Today, gardeners grow many plants at home. There are quite exotic species. They do not grow in our climate. These are flowers from different distant corners of the earth. Such plants look unusual and very impressive.
One of these colors is vriesia. Home care is quite simple. However, in order to grow a beautiful plant, you will need to learn about all the subtleties of this process. The rules for growing vriesia will be discussed later.
General description of the plant
Plant vriesia, home care (photo presented below), has certain features. This is due to the type of plant, its origin. A flower is also sometimes called a freeze (from lat. Vriesea). This is an epiphyte, which belongs to the genus of herbaceous plants. Vriesia is a representative of the Bromeliad family.
The birthplace of the flower is Central and South America. In the wild, it also grows in India. The plant likes to be fixed by its roots for rocks, tree branches. This is a forest flower, the genus of which includes more than 250 species. Vriesia attracts attention with its bright bract. Today it is also a houseplant.
The name of the plant was in honor of its discoverer Henrik de Vries, who first classified this flower in 1843. Today, many varieties of these plants are grown at home. For example, the varieties Splenriet, Parrot, Royal, and Vriesia mix are popular. Home care also depends on the type of plant.
In order for the flower to feel good and please its owners with a view, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for it. This is a thermophilic plant. It does not like temperature drops. The second name of the plant is a shiny (flaming) sword. This is due to its unusual flowering. In pots today, many plant hybrids are also grown. They can be appreciated for beautiful foliage or for a bright fruit with flower spikes.
Each type of vriesia can adapt to home growing conditions. But the best flowering plant in the open.
Description
A plant vriesia, home care (photo below) which can cause difficulties for an inexperienced grower, is very beautiful. Everyone can achieve a wonderful view of this plant. You need to find out a few nuances of growing this exotic flower.
Vriesia has no roots. Instead, it develops sprouts that allow the plant to stay on different surfaces. They do not participate in the transfer of nutrients to the flower. Their vriesia gets through the center, where there is a rosette with leaves.
The budding of a houseplant lasts about 4 years. This process is worth the wait, as the plant transforms during flowering. A bright arrow appears in the green foliage. The shoot has spikes of an unusual shape. They look like a sword. Color may vary (from white to green).
Plant seeds also have an unusual shape. They resemble a dandelion in their appearance. Seeds are capsules that open after drying. The leaves of the plant resemble outwardly belts. They have a dark green color. The size of the foliage is largely determined by the type of vriesia. They can be from a few centimeters to one and a half meters in length.
The stalk is hard. It is located in the center of the bush. Bracts wilt much later than flowers. The latter can be observed throughout only 2-3 weeks. The color of the flower depends on the plant variety.
Varieties. Plain leaf color plants
Today, flower growers grow different types of vriesia. They are conditionally divided into 2 groups. The first includes plants with leaves of a plain green color, and the second - with variegated foliage. The first category includes such popular varieties as keeled, royal, parrot, and vriesia mix. Photos, home care are presented below.
Keeled vriesia has wide and soft leaves. The flower stalk of this plant can reach a height of 30 cm. Its inflorescence is relatively small. It has an almost square shape. Its length is only about 4 cm. The keel is sharp. Bracts elongated and sharp. They are painted in the center in a bright scarlet hue, and towards the apex the color becomes yellowish or greenish. Its yellow flowers can be observed in June-July. The process may repeat at the end of November.
King vriesia also has large leaves. Its flower stalk can reach a height of up to 2 m. The inflorescence is a branched panicle. The flowers exude a pleasant aroma. They have a white, and then a yellowish tint. Pizvetniki painted pink.
The variety vriesia astrid is also popular among gardeners. Home care for this plant is relatively uncomplicated. A distinctive feature of astrid is its small size (not more than 45 cm). The bush is covered with narrow green leaves and several bright red peduncles.
One of the popular species is Vriesia mix. The plant has shiny leaves of bright green color. The inflorescence looks like a lush bouquet. The bract is painted in many shades of yellow and red.
One of the most beautiful species is parrot-shaped vriesia. Home care, transplantation (photo of the plant is presented above) of the listed species practically does not differ. Although there are certain differences in the care of each plant species. Parrot-shaped vriesia is distinguished by a peduncle of bright red color. The flowers are yellow in color.
Variegated varieties of leaves
Plants of this group include several popular flowers with variegated foliage. One of them is spleriethesia. Home care (photo of the plant is presented below) does not cause great difficulties, since many plants of this species have been bred. On the leaves, the variety has stripes of purple in color, located horizontally. The flower stalk reaches a height of about 1 m. The inflorescence is an ear. It has yellow flowers. Bracts can be red or bright orange. They delight the owners of the flower with their appearance for 2 months.
Another popular species is perforated vriesia. The color of the leaves is very interesting. They have a light green tint. In this case, the veins are dark green. They are located both vertically and horizontally on the sheet. The inflorescence grows in height up to 50 cm. Bracts are covered with brown and green spots. White-yellow flowers.
Hieroglyphic vriesia can reach a height of up to one meter. The stem is short and hollow. The leaves are shiny, bright green. They have a drawing in the form of the letter V. The stripes are painted in yellow. Usually bracts have a green color. Yellow flowers bloom on them. However, there are hybrids that differ in bright colors of bracts. They can be red, bright yellow or orange.
Care Features
Vriesia flower, home care step-by-step (photo of the plant is presented below) for which it should be considered in detail, it differs in some features of growth. He is thermophilic and loves diffused light. Vriesia does not tolerate direct sunlight on the leaves. Therefore, it is grown on the western and eastern windowsills. In the summer, it must be shaded. Otherwise, both the leaves and the inflorescences will lose their color.
Species that have thin or colorful leaves more than others need additional protection from the scorching sun. Burns easily appear on them. If the leaves are dense, they are more resistant to ultraviolet exposure.
In the summer, the plant feels good at a temperature of about 26-30 º. In winter, air heating can be reduced to 18 º. However, it should not be colder. If the soil is colder than the set mark, you will need to additionally warm the container with the plant.
One of the most commonly grown plant species of this type is splenriye vriesia. Home care involves protecting it from sun exposure and maintaining optimal ambient temperature.
During the growing season, this and other species need top dressing. For this, they acquire fertilizers for bromeliads. You can also apply bait to flowering ornamental plants. Only the standard dosage in this case is reduced by 2 times. Nitrogen in fertilizers should be a minimum amount. This component can kill the plant. Also, calcium should not be present in the soil.
Watering requirements
Growing and caring at home for vriesia involves ensuring proper watering of the plant. This is a specific procedure. Watering is carried out in the summer in the funnel of the plant. In this case, you need to use only a clean, soft liquid without impurities. Water should be warm (3 degrees higher than room temperature). It is important to ensure that the fluid does not stagnate in the flower.
If the room temperature drops below 20 ° C, and there is still water in the funnel, it must be poured. Otherwise, the plant will rot and may die. The substrate in the pot should remain slightly moist in the summer. Its overmoistening must not be allowed.
Some gardeners grow this plant on a bromeliad tree. In this case, it is necessary to remove the vriesia from its support once a decade. It is immersed in clean water. The plant can be saturated with the necessary moisture. After this, vriesia is taken out of the tank and allowed to drain water. Then the flower can be strengthened again in its former place.
In winter, water is not poured into the funnel. It is only necessary to moisten the substrate a little. This procedure must be carried out very carefully. You can not overmoisten the soil. Only if the heater works in the room, the air is not saturated with moisture, you need to periodically add water to the pot. In this case, even a funnel can be filled with a little clean liquid. If vriesia blooms, watering is carried out in normal mode.
It is considered optimal if the humidity near the flower is about 65-70%. To ensure this condition, vriesia should be sprayed twice a day. Water should not fall on the flowers. Otherwise, they will be covered with ugly spots.
If vriesia grows in a pot, it can be placed on a pallet with pebbles or expanded clay. They put a container with a flower, which should not come in contact with water in the pan. It is also recommended to wipe the leaves of the plant with a damp cloth.
Transfer
Care at home for vriesia splenrietum, astrid, mix and other varieties involves periodic plant transplants. This should be done infrequently if the flower is already an adult. The transplant is carried out every 3-4 years. If vriesia is still young, the procedure is carried out about two times before it first blooms.
A plant is transplanted only during its active development. This is best done in spring or summer. The substrate can be purchased at a specialty store. It includes leafy, soddy soil, as well as sand and peat. The composition for the growth of vriesia may include moss. Best purchased soil for bromeliads.
For transplantation, you need to prepare a container. It should not be deep. The roots of the plant are poorly developed. Therefore, they do not need a deep container. This is a mandatory component of home care for vriesia. The transplant is fast enough. Expanded clay or fine gravel is poured into a shallow container. A flower is being transferred from it from an old pot. Then add so much substrate so that it fills all the voids of the container. The roots are fragile, they are easy to damage. Therefore, the procedure is performed carefully.
You can fix the plant on a wooden saw. For this, its roots are wrapped in sphagnum moss. Using a wire or thread, the flower is fixed on a support. On one branch, several vrieses can grow. This composition looks exotic and original. Other types of epiphytes are also placed here. So it turns out the bromeliad tree.
Disease
Care at home for a flower vriesia involves various preventive procedures from attacks of pests and pathogens. The plant is quite resistant to such adverse effects. However, with improper care, the flower weakens. He becomes susceptible to disease.
If the tips of the leaves began to curl and dry out, dark spots appear on them, which means that the air in the room is too dry. Frequent spraying is required. Perhaps the outlet has run out of water.
If the plant is stunted, then the room temperature is too low. It is necessary to provide greenhouse heating.
If a dark film appears on the back of the leaves, it must be removed with a cotton swab and a soap solution. This is a fungus that interferes with the normal functioning of plant cells.
Also, the flower may be attacked by scale insects. In this case, vriesia will be stunted. First, you can try to treat the leaves with a soapy solution. If this does not help, you need to purchase special drugs (for example, Actellic).
Seed propagation
Considering the peculiarities of vriesia, home care of this plant, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of its reproduction. This process is performed using seeds or processes. The technology for conducting these types of flower propagation is somewhat different.
Seeds must be prepared before sowing in the soil. They are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and well dried. They are introduced into the prepared substrate (peat with sand and chopped moss). The container is covered with glass. It is necessary to maintain the ambient temperature of about 23º.
The first shoots can be seen after 15-20 days. Two months later, you need to dive seedlings in a special soil for bromeliads. After 6 months, they can be seated in separate containers. They are provided with the same care as for adult plants. The first time vriesia grown from seeds begins to bloom no earlier than 3 years.
Propagation by processes
Care at home for vriesia has several nuances. There are a number of features when growing this plant. You can propagate the flower by processes. This is a simple procedure. When the flowering period passes, buds appear on the root neck. The flower stalk at the same time dies. Offspring appear from these kidneys.
After a month, leaves begin to form on them. Weak roots are also visible. It is necessary to wait until the shoots gain strength. They should grow 1/3 of the height of the mother plant. Now they can be carefully separated. Sprouts are planted in a substrate and contain at a temperature of about 27 ° C. They need to be covered with a transparent plastic film. In a month it can be removed.
Having considered the features of such a plant as vriesia, home care and its subtleties, you can independently breed this beautiful flower, creating chic exotic compositions.