Sansevieria is known in 70 species, most of which come from Africa. According to one version, the botanical name honors the name of the Neapolitan prince of San Severo, who lived in the 18th century, an intellectual encyclopedist and patron of gardening. In subtropical countries, wild sansevieria are part of the landscape, in the south of Florida they are planted as a hedge, in southern Europe they decorate gardens and parks, in the Russian temperate climate they are used as houseplants.
Sansevieria Home Care
Sansevieria belongs to the Asparagus family, the subfamily Nolinoideae. Due to its rhizome and succulent leaves, it is ideally adapted to the arid regions of the subtropics. In residential space, such conditions are not difficult to provide. Most mistakes in the care of sansevieria are excessive watering and top dressing. However, it is rather difficult to destroy it, in the end, sansevieria is able to please flower growers for a very long time. A clear profile of an exotic plant is very well suited to interiors decorated in a modern style.
Lighting
Because of the bright sunshine that Sansevieria loves, home care for her involves creating good lighting. Only some species prefer a partially shaded area.
The plant withstands high temperatures perfectly. In the summer, 30-degree heat is not a problem for him. Sansevieria tolerates lower temperatures worse, but 13-18 ° C in winter are quite acceptable.
At the same time, the plant is very modest, even cool, dry and shady places suit it. However, the deviation of living conditions from optimal will be expressed, first of all, in slow growth.
Important! The decorative cultivated species of sansevieria plants develop their most beautiful colors in a sunny place. The brighter the leaves, the more light they need.
If there is not enough light, the leaves become thin, prone to bending. In this case, the pot should be immediately moved to a more sunny place. Additional artificial lighting with fluorescent lamps will also benefit.
How to water Sansevieria
The features of home care for sansevieria include the irrigation regime. Water the flower as succulents, that is, plants that create a moisture reserve in the leaves. Irrigation is done after the substrate dries 1 cm and a little more in depth. With excessive watering, the root begins to rot.
Watering Sansevieria
In winter, the frequency of watering is reduced to about 1 time per month, depending on the temperature inside the house. The warmer, the more often you should irrigate the soil.
Important! General recommendations for the irrigation regime: in the summer - every 2 weeks, in the fall - every 20 days, in the winter - every month. It is necessary to make sure that the drainage layer removes moisture well, and it does not accumulate at the bottom of the pot.
Spraying the plant is not required, only to clean the leaves from dust.
Fertilizers for cacti diluted in water for irrigation are best suited for top dressing. Dosage should be reduced by half of the recommended. As fertilizers, you can use infusion of sheet compost.
In the first year after acquisition or transplantation, it is enough to simply water sansevieria with clean water, as fresh soil contains enough nutrients. Then from April to September, you can add fertilizer to irrigation water every 4-8 weeks. For sansevieria with a large number of leaves, preparations with a predominance of nitrogen are suitable, which contributes to the development of green organs of plants.
When bloom comes
Sansevieria sometimes blooms in adulthood, but very rarely. These white, yellow, pink or greenish flowering panicles often appear in early spring, with each shoot blooming only once for 1-2 weeks. In some species, the flowers are very fragrant.
Flowering sansevieria
If the flower is pollinated, then reddish berries containing seeds appear. Unlike many other succulents, the shoot of this flower does not die off after flowering, continues to grow.
Transplant and soil
Sansevieria flower requires a breathable plant substrate. The earth must provide good seepage of moisture. An excellent choice is the soil for cacti. With independent preparation of the substrate, it is necessary to mix leaf and turf soil, leaf compost (not more than 10%). Sand should be the third part of the soil to increase permeability.
Although sansevieria grow slowly, the leaves of some species can reach 1 m or more, sprouted roots sometimes destroy the pot.
Flowering sansevieria
Due to the slow growth, Sansevieria is transplanted only once every few years. When the roots are visible on the surface of the substrate, then the time has come. Bending the leaves down also indicates the need for transplantation, since the rhizome no longer provides the aerial part with sufficient support.
Sansevieria transplant
The best time for transplantation is March, when the rest phase ends. In a new place, sansevieria will come to life and will actively grow.
Short transplant instructions:
- Prepare a new pot by pouring a layer of drainage there (pebbles, brick chips, etc.);
- Extract the plant from the old flower pot with soil. To make the earthen lump better behind the walls, you can walk along them with a dull narrow object;
- Gently shake the ground from the rhizome, you can remove it with a warm gentle stream of water.
- Pour a little substrate on the drainage layer and place the plant;
- Top up the soil and press lightly.
Reproduction of Sansevieria
To propagate sansevieria use three methods:
- seed cultivation;
- root division;
- the use of cuttings.
The first method is practically not used due to the difficulty of obtaining seeds, because the plant blooms extremely rarely. If you still managed to get the fruits of sansevieria, the seeds are removed from the berries and dried. Then seeded on a sterile, slightly moist substrate. It is recommended to cover the container with seeds with a film and place in a warm place. Here, gardeners face new difficulties, as the sprouts are often poorly developed or can simply rot in the soil if the humidity is excessive. Daily ventilation is required.
Sansevieria rhizome division
There are much simpler and more reliable methods of reproduction. One of them is the division of rhizomes, which is convenient to do during a transplant. Young sansevieria will grow completely identical to the mother plant.
Procedure:
- Cut the rhizome with a sharp disinfected knife into parts, each of which should have leaves and roots. Make sure that in the species of sansevieria with the resulting rosettes, each individual part has a rosette;
- The resulting parts are planted in pots with a substrate and kept at a temperature not lower than 20 ° C until they take new roots. When new leaves appear, it means that the roots are already well developed.
Important! The cut surfaces are treated with charcoal to prevent fungal damage.
In addition to cutting the rhizome, it is possible to separate the resulting side shoots or daughter rosettes. They should have leaves at least 5 cm long and the first roots.
How to root sansevieria without roots
For this, the most popular method of propagation is the rooting of cuttings from leaves.
Procedure:
- The leaf of the mother plant is separated with a sterile knife near the soil surface. If it is small, you can use the whole, long leaves are cut into several parts with a length of at least 5 cm;
- The cuttings are dried for several days, and the cut, which will be immersed in the soil, is processed by Kornevin to stimulate root growth. For leaves cut into several parts, it is necessary to pay attention to the direction of growth, otherwise it will not be possible to root the stalk.
- Plant pieces of the leaf in the ground, deepening by 1.5-2 cm. At the next stage, you need to know how to care for sansevieria, its leafy cuttings. The substrate where the planting is carried out should be moist, but not wet. It is constantly maintained in this condition;
- The container with cuttings is placed in a warm, bright place at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. Better if it will be around 25 ° C. You can cover with a film on top, but do not forget about ventilation. It will take patience. More than a month may elapse before the first shoots appear;
- As soon as the sprouts appear on the surface, the leaf stalk itself can be removed and after a couple of months to plant young plants in separate containers.
Rooting leaf cuttings
Important! In the offspring propagated in this way, the color of the leaves will turn green, and the variegation of the color will disappear if it was present in the mother plant.
Sansevieria Laurenti
In Latin, Sansevieria Laurenti is called Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii. It is called a three-lane because of alternating dark green and light green stripes, as well as a golden border on the leaves. This is a very stable plant with creeping rhizome, from which straight, fleshy, slightly concave leaves up to 1 m high come out.
Sansevieria Laurenti
Important! The plant is very unpretentious and will survive with minimal lighting and sparse watering, while the leaves will acquire a uniform dark green color, the stripes will become almost invisible.
Flowering most often occurs in the summer season with maximum sunlight. The flowers are collected in 4-centimeter brushes, have a pleasant aroma and pale green color. Sansevieria Laurenti is a hybrid variety. Sometimes, during propagation, it returns to its derived roots.
Sansevieria Moonshine
In Sansevieria Munshai, the leaves are wide, elliptical, silver-green, form a stunted vase-like rosette, and grow spirally. Survives under the most adverse conditions.
Like all sansevieria, it is highly sensitive to excessive watering. It is especially necessary to ensure that irrigation water does not accumulate in the outlet. This can lead to the onset of putrefactive processes and diseases.
Sansevieria Moonshine
Great damage to sansevieria Munchai can be caused by unjustified pruning, it will stop growing. Only damaged and dried leaves should be trimmed whole.
Sansevieria Futura
This newly bred plant variety has a very elegant look. Its dimensions are small - up to 30 cm in height. This is a close relative of the Laurenti variety with a similar leaf color, but they are wider and shorter (length - up to 50 cm, width - up to 10 cm), collected in a rosette, forming a bizarre shape.
Sansevieria Futura
Caring for Sansevieria Futura is no different from caring for Laurenti. To make the pattern on the leaves look bright, the plant needs good lighting.
Sansevieria Compact
Another hybrid based on Sansevieria trifasciata, with short and wide leaves, but similar in color to Laurenti. They are plugged in and seem ruffled by the wind, which looks funny. The compact is more difficult to care than other hybrid varieties.
Sansevieria Compact
It requires good lighting, more careful adherence to watering regimes, protection against low temperatures (less than 13 ° C) and drafts. If mistakes in care can begin to hurt.
Sansevieria is cylindrical
One of the most exotic species in the large Sansevieria family. Characteristic in its description are unusual twisted leaves, the shape of which resembles cylindrical. Tubular leaves with transverse contrasting stripes can form fancy braids and grow from 40 to 150 cm in height. The look is very appreciated by designers, as it gives each interior a unique zest.
Sansevieria is cylindrical
With good care for cylindrical sansevieria, flowering can be observed, which occurs if the plant is adequately lit. On the peduncle up to 1 m long, small white flowers with pinkish edges appear - the most beautiful among the flowers of sansevieria of the other varieties. The peduncle at the top is beige in color with a pinkish tinge.
Important! The tips of the leaves are an indicator of the level of humidity. If they begin to dry out, then watering should be increased.
Sansevieria is a plant that any grower can cultivate, including with an absolute lack of experience and special knowledge. Some species can even decorate shaded areas. The flower is allowed to leave in the apartment, leaving for some time without regular watering. If you place the plant in bright sunshine, then its color may change, with colorful coloring the stripes will become more pronounced. However, this should be done carefully so that the leaves do not get burned. Sansevieria is ideal for those who would like to grow indoor plants, but have little time to take care of them.
