General description of the plant, types of epiphytes, basic care tips, possible problems with home cultivation, methods of pest control. Neoregelia (Neoregelia) - belongs to the class of epiphytes, which are part of the large family "bromeliads". The birthplace of Neoregelia is usually marshy zones, as well as a forest belt of moist forests in South America. Among the main advantages that attract attention in the first place are beautiful, belt-shaped leaves. When the moment of flowering comes, the tops of the leaves are taken to create beautiful floral arrangements or the bromeliad tree is designed directly, which looks spectacular in itself.
When purchasing a young plant, one should understand that Neoregelia grows significantly in breadth. Due to this circumstance, she needs a lot of space, which is why other plants should be placed at a distance. In leaving, neoregelia is not picky about the conditions, therefore, it does not force a significant waste of time on careful care. Ordinary room air, which, as a rule, is too dry and does not contain the moisture level necessary for most plants, is excellent for neoregelia. The main thing is that there are no drafts in the room and direct sunlight does not descend on the plant.
Types of neoregelia
- Carolina's neoregelia is 3-colored. Known as Neoregelia carolinae in Latin. The leaves of this species are bright with a strong sheen and a rich green tint. They have a pointed top where the spiked leaves gather into a rosette. Before flowering, the upper leaves take on a rich red hue. In the middle of the rosette there is an inflorescence with delicate pale blue or light lilac flowers. In science, varieties with long longitudinal stripes are known. Carolina's neoregelia grows up to twenty centimeters in height, and can take up to half a meter or more in width. The flowering process lasts all year round.
- Marble, in botanical encyclopedias - Neoregelia marmorata. This plant belongs to the class of terrestrial plants and stretches 60–65 cm in height. Its leaves form a wide funnel-shaped rosette. It grows mainly on rocky rocks of the coastal zone or low forest. The flowering process begins in early June. The leaves are euirudic up to half a meter long and 10 cm wide, distinguished by small thorns, pale scales and purple spots. The flowers are usually pure white or pale pink, up to 5 cm in length.
- Gloomy, in Latin it is denoted as Neoregelia tristis. This species is common in the Brazilian tropics, growing up to 20-30 cm. A dozen leaves are combined into a dense funnel-shaped rosette. The leaves have a beautiful emerald hue, stretch up to half a meter in length and up to 4 cm in width. They differ in rigidity and rounded top shape. At the bottom, you can see dark stripes and pale scales. In the flowers of the plant, the presence of narrow pointed petals of the shade of the spring sky is noted. Flowering occurs between August and September.
- Smart, its Latin synonym Neoregelia spectabilis. Below the leaves are green with crimson spots, with gray stripes of scales, the edge is spiky. The leaves at the top are bright red. The flowers are blue, the petals are bent. Flowering - mid-winter, early summer.
- Slightly flowered, referred to in reference books as Neoregelia pauciflora. The leaves are rounded from above, pointed, the edge is spiky. The inflorescence has a short peduncle, few flowers, white petals.
- Offspring, which in science is called Neoregelia sarmentosa. The plant has a dense and at the same time thin rosette, having a funnel-shaped shape. The upper leaves are bright crimson with fused petals of a light bluish tint.
- Vesicular, the scientific designation for this species is Neoregelia ampullacea. The plant stands out with leaves with red stripes and small brown-yellow scales. There are few flowers, a sepal of a beautiful green shade with a white edge, a pointed shape and accreted to the base.
- Neoregelia blue, also known as Neoregelia cyanea. It has a dense rosette of a narrow, elongated shape, while the leaves show a beautiful even shade and white scales. The sepal is of an asymmetric shape, pointed and accrete to the base. The inflorescence of Neoregelia cyanea is multi-flowered with red or pale blue petals.
- Tiger, the last common variety sounds in Latin as Neoregelia tigrina. Differs in a dense rosette with a rounded shape. This species has yellow leaves with dark brown stripes, and yellowish-brown thorns can be seen around the perimeter. The emerald-colored sepal has scarlet spots on its top. The petals are light purple and joined together.
Care of neorehelia
As already mentioned, Neoregelia is undemanding to the conditions of detention, but you should familiarize yourself with the basic recommendations in order to simplify caring for the plant in a home atmosphere.
- Lighting. Neoregelia requires a lot of scattered light, but direct UV rays should be avoided by shading the plant. In winter, neoregelia will also need to provide adequate lighting. The room should be intensively ventilated, but without allowing drafts. Placed neoregelia on the windowsills of windows in the northern direction may not bloom, and therefore it is better to place it on the windows from the western and eastern exposition of a house or apartment. In summer, neoregelia can be kept outdoors.
- Temperature. During the warm period, the normal temperature regime for neoregelia is no higher than 25 degrees. In winter, it is recommended not to allow the temperature to fall below 15-16 degrees; in such a climate, flowering can last about six months.
- Air humidity. Neoregelia, as befits a plant from the bromeliad family, loves high humidity. It is desirable that this indicator varied within the range of 50-60% and more. This high humidity reading is most easily guaranteed in a greenhouse or terrarium. If the plant is kept in the room, then its leaves need to be periodically sprayed. In order to guarantee a normal level of humidity neoregelia, you can put a little expanded clay, pebbles or moss in a wide box or pallet, which retain moisture well, and put a pot on top. Dust that accumulates on the leaf plates of the plant is removed with a damp cloth. It is not recommended to use a special wax for the gloss of the leaves.
- Watering. From the beginning of spring days to October, neoregelia should be watered intensively and it is preferable to do this early in the morning, pouring water directly into the outlet funnel. In winter, water sparingly, pour water under the root of the plant. Under natural conditions, bromeliad plants collect moisture in the outlet funnels, but in greenhouse conditions, at low temperatures, stagnation of water can occur, which will lead to decay and death of neoregelia. The plant, which is placed on a bromeliad frame, can be removed from the support and placed in water so that it is saturated with moisture. Next, wait until the excess moisture drains and put it back in place. Water for moistening the soil is recommended to be taken a few degrees above room temperature, soft and settled.
- Fertilizer. Once a month, from the beginning of March to the end of November, neoregelia is fed. To do this, the fertilizer must be diluted with settled water, which is used to water the plant, and poured into the funnel-shaped socket of the epiphyte. Fertilizer is taken special for this plant variety or usual, but the dose in this case should be reduced by three times. There is another type of feeding - through the leaves. To do this, a liquid top dressing is poured into a sprayer and irrigated with plant leaves. It is necessary to take into account the moment that the feeding should have a reduced dose of nitrogen, otherwise the plant will die.
Transplantation and selection of soil for neoregelia
Change of the pot and soil is carried out depending on the need, usually once every 2-3 years. When transplanting, it is important not to deepen the neck of the plant much, otherwise it will die. A transplant pot needs to be tall, wide and flat. It is necessary to prepare expanded clay drainage and place it at the bottom of the pot. The drainage should take up one third of the container height. The soil for transplanting an epiphytic species can be prepared by yourself, for this you need to use:
- pine bark mulch in the amount of 3 parts;
- peat moss and peat - 1 part each;
- leafy earth and humus - 1 part each.
For neoregelia of a terrestrial species, a soil with the following composition is suitable:
- leaf humus and earth - 2 parts;
- peat with sand - 1 part each.
Reproduction of epiphyte
Propagation of neoregelia is possible in two ways - with a daughter outlet (offspring) and through seeds:
- Reproduction by a daughter outlet (offspring). After the neoregelia fades, basal shoots are formed in it. When leaves are formed on the shoots, they should be separated and transplanted into a separate container. The substrate into which the plant is supposed to be transplanted should include sphagnum or be a mixture of humus earth, sand and pine bark. You can also use a turf, peat and sand substrate or buy a ready-to-use soil mix for bromeliads. Cover the pots with shoots with foil or glass and place them in a heated room, where the temperature is not lower than 25 degrees. An improvised greenhouse needs to be aired every day, gradually accustoming the sprouts to normal conditions.
- Seed propagation used less often than basal processes. It is necessary to prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Seeds of neoregelia should be soaked in it for a short time, dried and sown in peat moss and covered with glass or polyethylene. Just as in the case of propagation by shoots, the plant must be kept in a room with heat indicators of at least 25 degrees, constantly ventilated and sprayed. Young couples will appear after a few weeks, after which they need to be planted in special soil for bromeliads. Neoregelia, which has grown from seeds, will bloom in three to four years.
Neoregelia diseases and harmful insects
Scabbard, mealybug, spider mite, aphid are those harmful insects that can harm the plant.
- Bromelium scale causes great harm to the epiphyte. The place where the pest sucks is covered with pale yellow spots that increase in size. Over time, the leaf turns yellow, finally dries up and disappears. The plant stops growing, the leaves fall off and eventually the plant dies completely. Control measure: prepare an insecticide solution - take 20 drops of actellik for one liter of water. Then it is required to moisten a sponge / cotton wool in this solution and process both sides of each leaf, removing pests. You can also spray the plant by placing the solution in a spray bottle.
- Mealybug - a sucking insect that is easy to spot on a plant with the naked eye. The worm is mobile, covered with a bloom in the form of a white powdery powder, as a result of which it got its name. The harm of this insect manifests itself in stopping the development of the plant. If measures are not taken in time, neoregelia may not survive. Control measures: mealybug does not like a humid environment, appears mainly on dehydrated plants. Therefore, the flower should be kept clean, the leaves should be washed, intensively sprinkling them and removing dried lifeless leaves. Infected leaves are wiped with a sponge moistened with alcohol or soap solution. In case of abundant damage, treat the plant with an insecticide.
- Red spider mite - a very small insect, which is difficult to get rid of. Signs that indicate that a spider mite on the plant has yellowish or red-silvery spots on the leaves, and on the back of the leaf plate white spots are the laid eggs of the pest. Control methods: it is recommended to increase the moisture level by constantly spraying and moisturizing the plant abundantly. Treat infected leaves of neoregelia with soapy water or a ready-made organic mixture.
- Aphid one of the worst pests of indoor plants. It weakens the plant by sucking the cell sap out of it, and in addition releases a poison that deforms the leaves and causes extensive damage to the plant. Control measures: it is necessary to treat the plant with soapy water. You can take ordinary laundry soap, or you can use tar soap, which will enhance the cleansing effect. In case of profuse lesions, treat neoregelia with an insecticide solution - 20 drops of actellic per liter of water.
Possible problems and difficulties in growing neoregelia
One of the possible diseases of neoregelia is fusarium. Fusarium is a fungal, infectious disease of plants. The disease is manifested by decay of the root and root collar of the plant. In places of damage, the tissues become brown, the stem becomes thinner, the leaves wither, turn yellow and fall off. The infection spreads through the soil. The reason for the appearance of fusarium can be a change in temperature, insufficient soil nutrition, a plant weakened by pests, as well as strong waterlogging of the soil in a plant pot.
Pale brown spots form on leaves due to sunburn. If they are found, the plant must be moved to the shade or shaded at lunchtime to exclude exposure to UV sunlight.
Dry and yellowed leaf tips indicate a lack of moisture in the air or lack of sufficient moisture in the leaf rosette. It is also possible that the water that was watered on the plant is too hard. To prevent wilting and death of neoregelia, water abundantly, spray the leaves and control so that the humidity in the room is sufficient.
For more information on neoregelia and other bromeliads, see this video:
