A pike tail flower is an ornamental deciduous plant. It is unpretentious and hardy, even beginner growers will be able to breed. Its spectacular leaves in the shape of arrows will allow you to create winning compositions in both home and office interiors. It is an indispensable attribute in compositions of potted flowers.
Pike tail: flower, care, reproduction
Sansevieria, or the common pike tail, belongs to the Asparagus family. Although earlier it was attributed to the Agavs. This is an evergreen stemless plant. It differs in hard and pointed leaves, both with a narrow and a wide sheet plate. Their location is strictly vertical or with a slight slope to the ground. Conquers flower growers with its variety of colors: from plain green to silver-yellowish drawings on a green background. Of particular interest are species having decorative spots or stripes. Some varieties are covered with a characteristic waxy coating.
Pike tail as an original decoration
Briefly about the history of the appearance
Sansevieria is home to countries with a tropical and subtropical climate. The beginning went from tropical regions of Africa, mainly from its western regions. In Europe, as a houseplant began to be bred in the eighteenth century. It was introduced by the Italian naturalist A. Petanga. Over the past two centuries, more than 60 species have been bred, and the most popular of them appeared in 1939.
Sansevieria has more than 60 species that are bred at home
Does the pike tail bloom
The pike tail blooms in early spring, if you follow the rules of cultivation. First, the flower throws a flower-bearing arrow, on which the buds gradually appear. Their shape and shade depend on the type of plant. The buds are opened in the evening. They delight the owners with their beauty and vanilla aroma all night, but well, the morning withers.
Pike tail blooms with delicate fragrant flowers at night.
Features of caring for a flower pike tail at home
The pike tail belongs to unpretentious plants, so it’s easy to care for it. A flower can normally survive:
- wrong location;
- irregular watering;
- incorrectly selected soil.
But in order to have a picturesque pike tail flower in the room, it is necessary to ensure proper care at home.
Temperature
In summer, the optimum temperature for the flower is 25 ° C, and in winter about 15 ° C. In principle, the plant is able to survive even lower rates, but in this case, watering is significantly reduced, otherwise the root system may rot.
Lighting
Prefers well-lit sunny places. But for copies with plain leaves, the recommended side in the room is south. Species that have a white or yellow strip on a sheet plate prefer diffused light, so they are placed on the eastern side, otherwise a beautiful pattern may burn out.
Sansevieria with decorative color prefers diffuse lighting
Important! In a room with windows facing the north, or without them at all, the plant will develop poorly, the appearance will be unpresentable.
Watering
The pike tail does not tolerate permanently waterlogged soil. This causes root decay. Therefore, it should be watered in the summer 1 time in 10 days. In cold weather less often, as the soil dries. The earth in the pot should be slightly moist.
Important! Aridity tolerates a flower easier than waterlogging. This is explained by the fact that the flower accumulates moisture in leaf sockets of leaf plates, which is sufficient for nutrition and development of leaf plates.
Sansevieria is watered with well-defended water at room temperature. During watering, liquid does not enter the center of the outlet. The recommended method of watering is immersion in water or filling the pan.
Humidity
The humidity level in the room is not important for the development of the plant. But it responds very well to wetting the sheet plate by wiping it with a damp cloth. Spraying is not recommended, as water droplets will drain over the smooth surface of the sheet and fall directly into the center of the outlet.
Priming
Not picky plant and the composition of the soil. The mixture can be prepared independently by mixing the following ingredients:
- 5% turf land;
- 25% sand;
- 70% of sheet land.
To exclude the appearance of diseases or insects, the soil is subjected to heat treatment. To do this, it is laid out on a baking sheet and kept in the oven for about an hour, constantly stirring.
Top dressing
The pike tail has a good attitude to fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers. But it is necessary to properly dilute the components according to the instructions on the package with the composition. Fertilizer is applied no more than twice a month and only on moistened soil to avoid burns of rhizomes. The transplanted flower does not fertilize throughout the year. For this period, he has enough useful trace elements in fresh soil.
How does a pike tail flower propagate?
In terms of reproduction, the pike tail is suitable even for an inexperienced grower. This process is quick and easy. The plant has such a property as excellent rooting in various ways. The favorable period is spring. At this time, the plant quickly grows green mass, the lost parts do not bring harm. The simplest method that does not cause problems for the flower itself is the division of the rhizome.
Rooting cuttings
Reproduction by division of the rhizome is carried out during the transplantation of the whole plant into a new container. After it was removed from the pot, the pike tail is easily divided into cuttings, carefully cutting the roots with a sharp knife.
Important! The cut is recommended to dry and sprinkle with cinnamon. After that, they are planted in the prepared soil.
Shoots
Another method of reproduction is by side shoots. In this case, using the disinfected sharp knife, the resulting shoots are cut off on the mother plant. The incision must be done so that some part of the rhizome from the mother flower and a full-fledged rosette of leaf plates remain on the baby. Next, the shoot is planted in a separate container with soil, identical in composition to that of an adult bush. A few days do not water. Then provide the usual care of the plant.
Leaf
The plant propagates easily through leaf blades. To do this, you must:
- With a sterile knife, separate the sheet or part of it.
- Cut a long sheet into pieces, approximately 5 cm.
- Leave for 1 hour to dry.
- Plant in pots with river sand and provide a greenhouse effect by covering with a jar or polyethylene.
Reproduction of sansevieria leaf plate
After two months, they will take root and begin to give young shoots. Then they are planted in ordinary soil.
Important! You can not propagate with the help of a leaf plate varieties of pike tail with a colorful pattern. The plant will not retain its characteristics. Children will have the usual green color.
Transfer
Periodically transplant a pike tail flower. This happens when the plant ceases to fit in a pot, usually once every 3 years. The transplant process is carried out in the spring.
In a suitable pot, a drainage layer is made and the prepared substrate is laid. Then the plant is carefully removed from the old tank, trying not to destroy the earthen lump, and installed in the prepared pot. The remaining voids are covered with soil. Water the flower after transplantation after two days. During this time, damaged places can be dragged on, and the likelihood of root decay will significantly decrease.
Possible problems in growing a pike tail houseplant
With proper care, some kind of trouble rarely occurs with this plant. Possible cases of a probable flower disease:
- the brown spots on the sheets are sunburns. The plant must be rearranged in another place where there will be no direct sunlight on it;
- softness and yellowing of leaf plates indicate constant waterlogging of the soil. In this case, the injured parts are removed, and the outlet is removed from the pot and transplanted.
Sansevieria in the open ground
It is difficult to find a more unpretentious plant than a pike tail. But thanks to its extraordinary appearance, they can decorate a floral arrangement in any interior. In addition, in the summer, this plant will become a worthy element of the street landscape.
