Nerter is an unusual flower, which today is quite rare in apartments. However, to grow it at home is not difficult. If you take into account some of the features of this flower, you can quite easily get it on your windowsill. And when you see reviews and photos of nerter, home care of the plant will not scare you so much. Let's look at all the features of growing this flower in more detail.
Plant origin
Nerter is a madder flower that first appeared in Australia, New Zealand and South America. This plant belongs to the perennial type. It has bright green leaves that grow on creeping stems. Nerter is a short plant dotted with small round berries of yellow, orange or red color. Inside the berries there are 2 seeds. Some varieties of flower and do resemble moss. This is not surprising, because this "handsome" is often called coral moss.
To decide to breed this plant at home, just look at the photo of the seal. Home care is also not particularly difficult.
Types of Nerter
If we talk about plant varieties, then there are quite a lot of them. However, the following varieties are most popular today:
- Pressed down. This nerter is from South America. It is distinguished by rounded leaves of bright green color. At the beginning of the season, many unusual flowers of pale green bloom on the bush . A little later, bright orange berries form from them. If the plant is well looked after, then it will grow to 40 cm in diameter.
- Nertera granadensis mix. Home care for this plant is also not difficult. The flower itself was first found in Mexico. In size, the plant is slightly larger than its counterpart and grows to 50 cm in diameter. Nerter of this species is distinguished by small round leaves, not more than 8 mm long. During flowering, yellow-green flowers appear on it. They form beautiful berries of bright orange color. Also a flower of this variety is called Astrid.
- Balfura. This variety is considered the most beautiful. It was first discovered in New Zealand, where wetlands predominate. Nerter of this variety is distinguished by larger and brighter berries. In this case, the fruits are not round, but pear-shaped.
- Ciliated. This plant is compact in size and even under natural conditions in diameter it reaches only 25 cm. For the first time this variety was also found in New Zealand. The flower is distinguished by unusual fruits, on which small cilia are located. In this case, the orange berries are quite fleshy.
- Cunningham. This type of flower is widely popular among gardeners because of the extraordinary beauty of the plant. Like its counterparts, this variety was found in New Zealand. Nerter of this type is small in size. It rarely grows more than 20 cm. At the same time, bright red berries grow on the flower.
How to organize care for home care?
According to experts, the cultivation of this unusual flower not only brings a lot of pleasure, but also has a beneficial effect on the home atmosphere. Many gardeners noted that with the advent of seals in their home, they began to feel more peaceful and calm.
If we talk about growing a flower, then many in vain are afraid of possible difficulties. In fact, home care is not required for special skills and knowledge. The plant is unpretentious, but this does not mean that it is enough to plant it in a pot and forget about its existence for six months. On the contrary, in order to get the first fruits as soon as possible, you will need to take care of the unusual moss.
First of all, it should be remembered that plants of this type do not tolerate direct sunlight. Therefore, when choosing a place, you should give preference to slightly darkened areas. Despite this, in warm weather, it is recommended to place the flower on the balcony. The main thing is to close it from the sun and possible drafts.
When caring for Salsa at home in the winter, it is worth taking care of fluorescent lamps. Otherwise, the plant will lose its bright color for this period of time. It is best to use lamps for this, which will be located at a distance of at least 60 cm from the flower.
In spring and summer, it is necessary to ensure that the room temperature is in the range from 20 to 22 ° C. In winter, Nerter feels great at 10 degrees Celsius. In the period from October to March, it is recommended to periodically ventilate the room where the plant is located.
Air humidity
When caring for salsa at home, it is important to remember that this plant is very fond of humidity. In order for the flower to be healthy, it must be sprayed daily with water at room temperature. However, it is recommended to do this only before the appearance of the first berries. It is important to ensure that excess moisture does not get on the fruit.
If dry air prevails in the room, then you can increase its humidity yourself. To do this, you need to prepare a pallet, pour a little wet peat or expanded clay into it and install a flower pot in it.
Diseases and pests of Nerter
If in winter, when the flower needs maximum rest, keep it in a too warm climate with dry air, then over time this will lead to deformation of the plant. As a result, Nerter will lose its decorative “zest” and turn into a shapeless green mass.
In addition, too warm conditions in the winter can lead to the development of aphids, which will mercilessly devour a flower. Also, coral moss often suffers from whiteflies, spider mites, scale insects and mealybugs.
Watering and feeding
Like any other plant, the nerter needs water as soon as the soil in the pot is dry. However, you should not overdo it, since with an excess of moisture, the roots of the plant will begin to rot and hurt. During the period of active growth of coral moss needs more frequent watering. It is also recommended to periodically spray the flower with warm boiled water.
In the resting period, the plant, on the contrary, should not be watered too often. The fact is that in this period of time, the metabolism of nerter is slowed down and practically falls asleep. It is best to ventilate the room more often.
Carrying out at home Astrid nerter, you can not forget about feeding. An unusual plant does not require special fertilizers, which would need to be applied frequently. It is enough to use top dressing at the time of vegetation, not more than 1 time per month.
Transfer
As a rule, the described plant is transplanted at the very beginning of March. The main thing is that it does not have time to bloom. Otherwise, coral moss will drop all its flowers and the long-awaited berries will not appear on the bush.
Also too late a transplant is fraught with the appearance of diseases of the root system.
When changing the "place of residence" for Nerter, you need to prepare a pot of a larger diameter. It is necessary to fill in light and slightly moistened soil.
Breeding
Nerter can be propagated both by seeds and by dividing rhizomes. In the first case, it is necessary to prepare wide containers and fill them with earth. Planting seeds is recommended in late January, early February.
If propagation is planned by dividing the rhizomes, then the procedure is carried out at the very beginning of summer.
That's the whole description of nerter. Hope at home for her, we hope, now it will not be difficult for you.