Grow spathiphyllum. Care for the Tropical Guest

Spathiphyllum is a plant of the family Aroids, innature grows in the underbrush of a rainforest. Its habitat is quite extensive: it covers the rainforests of the Philippine Islands, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana and Colombia.

Elegant, beautiful, unpretentious, spathiphyllumquickly won the location of landscapers. And if some 10 years ago it was a fairly rare plant, which was considered a welcome gift, now almost every home or office, along with fern, dracaena and unchanged pelargonium, is growing spathiphyllum.

Care of him is simple, reproduction is also notrequires special hassle, therefore this exotic beauty in our houses has taken root. But still in the cultivation of spathiphyllum there are secrets, the knowledge of which allows you to get a spectacular plant blooming almost all year round. Consider what they are.

The plant tolerates a partial penumbra, butprefers bright lighting with protection from direct sun. If the leaves stretch, turn pale, flowering becomes weak, rare and short, which means that light is not enough.

The substrate must be chosen loose and airy, itshould breathe well and let in moisture. This is important for all representatives of the tropical flora, is not an exception and spathiphyllum. Care, even the most thorough, will not work if the plant is planted in a heavy rocky or clay soil with poor drainage. It is possible to make a substrate from a mixture of equal parts of coarse-grained river sand, humus, peat, turf and leaf earth with the addition of crushed charcoal and brick crumbs.

When transplanting spathiphyllum, you need to carefullychoose a pot. It often happens that the plant, which is in the transport substrate and a close plastic pot, continuously blossoms, and carefully planted by the owner into a spacious vase with fresh soil, ceases to bloom, and for a long time - for a year or more. The flower grower is perplexed, and yet this is natural, since the flowering of this culture occurs only when the roots completely weave the soil com. This must be remembered when growing spathiphyllum.

Care of this plant, in addition, involvesregular moistening of soil and air. Watering during the vegetation period should be regular and abundant, in autumn and winter it is reduced, provided that the contents are cool and there is no additional illumination. If the plant is contained in a warm room and is illuminated, the moistening regime remains practically unchanged. In any case, between the watering it is necessary to slightly dry the top layer of the soil. Although spathiphyllum and a native of the tropics, for him, drying out (short, of course) is not as fatal as overflow. On the excess moisture signal black-brown tips of leaves (not to be confused with dry tips, which mean dry air!).

Elevated humidity is loved by all the aroids,including spathiphyllum. Care for him should include regular spraying. This procedure will not only refresh the crown, but will also become a good prevention of spider mites, scabies and aphids.

A strong well-groomed plant is rarely exposedattacks pests, because it is characterized by high resilience. Fungi, viruses and bacteria also practically do not affect spathiphyllum. Diseases of this culture are most often associated with mistakes in care - this is a lack of lighting (leaves are pulled out, flowering stops) or its excess (sunburn), overflow (the tips of leaves turn black) or long drying (loss of turgor, wilting leaves), improperly selected substrate slow growth or its stop) or a lack of nutrients (leaves pale and dry up, flowering does not occur).

The most common problem isexcessive watering on a background of heavy soil with poor aeration and low-power drainage. In this case, the soil turns sour, the roots begin to rot, the leaves become lifeless and fall, their tips turn black - there are all signs of waterlogging. This plant needs special care. For spathiphyllum it is necessary to undertake immediately, otherwise it can be lost. The old soil is removed, the roots are washed, if there are decayed areas, they are cut out. Then the affected plant is planted in a fresh substrate and watered very carefully.

Twice a month during the growing seasonIt is desirable to feed spathiphyllum with mineral fertilizer. If you do not allow mistakes in the care and observe the simple rules of agricultural technology, the plant will shine all year round with its glossy foliage adorned with snow-white coverlets of unusual flowers.