Overview of plant features, advice on growing, soil selection, reproduction and watering. Pest Control and Potential Cultivation Difficulties. Pilea is a member of the Urticaeae family, which also contains about 400 other species of this genus. The plant can grow for one year or several seasons. It takes a herbaceous form or grows as a dwarf shrub. Pylaea can be found all over the planet, which is dominated by a tropical climate. The only exception is the Australian continent. But the real homeland of the pylaea is considered to be the tropical humid forest areas of the southeast Asian countries. The name for the plant was the translation of the Latin term "pileus", which means "cap" or "cap", this is explained by the appearance of one of the tepals. Alas, it is clearly visible only through the lens or if someone has sufficient visual acuity and can see the outline of the hood in this petal.
If the sawe grows like a shrub, it can reach a height of 40 cm, but most often it is a plant with creeping shoots that branch very well right from the very base. The leaf blades are simple, opposite each other, the edge is solid or with some serration. Their color varies according to the type of plant, mainly they are variegated in various shades. Some species have slight pubescence.
The inflorescences, which are pulled out from the axils of the leaf plates, are in the form of brushes and collect their small unisexual flowers. The "artillery flower" is also called the pilea due to the fact that the flowers, when they bloom, release whole clouds of pollen. This also happens when the bud is touched, which is illuminated by the sun's rays.
The peculiarity of the pilea is that after the fruits ripen, it "catapults" them in order to further multiply them. Here, the catapult is sterile stamens, which are called staminodes. Staminode is a stamen in a flower that lacks an anther and is highly modified and underdeveloped. It cannot produce pollen and is therefore sterile. They are mostly found in female colors. By the time the fruits end ripening, these staminodes grow very strongly and practically support the fruit that hangs over them. When the ripening process is completed, the fruit is separated from the plant and these stamens are sharply straightened and thrown out - they "catapult" the fruit to a very large (sometimes up to 100 meters) distance.
Pylaea is often used to decorate the interior along with other variegated plants or grown as an ampelous crop in pots. The plant is completely undemanding to the conditions of apartments or offices and takes root well. However, many of the species are distinguished by the fact that in the process of growth, the shoots have a disorderly appearance, therefore, sawing requires constant pruning or pinching, and their growth is very fast.
Overview of indoor sawing conditions
- Lighting. For the growth of the saw, it is necessary to select places with good illumination and soft diffused light. It is important that the direct rays of the sun do not illuminate the leaf plates of the plant. You can install a flower pot on the sills of windows that face southeast, southwest, as well as east and west. If there is no choice, and the pilea is on the south-facing windows, then it is necessary to arrange shading with curtains made of translucent fabrics. You can also make curtains from gauze or, in extreme cases, stick tracing paper or paper on the glass. The plant in such rooms is recommended to be installed a little away from the window without shading. With the arrival of spring heat, the pot with the plant should be taken out into the street, but carefully choosing a place devoid of the scorching dining rays of the sun. The northern side is not suitable for growing, as the saw loses its decorative color, the leaves turn pale. This also applies to winter maintenance, it is necessary to arrange additional supplementary lighting with special phyto lamps.
- The temperature of the content of the saw. To grow the "artillery flower", you need to adhere to moderate heat values. In the summer, they should vary between 20-25 degrees Celsius, and with the arrival of autumn, fluctuate from 10 to 20-degree marks. But not all species can withstand 10 degrees and below, it is generally necessary that the thermometer does not fall below the 15-degree line. The saw should be protected from possible drafts.
- Air humidity during cultivation. The plant is very demanding on the humidity of the environment in which it grows - it must always be elevated. Spraying is still not recommended, since for species with pubescence of leaf plates, this can lead to a decrease in their decorative effect. You can put special humidifiers or containers filled with water next to the pot. To raise the moisture indicators, a pot with a plant is placed on a saucer in deep trays, into which a layer of moisture-retaining materials is placed on the bottom (for example, expanded clay, pebbles, sand or sphagnum moss cut into pieces). Some water is poured there. It is important to remember that the bottom of the plant pot should not touch the water.
- Watering the plant. As soon as the top layer of the earth has dried in the pot, then in the summer this serves as a signal for its moistening. Watering is necessary at this time abundantly, using soft, settled water. To do this, you can draw tap water, pass it through a filter or boil it. Then it should be defended for several days in order to remove possible lime impurities and other hard compounds. With the arrival of cold weather, watering is significantly reduced, again, as soon as the soil from above in the pot has dried, it is still worth waiting for a day or two and then moisten it. The substrate should always be slightly damp, but not waterlogged - this will be the key to the normal well-being of the pilea. The plant can tolerate short-term dryness than excessive moisture. Especially if the bays are combined with reduced heat indicators, then the leaf plates begin to fade and soon wither.
- How to fertilize saws? Any plant that is cultivated indoors requires top dressing, fertilizers for flower plants or liquid solutions for plants grown in rooms are used for saws. It is necessary to feed the flower from spring to the end of summer with weekly regularity, but with the arrival of autumn only once a month.
- Pruning a plant. Alas, you will have to accept that over time the saw becomes less and less decorative and grows quickly, so it must be pinched and trimmed regularly. In young plants, when pruning, you can use twigs for further propagation. But to form a beautiful type of bush, the shoots are pinched at the pilea, this will stimulate the development of dormant buds and the subsequent abundant branching.
- Sawing properties for home use. The plant helps to clean the room in which it is located with its phytoncidal properties. Some varieties, for example, Cadiera pilea can destroy the number of staphylococcal infections by 50–70%, and the monofilament pilea can even kill 60–70%. Also, the flower helps to absorb sounds and enriches the air with biogenic stimulating substances.
- Tips for replanting and choosing soil. In order to transplant the saw or change the pot, they try to choose the time during spring or summer days. The container should not be taken very deep, since the root system of the plant is relatively shallow. A good layer of drainage is placed in the pot (approximately 1/4 of the volume of the pot). It can be pebbles or fine-grained expanded clay. It is important that holes are made in the container for the outflow of excess non-assimilated moisture, the stagnation of which can provoke rotting of the roots.
The transplant substrate should have normal acidity at a pH of 5, 5–6, and also be sufficiently nutritious. It is recommended to take soil for decorative deciduous plants and lighten it with sand or perlite. For greater nutritional value, humus is mixed. You can make your own potting soil mixture based on the following ingredients:
- sod land, humus land, peat and river sand (all parts must be equal);
- leafy soil, peat soil, humus and coarse sand (in a ratio of 2: 1: 2: 1).
Recommendations for self-propagation of the pilea
You can get a young plant using cuttings or planting seeds.
For cutting cuttings, choose old shoots. The length of the branch should vary between 8-10 cm. The lower leaf plates are removed, and after that they are planted in a loose substrate (a mixture of sand and peat). The pot is covered with plastic wrap or a bag - this will keep the constantly increased moisture levels, but the plants should not touch it. You can also use a glass jar for this. Rooting the saw should be done in a warm place. It is necessary to regularly ventilate the planted branches and moisten the soil. After the stalk shows signs of growth, the bag can be removed, and after a week, the young plant is planted from a pot with a substrate for further growth. In order for the pilea bush to turn out to be lush, it is recommended to plant several plants in one container.
You can also wait for the roots by placing the cuttings in a vessel with water and wrapping them in plastic wrap. As soon as the root shoots appear, the twig is planted in a sand-peat mixture and wait for the plant to regrow a little, after which the container and soil are changed for constant growth. With seeds, some types of saws (for example, wrapped) can reproduce on their own - by shooting fruits around. They end up in their own pot or nearby containers with other plants. But in the conditions of rooms, seeds rarely ripen, but sometimes they can be bought in flower shops. Germination of seed material occurs according to standard rules:
- heat for rooting;
- the seeds are slightly covered with a substrate;
- a container with seedlings is placed under a hood or plastic bag.
It is necessary to regularly ventilate the planted plants, while moistening the soil, but it should be remembered that young growth will not survive with low air humidity and a waterlogged substrate.
Problems with pylaea cultivation, pest control
As soon as the conditions for keeping the plant (air humidity and temperature) are violated, it begins to be affected by harmful insects, mainly spider mites, scale insects or thrips. In any case, the plant signals this by yellowing and deformation of the leaf plates, and black dots or sticky plaque can be seen on them. The shrub is treated with soap, oil or alcohol solutions, and the pests are removed carefully by hand using a cotton swab dipped in the solution. To consolidate the effect and prevention, modern insecticidal agents are used - Actellik, Aktara, etc.
Among all the problems of growing, there are:
- strong drying out of the soil in the pot, raising the temperature above 27 degrees or lowering it below 12 will lead to deformation, wilting, drying and further foliage discharge;
- with excessive watering, the leaf plates will wither, blacken and crumble, and the stem will also begin to soften;
- excess lighting will lead to the fact that the leaves also become lethargic, turn pale to transparency;
- a lack of light will lead to the fact that the edge of the leaf plates will turn brown, and they will begin to dry out, the young leaves will decrease in size, and the stems will begin to stretch strongly;
- sunburns will lead to the appearance of yellow, and after brown spot on the leaf plates;
- the fall of the lower leaves is considered the norm and cuttings should be cut and a young plant should be grown.
Pilea types
- Thick-leaved saw (Pilea crassifolia). It is the most common indoor plant. Leaf plates of a reddish-green hue, the surface is covered with tubercles and some relief, along the edge there is a light kayomka, which, together with the rest, creates the impression of a precious product in a velvet frame, powdered with dust.
- Pilea Cadierei (Pilea cadierei). Sometimes it can be found under the name of the silver pilea or the Kadje pilea. The risk on the leaf blades of this plant is the most severe of all types of saws. The background of the leaf plates is dark green and has silvery stripes on it, which create such a stunning decorative effect. It greatly emphasizes the elliptical shape of the leaf. The plate is measured as 10x4 cm in length and width. Mature leaves have a glossiness that is enhanced by some bending of the plate. The height of the plant does not exceed 40 cm, the shoots are very thin, growing, they begin to lean towards the ground. There is a variety "Manima", it is a dwarf form of this species.
- Small-leaved saw (Pilea microphylla). Shoots are mostly drooping, covered with numerous small leaves. The leaf plates are somewhat fleshy and give the plant a "curly" look. The leaves are painted in a bright green shade and have some bulge in the middle, due to which the glossiness of the leaf only intensifies. Grown in flower pots.
- Monofilament saw (Pilea nummulariifolia). From the name it is clear that the leaf plates have a rounded shape and are distinguished by a delicate pale white-green tint. It is used because of drooping shoots as an ampelous culture.
- Wrapped saw (Pilea involucrata). This plant is famous for the green-bronze, copper or reddish sheen of the leaf plates. They just give off a metallic effect. The stem can reach up to 30 cm in height, the stems are straight, elliptical leaf plates, which grow up to 7 cm in length. Often this sawnet resembles a Byzantine chisel because of its rough leaf surface. They are painted in bright green, and a pattern of veins of a closely brown hue is outlined through it.
- Pilea spruce (Pilea spruceana). This plant is very similar to some kind of unusual reptile. Its height rarely exceeds 20 cm. The leaf plates are folded, with a matte surface, painted in a basic red-brown color. There are some notches along the edge of the leaf, and between the veins, the surface is painted with longitudinal stripes. Therefore, with an extraordinary glossy mother-of-pearl surface, this marble-like color gives the impression of a snake or lizard skin. The texture of this saw is expressive due to the bubbly appearance of the outgrowths. There is also a variety "Norfolk", in which the shoots have a drooping appearance of the stems, and the leaves are painted in a bright silvery-green tone (main) and penetrated with black or purple veins. This pattern further emphasizes the velvety texture of the surface, which is covered with wrinkles. On the reverse side, the leaf plates of this type of pilea are painted in a reddish tone.
- Creeping saw (Pilea repens). The bush of the plant reaches a height of no more than 25 cm, the shoots are creeping, the leaf plates are rounded, have a glossy surface. In length, they rarely exceed 2.5 cm, differ in some pubescence.
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