The evergreen curly stefanotis flowers in nature grow in Madagascar and parts of the Malay Archipelago. They got their name from the Greek "stephanos" (crown) and "otos" (ear), because the petals-ears form a crown on the buds of this plant.
Scientists had a good time exploring the beautiful stephanotis. The care, reproduction and features of growing it are now well described in various manuals on indoor floriculture. Let's highlight the most basic provisions that will help us please ourselves with the original look of this semi-shrub liana.
Stefanotis: home care
Despite the fact that the plant boasts attractive bright greens, it is grown for the most part for beautiful flowers. The snow-white buds showered with stefanotis are so elegant that they are deservedly popular among the compilers of wedding bouquets. Each small whisk has five petals and exudes a pleasant aroma. Blooms from June to early October, an adult stefanotis. Home care implies skillful temperature control and care for lighting. With proper care, the plant blooms in the winter. Stefanotis will suit the western and eastern windows.
Lighting should be bright, but diffuse. In the autumn-winter period, highlight stephanotis - home care at this time will be inferior without additional daylight lamps. When the plant begins to form buds, do not turn it and in no case do not change the usual place. Otherwise, they may fall or just weaken and dry out. Recommendations regarding the desired temperature are as follows: in spring and summer, maintain it at eighteen to twenty-two degrees Celsius, and in winter, reduce by approximately six to eight degrees. If you have a draft in the room, or there is a sharp warming or cooling, this can kill stefanotis, so try to exclude this.
In addition to abundant watering, as the substrate dries, you need to regularly spray the leaves with warm water with a low content of lime. You can put the pot on a pallet with wet peat, making sure that the bottom does not touch the water. In winter, spraying is carried out carefully and make sure that the plant dries in a warm place. But that’s not all there is to know about caring for a plant like stefanotis. Home care for this plant also includes top dressing.
Fertilizer and plant transplantation
Often there is no need to feed. Stefanotis only occasionally needs potash fertilizers. From nitrogen, the plant will unnecessarily build up leaves and cease to bloom. It is possible to stimulate the appearance of buds with mineral top dressing, potassium salt solutions , superphosphate - if these substances are introduced in mid-May. Nutrient soil mixture should consist of three parts of deciduous substrate, two parts of clay-turf, one part of humus and one part of sand. If you want to transplant stefanotis, be sure to cut it beforehand. Adult plants are transplanted as the capacity becomes small, but better every two years. Stefanotis can be propagated by cuttings and seeds, always using phytohormones to overcome difficulties in rooting.