If you want to grow a tall dollar tree, plant a zamiokulkas. It requires little attention, but it looks very impressive. Zamioculcas is an unpretentious large ornamental plant that is easy to grow at home. If you provide him with everything he needs, it can grow up to 2 meters in height, but generally it is 30-100 cm. It grows slowly, only 2-3 leaves are added per year.
The peculiarity of this plant is that its main trunk is underground, and feathery leaves, covered with a waxy bloom, grow on top. All parts of zamiokulkas - leaves, trunk and petioles, are adapted to accumulate moisture. Zamioculcas blooms rarely and only in adulthood. The flower looks more like a thick white ear.
This plant has several names, including the "dollar tree", as it is believed that zamioculcas brings wealth to the house. The plant has several more nicknames: golden, age-old tree, aroid palm, fat man.
Cultivation of zamiokulkas
Unlike many other plants, this one loves poor soils, but the soil must be well-drained and consist of:
- small pebbles;
- sand;
- expanded clay or perlite.
Love for such a soil composition in zamiokulkas is explained by the fact that in nature it grows on such sandy-stony soils. These soils allow oxygen to penetrate unhindered to the roots, which this ornamental plant loves. You can buy soil for succulents and cacti. If yours is universal, then add perlite or expanded clay and sand.
Planting a dollar tree
The pot is filled with the same soil mixture when transplanting zamiokulkas. It is produced in the spring or summer as the rhizome fills the old pot. I transplant adult plants every few years, and young ones need to be transplanted annually.
In this case, it must be borne in mind that the stem is under the soil, so more space should be left in the direction of the point of its growth. The growing rhizome can deform or even break the plastic container, so it is best to plant the dollar tree in a clay pot. When planting, care must be taken that the tuber is not deep in the ground. It must be positioned so that it is only slightly covered with soil.
Zamiokulkas care
The microclimate of an ordinary apartment with warm and dry air is perfect for Zamioculkas. In a damp, cool room, he will feel much worse. The best place for a dollar tree is the south sill. In the northern part of the room, the leaves will be smaller than usual, or the plant may wither completely. The optimum temperature is + 18– + 26 ° С.
In summer, it can be placed on the balcony or taken out into the garden. But if a cold snap is transmitted or rains are charged, the zamiokulkas must be urgently brought home to a warm, dry room.
This aroid palm tolerates direct sunlight well. Even if you forget to water it on time, the plant can hold out for a period, since at this time it will draw moisture from the leaves, which have the ability to accumulate water.
In autumn and winter, it is rarely necessary to water zamioculcas - 1-2 times a month. In the warm season, it is watered more often - as the soil layer dries up. The golden tree loves spraying, which should be in moderation.
Zamioculcas needs to be fed only once a year - during the growing season. The plant does not like when the water for irrigation and spraying contains various impurities, so it needs to be heated to + 70 ° C and then cooled. Heating will help some of the harmful elements, such as chlorine, escape.
Reproduction of zamiokulkas
It is almost impossible to propagate a dollar tree by seeds at home. Here it is done only by cuttings, leaves and division of the root system. The latter process is similar to the method of reproduction of cacti - after dividing the rhizome, it is dried and transplanted.
Separate the stalk from the dollar tree and dry it. Plant it in a light, drained substrate with the leaf on the petiole above the soil surface.
Reproduction by a leaf plate is the slowest of the presented methods. The first 3 leaves will appear only after a year. But on the other hand, it is not difficult to propagate zamioculcas in this way. Cut the leaf, place it in a small container, such as a plastic cup with wet sand, and cover the jar.
If you or the children accidentally break off a branch of the golden tree, do not throw it away, but put it in the water. Change it periodically. You should be patient, as the first roots will not appear soon. But when this happens and they grow back a little, plant the branch in the prepared soil, and you will have another zamiokulkas.
Diseases and pests of zamiokulkas
Yellowing of zamiokulkas leaves is the most common problem. The yellowing of old ones is a natural process. But if this fate befell the young, then the reason may be a strong waterlogging of the substrate. This leads to rotting of part of the root system.
If this happens to your golden tree, remove it from the pot, carefully remove the soil from the roots and carefully examine them. If you see that the rhizome has rotted, cut out these parts and sprinkle the cleaned areas with crushed coal, and spray the plant itself, both its surface and underground parts, with a solution of the preparation "Fundazol" or "Oxyhom". Let the cuts dry a little, and then plant the zamiokulkas in new potting soil.
Drafts can also cause yellowing of foliage. Spider mites can cause the leaves of the golden tree to dry out and curl up. You can see its presence on the plant if you look closely at the leaf, the mite envelops it with cobwebs. It is necessary to immediately begin to fight this pest, otherwise the plant may die. A tobacco solution, spraying with plain water, will help get rid of spider mites. If the plant is in the garden, then you can spray it with a sulfur solution.
If the leaves began to dry out and curl quickly, it means that the plant was attacked by aphids. Wash it with water, alcohol and grated laundry or liquid soap. You can treat the dollar tree with a solution of nicotine sulfate with the addition of soap. After a day, rinse the zamioculcas under running water. These funds will help get rid of not only aphids, but also of the scabbard.
For more information on growing zamiokulkas, see this video:
