Pandanus is a tree-type plant belonging to the Pandanus family. Today, there are about 750 species. Distribution area - Africa, Madagascar.
Description
A large tree, in nature, can grow up to 15 m, the maximum size is 25 m. When grown indoors, the trunk reaches no more than 1.5 m. The surface is similar to a screw, because of this the pandanus was called a spiral palm. The root system is separated from the trunk and is considered an excellent anchor for holding the plant in place with strong winds and hurricanes.
The foliage is narrow and elongated, in width from 10 to 15 cm. The leaves are placed on the trunk in several rows, in the form of a spiral. Flowers are gay. The male ones are similar in appearance to spikelets, the female ones are conical. The fruits are dense, red.
Types of Indoor Pandanus
In the house you can grow only a few varieties of pandanus:
| View | Description |
| Roofing | Evergreen perennial, reaching one and a half meters in height. A short trunk from which the accessory root system is separated. The foliage is narrow, has serrated edges. The color is green. The natives of Africa use it to cover roofs, make baskets, hats, create sails for small ships. |
| Veitch | The most common type, is among the variegated. In height up to 2 m. On the edges of foliage are sharp thorns. A short trunk from which aerial roots separate. The leaves are dark green, with white or yellow longitudinal stripes at the tips. |
| Sander | Foliage is 80 cm long and 5 cm wide. The color is green, there is a yellow stripe in the center, and small denticles on the edges. |
| Useful | The house reaches 2-3 m in height. The leaves are stiff, with reddish spines around the edges. |
| Baptista | It grows to 2 m. A large number of narrow and leathery leaves are present. Color green with yellow stripes. The edges are even. |
Pandanus Care at Home
When leaving at home, it is necessary to consider a number of nuances:
| Parameter | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
| Location / Lighting | Southeast and east windows. In order for the foliage to develop evenly, the palm is sometimes turned back to the light. Pandanus loves bright, but diffused lighting, does not tolerate direct rays of the sun. | Placed at the south window. Additional illumination is needed, special fluorescent lamps are used. |
| Temperature | The optimum indicator is + 20 ... +22 ° C, but calmly tolerates temperatures up to +28 ° C. | The minimum threshold is +18 ° C. Only the dwarf species grows at temperatures up to +12 ° C. |
| Watering | Abundant, drain all excess water. Frequency - once every 7 days. | A palm tree is watered 2-3 days after drying of the top layer of the earth. Frequency - once every 14 days. |
| Humidity | It tolerates arid conditions, but prolonged exposure to such an environment can cause growth problems. Therefore, pandanus is often sprayed and wiped with foliage with a damp cloth. Souls are forbidden, since drops remain in the sinuses, and the leaves rot. | They are placed away from heaters in order to maintain a humidity level of 60%, the container is placed on a pallet with wet expanded clay. It is important to ensure that the drain holes do not come into contact with water. |
| Top dressing | 2-3 times a month (Master Agro, Agricola). | Once a month (Biohumus, Agricola). |
Transplant, soil
The young plant is transplanted annually for 5 years. In adulthood, the frequency of transplants decreases to one in 3 years.
A new pot is selected 2-3 cm higher and wider than the previous one. Due to the fragile root system, transplantation is always done by transshipment.
The soil should be loose and nutritious, but with a small clay content. You can buy land for pandanus in a specialty store or cook it yourself. To do this, combine the components in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1, respectively:
- greenhouse soil;
- clay earth;
- peat;
- coarse sand.
Having prepared the soil, you can proceed to transplant palm trees:
- A drainage layer is poured into a new pot, its volume is about 1/3 of the capacity.
- A small amount of substrate is added.
- Since thorns are present at the edges of an adult plant, gloves are worn before proceeding to transplantation. Then the leaves are carefully collected in a bunch and bandaged with a ribbon. This will prevent scratches.
- The pot is turned on its side, then, using a flat spatula, the pandanus is removed from the old pot. The soil from the roots is not removed.
- The palm is placed in the center of the container, which is 2-3 cm larger than the previous one. Holding it on the sides, they fill up the remaining earth.
- To compact the soil and to fill the space between the root system, pandanus is watered. After collecting the excess water in the pan, they are drained.
When buying palm trees in a store, transplantation begins no earlier than 10 days later.
Breeding
Spiral palm trees are propagated in three ways:
- cuttings;
- by seeds;
- division of the rhizome.
For propagation by cuttings, several processes are cut, having a length of about 20 cm with elongated lateral shoots. All areas of the slices are covered with charcoal or activated carbon. Each segment is placed in a pre-prepared substrate, consisting of the same amount of sand and peat. The plant is covered with a film on top to provide greenhouse conditions. The temperature should be + 25 ... +28 ° C. Do not forget about constant airing.
It takes about 2 months for the cuttings to take root properly. To accelerate this process, a growth stimulant is used.
Seeds do not need to be pre-prepared, they are immediately planted in the soil, consisting of the same amount of peat, sand and sheet land. A film is placed on top. While maintaining the same temperature (around +25 ° C), the first sprouts will be formed after 2 weeks. Care of seedlings includes regular airing and watering.
In a separate pot, the seedling is moved if there are 3 full leaves. If you use a mini-greenhouse with heating, then the sprouts will appear even earlier.
Another method of reproduction is the separation of daughter sockets with long roots from an adult shrub. Further, they are thoroughly dried and placed in different containers. To speed up the rooting process, again, a high-quality drainage layer is prepared with a height of about 70 mm. The plant is kept at a temperature of +25 ° C. At this time, attention is paid to air humidity and watered when the soil dries.
Diseases and Pests
Pandanus is a plant relatively resistant to various diseases (there are several exceptions), but there is no immunity to pests from a palm tree:
| Pest | Manifestations on the leaves | Cause | Elimination |
| Shields | The appearance of round and oblong spotting, drying. | Inadequate air humidity. | With a cotton pad soaked in soapy water, wipe all the leaves and stems of the tree. After 30 minutes, the palm tree is washed with clean water. Repeat after a few days. |
| Spider mite | Yellow spots on the inside indicate the presence of a thin web. | Excessive humidity. | Use drugs Karbafos, Actellik or Vermitek. The solution is prepared strictly according to the instructions. Re-process after a week. |
| Mealybug | White spotting, including on the trunk, the plant slows down growth. | Low humidity. | A cotton swab is soaped, and then insects are removed from all parts of the palm. |
| Root rot | Yellowing, wilting, darkening. On the rhizome and trunk, you can observe rotted areas. | Excessive watering, low temperatures. | Pandanus is removed from the flowerpot and cut to a healthy tissue. Place the sections sprinkled with crushed activated charcoal. All damaged foliage is removed. Palm for 15 minutes is placed in a solution of Khometsin or Kuprozan. In case of severe damage, pandanus is treated with any fungicide suitable for palm trees. Next, transplant it into a new container, having previously disinfected it. If the trunk was damaged, then cut off and root the top of the palm. |
Pandanus Care Problems
When caring for pandanus, a number of problems can arise:
| Leaf problem | Cause | Decision |
| Appearance at the edges of a brown tint. | Dry air, lack of moisture and nutrients. | The dried ends of the leaves are cut, this will prevent damage to the rest of the pandanus. Abundantly watered, make nutrients. |
| Yellowing. | Excessive moisture, rotting of the root system. | The plant is removed from the substrate and inspected the rhizome for damage. The rotten parts are removed with a sharp knife, and the sections are treated with brilliant green. The palm tree is transplanted into new soil and provide air humidity of 60%. |
| Blanching color. | Bright lighting, use when irrigating hard water, excessive calcium content in the soil. | Shade or move to another place. For irrigation use settled water. |
| Drying out. | Burn by the sun. | The palm is moved to a darkened place. |
Mr. Cottager warns: Pandanus is an energy vampire
Today, pandanus can often be seen in offices and apartments, but before it was not particularly loved, because the flower is ranked among energy vampires and it is believed that it is capable of drawing out the positive emotions of the owners of the house. Because of this, impressionable people who do not tolerate stressful situations can feel some discomfort and even depression next to him.
In addition, the plant is not recommended to bring to the bedroom or living room because of its spiral shape. These trees have a strong character, and their energy spreads around the room in a spiral, filling it with heavy energy.
Due to the fact that there are thorns on the ends of the pandanus foliage, it is believed that the energy emanating from it is sharp and unpleasant. From this it is difficult to be indoors, the flower presses on the psyche. For people with a caustic character, it is contraindicated, since it will aggravate the already specific attitude towards others.
But there is a certain benefit from this plant. If a person has too soft character, it will teach to behave properly with enemies and be able to defend one’s own position.
As a decoration of the garden, pandanus is simply irreplaceable, since it can green a large area. It is better not to place it next to other representatives of the flora.
