Pandanus: how to grow a tropical giant at home

Pandanus is an extremely interesting plant. Growing it is very easy, you just adhere to simple rules. True, some growers are scared of the gigantic size of an adult plant. But those who can allocate a spacious and warm corner for the development of pandanus on their living space will not regret it.

Pandanus Description

Pandanus or Pandanus is an amazing plant. In nature, its size is admirable. Some species have edible fruits. Inflorescences, roots, leaves are an integral part of traditional medicine and are used even in magical rites. Durable leaf veins are used as material for weaving.

Pandanus is an amazing plant that locals use everywhere

The tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere are the native penates of the plant. In nature, there are about 750 species of pandanus. On the island of Madagascar alone, you can meet almost 90 representatives of this species. The first description of pandanus was made by the French botanist and traveler Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent. The original name, pandanus, comes from the Indonesian name for the plant.

Pandanus grows in coastal areas, on sandy and rocky ground. They can be found in dry, mountainous and alpine forests, along the edge of volcanic craters and on their slopes. Coral reefs are also overgrown with these amazing plants.

Pandanuses grow in different places, but are more common in the coastal zone

Pandanus is often called a palm tree, more precisely, a helical palm tree or even a pine. It is somewhat similar to dracaena. But the pandanus has nothing to do with these plants.

The plant belongs to the genus of tree-like evergreen plants of the Pandanova family. Sometimes it develops in the form of a bush. Pandanus is a powerful tree whose trunk height reaches 15 m, and often rushes to a height of 25 m. But at home, its size is much more modest - only 1.5 m. Young specimens do not grow very fast. Adult plants grow leaves more intensively.

Video: Pandanus in its natural habitat

The trunk is formed as the old leaves become obsolete. Its surface, with traces of spirally growing leaves, resembles a screw (hence the name - spiral palm). The trunk can branch like a dracaena. Another interesting feature of pandanus are its roots. Departmental or stilted roots extending from the trunk are an excellent anchor that holds the tree in place during strong winds and hurricanes. There are times when the trunk of a plant dies, and then the roots of the pandanus become aerial roots, ingrown into the ground and lignified.

Powerful aerial or stilted roots help the pandanus stay in place during strong winds

The leaves are narrow and long, linear in shape. The length sometimes reaches 3 - 4 m, width - 10 - 15 cm. They are located on the trunk in the form of a spiral, in 2 - 4 rows. The leaf plate is stiff, strewn with sharp teeth along the edge, and is very similar to a pineapple leaf.

The narrow and long leaves of the pandanus, with spikes along the edges, resemble pineapple leaves

Flowers are same-sex. Men's collected in inflorescences, similar to spikelets. Female - resemble an ear or cone. Fruits are red, fleshy. Something reminiscent of pineapple.

Pandanus flowers same-sex

Growing pandanus at home is not difficult. It is only necessary to take into account some of its features and observe simple conditions of detention. Pandanus is an ideal option for those who love fast-growing, but unpretentious plants. And he is suitable for beginner gardeners, as he is ready to put up with some mistakes. The only drawback is that it requires a lot of space and in small rooms an adult plant will be cramped. The ease of care and the beauty of the leaves, similar to green fountains, made this plant an ideal option for decorating winter gardens, spacious halls, interiors of hotels and restaurants. In the homeland and in countries with a warm climate, pandanus is used in landscape design.

Video: Pandanus or Helix

If there is a child in the house, then you need to explain to him that the pandanus leaves are spiky and should not be touched.

The only drawback of pandanus is that it needs a lot of space for normal development

Types and varieties grown indoors

Of the huge variety of pandanus, at home you can find only a few species.

Photo Gallery: Domesticated Pandanus Species

Pandanus conditions

Even such an undemanding plant, like a pandanus, will be pleased if the grower creates conditions similar to natural for him.

Table: Seasonal conditions

Pandanus prefers bright but diffused light

On many sites there is information that the pandanus and the street are incompatible things. In the summer, pandanus can be taken out, but under certain conditions. The temperature should be stably warm, without sharp drops at night. It will be good for the plant on the glazed balcony. During the day, you can enjoy fresh air, and at night close the window so that lowering the temperature does not harm the plant. And yet, in such a secluded corner the wind and drafts will not be scary.

Pandanus and Florarium

Due to its large size, pandanus is not suitable for cultivation in florariums. Even if you put it there, the plant will have difficulty, because for full growth it needs room. Grown in unlimited space, pandanus looks great both as a single plant and surrounded by other green counterparts.

Pandanus needs unlimited space to reach its full potential.

Landing and transplanting

For normal development, a young pandanus needs an annual pot change for 5 years. Moreover, the new pot should not be large in size, it is permissible to exceed the previous one by only 2 or 3 cm. The bottom should have openings to remove excess moisture. Young specimens can be planted in plastic containers. For large plants, you need to select a stable pot. When purchasing a pot, do not forget to buy medium-sized drainage. For large containers it is better to use a large fraction.

Adult pandanuses are transplanted no more than 1 time in 3 years. New packaging should be approximately 1/3 higher than the previous one. The width of the pot is standard. The apparent power of aerial roots is actually very deceiving. They are very fragile, so the transplant is made exclusively by transshipment of the plant from one container to another. Removing such roots is strictly prohibited. So that they do not dry out, you can use wet moss wraps.

The aerial roots of pandanus are very fragile, therefore, when transplanting, you must act with extreme caution

Potted plants do not transplant at all. For them, it will be enough to replace the top layer of earth in the tub with a more nutritious one. This is done once a year or 2. When a pandanus is prepared for transplanting into a tub, not 1, but 3 parts of sod land are added to the prepared earthen substrate so that the plant has enough nutrients for a long time.

To restrain the growth of pandanus, transplantation is carried out less often, producing, as in the case of frame specimens, only the replacement of the upper soil layer.

Soil for pandanus needs nutritious and loose, but containing a small amount of clay. You can use a purchased substrate for palm trees. Those who like to make soil mixtures with their own hands need to mix the following components in equal parts:

• greenhouse soil - 2 parts;
• clay soil - 1 part;
• peat - 1 part;
• coarse sand - 1 part.

Or this option - turf and leafy soil, river sand and humus. Components are taken in equal parts.

When preparing the soil, mix all the components well

The acidity of the soil also matters. Suitable pH is about 6.

Step-by-step transplant process

1. Pour drainage into a new container with a layer of 1/3 of the total volume.
2. Sprinkle a small portion of the substrate on top.
   

   Sprinkle a layer of earth over the drainage

3. The edges of the leaves of an adult pandanus are strewn with sharp thorns. Therefore, getting to work, first put on gloves. Then carefully gather the leaves of the plant into a bunch and tie them with a ribbon. Otherwise, scratches cannot be avoided.
4. Laying the pot on its side, and carefully helping with a flat spatula, remove the plant. It is not necessary to clean the earth from the roots.
5. Place the pandanus in the center of the new pot. Holding the plant, add the rest of the earth on the sides.
   

   While holding the pandanus, add the remaining soil mixture

6. In order for the earth to condense and fill the space between the roots, water the plant. Wait for excess water to collect in the pan and drain.
7. The level of planting of the pandanus should remain at the same level, and the aerial roots - above the surface of the soil.

Pandanus purchased at a store cannot be transplanted immediately. The plant must take time to adapt - about 10 days.

Does a pandanus need support?

In general, the pandanus does not need support. But there are situations when a flower begins to grow one-sidedly. This happens with overgrown and not transplanted plants, which are also in a room with dry air. Under such conditions, aerial roots cease to grow and cannot additionally support the flower. If you can’t transplant, then put a support next to the pandanus - a strong bamboo stick will do.

There are situations in which the pandanus cannot survive without support

Care

Even such as it is jokingly called - an indestructible plant, like a pandanus, needs proper care. He is very easy and will not be difficult.

Watering and effective top dressing

Pandanus even grows on the coasts, where frequent flooding occurs, but in room culture does not tolerate excessively moist soil. Moreover, if the pot, as they say, on the outgrowth and the soil is heavy, poorly conducting water. The topsoil must be dry before the plant is poured again.

In summer, the plant is watered abundantly and be sure to remove the remaining water from the pan. In winter, you need to more carefully make humidifications, especially if the pandanus is in a non-hot room. After the top layer has dried, you need to wait another 2 - 3 days before watering.

Watering should be sufficient so that moisture moistens the entire earthen lump, and not the surface, leaving the roots dry.

Pandanus needs to be watered abundantly so that moisture moistens the entire earthen lump

Under standard conditions of detention in the summer, the frequency of watering is 1 time per week, in winter - 1 time per 2 weeks. But this is all conditional. You need to rely on the specifics of your conditions of detention. The hotter the more watering will be, and vice versa.

In addition to waterlogging, pandanus is extremely undesirable and prolonged drying of the soil. The plant will not decorate dried and yellowed leaves, but rather, spoil the whole impression.

The irrigation fluid should settle and have room temperature. When moistened with cold water, the plant may experience stress and stop growing. It is very good to water melt or rain water. An excellent effect is obtained by lower watering, at which the liquid should have a temperature of 35⁰FROM.

As a top dressing, liquid mineral fertilizers of universal purpose are used. The introduction of nutrition in the spring-summer period occurs 2 times a month. In winter it is reduced to 1 time per month.

The transplanted plant begins to fertilize only after a month or a half. All this time, pandanus will completely manage the nutrients available in the soil.

Any universal fertilizer is suitable for pandanus

In order to control growth, top dressing is minimized or completely stopped. Without nutrition, the growth of pandanus greatly slows down.

Flowering period

This amazing plant blooms only in the wild. When grown in a room, flowering does not occur. But from time to time there are allegations that, although rare, the plant produces peduncles at home.

Rest period

The plant does not have a pronounced dormant period. But in winter, pandanus almost stops growing. Fertilizing and watering at this time is carried out rarely and carefully. The temperature can be slightly lowered so that the plant rests fully, because in a warm room growth will continue.

But what really doesn’t hurt is the additional illumination. In the period from autumn to spring, daylight hours for pandanus should last at least 8 - 10 hours. Therefore, the plant must be supplemented with up to 6 hours a day. For this, a meter of daylight is installed at a distance of a meter from the flower.

In winter, pandanus needs to be illuminated

Crown formation

It is not necessary to specially form the crown of the pandanus, since the plant has an apical type of growth. In an adult plant, the trunk forms itself, as the lower leaves fall. In indoor conditions, only single-barrel species are grown.

In nature, as well as when growing at home, the pandanus itself forms the trunk

Sometimes the trunk is overgrown with numerous children. Many gardeners leave them so that the lower bare part of the plant looks more magnificent. But this is a matter of taste. You can root these processes and get new plants.

To give the pandanus an aesthetic appearance, you need to periodically trim the dry ends (if any). Trimming is done so that there remains a small area of ​​dead tissue, which will prevent further drying.

How do care errors manifest and what to do to correct the situation

As already noted, pandanus is very unpretentious. To grow a flower at home, you do not need to create any special conditions for it. But the inexperience of the grower can become the reason why the plant suddenly stops growing or leaves begin to turn yellow. To correct the situation, you need to understand the error in time and eliminate it.

Table: Maintenance Errors and Solutions

Photo gallery: typical mistakes made when growing pandanus

Diseases and Pests

Pests and diseases are extremely rare on this hardy plant. But, I repeat - improper care can be the catalyst that provokes fungal diseases and the appearance of pests.

Table: Pandanus diseases and pests, control measures and prevention

Photo Gallery: Diseases and Pests

Methods of reproduction at home

With all the simplicity of growing the pandanus itself, its reproduction can cause some complications. But if everything is done correctly, no problems should arise. The time for rooting is in the middle of spring.

Rooting Outlets

The trunk of an adult pandanus very often overgrows with daughter sockets. Beginning flower growers are sometimes in a hurry and tear off the children from the mother plant, when they have not yet grown roots. This cannot be done. Without roots, the rooting process can turn into a complete failure. For the process to go without loss, you need to wait until the sockets grow to 20 cm in height and they will have their own root system. To stimulate the process of root formation, you can wrap the rudiments of the roots with moss, regularly moistening it from the spray.

On the trunk of the pandanus, daughter sockets often grow

1. Choose the largest rosettes with roots at least 2 cm long.
2. Carefully cut them from the trunk, being careful not to damage the roots.
   

   Separate the selected outlet carefully from the mother plant.

3. Powder the cut sites with powdered coal and leave for a day to dry the wounds.
   

   Separated pandanus sockets should dry the wounds before planting

4. Fill the bottom of the rooting tank with drainage, pour a mixture of peat and sand in equal amounts on top of it.
5. Submerge the baby in the soil to a depth of no more than 2 cm. Tamp the soil and spray it well from the spray gun.
6. Cover the container with a bag or glass.
7. Ventilate and moderately moisten the soil is necessary.
8. The ideal rooting temperature is 25⁰C, but not lower than 22⁰C. Experts recommend using bottom heating for a successful process.
9. The greenhouse should be in a bright place, but not in direct sunlight.
10. Rooting does not occur quickly - a month or a half. To speed up the process, you can use phytohormones.
11. After 2 months, rooted rosettes are transplanted into small pots with a mixture of soil composed of leaf soil, turf and sand, taken in a ratio of 3: 2: 1.
    

    Rooted outlets are planted in small containers

Rooting cuttings

If your pandanus has lateral shoots, which, by the way, is extremely rare, then you can use the cuttings method.

1. Cut the cuttings at least 20 cm long.
2. Process the slice with powdered charcoal and dry.
3. Prepare a mixture of peat and sand, and plant cuttings in it.
4. Using a bag or glass, create greenhouse conditions inside the tank. Temperature 25 - 28
   

   To root the cuttings from the package, a mini-plate is built

   ⁰C, moderate humidity.

5. If you apply phytohormones and lower heating, the process will be faster. Under normal conditions, the rooting time extends for 1.5 months.
6. Rooted cuttings are planted in separate containers.

Seed germination

1. Divide the pandanus fruit into segments, which, without preliminary treatment, plant in a substrate of sheet soil, peat and sand (all in equal quantities).
   

   Pandanus fruit is divided into segments

2. To keep the germination temperature at 25⁰C, cover with foil or glass.
3. Ventilate and spray regularly.
4. When using lower heating, the process is accelerated.
5. Germination occurs after 2 to 4 weeks.
6. When the seedlings appear 2-3 leaves, they are dived into separate pots. The soil mixture is the same as for rooted cuttings.

Reviews

The plant is completely naughty, but leisurely and does not like the bay. Even in pharmacies, it grows great :) With age it grows aerial roots, they grow to a pot and turn into "stilts".

Andrew Geser//www.flowersweb.info/forum/forum48/topic112171/messages/

I once rooted a baby long ago. Moreover, it was still without air roots, completely crumb. In the sand, under the can, under the lamp (it was in the fall, it was necessary to provide the cuttings with heat). Successfully. And if the baby has hints of aerial roots, then there is no problem at all. She quickly builds them up in water and after that you can plant them. If the plant is already breathing its last (although I do not understand how pandanus can be destroyed), then, of course, it is worth experimenting with the crown. Imagine this is baby, only big. In general, pandanus gives aerial roots from all the cracks, is there really not a single one on the entire trunk?

Fialka//homeflowers.ru/yabbse/index.php?showtopic=8140

I know for sure about the pandanus: it’s afraid of the cold, and doesn’t like excess water in winter. But in general, I looked and read - I didn’t count on such sizes ... I’m six years old, 70-80 centimeters — there’s nowhere to put

Sarah bernhardt//forum.bestflowers.ru/t/pandanus-pandanus.9840/page-2

I had .... I had to give my mother, since I did not fit it .... there’s nothing unusual in leaving, he loves the sun in moderation, having watered the land after completely drying out .... In general, the rastuha is not very whimsical,

nly1//homeflowers.ru/yabbse/index.php?showtopic=8140

My pandanus rooted without phytohormones and underfloor heating. True, I have been waiting for this for a long time. Now I’m happy, already big ... Not at all capricious, I love him very much

El'f//fialka.tomsk.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=17255

Pandanus is perfect for both a novice who is just beginning to learn the basics of floriculture, and an experienced florist who can grow a magnificent tree (if the area allows). It is only a pity that out of all the species diversity, only a few species are grown in culture. But this is quite enough to make a home on the real coast of the Indian Ocean and sitting in a comfortable chair under a green giant, listen to the sound of the ocean emanating from the headphones of the player. Real relaxation!