Asparagus Meyer - home care
Content:
Asparagus Meyer is a beautiful and very unusual houseplant that will look harmonious in any interior. One of the advantages of the culture is ease of care and cultivation.
What does Asparagus Meyer look like, which family does it belong to?
Asparagus Meyer is a member of the Asparagus family (Asparagus). The name of the indoor flower of asparagus in Latin is asparagus. In the people, it is sometimes called "fox tail" for fluffy twigs.
Asparagus Meyer
The plant is a small herbaceous shrub, which grows a little more than 1 m in height. The crown is spreading, it grows 3-4 m in diameter. Shoots are straight, needle-like leaves densely cover the shoots.
Asparagus - species
About 300 species of this plant are known. Only 10 of them are grown at home. In bouquets, varieties of asparagus plumose are most often used.
Popular plant species:
- Asparagus Setaceus - differs in unusual leaves, similar to the feathers of birds. It reaches a height of 30–85 cm.
- Asparagus Aethiopicus or Aspraragus Ethiopian is a shrub with long, airy stems. In spring, small white or pink flowers bloom on it.
- Asparagus Umbelatus - The stems of this species are slender but very hard. The leaves are like needles. The flowers are small, after flowering red berries remain.
- Asparagus Virgatus - looks like dill shoots. It is often used to decorate bouquets. The second name of the flower is Trifern asparagus.
- Asparagus officinalis (lat. Asparagus Officinalis) or edible asparagus is the oldest crop cultivated as a vegetable. Young shoots are used for food.
- Asparagus pyramidal - shoots are long, densely covered with needle-like leaves. The culture grows up to 1.5 m.
- Asparagus densely flowered - the crown is spreading, lush.
- Asparagus Medeoloides - stems are straight, highly branched.
A variety of flower called Medeoloides
Briefly about the history of appearance
A plant native to South Africa. In Egypt and the Mediterranean, asparagus has been cultivated for many millennia. In the wild, it is characterized by uncontrolled rapid growth. For landscaping landscaping, asparagus began to be used in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Features of Meyer's asparagus care at home
Asparagus is quite unpretentious in care.
Temperature
The optimum temperature for a flower is + 20 ... +22 degrees. The main thing is that the room is protected from cold drafts.
Lighting
Asparagus prefers to grow in partial shade or shade. Do not place the pot in direct sunlight.
Watering
Water the plant abundantly and regularly. The soil should not be allowed to dry out. It is also undesirable for the water in the pot to stagnate.
How to water a plant
Spraying
The plant loves moisture, so the foliage needs to be sprayed regularly. In the cold season, 1-2 times a week are enough. In the summer, you can spray every other day.
Humidity
In winter, next to the pot, you can put a plate with wet expanded clay or hang wet towels on the radiators.
Priming
Caring for Meyer's asparagus at home involves the selection of a suitable soil. The plant prefers loose and breathable soil. It is best to purchase ready-made soil in the store.
Top dressing
Fertilizers are applied to the soil every two weeks during the period of active growth. You can use complex mineral dressings. Sprinkling wood ash over the soil is also helpful.
Winter care, dormant period
The plant rests from October to March. In winter, they reduce the amount of watering and stop applying fertilizers. You also need to increase the humidity level.
How Asparagus Meyer reproduces
There are several ways to breed a plant at home.
Germinating seeds
Step-by-step instructions for sowing seeds:
- Pre-planting material is soaked in water for a day.
- Then the seeds are sown into the ground, sprinkled with a thin layer of soil and watered.
- From above, the container is covered with a bag or glass and placed in the sun.
- Once a day, it is opened for 20 minutes to ventilate.
- When the first shoots appear, the container is rearranged in partial shade.
You can transplant seedlings to a permanent place after the seedlings grow up and get stronger.
Rooting cuttings
The procedure for propagating asparagus by cuttings:
- Cut off the stalk. Its length should be between 10 and 15 cm.
- Put the cutting in the growth promoter for several hours.
- Then plant it in the ground and cover with a bottle or glass cap.
- When the roots appear and the stalk gets stronger, it can be transplanted. If the pot is spacious, the flower can be left in it.
Planting a plant with cuttings
Other options
Another breeding method is dividing the bush. It is suitable for propagation of a garden plant. The bush is dug up and cut into several pieces. Then each part is planted.
Transfer
You need to transplant the plant in the spring. With young plants, this procedure is carried out every year, and with old plants - once every three years. Before transplanting, the flower is watered abundantly. The main thing is to carefully remove the plant without damaging the roots and stems.
Possible growing problems and diseases
In the process of growing asparagus, growers may face some problems.
The plant sheds buds and leaves
This can be due to a lack of light, waterlogged soil, or a lack of nutrients in the ground.
Leaves turn pale
Most likely, the plant lacks sun. To solve the problem, it is enough to rearrange the pot in a sunnier place.
The tips of the leaves dry
The reason for this phenomenon may be too bright lighting or dry soil. The problem may be caused by pests.
The tips of the leaves dry on the flower
The lower leaves fall
Sometimes this happens for natural reasons. This is how the plant sheds old leaves. In other cases, the lower leaves may fall off due to lack of nutrients and waterlogging of the soil.
Pests
Most often, you can see a scale insect and a spider mite on a flower. The scale insects are harvested by hand, and then the Actellik bush is sprayed. This drug also helps with spider mites. To protect the plant from this pest, it should be placed under a warm shower more often. Before this, it is better to cover the soil with a film so that the soil is not waterlogged.
Other problems
In addition to pests and violations of growing conditions, when cultivating asparagus, one often has to deal with diseases. The most common of these is root rot.It occurs due to improper watering. The disease is very dangerous. If you do not start treatment on time, the flower will die. The plant must be removed from the pot, cut off the decayed roots. Then transplant it into new soil. In the future, you can not transfuse the plant.
Signs and superstitions
Asparagus in the home relieves stress and helps build relationships between family members. According to the signs, the plant improves the psychological atmosphere in the room and helps to reconcile faster after quarrels.
Asparagus is not only a beautiful but also a useful houseplant. The flower is unpretentious to care for, grows quickly and is combined with all indoor flowers.
