Pachystachys

 

Acanthus family. Homeland - Central and South America, East India. The genus contains 12 species of evergreen perennial shrubs. Only one species is common as a houseplant. Translated from Greek "pachys" - thick, "stachys" - spike - this fully corresponds to the appearance of the inflorescence.

Pachystachis yellow Pachystachys lutea is a bush with erect, slightly branching stems from 70 to 120 cm long. The leaves are oppositely located, large, oval, pointed at the end and slightly wrinkled. Dark green about 8-12 cm long. Spikelet inflorescences, up to 10 cm long with yellow bract leaves, are the subject of decorative attractiveness of the plant. The flowers themselves are white, about 5-7 cm long, very cute in shape - two-lipped, fused at the base into a long tube. Pachystachis blooms from late spring to autumn - this means that yellow bracts hold on for so long, although the flowers themselves quickly fall off.

Пахистахис Пахистахис Пахистахис красный

But as a greenhouse plant, Pachystachys red Pachystachys coccinea is also grown, it is too large for a room (from 1.2 to 2 m high), grown for flowers, and the leaves themselves cannot be called too interesting, but their size is huge - up to 40 cm long. The flowers of Pakhistakhis red are scarlet surrounded by dark green bracts.

Care for Pakhistakhis

Temperature: In summer, the usual room temperature, for optimal growth and long flowering, the temperature should be in the range of 22-24 ° C, not higher. In winter, pachystachis prefers a slightly cooler content - at 18-20 ° C, preferably not higher. Winter minimum 14 ° С. At high temperatures, pachystachis grows very quickly - the lower leaves quickly die off, the shoots are exposed.

Lighting: Pakhistakhis loves a bright place with bright diffused light and protection from direct sunlight in summer, during the hottest hours. Best of all, the east window, or northwest (not shaded from the street), is too hot on the south and west windows, but cultivation is possible if you provide shading from 11 to 16 hours.

Watering: Plentiful in spring and summer, the soil should not dry out completely, but only dry out in the upper third of the pot. In winter, they water moderately, allowing the soil to dry well (at least until the middle of the pot), but preventing the ground from completely drying out.

Fertilizer: In the growth period from April to August every two weeks, pachystachys are fed fertilizer for flowering plants ("fertica lux," "bona forte" or "agricola" for flowering, "cheerful flower girl," "uniflor bud" and others).

Humidity: Pakhistakhis loves high humidity. Optimal humidity is about 60%. Therefore, in summer it is often sprayed (twice a day), but in winter during the heating season, spraying does not ease the situation (natural humidity is 20-30%), and pachystachis must be placed on a wide tray with water, or wet moss, while the roots should not be in water.

Transplant: Pachystachys are transplanted annually in the spring. The soil is the 2 part of the sod land, the 1 part of the sheet (peat), the 1 part of the humus and the 1 part of the sand. Good drainage is mandatory. It is important that the soil is very loose, does not stick together and quickly passes/evaporates into the water. Therefore, vermiculite and pine bark can be added as baking powder (it also acidifies the soil). pH = 5.1-6.5 pachystachys, does not like alkaline soils.

Reproduction

Pakhistakhis is propagated by stem cuttings - about 10-15 cm long. It is better to plant several cuttings in one pot. The plant is cut in spring, although it takes root easily at any time of the year, but then, the young plant needs very good lighting, and in winter it is usually lacking. Cut cuttings should be put in water, and put the jar in a wide transparent bag, the edges of which should not be tied, but simply straightened. This will increase the humidity around the handle. Once the roots have grown to about 5cm, they can be planted in small pots.

Formation of pachystachys

A feature of pachystachys is its tendency to bare stems from below and late branching. I.e. pachystachis begins to branch when the stems are already very elongated, and at the same time they will lose the lower leaves. The plant has to be tied up, but the appearance is no longer very attractive.

Therefore, pachystachis must be formed from a small handle. It is pruned or pinched, causing it to branch. Sometimes, after pinching, it gives out not two new shoots, but only one, then it needs to be pinched again. When the shoots grow about 10-15 cm, they can be pinched again, etc.

Also in early spring, after transplantation, you can cut off too long shoots that have not yet gained flower buds.

After the end of flowering, wilted bracts are cut off.

I must say that Pakhistakhis, although a perennial plant, when kept in indoor conditions, loses its decorativeness in 2-3 years. Despite pruning, the lower part of the stems can be exposed, especially if the warm wintering is not well lit. In this case, the plant must be cut off near the ground itself, the apical cuttings cut from the stems and re-rooted.

The cut stump is ready to give new shoots, and the rooted cuttings can be planted in the same pot so that the bush is more lush.

Growing problems

Dry brown leaf tips:

  • due to too dry or hot air. Pakhistakhis does not like temperatures above 25 ° C in summer and 20 ° C in winter.
  • due to lack of nutrition, as pachystachys is a fast growing plant
  • regular feeding in spring and summer is necessary
  • due to lack of moisture - pachystachis does not like stagnation of water, but drying out
  • earthen coma is also unacceptable, the ground should be slightly wet

The plant stretches out, and the new leaves are small - due to lack of light - pachystachis does not like direct sunlight in summer, but the place for it should be light.

In winter, the leaves fall off - if it is too cold, pachystachis does not tolerate temperatures below 12 ° C. And also, if on the contrary, it is too hot and dry indoors.

Pests of Pakhistakhis

Pachystachys is more commonly affected by spider mites, especially if the air is too dry.

Mite damage can be determined by irregular yellow spots on the leaves, puncture points that are visible on the leaf lumen, a thin cobweb (sometimes it is visible only with a magnifying glass) on the back of the leaf and in internodes. White, tiny, dandruff-like skins can also be spotted on the underside of the leaf. Pachystachis affected by a tick should be treated with acaricidal drugs (Apollo, Vermitek, Nissoran, etc.).

In this case, it is important to moisten the leaves with high quality on both sides. To do this, you can prepare a solution in a bucket, and dip the plant there "head down," hold it for 2-3 minutes. Let dry, do not rinse with clean water. Sometimes, if you can't get rid of the tick, you have to cut the plant hard to make it easier to process the rest.