How to care for the flower “female happiness” (spathiphyllum) and why it is advised to combine it with “male fidelity” (anthurium)

It is popularly called Lady’s happiness, Woman’s Joy, and Girl’s happiness ... Why is it called so - it becomes clear if you look at the photo and turn on your imagination a little - there is an association with a wedding veil and even with a baby in a blanket. What is the characteristic of this plant? What should this flower bring to the house, how to plant it correctly, where to put it - let's sort it out together.

Spathiphyllum has been popularly called "female happiness" because of the belief that it helps unmarried girls find a life partner, and married ones become happy mothers. It is believed that spathiphyllum brings love and understanding to the house.

Botanical Description

The genus of the same name includes about 50 stemless perennials. Spathiphyllum grows mainly in the tropics of America, Colombia, Brazil. The rhizome is short, on the oval basal leaves, the middle vein is distinctly distinguished. Petiole at base widens.

A bulbous inflorescence on a long peduncle is wrapped in a white veil. It blooms usually in spring, with proper care, it is possible to achieve repeated flowering in summer or autumn, less often in winter. Flowering continues for several weeks.

Flower spathiphyllum "female happiness" flower growers are often called a white sail - for the peculiarity of the structure of the inflorescence. Spathiphyllum is valued not only for its decorative appearance, but also for its relative unpretentiousness - it is not difficult for him to create favorable conditions in the apartment.

Popular views

Not all types of spathiphyllum are suitable for growing in an apartment. Compact and unpretentious varieties are common in room culture. The most common are eight species.

1. Wallis. One of the main varieties. On its basis, the majority of modern hybrid varieties are bred. The height of the bush does not exceed half a meter. The length of the inflorescence reaches 10 cm.
2. Blooming. It is appreciated by flower growers for a long flowering period. The inflorescences are small - no more than 8 cm. The height of the stem is up to 20 cm. The leaves are oval, darkening with age.
3. Chopin. Compact bush, no more than 40 cm tall. Leaves are oblong, with prominent veins. Artificially bred variety. It features an unobtrusive, pleasant aroma.
4. Picasso. A larger plant with the original colors of the leaves - the green background is complemented by white patches. The length of the leaves reaches 30 cm.
5. Alana. Bush up to half a meter tall. The leaves are bright green, with a sharp point at the end. Perianth is distinguished by a pronounced longitudinal vein on the back side.
6. Mauna Loa. A hybrid variety with a long flowering period. In cut flowers are up to a month.
7. Dominoes. The leaves are small, oblong, with a pointed end, of an unusual color - with chaotic white stripes and strokes. Inflorescences are small, with a characteristic pointed bract.
8. Sensation. Spectacular hybrid variety. It is distinguished by its large size - with good care it reaches one and a half meters. Inflorescences are large, do not fade for a long time.

Spathiphyllum is often confused with anthurium. The plants are similar, belong to the same family, but there is still a difference between them. For example, the anthurium has short internodes, and the spathiphyllum has no stem at all. Other differences are shown in the table.

Table - Differences between Anthurium and Spathiphyllum

Caring for a flower “feminine happiness”: what to consider

Any tropical plant has its own growing characteristics. Despite the unpretentiousness, spathiphyllum needs to create favorable conditions. How to care for a flower “female happiness” in order to admire its flowering several times a year?

• Lighting. Spathiphyllum is one of the few cultures that normally responds to any level of illumination. It can be placed on a sunny window, kept in partial shade and shadow. In a too dark place the leaves fade.
• Temperature. A special temperature regime is not required - spathiphyllum grows well at room temperature 22-23 ° C. The main requirement is to prevent cooling below 16 ° C.
• Watering. Watered regularly, drying out the soil is not allowed. In spring, summer and during flowering, abundant watering is needed, in winter - moderate. Use warm water heated to 18-23 ° C. Avoid stagnation of moisture in the root system.
• Humidity. Maintaining high humidity is the main condition for the successful cultivation of spathiphyllum. In the summer, the flower needs frequent spraying - twice a day. In hot weather, next to the pot, put jars or water bowls, use moisturizers.
• The soil. The soil for spathiphyllum is made up of turf, humus, peat, deciduous land and sand. When mixing the components adhere to a proportion of 2: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1. Sometimes chopped sphagnum is added to prevent drying out of the soil.
• Transfer. Spathiphyllum is transplanted annually. Each time they take a pot of slightly larger diameter. A third of the landing tank is filled with drainage material. Large holes are made at the bottom of the pot to drain excess moisture. After transplantation, keep in a shaded place.
• Top dressing. They are fed regularly - they add mineral fertilizers and organic matter (bird droppings). The frequency of top dressing during the period of active growth is once every two weeks. In winter, it is enough to feed the spathiphyllum once a month.

Breeding methods

Spathiphyllum can be propagated by dividing the bush and sowing seeds. Both options are simple, give good results. The most common vegetative method of reproduction.

Bush division

An adult, well-formed bush can be divided, planted in different pots.Next to the main mother plant, as it grows, daughter sockets are formed - children. Share the bush at the same time as the spring transplant. The procedure is carried out in the following sequence of actions.

• Pot extraction. Before dividing, spathiphyllum is watered and left for two hours, so that the earth is completely saturated. The plant is carefully taken out, hands remove the bulk of the earth, trying not to damage the roots. To remove residual soil, spathiphyllum is placed in water for an hour.
• Division. The roots are carefully examined - rotted, dried tissue is cut off. The bush is cut into pieces with a sharp sterile knife. All sections are treated with crushed coal.
• Landing. Delenki planted in separate small pots, carefully straightening the roots. At first, they carefully monitor the condition of young plants - maintain moderate humidity, keep in a shaded room.

Seed cultivation

Seed propagation is rarely used. Getting quality seeds at home is almost impossible. Artificial pollination does not always produce results. Seed material quickly loses its germination ability - when buying, pay attention to the date of packaging, the company. Seeds are taken with a margin - at best, only half of them will sprout. When growing seedlings adhere to the following sequence of actions.

• Soil and seed preparation. The seeds are soaked for several hours in water with the addition of Epin or another growth stimulant. A substrate is prepared from an equal amount of peat and sand. The resulting mixture is watered with a fungicide solution, slightly dried.
• Landing. A low container is filled with a substrate. Seeds are laid out on its surface, sprinkled with a layer of soil up to 5 mm. The container is covered with a film, put in a bright place with a temperature of 22-24 ° C. The greenhouse is aired daily, the condensate formed is removed, and if necessary, the substrate is sprayed from the spray gun. Maintain moderate soil moisture - dampness provokes the development of rot.
• Seedling Care. After the appearance of the first leaves, the film is removed. Continue to spray regularly, with a lack of light, artificial lighting is installed. At the stage of the appearance of the third true leaf, seedlings are planted in separate pots.

Possible florist errors

Subject to all recommendations for the care of problems with the cultivation of spathiphyllum does not arise. Incorrect irrigation, low humidity, lack or excess of nutrients leads to loss of decorative effect. Determine the cause of the problem by the appearance of the plant will help the table.

Table - Florist Errors and Consequences

If fertilizer was mistakenly applied in high concentration, the excess minerals are removed from the soil. A flower pot is placed in the bathtub, the soil is poured with warm water from the shower under a small pressure. Continue to flush the soil for about three to five minutes. In order to avoid salt deposits after the procedure, another half liter of soft, settled water is poured into the pot. The pot is left for half an hour to drain excess liquid, returned to its original place.

Diseases and methods for their treatment

The main danger to spathiphyllum is fungal diseases. They develop with the systematic waterlogging of the soil, rare airing of the room, the use of dense or poor-quality soil mixtures. Symptoms of the most common diseases are described in the table.

Table - Spathiphyllum Diseases

Pests and methods of dealing with them

With good care, spathiphyllum is rarely attacked by pests. The main triggering factors for the rapid reproduction of insects are dry air and high temperature. Pests hazardous to spathiphyllum are listed in the table.

Table - Spathiphyllum Pests

If you properly care for the "female flower" spathiphyllum, it will bloom several times a year. The plant will look decorative even during dormancy - beautiful glossy leaves will decorate the interior and cleanse the air of harmful substances.