Distinctive features of the feathery palm, tips for caring for the parrot, breeding steps, disease and pest control, facts to note, species. Ravenea is a feathery palm belonging to the extensive Arecaceae family. The native territories of growth of this representative of the flora are in the lands of the Comoros and Madagascar. This genus includes up to 20 varieties of similar palms.
Ravenia is a medium-sized but occasionally large perennial plant. For example, varieties such as Ravenea nana and Ravenea hildebrandtii rarely exceed 4 meters in height, while Ravenea robustior and Ravenea sambiranensis can grow up to 30 meters in height. The palm tree has a single trunk, which differs in a bottle shape, since it is wider at the base, but there is a slight narrowing towards the top. The color of the trunk is gray or grayish-white.
The leaves are large, their length can vary within 2–5 meters, their shape is pinnately complex. The leaf plate is divided into ribbed lobes, which have a narrow linear or linear-lanceolate shape, with a sharp point at the top, all-edge, with a rigid surface. Their arrangement is uniform, the color is saturated, green. In the crown, the leaves are placed symmetrically, first straightening, but then bending, curling around the top.
During flowering, a short inflorescence is formed, collected from small flowers, hidden among the foliage. The fruit of the rave is a red-colored drupe. Reproduction is carried out using seed material. At home, it is unrealistic to see the flowering of a palm tree.
Ravenaea usually grows from 3 to 8 years or more when potted. Although the growth rate in palm trees is quite high. Indoors, the size of a plant rarely exceeds the range from one and a half to 4 meters. Difficulties in the cultivation of this representative of the flora usually do not arise, but you should still adhere to the following rules.
Features of caring for parity in room conditions
- Lighting and location selection. Since the plant is accustomed to basking in the rays of the sun under natural growth conditions, a pot with equals should be placed indoors on the window sills of east, west or south windows, where bright but diffused lighting will be provided for it. However, it must be remembered that in natural conditions the bright sun is compensated by the constant movement of air masses, which is not observed in the rooms, therefore, being in direct sunlight on the windows of the southern location without shading, burns on the leaves are possible. In this case, it is recommended to arrange some shade in the midday hours in the summer, when the ultraviolet radiation becomes too harmful. To create such a shelter, you can use thin curtains made of light fabric, make curtains from gauze (you can buy gauze at the pharmacy) or, in extreme cases, attach tracing paper (thin translucent paper) to the glass. Since for the alignment it is necessary that the duration of daylight hours was from 6 to 8 hours, it is recommended to carry out illumination with phytolamps or fluorescent lamps in winter.
- Content temperature. In the spring-summer period, the heat indicators in the room should be no higher than 28 degrees, with the arrival of autumn and throughout the winter time, it is recommended that the temperature range be 16-18 degrees. However, the optimum temperature for equalization is 20-22 degrees. With the arrival of the warm season, it is recommended to take the plant out into fresh air, but first take care of shading from the sun at lunchtime. If in the winter period the room is ventilated where this palm tree is kept, then they try to protect the plant from the action of the draft by removing the pot to the far corner for this time.
- Air humidity when growing this palm, it should be moderate, that is, be at least 50%. It is recommended in the spring and summer to spray the crown of the rave with warm, settled water, every day or at least every other day. This will help counteract the appearance of harmful insects on the plant. It is also recommended to use any other methods to reduce the dryness of the air in the room where the rave grows. For example, arrange showers for her under shower jets. The water temperature should be at room temperature. You can also place household steam generators or humidifiers next to the palm tree. Or you can set the pot with the plant itself on a deep tray, in which a layer of expanded clay or pebbles is laid at the bottom and a small amount of water is poured into it. The main thing is to make sure that the bottom of the flowerpot does not touch the liquid, otherwise rotting of the root system may begin. It is permissible to wipe large leaves with a damp soft cloth.
- Watering. When ravenea begins a period of increased growth (from April to early autumn), as the top layer of soil in the pot dries up, abundant watering is carried out. With the arrival of winter, moistening is carried out after a couple of days, after the soil on the surface dries up. This mode is moderate and is most suitable for a palm tree. Both complete drying and flooding of the substrate is not recommended, as problems with leaves or roots will begin. Water for irrigation is used soft and well-settled, you can also pass water from the tap through a filter, boil for a short time, and then stand for 2-3 days. Then such a liquid is drained from the sediment (when they carefully try not to capture water from the bottom) and water the plant with it. The water temperature should be slightly higher than the air in the room (about 25-28 degrees). Some growers collect rainwater, melt snow in winter or use river water for irrigation, but in urban areas it is rarely clean, so you can use distilled water.
- Fertilizers for ranea begin to make from mid-spring to September. Special preparations are used for representatives of the palm family. The frequency of feeding is once every two weeks. When autumn comes and throughout the winter, fertilizers are not applied.
- Transplant, choice of substrate. Transplanting this palm tree is not easy, so it is recommended to change the pot by the transfer method so as not to injure the root system. The transplanting process is best done in the spring months. Young ravens are transplanted once every 1–2 years, while adult specimens are transplanted only once every 4–5 years. A layer of drainage material should be laid in the pot - this will protect the roots from waterlogging. The size of the drainage layer should be 2, 5–5 cm. The material for drainage can be medium-sized expanded clay, pebbles or broken shards of clay or ceramics. The container must be deep enough. The soil can be used purchased, intended for palm trees, but mix river sand there or mix the substrate yourself. It should include equal parts of compost, humus, turf and coarse sand.
- Care features behind the equality is that it is required to take it out into the fresh air in the spring and summer, but in a place devoid of drafts and direct rays of the sun. Also, over time, it is recommended to remove the lower sheet plates that have acquired a brown color. Their petioles should be cut from the trunk to a length of at least 8 cm.
Diy steps when propagating a feathery palm
You can get a new palm tree with feathery leaves of this species only by sowing seed. Before the seeds are sown into the soil, they are soaked in warm water for 2-5 days, and the water should be changed every day. Seeds are sown in small pots, which are filled with soil for palm trees, mixed with river sand, or a mixture of peat with sand (perlite). The planting depth of a seed is equal to its double diameter. Then the crops are carefully watered with warm and settled water, and the container is covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in a plastic transparent film. This will help maintain high moisture readings. The germination temperature should not go beyond 25-30 degrees. When caring for crops, it is recommended to regularly spray and ventilate the soil, removing condensation.
After 2–3 months, you can see the first shoots of the equal. Then the shelter should be removed so that the plants become accustomed to indoor conditions. They contain young palms in a bright place with heat indicators of about 20-25 degrees, and with shade from direct sunlight. As the plants braid an earthen ball with their roots, it will be necessary to change the pot and the soil in it.
Indoor Disease and Pest Control
Harmful insects and diseases of a palm tree appear if the conditions for its cultivation are violated (moisture indicators decrease, waterlogged soil at low temperatures). Of the pests, spider mites, scale insects, and flourbugs are not uncommon. To combat them, it will be necessary to spray the entire deciduous crown of the equine. An excess of moisture in the soil will lead to the onset of putrefactive processes in the roots and fungal diseases. In this case, an emergency transplant and fungicide treatment is required.
The following troubles also happen:
- too low humidity entails drying out of the ends of the leaves;
- with a constant flooding of the substrate, the foliage begins to turn yellow;
- if the soil is too dry, then the leaf plates turn brown and gradually sink to the soil;
- if the parish has been exposed to a draft or the temperature in the room has dropped dramatically, then the foliage of the palm tree withers and darkens.
Equality facts to note
However, despite the size of some varieties of ravenea, there are species that can be grown in room conditions, for example, Rucheynaya Ravenia, which is a bright example of an etiolated palm tree, since it can grow without harm to itself in a dark greenhouse.
In some countries (this includes both Asia and Europe), the palm branch is a symbol of peace, and as even the bird of peace is remembered - a dove is depicted with a hip branch in its beak.
Also, for a long time, palm branches, so similar to human palms, have been attributed to magical properties. So carrying a palm twig with him in the form of a talisman, a person increased faith in himself, in his strength, his own resistance to failure increased, and the talisman also protected from life's adversities and problems. A person who possesses such an amulet began to show the following qualities in himself: strength of mind and determination, enthusiasm without boundaries, endurance and general optimism, energy, and self-confidence begin to appear. Such a talisman is a palm tree (in particular, equality) for bright and strong people.
It is also noticed that if a palm tree is grown in the house, then there will be no melancholy. Melancholic people have such a negative effect on rave and other palms that the plant simply dies. But it is interesting that next to the coconut and date palm, people with a melancholic type of character feel better, since plants are able to absorb and transform the emanations of despondency, negativism and pessimism into the previously described strong and positive qualities. However, due to the rather strong energy aura, it is not recommended to put a palm tree and, in particular, equal in the bedroom, as insomnia or even a slight headache and malaise can be provoked.
If you believe the research, then in the fruits of arec palms, substances called arecoline, which is a natural anthelmintic, with a rather strong effect, have been found. There are also strong tonic properties that are used to give a psychotropic component to chewing gum. The leaf plates of areca trees have an antiseptic effect.
Equal species
- Ravenea rivularis is a variety that is often used in indoor culture, although the height in natural conditions can reach 25 meters. At the trunk, bottle-shaped outlines are in the lower part (at the base there is a larger diameter), and gradually a narrowing is observed towards the apex. The color of the trunk is grayish-whitish or gray. The leaf plates are large (often their length reaches three meters), their color is saturated bright green, the surface is hard, there is a pinnately complex division into leaf lobes. The lobes (leaflets) are characterized by a linear-lanceolate shape, longitudinally-folded, at the base or along their entire length, they have an entire edge. The arrangement of the leaves is symmetrical during crown formation.
- Ravenea glauca. A slender-looking plant, reaching a height of 8 meters with a crown width of about 4.7 m. The trunk is straight, gray in color, pale stripes left by flying leaf plates are visible on it. Its diameter is measured 10 cm, a slight narrowing goes to the apex. All leaves are located at the top of the trunk. Their length is up to 1, 8 m, the shape of the leaf plate is pinnate, there is a rounding at the base. Leaflets (lobes into which the leaf is divided), numerous, with a dark green color, they are located opposite each other in the leaf. The shape of the leaf lobe is narrow-linear, there is a slight concavity along the central vein, a sharpening goes to the apex, the surface is hard. During flowering, small yellowish-green flowers are formed, they are unisexual. From the buds, racemose inflorescences are collected, which do not exceed 30 cm in length. When fruiting, rounded fruits are formed - drupes, which reach 1, 2 cm in diameter, their color is bright yellow.
- Ravenea dransfieldii. It is a dioecious plant (female) with a single or cluster stem, often with branching. In height, its parameters do not exceed 4.5 m with a total diameter of only 0.8 cm. There are up to 11 leaf plates in the crown, with a pinnately complex division. The length of the leaf surface is 30 cm, each side has up to 17 leaf lobes extending from the cutting. The surface of the leaf is leathery. During flowering, pistillate flowers are formed, which are collected in single inflorescences.
- Ravenea nana. It is endemic to Madagascar, growing at an altitude of 1100-1900 meters above sea level. It can settle not only in low-growing forests, but also on rocky surfaces. The plant is small in size, reaching a height of 3-4 m. The petiole at the leaf plate is equal to 18–67 cm. The leaf shape is pinnately complex, while the leaflets are in relation to the petiole at an angle of 90 degrees. There are up to 18-29 leaflets on each side. The leaf lobe has a pointed tip at the top, the color is rich green. When flowering, buds are formed on pedicels with a length of 0.5–1 cm. The size of the petals is 4–4, 4x1, 8 cm. The length of the filaments is 0.4–0.5 mm. In pistillate flowers, the calyx is 1–1.5 mm, petals are 1, 5–2, 5x1, 5–1, 6 mm in size. When fruiting, drupes ripen with a rounded shape, which inside have one seed. Size 1, 3–2, 7x1, 1–1, 7 mm.
