There are flowers that easily forgive busy or forgetful owners of the error in care without losing their decorative effect. Chlorophytum belongs to such plants, home care is not complicated. He will not please the owners of lush flowering, but beautiful variegated leaves and a healthy looking plant will always cheer you up.

Chlorophytum: the nuances of growing

There are few other such unpretentious plants for indoor culture. Chlorophytum easily multiplies, will grow almost everywhere where a pot with it is put or suspended, it is practically not affected by diseases and will delight its peppy look at any time of the year

Home Care

Chlorophytum is not capricious and gratefully takes any care, but it develops best when certain conditions are created. At home, various species of chlorophytum grow in tropical forests under a canopy of trees. Some people manage to settle simply on tree trunks, receiving moisture from precipitation, and food from the air thanks to photosynthesis. Therefore, the flower has amazing vitality and the ability to adapt to any conditions.

Ground and pot requirements

A pot is selected for a plant taking into account the rapid growth of roots. In a too spacious tank, the plant will not have time to master a large amount of soil, and it will become acidic, and too small - may crack under the pressure of overgrown plump roots. The pot should allow the roots to grow in width, so its height is not as important as the diameter. Best of all, the “spider”, as the plant is sometimes called, will feel itself in a plastic and clay container - they retain moisture well.

This plant is quite satisfied with the usual purchase soil for indoor flowers.

If you want to prepare the soil yourself, mix the following components:

  • 1 part humus, sand and sheet land;
  • 2 parts of turf land.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

Chlorophytum loves coolness, but tolerates heat well. It is most comfortable for him at 18 degrees in the summer, in winter it should be a little cooler. Below 7 degrees, the flower does not live.

Chlorophytum treats air humidity calmly, it will quite survive some dryness, which often happens in houses with central heating. Too dry air can cause the tips of the leaves to dry out, causing the flower to lose its decorative effect. In dry air and in extreme heat, the plant should be sprayed regularly. A monthly warm shower will also benefit him, but you can’t do a strong pressure of water - fragile leaves can easily break off.

The place of chlorophytum where there is diffused sunlight. In the shade, the plant will develop, but lose its variegation, in the bright sun it needs shading. It is best for him on the east or west window.

Watering a plant

Chlorophytum loves moisture, but does not tolerate overflow - the roots rot, and it will not be possible to restore it. The top layer of earth in the pot should always be slightly moist to the touch. But watering with a small amount of water is not suitable for this plant. It should be enough so that the entire earthen lump is well moistened. In summer, they are watered every 2-3 days; in winter, weekly watering is enough. Water should settle and warm to room temperature. Excess water from the pan after watering must be poured.

This plant is able to regulate moisture intake itself. With its deficiency, it uses the reserves accumulated in thick roots, and with an excess, it actively builds up leaf mass in order to increase evaporation from its surface.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

An intensively growing plant needs additional nutrition throughout the growing season - from spring to autumn. Spend it with a solution of complex fertilizer for indoor flowers, prepared according to the instructions. Frequency of top dressing - once every 2-4 weeks, in spring - more often, closer to autumn - less often.

Transplant and pruning

Young plants need a transplant annually. Old planting is enough to relocate to a new pot every couple of years. The signal for transplantation is the appearance of root tips in the drainage hole. Spend it in the spring at the very beginning of the period of active growth, usually in late February - March.

Transplant Features:

  1. The new pot should be a couple of centimeters wider than the old.
  2. At the bottom, drainage is mandatory.
  3. Before transplanting, the flower is not watered - the leaves that have saturated water will easily break off.
  4. Plants are planted in moist soil and watered after planting.
  5. When transplanting the old soil from the roots do not shake off, just add the earth, filling the space near the walls of the pot.
  6. The roots of the plant need to be examined, a large number of thickenings on them is a signal of insufficient watering.

Pruning a flower, as such, does not produce. As an extreme measure, it is carried out with mass drying of the leaves to renew the plant, then it is cut off under the root. A care adjustment will be required at the same time to eliminate the cause of drying. But more often than not, simple removal of dried leaves may be required; updating them is a natural process. Do I need to remove the sockets that appear at the place of peduncles? Each grower decides for himself. They are usually used to propagate plants.

Winter care

In winter, chlorophytum begins a period of relative dormancy. He needs cooler air and rarer watering.At this time, spraying is usually not carried out if the plant is not close to the radiator. No need for flower and feeding.

Chlorophytum Reproduction

The flower is easy to propagate. You can do this with seeds, the method is suitable for winged chlorophytum, which reluctantly forms daughter rosettes. Other species give them in abundance, so vegetative propagation is more suitable for them. With strong growth, division of the bush is carried out.

Dividing the bush

As a rule, this procedure is combined with a spring transplant. The plant is cut into pieces with leaves and roots, the slices are treated with charcoal to be crushed. The roots of the plant cannot be cut. Each dividend is planted in a separate pot.

Lateral processes

Rosettes, which are formed at the place of peduncles after flowering, root very easily, since they already have root buds. You can pre-grow the roots in a vessel of water by immersing a 1/3 outlet in it. If you immediately plant it in the soil, it will also take root well.

Seeds

Chlorophytum seeds have low germination. They are collected when the seed box becomes translucent and dries. Sowing is carried out at the end of February or in March.

Growth Algorithm.

  • A light substrate is prepared from a mixture of sand and peat.
  • Seeds are soaked for a day, changing water as often as possible.
  • Sowing is carried out superficially, only slightly pressing the seeds into the soil.
  • A container of seeds is kept in a plastic bag.
  • For seedlings to appear, you need a lower soil heating with a temperature of 21 degrees.
  • The surface of the substrate is moistened from a spray bottle, preventing it from drying out.
  • Shoots appear for a long time. They will have to wait 3-6 weeks.
  • Sprouts that have appeared are sprayed, regularly ventilated, removing the bag.
  • At the stage of 2-3 leaves, they are dived into small pots.
  • The grown seedlings are moved to a permanent place.

The main problems when growing

Usually they are associated not with diseases or pests, but with errors in care.

Plant dries

Why do chlorophytum dry leaf tips? At the flower, from time to time some leaves dry. There is no reason for alarm in this phenomenon - it just has a natural change of lower leaves.

In case of mass drying, the plant does not have enough moisture. Insufficient or surface watering is to blame. If the tips dry out in bulk, the air is too dry.

You need to spray, put a humidifier or just a can of water on the windowsill.

Leaves turn yellow

There may be several reasons:

  • little light;
  • not enough food;
  • the temperature in the room is too high;
  • too small or too large pot;
  • overflowing plants and, as a result, decay of the roots.

Pests, diseases and control measures

Only highly weakened plants are attacked by pests. The main enemies are aphids, mealybugs, scale insects. They fight the first two, washing the leaves with soapy water. To destroy the scale, you will have to resort to an insecticide that is approved for use in a closed room.

Chlorophytum does not have specific diseases, all painful conditions are explained by improper care.

Species and varieties of plants

The following species and varieties of chlorophytum are most often grown in room culture:

  • Chlorophytum crested. It has a shortened stem, from which leaves grow in the form of a bunch. The leaves are light green in color, narrow can reach a length of up to 60 cm. The flowers are small, white, star-shaped located on long peduncles. On them, rosettes of leaves appear after flowering. It has a variegated shape.
  • Chlorophytum curly. Most often you can find a variety of Bonnies. It differs from the previous species in curved spiral leaves.
  • Chlorophytum Cape. Leaves are wider than in previous species. The bush itself can grow up to 80 cm in height. The flowers are small, white, collected in a brush. Does not form daughter sockets. Reproduction of seed and division of the bush.
  • Chlorophytum winged.It has wide oval leaves with a groove located on long stalks of contrasting color: pink, red, orange.

Unpretentious and hardy chlorophytum is not only an interior decoration. This is a real living filter that can not only clean up to 90% of air from pollution, but also saturate it with oxygen.

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