General description of the plant, problems with growing at home, recommendations for placement, watering and replanting, advice on reproduction, the main types of oplismenus. Ostyanka (Oplismenus), also found under the name Oplismenus, belonging to the Gramineae family, which has 15 more species of representatives of this plant. Ostyanka is an evergreen representative of the flora that grows for many seasons. Its homeland is considered to be the forested central and southern American territories, African and Polynesian areas, which are dominated by a tropical and subtropical climate. The name in Latin comes from the Greek word "oplismenos", which means armed. The very appearance of the plant gave rise to this - thin and straight spines protrude from the spikelets (hence the synonym "Ostyanka"). In culture, the plant has been grown since the middle of the 19th century (since 1867).
The plant can grow up to 90 cm tall when cultivated in a pot. Ostyanka has thin hanging shoots, on which leaves 6 cm long are located. The stems branch well and do not require pinching. The leaf plates of the plant are slightly elongated and have the shape of an elongated heart with an elongated apex. The color of the leaves is light greenish. There are silver stripes along the entire plate of the top of the leaf, because of which they like to grow this beauty. The structure of the sheet is very dense and it forms a sharp edge.
The flowering is very nondescript. Small whitish flowers bloom, from which rather rare inflorescences are collected in the form of panicles. They must be removed immediately, since the flowering process greatly weakens the plant, it stays in growth, since the nutrients go to the opening of the buds. After flowering, it bears fruit in the form of a caryopsis. In terms of its decorative properties, oplismenus is not much inferior to tradescantia or zerbina (indoor herbaceous evergreens). The stems of the plant grow rapidly and hang beautifully to the bottom, so it is often grown as an ampelous crop. But it is also advised to cultivate Ostyanka as a ground cover species, its growth rate is so high that it can drown out other plants. However, over time, the shoots of the bush are strongly stretched, and it needs to be updated.
This plant is so not whimsical that even novice growers can grow it. Drying old leaf plates are considered a disadvantage, which must be removed so that the stucco does not look sloppy. Today this plant is actively used in horticulture and floriculture, and landscape designers also use it to decorate garden paths, the banks of water bodies, when creating rotary and alpine slides, or simply to form a beautiful green accent on a flower bed.
Conditions for keeping oplismenus indoors
- Lighting. The plant is not at all attracted to the level of light flux with which it is illuminated. She can feel great in a bright sunny place, and in some shade. So it will be good on any windowsill, but on the windows of a southern orientation it is necessary to monitor the state of the plant, if the leaf plates began to fade and lose their rich shade, then it is worth arranging shading with light curtains or transferring the pot with oplismenus to a shady place. With the arrival of the autumn-winter period for the striped beauty, it will be necessary to arrange supplementary lighting with special phytolamps.
- Content temperature. The plant, in this case, also shows amazing vitality and adaptability to conditions. But nevertheless, it is advisable for its normal growth to adhere to the temperature range in the summer of 20–32 degrees, and with the arrival of cold weather, the thermometer should not fall below 8 degrees of heat, but it is better when 12–15 degrees are maintained when growing ostyanka. With the arrival of summer days, the plant can be taken out into the fresh air - a garden, terrace or balcony are well suited for this.
- Air humidity. Oplismenus loves it very much when the humidity in the air is high, so daily spraying will benefit the plant. This requires taking soft or well-settled water. It should be with a temperature of 20-23 degrees. Do not wipe the sheet plates.
- Watering the Ostyanka. It is necessary to moisten the plant with such abundance and frequency so that the soil in the pot is always moist and the soil does not dry out. Violation of this condition of detention will lead to the dumping of the deciduous mass. For irrigation, soft water is used, which is free of lime salts and various impurities. To obtain such water, it can be defended for several days, filtered and boiled from tap water. It is best to use water collected from rain or snow melt. The water temperature for moistening the soil should fluctuate between 20-23 degrees.
- Application of fertilizing for oplismenus. During the period of plant growth activation (and this occurs from April days to the beginning of autumn), it is necessary to apply fertilizers for the Ostyanka 1-2 times a month. The main thing is to carefully use feeding for species with variegated leaves, otherwise they will lose their decorative properties. Top dressing is selected for indoor ornamental deciduous plants, in the dosage indicated by the manufacturer. Fertilizers must contain a full range of mineral compounds.
- Transplantation and selection of soil. Usually, oplismenus does not require frequent transplantation, since over time the plant is strongly stretched and needs to be renewed. But if the bush has been living for many years, then you can change its container by choosing a low pot with a greater width. At the bottom, good drainage should be organized from moisture-retaining materials (for example, expanded clay or fine pebbles), and holes should be made for the outflow of excess moisture.
The soil for Ostyanka can be taken any universal for indoor plants. It should be loose and have good water and air permeability. The acidity should be in the range of pH 5-6. You can make up a soil mixture yourself from the following components:
- peat land, humus, sod land (all parts are equal);
- sod, peat soil, river sand, humus soil (in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 1).
The plant should be pruned periodically, as the shoots elongate ugly, losing their foliage. This operation is best done in early spring, and the cut off parts of the stems are used to get new plants.
Recommendations for breeding Ostyanka when growing
This plant is beneficial in that it reproduces very easily. Oplismenus can be rejuvenated by dividing the bush, using cuttings and planting seed. These operations can be carried out at any time of the year, excluding the winter months.
If a plant transplant was planned and it is large enough, then you can divide the bush into several smaller parts. The roots should be carefully untangled and divided, but if this fails, you will have to cut. With a well-sharpened knife, you can carefully cut the root system so that each part has enough roots and foliage. Then all the places of the cuts are sprinkled with crushed activated or charcoal, this is necessary for disinfection. The plots should be planted in separate prepared pots with a substrate suitable for further growth. The soil is slightly moistened before planting. After planting, the plants are placed in a place with diffused soft light. When it becomes clear that the Ostyanka postponed the planting and started growing, then it can be put in place of constant growth. The plant can be cut well. The best time for this is early spring. For rooting, a shoot with a length of at least 5 cm with 2-3 nodes is chosen. The cut must be made under the knot. Further, the twigs are planted in the ground, made up of peat soil, chopped sphagnum moss and river sand. The cuttings should be deepened by half. Then the seedlings are wrapped in plastic wrap or placed under a glass jar. This will maintain the high humidity and temperature required for rooting. Do not forget to regularly ventilate and spray the soil. Cuttings should be in partial shade at the time of rooting. As soon as it is clear that the branch has started to grow, then it should be transplanted into a new pot with a substrate suitable for adult specimens. Several cuttings can be planted in one container, this guarantees a beautiful and lush Ostyanka bush in the future. You can also wait for the appearance of the roots by placing the cuttings in a vessel filled with water, wrapping the plants in a plastic bag. As soon as the roots of the twig are sufficiently developed, then it can be planted in pots with a substrate.
Rarely, but the seed propagation method is used. It is important to remember that the resulting plants may lose the properties of the mother plant. Before planting in the ground, the seed material must first be soaked in warm water. The seeds must be planted in a peat and sand substrate. The container where the seeds are placed must be covered with a film or lid. Seedlings germinate in a shady place, they must be regularly sprayed and ventilated. As soon as sprouts appear and the new plant develops two full-fledged leaves, then the ostyanka dive - transplanted into pots with a diameter of no more than 7 cm. The plant continues to be watered and kept under diffused lighting. Once the sprouts are stronger and mature enough, they can be transplanted into large, permanent pots with a substrate suitable for further growth.
Possible problems when growing oplismenus and pests
The plant is practically not affected by pests, but attacks by spider mites and aphids are noted. If the air becomes dry, it can provoke a spider mite infection. It is manifested by the appearance of a thin and indistinguishable cobweb on leaf plates and stems. Aphids appear as small green or black bugs and a sticky bloom on the leaves. The plant can first be treated with soapy water (100 grams of laundry soap should be dissolved in a bucket of water). Then the mixture is infused for several hours, and then filtered. Ostyanka must be sprayed with the solution made. To consolidate the effect, it is required to treat the plant with modern insecticides. Sometimes oplismenus can be affected by various putrefactive processes, while it is necessary to remove the bush from the pot, treat the roots with a fungicide, and also disinfect the pot and change the substrate. Re-plant the plant.
When cultivating oplismenus, the following factors can be distinguished:
- the drying tips of the leaves indicate too dry indoor air, the plant needs to be sprayed and watered more often;
- the plant is afraid of drafts, it is manifested by drying of the foliage;
- brown spot on the leaves indicates insufficient watering;
- the dumping of the leaf mass begins with strong drying of the soil in the pot;
- sheet plates darkened, softened and deformed at too low heat indicators;
- the lack of additional fertilizing will lead to a slowdown in the growth of the ostyanka;
- soft, dark spotting of the leaf plates indicates a fungal infection.
Types of oplismenus
- Oplismenus / Ostyanka Burmann (Oplismenus burmanni). The plant is an annual. It can reach a height of 30-50 cm. Differs in branching and outstretched shoots, which take root in the nodes. Lanceolate leaf plates with a length of 4 cm and a centimeter wide, characterized by densely hairy sheaths and a lamina. The tongue has cilia. The branches of the inflorescence are short, it can grow up to 8 cm in length and is distinguished by one-sided and sinuous awn. Spikelets take a one-sided racemose shape, closely spaced. In size they reach 0.4 cm in length and have an ovoid-lanceolate outline. Floral scales have a hairy upper part, a short spine.
- Oplismenus / Ostyanka short-haired (Oplismenus hittellus). This Ostyanka variety grows in the southern territories of America or the islands of the Caribbean region. Grown in culture since 1867 and there is a garden form "variegalis", the leaf plates of which are distinguished by stripes of white and pink, running along the leaf. A plant growing for many seasons, herbaceous form. Its shoots are creeping, sufficiently branched and easily rooted at the nodes. Peduncles grow straight or slightly raised. Narrow-lanceolate leaf plates, 10 cm long and 2 cm wide. The inflorescence looks like a one-sided very rare panicle, which stretches 10 cm. Spikelets are painted in green shades with awns of a reddish tone, reaching a centimeter in length.
- Oplismenus / Ostyanka curly-leaved (Oplismenus undulatifolius). A perennial plant with creeping stems and rhizomes that take root at the nodes. Shoots can be ascending. Leaf plates are oblong lanceolate, measure 9 cm in length. The surface is wavy, there is some pubescence. The tongue is covered with cilia. Panicle-shaped inflorescence, one-sided, with curved awn. Spikelets take an ovate-lanceolate shape, spread out, growing to 0.4 cm. From them, bundles are collected, which almost sit in the sinuses. A pair of lower scales in the form of spikelets are rather dense, with a length of 1.5–2 mm. The spike-shaped scales, located on top, have 5 veins, may not have an awn, or it will be 2–6 mm long. Awns are devoid of thorns, with glands in the form of tubercles. The flower located below the spikelet is sterile, above it is reproductive. It is often used for feeding cattle.
- Oplismenus / Ostyanka weak (Oplismenus imbecilis). The homeland of this type of Ostyanka is considered to be Australian areas. Very much like Tradescantia. It is a perennial with evergreen foliage. The stems of the plant are creeping, rooting well at the nodes. Vaginal-type leaf plates, sessile on the shoot with a linear shape. The shade of the background of the leaf is light green, and the stripes can be whitish or pinkish. Flowering annually under the conditions of our strip. The flowers are collected in loose panicles, the size of the buds is very small. All the attractiveness and decorativeness are given to the plant because of the delicate foliage. It is sometimes used to decorate aquariums.
Look at the Ostyanka in this video:
