Growing in an apartment or house, a striped Ehmya belongs to exotic plants, which require the creation of necessary but uncomplicated conditions. The peculiarity of ehmeya is that after a single flowering the plant dies, therefore, it is necessary to take care of its reproduction in advance.
Indoor plant of ehmeya - description
Exotic, unusual, conquering its asceticism plant, has the form of rosettes, which form a fleshy, elongated leaves. Different types of ehmey have elongated, leathery, leaf plates, differing in length and width, and also have barbs (notches) at the edges. In the process of flowering a rosette is formed in the rosette, which can have different shapes and colors, according to the species, but in its majority - the inflorescence is large and spectacular.
Flower growers often breed ehmeyu striped, these flowers are the most beautiful representatives of this plant. Green leaves of dark hue with silvery stripes up to 50 cm long form a tube-shaped socket. From the middle, in time, a flower spike appears with an inflorescence of the head-pyramidal form, the color of the petals being bluish at first, and blue-red at the end of flowering.
Ehmeya striped - care at home
Care for the room colors of Ehmey is simple, but for the comfort and flowering possibilities, the following rules should be observed:
- Lighting provide a bright, diffused, this will create the conditions for flowering. It is best to keep the ehmeyu on the windowsills, excluding the northern and southern sides, protect the flower from drafts and hot sun rays.
- The plant does not tolerate heat, but it loves heat, it grows gorgeously in the summer at 20-27 ° C, in winter - it is desirable to provide a room temperature of 17-18 ° C.
- Moistening of the soil should be regular, especially in the spring-autumn period, a prolonged drought will destroy the plant. In the summer - use soft, dewatered water for watering the soil and add a little to the leaf outlet, in winter it is not necessary.
- Create an ehmee striped high humidity, for this, regularly sprinkle it with warm water or install a container with a flower in the pan, at the bottom of which, fill in the pebble, which is constantly moisturized.
Primer for ehmeya
For a comfortable growth and care of the striped echmea, a special mixed substrate suitable for growing orchids or bromeliads is suitable. For a composition prepared independently, use sod, taken from the top layer of soil, a universal purchased soil, humus from leaves, sand. You can use more exotic substrates, which include:
- humus, leafy earth;
- moss-sphagnum (crushed);
- crumb of broken red brick;
- fir bark or any coniferous tree;
- crushed roots of the fern;
- charcoal wood.
Pot for Ehmey striped
A properly selected pot for planting the ehmey should be a wide, small in height, stable container, similar to a bowl, as the system of roots, even of adult plants, is underdeveloped. At the bottom of the pot, drainage is laid out with a small layer, which prevents the stagnation of water. Care of the plant ehmeya requires its periodic transplantation, as the rosette grows, the pot sizes gradually increase.
Home flower ehmeya - the rules of watering
In the spring-autumn period, the soil should be moistened abundantly, but there should be no excess moisture. In a cool winter period, water if the top of the soil a little dry. Ehmeya at home poured soft, durable, warm water, which should be poured and into the outlet, but only to adult specimens (except winter time, otherwise the plant will begin to rot). Moisture in the outlet should not be permanent, once a month the funnel should be well rinsed. During intensive development, replace the water in the socket with a special diluted fertilizer.
How to transplant a streaked echmy?
Prepared sterilized or roasted ground is poured into a pot, pre-lightly sprinkled with drainage, filling it up to half. Near the base of the flower, fold the leaves into a bundle and gently pull the plant, this is not difficult, since the substrate is loose and the roots for it are extracted easily. Put the ehmeyu in the container, sprinkle the roots with the substrate, choosing a permanent place for the plant, pritenite it for two or three days.
Before transplanting ehmeyu at home, detach from the mature plant appeared on it "children", sitting them in separate containers. In order for the transplanted plants to adapt in the new growth conditions, they should not be watered for the first three days. Flower growers recommend transplanting Echmen, depending on the intensity of sprouting leaves and roots, but not very often.
What is needed to make the striped ehmya blossom?
"Zakapriznichav, Ehmeya room can not bloom, in this case, help her. The pot with the plant should be placed in a transparent bag of cellophane, overlaying it with halves of a cut, ripe apple or orange. In this position, hold the plant for 4-6 weeks, protecting it from the sun, so as not to cause overheating. Fruits will release ethylene, which will serve as a hormone that can cause flowering, it can take place in three to four months, after manipulation.
Ehmeya after flowering
Flowering ehmeya at home occurs from May to late October, the rosette can throw out the flower spike only once. After the flowering process, the plant has "children", the leaves will slowly fade, transfer energy. To "children" grow and develop, remove the flower stalk. Young shoots will appear between the leaves, sprouts that have grown to a third of the mother's ehmeya, cut and seed on individual containers. Experienced flower growers believe that after the flowering of the Ehmya, the striped one does not perish, while its daughter roots may still grow for some time.
Ehmeya does not bloom - what should I do?
Only adult plants begin to blossom, this happens to them at about the age of three, the house's ehmeya should gain maturity and its rosette reach the required size. The problem with flowering is often prosaic - the pot with the plant is located in an excessively dark place, there is no special, slightly acidic soil or good drainage, which is why the decay process begins. A good incentive for flowering ehmey striped will serve as a temperature difference: summer and winter (within the limits necessary for ehmeya) and fertilizing with flower fertilizer .
Ehmeya striped - reproduction at home
Reproduction of an echmy striatal occurs in two ways:
- Sockets. The mother plant is separated by a well-developed, 15-18 cm "baby" and planted separately.
- Seeds. They are collected from the plant at the time of its fading and sown in the spring. For sowing, prepare a well-moistened soil, spread the seeds into it, cover it with earth, cover it with transparent film or glass (this will create a greenhouse effect).
Containers with future plants are installed in a warm place, well lit, but without getting direct sun rays. Three-four-month plants are dive, then each of them is planted separately. Using this method of reproduction, ehmeya bloom after 3-4 years of growing, delighting the flower grower with exotic, unusually beautiful inflorescences.
Ehmeya - multiplication of appendages
Knowing how to properly plant a flower of ehmi rosettes, and using this method, you can admire the flowering plant in the second year of growth. A well-developed, strong process (reaching 12-18 cm), carefully separated from the adult flower, placed in a separate container, where drainage is prepared, a light primer with the addition of peat. The preferred time for jigging out sprouts is early March, early in spring, roots are easily produced.
The cut of the mother plant is treated with crushed wood or activated carbon and slightly dried. The outcropped process is covered with a transparent package or glass jar, we place the pot in a warm, well-lit place. A well-rooted plant is transplanted into a large container, observing the standard rules of care.
Exotic, extraordinarily beautiful flower, striped ehmya, appeared in our country in the last decade of the 20th century, quickly became popular, having grown fond of professional florists and amateurs. This flower, the family of bromeliads, is undemanding in care, it multiplies easily, conditions for it are not difficult to provide. With proper care, pleases with long flowering and beauty.