Palm Hovea - home care

The Hovea palm is one of the exotic plants that is very popular with flower growers. Due to its unpretentiousness, it is often used for growing at home. The most important thing that is needed for the quality growth of a palm tree is the presence of a sufficient amount of heat and light. But for full development, you should know the rest of the nuances of growing Hovea.

What does Hovea look like and what family does Hovea belong to?

In its natural habitat, the plant is distributed only on the small island of Lord Howe, located near Australia. Its second name is Kentia, it received thanks to the capital of this land.

Hovea palm

The Hovea flower belongs to the Areca family of the genus Palms. In the wild, it can reach a height of 15 meters. The indoor variety rarely grows to 3 meters, but retains all the flavor and beauty of its older brother.

At home, two varieties of palm trees are grown.

Hoveya Forster

She is Howea Forsteriana. It has a straight barrel of the same diameter along the entire height. The leaf blade is rather wide, dark green and slightly curved.

This variety is quite resistant to low temperatures and can feel good even at 10 ° C.

Hovea Belmora

Howea Belmoriana grows in its natural environment below the Forester - it rarely reaches 10 meters in height.

Many narrow leaves form a leaf plate curved downward. Indoors, Belmore grows very slowly.

Palm Hovea - home care

This unpretentious flower is quite easy to grow. He quickly adapts to any conditions, but at home it is better to create a recommended regime for him for growth.

Temperature

In summer, it is recommended to keep the palm tree at home at temperatures from +23 to +27 ° С. Of course, hotter conditions will not harm her, but then additional spraying must be provided.

In winter, it is enough to maintain 15-18 degrees of heat in the room. The plant tolerates small temperature changes well and, when the root system is warmed, can be in a slight frost for several days.

Lighting

Hovea grows well in shaded areas, however, for faster growth, it is better to choose a place so that intense diffused sunlight falls on it.

In order for the leaves on the trunk to grow evenly, the bush must be regularly turned in different directions to the light source. Little lighting is sufficient in winter.

Palm tree on the windowsill

Watering and spraying

You need to water the flower with strained boiled water, and if possible, use rainwater. In summer, during the growing season, it needs abundant moisture. This should be done at least twice a week. In autumn and winter, watering should be done at a time when the soil is practically dry.

Also, the palm tree is very fond of spraying. But they can only be produced when the room temperature is at + 22 ° C or higher. In especially hot weather, the flower can be taken to the bathtub and watered from the shower.

Humidity

In general, when growing a palm tree, there are no special conditions for humidity.The main thing in winter is to remove it away from heating appliances. When the humidity in the room becomes very low, then a tray of water should be placed next to the pot. If this is not done, then the leaves will begin to dry and fall off.

With a long stay in conditions of high humidity, rot may appear on the stems.

Soil and dressing

For planting a plant, it is recommended to use a carefully prepared substrate. It should consist of sod land mixed with sand and peat. Also, do not forget about the drainage layer in the pot.

During the growing season, the plant must be fed twice a month with special mineral fertilizers intended for palm trees. If it is difficult to find such, then feeding for decorative deciduous plants, which contain potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, are suitable.

It is enough to fertilize an adult bush once a month, and not to do this at all in winter.

Features of winter care

In winter, the plant begins a dormant period and growth slows down. At this time, he needs to reduce the frequency of watering and completely stop feeding.

At this time, it is better to move the tub with a palm tree to a room where the air temperature will be slightly lower than usual.

Palm pruning

Pruning palm trees at home is done for decorative purposes only. For this, sharp scissors or a knife are used.

First of all, yellowed and dried leaves are removed. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the Hovea trunk. You need to cut the leaves so that a petiole 1-1.5 cm long still remains on the trunk.

Reproduction of the Hovea palm

At home, you can propagate a palm tree in two ways: by seeds and by dividing the bush.

When dividing a bush, a new substrate and pots are first prepared with sizes no less than the size of the flower's root system. Then the plant is carefully removed from the old container, a lump of earth is shaken off slightly, and the rest is removed by hand. After that, the plant is carefully divided into parts and planted in pre-prepared pots.

Seedling

Seedlings must be protected from drafts and fertilized with half the dose of an adult plant. In about 10-15 days, the seedlings will take root.

Seed propagation is a rather lengthy and difficult method. Not every person manages to grow a palm tree this way.

The seeds are soaked in water for 5 days. At this time, a soil is prepared, consisting of sheet earth, perlite and vermiculite. The pot is filled with a moistened substrate almost to the very top.

The seeds are planted one at a time, slightly deepening and sprinkling with earth on top. To create greenhouse conditions, the container is covered from above with glass or transparent film. If everything is done correctly, then the first seedlings may appear in six months, after which they are seated in separate containers.

Transfer

Young plants should be transplanted each year by transferring to a larger pot than the previous one.

It is enough to transplant an adult once every 5 years. This requires completely changing the substrate and deepening the root of the bush to the same depth as before.

Diseases and pests

For the Hovea palm, the most common diseases are pink rot and chlorosis. At the same time, dark spots appear on the leaves.

To cure the flower, it is treated with fungicides.

The following types of pests are also dangerous for the plant:

• spider mite;
• mealybug;
• thrips;
• aphid.

Spider mite

Getting rid of them is quite simple - just treat the bush with insecticides. Aphids can be destroyed by simply cleaning the leaves with a solution of laundry soap.

Thus, if you wish, you can grow a real exotic plant at home, which will delight you with its appearance. The main thing is to know how to properly care for him in order to provide the necessary conditions for active growth.