Pakhira aquatica is one of 24 species of a plant of the baobab family under this name. Another name is water pahira. It differs from other species in that its seeds can be eaten. Pachira grows for a long time, lives for many years. Is it possible to grow such a tree at home and how to do it?
Description
This plant is grown like a tree. At the same time, it refers to succulents, because it stores moisture in reserve and stores it in the trunk under the bark. Its trunk resembles a bottle. Therefore, pahira is called a bottle tree. There are other names: Malabar or Guiana chestnut, which the plant received for the similarity of fruits and especially leaves of chestnut and pakhira. At home, you can grow an instance up to one and a half meters high. Pakhira aquatica, whose photo is located below, has dark leaves. Their shape is palmate, to the touch they are dense, leathery. Petioles of leaves are long.
Homeland pahira - swamps of Mexico. Under natural conditions, pachira aquatica blooms from June to November every year. The flower is large, may be white, yellow, pink and cream color. Its size reaches 12 cm. It has a large number of long stamens. The flowers have a vanilla odor. They are collected in panicle inflorescences. The length of each of them is 35 cm. The plant blooms in the presence of leaves, although other bottle trees - with fallen leaves. When grown in an apartment, it does not bloom.
Pahira aquatica: reproduction
Pakhira propagated by sowing seeds or rooting cuttings.
The seeds that are going to be sown should be from the last harvest, because they quickly lose their germination. Germinate them at high temperature. It should be at least 27 degrees. Such high temperature is difficult to provide. You can use the bottom heating. Seeds are placed in a wide bowl, where sand or peat is poured. Seeds are sprinkled on top.
The dishes covered with glass are installed on the heating battery. Periodically, the seeds are sprayed with warm water and left open for a while for ventilation. After a month or a little less, seeds appear in the seeds. But immediately planting them in pots is not recommended. You need to wait for them to get stronger.
Cuttings are cut closer to the fall, capturing part of the bark. The shank should have a kidney and a leaf. He is immersed in Kornevin, which promotes the rapid formation of roots. Install them in a dish with a substrate, cover with a lid or plastic wrap. To root the cuttings, a high temperature and humidity of about 60% are also needed. After about a month and a half, roots appear. When they reach about a centimeter in length, transplanted into a new pot. In the future, they are looked after as an adult plant.
Planting Pachira
The soil for the cultivation of pachyra should be slightly acidic and consist of equal parts of leaf and sod land and river sand. Pieces of coal will prevent root decay. Broken brick will draw excess moisture from the ground. Drainage is a quarter of the dishes. You can buy a special mix for palm trees in the store. Pachira aquatica grows well in it, the care of which we will consider further.
Plant care
Some gardeners believe that pahira requires special careful care. Others attribute it to plants that do not require special care. Pakhira aquatica is in no hurry to grow; in a year it grows by only a few centimeters. It starts branching only after the tree grows large. Prior to this, it has no side shoots.
It is recommended to place young pachira on the window, but not on the south and not on the north. It is better not to install on the northern pahira, because the trunk is stretched out and becomes ugly due to lack of light.
You can install pahira on the southern window for a while, but you need to shade it at noon from direct sunlight. If this is not done, ugly pale spots-burns can form on the sheets.
The temperature regime for maintaining the plant is easy to observe in any apartment. It should not be lower than 16 degrees in the winter, in the summer - rise above 25 degrees. Do not install pahira near radiators or other heating appliances. But most of all she is afraid of drafts.
Humidity is not very important for pakhira. It can grow indoors with both dry and fairly humid air. A couple of times a month it can be sprayed with warm water. The sprayer jet must be directed to the leaves, being careful not to get on the trunk. Excessive moisture can lead to decay.
Watering
Pahira aquatic does not need abundant watering. Moreover, it is harmful to her. After all, the tree always has a supply of moisture, and it uses it if necessary. Therefore, you need to water the pahira in the pan, and she herself will use it at the right time. Watered when the lump of land dries well.
For the plant pachyra aquatica, both excess and lack of moisture are harmful. From too frequent watering, its roots rot and it disappears, and with insufficient watering, the leaves wither and fall.
Top dressing
Pahir aquatic should be fed once a month with complex fertilizer. But you need to do this carefully. Excess fertilizing can adversely affect the condition of the plant. Its roots can burn and abyss.
Plant pruning
Pruning of branches is carried out in the spring. In the place where the cut was carried out, the rapid growth of young branches begins, the crown becomes magnificent. Using cropping, you can form a crown, giving it the desired shape, most often in the form of a ball.
You can form the trunk of the pachira so that it looks like a pigtail. To do this, plant three plants at once in one pot and gradually intertwine them with each other. But this is not always possible. Sometimes, with this form of cultivation, only one trunk develops, while the others or one of them lags in development or disappears.
Replacing pahira
You can accelerate the growth of pachira aquatica. Home care includes a transplant. The first years of life pahira transplanted every year. Do it in the spring. Older instances require a transplant every 3 years. New dishes should be 5 cm wider than the old, but shallow. The root of the plant is located on the surface. Therefore, it is impossible to deepen it into the soil. Adult pakhira trees do not transplant.
Care Features
Pahira aquatica in the summer can be taken to fresh air. It is only necessary to ensure that it has a sufficient amount of light, to eliminate drafts.
The main thing in caring for pachyra is to keep the trunk firm. If it softens, this indicates rotting of the roots. In this case, take out the plant from the tub. Cleared of the earth. Unsuitable roots are removed, the cutting sites are disinfected, sprinkled with crushed charcoal. Allow to dry. Planted in new soil and not watered for at least a week.
Sometimes dark spots appear on the leaves. This indicates that the plant was exposed to drafts or kept and watered in the cold.
Pachira leaves turn yellow and fall when the air is not moist enough. Wither and wilt with a lack of moisture.
Pests of pachira aquatica
The leaves and stem of the pakhira can damage: spider mite, thrips, aphids and scale insects. It is necessary to fight them, spraying with insecticides. They do this not indoors, they are taken out to the street or to the balcony. After all, insecticides are harmful to the inhabitants of the apartment.
Processing is carried out 2-3 times, repeating after a week. Plants affected by the pest must be immediately isolated from others so as not to infect them.
Using Pachira Aquatica
In place of the pachira flower, elongated large green berries are formed. Some sources call their flesh inedible. Others claim that they can be eaten. Each fruit contains up to 25 nut seeds. Seeds can be eaten raw. They can be fried or boiled before use. Also, the seeds are ground into flour, from which bread is baked. A delicious drink is made from the same powder, like hot chocolate. They also eat leaves and flowers.
Pachira plants are very popular. They are used to create bonsai. It is believed that they bring luck, health and well-being to the house. They should increase with each new leaf. The plant has the fame of a money tree. It is believed that it brings good luck and prosperity.