Description of the plant: distinctive features, agricultural techniques for growing arrowroot indoors, recommendations for reproduction, pest and disease control, species. The arrowroot (Maranta) is a member of the genus of the same name of the family Marantaceae (Marantaceae). In this family, scientists attributed up to 400 hundreds of species of representatives of the flora, which are included in thirty genera. The native area of distribution of all arrowroots is in the lands of Central and South America, where there is a lot of marshland.
The plant bears its name in honor of the Venetian physician, botanist and literary theorist who lived in the 16th century - Bortolomeo Maranta (1500 - March 21, 1571). Depending on the sun rays hit on the leaf plates, they have the ability to change their direction. At sunset or when there is not enough lighting, the leaves seem to fold upward (as if the palms of a person are connected in a prayer gesture), so arrowroot is called a "praying plant", and with the onset of dawn it spreads its leaves on the sides or lowers them down.
All arrowroots are perennial representatives of the flora with a herbaceous form of growth. Shoots can both creep along the surface of the substrate and grow straight-ahead. Plant height rarely exceeds 20-30 cm, but there are varieties that reach up to meter indicators. The root system is usually characterized by fusiform and tuberous outlines. The leaf plates are rooted or they can grow in two rows on the stems. The shape of the leaf plates is oval, ovate-oblong, linear-lanceolate, and there are also species with oval-round or oblong-elliptical contours; there is often a slight sharpening at the apex. The leaves can be 15–20 cm long and about 9–10 cm wide.
The color of the leaves depends on the type of arrowroot. It is the color of the leaf plate that is the greatest decorative attractiveness of this plant. If the lighting is bright, but horizontally located streaks and specks are clearly visible on the foliage. The general background of the leaves takes on all shades of green color: from light olive (almost white) to rich dark emerald (almost black). Some varieties have spots of a lighter shade, and there are also those in which the veins are colored in a red or pink tone.
Arrowroot flowers are of little value. They are three-membered, the arrangement of the petals is asymmetrical. Apical inflorescences in the form of spikelets or panicles are collected from the buds. After flowering, the fruit is tied, which is a one-seeded box.
It is customary to grow some varieties in their natural areas as starchy crops.
Agricultural technology for growing arrowroot, home care
- Lighting. East or west windows are suitable, but this variegated beauty can also grow in the shade under artificial lighting for 15 hours.
- Content temperature. For arrowroot, heat indicators of 22-24 degrees are most suitable in the summer, overheating cannot be allowed, and with the arrival of autumn, they can be lowered at least 10 degrees. The plant is afraid of drafts and temperature extremes.
- Air humidity 50-70% is needed. Regular spraying of the deciduous mass is required, air humidifiers are placed next to the pot and you can put the pot itself on expanded clay in a deep pan, where some water is still poured. It is only important to ensure that the bottom of the flowerpot does not touch the liquid.
- Watering. In order for the arrowroot to be comfortable, one must not forget that it comes from rainy warm forests, then the soil moisture should be abundant and regular. The frequency is maintained such that the soil has time to dry out between waterings - to prevent both the complete drying of the earthen coma and its swamping. With the onset of winter, especially if arrowroot is kept at low heat, then watering is reduced, so that the soil in the pot has time to dry out 3 cm in depth. It is also important to ensure that the root system does not freeze on the windowsill at this time. You can put a piece of polystyrene under the pot and fence off the bush from the glass with a special material.
- Fertilizers for arrowroot. In order for this variegated beauty to please with its growth and the formation of colorful leaves, you will need to make top dressing from spring to autumn. Complex mineral preparations are used for indoor decorative deciduous and flowering plants, in a diluted form. The frequency of fertilization is once every 14 days. It responds well to organics diluted in water.
- Transplantation and choice of substrate. Arrowroot requires a transplant every two years, a new pot should be selected not much larger than the old container. It is better that the flowerpot is wide, since the rhizome of the plant is not long, but rather branched. The material is preferable to plastic, since in this case the container will better keep moisture. But the bottom of the pot is filled with a sufficient layer of drainage material. It is better to transplant by the transshipment method, then the earthen lump will not be destroyed and the bark system will not be subjected to great stress. It is better to choose the time in the spring. When transplanting, all wilted leaves and shoots should be removed. The substrate should be used lightweight with sufficient conductivity for water and air. If the plant was brought after the store, then it is necessary to give it a little acclimatization in a new place (about two weeks). And then it is recommended to transplant, since the transport pot and the soil in it are rarely suitable for successful further growth. The acidity of the substrate should be around pH = 6 (slightly acidic). Also, many flower growers make up a soil mixture on their own from peat, leaf and humus soil (all parts are taken of equal volume) or combine garden soil, peat and river sand (in a ratio of 3: 1, 5: 1). It is recommended to add a little dry mullein, crushed charcoal and a little coniferous soil to the substrate. If the arrowroot is grown hydroponically or on an ion-exchange substrate, then it will be a powerful low plant with large leaf plates. In this case, transplants and feeding are not required, but are carried out only once every 2-3 years.
- General plant care. To make the arrowroot shape more attractive, it is recommended to carry out regular pruning. At the same time, the leaf plates are cut to the very base, and after that you can see how the plant begins to actively grow the green mass.
Steps for self-propagating arrowroot
To get a new plant with decoratively colored leaves, you can divide the overgrown bush of the parent arrowroot or root cuttings.
In order to carry out grafting, it is necessary to cut off a workpiece with a length of at least 8 cm, which has a pair of buds. Then such a stalk is placed in a vessel with water or planted in a slightly moistened peat-sandy substrate. The handle should be placed under a glass vessel or wrapped in a plastic bag. Some growers for such a "mini-greenhouse" use a plastic bottle cut in half. You can take the part where the neck is located and this will help to carry out airing without problems in the future. Germination is carried out at increased heat values. If the roots are waiting by placing the cutting in water, then a root formation stimulator can be dissolved in it - this will speed up the process, drugs such as Kornevin or heteroauxin are used. When the length of the root processes becomes 1 cm, then such a cutting can be planted in a light substrate.
Cuttings take root in the ground in about a month. After signs of successful rooting appear, then using the transshipment method (without destroying the clod of earth around the root system), they are transplanted into a new pot with soil from peat and river sand.
If a decision is made to divide an overgrown arrowroot bush, then they try to combine a similar operation with a transplant in order to deliver less shocks to the plant. In this case, the bush is carefully removed from the container and, using a sharpened knife, the rhizome is cut into pieces. Each part must have a sufficient number of roots. Then the cuttings are planted in containers prepared in advance, with drainage at the bottom and a substrate suitable for adult specimens. While the plant has not yet completely moved away from the operation, it is recommended to cover it with plastic wrap, maintaining conditions with increased humidity and heat.
Also, planting is carried out on a separate sheet. It is carefully separated from the stem and placed in a light substrate, and then, like the cuttings, it is wrapped in polyethylene film - to form a kind of greenhouse. After rooting and adaptation has passed, the young plant should be transplanted into a pot of soil that is suitable in size.
Pests and diseases of arrowroot
Most of the troubles that happen when growing a "praying plant" are due to the fact that the conditions of detention are violated, among them the following:
- Due to the fact that direct sunlight falls on the leaves at noon, the plates begin to dry out and fall off over time.
- When at dawn the leaves begin to be illuminated by the sun, the arrowroot lowers them, but this is a natural process that should not cause concern.
- Due to insufficient lighting or at sunset, the plant raises its leaves.
- The tips of the leaf plates dry out if the humidity is very low in the room where the arrowroot is kept, then it is recommended to spray the plant, otherwise the ends of the leaves will turn brown and growth will slow down very much.
- If the level of insolation is insufficient or too excessive, then the size of the leaf plates becomes smaller.
- When a white bloom has formed at the base of the leaf plate, this indicates the appearance of pests, or the spraying was carried out with very hard water.
- The appearance of whitish spots on the leaves indicates water, with a large amount of lime impurities, which was used for spraying. It is recommended to use only soft or distilled water.
- When the stems or roots decay, it seems that the substrate was flooded, coupled with the lowered temperatures of the content.
Of the pests that annoy the arrowroot, spider mites or mealybugs can be distinguished. If symptoms of the appearance of harmful insects are found (thin cobwebs, yellowing and deformation of leaf plates, white vase-like formations), it is recommended to wipe the leaves of the plant with an oil, soap or alcohol solution, and if folk remedies do not help, then the entire bush is sprayed with insecticides. If necessary, after a week, the treatment is repeated until the pests and products of their vital activity are completely destroyed.
Facts to note about the arrowroot flower
The people can hear how the arrowroot is called the "10 commandments", all because one of the varieties is the owner of 10 spots on the leaf plate. And because of this, in houses in foggy Albion, residents are trying to by all means acquire at least one such plant.
If you believe the esoteric data, then arrowroot can successfully protect its owners from colds and all diseases that are associated with hypothermia. All this is possible because the plant belongs to the Sun and Mars, and they, in turn, endowed it with a hot character and charisma, which helps to warm the human body.
There is also a statement that due to the combination of the forces of Mars, the Sun and Mercury, the arrowroot has the strength to absorb aggressive energy and negative emanations. If too violent activity of households provokes quarrels and the tense atmosphere never leaves the home, then it is recommended to bring a variegated beauty to the house. The plant will rather quickly cope with negative energy that contributes to conflict situations. For this, everyone in the house will have their own "emotional" corridor, so that interpersonal collisions and quarrels do not occur.
Some varieties, due to the high starch content in the roots, are used for food (from which flour is prepared).
Types of arrowroot
- Arrowroot (Maranta leuconeura) provides one of the most popular types. The root system of the plant is tuberous. Shoots can reach 30 cm in length. The leaf plates have an oval-oblong shape, the parameters are 15 cm long and about 9 cm wide. At the base, the leaf has heart-shaped outlines, the color is olive on top, and a light strip is launched along the leaf plate. On the sides there are horizontal veins with a lighter tone and a bright olive pattern. The petiole reaches 2 cm in length.
- Maranta Kerkhovina (Maranta leuconeura var.kerchoveana) also does not have large dimensions and can approach 25 cm in height. The length of the leaf plate is 14 cm, the petioles are high. Outside, the leaf is shaded with a rich green color scheme, the surface of which is covered with patterns that resemble the contours of a feather in their outlines. And the surface inside the leaf casts a scarlet color. When flowering, small flowers are formed, collected in apical inflorescences in several pieces. The flowers have long stalks.
- Arrowroot tricolor (Maranta leuconeura erythroneura) bears the name Maranta resident. The leaf plate takes on an oval shape. Parameters in length reach 13 cm with a width of 6 cm. Outside the leaf, light green tones prevail, but differ in light and dark shades. In the inner part, there is a bright pink color scheme. On the inside along the entire leaf plate, there are streaks painted in red and pinkish colors. In the middle (near the central vein) specks of yellow-green color flaunt. When blooming, buds are formed, the petals of which are painted in a purple hue.
- Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) often found under the names of the present Arrowroot, West Indian Arrowroot, or simply Arrowroot. The native habitat falls on the lands where the rain forests of South America are located. The plant does not exceed a meter in height; during the winter months, the shoots may die off. At the rhizome, thickenings are formed that take spindle-shaped tuberous outlines. The leaf plates are pubescent on the inside and there their color is grayish, although the general color is dark green, the leaves have ovate-lanceolate outlines, the apex is pointed. When flowering, white or beige flowers are formed. Up to 25% starch is present in the tubers of this variety, and therefore the local population has long used "arrowroot" for food, getting flour from the rhizome.
- Maranta tricolor (Maranta tricolor) often referred to as the Maranta Fascinator. Also in high demand among florists. The colors are quite peculiar. On the surface of the sheet, a pattern of three colors is clearly visible: a pattern of reddish veins is on a dark green saturated background, and yellowish spots are in the center.
For more on planting and caring for arrowroots, see below:
