Sheflera is a tall (up to 2.5 meters) tree or shrub with charming leaves that look like a palm. The leaves of the chef can be either entirely green or brightly colored. If you provide good home care for these indoor plants, the chefler will certainly please you and cause admiring reviews of your guests. It is in how to properly care for the flower prompter, we will now understand.
Flower of the prompter, care and reproduction at home
Care at home for the shampler is quite simple, the main thing is to choose the right place for the flower and to ensure high humidity in the hot season. But, about everything in order. The temperature for the stagger is ideal from 16 ° C to 22 ° C. At the same time, the variegated forms of the chefs need a warmer wintering - not lower than 18oC, but plants with green leaves will overwinter perfectly at 14-16 ° C. If in winter the temperature in the room is the same as in the summer, then you need to look after the sheffler in summer.
Sheflera does not tolerate excess moisture, so watering should be moderate. But the drying of the earth coma can not be allowed. In winter, watering should be reduced, and with the minimum possible air temperature, reduce or completely cancel the humidification of air. In the summer, the care of indoor flowers should include, in addition to watering, the shufflers, moistening the air with a pallet with wet pebbles next to the plant, and wiping the leaves with a damp sponge from dust. Also in the summer it is necessary to periodically air the shufflers in the fresh air.
But the direct rays of the sun do not like the chef. Much better it feels with diffused sunlight, also suitable for penumbra content. But it is worth remembering that variegated forms require more light than their monotonous brethren.
During the period of active growth, from April to September, the chefler needs feeding. It is produced with the help of complex fertilizer, sometimes replacing it with organic fertilizer. Fertilizers are applied 3 times a month at equal intervals.
The plant should be transplanted every two years. Required good drainage - expanded clay or ceramic chips on the bottom of the pot is not less than 1/4 of its volume. The soil must be taken for palm trees. It is best to transplant in spring or autumn.
Propagation of the shephler with cuttings and seeds. But seeds are the rarest way. They need to be planted in a pot in February-March. Until germs appear, it is necessary to keep the room temperature at 22 ° C, then it can be reduced to 18 ° C.
Most often, the shepherd is propagated by cuttings. To do this, the cuttings are treated with a hormonal mixture and planted in a mixture of equal parts of peat and sand. The cuttings are covered with a glass jar and left at a temperature of 20-22 ° C. While the cuttings are not completely rooted, they should be protected from air access.
There is also a way to propagate the stagger with air layers, but it is suitable only for experienced florists. To do this, a cut is made on the trunk of the plant and wrapped with moss, and covered with a film on top. Film and soil should be periodically moistened. After a while on the trunk there are roots. The top is cut with the roots and planted in the ground.
Diseases of the chefs
Improper care of the steward will necessarily lead to illness. Most often these are the following diseases:
- Too copious watering leads to rotting roots. To save the plant, it must be transplanted into a new pot, removing all affected areas of the roots.
- The lack of moisture and draft makes the edges of the leaves brown. For the plant to recover, it is necessary to eliminate the cause.
- Low temperatures can provoke the decay of the chef. In this case, it must be moved to a warmer place.
- Also, the shepherd can be attacked by pests, such as thrips, scab and spider mite. The affected plant is isolated from the rest, air humidity is increased and treated with a soap solution. If the lesion is strong, then the plant needs to be sprayed with insecticides.