Types and cultivation of indoor palms

Palm trees are one of the most popular indoor plants - they attract with their exotic appearance. These trees with long narrow leaves not only create a bright tropical atmosphere in the house, but also transform the interior. However, when caring for them, it is important to recreate their habitual living conditions as much as possible.

It is generally accepted that palms are the oldest plants that originally multiplied with seeds and pollen. In the wild, they often reach a height of 10 m. Their size at home depends entirely on the characteristics of care. The flowering of domesticated palms is similar to the flowering of calla lilies. For example, yucca has large snow-white flowers that look like bells. However, most often the palm tree blooms with small yellow or white flowers on a compact brush. The fruits are represented by walnut or drupe; in decorative varieties, they look like small berries.

The advantages of indoor palms are obvious.

• Palm is an exotic solitary tree. To decorate your home interior with it, you do not have to breed a large nursery. Just one tree can fill an empty corner and create stylish decor in every room, including the loggia and the hallway.
• The plant is unassuming to the cultivation conditions. It is not necessary to understand the nuances of biology to grow a beautiful palm tree at home.
• A large plant provides a large flow of oxygen.

In interior design, exotic palm trees have been used for a long time, since the beginning of the 19th century. Of the huge variety of natural varieties in indoor floriculture, no more than 20 have become widespread. All of them are conventionally divided into three groups.

• Reed - such palms have rather thin stems, reminiscent of bamboo shoots. Such varieties grow up to 1.5 m or more. They are in demand when decorating spacious rooms.

• Pinnate - the leaves of the palms of this group are soft arcuate or straight dense.

• Fan-shaped - large leaves are divided into separate segments, which fan out from the base of the plate. The petioles are elongated, covered with thorns.

Hamedorea Seyfritz and Hamedorea erupting - have leaves of a rich dark green hue, but in the first they are narrowed, in the second they are wider. They grow up to 2.5-3 m, so they are not suitable for apartments with low ceilings.

Hamedorea graceful - a compact variety of palm trees. Well adapted to pot cultivation, used for decorating small spaces.

Gioforba - better known as the bottle palm. Refers to the feathery varieties. It has a presentable look, it is often used for office decoration.

Canary date - one of the most popular varieties, sold in any shops for florists. This is a rather powerful tree with straight hard leaves, used for landscaping cottages.

Date Robelena - it does not grow higher than 2 m under the conditions of the house. The volumetric crown with narrowed curved leaves gives a special beauty to the palm tree.

Hovea - shade-loving, pest-resistant variety. It does not lose its exotic look even in a dry room. Recommended for inexperienced florists who decide to try to grow a decorative southerner at home.

Chinese Livistona - a slow-growing variety, therefore it can be grown in small-sized spaces. It attracts with large leaves with gracefully drooping tips.

Washingtonia thread Is a variety of palm trees native to North America. Its characteristic feature is the fibers on the edging of the leaves, visually resembling a beard.

Rapis - an oriental variety, characterized by unpretentiousness, drought resistance. The best option for novice florists.

Karyota - popularly referred to as "fish tail". Its uniqueness lies in the special structure of the leaf, outwardly it resembles a fish's tail, but a little more rounded. This palm tree forms several trunks and produces offspring. When grown at home, it grows up to no more than 1.5 m.

Tsikas Revolution - a tall ornamental houseplant, in demand when decorating houses and apartments, used in winter gardens. Differs in compactness. A short, thickened shoot of this palm tree is crowned with a rosette, it unites 10-15 feathery leaves of a rich dark green color.

Sabal - one of the most beautiful indoor palm trees. Its fan-shaped leaves split into separate segments almost to the base of the plate. The leaf petiole continues in the leaf blade, extending almost to the top. This maintains the strength of the leaves, although over time they still gradually lose their straightness.

Trachikarpus - in demand as a tub culture, grown mainly in winter gardens, as well as in greenhouses.

There are many different types and sizes of palms, all differing in their environmental requirements. In stores, you can always find bush plants for heated rooms, moderately warm, as well as cool. If the footage of the room allows, you can buy a larger tree for the house. In a typical apartment, small, more modest palm trees will be appropriate. Depending on the decorative preferences, the palm tree can be variegated, monochrome or floral.

To achieve good growth and development of indoor palm, you need to understand the conditions in which this culture grows in nature, and try to reproduce them at home.

The best place for cultivating palm varieties is a greenhouse. Exotic plants growing in such a room receive a large amount of scattered light from all directions. In this case, their external characteristics will be more decorative than in a standard room. However, due to the unpretentiousness of such plants, the recreation of similar conditions in a residential building can give the same result. Only certain types of palm trees are allowed to be grown in the sun.

In most cases, they should be located away from direct sunlight. With excessive lighting, the condition of the tree can deteriorate significantly. This factor causes rapid growth, which entails the need to transfer the plant to some other place. At the same time, only a few palm trees can boast of resistance to shade. It is best to place the palm tree on the side of the window, reliably protecting the crown top from the direct rays of the sun. If an exotic plant is taken out into the street, then you should choose a site where it would be in light partial shade throughout the day.

Despite the fact that in their natural habitat palm trees develop at high temperatures on summer days and in cool / hot climates during the winter months, home care involves keeping the culture at a temperature of +25 degrees. Do not forget about the ratio of air temperature to the parameters of its humidity. In apartments with high humidity, the feeling of warmth and coolness, depending on the temperature, only intensifies. Palm trees should be protected from gusts of wind and strong surges in ambient temperature.

Palm medium should not be overly drained. Ready-made soil mixtures are usually light - they are optimal for young trees. It is better for adult bushes to prepare it yourself. To do this, mix 2-3 parts of compost or humus, garden soil and peat with 1 part of river sand.

A container for a palm tree must be chosen taking into account the volume and shape of the rhizome. If the roots rise from the ground, then it is better to take a tall pot.

Palm trees are hydrophilic crops. Their growth in nature directly depends on the proximity of the water source. At the same time, almost all varieties, including palms that grow in arid regions of the planet, can do without moisture for a long time. For full growth and development, humidity should be maintained at 65-70% or more. It is advisable to put a bowl of water near the tree.

Watering decorative palms should be extremely careful so as not to deteriorate the condition of the roots. On hot summer days, irrigation should be frequent and abundant. In winter, it is better to keep the soil slightly moist, but at the same time not wet. If there is too much moisture in the soil, then the well-being of the culture can significantly deteriorate.

The indoor palm, if it exhibits a capricious disposition, usually refers exclusively to the composition and structure of the substrate. The plant loves soil in which clay-sod and humus-leaf soils are present in equal volumes. Additionally, the palms require fertilization. Top dressing is done once every 10-14 days from spring to autumn, and in winter - once a month. It is advisable to take organic fertilizers for replenishment.

Indoor exotics do not like transplanting, so you should not disturb them without great need. Usually, the basis for such manipulations is the growth of the rhizome so that it fills the entire earthen lump in the container. Young exotic plants are transplanted once a year, more adults need one transplant at 4-5 years old. If the tree is too large and it is difficult to transplant it entirely, then the top layer of the soil mixture is simply replaced in the pot.

Transplanting is desirable in the spring. A new container for a slightly grown tree should be 4-5 cm larger than the previous one. It is imperative to take care of the drainage layer in order to avoid stagnation of moisture, usually a layer of expanded clay is placed on the bottom of the container.

The main thing when transplanting is not to injure the leaves and petioles. The palm is carefully transferred into a new container. And also it is necessary to examine the roots, in adult plants they often rot, therefore, during transplantation, the damaged fragments are removed. If the necrosis is too strong, then immediately after the completion of the procedure, it is necessary to organize the lower heating to a temperature of + 25 ... 30 degrees - so the rooting process will go faster, and the chance that the tree will survive will increase. In the very first days, it is better to protect the displaced plant from exposure to direct sunlight.

Reproduction of palm trees in indoor conditions is possible - these exotics are grown by sowing seeds or cuttings. For germination, it is necessary to maintain the temperature at + 25 ... 35 degrees. Planting material is planted in containers with sawdust, moss and river sand. A drainage layer with charcoal particles is laid on the bottom. Seedlings germinate within a week, although some varieties take several months to germinate. Transplanting should be done before the start of active growth, in early spring.

Common pests of the palm are the mealybug, as well as the scale insect, and a little less often the spider mite. These parasites feed on the vital juices of an exotic plant, while the affected leaves change color to yellow and soon fall off. The mealybug is a small insect, the body of which is completely covered with a whitish fluff. If the number of pests is small, then they are removed with a sponge dipped in water. In case of total defeat, only spraying with an insecticide will help to save the situation, usually the treatment is carried out 2-4 times with a frequency of 2-2.5 weeks.

Scabbards visually resemble brownish plaques. Usually, insects hide near the veins on the back of the leaves, leaving a sticky coating on them. The grown parasites are covered with a wax shield, which protects them from the action of chemicals. The shield can be easily removed with a wet sponge. The spider mite is a very small, invisible sucking insect. Its appearance is indicated by traces in the form of a thin whitish cobweb on the surface of the leaf plates. The affected plant dries up and withers very quickly. You need to fight the tick with insecticidal preparations. As a prevention of damage, in addition to everyday spraying, a cool shower once every 7 days gives a good effect.

Due to excessively dry air, irrigation with hard or cool water, as well as due to temperature fluctuations, the tips of the leaves turn yellow and then turn brown. Excessive watering and temperature changes lead to decay of the root system and stems. In this case, it is possible to save the palm tree from death only at the initial stage. The tree is carefully removed from the container, all damaged areas are removed, transferred to new soil and thoroughly treated with a fungicidal agent.

High humidity is a common cause of penicillosis. Fungal spores become its causative agent; they attack young leaves. As a result, necrotic spots appear on them, the leaf is deformed and dies off. To avoid trouble, you need to maintain a comfortable humidity level. Damage to the palm tree by stem rot cannot be ruled out. Its signs are dark or gray spots with a whitish coating. The disease develops quickly, because the affected fragments are removed before the spores of the fungus have time to spread throughout the palm tree.

For information on how to properly care for indoor palm trees, see the next video.