Chlorophytum is a plant with a rather unusual appearance, which can both decorate the interior and benefit the owners. At the same time, it is often classified as the most unpretentious specimen, and it will not be necessary to spend a lot of time growing it. But this does not mean that you can completely give up on him — in our article we tell everything about caring for indoor flower chlorophytum, as well as about the rules of transplantation and reproduction.
All about home care for chlorophytum
Plant features
Care rules
— Temperature
— Watering and spraying
— Humidity
— Illumination
– Fertilizer
Transplant rules
Reproduction methods
— Children
— Seeds
Diseases and pests
Benefit and harm
Description of chlorophytum
For a long time, the flower was attributed to the Lily family, but now experts (including the British Royal Botanic Gardens community) consider it to be a representative of the Asparagus. The birthplace of the chlorophytum plant is South Africa, now it continues to grow there and in other tropical locations.
This is a perennial plant with an unusual appearance: it has a very short stem and long narrow leaves that form a kind of spreading crown looking down. In overgrown specimens, the length of the leaves can reach up to 50 cm — this is an ampelous plant, that is, it is good to grow it in hanging pots. Blooming chlorophytum looks very neat and gentle — long shoots with small white flowers appear on it. With active flowering, they gather in inflorescences of 5-6 pieces.
Popular varieties
Consider the most popular varieties of indoor chlorophytum with a photo, their benefits and harms are the same. Therefore, we will pay special attention to them in another section.
Care for chlorophytum at home
Temperature
Exot is undemanding in care and is ready to forgive the owner for forgetfulness. But it is better to observe the temperature conditions, then the flower, due to strong immunity, will be less susceptible to diseases and pests. The optimal indicator is + 18-20 degrees. A slight increase is uncritical, and a decrease up to +10 will survive in general perfectly. If you are transporting a tropical inhabitant across the street, keep in mind that temperatures below +2 can kill him — in winter it is better to wrap up a green cap.
Watering and spraying
A fairly standard scheme for many green pets, including this one: from spring to autumn, more frequent and plentiful watering of chlorophytum is required, and in winter it is better to water it less often and less. Focus also on the level of drying of the soil — here it is a reliable indicator. Regular spraying is not urgently needed, but the procedure will humidify the air around and wash away the smallest dust — these actions will definitely benefit. If your plant is large, with noticeable depressions in the leaves, additionally wipe them from dust with a moistened cotton pad.
Humidity
The tropical view does not require specific numbers on the hygrometer; the usual room atmosphere suits it. However, watch out for periodic dry air — in summer on sunny days and in winter during the heating season. The presence of a humidifier will, as always in floriculture, a big plus.
illumination
Almost any lighting is suitable for a lush exotic, but too dark places should be avoided. Diffused sunlight is the best option, you can achieve this near the window, but not under direct rays. Then the leaves will not lose their juicy color.
Fertilizer
You need to feed the flowers only in spring and summer, in other seasons it is better to suspend these procedures. As for the regularity, once every 2 weeks is enough, and the amount of fertilizer is best determined according to the instructions attached to them. Both mineral and organic fertilizers are suitable, and chlorophytum responds well to fertilizer for cacti. Foliar nutrition with special preparations will make the foliage even brighter, but you should not get carried away with them. Sprays for the shine of the leaves should be avoided — here they are too tender and will get burns from such sprays.
Transplant rules
- The pot became cramped. Sometimes the plant even rises above the ground due to the fact that the root system has grown too much and does not fit in containers.
- The need to update the soil.
It is better to carry out the procedure in the spring, so the process will take place with the least harm to the flower. Choose a new pot 10-15% larger than the previous one — both in depth and in diameter. A favorable filling will be a flower substrate with the addition of drainage so that the roots do not start to rot.
- Carefully remove the bush from the old pots, trying not to damage the overgrown roots.
- Hands need to clean them from large lumps of adhering earth and try to straighten them.
- Then place the seedling in a new container, sprinkling it with earth, lightly tamping it, and water it lightly.
- After a few days, the soil will settle a little, since it was not packed tightly into the pot, and the earth will need to be poured. Such a scheme will allow the roots to breathe and not rot in too dense, “stone” soil.
Reproduction methods
If the plant has grown magnificently and there is a desire to propagate it, even an inexperienced grower can do it. Consider two main methods of reproduction of chlorophytum.
babes
As we have already mentioned, shoots are regularly formed in this species, on which flowers are formed. After the flowering period, these shoots can be left on the bush to «grow». It is they who will be considered «children». When their own leaves appear on them, you can start breeding.
The standard scenario is separation from the mother bush. With a sharp knife, cut off the shoot and place it in a glass of water to build up the root mass. For transplanting into ordinary soil, you will have to wait a few centimeters of young roots.
An alternative method is to plant the tip of a fresh shoot in an adjacent small pot without sharing it with the mother plant yet. When new leaves begin to appear on the «child», cut it off from the main bush — now it can grow on its own.
seeds
As usual, seed propagation is a more complex and time-consuming process that does not guarantee success. First, collect from the plant the seed pods with the contents that appear after flowering. Soak them for one day in water or a special growth regulator solution. After this time, lay the seeds in the soil in a pot. At this stage, it is important to create a humid warm microclimate in it, so cover the surface with a glass lid or a plastic bag. Locating in a dark place and periodically oxygenating through an open surface will increase the chances of germination. After 3-5 months, the first sprouts will appear, and after waiting for their strengthening and the appearance of young leaves, you can transplant the newly made seedling into a full-sized pot.
Potential pests and diseases
Harmful insects on chlorophytum do not appear just like that. The reason for this may be infected plants near the exotic or a weakened state of the seedling itself due to improper care.
The diseased state of a flower is easy to determine by external signs.
- The leaves turn yellow. The reasons are nutritional deficiency and insufficient soil moisture. Solving these problems is quite simple — carefully introduce top dressing and adjust the watering regime. Older leaves may also turn yellow. In this case, just cut off the dying parts.
- Drying. Why do the tips of the leaves dry in chlorophytum? In addition to the same lack of nutrients or moisture, the causes may be the deposition of salts in the soil (when using tap water) and frequent feeding with urea. Sometimes just the wrong primer leads to dry tips. In this case, and when the land is salinized, transplant a bush.
- Leaf darkening. You will encounter this symptom if you do not reduce watering in winter. Then moisture will begin to accumulate in the soil, and the roots will rot, as they will not have time to absorb water. Just reduce the volume and amount of moisture, cut off damaged dark leaves, stop top dressing if there were any.
- Leaves turn pale. The main reason is the lack of lighting, therefore, having noticed color changes, immediately move the pot with a bush to a well-lit place. If this happens in the spring-winter period, then introduce top dressing to support the plant and monitor the frequency of watering.
Useful properties of color and possible harm
Chlorophytum is actually a very useful plant that is good to keep at home. It is known for purifying the air around it within a radius of up to 2 meters, for which it is called a biofilter. It absorbs harmful bacteria in the air, as well as carbon monoxide, ammonia, benzene, acetone. Of course, not 100%, but quite effective. Also, a large number of bushes will cleanse the room of microdust, so it is recommended to breed them for allergy sufferers.
At the same time, the seedling does not have any harmful properties. Some believe that chlorophytum is poisonous to cats, but this is not true. Pets can be tempted by juicy exotics (as well as other specimens), but this will not bring them much harm. Even if a curious baby bites a leaf, nothing bad will happen.
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