Spathiphyllum is a plant of the Aroid family, naturally growing in the undergrowth of a humid rainforest. Its habitat is quite extensive: it covers the rain forests of the Philippine Islands, Brazil, Venezuela, Guiana and Colombia.
Elegant, beautiful, unpretentious, spathiphyllum quickly won the favor of landscapers. And if some 10 years ago it was a rather rare plant, which was considered a welcome gift, now almost every house or office, along with fern, dracaena and constant pelargonium, grows spathiphyllum.
Caring for it is simple, reproduction also does not require much trouble, therefore this exotic handsome man has taken root in our homes. But still in the cultivation of spathiphyllum has its own secrets, the knowledge of which allows you to get a spectacular plant that blooms almost all year round. Consider what they are.
The plant tolerates partial shade well, but prefers bright lighting with protection from direct sunlight. If the leaves stretch, turn pale, flowering becomes weak, sparse and short-lived, which means that there is not enough light.
The substrate must be chosen loose and airy, it should "breathe" well and pass moisture. This is important for all representatives of the tropical flora, and spathiphyllum is no exception. Leaving, even the most thorough, will not produce results if the plant is planted in heavy rocky or clay soil with poor drainage. You can make a substrate from a mixture of equal parts of coarse-grained river sand, humus, peat, turf and leaf land with the addition of crushed charcoal and brick chips.
When transplanting spathiphyllum, you need to carefully choose a flowerpot. It often happens that a plant located in a transport substrate and a tight plastic pot blooms continuously, and the owner carefully transplanted into a spacious flowerpot with fresh soil, ceases to bloom, and for a long time - for a year or more. The flower grower is perplexed, and yet this is natural, since the flowering of a given crop occurs only when the roots completely braid the soil lump. This must be remembered when growing spathiphyllum.
Caring for this plant, in addition, involves regular moistening of the soil and air. Watering during the growing season should be regular and plentiful, in autumn and winter it is reduced, provided the content is cool and there is no additional illumination. If the plant is kept in a warm room and is illuminated, the moistening mode remains practically unchanged. In any case, between the irrigations it is necessary to slightly dry the top layer of the soil. Although spathiphyllum is a native of the tropics, for him, drying out (short-lived, of course) is not as destructive as overflow. An excess of moisture is signaled by the black-brown tips of the leaves (not to be confused with the dry tips, which indicate dry air!).
Increased humidity like all aroid, including spathiphyllum. Care should include regular spraying. This procedure will not only refresh the crown, but will also be a good prevention of spider mites, scutes and aphids.
A strong well-groomed plant is rarely attacked by pests, as it is highly resilient. Fungi, viruses and bacteria also practically do not infect spathiphyllum. Diseases of this culture are most often associated with errors in care - this is a lack of lighting (leaves are stretched, flowering stops) or its excess (sunburns), overfill (black ends of leaves) or long drying (loss of turgor, wilting of leaves), improperly selected substrate ( slow growth or its stop) or lack of nutrients (leaves turn pale and dry out, flowering does not occur).
The most common problem is over-irrigation against a background of heavy soil with poor aeration and low-power drainage. In this case, the soil acidifies, the roots begin to decay, the leaves become lifeless and fall, their tips turn black - all the signs of waterlogging are evident. Such a plant needs special care. Spathiphyllum must be taken immediately, otherwise it can be lost. The old soil is removed, the roots are washed, if there are rotten areas, they are cut. Then the affected plant is planted in a fresh substrate and watered very carefully.
Twice a month during the growing season, it is advisable to feed spathiphyllum with mineral fertilizer. If you make no mistakes in care and follow the simple rules of agricultural technology, the plant will shine all year round with its glossy foliage, decorated with snow-white covers of unusual flowers.