Indoor araucaria - planting and home care

What kind of plants are not grown today at home. Even, it would seem, varieties and varieties that are not at all suitable for the house. One of these plants is indoor araucaria. The perennial ephedra is a symbol of the New Year and can significantly revive the interior.

What does indoor araucaria look like?

Indoor araucaria belongs to the Araucariaceae family, in which there are more than 14 thousand plant species. The birthplace of the tree is Australia and South America. It is a perennial coniferous plant. The main feature is the tough, needle-shaped leaves that grow instead of the usual leaves. Flower seeds can even be eaten, and wood is used to make furniture.

Indoor araucaria

Araucaria is one of the few conifers that can be grown at home. But in order for it to grow normally, it is necessary to provide favorable conditions.

Common varieties and varieties

Even experienced tree lovers are not familiar with all the varieties of araucaria. Below are the most famous varieties and species.

• Chilean araucaria does not belong to houseplants. This variety can only be grown outdoors in parks. The tree grows up to 60 m in height. The seeds of the tree are edible.
• Araucaria varifolia is the most common type for growing at home. At home, cones never form on the plant.
• Araucaria Bidville is also not grown as a houseplant. The tree grows up to 50 m in height.
• Brazilian araucaria is suitable for planting at home. It rarely grows more than 4 m in height.
• Araucaria heterophylla is another variety that is suitable for planting at home and in greenhouses. Does not bloom at home.

Araucaria - home care

The home tree is not very capricious. However, the owner needs to know some of the nuances of growing, follow certain rules.

Temperature

The araucaria tree feels good only in cool rooms. The optimum temperature in the room is up to +20 degrees. In the cold season, it is recommended to clean the tree in a cool room, where the temperature will not exceed +15 degrees.

Lighting

Caring for araucaria means proper lighting organization. The plant belongs to the light-loving, most of the day should be in the sun.

Watering

For irrigation, it is advisable to use warm, settled or fitted water. In the summer, you need to ensure that the ground does not dry out.

It is better to water the homemade araucaria often and little by little. It is also not recommended to allow moisture stagnation. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced.

Spraying

You can spray as needed to remove dust from the needles and increase the humidity in the room.

Spraying is one of the elements of care

Humidity

Caring for room araucaria at home suggests that the humidity in the room should be high. The plant can be sprayed regularly.In winter, you need to hang wet towels on nearby heating devices.

Priming

Araucaria coniferous tree requires slightly acidic soil.

Soil mixture for a plant:

• deciduous, sod and coniferous land;
• peat;
• humus;
• sand.

All ingredients are taken in equal amounts.

Top dressing

During active vegetative growth, the plant is fed with complex mineral fertilizers with a low calcium content every 2 weeks. Once a month, a room spruce araucaria is watered with a mullein solution.

Features of care in winter, dormant period

The dormant period for a house tree begins at the end of November and ends in early spring. At this time, the amount of watering is reduced. The pot must be removed to a cool place.

Also, in winter, they stop making organic and mineral fertilizers.

Pruning

Opinions are divided over pruning araucaria.

• It is believed that pruning a plant results in stunted growth.
• But there are recommendations that indicate that pruning is necessary.

The argument in favor of pruning is that the flower grows more bushy and does not stretch upwards. With regular pruning, the growth point can be controlled.

How indoor araucaria reproduces

There are several ways to breed:

• cuttings;
• seeds.

Reproduction of indoor araucaria

The easiest and most common way is by cuttings. They are usually taken from the tops. In order to propagate by cuttings, it is not advisable to take planting material from side shoots. In this case, the plant will not grow symmetrically.

After pruning, the cutting is dried so that the resin hardens. Then you need to cut it off. Dip the slice in Kornevin and plant in sterile soil. Cover the stalk with a bottle - this way it will quickly root and take root.

When the root system grows, the cutting can be transplanted into another container.

Araucaria can multiply by seed. For this method, you need to use only fresh planting material. Seeds that lie for a long time have a low germination rate.

The planting material is planted in separate containers filled with a mixture of sand and peat. After planting, the soil is watered and the containers are placed in a warm place.

The emerging seedlings also grow very slowly at first, so you have to be patient while the seedlings grow into full-fledged plants.

Transfer

An indoor tree does not need frequent transplants. It is necessary to replant if the pot has become too small or insects have appeared in the soil. Until 3 years, the plant is not touched at all. But the topsoil is regularly changed. You need to be especially careful when choosing a soil. It must be slightly acidic.

How to transplant araucaria:

1. Carefully remove the plant from the old pot.
2. Do not shake the soil from the root system.
3. Mix soil with peat. You can buy ready-made soil mixture for rhododendrons.
4. Fill the drainage at the bottom of the pot.
5. Pour the soil into the pot by half, then put the tree. Cover it with the rest of the soil.
6. Tamp the substrate a little and pour abundantly with warm water.

Pests and diseases

Of the pests on araucaria, you can find mealybugs, root bugs and aphids. Insects can be killed with fungicides. With a root bug, the plant is removed from the pot, the roots are carefully washed and treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. Then the flower must be planted in new soil. Fortunately, plant pests are rare.

Also, during reproduction, you can encounter diseases.Diseases mainly appear due to improper care and inappropriate conditions of detention.

• Due to the lack of nutrients in the soil, young twigs grow very thin.
• If the narrow-leaved araucaria branches droop, then the soil is waterlogged. After fixing the problem, drooping branches will remain in this position.
• Slow growth of the seedling indicates that there is too much calcium in the soil. In this case, the plant must be transplanted into a new substrate and watered with soft water.
• If the needles begin to turn yellow and dry, then the room is too hot and the air is dry. A container of wet pebbles can be placed next to the pot to increase the humidity in the air.
• Another problem is the blackening of the needles. The reason is damage to the root processes. In this case, the plant must be transplanted into a new soil, adding a little Kornevin to it. The needles should be regularly sprayed with Zircon or Domotsvet preparations.

If you properly care for the plant, there will be no problems with growth, diseases and pests.

The disease is easily identified by its appearance

Signs and superstitions

The araucaria flower is a symbol of New Year and Christmas, joy and abundance.

To ensure that there is always prosperity at home, there is no despondency and hunger, a pot with a plant must be placed in the kitchen.

Araucaria is an unusual plant that will perfectly fit into any interior. Moreover, it is not at all demanding in leaving. It is difficult to find such an indoor flower in the homes of compatriots. That is why it immediately attracts the attention of all guests and visitors.