Mother-in-law tongue flower - home care
Content:
Mother-in-law's tongue, or pike tail, is a houseplant, a champion in the production of oxygen and the absorption of harmful substances from the air. It is able to secrete an antiseptic that kills viruses and germs. Also, the plant is unpretentious and looks great indoors. How to properly care for him?
Description flower mother-in-law tongue
Mother-in-law's tongue is a species of perennial plants belonging to the Agave family. Its homeland is the savannah and subtropics of Africa and Asia. There are about 60 plant species. Its leaves grow from the rhizome. Some species have a stem. The leaves are long, can be thick, oval, flat or wide, mostly dark green in color (in some species, the color is dark brown). The leaves have stripes of yellow or white colors. They grow mostly vertically, some in different directions or parallel to the ground. The rhizome is creeping. Flower propagation is carried out by leaves, seeds, shoots or rhizomes.
What does it look like
Appearance
The scientific name - sansevieria or sansevieria - the flower received in honor of Prince R. de Sangro.
How "Mother-in-law's Language" blooms at home
The blooming of a mother-in-law's tongue is a rare occurrence. Its flowers are white or creamy with long stamens collected in a tassel on a long thin stem and have a pleasant smell.
Care features
Mother-in-law's tongue is a flower, home care for which does not cause much trouble, loved by flower growers for its simplicity and undemandingness.
Temperature
In summer, the plant is not afraid of any heat and grows well at any temperature. It is best to keep it around 16 ° C. The minimum temperature in winter is 5 ° C. Otherwise, the roots will begin to rot.
Lighting
The homeland of the flower is filled with the sun, so in the apartment you should choose the most sunny place for it. You can leave it in the shade, but with a lack of light, the plant does not develop well, and its leaves lose color.
Watering
Sansevieria roots are adapted to life in arid places, so the plant can do without watering for a long time. It is desirable that the water is settled or rain room temperature.
Depending on the season, it is recommended to water the flower:
- in summer, on hot days, once a week, on cloudy as the soil dries up;
- in winter, once every 3-4 weeks;
- in spring and autumn, moderate watering is required, depending on the degree of drying of the soil.
After 15-20 minutes. after watering, drain the excess water from the sump.
Spraying
It is not necessary to spray the flower, especially when kept in an environment with low air temperatures.
Humidity
For sansevieria, the best air is dry. The leaves are periodically, but not too often, wiped with a damp soft sponge to remove dust and additionally saturate them with moisture.
Priming
To prevent moisture from stagnating in the container, it is worth making a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. It can be expanded clay, brick chips, crushed stone or gravel.
To create a nutrient medium for sansevieria, turf, leafy soil and sand are mixed in proportions of 2: 1: 1.
Priming
Top dressing
A young plant can be fertilized no earlier than six months after planting. Top dressing is carried out only in the summer, once a month.
Liquid preparations for domestic plants are used as fertilizer. They can be found in specialized stores. Fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and calcium are also suitable for sansevieria.
Diseases
Sansevieria is not susceptible to disease, however, improper care can provoke the following problems:
- dark spots on the leaves - excess moisture at low temperatures;
- yellowing of the leaves - lack of light or too tight a container;
- leaves are soft and fall under their own weight - lack of light;
- yellowing and softness of the leaves at the base - it is possible that water has entered the flower outlet. This can provoke rotting or fungal diseases;
- sluggish, yellowed, dry tips of the leaves - excess moisture, lack of light or too low air temperature;
- wilting leaves - lack of moisture;
- mold or flower - excess moisture.
Disease
How to plant a mother-in-law flower tongue at home
The capacity is chosen wide, but shallow, since the root system of the flower develops slowly and does not cover a large area. There should be holes in the bottom for the outflow of excess moisture. The pot should be made of porous, moisture-permeable material. Clay or ceramics will do.
The soil needs a loose, slightly acidic. In addition to the above soil option, the following soil options will be useful:
- leaf and turf soil, humus, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 0.5: 1: 1;
- leaf and sod land and coarse sand in proportions 1: 1: 2;
- turf, peat and sand in a ratio of 3: 1: 1.
Store cactus soil is also good.
Brick chips, bone meal, or pieces of charcoal (sold in specialized stores) can be added to the prepared soil.
Half of the planting tank is filled with a drainage layer. The flower itself must be planted with a lump of earth entangled in roots, so they are less injured.
How to transplant a flower
The number of transplants depends on the age of the plant. A young mother-in-law's tongue is transplanted every spring. For older flowers, once every 2-3 years is enough. The transplant container should not be much larger than the previous one, as the roots grow slowly.
When transplanting, the overgrown rhizome is cut and planted in suitable containers, having previously treated the cuts with charcoal.
A correctly transplanted mother-in-law's tongue develops and blooms well.
In good conditions, the rhizomes grow with young shoots. They need to be seated. If there is at least one growth bud on the shoot, it may well grow on its own in a separate container.
Transfer
Signs and superstitions
Sansevieria is enveloped in signs - both good and bad. Long leaves are like tongues, which brought the plant many unusual names, and with them - beliefs. Here is some of them.
Is it possible to keep a mother-in-law flower at home
It is difficult to judge the benefits or harms of a flower: some believe that the mother-in-law's tongue brings quarrels and swearing, because of it marriages break up. At the same time, many psychics and bioenergetics are convinced of the opposite. Sansevieria returns peace and harmony to the family, helps to establish relationships and avoid conflicts, and the effect of its action is equivalent to the action of a flower of female happiness.
What is the energy of a flower
Mother-in-law's tongue is a vampire plant.It tends to absorb the energy of the room, but the peculiarity is that it absorbs negativity, anger and aggression, thanks to which the residents become more friendly to each other.
The appearance of sansevieria flowers is considered a good omen. This predicts success in business and a warm atmosphere in the family. However, if a flower blooms in winter, then, on the contrary, this is a bad sign. Major quarrels and conflicts can happen that can radically change your life.
But according to experts, the plant begins to bloom when it feels that it may soon die. This is due to being kept in poor conditions, so sansevieria is in a hurry to produce seeds for further reproduction. But do not leave a flower without water and light or in excess of them to make it bloom, but rather it will lead to its death.
Trusting signs or experienced florists is a purely personal matter.
Bloom
How to attract well-being with the help of a mother-in-law flower tongue
For sansevieria to be beneficial, you need to choose the right place. It doesn't have to be a bedroom or a kid's room. Also, do not leave the flower on the windowsill or close to the doors.
Mother-in-law's tongue is able to protect its master. If someone from your acquaintances arouses suspicion with their intentions, you should put a flower at the intersection with this person. So the plant will protect against negative influences. You can also put it in your workplace to attract success in business and to protect yourself from the harmful influence of other people.
Mother-in-law's language is loved by gardeners for its beauty and unpretentious care. In addition, he is able to help the owner in certain conditions. But most importantly, sansevieria should please its owner. Then it will bring maximum benefit and joy.
