General description of radermachers, care, watering, feeding, advice on transplanting and reproduction, possible difficulties in cultivation at home, species. Radermachera (Radermachera) is included in the Bignoniaceae family, which also includes 15 more representatives of the green world. It is native to the Southeast Asian territories, and it can also be found in areas of the Chinese mountainousness, where a subtropical climate prevails. For the first time this plant was described in the 18th century by the botanist from Holland J. K. M. Radermakher, for which it got its name. He was researching vegetation on the island of Java. But in the Old World, the radermacher began to grow indoors only at the end of the 20th century. This happened due to the fact that the areas where it grew were closed for visits by Europeans for a long time.
The plant takes on both a shrub and a tree-like shape. It can be extended in natural conditions to a height of 6 m to 20 m with an almost 1 meter trunk diameter. But when it is grown for home care, the radermacher always looks like a bush and its branches can reach only one and a half meters in height. There was a time when this plant was called the Chinese stereospermum (Stereospermum Sinicum), but for some reason this synonym did not take root in the classification. But on the other hand, she is well known under the following names - Snake tree, Emerald tree, Indoor ash or Chinese doll.
But in the home, only one species of this plant is cultivated. The trunk of the plant grows straight up, and it is quite thin in diameter. It is covered with a smooth bark that casts a light gray color. The shoots of the plant grow straight and do not branch too much. The leaf plates are located opposite and are attached to long petioles, have an odd-pinnate shape. The lobes into which the leaf plate is divided can be ellipsoidal or elongated-lanceolate, and deltoid-lobed forms are also found. The surface of the leaf on top has a rich emerald hue and glossy shine. The venation is visible on the entire plate. The reverse side is matte, less saturated shade. Each lobe is approximately 2.5 cm long, with a pointed tip. There are some types of radermachers that have variegated leaf lobes. Due to the decorative appearance of these leaves, which form the lace crown of the radermacher, it is grown by flower growers.
The flowers are tubular in shape, and their petals are spliced at the very base. At the top, the petal bends back, the diameter of the general opening of the bud is 5–7 cm. The general appearance is very reminiscent of bell flowers. The color may contain shades of white, pinkish, pale purple and yellow. The buds of this plant open only at night, as in the homeland of their natural growth, the radermacher is pollinated by moths. The scent of flowers is very similar to the scent of carnations. However, in indoor conditions, the flowering process is extremely rare, since a tree or bush needs to cross a 10-year growth line, therefore it is cultivated as an ornamental-deciduous representative of the flora.
This plant is very fond of for its unusual foliage and unpretentiousness to growing conditions, yet it cannot be recommended to flower growers with little experience in growing indoor plants. The plant has a good growth rate and acquires considerable size over time.
Some tips for growing a radermaker
- Lighting. A shrub or tree grows well in soft, diffused lighting. If the illumination indicators are sufficient, the plant will acquire a beautiful saturated shade of green and a glossy surface, because it was because of this that the radermaker was called “emerald tree”. Therefore, in order to install a pot with a plant, they choose windows of the eastern and western exposure, into which, looking at the time of sunset or sunrise, the sun's rays cannot damage the plant. Although you can install the tree on the window sills of windows that face south or north. But in the first case, you will have to create shading at lunchtime from light tulle or gauze curtains. In the second case, additional lighting with special phytolamps will be necessary, since if there is not enough illumination, then the distances between the nodes of the sheets will stretch out, and the plant will begin to resemble a liana. It is also recommended to rotate the radermacher pot around its axis to create a beautiful tree crown.
- The moisture content of the "emerald tree". The plant can safely transfer the air of living quarters, regardless of the operation of heating devices. But if you carry out spraying of the leaf mass, then the radermacher responds very favorably to such an operation. During the period when temperatures rise, it needs to be sprayed more than once a day. For this they take water softened and at room temperature (about 20-23 degrees). It is also recommended to shower the tree, this will help remove dust from the leaves, but it is not advised to wipe them.
- Temperature of the content of the radermacher. The plant does not like it when the thermometer readings creep upward; most of all, moderately warm temperatures are preferred for it - in the spring-summer months it should be in the range from 20 to 25 degrees. As soon as autumn comes and winter comes, they can be lowered to 15 degrees. Deviations can be no more than 2 degrees in any direction. At the same time, the radermaker absolutely does not tolerate cold drafts and sudden changes in the thermometer indicators. Therefore, when airing rooms where indoor ash is located, care must be taken.
- Watering the plant. Radermacher absorbs moisture in very large quantities, so it has to be watered abundantly and regularly. Especially with the arrival of higher temperatures of the year. The signal for the next moistening of the substrate in the pot is the drying of the layer on top of the soil. In the summer, this operation must be carried out immediately, and with the arrival of cold weather, watering is performed a few days after this drying out of the soil. The main thing is to remember that the complete overdrying of a clod of earth in a flowerpot, as well as its waterlogging, will negatively affect the indoor ash. Especially if the bay occurred during a decrease in temperature indicators, this can provoke rotting of the root stem. Soft water is used for humidification, which can be obtained by settling tap water for several days, passing it through a filter and boiling. But water collected after rain or snow melt is best.
- Fertilizing for the radermacher. In order for the plant to have a beautiful crown of leaves of saturated color, it is necessary to apply fertilizers from the beginning of April days to the end of summer with two and three weekly regularity. To do this, you can use top dressing for decorative leafy indoor plants with a well-balanced complex of minerals. Usually the dosage is maintained, 1–2 grams are diluted per 1 liter of water. composition. If in winter the temperatures fluctuate at 20 degrees, then there is no need to feed the plant.
- Tips for more decorativeness. Radermacher is a plant with a sufficient growth rate and therefore it is necessary to correct the crown of the foliage annually by pruning the shoots protruding beyond the limits of the shoots. Also, to improve branching, it is necessary to pinch the tops of the branches. To create more decorativeness of the bush, it is recommended to plant specimens of different heights in one pot. And also to achieve an interesting effect, a pot with a radermacher is placed on the floor by the windows, where the rays of the sun look. It is most interesting when you can look at a bush or tree, as it were, a little from above. In this case, the sun's rays create beautiful highlights on the leaves.
- Recommendations for replanting and soil selection. If the plant has reached adulthood, then transplants are needed in the case when the root system does not fit in the pot. Younger radermakers should change the pot and soil every two to three years. If the tree is a seedling, then such an operation is performed annually. It is necessary to choose a pot most of all for a couple of centimeters, since the root system of the plant is not very extensive and has a fibrous shape. For better further growth of indoor ash, it is recommended to cut the roots a little (by a couple of millimeters), in this case they will more successfully absorb moisture and nutrients. It is necessary to make holes in the pot so that the unabsorbed water flows down and a drainage layer needs to be laid on the bottom.
The soil for planting is selected with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. Also, it should be light, friable and conduct water well. You can compose a soil mixture based on the following options:
- garden soil, perlite or river sand, peat or humus, leafy earth, pieces of coal (the proportions are maintained 1: 1: 1/2: 1);
- sod, leafy soil, humus, coarse sand (ratio 1: 2: 1: 1);
- humus soil, leaf and sod land, river sand (proportions 1: 2: 1: 1), a handful of detailed pine bark.
Breeding Tips Indoor Radermakers
The plant can propagate by seed, cuttings or layering. If there is seed material (the seeds are medium-sized, surrounded by a lionfish), then a container with a moistened substrate of peat and sand is taken and seeds are poured onto its surface, then the container is covered with a plastic bag so that it is possible to maintain the conditions of a mini-greenhouse. When 10 days have passed, radermacher shoots appear, which subsequently (after 14–21 days) are planted in separate pots. After a month of growth, young plants are fertilized with complex dressings. As soon as the seedlings are fully grown, they are transplanted into large pots for constant growth.
For propagation using cuttings, it is necessary to select the tops of the shoots. Slicing is usually done in mid to late summer. The length of the cut is 6–10 cm and should have at least 2–3 leaf nodes. Ready cuttings are planted in pots with a moistened peat-sand mixture taken in equal parts, but vermiculite can be used. Seedlings must be covered with a plastic bag or placed under a jar to maintain humidity and temperature. For successful rooting, it must be maintained within 22-25 degrees. Remember to ventilate and moisturize the substrate. A manifestation of the fact that rooting is proceeding normally will be the appearance of new leaves.
You can also propagate the radermacher using air layers. To do this, on the trunk from below, if it is bare, the bark is carefully removed around a circumference of approximately half a centimeter in diameter. This cut is wrapped with moistened sphagnum moss and covered with a plastic bag or cling film on top. When the emerging roots fill the bag completely, the cut is carefully cut out and planted in a pot about 15 cm high. The cut on the mother's radermacher is treated with crushed activated carbon for disinfection.
Possible problems with home cultivation
The following troubles can be distinguished with improper plant care:
- shoots are ugly stretched out, leaves turned yellow and crumbled, young ones begin to grow small in size - caused by a lack of illumination;
- if the new foliage began to shrink, then this indicates an insufficient amount of fertilizers applied;
- drying of the tips of the foliage indicates low humidity and exposure to the bright rays of the sun.
The plant can be affected by spider mites, aphids and mealybugs. All of them manifest themselves by the appearance on the leaves of a sticky bloom or formations similar to cotton wool. At the initial stages, spraying with soap or oil solutions can be carried out; they are prepared on the basis of laundry soap (for example, 100 grams per bucket of water). The solution is infused for several hours and filtered. The plant is then wiped off or sprayed. Cover the soil and pot with polyethylene. Also, pests are removed with a piece of mari dipped in an alcohol solution (for example, a tincture of calendula). If this does not help, then it is necessary to carry out treatment with modern insecticides.
Types of radermacher
- Radermachera Chinese (Radermachera sinica). The most common type. Basically, the homeland of this plant is the southern territories of the Chinese and Taiwanese mountains, where the subtropical climate prevails. The growth form is tree-like, and can reach 30 m in height with a meter in diameter of the trunk. The leaves are triple-feathery and measure 70 cm in length and 25 cm in width. The main lobes of the leaves are attached to long petioles, and the lobes of the leaves themselves are already shorter to the petioles. The leaf lobes differ in the shape of elongated rhombuses, and have a large serration along the edge, which is similar to the size of a box of matches. The flowers have a pleasant aroma and are yellow-white. Buds in small quantities are collected in racemose inflorescences, which are located at the tops of the shoots. The length of the bud is measured 7 cm, and the corolla is folded back by 5 cm. There will be no flowering under indoor growing conditions.
- Radermachera fiery red (Radermachera ignea). The plant is practically not grown by flower growers, although in beauty and decorativeness it is not much inferior to the previous species. Native habitats of the Thai northern regions and territories of Laos. It is not high enough, only 20 cm in height, and the leaves are measured by only half a meter. The leaf lobes are slightly larger than those of the Chinese radermacher, up to 7 cm in length. Their shape is elliptical. Flower buds are formed in very unusual places: the trunk of the tree itself or its rather old branches, which have a decent thickness and are devoid of leaves, are the place of their growth. The inflorescences are collected from a large number of flowers and are in the form of a brush. Pedicels of buds are short. The corollas of the buds are colored dark orange and reach up to 7 cm in length. The petals fused at the base form a wide tube. The folded ends of the petals are bent back in the form of a short ring.
- Radermachera woody (Radermachera xylocarpa). This representative looks like a low tree, which is 5-10 m in height. The main habitat is rather dry deciduous forests in the central regions of India. The plant is distinguished by great decorativeness and multiple flowering, and because of this it has become widespread in gardens with a climate of the tropics and subtropics. Leaves are measured in a meter long, double-pinnate, with leaf lobes of an elongated oval shape. Inflorescences in the form of panicles grow on the tops of the shoots. The flowers have a pleasant aroma. The corolla of the bud opens in the form of a funnel. The edges of the petals are characterized by a wavy edge and sufficient width, they have a large bend. The color of the buds is almost always white, but the middle of the funnel casts yellowish tints.
For more information on the Chinese radermaker, see this video:
