Pilea is a deciduous perennial that belongs to the Nettle family. It is highly appreciated by gardeners for a variety of species, unpretentiousness and attractive appearance. Depending on the species, the plant may be a shrub, a shrub or grass. If small-leaved nursing care is at a level for pilya, it will respond with rapid growth and an abundance of flowers.
Monolithic pylaea
Monolithic pylaea (or Japanese dollar) is included in the list of the most popular species of this plant. In the natural environment, the flower grows in the tropical forests of South America, which fully explains the features of care. Such a saw is in need of shading and a large amount of moisture.
Monkey leaf flower
This perennial plant belongs to the ground cover. You can recognize it by creeping stems, on which are rounded leaves with small petioles. The flower got its name for the visual similarity of leaves with coins. Their diameter can vary and reach 1 cm. The upper part of the leaves is painted in bright green, and the bottom is purple-red.
Small-leaved pylaea
Another plant with creeping drooping branches is a small-leaved pyla. On succulent strongly branching shoots there are a large number of small leaves. Their sizes most often reach 0.3-0.5 cm.
Oval leaves are light green in color and have a slight bulge. Their surface is smooth and glossy, which makes the delicate bush even more attractive.
For your information! Such a flower is often used for cascading decoration and combining with tall flowers with erect stems.
Pilea
Creeping pylaea
This is a houseplant. It differs in a bushy structure, but rarely exceeds 25 cm in height. The juicy stems of the flower are painted in a dark purple color. Pylaea potted flower opposite leaves. They are characterized by an elongated shape and can reach a length of 2.5 cm. The edge of the sheet has an uneven wavy pattern.
As for the color of creeping pylaea leaves, it is somewhat different from the color of the previously named species. The upper surface of the sheet is painted in a dark green brown shade with a slight copper tint. Bottom leaves are completely purple. The veins are clearly defined, so the surface of the sheet resembles a quilt.
Creeping pylaea
Pilea Silver
This variety has several names: Silver, Kadye or Kadiera. This flower belongs to bushy plants with erect, highly branched stems, the height of which reaches an average of 40 cm.
Oval leaves can grow up to 20 cm long and 5 cm wide. Their edges are slightly wavy, and the tip is very pointed. The sheet plate is smooth and slightly glossy to the touch.
Note! Kadiera’s flower growers are attracted by their unusual color: on a dark green leaf, there are two wide intermittent strips of silver. It is thanks to this feature that the flower was called Silver pylaea, which means “silver” in English.
Pilea Silver
Lebanese Pilea
This variety belongs to ampelous plants. The brown shoots of the Lebanese pylea spread along the ground and create a dense carpet. Ovoid leaves grow in large numbers on shoots. Their upper surface is painted silver-green, and the bottom is bright green.
Lebanese Pilea
Home Care
The advantage of pylaea as a houseplant is its unpretentiousness. Regardless of the species, the plant survives well in almost any apartment. It can be grown in a flower pot, on a stand, or in a hanging pot. Serious errors in the care can lead to the death of the flower, however, slight discrepancies with the recommendations will not affect its appearance and active growth.
Lighting and temperature
Good lighting is one of the basic requirements for maintaining the life of flowers. Pilea loves bright light, but it must be diffused. Direct ultraviolet rays can be fatal to her. The best place to place it in the house will be windows facing the west or east side.
In the warm season, the pot can be taken outside, but you need to make sure that this place is shaded. In winter, with a lack of light, it is recommended to turn on additional lighting. Otherwise, the leaves may change color to darker.
In city apartments, the air temperature is maintained approximately the same year round, so the heat-loving sawmill actively grows and blooms even in winter. The optimum temperature for it is 25 ° C. There are exceptions, for example, small-leaved pilae, for which you can lower the air temperature to the level of 10-15 ° C.
Important! Drafts to these shrubs and herbs are strongly discouraged, especially in the cold season.
Humidity and watering features
Strict control over the level of humidity is not required. The air in the apartments is quite suitable for the life of flowers. An exception is summer heat in regions with low humidity. To avoid drying out, green spaces must be moistened. There are several ways to do this:
- installation of humidifiers;
- installation of containers with moss nearby;
- installation of small containers filled with water on the windowsill.
Spraying humidification is not recommended, because after such procedures the leaves lose attractiveness.
When watering, you should adhere to the following principle: soil moisture should be below the average. All species of these shrubs and grasses tolerate mild drought. The frequency of irrigation largely depends on the drying rate of the soil.
Important! Watering is necessary after the soil in the pot has dried. All water that has accumulated in the pan must be emptied immediately.
Pruning and transplanting
The rapid growth of branches can lead to the fact that without regular pruning, the bush will lose its decorative qualities and turn into a lump of tangled shoots. Pruning is carried out regularly as the branches grow. Cut cuttings can be used for subsequent planting.
Note! Pruning is also used when long branches grow on a flower. After pinching the tops, the plant turns out to be more bushy and lush.
The peculiarity of all kinds of pylae is that they quickly degenerate. Over time, the shoots become longer, and the leaves on them are less and less. This leads to a loss of attractiveness of the bush. To avoid this, at the next pinching, the cut off parts need to be rooted and used for growing new shoots. Thanks to this approach, the plant will be discreetly updated.
Propagation using cuttings and seeds
All species of this culture breed in two ways.
- With the help of cuttings. For transplanting pylae, freshly cut shoots are used. The length of the branch should be about 10 cm. In this case, it should have two or three pairs of leaves. You can put the cut parts for several days in the water, or you can immediately dig them into the ground. In most cases, the cuttings take root well and quickly take root. When this happens, it is best to put the pot in a cool place for 10-14 days.
- With the help of seeds. If this method of propagation is chosen, the seeds should be bought in a specialized store. At home, during flowering, they cannot ripen to the end. The prepared seeds are slightly sprinkled with peat and sand and covered with a film or glass on top. In this state, they are until germination (it takes about four weeks). Seedlings are placed in pots and regularly watered.
Diseases and Pests
Some diseases of these green spaces arise due to improper care.
- The appearance of dry leaves indicates inadequate watering and lack of moisture.
- Soft stems, blackening and fading leaves often appear with excessive moisture. The solution to the problem will be more rare watering.
- Transparent leaves. Such changes occur in bright light.
- Darkening of leaf blades and dry areas of the plant sometimes occur in the absence of the right amount of sun.
- If a spot appears yellow or brown on the leaf, this indicates sunburn.
You can solve this or that problem if you take care of the flower, taking into account all the recommendations.
Pests that are dangerous to the plant are spider mites, thrips and scale insects.
Important! A condition in which only the lower leaves of a flower fall is considered normal.
Given all the above mentioned features of care, all varieties of pylaea are often recommended for beginner gardeners, as well as those people who can not devote much time to caring for green spaces.
