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This flower is the brightest representative of the family of perennial herbs, which are so called - "Marantovye". An interesting fact: the flower is named after the famous medieval healer who was engaged in a deep study of the flora - Bartolomeo Maranta. The leaves of this flower above are much brighter and more contrasted than below. In pots and tubs, a tropical bush, as a rule, grows up to 30-40 centimeters, and therefore - easily fits on the windowsills of city apartments. However, some "domesticated" varieties of arrowroot can "shoot" up to one and a half meters.
Designers are very fond of Maranto. Due to its rich and vibrant color, the flower is often used as an accent in the interiors of studio apartments, spacious country cottages and catering establishments. In addition, caring for a flower of arrowroot does not require special efforts and material costs. So the plant is not only spectacular, but also “convenient”.
Species diversity
It’s quite difficult to say exactly where the flower migrated from to our latitudes. But it was definitely either the central parts of the American continent, or western India. It was in these corners of the globe that the motley grass was first discovered.
Most often in domestic houses there is a white-arrowroot arrowroot - in a variety of variations. Occasionally on the window sills and in the winter gardens of professional gardeners, you can see the arrowroot comb. But this is rather an exception to the rule. This variety is quite rare and is rare in our area. Other popular varieties of arrowroot are presented in the table.
Table - Domesticated varieties of arrowroot and their features
| Grade name | Background color | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Kerhoven | - Green medium intensity | - The most popular variety; - brown spots are located on both sides of the middle core; - weakly expressed longitudinal veins |
| Massange | - Medium intensity green at the edge and light green in the center | - The second name is black arrowroot; - pronounced longitudinal veins; - the presence of brown smears between the transverse veins |
| Maricella | - deep dark green | - The presence of a wide toothed strip in the center of the sheet; - longitudinal veins of light color |
| Stencil or tricolor | - dark green; - sometimes has a brown tint | - The presence of light green stripes in the center; - pronounced longitudinal veins; - the presence of clear burgundy veins on the sides |
| Beauty kim | - Green medium intensity | - The presence of dark green, and in places brown spots on the sheet; - the presence of specks of yellow-green color; - large fragments of light tones |
| Emeral Beauty | - Green medium intensity | - A wide central strip of light color; - the presence of randomly placed light spots |
Maranta Care Principles
To grow an arrowroot at home, even a beginner grower can do it. The main thing is not to “fry” the tropical bush in the summer and water it competently.
Temperature
Room conditions for the arrowroot are quite satisfactory. For this plant, it does not matter where it is in the house: any light is suitable for tropical grass. Judging by the reviews of experienced gardeners, the pot can be put at least on the windowsill, at least in the back of the room. The only thing you should definitely not do is to expose the flower pot under the scorching direct rays of the sun. The optimum temperature for the arrowroot is from 18 ° C to 20 ° C. Maximum - 28 ° С. The minimum is 14 ° C. The ideal location for the arrowroot is a window that looks north-west or east.
Humidity
Adequate moisture level is an important criterion for flower health. The optimum moisture indicator that a hydrometer should give out near a pot with a plant is 70%. This can be achieved by installing a plant near the aquarium or by placing a tub in a wide tray filled with water. In the summer, you need to carry out frequent spraying of leaves. At least once a week, but more often.
Watering
When it is hot outside the window, watering the arrowroot should be more often than usual. The dried topsoil in the pot is a signal that the plant is thirsty. For irrigation, use only filtered water.
Top dressing
Care for arrowroot during flowering and active growth requires mandatory top dressing. The fertilizer application period begins in early spring and ends in late summer.
You need to feed the plant twice a month - in the early days and at the end of the month. If you add too much fertilizing to the soil, the plant will respond to an excess of nutrients by leaf disease. You can use any fertilizer intended for decorative and deciduous indoor flowers. The action algorithm has three steps.
- We take 1 liter of water.
- Add 1 g of fertilizer to it.
- Mix and use for watering.
Winter features
In winter, no special care for the arrowroot is required. The grower must make sure that cold air does not blow from the window on which the pot with the plant stands. This indoor flower does not tolerate drafts, so it is better to insulate the window frame a little.
Transfer
The arrowroot should be transplanted every year. It is advisable to do this in the spring, when the plant finally wakes up after wintering. The container for transplant should always be larger than the previous one. Moreover, the material of the pot is absolutely unimportant. Maranta reacts equally well to both plastic and clay. The transplant algorithm provides eight actions.
- We take two parts of the sheet earth.
- Add one part of the humus.
- Add one part of coniferous soil.
- Add some sand.
- We qualitatively drain the soil mixture.
- Add a little chopped charcoal to the resulting mixture.
- Pour drainage into two-thirds of the pot.
- Top soil and transplant the plant.
Bloom
Arrowhead inflorescences are not at all what this tropical beauty is raised for. Such a spectacle does not give aesthetic pleasure, but only depletes the mother plant. Believe experienced gardeners, the arrowroot blooms are not very beautiful, and this period is limited to only a few days. In order to prevent spiky inflorescences from pulling out all the juices from the mother stem, it is better to stop this process at the root. As a rule, the peduncle is removed in the embryo, thus hindering its development.
Forming Cut
From time to time, some stems of a lush bush rush up, overtaking fellow growths. In such cases, you need to trim the arrowroot. Otherwise, the indoor flower will take on an awkward chaotic shape.
Breeding methods
The desire to increase the number of arrowroots in the house sooner or later will lead the reader to a chapter on how to breed praying grass. There are two effective ways - cuttings and dividing the bush.
Option number 1
Features A vegetative propagation method can be used for every transplant. Moreover, the larger the mother plant, the greater the number of "children" will be able to divide it.
Action algorithm
- We get the bush out of the pot.
- We divide in such a way that the number of roots in each separated fragment is approximately the same.
- We plant fragments in pots.
- Wet the soil with warm water.
- Cover with polyethylene.
- After the emergence of young shoots, we remove the polyethylene and continue the traditional care.
Option number 2
Features To propagate the arrowroot with leaves, we take the cuttings remaining after the forming pruning of the indoor flower. The best time for breeding is late spring. However, this method can be used year-round if the mother plant feels great and does not get sick.
Action algorithm
- Cuttings with a height of 8-10 mm are lowered into the water.
- We are waiting for the appearance of roots 3-4 cm long.
- Root future tropical beauty in the ground.
Arrowroot diseases and methods of treatment
Any discomfort is reflected in the quality of the foliage of the praying grass. Excessive cold or heat, prolonged lack of watering - all these problems instantly degenerate into leaf disease, as can be seen from the following table.
Table - Diseases of the arrowroot and methods for their treatment
| Disease | Cause | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| The leaves are dry | - not enough moisture | - Spraying the stems from the atomizer with water at room temperature; - resume watering schedule |
| Leaves curl | - Too low air temperature | - A gradual increase in temperature in the room; - unacceptable sharp change in temperature |
| Leaves turn pale and yellow | - Moving the pot to a darkened place; - weekly plant fertilizer for a month | - Sunburn |
Pest Management Methods
Most often, prayer grass is affected by pests such as scale insects and spider mites. Sometimes, water procedures help get rid of parasites. But if the state of health of the indoor flower does not improve, it is worth resorting to a "chemical attack." What to do is described in the table.
Table - Methods of controlling insect pests
| Insect | Symptoms of the disease | Water treatment | Chemical treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield | - Rash on the narrow parts of the leaf; - the appearance of sticky drops; - yellow patches on the foliage | - Prepare soapy water; - apply the solution with a sponge to the leaves of the plant; - rinse off during spraying | - Dilute systemic insecticide; - pour a solution of soil; - spray the leaves; - do the same in a week |
| Spider mite | - Too light, pale color of leaves; - multiple miniature punctures in the foliage | - Spray and wrap the pot with a plastic bag for a day or two; - rinse the stems and leaves under a hot shower (temperature 55 ° C) | - Spray with acaricides |
People say that growing arrowroots at home is an anti-stress activity: a miracle flower absorbs the negative and fantastically heals home owners from insomnia and neurosis. Believe it or not - everyone decides for himself. Perhaps a miracle will not happen, but the aesthetic pleasure of the owners of this colorful plant is certainly guaranteed.
Reviews: “Maranta is the choice of those who do not like to mess with flowers, but love beauty!”
Maranta appeared in my house by accident, and after moving the only one did not get sick and did not stop growing, but on the contrary grew and even blossomed. The flower is unpretentious, although when I planted it for the first time, it did not take root. My variety is three-colored, red-core. I planted the flower in a claydite pot and put it on the refrigerator, it’s low, it’s standing by the window. It was there that she began to bloom. Now the flower is in the hall, in relative shade, because the kitchen is cool and draft, which the arrowroots do not like, they are heat-loving. But in the spring I will rearrange. I don’t have it, so to speak, but as if it were weaving. I really like this flower, pah-pah, it grows well with me, unlike other unpretentious plants. I recommend it to anyone who doesn’t really like to mess with flowers, but loves beauty. BUT, although the arrowroot does not like too much control, it is impossible to forget about it. If possible, puff it, monitor the moisture of the earth. And just find her a warm and moderately bright place in the house, but often it is also undesirable to rearrange.
Nimeria___, http://irecommend.ru/content/na-udivlenie-neprikhotlivaya-krasivaya-effektnaya
I have been familiar with a houseplant called arrowroot for quite some time. Of the whole family of arrowroot, I consider it the least moody plant. Nevertheless, the arrowroot is quite whimsical in its departure. The plant is not tall, mine has grown to about 20 cm. For a long time I did not know that the arrowroot blossoms. Appreciated her for the beautiful large oval-shaped leaves, light green or bluish, with dark spots. And one summer, my arrowroot blossomed, which really surprised me, because at that moment I did not know that it was blooming. Its flowers are small, form panicles or ears, light lilac in color, very delicate. I think this houseplant is quite whimsical to care for. Maranta does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature. Somehow, due to a sudden change in temperature, one of my arrowroots nearly died. In the summer I try to shade from too hot sun, does not tolerate overheating. My arrowroot lives in partial shade, in bright light the leaves lose their bright color, become pale. I water with water at room temperature, ample enough. I spray the leaves regularly. This is a very hygrophilous plant. I propagate the arrowroot by dividing the plant when transplanting. Rooting hard enough. In general, I really like the arrowroot plant. I think it is quite an interesting plant. Flower lovers will certainly not be disappointed in the acquisition of this indoor flower.
kseniya2015, http://citykey.net/review/udivila-svoim-tsveteniem
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