Descriptive characteristics of pandanus, how to care at home, recommendations for reproduction, diseases and pests, curious notes, species. Pandanus (Pandanus) is often referred to in botanical literature as Pandanus and it belongs to the Pandanaceae family. This genus has up to seven hundred varieties, which are mostly native to the lands of the Eastern Hemisphere, where the tropical climate prevails. On the island of Madagascar alone, you can find about 90 species differences of the pandanus.
These plants have shown remarkable adaptability to various growing conditions. They can be found both on rocky ground and on the sandy expanses of the sea coasts. Roots often allow it to hold onto coastal dunes and steep cliffs. At the same time, the pandanus, while developing, arranges whole impassable thickets. Often its varieties like to settle along the banks of river arteries, in swampy areas, it is not uncommon for this plant in high-mountain forests and in dry mountains, it can feel great both on coral reefs and on rocky limestone surfaces, on the slopes of volcanoes or spreading along the edge their craters.
The plant bears its unusual name for the Slavic ear thanks to the name in the Malay language. In the pandanus, the trunks are usually branched and can reach lengths ranging from 10-15 meters, and the maximum size approaches 25 meters. From the trunks, you can see the processes (adventitious roots), which are called "stilted". These root formations eventually reach the soil and take root in it successfully. It is these processes that help the pandanus, when its size becomes already large, to protect itself in one place from the rather strong winds raging in those areas that often take on a hurricane. Under natural conditions of growth, the trunk of a plant often dies off, and it continues to exist due to its stilted roots.
The leaf plates are rather long and narrowed. Length parameters are 3–4 meters, while the width does not exceed 10–15 cm. The leaves are painted green or they may have light stripes on their surface. On the reverse side of the leaf blade, there are multiple pointed thorns. In this case, the arrangement of the leaves goes in 2 or 4 spiral rows. It is because of this placement that the pandanas are considered a "spiral palm" or "spiral pine", although the plant has nothing to do with the Palm or Pine family. And also unknowing people, when the pandanus is still young, they can confuse him with Dracena.
When flowering on the pandanus, unisexual flowers are formed, which are collected in cob-shaped inflorescences, occasionally the inflorescences can take on paniculate outlines. They have no perianth. After this process, the pandanus produces fruits that may be edible in some species. Because of them, the plant is often cultivated in local conditions. The flavoring qualities of the seeds have a hint of pineapple. In this case, the seeds serve as food for the crabs, which "help" the plant to multiply by carrying the seed material. In the conditions of rooms, there is no flowering and fruiting, as a result, does not pass.
In indoor floriculture, pandanus has been known for a long time, but many flower growers regret that, despite its unpretentiousness, the plant quickly reaches large sizes. Therefore, it is recommended to grow pandanus in large and spacious rooms, for example, in halls with high ceilings. But at a young age, this representative of the green world of the tropics is successfully cultivated in ordinary rooms. Only the pointed needles on the back of the lower leaves can cause some inconvenience.
Recommendations for caring for pandanus in room conditions
- Location and lighting. The plant is placed in a bright place without direct sunlight or in partial shade - east or west window. But in shade, the foliage will lose its variegated color. In winter, you need backlighting for at least 6 hours a day.
- Content temperature. During the year, heat indicators should be in the range of 18-20 degrees, the plant is afraid of drafts.
- Growing moisture it should not be lowered, since the ends of the leaves will dry out, but the pandanus tolerates it quite well. It is important that when spraying, water does not enter the leaf sinuses.
- Watering held in the spring-summer period every two days, and in cold weather every 3-4. Fills and soil drying are harmful. Only filtered water is used.
- Fertilizers for pandanus in the warm season, it is necessary once every 14 days, and when the autumn-winter season comes, then only once a month. Usually, liquid preparations are used, which are intended for indoor plants.
- Transplanting and soil selection. As the plant develops, it will need to change the pot and soil in it. While the pandanus is young, it is transplanted annually, but subsequently only once every 2-3 years. As soon as the root system braids all the soil provided to it, then you can change the pot and add new soil. When transplanting, it must be borne in mind that the roots of the plant are characterized by increased fragility. Because of the thorns on them, it is recommended to tie the leaves into a bunch so as not to get hurt. A small layer of drainage material (medium-sized expanded clay or pebbles) is laid in a new pot, and then the substrate is poured. When planting pandanas, it is not recommended to deepen, the level is left the same. The size of the pot increases only by 3-4 cm in volume. During this operation, the soil must be nutritious, with some clay content. You can plant pandanus, in a substrate intended for growing palm plants, but often flower growers prepare it themselves. At the same time, humus, river sand, leaf and sod soil are mixed - all parts are taken equal.
Self-breeding steps for pandanus flower
Most often this "spiral palm" propagates by seeds, but such varieties as Pandanus Veicha and Pandan Sandera can have lateral formations near their trunk on top of "stilted" roots, which have their own root processes. It is these "babies" that can be used for jigging and further reproduction, when their roots reach a length of 20 cm. Daughter formations are separated by cutting from an adult specimen. Rooting "kids" in moistened sphagnum moss, because of it, the process is accelerated. The base of the appendage must be attached to the moss and constantly high humidity levels are maintained.
Thus, with a similar reproduction of the pandanus, the "children" are dried a little during the day and disembarked in separate containers. It is usually recommended to put a drainage layer in the pot on the bottom, which is made up of river sand, expanded clay and detailed clay shards. A layer of 7 cm of sod is poured on it, and then thoroughly washed river coarse-grained sand goes upstairs.
The planting of the shoots goes into the substrate to a depth of about 2 cm. The soil around is pressed down a little. Then the planted pandanuses are covered with a plastic bag and for a month they should be in a mini-greenhouse. The temperature is maintained at about 25 degrees, but it is possible to organize the bottom heating of the soil.
If reproduction is by cuttings, then cuttings are cut to a length of no more than 20 cm for blanks. They are cut from the long branches growing on the sides of the plant. If the length of the cutting is insufficient, then the formation of roots on it occurs very slowly. After the cut is done, it is recommended to sprinkle all the "wounds" with activated charcoal or charcoal powder - this will help to disinfect the cut. Planting is carried out in a container filled with peat-sandy substrate. To create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse, the cuttings are wrapped in polyethylene film. The temperature during germination in the "greenhouse" should not go beyond 25-28 degrees. In this case, it is important not to skip ventilation in order to remove accumulated condensation. When dry, the soil must be moistened.
Under these conditions, pandanus cuttings take root within two months. If you use a rooting stimulant, then rooting can be accelerated. When reproduction takes place with the help of seeds, then they can be sown immediately into the ground, without preliminary preparation. The soil should consist of peat and sand (equal parts) or a leaf substrate is used instead of peat. From above, the crops are wrapped in a plastic bag or the pot is placed under glass. Then you will need to ventilate and regularly moisten the soil in the container. The temperature (as when rooting cuttings) is maintained at about 25 degrees. After two weeks, the first shoots of the pandanus can be seen.
When three full-fledged leaf plates are formed on the seedling, it is possible to plant in separate pots with suitable soil. If during germination, in addition to greenhouse conditions, the lower heating of the soil was organized, then the shoots will develop faster.
Diseases and pests when growing pandansus
If the rules of care are violated, then this leads to troubles in the form of damage by pests or diseases.
Of the harmful insects, pandanus is only interested in the scale and false scale, which appear in the form of brownish-brown spots on the back of the leaf plate and a sugary sticky coating. If the moisture readings are low, then a spider mite may appear on the plant. This pest is recognized by the formation of a thin translucent cobweb, which is mainly visible from the back of the foliage or in the internodes and on the stem. Due to the increased moisture content of the substrate, there is the possibility of a mealybug, which contributes to the formation of cotton-like lumps of a whitish color, on the foliage (mainly from below) or on the stem in internodes. For pest control, it will be necessary to spray with insecticidal preparations with a systemic effect, the frequency of treatments with a week break. Alas, because of the thorns on the leaves, wiping them is problematic. You can only arrange "shower" washes, which will raise the humidity and wash off at least some pests.
You can also highlight the following troubles:
- drying out of the tips of the leaf plates indicates insufficient moisture, it is necessary to carry out regular spraying of the deciduous mass;
- the same symptoms accompany nutritional deficiencies;
- with an excess or insufficient level of illumination, the foliage can lose a rich green color, which changes to light green, sometimes the foliage becomes whitish, and the pandan itself slows down in growth.
Curious notes about the pandanus
The fruits of pandanus (but not all varieties) are usually used in food in places of natural growth. The veins of sheet plates are used as weaving material. Folk healers of those places have long used fruits, flowers, leaves and root shoots in the preparation of medicines. It is also not uncommon to use pandanus in numerous local rituals of witchcraft.
When growing in room conditions, it must be remembered that due to the fact that the lower part of the foliage and its edge are decorated with rather sharp thorns, then the plant should be placed in those places where access for small children or pets is limited.
Types of pandansus
Despite the large number of varieties, only a few of the pandanus species are used in home floriculture. Let's dwell on their description.
- Pandanus utilis also called Pandanus useful. Natural growing conditions are found in Madagascar and Mauritius, and this species is also successfully cultivated in the lands of Puerto Rico, Florida and California, since its fruits are edible. It is an evergreen plant with a tree-like form of growth. Its height parameters are estimated at 20 meters, but when grown in room conditions, the value rarely exceeds 3 meters in height. Leaf plates of linear shape, elongated outlines, with a pointed apex. Reddish thorns are sprinkled along the edge, the color of the leaf is saturated dark emerald. The length of the leaf is on average 15 cm, with a width of about 10 cm. The sheaths encircle the stem, allowing the foliage to be located on it in the form of a screw, forming 3-4 rows. Its color is dark green. Often, if a leaf plate touches the skin, it can cause an allergic reaction in a sensitive person in the form of irritation.
- Pandanus veitchii possesses leaves of bright green color, which are decorated with white stripes located along the surface. Or stripes of a yellowish tint may run along the edge of the sheet. The width of the leaf plate does not exceed 5 cm, although the length is measured at about 90 cm. The leaves are arranged in a spiral order on the trunk. Basically, the form of growth in this species is shrubby, the trunk is short, tree-like. In height, the trunk can be equal to the 1.5 meter mark. The native habitat is in Southeast Asia.
- Pandanus sanderi considered the shortest member of his family. Under natural conditions, this variety prefers to settle in soil consisting of rotted and well-moistened fallen leaves of forest trees that grow in tropical climates. The leaf plates of such plants are of a dark green color; they are often decorated with longitudinal stripes of a whitish hue. The width of the leaf is up to 5 cm with an average length of about 8 cm. There are small pointed thorns along the edge of the plate; a longitudinal yellow stripe may be present in the center.
- Fragrant Pandanus (Pandanus odrifer), which is often referred to as Kutaki. It is widespread in the lands of India. Numerous local monkeys and fruit bats like to eat its fruits. The plant received its specific name due to flowering, in which the formation of flowers with orange-yellow petals, which have a fragrant aroma, takes place. The flower inflorescences are very reminiscent of female earrings. This species differs from other varieties of pandanus in that its spines (thorns) cover not only the surfaces along the veins on the back of the leaf, but also all of it from above. In India, it is customary for girls to weave the flowers of this plant into their hair. There is even a belief due to which the female half believes that in this way she can bewitch men and this promises a successful marriage.
- Roofing pandanus (Pandanus tectorius) grown as a room culture. It has evergreen foliage and a long-term growing cycle. The maximum height reaches one and a half meters. The trunk is shortened, from which numerous aerial roots extend. The leaf plate is measured along a length of 90 cm with a total width of up to 6-8 cm. The color of the leaf is rich green, there are patterns of longitudinally passing yellow stripes. There are pointed spines (notches) along the edge. During flowering, spike-shaped inflorescences are collected from male flowers, and female flowers have a conical shape. However, when grown in rooms, the flowering process never occurs.
More about growing and caring for pandanus in the following video:
