Florists are always trying to diversify their collection with a new plant, interesting and unusual. Ktenanta Oppenheim is one of the unpretentious, but very original specimens. The flower won the love of flower growers due to the original, beautiful color and simple maintenance at home. This is a perennial herbaceous plant, which belongs to the family Marantovye.
general description
The peculiarity of the Oppenheim ctenant is that its leaves are oval, narrowed to the base and asymmetric. This plant has another interesting trait. With the onset of evening, she raises the leaves up, which creates a slight rustle. This is especially noticeable if there is a large bush on the window. In the morning, it opens again, spreading leaves to their former places.
The birthplace of this plant is the rainforests of Brazil. There the Oppenheim ctenant grows in marshy areas. Under the cover of tropical trees, the bushes feel very comfortable. But in room conditions you have to try to create optimal conditions for her.
The most popular member of the family
Indeed, the Oppenheim ctenant is the most frequent guest in living quarters and offices. It can reach 1 meter in height, and leaves - 40 cm in length. Awesome plant, tender and bright at the same time. The leaves are oblong, dark green. They are light green and silver-white stripes. The reverse side is purple. A large bush can decorate any room. But besides this variety, the family includes several more:
- Burl Marx. The height of this plant reaches 40 cm. The leaves are light green, with dark stripes and a purple back. Blossoms willingly, throwing out a creamy white inflorescence.
- Ktenant Lubbers - reaches 75 cm in height. A distinctive feature is the beautiful yellow strokes that resemble feathers.
- The ctenantha is compressed - reaches a meter in height and resembles a palm tree. This is a long bare stalk that ends in a knot of 4 leaves.
But today we are interested in Oppenheim's ctenant. Caring for this plant is quite simple, but you need to consider some features and nuances. All other varieties were mentioned for comparison, so you can distinguish between them.
Ornamental foliage plant
Often, flower growers believe that the best proof of good care for a green pet is flowering. In fact, not all plants are valued for beautiful buds and petals. A vivid example is a ctenant. Caring for it may be ideal, but released inflorescences will upset you with their plainness. But luxurious leaves with strong stalks are the main advantage of the plant. Therefore, care should be aimed at building green mass.
Home Care
Ktenanta Oppenheim is a guest from the rainforests. And its place is the lower tier, that is, growing under the shadow of larger plants. Keep in mind that this implies a high level of humidity. In addition, the plant does not tolerate temperature extremes and drafts. To get a beautiful, sprawling bush, you need to create almost greenhouse conditions. In apartments, the air temperature is usually high, but it is very dry, which the plant categorically does not like. Therefore, it is required to install air humidifiers or to build a kind of greenhouse with an open front wall. In this hood, moisture will linger and evaporate.
At first glance, it seems that caring for the Oppenheim cantant is very difficult. In fact, you need to think over the placement of this pet once and purchase the necessary equipment - and as a reward you will receive a luxurious plant with beautiful leaves.
Lighting is another challenge
This is the second moment about which people who want to grow a ctenant stumble over. Care at home for the capricious beauty is complicated by the fact that you need to create a piece of the rainforest on your window. Previously, it would be nice to imagine in what conditions a flower grows in a natural environment. That it should be warm and sunny has already been said. But you need to solve the problem with lighting.
The plant in this regard is not too demanding. In nature, ctenants grow under the canopy of large trees, so they do not suffer from a lack of sun. Moreover, direct sunlight is contraindicated for them. A dim, diffused light is best suited. But if it is not enough, then new leaves will have shorter plates. The bushes in the northern or western room will feel great.
If the windows of your housing are facing south, then the plant needs to be placed in the back of the room or pritenit. Otherwise, the leaves may lose their bright color. But in a similar way, they will respond to too dark a location. It is especially important to shade the plant in spring and summer, when the sun's rays are especially bright.
Watering
Often this moment becomes a stumbling block for the owner. Photos of Oppengeymia ctenantas with lowered leaves and dried edges are often presented to specialists to help them deal with the problem. And it is solved very simply: the plant is corny lacking moisture. But this can not always be solved by increasing the frequency of irrigation.
The plant needs abundant watering, but you can not allow a "swamp in a pot." Excess moisture can cause root rot. Drying is no less dangerous, in which case leaves and shoots are damaged. That is, it is not recommended to allow the earthen coma to dry out, but it is also impossible to introduce a new portion of moisture when the earth has not yet dried. Therefore, in summer and winter, the frequency of irrigation will be different.
And one more nuance. Water for irrigation should be soft and always warm. It must be defended or filtered. The second option is even better, because the plant reacts very poorly to excess mineral salts.
Humidification
The photo of the ktenanta, grown in good conditions, shows a beautiful, lush bush with bright leaves. But in reality, we often may encounter the fact that the leaves begin to fade, become faded, and the picture almost completely disappears. Why it happens? The most common problem is excess air dryness. Most often, just such a question is addressed to specialists by novice growers. Why did the leaves of the Oppenheim Ktenant twist? This variety is very demanding on the level of humidity in the air. In addition to drying the tips of the leaves, usually the plant's immunity is also reduced, and it becomes a victim of pests and diseases.
So, this problem cannot be solved with one watering. Bathing a flower under a warm shower positively affects growth and development. Make sure that water does not remain on the leaves. In order to increase the humidity level, you can place the pot with the plant in a pan that needs to be filled with wet moss or gravel. But the roots should not constantly touch the water. Usually, such a measure is sufficient to produce young leaves and healthy root shoots.
Spraying
If you regularly resort to this method, then your home will have an original flower, as in the photo. Care for the ctenant at home must necessarily include spraying. This is especially important in the winter, when the central heating is turned on.
To do this, you must use warm water. It must first be defended, or even better filtered, so that a whitish precipitate of salts does not precipitate on the leaves. Spray water with very small drops. Large ones leave dark spots on the leaves.
Fertilizer Use for Oppenheim Ktenants
Home care for a tropical flower should be complete so that your plant is healthy and beautiful. We talked about external influences. But the roots of the plant are in the ground, so you need to pay attention to this important factor. We have already said that the soil should be moist, but not wet. But this is not all the requirements.
The soil should be loose, slightly acidic and should consist mostly of a leaf part. It is very important to add peat, charcoal, humus and coniferous land to it. Coarse sand will make the substrate more crumbly. You can conduct a small experiment. Type a little soil into a handful and squeeze. If after this the composition freely disintegrates, then it is suitable for planting.
Potted plants are severely limited in their ability to produce nutrients. In nature, they are updated naturally, through the decay of foliage and insects. Yes, and the roots of the plant can grow to the sides. In a pot, a plant has only what you give. Therefore, you need to regularly replenish the supply of nutrients, as well as change the soil.
Feeding rules
A ctenanta does not like an excess of fertilizers, this must be taken into account and restrain your desire to often water it with nutritious compounds. Her well-being is affected badly by an increased level of calcium and nitrogen in the soil. In the cold season, it will be enough to feed your pet once a month. In spring and summer, this procedure should be performed more often - once every two weeks.
What fertilizer to choose for this? It is best to take complex compositions for indoor decorative foliage plants. The most convenient is fertilizer in liquid form. And one moment. The instructions always indicate a high dosage. It is recommended to use it in half dose.
But there is another option. If you have prepared high-quality soil, then the plant will not lack nutrients. An annual transplant serves the same purpose. If you adhere to the principles of regular updating of soil in pots, then you can not think about top dressing. They will be just superfluous.
Transfer
We came close to the fact that the plant needs regular transplants. This is an important rule so that you can proudly show off the photo of the Ctenantes. Care at home for this flower involves regular inspection of the pet. If you see that the soil begins to dry out quickly, and the roots are visible through the drainage holes, then it’s time to start transplanting.
Young specimens are recommended to be transferred to a new pot every year, choosing a slightly larger container. The second half of spring is best suited for this. Large plants need only one transplantation every 3-5 years. It is very important to choose a pot of the right size. Its diameter should be only a few centimeters larger than the previous one. Too much volume can kill the plant. In this case, it is likely that excess land will become acidic. Preference should be given to ceramic flowerpots. In this case, evaporation of excess moisture through the side walls is possible.
If the plant does not need a transplant, but you want to update the soil, then transshipment is performed. In this case, the topsoil is carefully removed and replaced with fresh. The procedure does not injure the plant at all, and it continues to grow willingly.
Breeding
In the process of transplantation, you can think about how to plant yourself another young plant. This is most easily done by dividing the rhizome. Unrooted plants practically do not need water, so it is best to cover the pot with a plastic bag and do not touch. The first watering will be enough until the roots appear.
The second option is rooting in water. This is the way loved by flower growers for its visibility. Roots usually appear after 4-6 weeks. After this, the plants need to be planted in a peat-based substrate and placed in a mini-greenhouse with high humidity and temperature. But propagation by seeds is practically not practiced, so we will not dwell on this issue.
Diseases and Pests
This is a rather delicate tropical plant, the state of which must be constantly monitored. A ctenantha is susceptible to diseases, which are most often manifested by spots on the leaves. There can be many reasons. The plant is affected by fungal and viral diseases. In addition, with a decrease in immunity, the flower becomes an easy prey for pests.
If brown spots appear on the leaves, then you need to carefully examine the plant, check the condition of the soil. If it is moderately wet, then, most likely, the reason lies in the activity of pests. This is a spider mite or scab. To save your plant and restore its decorative appearance, you need to spray it with an insecticide on time.
Instead of a conclusion
Despite the fact that this plant is a guest of their tropics, it coexists quite successfully at home. Taking into account the needs of the ctenants and creating optimal conditions for it, you can count on the fact that a luxurious bush with striped leaves will flaunt on the window. Moreover, this does not take you a lot of time and effort. Let the plant not bloom, or rather produce rather nondescript inflorescences, but the beauty of the leaves compensates for this deficiency. Today we examined the features of caring for this plant. This can serve as an instruction for beginner gardeners.