Description of plant signs, tips for growing cyperus, general rules for transplanting and reproduction, difficulties in cultivation, facts, varieties. Cyperus (Cyperus) is one of the large genera belonging to the family of Sedge (Cyperaceae), which also includes about 600 species of representatives of the green world of the planet. It can also be found under the names Syt or Sitovnik. Cyperus would call his homeland the tropical regions of the African continent, as well as those areas of the globe where there are moist and warm (tropical) forests. He likes to settle in swampy lands with a lot of moisture in the soil.
"Gift of the river" this name was given by the Egyptians to Cyperus, for a passion for wetlands. In the natural environment, this herbaceous representative is able to arrange very dense thickets, reaching 3-5 meters in height. However, there are also representatives of the genus, which are considered real "babies" with a height of only up to half a meter.
Cyperus are both perennials and annuals and, as mentioned above, with a herbal form of growth. Their shape is very similar to each other - these are long flowering stems, on which whorled leaf plates are located on the tops. The stem itself is triangular, rather long, erect. The distance between nodes and internodes is very close. Leaves of a linear shape are sessile when moving away from the nodes and form a whorl in the form of an umbrella, their length can reach meter indicators. The color of the leaf plates of this umbrella rosette is light greenish, and the leaves are different in length and in it they diverge in rays.
Cyperus flowers are delicate milky-greenish. They are pollinated by the wind. The flowering process extends from mid-spring to September and directly depends on the variety of feed. After flowering, fruitlets in the form of small nuts or brownish spikelets similar to cereals can form.
The rhizomes are creeping, or with a shortened form, or even devoid of it. In some species, tuberous fusiform root processes grow. Sitnik is one of the few plants that cannot be poured when growing in a room, so it is easy to cultivate even an inexperienced grower.
It is most often used by decorators when it comes to decorating a very shaded room or decorating an aquarium.
Cyperus agrotechnics, home care
- Lighting and location. Even though this marsh dweller spends his life in direct sunlight indoors, it is worth growing it in bright but diffused lighting. If you put the pot on a south-facing window, you will need shading from noon to 4 pm. Window sills of eastern, western and northern windows are suitable, but remember that it will take at least 4 hours of direct, non-scorching sun to get enough. And in winter it is necessary to carry out additional lighting so that the amount of daylight hours is equal to 8 hours.
- The temperature of the content of cyperus. The plant will be able to feel comfortable at room temperature. In summer, they should vary from 18 to 25 degrees, and with the arrival of winter, they can be reduced to 16-18 degrees, but lowering the heat is not recommended for the plant below 14. Although in natural conditions, the rush tolerates indicators within the range of 0-2 degrees, however, such content is not recommended for domestic plants. If the feed is grown at room temperatures in the autumn-winter period, then good supplementary lighting will be required, and at low temperatures, it is necessary to greatly reduce watering.
- Air humidity. This moisture-loving representative of the green world will need to withstand high levels of moisture in the air, approximately 70-75%. It is necessary to regularly spray the leaves of cyperus and arrange shower procedures, washing off the dust from the leaf plates. Spraying is carried out even during winter. Of course, you will have to increase the humidity in all available ways: put vessels filled with water next to the plant; use air humidifiers; take a deep and wide pallet, pour expanded clay at its bottom or lay chopped sphagnum moss, pour a small amount of water.
- Watering cyperus. It is required to moisten the plant abundantly, but you should not arrange a "swamp" in a pot, since, being in its natural environment, the root system has time to dry out from above. In order not to overdo it with soil moisture, you can perform "bottom watering" - when a certain amount of soft and warm water is poured into the pan. Syt will take as much moisture as it needs.
- Fertilizing the rump. To make the plant feel comfortable, complex mineral dressings for indoor plants are applied from the beginning of spring to September. The regularity of fertilization once every two weeks. The dosage should be reduced by one third. With the arrival of the winter months, fertilizer is added only 1-2 times.
- Transplantation and choice of substrate. An important property is that you can transplant feed at any time of the year, if necessary. When the plant is young, this operation is carried out annually, and with age, the fully mastered substrate by the root system of cyperus serves as a signal for a change in capacity. In the pot, drainage must be poured, which will take a quarter of the container volume, since the plant in its natural environment is under constant flooding, drainage will ensure the constant presence of air bubbles near the root processes. Upper drainage is also necessary, since in the natural environment the roots of the plant are in the water, and the upper part of the soil is in the sun and blown by the winds. The capacity is selected deeper than wide.
The soil for replanting is selected with a weakly acidic or alkaline reaction, pH 5–8, 5. The soil must have nutritional properties. The soil mixture is composed of the following components:
- peat bog soil, humus, bog silt (maintaining a ratio of 1: 1: 1/6);
- clay-sod land, leafy soil, peat, river sand (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1).
Experienced flower growers recommend adding crushed charcoal, brick chips sifted from dust, or crushed eggshell to the composition of the substrate. The plant can be successfully grown on hydroponic material.
Self-breeding tips for Cyperus
It is possible to get a new cyperus by sowing seeds, planting small young rosettes, cutting or dividing the bush.
In the first case, it is necessary to plant seed in bowls with a soil mixture based on sand and peat (you can take leafy soil) in a ratio of 1: 2. After that, the soil is slightly sprinkled with water, and the container with the seedlings is wrapped in plastic wrap or placed under a piece of glass. It is regularly required to humidify with warm soft water and, most importantly, maintain the temperature within 18 degrees. As soon as a pair of real leaves appear on the seedlings, it is worth planting in separate containers with 7 cm in diameter, 3 pieces each. The soil is mixed on the basis of leafy soil, sod and river sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. After that, the planted young Cyperuses are watered abundantly and not placed in bright sunlight. After several months, another pot change is carried out and its diameter is increased by 2 cm, the number of plants in the container is also increased. The soil mixture is made up in proportions of 1: 2: 1 of coarse-grain sand, top sod and peat.
When leaf rosettes appear on the plant in the center of the old ones, they need to be cut off, capturing part of the stem. After that, you need to plant it in a container with moistened sand. It is recommended to provide bottom heating of the soil with a heat index of 20 degrees, but not more than 24. Some growers do not separate this young rosette with leaf plates from the whole bush of nourishment. The stem is simply tilted and the rosette is immersed in a vessel of water. When this formation has a sufficient number of roots, then it should be separated from the parent specimen and transplanted into a separate container.
With the arrival of spring, reproduction of cyperus with the help of cuttings is possible. The upper part of the stem is cut off, which must be cut under the last whorl knot. For cut feed cuttings, the leaf surface area must be reduced by 2/3 right before planting. The stalk is planted in a container with a diameter of 7 cm with moistened sand.
When the rhizome is transplanted, it is possible to carry out a division operation by dividing its rhizome. It is important that the bush is more than 2 years old. For this, a well-sharpened and disinfected knife is used. Places of cuts should be sprinkled with activated or charcoal crushed into powder, planting in separate containers with a substrate suitable for further growth.
The growth rate of the saty is very high, as a result of their indefatigable growth, they can literally plunder the pot with their roots.
Problems in the cultivation of cyperus
Most often, the following troubles arising during cultivation are distinguished:
- If there is not enough light, then the leaves begin to shrink and lose their green tint.
- When the humidity of the air decreases or the amount of moisture is not enough, then the leaf plates become yellow or brown in color and their tops dry out.
- If the humidity drops and temperatures remain high, the tips of the leaves will dry out as well.
- When the pot for cyperus becomes small, as well as when the soil is depleted or the room is too dark, then with the advent of the growing season, growth does not start or is greatly inhibited.
- The leaves are covered with a light dry spot if the bush was in direct sunlight and the leaves were sunburned.
- When the soil was too heavy, there was an excess of fertilizer in the substrate, or with high soil moisture, the temperature was low enough, the plant reacts by deformation of the leaves, they become soft and their edges are covered with brown spots.
The main harm to the rump is brought by thrips, spider mites, whiteflies, mealybugs. Symptoms that accompany the defeat are:
- punctures on the edge of the leaves;
- their deformation and yellowing;
- the appearance of a thin cobweb on the back of the plate or in internodes;
- whitish dots on the underside of the leaf and subsequently the appearance of small white midges;
- formations in the form of cotton lumps on the leaves or in internodes, as well as covering them with a sticky sugary bloom.
In such cases, cyperus is treated with folk remedies: soap, oil or alcohol solution. If non-chemical agents have not brought a positive result, then insecticide spraying is performed.
Interesting facts about Cyperus
Cyperus possesses a great power of energy, which first rises up and then descends in a wave downward, which resembles streams of water in a fountain. Such a wave-like energy field helps a person maintain vigor of body and spirit, helps to take for granted the dynamic changes of events around him, orients to active communication. But at the same time, the plant will help to avoid empty and empty conversations, not to spend its time in idleness. Most of all, energy experts advise installing a pot of food in those rooms where students, students or scientists live, as well as people associated with information flows, since with its help information is acquired on the fly and knowledge is always ready for updates.
In Egypt, it is customary to make baskets and mats from the stems of the herb, but the rhizome of the grass is often eaten. In ancient times, even papyri were made from satiety stalks. This species - papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) is considered endangered today.
Due to the dense cyperus thickets that can clog any vegetation in some countries, this plant is considered an invasive (alien plant in a particular environment) weed. Sitnik is also actively used for medical purposes. If you insist the leaves of cyperus in water, then this remedy can be used for stomach pains. It also helps if it is necessary to improve the blood circulation in the brain, or to raise the level of vision. It can eliminate frequent and prolonged headaches, stop insomnia.
Cyperus species
Of all the variety of species indoors, only three varieties can be grown.
Cyperus is another (Cyperus alternifolius). It can be found under the name Umbellifera cyperus. The homeland of this type of food is the territory of the island of Madagascar. Likes to settle on the banks of river arteries, has been cultivated since 1893. It is a perennial, has a rhizome. A herbaceous plant that forms rosettes of evergreen foliage. Reaches heights of 1, 5–1, 7 m. The stem is triangular or rounded, green in color, upright, slender, with a bare surface.
A rosette in the shape of a crown is formed from the leaf plates at the top of the stems, the leaves of a linear appearance hanging down to the ground are alternate. They reach a length of 25 cm and a width of 0.5–1 cm.
Flowering occurs with inconspicuous flowers, from which spike-shaped inflorescences are collected, flattened on the sides. Their usual location is in the leaf axils at the ends of the stems. The flowering process takes the whole year. If the conditions of care are favorable, then in adult specimens from the center of the outlet, small rosettes begin to grow, with the help of which vegetative reproduction can be carried out.
There are the following varieties:
- Cyperus graceful (Cyperus Gracillis), plant of lower height and with smaller leaf plates.
- Cyperus Variegatus, the stems are completely white, and the leaves are covered with white stripes.
- Cyperus Zumula, the leaf plates are very long and can exceed the length of the stem itself, which makes it look like a fountain.
- Cyperus papyrus. It was this species that was actively used on the territory of Egypt in ancient times, and even now there are dense thickets on the banks of the Nile. The size of the plant exceeds the previous species (the height of the stems reaches 3 m), it is an evergreen herb with a rhizome and a long growing period. Due to its large size, it is rarely grown indoors. Rosettes with hanging long leaves are formed at the tops of the stems. Flowering occurs in April-July. Inflorescences are formed from the leaf sinuses, which are located on thin pedicels, the number of flowers in them sometimes reaches a hundred. In central Russia, several varieties of rump grows, with their appearance resembling sedge, which is a marsh plant of low height.
- Spreading Cyperus (Cyperus diffusus). Homeland are areas of the world where a tropical climate prevails. This rump in its appearance most of all resembles a small palm of small height. The stems are stretched only up to indicators from 60 cm to 90 cm in height. There are quite a lot of leaves, and if they begin their growth in the root section of the shoot, then their width is equal to 0, 4–1, 4 cm in length of sufficient length. And if they grow in the upper part of the stems, then their length is 10–35 cm with a width of 1, 2 cm. Their number varies from 6 to 12 units.
You will learn more useful information about cyperus and its cultivation from this video:
