Spiral Albuca - a plant with a wave, the homeland of which is considered to be South Africa. Due to the ability to throw a peduncle with white flowers, the flower got such an interesting name. Translated from Latin albicare means "white shoot." The plant fascinates with original leaves twisted into a tight spiral. In recent years, this type of bulbous succulents has been gaining popularity among lovers of exotic plants and collectors.
Spiral Albuca - an unusual home plant
In another way, it is called the South African pearl in honor of the homeland of this exotic and amazing flower. This amazing variety of succulent, due to its unusual appearance, will be the decoration of any home collection. The leaves of the original form, which are twisted into a tight spiral, attract and fascinate. It is this form of leaf that allows the plant not to overheat and retain moisture, and the air masses to freely circulate around the succulent in the difficult natural conditions of the African climate. For the winter period, the spiral albuque vegetation occurs.
It was at this time that she gave a basal rosette of leaves twisted in a spiral. It is interesting that the more sun and light falls on it, the more the leaves twist. In mid-spring, yellow-green flowers bloom on fleshy and thick peduncles, collected several in a single inflorescence, resembling a spikelet. In summer, unlike other types of domestic plants, albuca goes into a dormant state. The leaves die off, the growth of the bulb is suspended.
Description
Spiral Albuca (not every plant sells a flower shop) belongs to the representatives of the asparagus family and is a perennial succulent plant. The bulb is slightly flattened rounded, whitish in diameter, up to 5 cm in diameter. The root system is fibrous, white. In albuques, the flower stalk reaches a length of 60 cm and has a bluish tint. Flowers of 10–20 are collected in tassels. Each flower with a diameter of 3 cm is located on the pedicel; there is a small pointed bract.
The corolla is greenish or slightly yellow in color, resembling a bell with six segments in the form of petals, which are arranged in two circles: the first three are horizontal, and the others are bent down and slightly cover the pestle and long stamens. Petals with a yellow fringing and a strip of greenish color. Some types of albucia emit a creamy vanilla flavor. After flowering, a box is formed in place of the flower, in which there are shiny black spiral albuca seeds. The fleshy leaves of a saturated bright green color at the ends form a spiral. At the base of the plant, leaflets of 15–20 pieces are located in a basal rosette. The unusual shape of the leaves helps the plant retain moisture in a hot and arid period.
Lighting Temperature
Albuca is a photophilous plant. For active growth, development and long flowering, it is placed in a well-lit, even bright place. The air temperature should not be lower than 25 degrees, and in winter - not lower than 13. In cloudy times, you can use the backlight. For these purposes, phytolamps are used. An ideal range is the illumination range of 2500–3500 lux. For flowering, the plant requires a temperature difference in the daytime and nighttime.
Watering, top dressing
During the growing season, constant nutrition of the plant with nutrients is necessary. Mineral fertilizers are applied in liquid form with a frequency of once every two weeks. According to reviews, when leaving at home, the spiral album grows well with the use of ready-made complex dressings specially designed for succulents.
At the end of flowering, fertilizers are applied last time. Abundant watering is justified during the period of growth and flowering. However, it should be remembered before watering again: the earthen lump must be dry. The plant will not twist leaves if there is stagnation of water. In the dormant period, when the plant has a drooping appearance and leaves are discarded, watering is stopped and it is resumed only at the beginning of the spring period.
Transplant, flowering
Peduncles appear due to temperature changes at night and day. According to reviews, the plant begins to bloom in early April and delights with flowers for about ten weeks. After flowering, fertilizing is stopped, watering is reduced and, as soon as the plant drops the leaves, the pot is transferred to a dark place.
Store it at room temperature until the appearance of new leaves. Albuque is set in a sunny place and watered abundantly, but not poured. Until the peduncle has appeared, when leaving at home, they keep the spiral albuque in a cool and very bright room.
In autumn, the bulb of the plant is transplanted into new soil, into which coarse sand is added to create airiness. A drainage layer of expanded clay is formed at the bottom of the flower pot.
Vegetative breeding method
Children overgrow the mother's bulb. They are easy to detach and plant to produce a new plant with the same properties as the mother succulent. And also it allows you to save valuable traits of the variety - helicity and rich color of leaves, the aroma of flowers.
Spiral Albuca: propagation by seed
In this way, succulent is rarely propagated due to low germination. Seed boxes are collected and kept in a dark room for about a month. For planting albuca spiralis, or helical albuca, seeds are used with a shelf life of not more than six months, otherwise they lose germination. To prepare the soil, sheet soil and sand are used in equal proportions.
Large seeds are sown on the soil surface and slightly buried, covered with plastic wrap or glass to create a greenhouse effect. Containers are exposed on the sunny side. Periodically, the seeds are sprayed with water using a spray gun, avoiding overmoistening. For seed germination, a temperature of about 27 degrees is maintained. The first shoots should be expected no earlier than 15 days after planting. The
young plant has long, even leaves. A spiral forms in about six months. The bulb is formed by the end of the first year of development, at this time you can start feeding. The spiral albuca begins to bloom in the third year.
Albuque spiral: home care
The life cycles of a succulent are significantly different from our usual domestic plants, so it should create an imitation of the natural habitat. The growing season begins in autumn and lasts until spring, and the dormant period, on the contrary, begins in the summer months. It is in the summer that the plant fades and discards its foliage. In order for the succulent to please with the beauty of spiral leaves, it needs bright lighting for at least 18 hours a day. Create such conditions using fluorescent or fluorescent lamps. The soil mixture for cultivation should be loose, light and have a pH level, as well as for the cultivation of other succulents when leaving at home. Spiral album during irrigation does not tolerate stagnation of water, in this case the bulb rots.
For planting, choose shallow, fairly flat pots or containers so that ½ of the bulb remains above the soil. In a flower pot create good drainage. When the root system of Albuica will cover the entire lump of earth in a flower pot, this means that the time has come to transplant. If the plant is not transplanted in a timely manner, it will constantly drop leaves and have a drooping appearance. According to gardeners, the difficulty in leaving is to create certain conditions during the growing season: during the day - a maximum of 18 degrees, and at night - at least 5 and no more than 10 degrees. In the rainy season in nature, it is precisely this temperature that prevails when the plant grows actively. In addition, it is important to protect the flower from frost and keep it in a dry place during the resting period of the succulent.
For lovers of unusual and exotic plants albuca, care and cultivation at home which do not represent difficulties - this is a real find and a great decoration of the room.