Strelitzia flower: examples of care and growing at home
Content:
Strelitzia is a plant with unusual flowers. Its popular name is "bird of paradise", the reason is an outlandish peduncle, which really looks like the head of an unusual bird with a multi-colored tuft. In the wild, it is found only in southern Africa and Madagascar - there this shrub reaches a height of 10 meters and is often confused with a banana tree.
Types of strelitzia
Only five varieties of this blooming exotic are known.
The most common types:
- Indoor strelitzia will be quite low in comparison with wild sisters. The leaves reach a height of up to a meter, over time, their rosette stiffens, creating a stem. The lower part of the inflorescence is purple, the upper flowers are white.
- Royal or Strelitzia reginae, also not small for indoor breeding. Its bush can reach up to 2 meters in length. Flowers of unusual bright colors, combining fiery orange and blue flowers. The most popular way to acquire a Royal Strelitzia is to grow from seeds.
With the help of this unusual flower, you can easily add zest to the decor of any room.
Strelitzia - home care
The flower is completely unpretentious to care for. The main thing for its full growth and flowering is enough free space around.
Basic care for strelitzia:
- Temperature.
Strelitzia is not very thermophilic - summer range 23-25 ° С, in winter 15-17 ° С. In other conditions, it will not feel comfortable, it is unlikely to show the best properties.
- There are no special requirements for humidity.
On too hot days, spraying is useful, in the summer period - periodic wiping of leaves or showers.
This type of room beauty has the name Augusta or just white strelitzia
If the tips of the leaves begin to turn yellow, this is a clear sign that the plant lacks moisture.
- Watering is moderate, but frequent.
In summer, the soil should always be moist, but without stagnant water in the roots and in the pan.
In winter, watering is reduced, you need to dry out the first centimeters of the soil between waterings.
- Top dressing
From the beginning of spring to autumn, you need to feed with organic matter and mineral fertilizing once every 1.5-2 weeks.
When and how it blooms
Most of the domesticated specimens bloom in early spring, but with proper care, inflorescences can appear twice a year - in March and October.
The lack of flowering can be for several reasons:
- Not enough storage. Such a spreading bush needs a lot of space, the strelitzia in the house should have its own plot. If the plant is limited in space, it will not consider it necessary to multiply.
- Not enough light. Another factor affecting the full growth of a flower. With insufficient light, the flower and fruit will not be able to ripen, so the plant will initially not release it.
- There is no rest period during leaving. Strelitzia releases flowers only after a period of sleep. If the plant is in an active phase all year round, it will only grow the root system and greenery.
Dormant period
To shake the beauty, she is placed in conditions with a temperature of 12-14 degrees for three weeks and watering is reduced as much as possible.This artificial sleep will be an excellent impetus for the flower to eject the inflorescences, which, two months later, will delight you with the most beautiful flowering.
Experienced flower growers arrange a rest period for their phyto-friend twice a year - in winter and summer, respectively, and they receive bloom twice a year - in spring and autumn.
An unusual and beautiful flower will delight the owners, surprise guests
Plant transplant
A young plant needs to be transplanted into a larger pot annually. An adult is transplanted once every 2-3 years.
The pot needs more deep than a wide one - the roots grow in length. Since the root system is very fragile, the transplant looks like a transshipment. But it is important to inspect the roots for rot and remove damaged areas.
The soil needs very nutritious from equal parts of leafy, turfy land and humus. For looseness, add half the amount of sand or peat. A good drainage layer will protect the roots from stagnant water and the formation of rot and fungus.
Reproduction methods
To grow a young plant, you should be patient, since you can only collect seeds or divide the rhizomes from an adult five-year-old flower.
Seeds
At home, strelitzia rarely appears from seeds - the plant is difficult to pollinate. Seeds lose their germination over time, so when buying it is important to pay attention to the packing date of the seed.
Before planting, you need to soak the seed for a day in water with a temperature of 30-35 ° C, which must be maintained at all times. After the seeds are cleaned from the remnants of the fruit, remove the protective black shell and plant in cups or in a box (at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other).
The mixture for planting should consist of peat, sand and compost in equal parts. The seeds must be pressed into the ground without dropping, cover with glass on top and do not open it until the first leaves appear.
When growing, it is important:
- maintaining a temperature of 22-25 degrees;
- abundant lighting, but not direct sunlight;
- moderate soil moisture.
When the first two leaves appear, the seedling is ready for rooting in a large pot and nutritious soil.
Parts of a bush
Root cuttings are the easiest to divide. This process does not take as much time as with the seed method.
When transplanting, you need to separate the sockets along with the root system, if it is damaged, treat it with charcoal.
In warm countries, as a decoration for flower beds and flower arrangements outdoors
Side shoots
Rarely a plant can acquire lateral shoots, it is important to wait until roots are formed on such shoots.
In this case, the baby is ready for a full-fledged independent existence. Such shoots are planted immediately in a nutritious substrate and looked after as an adult flower.
Strelitzia is a flower worthy of the attention of any person who loves exotic flowers. In conditions of decorative cultivation, this beauty can increasingly be found among indoor flowers.
