Bignonium family. Homeland Southeast Asia. 16 species are common in nature. These are evergreen shrubs or trees.
When Dutch producers began to develop the Russian market, this plant was one of the first to appear, and immediately fell in love for its unpretentiousness and beauty of delicate openwork leaves. Variegated variations exist.
The Chinese Radermachera sinica is a spreading tree, about 6-15 m high, in room culture grows a bush up to 1.5 m high. It has opposite thrice-pinnate leaves, juicy green, each leaf is elongated-ovate, up to 3.5-4 cm long, pointed at the end, slightly wavy, serrated at the edge. The complex leaf itself is large - on average 20-30 cm, on a long petiole. Inflorescences are racemose, flowers are bell-shaped, with a tubular corolla, white. It does not bloom in indoor conditions. Radermachera has a natural tendency to gradually expose the lower part of the stem.
Radermacher care
Temperature: Radermacher prefers a moderate temperature, feels good in summer at 22-24 ° C. In winter, a cool content is desirable, at a temperature of 16-17 ° C, but not lower than 13 ° C.
Lighting: For radermachera you need a very bright place - bright diffused light, protection from direct sun from 11 to 16 hours. It grows well on windows of western and eastern orientation. Although in nature the radermacher grows in open sunny areas, at home it must be accustomed to the sun gradually. In summer, the radermacher suffers not so much from the direct sun as from the heat that forms in the enclosed room or balcony. In winter, when kept in a warm room, additional light is necessary, otherwise the plant loses all attractiveness. Variegated radermacher is more photophilous, it necessarily requires a certain amount of sunlight, preferably in the morning or in the evening.
Watering: Plentiful in spring and summer, with mandatory drying of the top layer of the earth. Since autumn, watering is moderate, radermacher does not tolerate waterlogging, therefore, with cool maintenance in winter, the soil should dry out in the upper half of the pot, but not dry out completely. It is advisable to use only soft, boiled water for irrigation.
Fertilizer: During the growth period from April to August, every two weeks, the radermacher is fed with complex fertilizer for ornamental and deciduous plants .
Air humidity: Radermacher is resistant to dry air, but in winter, when kept in a heated room, it is advisable to spray the plant twice a day, or place it on a tray with wet moss-sphagnum. Periodically, you can rinse the plant under a warm shower, covering the soil from waterlogging.
Transplant: Annually in the spring. The soil is a mixture of the 1 part of the sod, the 2 parts of the sheet earth, the 1 part of the humus earth and the 1 part of the sand. A handful of pine bark can be added to the substrate. It is imperative to put drainage on the bottom of the pot. Radermacher does not like heavy clay soils, the earth should be nutritious, but at the same time loose, freely pass and evaporate water. The root system of the radermachera is fibrous, not very powerful, it does not need too spacious a pot.
The cut of the apical handle is marked with a red line. One of the leaves (the one on the left needs to be cut off)
This plant does not stand near the window, and the lamp is too far away, gradually the stems were completely exposed.
This radermachara has two problems: lack of light (rare leaves) and excessive watering (browning of leaves).Radermachera reproduction
Radermacher is propagated by cuttings in spring or summer, as well as by seeds. Cuttings take root with difficulty, the use of phytohormones is necessary. It is best to root not in water, and not in the ground, but in moist vermiculite. It should be understood that the leaves of the radermacher are complex-pinnate, i.e. small leaves are not full-fledged leaves, but only particles of a complex leaf, and for rooting we need to cut off the entire complex leaf with part of the stem and internode - only then there is a chance to propagate the plant. Part of the leaflets on a large sheet must be removed to reduce the evaporating surface. Put the cup with the handle in a transparent bag, and place in a very light, but not hot place. Periodically be sure to ventilate. A sign of the rooting of the handle is the appearance of a new growth - young shoots.
Radermacher seeds are medium-sized, surrounded by lionfish. They are sown in a mixture of sand and peat, in plates or immediately in peat cups. The soil is kept constantly moistened, regularly ventilated to prevent the formation of mold. The temperature is about 22-24 ° C.
It is possible to multiply the radermacher by air extraction, especially of tall plants, with the trunk already lignified and exposed in the lower part. Around the circumference of the trunk, you need to remove a strip of bark, about 0.5 cm wide. Wrap the cut with wet moss-sphagnum, and cover it with cling film on top. It is necessary to ensure that the moss does not dry out. When the roots grow back and there are a lot of them (this can be seen through the film), you can cut off the branch and plant it in a pot.
Growing problems
The main problem is associated with improper wintering, when it is not possible to place the plant in a cool room or protect batteries from hot air, at the same time, the natural lighting in winter is very poor, as a result, the leaves of the radermacher continue to grow, but the leaves are small and the petioles are too long - the bush looks loose, decorative charm is lost. Also, the leaves grind and pale when the soil is too poor, not nutritious.
Another problem of growing radermachera is incorrectly selected soil and/or excessive watering. If the ground is too heavy, does not pass air well and dries for a long time, the roots begin to rot, the leaves of the radermacher begin to brown from the edges, turn yellow and fly around. In a serious case, the tops of the shoots rot .