Scindapsus

 

Aroid family. Homeland Central and South America, Asia. About 40 species are common in nature. These are perennial vines that form aerial roots with which they cling to tree trunks.

  • Scindapsus perakensis Scindapsus perakensis - native to Thailand, Borneo and Sumatra - is a large-leaved vine, reaching 3-5 m in length. In room culture, you can't find it so easily, but those who traveled to Thailand could pay attention to it. The leaves are elongated elliptical, pointed at the end, about 15 cm long, 5-7 cm wide, dark green, glossy. Petioles with flat lionfish (5-7 mm wide), 7-8 cm long.
  • Scindapsus painted Scindapsus pictus - of all representatives of the genus, this is the most common. Originally from Malaysia. Liana with leathery leaves ovate or ovate-oblong, slightly asymmetrical, about 10-15 cm long and 6-8 cm wide. The leaf blade on the upper side is olive green with silvery spots - irregularly shaped stains.
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Scindapsus - care and cultivation

Caring for the scindapsus is not difficult regular watering (the soil should not dry out completely or be too damp), loosening the top layer of the earth, trimming too long shoots or tying them to a support, rejuvenating bushes every 3-4 years (cut 8-10 cuttings and plant them all together in a pot).

Temperature

Scindapsus is thermophilic, grows all year round in normal room conditions, but in winter it can be kept cool, this is especially necessary if there is a lack of light and there is no way to illuminate, then + 18-20 ° C is the most optimal temperature. Winter minimum 16 ° C.

Lighting

Bright diffused light, mandatory shading from direct sunlight from noon in spring and summer. In winter, good lighting is required, otherwise the leaves begin to grind and lose color, so by winter move the scindapsus closer to the window or organize additional lighting. Direct sun in the period from October to February does not harm the plant.

Watering and humidity

Plentiful in spring and summer - for the next watering, the soil should dry out in the upper third of the pot. In winter, watering is moderate - the soil should have time to dry out two-thirds of the pot on top. Scindapsus does not tolerate excessive watering, the roots begin to rot. The optimal air humidity for scindapsus is about 40-50%. Since in winter, in the heating season, it rarely rises above 30%, the plant must be periodically sprayed.

Fertilizing

During the period of active growth from March to September, once every two weeks, scindapsus is fed with fertilizer for ornamental and deciduous plants. Fertilizer for aroid or ficus can be used. When growing scindapsus in winter in a warm room with additional light, the plant can be fed about once a month.

Flight connections

Every year in February - March, the scindapsus is transplanted into fresh earth. The composition of the substrate: the 1 part of the sheet earth, the 1 part of the peat, the 1 part of the humus and the 1 part of the sand (vermiculite). Scindapsus does not tolerate heavy clay soils. It is desirable to add baking powder to the substrate in addition to large sand sifted from dust, this can be vermiculite and/or pine bark. If you buy land in a store, pay attention to the coconut substrate (which is in briquettes and swells when wet). It is necessary to take in equal parts a universal soil (for example, Terra-vita) and a coconut substrate, to them add 1 more part of vermiculite, several birch coals (4-5 pieces measuring 1 cm per 1 liter of soil), and plant scindapsus in this mixture. Be sure to pour high drainage on the bottom of the pot. The root system of the scindapsus is small, so the pot should not be too large.

Reproduction

Cuttings that can be cut at any time of the year, but it is better to do it in the spring. Cuttings usually have aerial roots and are immediately planted in the ground (as described above). If you cut cuttings in autumn or winter, it is important that the plant is light. If necessary, you can illuminate with a fluorescent lamp.

By the way

Previously, many plants allocated to the genus Epipremnum aureum belonged to the genus scindapsus. Outwardly, it is very difficult to distinguish representatives of both genera, they are very similar in appearance and morphological structure. The difference lies in the structure of the fruits, or rather the number of seeds.

In scindapsus, fruits with a single seed, in epipremnum, in the vast majority of species, there are several seeds in one copulation (the only exceptions are two species of Epipremnum ceramense and Epipremnum falcifolium). All other differences mentioned in the literature - about the symmetry of sheet plates, etc. - are nothing more than fiction.

By the way

Scindapsus painted quickly grows and is quite unpretentious in room conditions. It can be grown as a liana - by placing a pot or planter with the plant high on a shelf, then the branches of the plant will hang down with a green carpet.

Thus, the stems of the scindapsus, if not cut, reach 5-6 meters in length.

It is possible to tie the scindapsus to a support, which is a tube with moss.

Growing problems

The main problem is related to improper irrigation. The roots of the scindapsus are rather thin and short, they easily rot from waterlogging and at the same time quickly dry out, if not watered for a long time.

Therefore, if you have a plant recently, before watering, touch the ground in the pot with your finger. Between watering, it should dry out, but not dry out completely.

Content issues may be related to lighting. From the direct sun from 11 to 16 hours, burns in the form of gray-brown dry spots in the center of the leaf plate may remain on the leaves. But in a place too dark, or in winter when the day is short, plants may lack light.

In a warm room, the scindapsus tends to grow, but due to lack of light, the shoots stretch out, the petioles are long, and the leaves themselves are small, the leaves at the base of the shoots dry and die (especially if dry air). Therefore, in winter, the plant must be rearranged closer to the light, or a daylight lamp should be placed next to it.

In general, for scindapsus, as well as for some other aroid ones, the loss of leaves at the base of the shoots is characteristic - over time they are exposed.

In such cases, if the plant loses its decorative attractiveness, it is rejuvenated - all apical cuttings are cut and, after rooting (if necessary), planted all together in one pot.