a large layer of drainage in the pot is required. With a soft damp cloth (sponge), it is necessary to periodically clean the leaves and wash from the pulveriser.
In warm weather the palm is fed with complex fertilizers containing iron, once in 2 weeks. Winter feeding is not performed.
Since the washingtonia naturally dry leaves, they must be cut off, waiting for the withering of the petiole. The pruning of the entire flower should not be done, otherwise the plant will die.
Reproduction of the Washington palm
Cultivation of the palm of washingtonia is carried out from seeds. Seeds (necessarily fresh) are treated with small emery and soaked for a day in water. The soil is prepared: sand, moss and sawdust are mixed in equal proportions, charcoal is added, crushed into powder. The seed is planted at a depth of 1 cm and watered. A greenhouse is created - on top the pot is covered with a glass vessel. It is necessary to make sure that the soil is wet, then, after 3 weeks, a sprout will appear, which will develop rapidly in the future. Young shoots do not remove the seed coat that feeds the palm until it forms a root system.
Transplantation of a Washington palm
Palm Washington is hard to transfer. If the young plant has outgrown the size of the pots, it neatly with a large clod of earth is piled into new dishes. If an adult Washingtonton does not need a new spacious capacity, then it is possible to replace the topsoil.
At home, the life of the plant is short - 10 years, so take care of the timely cultivation of the "receiver" in advance.
Pests of a plant
Parasites that can settle in the leaves and trunk of the palm are mealybugs , scutes and spider mites . If there are few pests, you can fight by wiping the leaves with a cotton swab dipped in a solution of water and laundry soap. A large number of parasites - a signal that the plant needs to be treated with an insecticide.
Yellowing of leaves
Palms are characterized by the regular dying off of leaves. But, if the washington leaves yellow sharply, they can not be cut off in any way, thus, you will weaken the plant. Yellow leaves are evidence that the plant lacks nutrients. To stimulate the growth of leaves, it is necessary to add "Zircon" types to watering.
Important: if there are small children in the house where the Washington palm tree is contained, it is necessary to limit the access of the baby to the plant - the palm has hard spines that cause significant wounds.