Strelicium family. Homeland - South Africa. The royal Strelitzia reginae species is common in culture.
A beautiful rhizome plant with flowers on a long peduncle. The height of the plant at home reaches an average of 1.3-1.5 m. In shape and appearance, the strelitzia flower resembles the head of some tropical bird. The flowers are large - up to 15 cm in diameter, the outer tepals are orange, the inner dark blue. The leaves are dark green in color, glabrous, leathery, oval in shape up to 40 cm long, on long petioles up to 50-60 cm long. Strelithia blooms in spring, flowers last for a long time, for several weeks, so most often strelithia flowers can be found in bouquets and compositions.
Strelicia Care
Temperature: Strelicia plant of moderate or cool content, it is better to place it in a room where it is not higher than 26 ° C in summer, and about 14-18 ° C in winter, at least 12 ° C. It can be a spacious living room with bright artificial light or a winter garden with a glass roof, the main thing is that there is enough fresh air, light and space for leaves. In general, shooting can grow all year round under normal home conditions, but the main problem is the heating system, if the plant is large, does not clean on the windowsill, or the leaves hang over the battery, they dry from this. And if you put it on the floor further from the batteries, it's dark.
Lighting: Bright lighting, necessarily some direct sunlight in the morning or evening. Shading is needed if the plant stands on the south or southwest window. The east window is preferred. If the shooting is not removed on the windowsill, then it must be put on a stand, flower rack or bedside table so that the leaves are not below the level of the windowsill, but opposite the light source, from October to February to light up.
Watering: Plentiful from spring to autumn, after drying out the top layer of the earth. Provided that the soil is well aerated (if there are enough draining particles in it), you can not be afraid to fill the plant. In winter, moisture is moderate, the soil should have time to dry out for the next watering.
Top dressing: From March to August every 2 weeks with complex fertilizer for flowering houseplants, in doses recommended in the instructions.
Air humidity: From time to time, strelitzia leaves are wiped with a sponge from dust. It is advisable to spray periodically, it is especially important to spray if the air humidity is below 40%.
Transplantation: Young plants are transplanted annually in spring, adults - after 2 years. Strelicia feels well and blooms only when it has a spacious pot, so it is advisable to grow it in large flowerpots. The soil is required nutritious, well-drained: the 1 part of the sod, the 1 part of the leaf earth, the 1 part of the compost (humus earth) and the 1 part of the fine gravel (2-3 mm). The pot is deep enough to leave 4-5 cm under drainage (expanded clay or pieces of foam).
Reproduction: By division during transplantation and by seed. Growing strelcia from seeds is not difficult. It is better to sow seeds in peat tablets, plant them when the seedlings germinate enough. The depth of embedding into the tablet, after moistening (or soil) 6-8 mm. Watering is uniform, without dampness and drying. Be sure to ventilate crops covered with glass. Germination temperature 22-24 ° C.