Cissus

Grape family. Homeland tropical sometimes subtropical areas of America, Australia, Asia. About 350 species are common in nature. These are evergreen creepers that can be grown as an ampel plant or tied to a support. The cissus looks impressive if it, wrapped around a tube with moss, grows upward. Cissuses are distinguished by rather rapid growth.

Cissus rhombolosus Cissus rhombifolia is a grassy vine. The leaves are alternately arranged, triplicate, diamond-shaped, with a rarely serrated edge, dark green. Forms antennae, which themselves are looking for support and curl around it. Stems and petioles densely pubescent with small hairs. In nature, it blooms with small greenish flowers collected in racemose inflorescences. After flowering, it forms red edible berries. It does not bloom in indoor conditions. This species is the most unpretentious to grow. Often in the culture you can find a variety of rhombus cissus - the variety 'Helen Danica '.

Cissus antarctica is a grassy vine. The leaves are alternately arranged, ovoid, up to 10 cm long, with a rarely serrated edge, dark green. Stems and petioles, and antennae densely pubescent with brown hairs. The flowers are greenish, collected in corymbose inflorescences.

Cissus discolorous Cissus discolor is a rather demanding plant. The leaves are alternately arranged, ovoid (almost arrow-shaped), with a heart-shaped base and a finely toothed edge. The leaf surface is velvety green or olive, with silvery spots between the veins. The underside of the leaf, petioles and stems are purple.

Cissus care

Temperature: Normal in summer, indoor, cooler in winter about 15-18 ° С, minimum in winter 10-12 ° С (cissus is more thermophilic, for it winter minimum 16 ° С). Cissus is an unpretentious plant, but still does not like two extremes - drafts in the cold season, and heat in summer - the leaves dry and fall.

Lighting: Bright diffused light, light partial shade. To get a lush beautiful bush you need direct sun in the morning or evening. It is the sill of the east window or northwest window. In a room with a south or west window, the cissus should be placed in the immediate vicinity of the windowsill, but under the shading. Cissus Antarctic is more shade-tolerant, growing well on the northern windows.

Watering: Plentiful from spring to autumn. In winter (from October to February), watering is moderate. Cissus does not tolerate complete drying of an earthen coma (leaves at the base of the stems dry and fall), but excess water, long drying of the soil, can lead to rot and death of the plant .

Fertilizer feeding: Cissus is a rapidly growing plant, it intensively consumes nutrients from the soil, so it is fed every two weeks from April to September, using liquid fertilizer for ornamental and deciduous plants.

Humidity: Cissus responds well to regular spraying, and if it is in a room with central heating, then frequent spraying - in the morning and in the evening - becomes a necessity. With the end of the dormant period - in the spring, after transplantation, it would be nice to give the cissus a warm shower to wash off the accumulated dust and encourage the plant. Cissus multicolored does not tolerate dry air, the leaves become like parchment, it is better to place it on a tray with moist moss-sphagnum.

Transplantation: Soil - 1 part of sod, 1 part of leaf (or peat) land, 1 part of humus, 1 part of sand. Young plants are transplanted annually, and plants older than 5-6 years after a year, but feeding is carried out every year. For greater bushiness, you can pinch the apical kidney of the shoot from the cissus.

Reproduction: Cuttings in spring and summer, for this they cut several apical cuttings, and after rooting, they are planted in one pot. It is better to root cuttings in spring or summer, but it is possible at other times of the year, if it is light, cuttings of cissus easily root in water.

Growing problems

Yellowing of leaves - may be due to lack of watering if the soil is too depleted, or saline soil from watering with very hard water. Also, the leaves turn yellow when kept in a warm room with dry air during the heating season.

The leaves turn pale - with too bright lighting, burns form on the leaves in direct sun. It should be noted that in low light, cissuses are very exposed at the bottom of the stems, the plant slows down growth and loses decorative attractiveness. Moreover, it was noticed that the variety of rhombous cissus "Helen Danica" is more photophilous than the usual rhombous cissus.

Brown leaf tips are the most likely reason - dry air, just as possible due to insufficient watering, exposure to cold air or from touching cold glass in winter.

Brown spots on the leaves (not at the tips, but from the sides) - when the soil is waterlogged or the temperature drops sharply. If at the same time the tops of the shoots begin to droop, the plant must be urgently removed from the pot and transplanted into dry soil.