Consideration of the signs and types of syngonium, conditions for growing, recommendations for watering, transplanting and feeding, possible problems during cultivation. The Syngonium Schott belongs to the Araceae family, which includes about 3000 species of monocotyledonous plants. Its homeland is considered to be the regions of central and southern America, where the syngonium grows like a liana, releasing multiple aerial root shoots, that is, it is an epiphyte leading an airy lifestyle and living on other plants. In the Latin translation, "syngonium" means a united ovule, since "syn" is translated as - united, cleavage, and "gone" is a seed by them, a bud. This explains the development of the vine in the best way possible - in conditions of natural growth, after the syngonium has been fertilized, the embryos of its seeds are reborn in the ovary, they are very reliably protected by the walls of the flower carpels.
The plant is a perennial with an evergreen deciduous mass that does not fall off the stems and does not change its color throughout the year, unless they are affected by negative environmental conditions. The minimum period that an ordinary perennial plant grows is two years, while the syngonium, if decent conditions for growth are created for it, can delight not only the owners, but also their grandchildren.
Lianas of this species are distinguished by powerful growth, the stems of the syngonium are long, thin and they almost do not branch. In cross-section, the shoots can be both round and oval. The root system of the bush is very interesting, as it consists of 3 types of roots:
- the roots that are under the surface of the soil and provide nutrition for the plant are fibrous, differ in length and thickness, they have rare lateral root processes;
- stem roots that form under each node are also divided into two subspecies - those that help the stems to hold and climb up (there are usually two of them) and one that serves to feed the branch along its entire length.
In a plant that has been growing for a long time, the length of the shoot can reach from 10 m to 20 m, but its thickness is mainly 1–2 cm, in extreme cases it reaches 6 cm in diameter. The nodes are widely spaced along the branch and are somewhat convex. Leaf plates are placed in sequential order on the shoot, vaginal and attached to long petioles. The surface of the leaf is shiny, leathery; in some species, the veins show through well. Almost the entire leaf plate is covered with a beautiful pattern of a network of veins, at some distance from the edge of the leaf there is a common main vein, originating at the base and continuing to the very top, and the lateral veins, as it were, flow into it, without reaching the very edge of the leaf plate.
An interesting fact is that in a plant, leaf plates change their shape with age. When the syngonium is still young, then they are in the form of arrows (oval-spear-shaped outlines) and are located on a straight petiole, have a bright color. Over time, when the shoots lengthen and they need support, the lobes begin to clearly appear on the leaves, and each variety can have a wide variety of leaf plate shapes. Usually, a classification of the form is adopted according to the following subspecies:
- Syngonium, the leaf is divided into three (maybe more) equal parts (shares);
- Corbatum, the shape of the leaf plate is spear-shaped, oblong-oval or ovoid, in the lower part of the petiole the leaf is well developed, and the preceding part (lobe) has some compression at the base;
- Oblongatum, in this cultivar the lower share is practically not expressed, and the leaf shape is oblong-elliptical;
- Pinnatilobum, mature leaves of this species are pinnate and only one representative of Syngonium steyarmarkii has them.
Indoors, syngonium usually does not bloom and is grown as an ornamental-deciduous culture; in natural nature, it forms cob-shaped inflorescences on a vertical flowering stem, in which small flowers, light cream, are collected. The cob-like inflorescence is usually surrounded by a veil with a leathery leaf in structure. Before the beginning of flowering, which occurs at the end of spring and the beginning of summer days, this leaf “cover” is strongly folded and may have a specific constriction. As soon as flowering begins, the leaf-cover unfolds, but its lower part remains wrapped around the inflorescence, and the upper one blooms and forms something like a bowl or a sail in the form of a hemisphere behind the ear-inflorescence. At this time, the cover leaf becomes whitish, while in the folded state it was pale green. As for the influence of the plant on energy and ecology:
- Ecology of the room. When growing syngonium, flower growers note an improvement in the microclimate in the rooms where the pot with the plant is located. Since the deciduous mass of the syngonium is very large, it fills the dwelling with oxygen, ozone, and also air ions. Helps to clean the room from impurities that have got into the air from chipboards, plastics, various chemicals, etc. Ozone has a very beneficial effect on the state of the air - it becomes fresher. It is also capable of increasing the effect of ozone on air ions, even if there are very few of them in the air (<1 milligram per 1 m3). If you put two pots with syngoniums in a room of approximately 16 m2, then the air in terms of purity and freshness will become similar to mountain air.
- Vibes this plant is very strong, they help people completely change their aura, transforming the negative and passive energy of a person into light, suitable for creativity and creation. Also, the syngonium will help to replenish the depleted forces of the body.
Attention! The plant is poisonous, as it contains, like all representatives of the Aroid family, milky sap in its parts, the ingress of which on the mucous membranes threatens with burns and irritations.
Overview of requirements for growing syngonium
- Lighting. The plant can feel great, both in soft diffused lighting and in the shade. The sun's rays hitting directly on the leaf plates in the hottest hours of the day can cause burns, so it is worth installing in rooms with windows facing south the plant a little further from the light or arranging some shading using light fabric curtains or making gauze curtains. Sometimes some growers stick paper or tracing paper on the glass. If you remove the variegated bush in the shade, then its color will disappear, and the leaf plates will become just a green hue, but for varieties with an emerald color, you can choose places with a greater shadow. If this is not maintained, then the leaves will wither from the lack of light, and from the excess they will turn pale. In winter, it is necessary to arrange supplementary lighting with special phytolamps, since if there is not enough illumination, then the shoots will become strongly stretched and bare. Therefore, it is recommended to install the syngonium pot on the windows of the east or west direction.
- Content temperature for a plant should be in the range of 20-25 degrees throughout the year. However, with the arrival of the winter months, it is possible to lower the heat indicators to 12 degrees. Also, some of the varieties can withstand a short-term stay at 10 degrees Celsius without damage, but this is the maximum minimum. None of the syngonium species will be able to develop normally when they are close to heating appliances or when located above central heating radiators.
- Air humidity when growing syngonium. Since the plant is a full-fledged inhabitant of tropical territories, then these conditions must be created for it indoors. During the summer heat, frequent spraying of the leaf mass is required, and you can also wipe the leaves with a damp cloth or sponge. For spraying, the water should be soft at room temperature. If the syngonium is in the autumn-winter period next to central heating batteries, then you can put vessels with liquid near it or install a pot with a deep container filled with expanded clay or pebbles at the bottom; chopped sphagnum moss is also used. Having poured some water into it, a saucer is placed on the material in the pallet and a pot is placed on it - this will help prevent the water from touching the bottom of the flowerpot, and root decay from waterlogging does not begin.
- To water syngonium is necessary very abundantly, since it is distinguished by its high moisture absorption. It is recommended to determine the time for moistening by the state of the substrate in the pot - when the soil is already dry at the top, then it is time to water your vine. It is important to track when the water drains into the pot holder, then immediately remove it - stagnant water will have a very negative effect on the plant and can lead to rotting of the stem base. With the arrival of winter, watering significantly reduces, but does not allow the soil in the pot to dry out. Water for irrigation is used only softened and with a temperature of about 20-23 degrees. If there is no such water, then you should boil the water from the tap, previously passed through the filter. Then she is allowed to settle for several days, this will be a guarantee that no harmful impurities and salts will remain there. Also, flower growers collect rainwater or in winter they get melted water from the snow.
- Fertilizers for syngonium choose suitable for decorative deciduous houseplants. You can take a complex fertilizer and fertilize twice a month during spring-summer, but with the arrival of autumn and during the winter days, fertilizing is reduced to once a month. There should be more nitrogen in these solutions than calcium.
- Transplanting and soil selection. When the syngonium is still very young, then the pot and soil will have to be changed every year with the arrival of the spring months, but with the growth of the plant, this procedure is performed less and less, and reaches once every 3-4 years. And they simply transship an adult bush without destroying the earthen coma. The pot should be chosen most of just a few centimeters in diameter and height, although there is evidence that the syngonium loves flat containers. Several holes are made in the bottom for water drainage. On the bottom, it is mandatory to pour a layer of about 2 cm of fine-grained expanded clay or pebbles, but make sure that the size of the material is such that it does not fall out through the drain holes and clog them, otherwise it threatens with moisture stagnation.
The soil for growing syngonium should be taken light and loose, with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction (pH 6-7). You can buy a mixture for aroid plants or vines, or make the composition of the substrate yourself. Several possible options for the soil mixture are given:
- leafy soil, peat soil, humus, river sand (all parts are equal);
- sod, leafy soil, peat, coarse sand (1: 1: 1: 0, 5).
Enrich the substrate with pieces of charcoal, chopped pine bark, well-crushed brick or bone meal.
Recommendations for the reproduction of syngonium in room conditions
You can get a new syngonium bush with the help of cut off branches (cuttings) or pieces of stems.
When the shoot is divided, they make sure that there is a bud ("eye") on the piece. Rooting will take place at a heat of 24-26 degrees. The shoot is laid horizontally in a box with moistened soil and sprinkled with soil a little. After a sufficient number of roots appears, the shoots are planted in separate pots with 7-9 cm in diameter. The soil can be taken the same as for growing adult specimens. Next, you need to put the seedlings in a greenhouse at a constant temperature of 18-20 degrees. Young syngoniums should not be in direct sunlight and should be regularly sprayed, especially in summer. Watering at high temperatures should be abundant. In order for the bush to form more lush and branch, then pinch it under the 6th leaf.
Also used for propagation by cuttings. You should choose a shoot with a length of at least 8-10 cm, so that it has aerial roots and at least one knot. They must be immediately planted in moist soil and looked after like adult syngoniums. This method is the easiest and fastest. You can also wait for the roots to appear on the cutting if you put it in water. After the root shoots are formed in sufficient quantity and length, the twig is planted in a prepared pot with moist soil.
Possible pests and difficulties in growing syngonium
Problems usually occur with a plant if the conditions for its maintenance have been violated, among them are:
- elongated stems, pallor of the color of the leaf plates indicate insufficient illumination;
- leaves covered with dry brown spots indicate sunburn;
- if the growth of the syngonium slowed down, and the leaves were crushed and began to turn yellow, then this is due to a lack of nutrition, or the pot became small for the plant or the soil was depleted;
- if the air roots and ends of the leaf plates began to dry out, then this was caused by the low humidity of the air in the room;
- if the soil in the pot is wet and the leaves begin to wither, then this indicates rotting of the root system due to abundant watering.
Syngonium can be affected by a spider mite, scabbard or mealybug. To combat these pests, a shower is arranged for the plant with a water temperature of 45 degrees. Then, manually using a cotton swab dipped in solutions of soap and water (you can make an oil composition) or alcohol-containing mixtures (tincture of calendula, for example), they remove the pests by wiping the leaves and stems. After that, you can carry out the treatment with modern insecticides for the prevention and consolidation of the result.
Types of syngonium
There are many types of this beautiful liana-like plant, but only the most common are given:
- Syngonium podophyllum, also found under the name Syngonium podophilous. The homeland is considered to be the territory from the Mexican states to Bolivia. This species is especially loved among flower growers because of its changeable leaves, which at a young age are comparable to arrows, and with growing up the plants acquire stop-like-separate outlines. In young specimens, the leaf length is 7–13 cm, and in adult representatives, the number of segments varies from 3 to 11 units, in the lower part of the lobes are auricular, and the central part is broadly elliptical or obovate, with a length of 16–38 cm. petioles in length reach 60 cm.
- Syngonium auritum (Syngonium auritum)may also be referred to as endemic to Honduras. The leaf plate of this grade also has the feature of changing its shape. Young leaves are in the form of arrows, and adults - with triple segmentation, with small auricles at the base of the leaf. Here, the central lobe is ovate-elongated and unequal, measurements vary in length from 6 to 21 cm, with a width of 3–11 cm. Leaves are attached to the petioles about 30–40 cm long.
- Syngonium wendlandii grows in areas of Costa Rica. Liana-like plant with leafy plates of a velvety surface, dark emerald shade, in the middle of which a silvery-white central vein is formed. The shape is similar to the ear syngonium. The central lobe reaches 10 cm in length, and parts of 5 cm are measured on the sides. The petioles on which the leaves grow reach 30 cm.
More about syngonium in this video:
