Descriptive characteristics of sparmania, care advice: location, watering, transplanting and more, recommendations, pest and disease control, notes, species. Sparmannia is a plant belonging to the Tiliaceae family. The native habitat of this exotic species falls on the lands of South Africa and the islands of Madagascar. There, this representative of the flora can be found in the South African tropics and humid forests of the subtropical climate. There are up to seven varieties in the genus, but when grown in rooms, only Sparmannia africana has gained popularity.
The plant bears its scientific name thanks to a scientist from Sweden who studied botany and natural sciences - Andres Sparrman (1748-1820). In addition, this prominent scientist was engaged in ornithology (the science of birds), had a medical practice and was one of the students of the taxonomist of the whole world of flora and fauna, known at that time - Karl Linnaeus. Sparrman in the 18th century quite often went on expeditions to the African continent, to China and the islands of Oceania. In indoor floriculture, for the shape of its leaves, the plant is called "room linden", and because of the gentle flowering it is called "room mallow".
Sparmania is a perennial shrub or tree. In the first case, being located near waterways, the plant can reach from 3 to 6 meters in height, but when cultivated in room conditions, these parameters do not exceed two-meter indicators. "Indoor sticky" is famous for its high intensity of growth and in a year its shoots can grow in length up to 45–50 cm. With good care, the stems are woody over time and stretch up to 2 meters.
The crown of the plant is evergreen and is not very decorative due to the monochromatic dark green color scheme. The sizes of the leaf plate are large, they remind some people of linden leaves, apparently, it is this similarity that gave sparmania the first popular name. Foliage with pubescence and large teeth along the edge. Its shape is heart-shaped, its diameter can reach 20 cm.
During flowering, buds with five petals are formed, they still not open resemble mallow flowers - hence the second popular name of the plant. But when the flower fully blooms, it amazes with its decorative and delicate appearance. The color of the petals is snow-white, at the base there is often a yellowish speck. But the most interesting thing is that the flower is decorated with a bunch of bright yellow stamens, the edge of which takes on a reddish-burgundy color scheme. It is the flowers swaying in the wind that confirm the names received by the people. Sparmania also resembles a fragrant linden with its flowers.
The flowering process in plants of this genus takes the time of all winter months and can continue until mid-spring, often reaching the middle of the month of May. Some growers, in order to stimulate a new wave of bud formation, remove flower stalks that are flourishing. Only from the middle to the beginning of winter is there a resting phase.
Due to its foliage and the seeming airy outlines of the crown, sparmania has the property of visually expanding the space around it. It is the "airiness" that does not create a massive plant in a plant, as in some other tree-like representatives of the flora grown in rooms. When growing sparmania in indoor conditions, the most common conditions are maintained, but there are also nuances described below.
Rules for growing sparmania in rooms - watering, care
- Lighting. Bright light is recommended, but shaded from direct sunlight. An eastern or western location will do.
- Content temperature in the spring-summer period for sparmania it is 20-25 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn and all winter - 10-12 degrees.
- Air humidity. It is this indicator that is considered the greatest requirement for growing sparmania in room conditions - this is due to the natural growth of the plant and the size of the leaves. Since the surface of the leaf plates is pubescent, spraying is not recommended. Then it is necessary to increase the humidity indicators by any other methods, for example, installing household steam generators or air humidifiers next to the pot.
- Watering. During the activation of vegetative activity (spring-summer), the soil in the pot must constantly be in conditions of medium moisture - this is ensured by regular and abundant watering. Such procedures are recommended not often, but the amount of water should be large. The signal for moistening is considered to be the dried upper part of the substrate, about 1 cm. After watering has been carried out, after 5–10 minutes, the water, which has been drained into the pot holder, must be removed. In the autumn days, soil moistening should be moderate, and in the winter months very rare, but it is impossible to bring the earthen coma to dry, since the plant can start dropping foliage and die. In winter, the reference point is the drying of the top layer of the soil, and then it takes 1–2 days and only then watering is carried out. You need warm and soft water.
- Trimming. Since the growth rate of the "room sticky" is quite high, and during the autumn-winter period its shoots can stretch out ugly and deprive the bush of its decorative effect, it will be necessary to prune the branches when the flowering ends. It is also necessary to stimulate the flowering process, since new buds are formed on the shoots of this year's growth. When cutting, only 1/3 of the branch is removed with the help of a garden pruner, and it is better to cut off only their tops at all. The activation of growth in sparmania will begin only with the arrival of spring days and an increase in daylight hours. In the case when, after flowering, the "indoor mallow" began to actively shed the foliage, then an even stronger pruning will have to be carried out so that the plant can not only rejuvenate, but also resume. In addition, the plant owner will have to regularly pinch the tops of young twigs. This is done at the very beginning of cultivation, during the first years of life. However, many growers continue to carry out pinching and sparmania at an older age.
- Fertilizers for "room mallow" are introduced in the spring-summer months, adhering to the standard frequency (approximately once every 10 days). Complete universal mineral complexes are used. Sparmania also responds well to organic matter, so it is necessary to alternate mineral and organic products. When the plant is in rest mode, then any additional feeding is undesirable. It is not recommended to spray with means for foliar dressing due to foliage foliage.
- Transplantation and choice of substrate. While the sparmania is still young, then it is transplanted annually, and sometimes because of an intensive increase in size and twice a year, at the end of the summer season. As soon as the size of the plant becomes large (after a period of 3-5 years), it is recommended to change the pot and the soil in it every 2-3 years. The transplant is usually carried out in the spring. The new container is selected with a width that is two times smaller than the height indicators. The change of the pot is carried out by the transfer method, when the earthen lump is not completely destroyed, but only its upper part is removed. There should always be a 3–5 cm drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. It will not only prevent waterlogging of the substrate, but also add stability to the container. As well as the conditions of detention, which are undemanding, this is the case with the soil. It is preferable to grow sparmania in a well-drained general purpose substrate. For cultivation of "room linden" in a room, any simple soil made on the basis of humus soil, with the addition of soil, which is collected in a forest park area from under deciduous trees with the capture of a small amount of rotted leaves (leaf soil) and river sand, is quite suitable. The last two components are halved in volume. You can also prepare the soil by mixing turf, river sand (perlite), wet peat or humus (in a ratio of 1: 0, 5: 1). Also suitable are prepared ready-made universal substrates for indoor decorative deciduous and flowering plants.
How to propagate sparmania from seeds or do-it-yourself cuttings?
To get a young "indoor sticky", you can carry out seed propagation or rooting of cuttings.
Typically, the apical flowering branches are selected for cutting blanks for cuttings. Cuttings are cut from lignified stems, so that the length of the workpiece is not less than 50 cm, and there are nodes with leaves on it. There is information that cuttings of sparmania with a length of about 70 cm are distinguished by the highest rates in rooting. You can put the cuttings in a vessel with water and so wait for the formation of root shoots or plant them in a pot of sand, perlite or a mixture of peat and river sand. But, even using clean peat, the workpieces will root successfully. In this case, the temperature indicators during root formation should be about 20 degrees. Often, for a more successful rooting process, it is recommended to treat the cuttings with a root growth stimulator before planting. After the cuttings take root, they are seated in separate containers with more suitable soil.
Seed reproduction is carried out in early spring. A nutritious substrate (for example, peat-sandy) is poured into the planting container, or a universal soil is used. The soil is sieved, neatly leveled, but not compacted. Seeds are covered to a depth of about 1 cm. It is interesting that the soil does not need to be watered before sowing, but the soil is sprayed after sowing the seeds. Immediately, the pots are covered with transparent plastic wrap or glass is placed on top. The place in which the pot with sparmania seeds will be placed should be well lit, but shaded from direct streams of destructive ultraviolet radiation. At the same time, they make sure that the heat indicators do not fall below 20 degrees.
When caring for crops, they are aired daily in order to remove condensation, and also, if the soil begins to dry out, then it is sprayed from a spray bottle. After the first shoots have appeared, the shelter is removed and the young "indoor stickies" are taught to grow indoors. As a pair of leaf plates forms on the seedlings, they are picked in separate pots. Then a few more transplants will follow, as the plants will grow intensively.
Difficulties in growing sparmania and ways to overcome them
If the conditions of care are violated, for example, the humidity indicators decrease, this will lead to the fact that harmful insects such as spider mites, scale insects, whiteflies or mealybugs will appear on the large leaves of the "room linden". However, due to the fact that the leaf plates of the sparmania have a pubescent surface, it is advisable not to spray, since the formation of ugly spots on the foliage is possible or it can begin to rot. Therefore, insecticidal treatments and regulated moisture and irrigation conditions are used to control pests.
Other problems that arise when caring for the "room mallow" can be distinguished:
- a pale color of the foliage acquires with frequent exposure to direct sunlight, subsequently the appearance of spots of brown color occurs;
- when the temperature indicators are too high, and the soil is constantly drying out, the sheet plates twist and dry out;
- if the lighting level is low, then the shoots begin to stretch out strongly, and the foliage will fall off;
- in case of violation of the feeding regime, sparmania stops growing;
- an indicator of the lack of flowering is the incorrect conditions of winter maintenance and scarce fertilizers during the activation of growth.
Curious notes about sparmania
It is interesting that the type of African sparmania causes a lot of controversy among botanical scientists, since it is considered simultaneously to two genera. However, the question still remains open and the plant is isolated as a separate species of the genus Sparmania.
Types of room sparmania
Despite the fact that there are dozens of varieties of such plants in the genus, only one is used when grown in rooms - African Sparmannia (Sparmannia africana).
The plant has the shape of a shrub with an evergreen leafy crown, but it is interesting that it takes the form of a tree, since it is forming a single trunk, which thickens over time. So over the years, sparmania looks like a real giant. Height varies from 50 cm to 2.5 meters. But today, it is among the varieties with a dwarf form of growth that are very popular in floriculture, the parameters of which rarely exceed 80 cm in height.
"Indoor linden" has erect shoots, which, while they are young, have a yellowish tint and pubescence, but over time they become lignified and at the same time the bark takes on a brown color. Due to the straight lines that outline the shoots of sparmania, it looks extremely airy, and they also have pleasant tactile sensations to the touch. However, do not touch the shoots, as contact with green foliage on the skin may cause irritation.
The “room-sticky” leaf plates are rather large, their shape is heart-shaped, divided into small lobes with corners. With their outlines, the leaves resemble something in between the contours of the foliage of grapes and mallow. There is a large serration along the edge, which adds an elegant look to the green mass of the sparmania, although the even dark green color and size makes the foliage quite simple. This is especially noticeable against the background of other plants, which are distinguished by more decorative leaves. At the same time, the foliage has pubescence, which is present on both sides, in contrast to the glossiness of the leaf blades of other "green stars" of indoor cultivation.
During flowering, delicate flowers are formed, which in their features resemble garden primroses. The buds are formed at the tops of the shoots and are collected in the umbrella-shaped inflorescences. The petals of the flowers are snow-white, and at the base of the corolla there are rather bright yellow stamens with a purple edge. These stamens also add beauty to the flowers, as they are collected in a decorative bunch. The petals have a wavy edge, and are distinguished by a fold back, which further adds beauty.
Since the flowers of sparmania, while still buds in natural conditions, flutter in the wind, they in this way resemble the outlines of cyclamens, however, when they are dissolved, their appearance changes greatly. Around the fluffy, convex center of a flower of stamens, such a skirt appears, created by snow-white silky petals. At the base of the petals there is a spot of yellow color. It is the tremulousness of flowering that is enhanced by the flowering stems with pubescence. The flowering process of "room mallow" falls on the period from February to April, but occasionally the time from the beginning of winter to March is affected.
When grown among florists, a varietal variety is popular - Flora Plena, which is characterized by flowers of double outlines.
For more information on growing sparmania, see below:
