General description and types of plants, creating conditions for growing, recommendations for watering and feeding, advice on transplanting and self-propagation. Polyscias belongs to the Araliaceae family, which also includes about 80 species of flora. Native habitats extend to the lands of Southeast Asia and the island territories of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Greek name comes from the merger of the words "polys" - many and "skias" - shadow. But still, it is impossible to understand what the ancients had in mind, even if you evaluate the type of plant, you can call it that for its dense and beautiful crown, which gave a lot of shade in the hot season. Or that the policeman likes to settle in forests with high humidity and low light. It was brought to Europe only at the beginning of the 19th century, but at the moment this plant is a rather rare guest in a person's dwelling, since it is believed that it is very capricious and fastidious in care.
This is a misconception, since Poliscias is mainly grown for sale in greenhouse conditions with well-adjusted watering, lighting and humidity. It is also customary to feed the plant in large quantities with fertilizers to stimulate its growth. Therefore, when such a tree or bush enters the premises, it is difficult for him to rebuild to the penumbra of apartments and not such high humidity, and the owner may at first incorrectly water and feed the policeman. Naturally, the plant reacts with a quick shedding of leaves, and therefore, it is considered to be quite difficult for home cultivation. However, the conditions for the cultivation of the polisias are not so different from those that suit the numerous green guests of apartments and offices.
The plant can take both a shrub and a tree-like form with an evergreen deciduous mass. The branches of the Poliscias are very strongly branched, they are smooth, beautiful and stretching towards the top. These beautiful shoots are surprising, as they are incredibly flexible and you can tie knots from them and give them a variety of shapes.
When blooming, very small and inconspicuous buds of a whitish shade open, forming an umbrella or panicle-shaped inflorescence. Leaf plates are pinnate, can be divided into lobes growing on long cuttings. The arrangement on the branches of the leaves is alternate. The poliscias owes its uniqueness to the leaves, since they are very different not only for each species, but on one representative there may be leaf plates different in color, size and shape. These changes depend on the age of the policeman. The leaf blades may show mottling or streaks similar to marble, but these poliscias are usually grown in outdoor gardens. The most attractive species are those whose leaves are similar to those of a fern - plural-pinnate. When grown indoors, the police can grow up to half a meter in height.
With age, the trunk of the plant becomes bare, since the lower leaves have a tendency to fall off and, due to the pleasant ashy cork surface with a brown tint, it looks quite decorative.
Some types of polisias (for example, fern) are used for medicinal purposes. They help to increase a person's resistance to stress due to adaptogenic properties.
Polisias Care Tips
- Lighting. Polisias loves soft, but bright light, for this, the plant can be placed on windows facing the south-east or south-west side. If the pot is on the southern exposure window, then it is necessary to provide shading during the hottest hours of the day. This can be done with light curtains or curtains made of gauze, and sheets of paper are also hung on the windows. If the plant is located on a window that faces the north side, then in the autumn-winter season, it will be necessary to produce additional lighting using special lamps (phytolamps), so that the time is equal to the daylight hours of the spring-summer period (at least 8 hours). If a plant has leaf plates without spots and they are of a uniform color, then this type of polisias does not require such carefully selected lighting.
- Police custody temperature. To cultivate it indoors, it is necessary to maintain warm and moderate temperatures. During autumn and winter, they should not fall below 18 degrees, and in summer they should not rise above 26 degrees. It is possible that the Poliscias winter at 16 degrees, but then it is necessary to increase the degree of illumination. The main thing is to prevent hypothermia of the substrate in the pot, this plant may not tolerate. Styrofoam can be placed on the windowsills so that the soil in the pot does not cool down. Frequent airing of the room is recommended, but it must be remembered that drafts are dangerous for the policeman.
- Indoor air humidity. As a true representative of tropical forests, the polisias likes high humidity in the room where the pot with the plant is located (approximately 70-80%). Frequent spraying of a bush or tree is required - at least 2 times a day, especially in the hot months of the year. You can also arrange shower procedures for the policeman by covering the ground in the pot with plastic so that moisture does not get there. In the colder months, it is necessary to place the pot of polisias as far away from radiators and central heating radiators as possible - dry air is very harmful and spraying is extremely important. To raise the humidity indicators, the pot with the plant is placed in a container, at the bottom of which expanded clay or pebbles are laid, and water is poured. The main thing is to make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the plant pot. Some growers use humidifiers, which are installed next to the police, but it is easier to put just vessels filled with liquid. If the plant is nevertheless located above the heating devices, then a protective barrier should be created (for example, made of plexiglass or special fabric, in the extreme case, cellophane film), the same barrier should separate the plant from cold glass so that the leaves do not touch it.
- The mode and amount of watering the policeman. In order to moisten the soil in the pot, you must use only soft water. If the water is from the tap, then it will have to be defended in order to remove impurities of chlorine and various salts. To obtain the proper softness, the water is also filtered or boiled. The water temperature for irrigation is taken slightly above room temperature (approximately 22-24 degrees). Moistening should be carried out only after the top layer of the soil in the pot dries out, but a large overdrying of the soil or its excessive moisture is equally harmful to the polisias. Only in winter time, watering is slightly reduced, and moistening is carried out 2-3 days after the top layer of the substrate has dried.
- Fertilizers. To feed the polisias, it is necessary to choose fertilizers for ornamental-deciduous plants (this can be a fertilizer with a complex of minerals), and apply them with a frequency of once every two weeks during those months when the plant is actively growing (spring-summer). With the arrival of autumn, top dressing is not used until spring days.
- Pruning the policeman. If you carry out regular pinching of the tops of the shoots of the plant, then this will contribute to its further branching and the formation of a crumpet crown. It will also help give the poliscias the shape of a tree or leave him as a bush.
- Transplanting and soil selection. If the plant is still very young, then it is recommended to change the pot and soil annually, when the policeman grows up, then this procedure is performed only when needed. The plant must be repotted carefully, as it has a very sensitive root system. If there is a desire to grow not bonsai, then you can gradually change the pot with the growth of the plant, since its size is directly proportional to the size of the container in which it is planted. At home, you can grow a policeman up to 2 m in height. But for a young plant, it is not necessary to pick up a huge pot right away, as this can provoke a bay and rotting of the root system can begin. The container must be increased gradually from transplant to transplant. If the decision is made to grow bonsai, then it is better not to change the pot. So a plant that has crossed the ten-year mark and grown by the bonsai method can reach only 30-35 cm, while a poliscias, who had an increased pot size during transplantation, can reach 2 m.
Any soil can be suitable for planting a policeman. The main thing is that the substrate is sufficiently loose and light, has good air and moisture permeability. The reaction of the soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. A commercially available universal soil for houseplants may be suitable, to which any baking powder (for example, perlite or finely ground brick) is added for relief. You can also compose a soil mixture yourself from the following components:
- leafy land, sod land, humus, peat land and river sand (all in equal parts);
- soil for greenhouses or compost, peat soil, river sand (in proportions 2: 2: 1);
- clay-sod land, peat, leaf land (all in equal parts).
Tips for breeding a policeman at home
You can get a new young Poliscias by cuttings with branches cut from the tops of shoots or stem processes. You can use the remaining shoots after planned pruning. But it is very a pity to cut off the tops of the stems, since an adult plant immediately loses its decorative effect, because unaesthetic stumps remain. Reproduction of the poliscias is a rather laborious process, since the cuttings take root for a very long time. When attempting to rooting, the soil should be heated underneath, since a temperature of 25 degrees is a prerequisite, and high humidity should also be provided. It is best to cut the material for planting in early spring; before planting, the branches should be treated with phytohormones for the early appearance of roots.
As soon as the cuttings have been cut, the cut sites for disinfection are treated with crushed activated carbon and dried a little. It is recommended to choose already fully lignified stems for grafting, those that have bark and sufficient thickness. Such cuttings can be placed in water and root shoots may appear after two weeks.
Next, the cuttings are planted immediately into a substrate made up of peat soil and sand, taken in equal parts. The twigs are wrapped in a plastic bag or placed under a glass jar. It is necessary to air the seedlings twice a day and water them moderately. Young policemen will take root in this way within a month.
Problems in the cultivation of the polisias and its pests
The leaf mass may fall off from high soil moisture or if the plant has been exposed to a draft. Also, dropping leaves is a signal that a replacement of the soil in the pot is needed. If the tips of the leaf plates are brown, then this indicates insufficient moisture. If a light spot begins to appear on the leaf plates, the lighting is too intense. When the growth of the policeman is practically not noticed, it means that the amount of dressings is insufficient.
The main harmful insects affecting poliscias are aphids and scale insects, mealybugs. Weakened representatives who do not have enough illumination, there was poor watering, or the plant is kept at very high temperatures, fall under their influence. Affected leaf plates can first be treated with a soap or oil solution, with which you can clean off the parasites. If this does not help, then you will have to spray with modern insecticides. Reactions to improper care will always be foliage shedding.
When buying, you need to choose a plant with a height of about 30 cm, since it will have to endure the stress when moving to the conditions of the apartment. A policeman of this size will be able to quickly adapt to a new location. The beginning of spring is chosen for purchase. Of course, it is best to grow the plant yourself, then it will immediately grow and strengthen in its usual conditions. The policeman very much does not like when his pot often changes its location, the reaction to such actions will again be the falling of the leaves.
Types of polisias
- Polyscias balfouriana. The homeland of this species is the island territories of New Caledonia. The plant has a bushy shape, and the stems grow very tightly to each other. The color of the stems of the plant is light green. The leaf plates are divided into lobes; a distinctive feature is a white rim along the edge and spotting. Each lobe is about 7 cm in size and has a rounded shape. The leaves are attached to long stalks. The subspecies Marginata has an irregular edging of the leaf and because of this, this variety is also called geranium. The subspecies Pennockii has large leaf blades and its entire surface is penetrated with whitish and grayish-green veins. But the growing conditions for this variety indoors is quite difficult to create, since it loves very bright and intense lighting, as well as high humidity.
- Polyscias guilfoylei. The plant has a shrub shape with very large branching of the stems. It can be measured up to 3 m in height. The leaf plates are large in size, their shape is unpaired-pinnate. But this species also has simple leaves that have an elongated lanceolate shape and a serrated edge. The color of the leaves is emerald with a whitish or yellowish edging.
- Shrub Polyscias (Polyscias fruticosa). The native areas of growth of this species are the southern or southeastern Asian territories, as well as the island Polynesian lands. The plant is a shrub species, with shoots reaching 2.5 meters in height. On immature stems there are lenticels in the form of bulges. Leaf plates differ in double and triple ping. At the vagina, the stalk is significantly expanded. On one bush, leaves grow very different in shape: from rounded to elongated lanceolate, sharp. The edges of the leaves have a serrate-toothed design. There is a subspecies for growing in the garden Multifilda - its leaf plates are very numerous, in the form of elongated elongated knives, which have bristles at the top.
- Poliscias paniculata (Polyscias paniculata). It comes from the Mascarene island territories. Has evergreen leaves. The leaf plates themselves are characterized by feathery dissected shapes, measuring 20 cm in length. The color of the leaves is malachite.
- Poliscias fern (Polyscias filicifolia). The height of this plant can reach about 2.5 m. The growth form is shrub. Leaf plates vary in length from 20 cm to half a meter. The leaf is divided into lobes, which are quite densely placed, have a pinnate dissection. When looking at this polisias, one gets the impression of a bouquet of wai (long leaves) of a fern.
Learn more about the police officer and caring for him in this video:
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