Description and types of pseudo-erantemum, advice on transplanting, watering, feeding, reproduction, problems with home cultivation, pest control. Pseudarantemum (Pseuderanthemum) belongs to the Acanthus family (Acxanthaceae), which, in addition to it, includes another 120 representatives of the flora. The native habitat is the western and eastern halves of the globe, where a tropical climate prevails. But still, it is considered the place of the true homeland - the Polynesian island territories. This plant always pleases with its colorless and non-falling foliage. Accepts herbaceous, shrub and semi-shrub forms. Pseudorantemum can grow both low (only 30 cm) and higher (up to one and a half meters). The branches of a plant, as a rule, stretch upward and have a wide variety of shapes and colors. In their outlines, they can resemble the appearance of ellipses, narrow elongated knives and be obovate. In length, they are measured in the range of 10-15 cm.
Fin plates are glossy and waxy, with a wrinkled appearance and some bulging. Although the leaves are soft and rather fragile to the touch. Their color is very diverse, it can vary from a malachite tone to a dark, somewhere even black shade. The plates are distinguished by a characteristic mottling of purple, violet and all other colors. Sometimes there is even a metallic sheen. Leaves are arranged on short stalks. It is for these unusual colors that the leaves and beautiful inflorescences are grown by many flower growers. Inflorescences can grow both on the tops of the shoots and in the axils of the leaves. Flowers, gathering, form spike-shaped inflorescences. The buds differ in a tubular appearance. Flowers take on shades of whitish, pinkish and purple.
The growth of the pseudo-erantemum is quite fast, during the year the branches can lengthen by 10-15 cm. The flowering process directly depends on the type of plant. If the plant is undersized, then it is used as a ground cover, for covering with shoots of the soil. This flower feels best in florariums, greenhouses and greenhouses with well-calibrated temperature indicators, humidity and lighting. Therefore, it is believed that the pseudo-erantemum is a very moody and demanding plant. Although it is a perennial representative of the green world, experienced florists recommend rejuvenating it using the cuttings method.
Recommendations for the cultivation of pseudo-erantemum
- Lighting. Pseudorantemum grows well in bright, but diffused lighting and does not at all tolerate direct sunlight hitting the leaf plates. Therefore, it must be installed on the windows of the western or eastern exposure, into which the sun looks only at sunset or sunrise. Window sills facing the north side of the world will do. If the illumination is not enough, then the pseudo-erantemum will signal a change in the oras of the leaf plates - they are made completely of an emerald hue, losing their decorative effect. With very strong light, growth slows down, but the leaves delight in a variety of colors.
- Content temperature. The plant requires constant warm temperatures. It is necessary that in the summer period the pseudo-erantemum be kept at rates of 20-23 degrees (not higher), at night the temperature may drop slightly (by only 2-3 degrees). With the arrival of autumn and during the winter months, the minimum indicators should remain at around 17 degrees. If there is a further decrease in temperature and this period lasts for some time, then the plant dies. Also, if there are sharp fluctuations in temperature indicators, then this will contribute to the rapid exposure of the lower parts of the branches. It is recommended to take the pseudo-erantemum out into the air with the onset of a stable outside temperature - a garden, balcony or terrace will do just fine.
- Moisture when growing pseudo-erantemum. Since this is a representative of humid tropical areas, it needs sufficient humidity, the indicators of which will be about 70%. Therefore, it is recommended to install a flower pot in a wide container, and pour fine expanded clay or pebbles into it. These porous materials are periodically moistened with water, which evaporates and will raise moisture near the pseudo-erantemum. The main thing is that the bottom of the flowerpot does not touch the moisture in the pallet. You can, of course, use a humidifier or put a glass filled with liquid next to the plant. It is also recommended to carry out frequent spraying, since when the air is too dry, the tips of the leaf plates begin to dry out at the pseudo-erantemum. You can wipe the leaves with a soft cloth or sponge that has been dampened with water. Water for spraying is soft and well-settled. The water temperature should be around 20-23 degrees. It is necessary in the autumn-winter months to put the plant pot away from heating devices. Do not use polishing or waxing products. If the humidity is too low, the pseudo-erantemum can be affected by spider mites and other pests.
- Watering the plant. It is necessary to water it abundantly enough in the spring-summer period, at least 3-4 times a week, this is characterized by the fact that the plant quickly uses water and soil in the pot. If watering is not carried out with such a frequency, then the soil mixture in the flowerpot will dry out very quickly and this will provoke the fall of the leaf mass. The soil in the pot should be moderately moist, but not waterlogged. As soon as the top layer of the potted substrate dries up, this serves as a signal to moisten the soil. Water for irrigation of pseudo-erantemum is taken softened and free from chlorine impurities and various suspensions. To do this, it can be defended, boiled or filtered. It is also recommended to collect rainwater or use melted snow. With the onset of winter, water should only be watered weekly.
- Fertilizers for pseudo-erantemum. In order to support the plant, it is necessary to carry out regular feeding during active vegetation (in the months of spring and summer), approximately once every 3-4 weeks. With the arrival of the autumn days and winter months, feeding completely stops. It is necessary to choose solutions with a complex of minerals, with a high content of potassium and phosphorus components - this will help the pseudo-erantemum to maintain the decorative color of the leaf plates and strengthen the vegetative organs of the plant. It is important to ensure that there is not too much nitrogen in the dressing, as it can provoke blanching of the speck on the leaves. The flower also reacts very well to organics in fertilizing solutions, it is necessary to use crushed cow dung, which can be sprinkled on the surface of the suspension in a pot.
- Soil selection and replanting advice. When the plant is a seedling, it has a very high growth rate, so an annual pot and soil change is necessary. They try to pick up the pot 2-3 cm wider in diameter than the previous container, but the depth should also be sufficient, since the root system of the pseudo-erantemum needs a good volume. If you choose a small pot, then in a short time (about a year later) the plant will begin to shed foliage from the lower shoots, since the roots will very quickly master the proposed substrate. In the pot, special holes must be made to drain excess moisture. Drainage needs to be poured inside the new pot, about a quarter of the entire height. After transplanting, the pseudo-erantemum pot is placed in a place with good shade, and only later transferred to a permanent place of growth when the shock has passed. If the plant is already old enough, then the transplant is performed only once every 3-4 years.
For the normal growth of pseudo-erantemum, it is necessary to carefully select the soil. Its acidity should be weak or neutral, it should have lightness and sufficient water permeability. It is very bad if the substrate is compacted and heavy. You can use a universal soil for decorative leafy indoor plants, adding peat and humus (for nutritional value), perlite or sand (for lightening) to it. A soil mixture can be prepared with the following ingredients:
- sod land, leafy land, sand (in proportions 1: 3: 1);
- turf and leaf land, river sand (or any baking powder), peat and humus land (in the ratio 1: 1: 1: 1: 1).
Self-propagation of pseudo-erantemum
In order to propagate the plant, cuttings from the tops of the shoots are used. The breeding time should coincide with the active growing season (spring or summer). Most often, strongly elongated branches are taken, they are cut to form a crown and pruning is suitable for reproduction. A piece of a shoot intended for grafting should have at least two nodes, and its length should be 8 cm. The two lower leaves should be removed. Prepare pots with drainage and peat-sand mixture. The cut of a branch for early rooting can be treated with phytohormones (root formation stimulants such as "Kornevin"). After planting, the pot with the handle is wrapped in a plastic bag or a piece of glass to withstand the conditions of a mini-greenhouse. It is necessary to ventilate the seedlings daily and moisten the substrate. Temperature readings should fluctuate between 22-25 degrees. As soon as signs of the beginning of growth of cuttings appear, they should be transplanted into separate pots with soil that is suitable for the growth of adult pseudo-erantemums. As the shoots develop, it is advised to pinch them in order to get a well-branched bush in the future. This operation is carried out when the third pair of leaf plates appears on the branch and it is still necessary to pluck the tops of the lateral branches.
You can also wait for the appearance of root formations in the cuttings, which are placed in a vessel with water, only in this case the temperature should be even higher, approximately 27 degrees. As soon as the roots appear, then the shoot should be planted in a soil mixture suitable for permanent growth.
In order for the pseudorantemum bush to have a beautiful decorative spreading crown, the lateral branches that extend obliquely upwards should be pulled to the sides, from the trunk, using improvised means that will not injure the plants (for example, a soft cord). This is done as follows, one end of the cord is attached to the branch of the plant, and the other is carefully pulled and tied around the flower pot. It is also required to carry out regular pruning and pinching of the pseudo-erantemum, this will help good branching of the shoots. Stems that grow straight up can reach a meter in height. It must be borne in mind that the plant does not like smoke, combustion products, gas and suffers from drafts, therefore it is not recommended to put it in the kitchen if there is no good hood.
Possible difficulties in growing a pseudo-erantemum
Among the possible problems when cultivating a plant in closed conditions, the following can be distinguished:
- Insufficient illumination is accompanied by the growth of leaf plates with smaller parameters and less saturated colors, the distance between the nodes of the stems is very extended. To fix - the plant must be rearranged in a place with brighter light, and the incorrectly grown shoots must be shortened.
- Too bright lighting is characterized by the browning of the leaf surface (this is dead leaf tissue); the plant should be shaded with light curtains or gauze curtains, or rearranged to a place with greater shade.
- Decreased humidity is accompanied by drying of the ends of the leaf plates, it is necessary to take measures to raise the humidity (for example, spray pseudo-erantemum more often).
- Waterlogging of the soil leads to the release of leaves from the lower branches, and they are ugly bare, the substrate in the pot has become viscous, while watering the plant is stopped, and when the soil in the pot dries out, it is necessary to transplant with a change of soil and remove rotten roots, treat the root system with a fungicide … Watering after this should be moderate.
Of the harmful insects to which the pseudo-erantemum is exposed, one can name:
- Spider mite, which leads to the appearance of a thin cobweb on the back of the leaf plates. When fighting this pest, it is required to treat the plant with a soapy solution, removing insects, then the leaf plates are thoroughly washed with water and spraying with an insecticide or acaricide can be carried out.
- Mealybug, accompanied by the formation of a sticky cannon in the form of cotton wool on the trunk or leaves, while the plant stops growing. This pest is removed with a cotton swab, which is soaked in any alcohol solution (for example, calendula tincture). You can also treat the pseudo-erantemum with modern insecticides, but if the bush is badly damaged, you will have to destroy it.
- Whitefly manifests itself by the appearance of formations in the form of semolina on the back of the leaf plates, their yellowing, sticky bloom and small white midges; to combat it, it is worth removing the leaves covered with larvae (semolina), and rinsing the plant under a shower stream. If this does not help, then spraying with insecticides is required.
- If scabbard affects pseudo-erantemum, then it is manifested by the appearance of brown plaques on the back of the leaf, and the leaf plates themselves become sticky and shiny from the excrement of the pest. It can be removed with a toothbrush dipped in soap, oil or alcohol solution. Then the plant is washed with a shower stream and can still be treated with insecticidal solutions to consolidate the result.
Types of pseudo-erantemum
- Pseudorantemum dark crimson (Pseuderanthemum atropurpurenum Bailey), also found under the names of Pseudarantemum dark purple or Erantemum dark purple. This type is most used in home cultivation of the plant. Growth form - shrub, can reach up to 120 cm in height. The leaf plates are quite large in size, measuring 7–15 cm in length and 4–10 cm in width. Accepted from broadly ovate to elliptical. Attached to the stem with short petioles, the edges are solid, shimmering in pinkish-red tones with a green or yellow spot. The flowers are white with purple spots.
- Pseudorantemum reticulated (Pseuderanthemum reticulatum Radlk), a synonym for this name is Erantemum reticulated. A meter-high plant with a bushy form of growth. The leaf plates look like a highly elongated green egg. On their surface there is a pattern of yellow-gold stripes. A distinctive feature is the wavy sheet surface. The corolla of the bud is shaded red, has a white throat.
- Pseudorantemum notched (Pseuderanthemum sinuatum), the plant grows to a height of no more than half a meter. Leaf plates are more elongated in relation to other types, have a belt-like shape and grooves along the edge. The color of the leaves is very varied: the upper side is painted with olive color with greenery, and the back - with a red undertone. The edges of the plate also have a purple tint. At the corolla of the flower, the petals are white with a slight purple-red spot.
You will learn more about the pseudo-erantum from this video:
