Flower Female happiness: description, care and reproduction, possible problems

" Women's Happiness" is a flower that botanists call spathiphyllum. This plant is often used to decorate houses and apartments. Culture pleases its owners with beautiful snow-white flowers of an unusual shape and does not need specific care. At the same time, to obtain a strong and he althy plant, you still need to adhere to some rules of agricultural technology.

Description of the plant

Spathiphyllum is often popularly called "women's happiness" . This culture belongs to the Aroid family. The scientific name of the plant comes from two Greek words." Spata" is translated as "veil" , and "phyllum" means "leaf" . The unusual appearance of the flower of the plant is associated with this. It resembles an ordinary white leaf. A distinctive feature of the spathiphyllum is the absence of a stem. Because the leaves form a bunch that grows directly from the ground.

The flower is characterized by a not too long root system. The leaves are oval in shape. At the same time, there is a pronounced vein in the center. The foliage is elongated and dark green in color.

The inflorescence looks like an ear, which is located on a long stem. Near the base there is a white veil, which turns green over time. The inflorescence itself has a creamy and light pink hue. The average height of an indoor bush is 30 centimeters. In this case, there are high and low specimens. Spathiphyllum blooms from spring to July. However, sometimes the buds re-open in autumn.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionIt is important to consider that the flower is poisonous to pets. Specific inedible fibers are formed in its foliage, which are harmful to cats and dogs. They lead to indigestion and can even be fatal. Some species also have poisonous sap. If the plant is accidentally ingested into the human body, there is a high probability of pain in the abdomen, allergic skin rashes or pain in the eyes.

How to care for him

Spathiphyllum is an unpretentious culture that does not require specific care. At the same time, some rules of agricultural technology still need to be observed.

Selecting the right temperature

The optimum temperature for spathiphyllum is +18-25 degrees. In summer, the parameters in the room should not be higher than +25 degrees.In winter, a decrease to +16 is possible. If the temperature drops to +14 degrees and below, there is a risk of developing diseases and even death of the culture. If the parameters are less than +18 degrees, there is a high probability of slowing down the development of the flower.

Lighting

One of the main requirements for caring for a potted flower is sufficient lighting. If daylight hours get shorter, the spathiphyllum needs artificial lighting.

In the summer, a flower pot needs to be placed in a place with diffused sunlight. Otherwise, there is a high probability of burns on the leaves.

What should be the soil

Spathiphyllum is considered a tropical crop that does not withstand stagnant moisture. At the same time, severe drought is also harmful to the flower. To avoid such problems, it is important to choose the right soil.

A layer of drainage is required at the bottom of the pot, which will help to avoid excessive soil moisture.To do this, you can use foam or ceramic fragments. For planting spathiphyllum, loose soil with a slightly acidic reaction should be used. The best option would be a ready-made substrate and drainage for growing tropical or aroid plants.

How to water a plant

Home spathiphyllum is considered a relative of tropical crops, because it needs a sufficient amount of moisture. In the summer, when caring for a plant, watering norms must be observed. During this period, the soil should be moistened 2-3 times a week. It is important to avoid stagnant moisture in the pot.

Be sure to monitor the degree of soil moisture. By the next watering, the top layer of the earth should be dry. It is important that the pot has holes and good drainage. At the same time, excessive watering should be avoided.

Feeding

For planting a spathiphyllum, a substrate is ideal, for the preparation of which you need to mix turf, leafy soil, peat soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1: 1.In this case, it is permissible to use another substrate, but it must be loose and fertile. Too heavy soil will provoke stagnation of moisture and rotting of the roots. Additionally, drainage is required.

Nutrients need to be added regularly. This is considered the key to successful flowering culture. From spring to autumn, you need to fertilize the culture 1 time in 2 weeks. In winter, one feeding per month is enough.

It is best to use organic fertilizers to feed the spathiphyllum - a solution of bird droppings or mullein. You can also purchase a complex tool. This should be done in specialized stores.

Cutting

After the end of flowering, it is required to cut off the peduncle so that it does not absorb nutrients. It is recommended to do this closer to the rhizome. Dried and diseased leaves of the culture should also be removed. In this case, the sections must be powdered with crushed coal.

First steps after purchase

Usually the plant is sold in a technical pot, which is not suitable for permanent cultivation. Approximately 2-3 weeks after adaptation, the flower should be transplanted into a large container filled with fresh substrate. Since the plant thrives well in moist soil, it needs to be watered after purchase.

When choosing a location, you should give preference to the northern windowsill. In this case, it will be possible to achieve optimal illumination and avoid overheating of the spathiphyllum. To simplify the adaptation of the flower to new conditions, immediately after purchase it should be moved to a dark place. If at the time of purchase the spathiphyllum blooms, it is recommended to wait until this process is completed. Only after that the flower can be transplanted.

How to propagate a flower

Culture can be propagated in different ways - cuttings, division of the bush or seed method.Rooting spathiphyllum cuttings is recommended in wet sand. If you provide the correct water or temperature conditions, the roots will appear pretty quickly. After that, the cutting can be transplanted into a pot and even make a greenhouse for it.

It is recommended to propagate spathiphyllum by division in the spring. At this time, new growth points are formed on the stem, from which rosettes of leaves grow. It is useful to divide the bush from time to time to avoid thickening it. On the process, you need to leave 3 leaves with a growth point. For planting, you need to make a substrate. It should consist of sand, humus, peat and sheet soil. To improve drainage, crushed brick can be added to the composition. It is also permissible to add a little coniferous soil to the substrate for planting.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionIn some cases, the flower is propagated by seed.However, to obtain planting material, it is required to artificially pollinate the spathiphyllum. After that, you need to wait for the formation of green peas. Seeds must be collected and planted immediately. They need to be covered with a film to avoid drying out of the soil, and systematically ventilated.

Nuances when transplanting

The flower needs to be transplanted once a year in the spring. In this case, you need to take a pot of slightly larger sizes. However, it should not be too voluminous. Until the spathiphyllum has reached 5 years, it needs to be transplanted. After that, you need to focus on the state of the roots. A transplant is required when the shoots begin to peek out of the drainage holes. If the height of the bush is no more than 40 centimeters, and the diameter of the container reaches 20 centimeters, it is enough to replace the surface layer of the soil.

Before transplanting, the flower needs to be watered. If you additionally remove the side shoots, all forces will be directed to the development of foliage. She will become big and beautiful.When moving to a new container, a drainage layer is required. Its thickness should be 2 centimeters. After that, you need to lay out a few centimeters of fresh substrate.

Flower transplantation is carried out by transshipment. This means that the bush is moved with a lump of soil. Since the plant is transplanted into a moist substrate, it can not be watered for 3-4 days. Then just spray the crop.

Growing problems

One of the common problems when growing a plant is the lack of flowering of the crop. This may be due to the following factors:

1. Too low temperature or insufficient humidity in the room. Most often, the problem is due to a combination of two factors.
2. Fertilizer shortage.
3. Natural aging of culture.
4. The pot is too big. Spathiphyllum blooms only if the root system completely fills the pot.

Also, when growing spathiphyllum, the following problems may occur:

1. The leaves turn black and dry. In this case, the reason lies in the wrong irrigation system. It can be over- or under-watering. Also, a provoking factor is a lack of nitrogen or phosphorus.
2. The leaves are turning yellow. The reason can also be insufficient or excessive watering. In this case, you should carefully look at the leaves. The appearance of a yellow border is associated with the use of low-quality water for irrigation. The liquid must first be defended. The yellowness in the center is due to the lack of lighting.
3. The ends dry up. This may be due to a lack of moisture or increased dryness of the air. To do this, you need to take measures to increase the humidity in the room.
4. The flower is not fully open. The reason may be the increased density of the soil, which prevents proper air circulation.

Spathiphyllum is a common houseplant grown by many flower growers. In order for the culture to develop normally and look decorative, it needs to be properly looked after.

Recommended