Sanchezia (Sanchezia) - decorative - deciduous shrub from the Acanthus family. The perennial plant is of great interest for its juicy emerald leaves with beautiful lemon stripes. The height of sanchezia, even indoors, can reach more than a meter, if you do not trim the top.
The bush grows quickly, each year up to 7 new leaves appear on tetrahedral shoots. Sanchezia blooms in summer, its elongated tubular flowers are collected in a spike-shaped inflorescence. Under natural conditions, it is distributed in the tropical zones of Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil is considered the homeland of sanchezia, whence it came from the XVIII century. was brought to Europe.
Be sure to look at the plant from the Acanthus ruellia and whitefeldia family.
| High growth rate. 6-7 new leaves per year. | |
| It blooms in summer at high temperature and high humidity. | |
| Easy to grow. | |
| Perennial. |
Sanchezia: home care. Briefly
Growing sanchezia at home is quite simple, the main thing is to create optimal conditions for a good vegetation of the plant:
| Temperature mode | In winter - not lower than + 14 ° C, in summer - about + 23 ° C. |
| Air humidity | Above 55%, spray and wipe leaves with a napkin. |
| Lighting | Diffused bright light; southeast windows. |
| Watering | In winter - once every 14 days; in the summer - sometimes up to three times a week; the surface of the soil should dry between waterings. |
| Soil for sanchezia | Universal ready-made soil for plants; substrate from turf land, peat, garden land, sand, taken in equal parts. |
| Fertilizer and fertilizer | In spring and summer - with liquid fertilizer diluted with water for ornamental and deciduous plants, twice a month. |
| Sanchez transplant | Young bushes - every spring, adults - every two years. |
| Breeding | Seeds or cuttings. |
| Growing Features | The shrub is growing very fast. Therefore, every spring it is cut, removing almost ¾ of the shoots. Sanchezia needs fresh air. The room in which it is located is regularly aired, in the summer the bush is taken out to the balcony, closing from the draft and shading at noon from the scorching sun. |
Sanchez care at home. In detail
Sanchezia is still a rare guest in apartments. If it is possible to create pleasant conditions for the plant, the tropical guest will delight with the beauty of the painted leaves and bring harmony to the house.
Bloom
Flowering sanchezia falls in the summer. Spectacular tubular flowers with orange bracts, painted in lemon color. They are formed at the very bases of leaf blades and collected in vertical spike-shaped inflorescences. The upper edge of the flower coquettishly thrown back, exposing the graceful long stamens.
Flowering is original, but after it the shoots become thinner, decrepit, and the leaves lose their decorative effect. To avoid this, pruning of shoots is carried out in early spring, but two shoots are left in the center of the plant to enjoy an unusual look of catchy inflorescences. In the natural environment, sanchez is pollinated by hummingbirds. After flowering, the fruit appears in the form of a box with small seeds at the place of inflorescences.
Temperature mode
Home Sanchezia is a very thermophilic plant. In order for the leaves to maintain their beauty, it is important to maintain the correct temperature regime. In summer, the bush is comfortable at + 20 - 22 ° C. If it is hotter, the plant will drop leaves lifelessly.
In winter, the tree is kept at normal room temperature. It is necessary to ensure that the mercury column of the thermometer does not fall below + 13 ° C. Sanchezia reacts poorly to drafts and temperature extremes.
Spraying
In the room it is not always easy to organize competent care of a tropical plant. Sanchezia at home must be kept with high humidity. To do this, spray the bush and bathe in the shower.
During flowering, moisture should not be allowed on the bracts: irrigation will cause them to rot. In this case, a high level of humidity is supported by other methods: include humidifiers; the flowerpot is installed on a pallet with wet pebbles; An open container of water is installed next to it.
Periodically, the leaves are wiped with a damp soft cloth.
Lighting
One of the reasons for poor survival of tropical plants in the apartment is improperly selected lighting. A shrub with original leaves that has tropical roots can adapt to partial shade, but the beauty of the leaves will fade due to lack of light. Therefore, sanchezia at home is best settled on a southeast or east window, where the plant can receive bright diffused light in the required amount.
On the southern window, on a hot afternoon, the bush is shaded, protecting the leaves from possible burns. A window facing north is categorically not suitable for the plant: the shoots will stretch, and without that, small flowers are chopped, and most importantly, the beauty of the leaves will disappear (the color will fade, the stripes may disappear).
Watering Sanchezia
Sometimes it is difficult to comply with the measure when watering a tropical plant. Knowing that the green pet loves moisture, the hostess seeks to water it as often as possible. As a result, the flower may wither away from waterlogging. As recommended by the rules for caring for sanchezia, at home, the flower is watered when the upper part of the substrate dries by about 10 mm. In the summer this happens often - up to two times every 7 days.
If there is little moisture in the bush, it will lower the foliage. The situation can be quickly corrected by abundantly watering Sanchezia and putting a plastic bag on it for several hours. The flower will quickly restore tone. In winter, sanchezia is irrigated less frequently - usually once every 10 to 13 days.
Watered with well-maintained lukewarm water. Excess water from the sump is poured so that the roots of the plant do not touch the moisture. The trunk circle is mulched with a coconut substrate, crushed bark or moss, so that the moisture lasts longer.
Sanchezia pot
The right choice of flowerpot contributes to the normal location of the root system, and therefore, the harmonious development of the plant. Given the large rhizome of sanchezia, a large pot with several drainage holes at the bottom is chosen for it. Choosing the height of the pot, do not forget about the thick layer of drainage that needs to be poured to the bottom.
In such a capacity, the roots of the shrub will breathe well, the risk of moisture stagnation will decrease.
Priming
Sanchezia will develop harmoniously if the soil is selected correctly. It should be not only nutritious, but also loose. A universal substrate for plants that has a neutral or slightly acidic acidity is suitable.
Many flower growers prepare the soil mixture on their own, taking the same amount of garden soil, peat, sand and sod land. To enhance friability, vermiculite, agro vermiculite, brick chips or crushed sphagnum are added to the mixture. If you add a coconut substrate, the soil for sanchezia will be fluffy and breathable.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
In order for the shrub to be healthy, and its leaves to remain beautiful and bright, top dressing and fertilizer are used during active growth. Every 14 days, from March to early September, sanchezia is fertilized with a diluted twice as a means for decorative foliage plants.
The tool should contain a complex of trace elements. You should carefully study the label on the bottle and make sure that the nitrogen in the list of elements is not in the first row. Excess of this component can lead to monochrome and faded leaves. They feed after evening watering. After completing the procedure, Sanchezia is shaded. In winter, feeding is stopped.
Transfer
Young plantlets transplant every spring. A transplant is not required more often for older sanchetsia - it is performed every two years. A mature bush is difficult to transplant without damaging the roots. Therefore, the transplant is replaced by transshipment, and over time, without replanting the plant, refresh the upper layer of the substrate.
Sanchezia is transplanted into a larger pot with drainage holes at the bottom. The plant is planted without deepening the root neck. After the procedure, the leaves often drop in the bush. To restore their tone, the flower is well watered, and a plastic bag is put on top. This technique allows the bush to recover quickly. After transplantation, Sanchezia is kept in the shade for several days so that it leaves the stress.
Top dressing resume after 21 days.
How to crop sanchezia?
Sanchez is growing rapidly. If growth is not slowed down in time, it will turn into a giant plant. To regulate the growth and formation of a beautiful crown, a bush is trimmed every spring. Picking up a pruning shears, you can act decisively, without fear of cutting off the "excess": the plant will quickly grow new shoots.
Pinching of the shoots is carried out regularly. It is important to know that the new leaves will not be as large as the previous ones. But if you form a single-stemmed shrub, removing side branches, there is a hope to get large leaves.
After pruning, the number of irrigations is reduced so that moisture does not stagnate.
Rest period
In the middle of November - the first half of February there is a rest period of sanchezia. This plant needs this time in order to accumulate wasted forces, to maintain decorative leaves at a high level. Sanchezia must completely relax and rest.
At this time, reduce the amount of watering, lower the temperature of the content and stop feeding. Random stimulation will lead to complete depletion of the shrub.
Propagation of sanchezia by cuttings
It is impossible to get seeds of a plant at home, it is difficult to buy them. At home, only propagation of sanchezia by cuttings is possible. After spring pruning, strong beautiful cuttings are selected. Slices can be treated with a root stimulator. The lower leaves are removed. Planted in a moist substrate and cover with cellophane.
Contain at + 24 ° C, watering and airing a sapling. About 20 days later, rooting will occur (this will be seen by the formation of new leaves). After that, the film is removed and the plant is transplanted into a large container.
Diseases and Pests
If plant care is organized irresponsibly, it is often attacked by pests, and the disease falls on a weak flower. Unpleasant symptoms occur:
- the tips of sanchezia leaves dry - from reduced air humidity (sprayed, placed on a pallet with wet expanded clay);
- leaves of sanchezia fall - the content of the plant in heat or cold; exposure to draft; prolonged lack of watering; watering with cold water (change the conditions of detention, adjust watering);
- brown spots on the leaves of sanchezia - from sunburn (pritenat in hot noon in the sun);
- the base of the stems rot - from watering with cold water and excess moisture (correct watering, water only with warm water);
- sanchezia is slowly growing - deficiency of nutrients (renew soil, feed).
Sometimes sanchezia is attacked by insects: scale insects, mealybug, aphids, spider mites. Insecticides will save from pests.
Types of sanchezia home with photos and names
In nature, there are about 60 species of sanchezia. In home culture, two of them are common.
Sanchez Noble
The height of the bush is about 2 m. The saturated - large green leaves, "decorated" with lemon veins, have an elliptical shape. They are located in parallel on thick tetrahedral shoots and are marked by a clear gloss. Yellow flowers are collected in an elongated inflorescence - an ear.
Sanchez small-leaved
Shrub, whose height rarely exceeds 0.9 m. Thickened shoots are painted in a bright brown color. Elongated - elliptical emerald leaves are covered with golden thin veins, while the middle vein below has a red tint.
The noble beauty of sanchezia gives the finished look to the interior, visually softens the sharpness of the corners and creates a favorable atmosphere in the house.
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