Spathiphyllum - home care

An ornamental plant associated with female happiness, striking with the beauty of the leaves and originality, is called spathiphyllum. This evergreen unpretentious flower can often be found not only in apartments, but also in office premises. It blooms all year round and does not require special skills and knowledge to care for. To grow it, it is enough to follow the basic rules.

Spathiphyllum - what is this indoor flower

Spathiphyllum is a flower that is very showy and beautiful. He is a member of the Aroid family. That is why it is classified as conditionally poisonous. Under natural conditions, the plant grows in the tropical forests of Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia and the Philippine Islands.

Spathiphyllum

Brief description and characteristics

Translated from Greek, "spathiphyllum" means "a flower with a veil." This name is explained by the appearance of the plant and the unusual shape, presented in the form of an inflorescence. The ear of the flower is framed by a kind of blanket, which can be white, cream or green. The ear, in turn, can be varied. There are varieties even with a red ear.

For your information! The plant is characterized by the absence of a stem and the presence of a short rhizome. The leaves of the plant are tough and come straight out of the ground. It is these features of flowers that are characteristic of the tropics.

The people call spathiphyllum female happiness. The flower received this name thanks to the legend, which says that the goddess of love and fertility Astarte endowed it with magical properties. It is believed that every woman will find female happiness and get rid of the celibacy crown just by touching this flower.

The flower consists of an inflorescence that looks like corn. Refers to perennials. Depending on the variety, it can grow in height from 30 to 150 cm.

Note! Today, thanks to the labors of breeders, several varieties of this plant have been bred. They differ from each other in the color of the inflorescence and in size, but at the same time they are all unpretentious and very beautiful.

Popular varieties of indoor flower

Breeders began to develop new varieties of spathiphyllum relatively recently. Now there are about 50 of them, but this is not the limit, since the work is still ongoing. For breeding, only a few popular varieties are most often used.

Spathiphyllum cannifolium (Spathiphyllum cannifolium)

Spathiphyllum Domino flower - home care

Perennial plant with ovoid leaves, pointed towards the top. Their length reaches 50 cm. The stems are yellowish-green, the flowers are yellowish with a pleasant aroma. The flower in care is completely unpretentious, but loves warmth and water very much.

Spathiphyllum spoon-shaped (Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum)

The plant grows in height from 1 to 1.5 m.The size of the leaves is about 40 cm long.This variety is considered one of the largest, but at the same time the flower has an attractive and spectacular appearance. It is often used to decorate offices, public buildings and spacious halls.

Note! Like other varieties of spathiphyllum, spoon-shaped is unpretentious in care. Its main difference is that the initially yellowish inflorescence acquires a dark, almost black hue over time. In this case, the color of the bedspread does not change.

Spathiphyllum profusely flowering (Spathiphyllum floribundum)

The plant is medium in size. It grows up to 50 cm in height. The leaves are 20 to 25 cm long, no more than 12 cm wide. The shape of the leaves is elongated, lanceolate with pointed tips. The variety got its name due to its long and abundant flowering. During this period, the flower is almost completely covered with snow-white flowers.

Spathiphyllum blandum

In natural conditions, this species can be found in the rainforests of Honduras, Guatemala and Baileyz. In indoor floriculture, this species is grown relatively rarely.

Spathiphyllum adorable

The leaves of the flower are lanceolate elongated with a pointed tip. Their length varies from 30 to 40 cm. The coverlet is pale green in color with an inflorescence in the form of a cob.

For your information! At home, most often flower growers prefer to grow Japanese Spathiphyllum, Sweet Silvio, Domino, Picasso, Verdi and other varieties.

Spathiphyllum care at home

It is very simple to organize proper care for a female spathiphyllum flower at home. The plant is unpretentious and can easily put up with even some inconvenience. But, in order for the flower to grow well, develop and bloom profusely, when caring for it, you must adhere to certain rules.

Watering rules and humidity

Spathiphyllum - types of flower, description of what they look like

When growing spathiphyllum, home care should mean proper watering. During the period of growth and flowering, the plant needs to be watered abundantly. In the autumn-winter period, the procedure is shortened and the flower is watered sparingly and sparingly. Water it with water, the temperature of which varies from 18 ° C to 23 ° C.

Important!When growing spathiphyllum, moisture stagnation at the bottom of the pot should be avoided, as this can lead to problems with the root system.

Proper care of spathiphyllum means providing the flower with high humidity. The plant should be sprayed twice a day in warm weather.

Top dressing and soil quality

For cultivation, it is recommended to plant a flower in a soil consisting of the following components:

peat;
humus;
turf;
leafy land.

In addition, experts recommend adding hydrogel granules, sand and crushed sphagnum to it.

Often novice growers are interested in how to feed spathiphyllum. The answer to this question is very simple. During the period of active growth and flowering, the plant should be fertilized twice a month. In winter, the amount of dressing is reduced to once a month. It is recommended to feed the flower with organic fertilizers. The product can be purchased at any specialized store.

Spathiphyllum profusely flowering

Flower pruning

Spathiphyllum does not need regular pruning. The only thing that should be done systematically is to remove faded cobs and yellowed leaves at the base.

Features of wintering a flower

During the dormant period, the flower should be in a room, the temperature in which should not fall below 15 ° C. Watering during the cold season should be done with extreme caution.

How to transplant female happiness

Caring for a flower at home, female happiness implies an annual transplant. This frequency must be observed until the plants reach the age of 5 years.After that, the number of transplants is significantly reduced, and actions are performed only if the root system begins to appear through the drainage holes.

What pot is needed for spathiphyllum

Spathiphyllum flower - reproduction at home

Initially, for growing a flower at home, it is planted in a pot that is shallow in depth and volume until the root system grows, and subsequently transplanted into a large container.

Note! When transplanting from a houseplant, side shoots can be removed. In this case, it is possible to obtain a flower that will look very attractive.

How to prepare the ground

For transplantation, exactly the same soil is prepared as when the spathiphyllum was first planted in a pot.

How spathiphyllum blooms

The flower begins to bloom, as a rule, but the second year after planting. During this time, the process of its formation takes place.

Blooming spathiphyllum at home

A period of activity and rest

Flowering begins in March and lasts until the end of August. In some cases, the duration may increase until the beginning of October or resume again in the autumn.

Care during and after flowering

During the flowering period, water the plant every two days. But you should take into account and monitor the moisture content of the soil. If it is wet, then the next watering should be skipped, as too frequent can harm the flower.

Also during this period, experienced florists spray the plant twice a day with a spray bottle. Long-term flowering success also depends on top dressing. It is recommended to fertilize Spathiphyllum once a week during this period of time. For this, it is better to choose mineral fertilizers.

What to do if it does not bloom: possible reasons

Often novice growers are interested in why spathiphyllum does not bloom. The lack of flowering does not always indicate a plant disease. You should only worry if the green leaves begin to turn yellow and dry, curl or wither.

In order for female happiness to bloom, many experienced flower growers know one secret. They first introduce the plant into a dormant period by placing it in a room with a temperature of 17 ° C to 20 ° C for several months. At the same time, watering is reduced to once a week. After that, the air temperature is raised and spathiphyllum is regularly watered.

Reproduction methods

Spathiphyllum multiplies in two ways. Most growers do not even try to grow a flower from seed, as this process is laborious and often ineffective.

Propagation by cuttings

To propagate a flower by cuttings, you need to take planting material and place it in moistened sand. Then the plant is left in a room with a temperature of at least 22 ° C until the roots grow back from the cuttings. Then they can be planted in separate pots.

Reproduction by division

Reproduction by division should be approached responsibly. To do this, in the spring during transplantation, the root should be divided into several parts and placed in separate pots.

Reproduction of female happiness by dividing the bush

Diseases, pests and ways to control them

Despite the fact that spathiphyllum is a flower with good immunity, growers may still face some difficulties when growing it. As for pests, the danger to the flower is represented by:

spider mite;
mealybug;
aphid.

Getting rid of pests is very simple. Regardless of which parasite attacked the plant, it should be sprayed with plain soapy water or insecticides.

If watering is incorrect, the flower may have problems with the root system. Blackening leaves will testify to them. For treatment, it is necessary to immediately remove the flower from the pot and remove all rotting roots. After that, treat healthy rhizomes with coal powder and transplant into new soil.

Spathiphyllum in landscape design

In indoor floriculture, spathiphyllum is very popular.The flower not only stands out for its chic appearance, but also differs in unpretentiousness in care. Both experienced florists and beginners can easily take care of spathiphyllum. Observing simple rules for care, the plant will delight its owner with a long and lush flowering. In this case, the flower will decorate any room, regardless of its purpose. And to achieve greater effect, it is recommended to place female happiness next to male anthurium.