This amazing flower native to America always delights. Maranta, the care of which requires quite a lot of effort, however, has always been one of the most beloved plants of all gardeners. Its charm is impossible not to appreciate.
Arrowroot plants are distinguished by unusually beautiful colors of leaves collected in a basal rosette. They, as if painted by a skillful brush of the artist, amaze with a surprisingly bright and clear pattern. The colors of the arrowroot are incredibly varied, as, indeed, is the huge number of its varieties, reaching 25 different species. The leaves can have a color from light to dark green, with colorful spots and veins.
The size of the arrowroot ranges from 20 cm to 1.5 meters, depending on the type of plant. However, in home breeding, representatives of this family are most often found, the size of which does not exceed 30-40 cm.
A distinctive feature of the arrowroot is that in the evening the flower raises its leaves, and in the morning opens them again. Thus, twice a day, the flower manages to "change" its color. After all, the back of the leaves has a significant difference with the color palette of the front surface of the leaf.
As a houseplant, arrowroot is grown solely because of the beauty of its extraordinary leaves. The flowers of the plant are small and completely unprepossessing in appearance, but the extraordinary attractive color of the leaves fully compensates for this drawback, which has an arrowroot. Care for the plant requires a fairly thorough. Only when creating favorable conditions for growth, the plant will delight with its appearance.
Maranta, care - the basic rules of cultivation
Miranda is a representative of tropical plants, so the main condition for its successful and good growth is compliance with high humidity, from 60% and above, in the room where it grows. To do this, you either need to stock up with a humidifier, or place the plant in a pallet pre-filled with moss or pebbles, helping to constantly retain moisture. The flower must be periodically sprayed. This should be done with standing water at room temperature.
Maranta - reproduction
Reproduction of arrowroot is possible in two ways: transplantation of apical roots and division. You can divide the plant when it is transplanted. They do this very carefully, trying not to damage its root system. The separated process is planted in the ground containing peat, and a pot with seedlings is covered with a plastic bag, thereby creating the effect of a greenhouse. After the emergence of a sprout that the transplanted arrowroot launches, the seedling is cared for, just like an adult plant.
In the second method of reproduction, the upper part of the shoot is cut off and placed in water until the roots appear. Then the seedling is transplanted into a small pot.
Maranta - winter plant care
In the winter season, the arrowroot needs special attention. With the inclusion of heating in apartments, the humidity drops very much. Therefore, it is necessary to spray the plant much more often than in the spring-summer period. In addition, you need to position the plant so that it has enough lighting, but the batteries were as far from the flowerpot as possible. She is very afraid of arrowroot and drafts, therefore they must be avoided in every possible way and kept the plant in conditions of constant identical temperature conditions.
An adult plant needs a transplant once every two years and renewal of the soil in which it grows. The pot for each subsequent transplant is taken a little larger than the previous one. It is necessary to transplant the arrowroot very carefully, trying not to damage its root system, otherwise the plant can take root for a long time.