This flower belongs to the herbaceous perennial plants, it is distinguished by the spectacular coloration of oval-circular leaves. There are more than 25 species of varieties of the plant, care at home for which requires much attention.
The flower of the arrowroot - home care
The most popular types of arrowroot that can be successfully grown at home include the following:
- belogradous decorative;
- red-lobed (three-color);
- karhovin's morant;
- two-colored marant;
- marantha reed.
Maranta care at home requires quality, and it is extremely important for her to create good living conditions.
- Illumination. At home, the arrowroot does not tolerate a bright light, and on the sunny side it will not feel very good. It is better to put a flower in the back of the room.
- Temperature. Maranta in nature - a tropical flower, so it is important for her to be warm. In summer, the room temperature should be maintained within 20-25 ° C, in winter - 17-18 ° C.
- Humidity. A tropical flower may lack only regular spraying from an atomizer. Put a flower pot in a tray with wet pebbles or moss, from time to time arrange water procedures under the shower.
- Top dressing. From the very beginning of spring and until the end of autumn, the arrowroot at home needs fertilizers. A complex set for ornamental plants is ideal. But the excess fertilizing is extremely unpleasant for the flower.
How to water the arrowroot?
The flower of the arrowroot, care at home after which is not so simple, requires a large amount of moisture. So, in the summer season it is important to water it every day, in winter about 2-3 times a week. But it is important to focus mainly not on the schedule, but on the condition of the soil - when the top of the soil dries up, the arrowroot requires watering.
Spraying is also important for successful care of the arrowroot. In the cold season, such a procedure can sometimes replace full-fledged watering, in hot dishes it should be done as often as possible, regardless of the condition of the soil. For watering or spraying, you should take a softened warm or room-temperature water. It is better if it is thawed water, boiled or stood for several days.
How to crop the arrowroot?
Pruning of the arrowroot is of two types:
- hygienic pruning;
- crown formation.
The first option involves the removal of damaged, wilted and dried leaves. It should be carried out regularly, as necessary, regardless of the time of the year. So the flower will and feel better, and look fresh and beautiful. The formation of the crown of the arrowroot is not an easy task. Sometimes, even with all attempts to make the bush lush it grows upwards with a stem. What can be done to make the plant more beautiful? It is necessary to cut long stems, leaving at least three interstices in the pot and 3-4 on the cuttings. You can do this once a year.
Transplanting the arrowroot at home
A mandatory moment in the care of the arrowroot is its regular and timely transplant. This is done about once every two years, the most favorable time for successfully transplanting the plant is spring. Before transplanting, it is important to cut off all the shoots from the plant, leaving only one internode on them, so that the new forming bush is thicker.
How to transplant the arrowroot at home is not a difficult task. Carefully remove the flower from the previous pot, without shaking the soil from the roots. First of all, we put a layer of expanded clay in the pot so that moisture does not stagnate in the roots of the plant, a kind of prevention of rot. Then apply a layer of soil, lay the arrowroot in the pot with the remaining land and fill the remaining space with soil.
What pot is needed for the arrowroot?
What is important to pay attention to when choosing a pot of the arrowroot is the size. It should be shallow, only 3-4 centimeters larger in diameter than the previous one. Do not take the pot with a margin - excess space can lead to stagnation of moisture and, as a result, decay. From what material the pot is made, for successful care of the arrowroot it does not matter.
Primer for Maranta
What kind of soil is needed for maranta is another important issue in the care of a tropical flower. She feels great in the permeable, weakly acidic soil. It is better to buy a special ready-made mixture for marinating plants, which must contain the following components:
- leaf and turf;
- sand;
- manure;
- charcoal.
Maranta - reproduction
Having mastered the main rules, what content is required by the arrowroot, and what care at home it is important for it to provide, you can try to multiply the flower. The most common way, as the arrowroots multiplies is the division of the bush. When transplanting, the bush is divided, cutting the rhizome into several parts in such a way that each new bush receives a sufficient number of roots.
The bushes are immediately planted in separate pots, poured with warm water, covered with a transparent package, protecting from possible drafts. Coverage can be removed only after the plant has new leaves. After this, the flower does not need a special care, it will feel good under the conditions described above.
Maranta - reproduction by cuttings
If you do not dare to cut the rhizome of a healthy flower, there is another way of reproduction of the arrowroot at home - cuttings. Cropped during the formation of shoots can be used as cuttings, provided that their length reaches at least 8-10 centimeters and they have at least two internodes and several leaves.
How to root the arrowroot in this way of reproduction? To do this, you need to use water for rooting - put the shoots in it, and when the roots appear, boldly plant the plant in the ground and cover with a packet to create greenhouse conditions. The shoots cut off in the period from May to September are rooted and more successful.
Maranta - diseases and treatment
If the arrowroot receives poor quality care at home, a problem such as diseases and pests may arise. The most common ailments are as follows:
- Wilt and decay of the stem. The cause of this problem is most likely cold or excessive watering.
- The tips of the leaves dry up. This happens both with a lack of mineral components, and with their excess. Pay attention to the issue of feeding - regularity and dosage.
- The leaves turn yellow and dry out. The most likely cause is a lack of moisture, an incorrect watering regime or too dry air in the room. Both can be easily adjusted.
- Leaves lose color. If you notice a change in the color of the leaves, most likely, the arrowroot gets too much sunlight.
Why does the arrowroot twist the leaves?
This is the most common problem that you may encounter when caring for a tropical flower at home. If the arrowroaks are curled and the leaves dry, it is most likely a problem in too dry air. Here, an air humidifier or other, more simple methods of moisturizing, as well as a complex of mineral fertilizers will help. If the leaves in the home are not only twisted, but also covered with spots, the reason is likely to be insufficient watering.