General signs of fatsia, recommendations for cultivation, reproduction, transplantation and soil selection, cultivation difficulties, interesting facts, species. Fatsia (Fatsia Dence. Et Planch) belongs to the dicotyledonous Araliev family, which sounds like Araliaceae in Latin. The embryo of the seed usually has a division into a pair of opposite cotyledons. The family includes up to 46 genera, then Fatsia belongs to the monotypic genus. The main territories of natural growth are considered to be the lands of Japan, as well as the island regions of Taiwan, the region of South Korea, and can also be found even in the Far East. This plant is sometimes referred to as Aralia (or Alalia), which grows in coniferous and mixed forests. By its name, fatsia should be grateful to the Japanese word "eight", which sounds like "fatsi" and which reflects the structure of the leaf blade of a plant - the division into 8 lobes of the surface of its leaf.
Fatsia is a woody representative of the flora, it can reach 4 meters in height, but in rooms it rarely exceeds one and a half meters. It has large leaf plates, which are measured with a diameter of about 35 cm. They are located on the shoot either in a regular or in a spiral sequence. They are usually bright or dark rich green colors. The surface is glossy, shiny, deeply divided into 3-5 parts. Each of the lobes is 5–11 cm wide. The shape of the blades is elongated with a pointed tip. They are located horizontally, standing on long petioles, the length of which varies from 10 cm to 50 cm. The lower leaves of the Fatsia can also be undivided (whole) or with a weak separation, only 2-3 lobes-lobes.
When the plant is already old enough, then with the arrival of November days, the flowering process begins. Aralia blooms with small and inconspicuous flowers, they are painted in white, cream or greenish-whitish or greenish-yellow shades. The diameter of the flower reaches only 3-4 cm. The plant grows flowers of both sexes. The bud is divided into five petals, their shape resembles an egg. Sepals are so reduced in size (reduced) that they represent an almost indistinguishable jagged "frame" of a flower in the form of a crown.
From them, inflorescences are collected, growing on the tops of the stems in the shape of umbrellas, which are measured in a diameter of 30 cm.
After flowering, a fruit-berry of dark blue, almost black color can ripen, it contains a stone inside, its diameter is 5 mm. The fruits are not suitable for food.
Attention! Fatsia japonica juice is sticky and viscous in people with hypersensitivity of the skin, it can cause an allergic reaction. Therefore, it is necessary to install the plant in an inaccessible place for small children or pets.
Recommendations for cultivating aralia and care
- Lighting. The plant normally tolerates both good illumination and partial shade, but for variegated forms it is better when there is more light, otherwise the pattern will disappear - the windows of the east and west locations will do. Fatsia also grows well on the windowsill of the northern window, but its growth slows down. With the arrival of spring, you can arrange "air baths" for the plant and move the pot to the garden, balcony or terraces, only shading from the bright midday rays of the sun.
- Content temperature. In the period from spring to early September, it is necessary that the indicators vary between 18-22 degrees. With the arrival of autumn, Fatsia can feel normal at normal room temperatures, but it is more comfortable for her to lower the temperature to 10-15 degrees, this is with sufficiently good lighting. If "wintering" takes place in a warmer room, then it is necessary to provide supplementary lighting of the plant with phytolamps. For aralia with variegated patterns on the leaves, it is important that the heat indicators do not drop below 16 degrees.
- Air humidity. It is important to constantly spray fatsia, especially at high temperatures or wipe the leaves with a damp cloth, the water is taken at room temperature. In the summertime, it is recommended to arrange a shower. In winter, spraying is reduced, and at low temperatures, it is not carried out at all.
- Watering the fatsia. If you dry out the earthen lump at least once, then the leaves immediately droop to the ground and for restoration you will have to tie them to the props. On summer days, watering the aralia should be abundant and regular, and only with settled water, when the topsoil is already a little dry. With the arrival of autumn, humidification decreases, especially if the temperature is low. Waterlogging of the soil is also harmful.
- Fertilize Aralia necessary every ten days from spring to early fall. Mineral or organic dressings are suitable for decorative deciduous indoor plants.
- Transplantation and selection of soil. When the plant is still very young, the pot and soil should be changed annually, in the future this procedure must be repeated every 2-3 years. The new container is selected a little wider than the previous one, since the lateral root processes will form new young plant trunks in the future. Small holes are made in the container to drain unabsorbed water. The pot should be filled by a third with drainage material - expanded clay or fine pebbles, but of such a size that they do not spill out through the holes for moisture drain.
Aralia grows well on hydroponic materials, but prefers neutral or slightly acidic soils with an acidity of pH 6-7. Soil mixtures are usually made up of the following components:
- sod soil, humus, river sand, peat soil (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1);
- leaf humus, turf, garden soil, peat soil, humus and sand (all parts are equal);
- turf soil, leafy earth and sand (in proportions 4: 2: 1).
Self-breeding tips for Fatsia
You can get a new evergreen plant by planting seeds, cuttings or air layers.
For cuttings at home, with the arrival of spring, cutting is carried out from the tops of the shoots. The cuttings should have a few buds that are about to develop. Landing is carried out in a sandy-peat substrate, slightly moistened beforehand. It is necessary to adhere to a temperature of 20-26 degrees and then rooting will be successful and fast. After planting, cuttings must be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed under a cut plastic bottle (glass jar). This will create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with increased levels of humidity and heat. It is necessary to regularly air the plant every day in the morning and evening for half an hour. When the twigs take root and the growth of new leaves is visible, then young fatsias can be transplanted into new large pots with a substrate suitable for further growth. With this breeding method, the bush will be compact and densely leafy.
If the plant's trunk is unaesthetic, it is possible to rejuvenate the aralia by planting air layers. In spring, a not very deep incision is made on the stem and after it is wrapped with moistened sphagnum moss, which is soaked in phytohormones or a solution with nutritious properties (1 g of complex fertilizer is dissolved in 1 liter of water). From above, this entire structure is wrapped in plastic or cling film. The moss must be kept moist at all times. After several months, root shoots form at the cut site. After that, another two months should pass and you can cut off the top with roots slightly below their formation and plant in a separate container with drainage and soil. The old trunk does not need to be thrown away, even if there are absolutely no leaves on it. It is required to cut it almost to the root and continue to water and care, covering it with moistened sphagnum moss. Very often, new shoots develop in its place.
You can also propagate at home by planting seeds. Planting goes into the soil, composed of sod soil, leaf and river sand (all parts are equal), poured into pots or planting boxes. Seed material is planted to a depth of 1 cm. For the emergence of seedlings, it is necessary to adhere to heat indicators of at least 18 degrees. As soon as a couple of true leaves appear on the seedlings, and it is sufficiently strengthened, then you can carefully transplant one plant into separate 9-11 cm pots, and put the young fatsia in a sufficiently lit place, but without bright rays of the sun.
Problems with growing aralia
If the conditions of care and maintenance at home are violated (for example, the humidity of the air decreases or it is increased at low heat indicators), then the plant is affected by the red spider mite, whitefly, aphids, thrips, scabbards. These pests are visible on both sides of the leaf plates in the form of brown or whitish dots (insect eggs), or punctures the edge of the leaf, like a pin. The plant begins to abruptly lose its decorative attractiveness, its growth slows down, leaf blades turn yellow, deform, curl and fall off prematurely. It is necessary to regularly inspect the fatsia, and if pests are found, then it is required to manually remove them from the leaves or branches with a cotton swab dipped in an oil, soap or alcohol solution. If sparing agents help little, then treatment with a systemic insecticide is carried out (for example, "Actellik" or "Karbaphos" - at the rate of 15-25 drops of the mixture per 1 liter of water). After a couple of weeks, the treatment is repeated for preventive purposes.
Sometimes a fungal infection occurs - gray rot. The reason may be high humidity with low heat values. The stem from the very bottom begins to acquire a brown tint, then rotting sets in. And soon it is covered with a dark gray layer, sometimes with a brownish undertone, of fungal deposits (spores). It is required to remove the affected parts of the fatsia, change the conditions of detention and carry out the treatment with a fungicide. If the degree of damage is large, then it is impossible to save the diseased plant, it will die.
Of the problems in growing aralia, there are:
- waterlogging of the soil will lead to the fact that the leaf plates become soft and lethargic;
- if the air humidity is too low, the leaves become brittle and easily break off;
- with sunburn or dry air, the sheet plate shrinks;
- if the moisture is insufficient, the tips of the leaf lobes turn brown and may break off;
- if the soil was flooded, then this will lead to yellowing of the leaves and their release by fatsia.
Interesting facts about aralia
The leaf plates of this green bush contain a sufficient amount of alkaloids: mucin, tannin, choline, saponins and also essential oils. This plant is often used by folk healers to make means of toning and stimulating the body, and tinctures can also help increase a person's resistance to a variety of adverse factors and influences. The properties of fatsia as a highly effective remedy for diabetes have long been known.
Also, compositions made from aralia leaves have antiseptic properties and are used in the treatment of skin diseases. It is also possible to relieve the pain symptoms of rheumatism and joint pain by taking tinctures as a pain reliever.
It is customary to use bark to obtain drugs leading to increased saliva and urination. There is evidence that some drugs made from this plant have an effect that is stronger than solutions based on ginseng and eleutherococcus - they have a strong stimulating effect on the human nervous system. At the same time, blood pressure rises, breathing becomes more frequent, and there is an opportunity to combat stress.
The main raw materials for the manufacture of medicinal drugs are leaf plates and roots of fatsia. Also on this basis, drugs are mixed for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, colds, flu. And in the Far East, among the Nanai peoples, it is customary to use aralia for toothaches, stomatitis, liver diseases, and gastritis.
Types of fatsia
Basically, in the pot culture, it is customary to grow only one variety of this plant and some of its variations.
- Fatsia Lizei. A plant with a bushy form of growth, reaching 5 meters in height, leaves densely cover the stems. The leaf blade is divided into 3-5 lobes, has a leathery surface and is painted in a dark emerald hue. The plant curls and requires support.
- Fatsia Samurai very similar to the Japanese plant variety, but its height barely reaches the one and a half meter mark. The leaf plates measure 30 cm in diameter, are divided into lobes and have a glossy surface. Flowering occurs with fragrant fragrant flowers, which are inconspicuous in their appearance with a greenish or whitish color scheme. Umbrella inflorescences are collected from them. Fruits with small berries of a dark blue hue.
- Fatsia Empire differs in rather large leaves with a glossy shiny surface. A dense crown of a tree is formed from them, resembling a ball and reaching a diameter of up to 40 cm. The height of a plant can be measured by a one and a half meter mark. This aralia rarely blooms.
- Fatsia Sheflera is quite an ornamental plant and is very loved by interior designers. At home, it does not require special conditions of detention. However, it does not tolerate low light and low temperatures. If the illumination is insufficient and the heat indices decrease, then the watering of the plant is reduced. As an adult, it can be stretched to a height of two meters.
- Fatshedera Guillaume (Fatshedera Guillaum). The plant was bred as a hybrid between Fatsia and Ivy in 1910. Differs in creeping shoots and a rich green deciduous mass.
- Japanese Fatsia (Fatsia japonica Dence. Et Planch). The plant has a tree-like form of growth and stretches in natural conditions up to a 4-meter mark. The trunk of the tree is slightly branched and is covered with a light brownish bark. The leaf plates can reach 30 cm in diameter. They are located alternately on the branches, have long petioles, and are mainly collected at the tops of the shoots. Their shape is usually rounded, at the base there is a heart-shaped cutout, division into lobes-fingers. These parts of the sheet have a broad-lanceolate shape, the edge is serrated. At the base of the petioles, there is some swelling, there is also a slight pubescence, which gives off a brown tint and sometimes falls off. Aralia blooms with small flowers, painted in whitish, yellowish-green shades. From them, umbrella-shaped inflorescences are collected, located at the tops of the stems. After the flowering process, the fruits ripen in the form of berries of a dark blue color. The main homeland is Japan. The plant prefers to settle in humid forests located in the subtropical zone.
Garden forms of this variety are known in floriculture:
- "Variegata" - the leaf plates of this plant are white or milky on the edge;
- "Aureimarginalis" - in this case, the lobes are colored in a contrasting yellow color;
- "Moseri" - this plant is distinguished by its compact size and leaves of a rich green color.
See below for Japanese Fatsia:
