Chamaedorea

 
хамедорея

Areca family (palm). Homeland Central America. The genus includes about 100 species. This is one of the most adapted for indoor palm keeping, as it grows rather slowly and tolerates some shading well. In addition, this palm tree blooms at a young age.

The graceful hamedorea, Chamaedorea elegans, is native to the rainforests of Mexico and Guatemala. Rhizome plant forming a spreading bush. The leaves are pinnate, each of individual lanceolate leaflets. The flowers are male and female, male light yellow or orange, collected in a loose panicle, female flowers are single, orange. It blooms at any time of the year. In indoor conditions, hamedorrhea grows about 1 m tall and about 1.5 m in leaf span (in nature 2-2.5 m tall). Notable synonyms: Neanta beautiful Neanthe bella, Collinia graceful Collinia elegans.

Hamedorea is well grown in the company of plants such as marant and decorative-deciduous begonias. They require approximately the same conditions of detention.

Hamedorea - home care

Temperature

Moderate, for optimal growth it is desirable 18-20 ° С, and in winter (from October to February) cool about 12-15 ° С. For summer, it is better to expose the plant to fresh air in the garden or on the balcony, with the obligatory shading from direct sunlight. Drafts should be avoided. Of course, in ordinary apartments it is rare when the temperature is kept for a long time in the boundaries ideal for palm trees, but hamedorrhea is rather unpretentious, adapts to ordinary room conditions, but only in greenhouse conditions, where there is a lot of space, light and quite cool, truly beautiful and spreading specimens grow.

хамедорея изящная

Lighting

A bright place, with some direct sun in the morning or evening, light partial shade, protection from direct sunlight in the midday hours is required. The room is suitable for a place near the east and west windows. If the room is warm in winter so that the plant does not lose leaves and does not stretch out, additional illumination may be needed.

Watering

In spring and summer, plentiful, moderate or limited in winter, but watering directly depends on the air temperature, the higher the temperature in the room, the more often watering. Both drying and waterlogging are equally poorly tolerated, but excessive dampness, long-drying earth very quickly lead to the formation of rot and death of the plant.

Fertilizer

From March to August, fertilizer watering is carried out after 2 weeks, with liquid fertilizer for indoor ornamental and deciduous plants.

Air humidity

Hamedorei love very humid air, optimally 55-60%. With dry air (especially if heating is turned on), this plant is often affected by a spider mite. To avoid this, the palm is regularly sprayed, two to three times a day. You can put the pot on a wide tray with wet sphagnum moss.

Flight connections

Transplanted when the roots fill the entire pot or tub. Soil - 2 part of light turf, 2 part of humus (or compost), 1 part of peat land or leaf, 1 part of sand and several pieces of charcoal. Sheet or peat land can be replaced with the same volume of coconut substrate (from pressed briquettes). Make a high drainage to the bottom of the pot (it is better to use large expanded clay, or pieces of foam (1.5-2 cm)).

Over time, the ground in the pot is compacted, and the root neck of the chamedorrhea is exposed, so the ground must be periodically loosened so that the roots breathe, dry better after watering. And, in addition, they add land in the area of ​ ​ the root neck. If a white salt deposit appears on the surface of the earth (which means your water is too hard, you need to boil it), it must be removed and replaced with fresh earth.

Reproduction

The palm is propagated by seeds, at a temperature of at least 24 ° C, it is better to sow in a room greenhouse, the seeds are large, they can be planted individually immediately in peat tablets. Hamedorrhea is also propagated by root offspring or by dividing the bush. But it tolerates the procedure painfully, any injuries lead to inhibition of already slow growth and loss of lower leaves. Therefore, when dividing, it is important not to tear the roots with your hands, but to carefully cut off a small part of the leaves with roots from the side.

For more on palm cultivation and cultivation, see Palm trees

Growing problems

Gradual yellowing of leaves - due to lack of watering, lack of nutrients in the soil, excess calcium in the soil, i.e. watering with too hard water.

The leaves turn pale, dry gray-brown spots appear on them - in too bright sunlight, burns appear on the leaves.

Dry brown leaf tips are the most likely cause of dry air, just as possible due to insufficient watering, exposure to cold air, or from touching cold - for example, window glass in winter.

Brown spots on the leaves not only at the ends, but also at the edges of the leaves - when the soil is waterlogged and/or the temperature drops sharply, as well as the use of very hard water for irrigation.

Drying of the lower leaves - in many palms, the lower leaves darken and die with age, they are periodically cut off with a sharp knife. But when there is not enough light and the air in the room is too dry, the death of the lower leaves is faster.

хамедорея

If such yellow or gray spots on the leaves appeared on the palm tree, first of all it is worth looking for a spider mite. The web may not be noticed, but the tick can be found on the back of the sheet if you look closely with a magnifying glass. Mites are small, only 1 mm, translucent, move quickly. But their skins - white, dandruff-like grains are clearly visible.

If a tick is found, the palm must be thoroughly sprayed from all sides with an acaricide (sanmite, vermitek, nisoran, etc.).

If the palm tree is still small, it is better to take it to the shower, dilute the acaricide solution in a bucket and dip the plant down with the tops for 2 minutes.

If the palm tree is already large, you will have to process it in the room or on the balcony. In this case, it is better to spread a wide oilcloth on the floor so that the solution flows on it, and not on the carpet. And after the plant dries, thoroughly ventilate the room.