Pandanus is poisonous or not. Pandanus or screw palm. Soil requirements and fertilizer for pandanus plants

For a florist, each of his household charges is a child. It requires care and attention, and also serves as a source of pride. Increasingly, exclusive specimens are found in modern interiors at home. One of them is the “screw palm” or Pandanus.

In nature, there are more than 500 different species of the Pandanaceae family. Their homeland is subtropical and tropical lands. They are native to Africa, India, Nepal and Madagascar.

Representatives of this group have common characteristics:

• leaves are dense, narrow and long, often with needles at the ends; The leaf height ranges from 15 cm to several meters, and the width from 1.5 to 12 cm.
• the trunk is short, relative to the size of the whole plant; It has massive roots, and after the old leaves are separated, it acquires a specific color, thanks to which it looks like a palm tree.
• in ornamental species there is a weak pleasant aroma.
• are tree-like.
• long-lived.

Reference

The plant is called "screw" due to the arrangement of its leaves. All Pandan plants are bisexual - the males flower and the females bear fruit.

In its natural environment, Pandanus bears fruit annually. This is quite difficult to achieve in home conditions.

Aboriginal people rarely eat pandanus fruits; they are often eaten by animals (elephants and bats). The leaves of large specimens make excellent raw materials for basket weaving.

Eating a leaf of the Pandanus plant as chewing gum provides an analgesic effect for the mouth.

Varieties and types of flower

Pandanus is divided into several species. The most common for growing at home is:

• Pandanus Sandera. It is small in size, the leaves grow no more than 75 cm. It has many yellow stripes along the entire leaf.
• . It grows up to 1.5 meters in height, and the leaf span is no more than 1 m. Unlike other species, it resembles a shrub. The leaves of this group are characterized by a white stripe.
• Pandanus Useful. Its height is no more than 3 meters, the length of the leaves is up to 1.5 m. It has dark green foliage, adult plants are capable of branching. Most often used in botanical gardens. In the wild, the useful species grows up to 20 meters and has red thorns.

Caring for a plant at home

Being an exotic plant, Pandanus requires appropriate care. Close to natural conditions existence.

Light and warmth

Pandanus is a light-loving creature. However, it suffers from direct sunlight and requires protection from it.

If the plant is on a windowsill, you should rotate it periodically. Providing uniform “feeding” of sunlight.

The ideal temperature for growing screw palm varies from +20 to +25 degrees. A sharp or prolonged drop in temperature (below +15) will lead to the death of the plant.

Watering and humidity

Watering Pandanus should be frequent but moderate. Water temperature is 20-30 degrees Celsius. The ideal watering for it is every other day. Water for irrigation is used filtered or spring water. At least 2 times a month it is necessary to spray the leaves and remove dust with a damp cloth.

Air in the potty room should not be too wet. Daily ventilation is required. Too dry air, especially in winter, is also a cause of Pandanus disease.

Additional food

In addition to basic care, during the warm season, fertilizing with a mineral composition is required every 2 weeks. In winter, you need to observe a rest period and feed once every 2 months.

Special ones “for palm trees” are suitable.

Additional Information

• Decorative types of Pandanus have no natural supports in the form of aerial roots. For this reason, they require artificial supports.
• A house plant cannot be left outside for a long time - in addition to direct sunlight, it is extremely undesirable: wind, rain.
• Another condition for normal growth is a sufficient amount of free space. The plant, regardless of size, should not be placed in a walkway or against a wall.

Winter care

Pandanus needs special care in winter than in summer.

It is necessary to monitor not only the temperature, but also provide artificial lighting and reduce the amount of moisture. The source of artificial light should not be located closer than 1 meter.

Poisonousness - can it be kept at home?

It is very important to know what type of plant you need to care for - some can be dangerous.

Possible threat not only needles, but also fruits and leaves Pandanus plants. If there are inquisitive kids in the house, then you shouldn’t risk their health and keep it at home.

Transfer

For young plants, replanting is required at least once a year, and after several years this period increases to 2-3 years (provided that the roots of the soil are completely entwined). This can be determined visually when the roots begin to protrude from the pot.

The thick and powerful roots of pandanus are actually very fragile. When transplanting, it is important that they are not damaged.

You should pay attention not only to the choice of pot (its size should not differ much from the previous one), but also to its filling. At least a third of the pot should consist of a drainage layer. The rest is filled with soil, humus, turf soil and sand.

All proportions must be respected in equal quantities. Planting in prepared soil is also possible. The most suitable of the specialized ones will be a mixture for palm crops.

Reproduction

Pandanus reproduces both by seed and vegetative methods. The best time for reproduction is spring.

Vegetative method

To produce a new plant, a shoot is needed at least 20 cm in height, and in its absence, a leaf rosette. They are placed in sandy-peaty soil and greenhouse conditions are created - temperatures from +24 to +28 degrees.

Carry out regular ventilation and watering. In 2-3 months he will look like his older brother.

The cut area of ​​the leaf rosette must be dried.

Seed method

A distinctive feature of Pandan is propagation by seeds. To germinate, they must be placed in a mixture of sand and peat.

Further care consists of covering the drawer with cling film, plus daily ventilation and humidification.

After a month, the first leaves will appear, after which the “babies” can be transplanted into separate pots. You can purchase seeds in online stores.

There are folk and professional remedies to combat every pest.

• soap solution;
• tobacco infusion;
• weak solution of manganese;
• fumigation with sulfur;
• insecticides (Karbofos, Aktellik, Aktara).

Before you start treating a flower with chemicals, you should consult a specialist.

Possible problems and their solutions

If the leaves turn white, reduce the lighting level

1. If leaves become dry, increase watering.
2. Yellowed leaves, on the contrary, indicate excessive moisture and possible problems with the roots. In this case, check the root system.
3. If there are negative changes - remove affected areas.
4. Faded or whitening leaves indicate excessive lighting.
5. Slow growth - failure to comply with one or more maintenance conditions. Cramped pot.

Pandanus, with quality care, will become a real pearl of the flower collection. Its luscious foliage will purify the oxygen in the room.

It is believed that pandanus absorbs negative energy and helps build willpower and determination. To feel this for yourself, you will need to have a “spiral palm tree” in your house.

When purchasing another flower, we do not even know about some of the harmful properties of indoor plants, and then suddenly we notice emerging health problems. If a small child or animals live in the house, then you need to pay special attention to the choice of indoor flowers and plants in order to protect their livelihoods. Some plant species contain poison in their sap or release harmful substances into oxygen.

In addition to plants that are not recommended to be kept at home, some flowers have an adverse effect on the human body. In this case, you need to choose the right location for the future green resident, without placing it in the bedroom or, conversely, in the kitchen.

There are a huge number of disputes and disagreements about dangerous plants in the house. All the sayings are mixed with various signs that can ultimately confuse a novice gardener.
In this article we will look at plants with which you need to be careful and be aware of the likely consequences for the body and for energy.

List of poisonous plants

This group of plants includes those species that should not be kept at home, especially in the presence of animals or children, due to their extremely dangerous properties. A child, like a pet, can be poisoned by such flowers or get burns if handled carelessly.

If there are no children or animals in the house, then take precautions when caring for such plants. Be sure to use gloves when working with these colors and wash your tools thoroughly. Never trim these flowers with a knife meant for eating in your kitchen.

Pandanus is an extremely interesting plant. It is very easy to grow, you just need to follow simple rules. True, some gardeners are frightened by the gigantic size of an adult plant. But anyone who can allocate a spacious and warm corner in their living space for the development of pandanus will not regret it.

Description of pandanus

Pandanus or pandan is an amazing plant. In nature, its size causes admiration. Some species have edible fruits. Inflorescences, roots, leaves are an integral part of traditional medicine and are even used in magical rituals. The strong leaf veins are used as weaving material.

Pandanus is an amazing plant that locals use everywhere

The tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere are the native land of the plant. There are about 750 species of pandanus in nature. On the island of Madagascar alone you can find almost 90 representatives of this species. The first description of pandanus was made by the French botanist and traveler Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent. The original name, pandan, comes from the Indonesian name for the plant.

Pandanus grow in coastal areas, on sandy and rocky soil. They can be found in dry, mountain and alpine forests, along the edges of volcanic craters and on their slopes. Coral reefs are also overgrown with these amazing plants.

Pandanuses grow in different places, but are more common in the coastal zone

Pandanus is often called a palm tree, more precisely a screw palm or even a pine tree. It is somewhat similar to dracaena. But pandanus has nothing in common with these plants.

The plant belongs to the genus of tree-like evergreen plants of the Pandanaceae family. Sometimes it develops in the form of a bush. Pandanus is a powerful tree, the height of its trunk reaches 15 m, and often reaches a height of 25 m. But at home, its dimensions are much more modest - only 1.5 m. Young specimens do not grow very quickly. Mature plants grow leaves more intensively.

Video: pandanus in its natural habitat

The trunk is formed as old leaves lose their life. Its surface, with traces of leaves growing in a spiral, resembles a screw (hence the name - screw palm). The trunk can branch like a dracaena. Another interesting feature of pandanus is its roots. The adventitious or stilt roots extending from the trunk are an excellent anchor that holds the tree in place during strong winds and hurricanes. There are times when the trunk of a plant dies, and then the support of the pandanus becomes aerial roots that have grown into the ground and become woody.

Powerful aerial or stilted roots help pandanus stay in place during strong winds

The leaves are narrow and long, linear in shape. The length sometimes reaches 3–4 m, width - 10–15 cm. They are located on the trunk in the form of a spiral, in 2–4 rows. The leaf blade is rigid, strewn with sharp teeth along the edge, and is very reminiscent of a pineapple leaf.

The narrow and long leaves of pandanus, with thorns along the edges, resemble pineapple leaves

Flowers are unisexual. The male ones are collected in inflorescences similar to spikelets. Female - resemble a cob or cone. The fruits are red, fleshy. Somewhat reminiscent of pineapple.

Pandanus flowers are unisexual

Growing pandanus at home is not difficult. You just need to take into account some of its features and follow simple conditions of detention. Pandanus is an ideal option for those who love fast-growing but unpretentious plants. It is also suitable for beginner flower growers, as it is ready to put up with some mistakes. The only drawback is that it requires a lot of space and in small rooms an adult plant will be cramped. The ease of care and the beauty of the leaves, similar to green fountains, made this plant an ideal option for decorating winter gardens, spacious halls, hotel and restaurant interiors. At home and in countries with warm climates, pandanus is used in landscape design.

Video: pandanus or screw palm

If there is a child in the house, then you need to explain to him that pandanus leaves are prickly and should not be touched with your hands.

The only drawback of pandanus is that it needs a lot of space for normal development.

Types and varieties grown indoors

Of the huge variety of pandanus, only a few species can be found at home.

Photo gallery: domesticated pandanus species

Pandanus roofing is used as a material for roofs Pandanus Veitcha is the most common in indoor floriculture The leaves of pandanus Sander are decorated with a yellow stripe located in the center The edges of the leaves of pandanus useful are strewn with red spines Pandanus Baptista has smooth leaf edges

Even such an undemanding plant as pandanus will be pleased if the grower creates conditions for it that are similar to natural ones.

Table: seasonal conditions of detention

Pandanus prefers bright but diffused light

On many sites you can find information that pandanus and the street are incompatible things. You can take pandanus outside in the summer, but under certain conditions. The temperature should be consistently warm, without sudden drops at night. The plant will do well on a glassed-in balcony. You can enjoy fresh air during the day, and close the window at night so that the drop in temperature does not harm the plant. And yet, in such a secluded corner, wind and drafts will not be scary.

Pandanus and florarium

Due to its large size, pandanus is not suitable for growing in florariums. Even if it is placed there, the plant will experience difficulties, since it needs space for full growth. Grown in an unlimited space, pandanus looks great as a single plant or surrounded by other green fellows.

To reveal its potential, pandanus needs unlimited space.

Planting and transplanting

For normal development, a young pandanus needs an annual change of pot for 5 years. Moreover, the new pot should not be large in size; it is permissible to exceed the previous one by only 2 or 3 cm. The bottom should have holes to remove excess moisture. Young specimens can be planted in plastic containers. For large plants you need to choose a stable pot. When purchasing a pot, do not forget to buy medium-sized drainage. For large containers it is better to use a large fraction.

Adult pandanuses are replanted no more than once every 3 years. The new container should be approximately 1/3 higher than the previous one. The width of the pot is standard. The apparent power of aerial roots is actually very deceptive. They are very fragile, so transplantation is carried out exclusively by transferring the plant from one container to another. Removing such roots is strictly prohibited. To prevent them from drying out, you can use wet moss wraps.

The aerial roots of pandanus are very fragile, so you need to be extremely careful when replanting.

Potted plants are not replanted at all. For them, it will be enough to replace the top layer of soil in the tub with a more nutritious one. This is done once a year or 2 times. When the pandanus is prepared for transplanting into a tub, not 1, but 3 parts of turf soil are added to the prepared earthen substrate so that the plant has enough nutrients for a long time.

To curb the growth of pandanus, replanting is carried out less frequently, only replacing the top layer of soil, just like in tub specimens.

The soil for pandanus needs to be nutritious and loose, but containing a small amount of clay. You can use commercial palm substrate. Those who like to make soil mixtures with their own hands need to mix the following components in equal parts:

• greenhouse soil - 2 parts;
• clay soil - 1 part;
• peat - 1 part;
• coarse sand - 1 part.

Or this option - turf and leaf soil, river sand and humus. The components are taken in equal parts.

When preparing the soil, mix all ingredients well

Soil acidity also matters. A suitable pH is around 6.

Step-by-step transplant process

Pandanus purchased in a store cannot be replanted immediately. The plant must be given time to adapt - about 10 days.

Does pandanus need support?

In general, pandanus does not need support. But there are situations when the flower begins to grow one-sidedly. This happens with overgrown and not transplanted plants in time, moreover, located in a room with dry air. Under such conditions, aerial roots stop growing and cannot further support the flower. If you can’t replant, then place a support next to the pandanus - a strong bamboo stick will do.

There are situations in which a pandanus cannot survive without support.

Care

Even such an indestructible plant, as it is jokingly called, like pandanus, needs proper care. It is very easy and will not be difficult.

Watering and effective fertilizing

Although pandanus grows on coasts where frequent flooding occurs, it does not tolerate excessively moist soil when grown indoors. Moreover, if the pot, as they say, is about to grow and the soil is heavy and does not conduct water well. The top layer of soil must dry out before the plant is watered again.

In summer, water the plant abundantly and be sure to remove any remaining water from the pan. In winter, you need to be more careful when moistening, especially if the pandanus is in a cool room. After the top layer has dried, you need to wait another 2–3 days before watering.

Watering should be sufficient so that the moisture wets the entire earthen ball, and not the surface, leaving the roots dry.

You need to water the pandanus abundantly so that the moisture moistens the entire earthen ball.

Under standard conditions, in summer the frequency of watering is once a week, in winter - once every 2 weeks. But this is all conditional. You need to rely on the specifics of your conditions of detention. The hotter it is, the more often you will water, and vice versa.

In addition to waterlogging, prolonged drying out of the soil is also extremely undesirable for pandanus. Dried and yellowed leaves will not decorate the plant, but, on the contrary, will ruin the entire impression.

The irrigation liquid should settle and be at room temperature. If wetted with cold water, the plant may become stressed and stop growing. It is very good to water with melt or rain water. An excellent effect is achieved by bottom watering, in which the liquid should have a temperature of 35 0 C.

Liquid mineral fertilizers of universal purpose are used as fertilizing. Feeding in the spring-summer period occurs 2 times a month. In winter it is reduced to 1 time per month.

The transplanted plant begins to be fertilized only after a month or a month and a half. All this time, the pandanus will make do with the nutrients available in the soil.

Any universal fertilizer is suitable for pandanus.

In order to control growth, fertilizing is reduced to a minimum or stopped altogether. Without nutrition, pandanus growth slows down greatly.

Flowering period

This amazing plant blooms only in the wild. When grown indoors, flowering does not occur. But from time to time there are statements that, although rarely, the plant produces flower stalks at home.

Rest period

The plant does not have a pronounced dormant period. But in winter, pandanus practically stops growing. Feeding and watering at this time are carried out rarely and carefully. The temperature can be lowered slightly so that the plant can rest fully, because growth will continue in a warm room.

But what really wouldn’t hurt is additional lighting. From autumn to spring, daylight for pandanus should last at least 8 to 10 hours. Therefore, the plant must be illuminated for up to 6 hours a day. To do this, install a fluorescent lamp at a distance of a meter from the flower.

In winter, pandanus needs to be illuminated

Crown formation

There is no need to specially form the crown of pandanus, since the plant has an apical growth type. In an adult plant, the trunk forms on its own as the lower leaves fall off. Only single-stem species are grown indoors.

In nature, as well as when grown at home, pandanus itself forms a trunk

Sometimes the trunk becomes overgrown with numerous children. Many gardeners leave them so that the lower bare part of the plant looks more luxuriant. But this is a matter of taste. You can root these shoots and get new plants.

To give the pandanus an aesthetic appearance, you need to periodically trim off the dry ends (if any). Trimming is done so that a small area of ​​dead tissue remains, which will prevent further drying.

How care errors manifest themselves and what to do to correct the situation

As already noted, pandanus is very unpretentious. To grow a flower at home, you do not need to create any special conditions for it. But the inexperience of the grower can be the reason why the plant suddenly stops growing or its leaves begin to turn yellow. To correct the situation, you need to understand the error in time and eliminate it.

Table: care errors and their elimination

Photo gallery: typical mistakes made when growing pandanus

Dry and brown tips of the leaves are evidence of insufficient watering and low air humidity. Excessive lighting causes pandanus leaves to become light, almost white. Necrotic spots on the leaves are the result of sunburn

Diseases and pests

Pests and diseases are extremely rare on this hardy plant. But, I repeat, improper care can become the catalyst that provokes both fungal diseases and the appearance of pests.

Table: diseases and pests of pandanus, control measures and prevention

Pandanus was first discovered in humid forests on the islands of the Indian Ocean. The plant can be seen in Vietnam, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Madagascar and Java. Pandanus grows in tropical forests, along river banks and on seashores.

Under natural conditions, the plant is a shrub that looks like a palm tree. A common similarity is the spiral arrangement of the leaves, which is why the plant is often called a screw palm.

In some countries of Southeast Asia, the leaves of the pandanus palm are used by local residents for cooking because they have a subtle spicy aroma. Rice, meat, and fish are wrapped in them. The leaves are used to weave various household items and are used to stuff mattresses. Thick palm trunks are used to build rafts.

Pandanus has several other names. Houseplant lovers call it screw pine, corn, pandan.

The shrub was brought to Europe from the tropics of the Old World, so the flower needs a lot of moisture, sunlight and very humid air. Previously, the plant was bred in greenhouses and winter gardens, since over time it acquired enormous sizes and required special conditions of maintenance. With proper care, pandanus begins to bloom with amazingly beautiful flowers and bears fruit. It is almost impossible to achieve pandanus flowering indoors.

Pandanus attracts special attention from indoor plant lovers due to its luxurious appearance, large size and easy care, which allows you to grow a beautiful ornamental plant.

Description

In natural growing conditions, there are plants in the form of shrubs no more than one meter high and huge trees reaching a height of 20 meters or more.

The pandanus flower has a thick branching trunk covered with smooth or warty bark. The root system is very powerful. A significant part of it is on the surface in the form of aerial layers and stilted roots. This is necessary in order to keep the massive trunk and spreading crown with long leaves and fruits from gusts of wind.

The leaves are arranged in several tiers. The platinum sheets are quite long, their length can reach two meters, and their width can be 1.5 meters. The edges of the leaf plates are hard and have spines.

Pandanus is dioecious plant, the male and female flowers of which have external differences. Male flowers have an elongated shape and exude a delicate aroma. The female branches are round and surrounded by bracts.

Pandanus fruit - drupe, connected into a single spherical fruit, and looks like a pineapple. As the fruit ripens, its color changes from green to orange or red. The fruits can remain on the tree for more than a year.

At home pandanus is unpretentious. To successfully grow it at home, the gardener does not require any special skills or knowledge. Even a novice gardener can grow an indoor screw palm. At home, the flower can grow to gigantic sizes, so most often it is kept in spacious rooms with high ceilings.

Plant species

About 600 species of false palm grow in natural conditions. You can grow several types of screw palm at home.

Pandanus: can I keep it at home?

Many people believe that palm trees should not be kept in residential areas. Bioenergetics experts believe that it emits a lot of negative heavy energy. The “bad” energy of pandanus is also associated with the location of spines along the edges of the leaves, which protect the surrounding space.

The only trouble that can be associated with growing a flower at home is being pricked by thorns. If there are small children or pets at home, the flower should be placed at a safe height to protect the inhabitants of the apartment. You should also know that after an injection, an allergic reaction may develop in the form of redness of the skin and itching, since the juice of the plant is poisonous.

The positive qualities of pandanus should also be noted. In places where it grows naturally, the shrub is valued for its healing qualities, since its leaves have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is used to relieve toothache and is used to treat inflammation of the oral cavity.

Home care

• Location and lighting

When placing the plant, you should know that the pandanus flower requires a lot of free space. When coming into contact with pieces of furniture, the leaves stop growing. The leaves of the false palm have spines located along the edges, which can easily be scratched, so when choosing a palm variety, you should take into account the possibility of keeping it in an apartment after 5-6 years.

Pandanus does not tolerate direct sunlight and lack of light. When placing, you should stay on the west or east side of the apartment. The most suitable for panandus is diffused bright light.

If there is insufficient lighting, you can additionally illuminate the shrub with a phytolamp, which is placed approximately one meter from the pot with the plant.

The plant should not be taken out into the open air, where the leaves droop, dry out and lose their decorative effect.

To ensure that the crown develops evenly, the pot should be rotated periodically. This will prevent the leaves from pulling out.

• Temperature

The palm tree is grown in a warm room, the air temperature in which should be above 20 degrees. The plant is very afraid of drafts and cold air. It is allowed to ventilate the room for a short time.

• Watering and air humidity

The plant requires moderate air humidity. In a dry room, the tips of the leaves begin to dry out, so it is recommended to wipe the leaves with a damp cloth or sponge.

Watering is carried out only on the roots. It is unacceptable for moisture to get into the axils of the leaves; therefore, it is strictly forbidden to wash panandus in the shower. For irrigation, warm water is used, the temperature of which is several degrees higher than room temperature.

When caring for the plant, you should take care of your hands, since the leaves of the plant are covered with poisonous spines.

To nourish the aerial roots, flower growers use moss, which is placed around the roots and periodically moistened.

• Transplantation and soil

As the plant grows, it is transplanted into a larger pot. Young plants are replanted once a year, adults - once every 2-3 years. Transplantation is carried out after the root system has completely entwined the earthen ball.

For the plant, you can use ready-made soil compositions for palm trees or prepare it yourself by mixing leaf soil, humus sand and clay.

Transplantation is underway transshipment method. The plant should be carefully removed from the pot without damaging the fragile root system. The leaves are tied before transplanting so as not to damage your hands. A new pot should be laid with a thick layer of drainage. The plant is planted at the same level; no additional deepening is required.

Mature plants do not need to be replanted, so you can limit yourself to replacing the top layer of soil.

• Plant Formation

No special crown formation is required. The lower leaves, dying, form a helical trunk. Over time, many daughter plants grow around the main plant, which gardeners do not remove to make the plant look more lush. As a result, the mother plant develops not only a dense crown, but also a lush trunk.

Pandanus, or Pandan, is a plant from the tropics, brought to us from the islands of the Indian Ocean. Resembles a palm tree with thin, spiral-shaped leaves. In an apartment, pandanus does not bloom or bear fruit, but this is fully compensated by the high decorativeness of the plant itself. Even a beginner in floriculture can organize pandanus care at home.

The genus consists of 600 species. Most representatives are tall tree-like plants. There are specimens of 15 meters or more. Sometimes they form voluminous shrubs. Despite the external resemblance, this is not a palm tree - pandanus has nothing to do with it.

Long aerial roots are released as a support and a means of obtaining moisture. An interesting sight is presented by plants with dead root parts of the trunk. They are held above the ground by aerial roots.

The shape of the leaves is xiphoid, the edges are sharp-serrate. They are attached to the stem in a spiral. The lower leaves gradually fall off, leaving scars on the stem. The barrel takes the shape of a screw. The flowers are small, yellowish, and form dense inflorescences.

As a houseplant, pandanus is more suitable for spacious apartments. It grows very quickly, tolerates dry air, and easily tolerates short-term lack of watering and low light.

Important! Pandanus leaves have a serrated edge and a central vein covered with spines. Use caution during transplantation. Wipe the leaves from the trunk to the top - in the direction of growth of the spines. It is not advisable to keep the flower in an apartment where there are small children - it is easy to get hurt on the sharp thorns.

Varieties for growing in an apartment

Of the 600 species that grow in nature, only a few are suitable for home cultivation. They are more compact in size - they do not grow above 3 meters.

• Pandanus Veitch. The trunk is shortened. Produces many aerial roots. The leaves grow spirally, close to each other. The length of the leaves is up to 80-90 cm. The color is intense, green. Light stripes run longitudinally. Characteristically, there are spines along the edge of the leaf. Compact variety - grows on average up to one and a half meters.
  
  
• Pandanus is useful. Higher view. Grows up to 2-3 meters. The leaves are straight, branched, and grow in a spiral. Color - rich green. Long - up to 1.5 meters. There are red thorns along the edge of the leaf.
• Pandanus Sandera. The trunk is shortened. Leaves up to 80 cm. Background - green, stripes - yellow. The edges of the leaves are covered with small spines.
  
  

Creating favorable conditions and care

Pandanus is unpretentious. Creating special conditions for its cultivation is not required. It responds to intensive care with rapid growth and high decorativeness.

• Lighting. Will grow anywhere - in sun or partial shade. Variegated species are not placed in the shade - the characteristic color becomes faded. When young, it is grown on a windowsill. Adult plants are placed in tubs on the floor, if possible, closer to the window. To avoid curvature of the trunk, the flower is regularly rotated around its axis.
• Temperature. Temperature range: 20-25°C. In winter, temperatures should not drop below 16°C. They try to avoid drafts.
• Humidity. Doesn't play a special role. Grows in both low and high humidity. It is not recommended to spray. Water accumulates in the sinuses, leading to rotting of the stem. For hygienic purposes, wipe the foliage with a damp sponge.
• Watering. A large mass of leaves requires increased watering. Water temperature - 30°C. In winter, the growth of pandanus stops - water less often. Frequency depends on temperature. The lower it is, the less often you water.
• Feeding. Any fertilizer for deciduous crops is suitable. Follow the dosage and concentration indicated in the instructions. Frequency: 2 times per month. It is not recommended to apply fertilizers to dry soil. Optimally - on the day of watering.
• Transfer. The root system is sensitive and vulnerable. Transplantation is resorted to in extreme cases; it is replaced by transshipment. Young specimens have to be transshipped annually due to rapid growth. Adults - if necessary, replace the potty. Aerial roots are left outside. The containers used are heavy, stable, and approximately the same width and height.
• The soil. Use nutrient soils with a high mineral content. Suitable soil mixtures for palm trees. The soil for adult plants should be dominated by turf soil.

Advice! Pandanus can be used not only for landscaping, but also for air purification. Its large leaves absorb harmful substances, release essential oils into the air and enrich it with oxygen. Essential oils have an antibacterial effect and destroy pathogenic microflora.

Reproduction methods

Seed and vegetative propagation of pandanus is practiced. It takes longer to grow from seeds, but over time it forms a full-fledged “palm tree”.

• Cuttings. Cuttings of 20 cm each are cut from long side branches. It is not recommended to use short cuttings - the process of root formation will be very slow. The sections are immediately treated with activated carbon powder. The substrate is made up of peat and sand. Take them in equal proportions. The cuttings are planted in separate containers under cover. Temperature for rapid rooting is 25-28°C. The greenhouse is periodically ventilated and the cuttings are watered with a root growth stimulator. Rooting takes 1.5-2 months.
• Sowing seeds. Seeds are sown without prior preparation. Keep under film at 25-27°C. Germination is quite fast - it takes about 10-15 days. The seedlings are watered regularly and the greenhouse is ventilated. The first pick is at the stage of three true leaves. Using bottom heating speeds up germination.
• Dividing the bush. Use daughter rosettes with a developed root system (20 cm). The rosette is cut from the main plant. If the roots are short, their growth is stimulated. Sphagnum moss is attached to the base of the rosette and moistened periodically. Planted in the spring. The cut rosettes are dried for 24 hours before planting. Planted in a separate pot. It is filled with alternating layers - drainage, base soil, river sand. The rosettes are planted and covered with film. The shelter is removed from mature plants. Bottom heating and maintaining the temperature at 25°C accelerates the rooting and adaptation of the young plant.

Important! Aerial roots should never be cut off. With their help, pandanus receives additional moisture from the air. At low humidity in the apartment, aerial roots do not form. This leads to loss of stability and the need to use supports.

Common problems and illnesses

It can be affected by all common indoor pests - spider mites, aphids, scale insects, mealybugs. If insects are detected, insecticide treatment is carried out. Severe violations of content recommendations can lead to a decrease in decorativeness.

Pandanus is of interest to beginners and experienced gardeners. The main advantages are unpretentiousness, high decorativeness, rapid growth, and the ability to purify the air.