Descriptive characteristics of the plant, advice on growing fasicularia, recommendations for independent reproduction, difficulties in cultivation, curious notes, species.
How to propagate fasicularia on your own?
Like many representatives of the Bromeliad family, this plant over time, next to the maternal leaf rosette, has daughter formations - children. Such babies are usually found in the axils of the lower leaves. Such young plants begin to grow, when the mother specimen has bloomed or immediately after the end of this process. But do not rush to separate the young outlets, since they live on the juices and nutrients of the fasicular mother.
When the height of such new formations reaches half the height of the adult rosette, or their own root processes are formed and well developed on them, then when transplanting an old specimen, separation can be performed. Also, the signal for this process is the death of the mother's leaf outlet. In this case, you can choose one of the ways: cut off the children separately, or leave them spliced, and remove the dead parent fasicularia.
Often, when transplanting, it is advised to divide an overgrown bush. They try to reproduce during the spring days. The separation operation is carried out using a disinfected sharpened knife. It is recommended to sprinkle slices of cuttings for disinfection with powder from crushed charcoal or activated carbon. Then the cut will have to be dried a little, since liquid may ooze from the cut for some time - usually up to two days are allocated for this time. Then, planting is carried out in pre-prepared pots, filled first with a drainage layer, and then with a suitable substrate. The temperature during rooting of such divisions is maintained at about 27 degrees. In this case, it is recommended to carry out regular spraying of plants with warm, settled water.
Pests and diseases of fasicularia
If the above-described rules for keeping this bromeliad are regularly violated, then "attacks" of pests are possible, of which there are:
- Shield. The insect can be distinguished by tiny shiny plaques of brownish color, which are located on the back of the leaf plate or in the middle of the leaf rosette, it is not uncommon for a sticky sugary bloom, which is the waste products of insects (it is called paddy).
- Mealybug. This insect is easily visible due to the formation of whitish cotton-like lumps, which are mostly located on the back of the leaves and in internodes, as well as the pad, which will soon cover the fasicularia, if measures are not taken.
- Aphids. This pest is familiar to many, and looks like small green bugs that stick around the trunk and leaves of the plant, leaving behind the same sugary sticky coating.
If the above symptoms are identified, which subsequently lead to yellowing and death of the leaves of the plant, it is required to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations of a wide spectrum of action.
However, if the fasicularia is kept in a room where the temperature readings fluctuate sharply and the humidity is too high, then there is a loss of decorative qualities, since the plant slows down its growth.
Curious notes on fasicularia
When you want to achieve the fruits of this representative of the Bromeliad family, you will have to pollinate yourself using a soft-bristled brush. It is necessary with its help to gently transfer pollen from one flower to another.
The plant is quite unpretentious, and since its life will last until flowering passes, it will not lose its decorative qualities throughout this period, on the contrary, as the rosette grows and grows, its decorativeness will increase.
Types of fasicularia
- Fasicularia bicolor (Fascicularia bicolor) the most popular variety among florists. A closed rosette is assembled by means of rigid leaf plates, which allows the plant to perfectly adapt to changes in external growing conditions. The dimensions of the rosette in diameter can reach 60 cm with a total height of about half a meter. The herbaceous stem contributes to this. The leaves are colored green; there are often bent teeth along the edge. However, such a thorny decoration is completely harmless and you can put the plant without fear in any room, even in the nursery. The length of the leaf plate can reach 50 cm. During flowering, when the flowering stem begins to grow, the leaves in the center of the rosette become a shocking fluorescent red color, which looks very impressive due to the contrast of scarlet and green shades. In addition to this, there is an inflorescence, collected from pale blue flowers, which are surrounded by creamy beige bracts with a serrated edge. The flower measures 3-4 cm across. Inside there are yellow-colored stamens with anthers. The peduncle has a shield-like spherical shape, the arrow is rather short in size. Fruits are ovoid, covered with scales. Small seeds germinate quite difficult, so most often you can find ready-made plants in stores. In order for them to reach sizes that are comparable to natural values, it is recommended to provide a lot of space around. It comes from Chile and is frost-resistant up to -20 degrees. In nature, it can form dense clumps.
- Fascicularia andina this species is also called Fascicularia bicolor. It is a rosette land plant, somewhat similar in shape to pineapple. Perennial, which has parameters in height of about 45 cm with a total diameter of 60 cm. The leaf plates are thin, their edge is surrounded by prickly teeth, the surface of the leaf is hard, it is painted in medium saturation or bright green color. The length of each leaf can reach 50 cm. On the reverse side there is a coating of brown scales. As soon as flowering begins, the foliage in the center takes on a dark red color, as if it were being painted from a spray can of paint. The inflorescence is corymbose, dense, consisting of light blue tubular flowers. Usually there are three petals in each, which are tightly folded and overlap each other. The length of the flower reaches 4 cm. They are surrounded by bracts with a shade of ivory. The flowering process occurs in the summer months.
- Fascicularia pitcairniifolia rosette plant, a perennial that grows on the surface of the soil, its appearance resembles a pineapple. In height and in diameter, its parameters reach a meter. The leaf plates are covered with a grayish bloom, which is why their color becomes medium green. On average, the length of each leaf is also 100 cm. There are short, wide, brown thorns along the edge. Over time, as the plant matures, the foliage becomes bare, and whitish scales are present on the underside. Above the leaf there are noticeable grayish-white sheaths that stand out well on a smooth surface. Sometimes a brownish scaly coating may form on the back. Just like in other varieties, from the beginning of flowering, the leaves in the center of the rosette acquire a bright red hue, and around the inflorescence they become like such a "collar". The thyroid-shaped inflorescence is collected from tubular blue or bright purple flowers. Their length can vary from 4 to 6 cm. Flowering occurs in the summer.
