Transplant and reproduction of aspidistra at home
The problem of many gardeners, how to populate empty niches and northern windows, is easily solved with the help of aspidistra - at home, an unpretentious plant easily takes root. The plant is shade-tolerant, leaves up to 60 cm long emerge from the ground in a shell of two leaf scales that die off. An excellent gardener that tolerates low humidity and smoke does not require special conditions.
Plant transplant rules
If the plant turns out to be clean from pests and diseases, it is transplanted. After the purchase, the aspidistra is transplanted into a larger bowl, since it is often not recommended to transplant the plant. The roots of the flower grow quickly, and soon the container will be full, and the frequent resettlement of fragile roots is harmful. The transplant should be performed by the transshipment method. Having freed from the old dishes, carefully put the aspidistra into a new one, having previously prepared a bedding from the drainage and a layer of garden soil. A pot for aspidistra is selected voluminous, it should be wide and deep, with good drainage.
The plant is unpretentious to the composition of the soil. You can use universal garden soil, soil for growing seedlings of garden crops. If it is possible to independently compose the substrate, then it can be used in equal proportions:
- sod land;
- humus;
- peat;
- sand.
Add to the resulting composition a double volume of leafy soil, it, together with peat, gives the required soil acidity. The addition of vermiculite, crushed charcoal is encouraged.
After transshipment, water the plant and let the excess water drain through the drain.
Thus, the plant is transplanted in the future, while there is an opportunity. In an adult specimen, the soil is removed from above and new soil is added. If the plant has more than 8 leaves, then it can be divided during planting. Previously, you cannot divide the aspidistra, both parts will die.
Reproduction of aspidistra
It is clear that when transplanting an adult plant, you can separate a part that has at least 4 sheets and plant it in a prepared container. It should be borne in mind that the plant produces only 5-6 leaves per year under normal development conditions. The newly planted plant should be placed in a warm place and a transparent cap should be put on top, but not tightly closed. In such conditions, the plant should be until a new leaf appears, which is a sign of rooting. This also applies to a large bush after transshipment.
Another way to get a plant growing without injuring an adult bush is leaf propagation. This method allows you to get a full-fledged plant in a longer period.
Vegetative propagation is used to obtain more individuals by regenerating a complete plant from a part of it. This is how all varietal traits and genetic deviations are transmitted. Cloning of aspidistra takes place under special conditions.
- The best leaf is chosen, cut off without a stem, but with a thick fleshy nodule.
- Take a long, hermetically sealed container with a wide neck.It can be a bottle resembling kefir.
- A sheet dried on a cut is lowered into a container with water at the bottom.
- The bottle is sealed tightly, you can fill the abutment with paraffin or cover with plasticine.
- Germination is carried out in a warm place in the light.
The roots that appear will give a signal that it is time to root the plant. For planting a leaf, soft leafy earth is taken. How the reproduction of aspidistra looks like a leaf is shown in the photo. Until a new leaf appears, rooting is carried out under a transparent jar.
It happens that the leaf does not release roots, it rots. In this case, it is removed, slightly cutting the plate, and again dipped in fresh water.
Reproduction by aspidistra seeds is carried out only by amateurs of obtaining new varieties. Growing from seeds is not difficult, but the development of the plant lasts for many years. Seeds can only be obtained by pollinating a flower from a neighbor. And flowering lasts only a day. Therefore, the method of breeding aspidistra from seeds is rarely used at home.
The rhizome of aspidistra is fleshy, and flowers are formed between the leaves in the axils, but they almost sit on the rhizome and are hardly visible in the foliage. Not only that, they give off a rotting meat smell, attracting flies. The flower works like that. that the fly will surely roll inward, and when getting out, it will be covered with pollen, transferring it to another flower. After pollination, a single seed ripens.
Like all other methods of breeding aspidistra at home, sowing seeds is done in the spring in warm, moist soil. The seeds are not buried deeply, they are sown one or several at a time, followed by a pick. In this case, the development of the plant will go slowly, because there is eternity ahead.
A feature of the plant that should be taken into account when transplanting and propagating by rhizomes.
- Aspidistra has very fragile roots that break easily when transplanted. If you do not notice the wounds in time and do not dry it, rot may appear.
- To cut the roots during reproduction, use a sharp knife, sprinkle the wounds and dry them.
- Plants can be divided no more than once every 5 years.
- Transfer young plants to large dishes more often, while gently loosen the soil in the inter-root space, trying to renew the substrate and preserve the roots.
- A bush with less than 8 dividing sheets is unsuitable.
Observing these rules, you can breed aspidistra at home and present your friends. Considering that the plant purifies the air, is unpretentious and has medicinal properties, the gift will be priceless.
A few tips for keeping the plant will help you enjoy the beauty of the bush:
- regularly clean sheets of dust with a damp cloth;
- protect the plant from direct sunlight;
- feed aspidistru during the growing season once a month on damp ground;
- do not abuse watering and use soft, settled water;
- control that insect pests do not settle on the plant.
That's all the simple rules for caring for an aspidistra.