Description of the appearance of the plant, creation of conditions for the growth of netcreasia in a closed room, selection of soil and fertilizers, independent transplantation and reproduction. Setcreasea is included in the Commelin family, which sounds like Commelinaceae in Latin. It is very multiple, as it contains about 700 species of representatives of the green world. The homeland of this herbaceous bush is considered to be the highlands of Mexico or the southern regions of the North American continent. There are about 9 types of netcreasia. All plants are very decorative and share common characteristics. Due to the strange shade of the leaf plates, the names of the netcreasia are very diverse among the people - "purple heart", "purple queen" and it is even incomprehensible why "eternal Jew". Perhaps the last exotic, happened due to the fact that the bush can fill large areas with its shoots and spread quickly. The plant was described at the dawn of the 20th century (in 1907) by the botanist Edward Palmer, who singled out this plant as a separate genus.
For the most part, these are evergreen perennials that take on a herbaceous form of growth. The branches of the netcreasia are climbing, falling, so it can be grown as an ampelous culture. Also, the stems contain a certain amount of moisture, they can reach several meters in length, but in indoor conditions it is better when their length does not exceed 40 cm. The leaf plates are distinguished by a variety of violet shades, but they are mainly deep purple in color. Their shape is elongated with some sharpening at the top, the edge is all-edged. A rook-shaped leaf (broadly lanceolate) covers the stem with its base, and tufted hairs grow there. The surface of the leaves may have a slight pubescence, measuring 14–17 cm in length. The arrangement can be either spiral or two-row.
The flowering process takes time from mid-spring to all summer months. Inflorescences are collected in bunches at the tops of the shoots. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, they can be shaded with pinkish and whitish color. There are 3 petals in the bud, yellow stamens on long legs inside. In order for all new buds to appear, the faded ones must be removed immediately.
The growth rate of netcreasia is very high, up to 25–30 cm per year, but over time the plant will grow and should be rejuvenated. The plant needs much more space, since the same tradescantia. You can grow this unusual bush in a garden on a flower bed, but with the arrival of winter in our localities it is necessary to dig it up and move it indoors. Living compositions and phytowalls are arranged in the rooms from liana-like branches of the netcreasia, but you should be careful with the shoots, as they become fragile with age and break from contact.
Overview of requirements for keeping netcreasia indoors
- Lighting the plant requires bright enough. Unlike its cousin Tradescantia, which loves to grow in the shade, the netcreasia perfectly tolerates a certain amount of direct sunlight. If you place the plant in the shade or partial shade, then its leaf plates will quickly turn pale, and the stems will begin to stretch ugly. A prerequisite is considered to be at least 3 hours of bright sun, therefore it is advised to put a flowerpot with a plant on the windows of the southeast, southwest and naturally south orientation. Only on the hottest days of summer at lunchtime you can shade the light a little; for this, light curtains or gauze are used.
- Content temperature. For netcreasia, a normal room temperature is required - in the summer months it is 20-23 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn, the heat indices can be reduced to 12 degrees, and not lower than 10. If summer heat comes and the thermometer readings exceed 25 degrees, then the sheet plates will age very quickly. A decrease in indicators below 10 degrees threatens the death of leaves and stems. The room in which the purple bush is grown should be frequently ventilated. With the arrival of spring warmth and until autumn, it is recommended to arrange a netcreasia "vacation" with the removal of the pot to the open air on a balcony, terrace or garden, but with the arrival of cold weather, the plant is transferred to the room.
- Care moisture behind the netcreasia should be increased, although the plant is not demanding for this indicator. The "Purple Heart" tolerates the dry air of city apartments quite firmly under the conditions of central heating in the cold months of the year. But still, if you want your bush to grow abundantly and fluffy, then you should increase the humidity in the air by placing the pot in a deep container filled with expanded clay or chopped moss, and a little water is poured into it. It is important to control that the moisture level in the pan does not reach the bottom of the netcreasia pot. It is not required to spray the bush, since the leaf plates are pubescent, and moisture on them can lead to the appearance of a whitish spot, and then decay.
- To water the plant is necessary in the spring and summer months, 2 times a week. It is important to focus on the state of the soil in the pot - it cannot become dried out, but stagnation of water is extremely undesirable. With the arrival of autumn, moisture is reduced to once a week. It is recommended to keep the soil slightly damp between waterings. A prerequisite is humidification only with soft water at room temperature. To do this, you can filter tap water, boil a little and let it settle for a couple of days. Also, some growers use the harvested water after rain or get it from the melting snow during the winter months.
- Top dressing netcreasia are required in the spring-summer period once a week with liquid complex fertilizers for ornamental deciduous plants. If the frequency of top dressing is increased, the plant will grow very quickly, but the resulting stems will weaken and become fragile, and the leaf plates may lose their color. You can add organic matter, which is alternated with mineral fertilizers - mullein infusion is suitable. In winter, only as a last resort, top dressing is applied every two months if the plant shows signs of growth.
- Selection recommendations soil and replanting netcreasia. Florists with experience in growing indoor flowers advise changing the pot of a young netcreasia as it grows, it may even be twice a year. If the diameter of the plant pot has reached 25 cm, then the transplant is performed once every 2-3 years. However, over time, the shoots of the "purple heart" become bare and the bush loses its decorative properties, therefore, in the future, the netcreasia requires rejuvenation. The pots should be wider than they are high - this is characterized by the fact that the root system does not grow deeper into the soil. When transplanting, you can cut the shoots in half, then they should be used to get new netcreasia bushes. At the bottom of the container, you need to pour about 2 cm of moisture-retaining material, they are usually small expanded clay or pebbles. Also, holes are made in the pot for the drain of unabsorbed moisture.
The substrate used for transplanting must have sufficient nutritional properties, be light and loose, and allow moisture and air to pass through well. In principle, netcreasia is not picky and grows normally in any soil, therefore, for transplanting, they take universal soil for indoor plants, facilitate the addition of sand, and add compost or humus for nutritional value. It is recommended to make up a soil mixture of the following components:
- compost soil, coarse sand or perlite, turf soil (all parts are equal);
- sod land, leafy soil, humus or peat soil, river sand (all parts in equal proportions);
- heather soil, sod, leafy soil, compost (all in equal shares);
- leafy earth, humus, coarse sand (in proportions 2: 1: 1).
Tips for breeding netcreasia indoors
In this case, the pieces of shoots left after the planned trimming of the netcreasia are used. If desired, they can be rooted both in water and in soil. The apical stalk with a length of 6-10 cm is placed in a vessel with soft, warm water. Each of the rooted pieces must contain at least 3-4 leaf plates. The bottom leaf should be removed before planting or installation in water. If it is planted in a substrate, then it is prepared on the basis of sand and peat. It is not worth covering the cuttings with anything; it is not recommended to place the container with cuttings in direct sunlight. The rooting temperature should be moderate (20-23 degrees), otherwise the cuttings will not take root. After the twigs show signs of growth, they are transplanted into hotel pots with soil, suitable for further growth. 3-4 branches should be planted in a container so that in the future a lush bush will turn out.
Possible difficulties in growing netcreasia
If the conditions of detention are violated, a spider mite, aphid, scabbard and whitefly are affected. When the netcreasia is affected by the first pest, it is detected by the thin cobweb formed on the leaves and stems, the aphid is manifested by the presence of small green bugs and deformed leaves. When a scabbard is affected, brownish dots or tubercles appear on the back of the leaf plates, and if a whitefly appears, then small dots are completely white. If you do not take any action, soon the whole plant will be covered with small flies of a whitish hue, which immediately heave from the slightest touch of the shoots or stems of the netcreasia.
To combat these pests, oil, soap and alcohol solutions are used - it is necessary to wet a cotton swab with them and wipe the leaves and stems of the plant. After most of the pests have been removed by hand, it is recommended to treat the bush with modern insecticides. The treatment is repeated after 4–5 days to provide additional prophylaxis.
Of the diseases in meshcreasia, gray rot and black leg are distinguished. The first is characterized by the appearance of a gray-brown bloom on the leaves and stems, which is caused by the Botrytis fungus and to combat it is necessary to remove the affected parts of the plant, to level the irrigation regime so that the soil does not become waterlogged in any case, to treat the bush with 1% Bordeaux liquid, to process it with copper-soap mortar and sprinkle with ash. Modern fungicides can be used. The black leg manifests itself by darkening part of the stem at the root of the bush. This subsequently leads to thinning, constriction of the branch, decay and its death. To combat this disease, it is necessary to remove the affected areas with a part of the soil so that the infection does not spread further, and to carry out the treatment with copper sulfate, potassium permanganate.
When growing meshcreasia, the following problems arise:
- drying of the tops of the leaf plates can occur due to the increased temperature of the content, too dry air in the room or high intensity of illumination;
- if new leaves grow small, and the growth of netcreasia began to slow down, then this indicates a lack of nutrients;
- with excessive moisture, stem rot may begin;
- branches stretch out in insufficient light, and the purple color of the leaves also disappears and they become just green;
- over time, the shoots are strongly stretched and bare in too old plants - this process is natural and is not considered a problem if the conditions of detention are fully observed, in order to slow down their growth a little, you can withstand slightly low temperatures at night.
Types of meshcreasia
- Green setcreasia (Setcreasea viridis). Herbaceous perennial, characterized by climbing shoots that fall to the ground, watery creeping along the surface of the soil. Elongated leaf plates with a pointed apex, delicate with a pale green background and pistachio shimmer. The leaf covers the stem with a boat-like bed at the base. The edge of the leaf plate has a light pubescence in the form of small cilia. The hairs in the form of clumps grow at the beginning of the leaf. The entire surface of the leaves is riddled with subtle veins. At the ends of the branches, small whitish flowers are collected in bunches. Like all netcreasia, it is unpretentious, but over time, you will have to prune the stems in spring and grow the bush again. In hot summer, the room where the pot with the plant is located requires frequent ventilation; in winter, the content may be drier.
- Setcreasea striata hort. A plant characterized by a herbaceous form of growth. It can be grown for several years, but you will have to prune the stems with the arrival of the spring months or grow the netcreasia again from cuttings. Creeping branches, slightly raised above the ground surface. The leaf plates are arranged in succession on the stem, covering it with their base. They are not large in size, the base is rounded, in the form of a boat at the top there is a slight sharpening. The edge of the leaf plate is one-piece, smooth, the surface is soft, velvety to the touch, which is created by very small villi. The upper side of the leaf is bronze-green with longitudinal whitish stripes in the amount of 3-4 units, the lower one casts a mauve tone. The flowers are also purple in color. This species is distinguished by a low growth rate, in contrast to other varieties of netcreasia. When growing it, it is recommended to pinch the tops of the shoots. The pot with the plant should be installed in well-lit and warm rooms, only in this case its color is fully manifested to the proper extent. Winter maintenance should be carried out with heat indicators of 12-14 degrees and reduced watering, and with the arrival of March it is worth more watering.
- Setcreasia purple (Setcreasea purpurea Boom). The stems of this variety of netcreasia are slightly raised, but still droop to the ground. Pubescence is present both on the shoots and on the leaf blades. Their surface is purple on top with an admixture of green tint, and on the underside they are purple. The color of the buds is pinkish, pale lilac. This species is very fond of bright lighting, if it is not enough, then the shoots will become ugly lengthen and the distance between the leaf plates will grow, the color of the leaves will turn green, not purple. Requires high humidity with heat indicators of 16-18 degrees of content.
- Pale setcreasia (Setcreasea pallida). The stems of the plant can reach a meter in length, but more often reach up to 40-50 cm. The leaf plates are elongated-lanceolate with measurements of 10-18 cm in length and only 3-4 cm wide. At the top, the leaf plate has a very slight sharpening, the main shade is purple purple, but on the upper side a bluish tone. Inflorescences consist of a small number of small flowers of white-purple color, have bracts of short length. This variety is highly decorative, loves intense lighting very much, since the color intensity directly depends on this. Basically, it is customary to cultivate it in warm greenhouses, winter gardens and other rooms.
How to propagate purpurea netcreasia by cuttings:
