Sansevieria: description and photo of a flower, names of species and varieties, planting and care

Sansevieria is one of the most sought-after indoor plants. This flower is considered very unpretentious in care and can adapt to different conditions. In total, there are more than 60 varieties of this crop, which differ in shape, color and size of foliage. At the same time, no more than 10 of these species are usually grown at home.

Description of the plant

This term is a genus of evergreen plants from the Agave family. In nature, this culture grows in dry rocky regions of Africa, India, and South Florida. This flower is characterized by a number of distinctive features:

Sansevieria is distinguished by its creeping underground rhizome, which has hard basal leaves. It has strong rhizomes, which are root threads. They can grow to damage the pot.
Leaves can reach 1 meter in length. Many species have a point at their end. Sometimes the foliage is directed upwards and extends in different directions. Sometimes it spreads almost on the ground.
The leaves have different colors - from greenish to brown. There are also varieties with spots or stripes. In recent years, many varieties have appeared that have a yellow or silver color.
Some varieties of plants have leaves covered with a thin wax coating that protects them from moisture loss.
Sansevieria is characterized by green-white flowers that have long stamens and narrow petals. They form a dense cylindrical inflorescence, which is located on a long straight peduncle. The buds open in the late afternoon and exude a pronounced vanilla scent at night.

Since the eighteenth century, sansevieria has been grown in European countries as an ornamental crop. It is a hardy and unpretentious plant that is suitable even for beginner growers. The showy foliage of the crop is beautifully combined with other plants, which allows you to create attractive compositions.

In the summer, almost all types of sansevieria can be exposed to fresh air and used to create landscape compositions. Garden forms of culture are often used to decorate rooms and winter gardens. They also allow you to create large compositional arrangements.

Views

This culture has many varieties. At the same time, the most popular type is three-lane sansevieria. It has oval flat leaves, the color of which varies from light green to rich.This variety is commonly referred to as "mother-in-law's tongue" or "pike tail" . It additionally includes the following subspecies:

Laurentii - distinguished by a golden yellow border;
Craigii - has a pattern in the form of longitudinal stripes of white and yellow color;
Hahnii - has a similar pattern, but is considered a short plant with small leaves and a clear rosette.

In addition, there are the following types of culture:

Big is a horticultural crop, the height of which is approximately 60 centimeters. The width of the leaves reaches 15 centimeters. In this case, the flower produces 2-4 sharp leaves at once. They are dark green in color with a red border. Also on the leaves there is a pattern of dark elongated stripes. During the flowering period, the bush produces a long arrow measuring 70 centimeters, which has light green flowers.
Graceful - this culture is a perennial succulent. It is characterized by pointed erect leaves. They are long, have a rounded section and grow upwards. The foliage is characterized by a gray-green color and stains of light shades.
Robusta - has wide, rounded green leaves. They are directed vertically upwards. At the same time, the length of the sheet is 25 centimeters, and the width is about 7. This variety is divided into several varieties - Black, Blue, Black Coral.
Duneri - this plant is also a succulent. She has up to 20 vertical leaves 50 centimeters long. Moreover, their width is 2-3 centimeters. The leaves are a deep green with a distinct darker pattern.
Futura - this flower appeared not so long ago. It is characterized by glossy shiny leaves with a bright yellow border. As it grows, up to 10 leaves appear on the bushes.
Kirka - is a small plant that has wide leaves. They are directed in different directions. Culture has a pattern in the form of divorces. At the same time, the foliage has a reddish border.
Liberian is a shrub variety characterized by large leaves with a brown border. They grow horizontally. On one stem, 6 leaves can grow simultaneously, the length of which is 1 meter. They have streaks that look like snakeskin.
Hyacinth - reaches a height of 50 centimeters. This plant is characterized by dense leaves, the width of which is approximately 7 centimeters. They are characterized by a pattern with stains.
Walking - a rosette is forming on the shoots of the plant. The bush has large gray-green leaves with a light border.
Cylindrical - characterized by straight pointed leaves of a cylindrical shape. The green foliage is covered with a yellow pattern and has very sharp tips that can easily hurt you.This variety is interesting in that the leaves that come out of the outlet can be given unusual shapes. To do this, the stems are braided into a braid or various patterns are made from them. It looks very interesting in the interior.
Zeilanika - a plant similar to seaweed. Foliage is quite thin when young, but with age it becomes denser and covered with a silvery pattern. With proper care, the culture reaches a height of 1.5 meters.
Bentel - is a concise culture with long gray-green leaves. With enough light, they only get brighter. The leaves have a leathery structure, light stripes and spots of a turquoise hue. The bush reaches a height of 60 centimeters.
Eilensis - distinguished by emerald foliage. With age, it rolls up into a tube. The leaves are covered with a pattern in the form of strokes.

Landing

For planting, it is recommended to use a light, drained substrate with a neutral pH of 6-7.You can also buy ready-made soil for succulents containing peat in the composition. Making the soil yourself is also not difficult. To do this, it is recommended to mix sod or leaf soil, sand, peat and humus in a ratio of 3: 1: 1: 0.5. The finished composition is calcined in the oven. This will help prevent parasites and fungi from infecting it.

The plant needs a free and low pot. The root system of the culture grows in width and at the same time is almost on the surface. Sansevieria are most suitable ceramic and plastic containers. Before planting, the pot needs to be filled a quarter with drainage.

Care

To grow a plant successfully, it is important to strictly follow the rules of agricultural technology. At the same time, sansevieria needs to provide the right conditions.

Temperature and lighting

The vital activity of a culture does not depend on sunlight. Culture develops equally well in any light. It perfectly withstands shade and scorching sun rays. Therefore, you can place the container anywhere and in the room. As for the temperature, the flower needs to provide indicators at the level of + 12-25 degrees.

Humidity maintenance

Sansevieria is able to accumulate moisture in the leaves, which makes it very undemanding to water. This procedure is often not required. In spring and summer, it is enough to do this once a week. In winter and autumn, it is worth moistening the soil when it is almost dry. For irrigation it is worth using melt or rain water. If it is difficult to get it, it is acceptable to use distilled water.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionSystematic spraying of sansevieria is not required. The procedure can be carried out 1 time per week. At the same time, with an interval of 1-2 months, the flower needs to arrange a real shower. Also, dust often accumulates on the leaves. Therefore, they should be wiped with a damp cloth.

Feeding

Feeding sansevieria is at the age of 6 months. The need for fertilizer application depends on the season - during the growing season, nutrient preparations are applied at intervals of 3-4 weeks. At the same time, the standard dosage is reduced by 2 times and foliar application is avoided. It is better to give preference to watering the soil.

To feed sansevieria, it is worth using liquid mineral products for cacti and succulents, in which potassium, calcium, and phosphorus predominate. It is important to consider that the flower does not like nitrogen. An excess of this substance causes rotting of the roots.

Cold care

In winter, sansevieria has a dormant period. In this case, there is a slowdown in its growth or a complete cessation of development. Therefore, the culture does not need special care and fertilization.

In winter, the flower should be provided with a temperature of + 16-30 degrees.If the parameters are less than +20 degrees, it is worth reducing the frequency and abundance of watering. Otherwise, there is a high chance of root rot. If you completely stop watering, the culture is able to withstand a temperature drop of up to +10 degrees and a short-term drop in parameters to +5 degrees. Small drafts and sharp temperature fluctuations are not dangerous for this flower.

Transfer

Sansevieria definitely needs to be transplanted, because it has a powerful root system that is actively growing. For young plants, the procedure is carried out at intervals of 1-2 years. Adult bushes should be moved every 3 years. However, the need for a transplant should be determined visually. Moving the bush to a new container is required if the stems protrude beyond the pot.

The procedure is simple. To transplant sansevieria, you need to choose a pot larger than the previous one and fill the bottom with drainage. When moving a crop, it is important to avoid damaging the root system.

Reproduction

Culture can be propagated in many ways - by seeds, rhizome division or leaves.

With seeds

This method is rarely used, because there are difficulties in obtaining material for planting. If the culture has bloomed, you should do the following:

Dry the pod naturally.
Pull out seeds just before planting.
Put them in wet sand, pressing it a little.
Cover the container with a transparent film and put it in a bright, warm place.
Water the seedling through the pan and ventilate every day.

Sprouts may appear in a few months. It depends on the quality of the seed. A month after the appearance of sprouts, they should dive.

Divide the rhizome

The rhizome should be divided during transplantation. To do this, the roots should be slightly cleaned of the soil and divided into parts with a sharp knife. At the same time, each of the fragments should have several leaves with a growth point. The resulting parts should be planted in containers with peat-sandy soil. Watering them is not required. Planted bushes should be kept at a temperature of +25 degrees.

Leaves

To apply this method, you should take a large sheet and cross-divide it into pieces about 5 centimeters long. Then leave to dry in the air and transplant into prepared sand. This must be done vertically with the lower end. Then cover the containers with a jar. Water the plant should be through the pan. Rooting will occur in the fifth week. After that, new leaves and buds will appear on the bushes. At this point, the hive can be moved to a new container.

Possible pests

Sansevieria can be affected by these pests:

Spider mites - in this case, white spots appear on the leaves. Pests absorb the juices of the plant, which leads to the death of the affected fragments. Rubbing the leaves with an infusion of citrus peel helps to cope with parasites. In advanced cases, it is worth using insecticides.
Thrips - parasite larvae infect the lower fragments of leaves. There are light spots on top. When the bushes are affected, the leaves turn gray-brown and acquire a silver sheen. For treatment, insecticides should be used.
Mealybugs - settle near the base of leaf rosettes and absorb plant juices. At the same time, lumps resembling cotton wool appear on the bushes. To save the flower, it must be treated with soapy water. In difficult situations, it will not be possible to do without insecticidal preparations.
Shchitovka - absorbs the juices of young plants. It is possible to identify pest eggs from the back of the foliage. To remove parasites, it is worth using a strong soapy solution. Then the bushes need to be treated with insecticides.

Useful properties

Sansevieria includes organic acids and saponins, which have many beneficial properties. These components help to cope with inflammation, have an expectorant and bile excretory effect. Saponin is often used to make medicines. Also, their properties are used in traditional medicine and cosmetology.

Culture can be used to treat otitis media and cystitis. It effectively copes with inflammation in the oral cavity and promotes healing of wounds in case of burns and cuts.

It is important to consider that the flower is forbidden to use during pregnancy. The components that make up its composition have an abortive effect. If improperly processed, the culture can provoke poisoning.

Sansevieria is a common houseplant grown by many flower growers. This is a rather unpretentious culture. However, to get a strong and he althy plant, you still need to follow some rules of agricultural technology.