Guzmania: care at home depending on the species

Plants coming to us from the thick of impenetrable rain forests are always attracted by their mystery andexotic beauty. No exception is guzmania( or bromelia), the birthplace of which is the rain forests of India, Central and South America. The Spanish traveler and naturalist Anastasio Guzman was so captivated by the unusual nature of the plant that he brought several species with him to Europe. Tropical bright butterflies scattered flowers around the world. And, although care of guzmania at home is not too simple, it is often purchased by amateur flower growers to replenish their collections.

What is a plant

Tropical forests are so impassable and dense that they do not allow sunlight to penetrate to the soil. Therefore squat plants living in the lower tier, stretch to the light, using high trunks and branches of a number of standing trees. Those specimens that adapt to life with the help of their "brethren" are called epiphytes. Such is our familiar, evergreen gusmania belonging to the family of the Bromeliads.

• Its roots are weak, as they are adapted for growth on tree trunks and branches, and not in the ground. With their help guzmania can even move along the trunk in search of the most favorable location. Often, a flower can be found on the mountain slopes clinging to the roots for the cracks in the rocks.
• No stems of guzmany.
• Long and narrow, but very dense leaves resembling belts, are assembled into a socket with a wide hole, inside of which moisture is collected. Intelligent tropical birds use this feature as a forest drinker. Together with water, the plant receives fertilizers in the form of organic residues trapped in the funnel.
• In the center of the rosette appears a flower stalk with smaller leaves. And at its top a large bractor blooms, yellow, red and orange leaves of which many mistakenly mistaken for a flower.
• Wise nature specially created bracts bright to attract insects for pollination, as the real flowers of guzmania are small and unattractive.

The height of a plant in nature reaches 75 centimeters, and at home does not exceed 45 centimeters - the lack of moisture and heat affects.

Council

Blossoming guzmanii rather long - about two months. Be ready for that, after its termination, the plant, which is one year old, unfortunately, will perish.

The most common types of

Thanks to the work of breeders, a variety of ornamental, hybrid varieties have been added to the variety of exotic plant species created by nature, differing in size, leaf shape, color of the bract and flowering duration.

The following cultivars are considered to be the most popular for growing a house.

• "Minor"( or "Rondo") - this flower is most often found on the windowsills of amateur flower growers, as the variety is distinguished by a special duration of flowering - from February to August. The leaves are saturated green, they can be striped. Stipules - from pale red to bright orange.
• "Mosaic" - pleases admirers with incredible petals of rich pink color. Striped dense leaves are collected in a wide rosette.
• "Tongue" - got its name thanks to long, up to half a meter, green leaves with a brown stripe. The top leaves of the peduncle - red or orange, flowers - white.
• "One-Piece" - the inflorescence really looks like a long ear of white with reddish veins of flowers. The leaves of this variety are distinguished by an unusual yellow-green color.
• "Nicaraguan". Its distinctive feature is pointed scaly leaves and a red-brown bract. Flowers are not white, as is often the case, but of a yellow-orange color.
• "Ostara" - artificially bred variety with a very long, up to six months, flowering period.

Council

Often in flower shops incompetent sellers offer for sale the so-called "Mix" variety. It is important to know that the word "mix" does not mean a separate type of guzmania, but all the variety of colors inherent in this plant.

Reproduction

After flowering, gusmania yields fruits, inside which are seeds. But they are practically not used for plant reproduction due to poor germination, laboriousness of the process and complexities of care. For this purpose, they are most often used as shoots, or, as they are also called, babies, which appear abundantly on the mother plant after flowering.

How does this happen?

1. A young shoot is cut off with a previously disinfected knife( this can be done after the appearance of its own roots).
2. Places slices sprinkled with crushed activated carbon, ash or chalk.
3. Separated shoots are placed in a pot filled with a melange of peat and sand( 1: 1), and covered with a film, creating a greenhouse condition.
4. Daily open the film and air for 5-10 minutes, while sprinkling it with warm water.
5. After the appearance of the first new leaves, the film is removed. The fourth leaflet is a signal that it is time to transplant it to a separate pot.

Advice

You can propagate guzmania without cutting off young shoots from the mother's bush. It is enough to wait some time for the children to take roots and become entrenched in an old pot. The mother socket will then need to be removed.

Transplant

Transplantation of room guzmania is required only in two cases: after the purchase of the flower and during reproduction. Older plants should not be transplanted, since they are, as already mentioned, annuals and die shortly after flowering.

Guzmania - the plant is exotic, and the usual universal primer is not suitable for it. It should be used melange, in its composition close to the bark of trees, on which a tropical beauty grows in the wild. This is usually taken in equal parts of the component:

• moss-sphagnum;
• sand;
• turf ground;
• peat;
• pieces of coniferous tree wood.

Council

For gusmania transplant, a ready-made soil suitable for orchids or bromeliads is quite suitable.

The pot should be chosen broad and shallow, as the root system of the plant is not sufficiently developed.

Transplant Guzmania, follow the following algorithm.

1. Put a drain on the bottom of the pot, which will protect the soil from excessive accumulation of moisture.
2. Fill a thin layer of coal overhead to protect against putrefaction.
3. Now you can pour a small hill into the ground.
4. Put the pot into the pot, carefully spreading out the fragile roots.
5. Add the earth to the neck of the root rosette.
6. Slightly tap the pot against a hard surface so that the ground settles and evenly spreads over the pot.
7. If necessary, add a little more soil, not overlapping the neck of the flower.

It is impossible to ground the soil with the hands - there is a risk of damaging the roots, besides, the ground must remain loose and fluffy for better oxygen saturation.

Advice The magazine "Miss Purity" warns: the plant juice is not toxic, but contains special substances that, if ingested on the skin or mucous, cause irritation and redness. Therefore, it is best to practice the plant in protective gloves.

It is interesting that for growing guzmania instead of a flower pot you can use a snag, imitating the natural habitat. For this purpose it is necessary to take an adult plant, wrap its roots with moist moss and attach it to the bark of the tree with a wire. To the plant does not die, it is important to constantly fill the rosette with water and sprinkle the roots with nutritious top dressing for plants-epiphytes.

What is the climate of the rainforest? This is primarily a high air temperature combined with almost 100% humidity and the inability to penetrate direct sunlight due to lush vegetation. In the apartment it is desirable to maximize the conditions of the exotic to the natural.

The following conditions are best for Guzmania.

• A slightly shaded place in a bright room overlooking the east or west side, but without direct sunlight - they cause burns on the leaves of the plant.
• Additional lighting with a special lamp in short light days of autumn or winter.
• Air temperature is 23-250 C in the spring-summer flowering period and at least 160 C in winter.
• Fresh air( provided there are no harmful drafts).

Comfortable for humane humidity of air - 80%.Such conditions can be achieved by placing a wide container with water near the plant and spraying the leaves daily from the spray gun.

Council

Wet sphagnum, expanded clay or pebbles laid around the flower pot, as well as the use of special devices will maintain the necessary humidity.

Watering and top dressing

The well-being of tropical guzmania largely depends on the correct watering. And this is a whole science with its own specific features, subtleties and cunnings.

• From March to October, gusmania is actively growing and blooming. At this time, the plant needs a lot of moisture, so water it in a day. The method of irrigation is not quite the usual: water is not poured on the ground, but in the very center of the rosette formed by the leaves, because that's what happens in nature.
• When watering, water accumulates inside the outlet. It is important to ensure that its level does not exceed 2.5 centimeters, otherwise the plant is threatened with decay. Surplus is necessary to merge.
• That the water does not stagnate in the outlet, once a month it is recommended to change it. And at the end of the autumn, before the rest period, they drain completely.
• In winter, watering should become less intense. And the water is now poured not into the center of the outlet, but directly into the soil as it dries.
• If the air temperature is less than 20 ° С, then it is necessary to do only daily spraying, so as not to provoke decay of the roots of the plant.
• Guzmania, growing on a snag, once in 10 days removed from the ground and a few minutes lowered into the standing water to saturate the water.
• Water this indoor plant preferably in the morning.

Tip

To make the leaves glisten - just wipe them with a damp cloth and remove dust. Remember, the use of wax for guzmania leaves is not recommended.

During the period of active growth, the plant should be fed twice a month.

• Foliar fertilizers for Bromeliads are best.
• You can use universal top dressing for exotic plants, but make the solution less concentrated than indicated in the instructions.
• Fertilizers containing boron, copper, superphosphates, calcium nitrate, large amounts of nitrogen, cow dung, are fatal for a tropical beauty.

An aqueous solution of a suitable fertilizer is sprinkled over leaves or poured into a basal rosette.

The most frequent problems

Bright guzmania usually becomes a favorite plant in the home collection, so any growth problems very upset the florists and cause a lot of questions.

• Why do the leaves turn yellow? The cause may be the death of the root system due to overmoistening of the soil, excessive amounts of fertilizers or a banal lack of sunlight( but not direct sunlight!).
• What is the reason for the termination of growth? This happens when the plant has reached its limit and is preparing for flowering, or with insufficient nutrition.
• Why do leaves fade? The reason - in the wrong watering, stagnation of water in the root outlet, exposure to sunlight or pests.
• What should I do if gusmania has faded and the children have not appeared? It is worth to cut the flower sprouts - most likely, the ripening of seeds inhibits the growth of new shoots.
• Because of what guzmania does not bloom? The plant may not have enough light, moisture or nutrients.

Board

The flowering process can be accelerated by putting several apples next to the pot and covering them together with the flower film for 3-4 days. Emitted from fruits, ethylene gas stimulates the growth of flowers.

How to deal with pests

Tropical guzmanya fairly resistant to adverse environmental conditions, but is exposed to some insect pests. The most dangerous are the following species.

• Chervets mealy d - rather large( up to 6 mm) insects that suck the juice from young shoots, leaves or flowers. There is a white wax secret, reminiscent of flour dust or cotton wool. If you notice such a coating on the leaves - hurry to clean the plant of the pest. To do this, wipe the leaves with a soap solution or sprinkle with an insecticide( fit "Biotlin" and "Confidor") according to the instructions.
• Shields - small insects, covered with wax shell. They feed on the juice of the plant, densely sucking to it. In the process of vital activity these pests release a transparent sticky liquid, because of what the leaves become shiny, as if covered with sugar syrup. They fight with a shield with the help of insecticides "Aktara", "Metafos" or folk remedies: using garlic, tobacco or soap solutions. They need to spray the plant, manually removing insects.

In response to an attentive attitude and gentle care, the plant will give you not only its beauty, but also clean air in the room( thanks to its ability to reduce the content of harmful impurities), vitality, peace and tranquility.

Read the article: midges in orchids