Spathiphyllum, or āfeminine happinessā, is a delicate and beautiful plant. According to legend, its owner will become a loving and beloved wife and mother. For this, it is important to observe one condition: someone must present a flower. But for a successful plant maintenance, one favorable environment is not enough. You need to know what soil is suitable for spathiphyllum, how to transplant it and other subtleties. About the rules for caring for this flower will tell the publication.
Natural conditions
To understand how to successfully grow āfemale happinessā, you should familiarize yourself with the conditions in which this plant grows in nature. The homeland of spathiphyllum is the South American and Malaysian rainforests. Favorite places of growth are flooded or swampy areas, the banks of water bodies.
That is, in the usual habitat - increased air humidity, loose and moist, slightly acidic soil. In such conditions, āfemale happinessā is successfully growing and blooming. And which conclusion follows from this? What soil is suitable for spathiphyllum? In the natural environment, fallen leaves, rotten branches, charcoal and compost are part of the earth. Based on this knowledge, you can independently make a nutrient mixture.
Proportions for soil preparation
The soil for āfemale happinessā should be loose and fertile. These are important conditions that must be observed when preparing the substrate. So, what soil is suitable for spathiphyllum? There are several recipes:
1. Coniferous soils, sand, humus - in equal parts, garden soils - 2 parts, peat - 4 parts.
2. Garden soil and perlite - in 2 parts, peat and soil for orchids - in 3 parts.
3. Sod land - 2 parts, leaf soil, peat, coarse sand - 1 part, charcoal, clay brick chips - half a part.
4. Sod land, river sand (or clay brick chips) - half of the share, sheet land, peat - 1 share.
5. Peat, humus, unmilled leaf humus - 2 parts, a mixture of charcoal, crushed bark, coarse sand and brick chips - 1 share.
The following formulations are well suited for "female happiness." The soil is nutritious, water-intensive, saturated with oxygen and not too acidic. To improve aeration, it is useful to add a little coconut fiber. There are other options for soil for spathiphyllum. Which components are suitable depends on the flower itself and the conditions of detention. The ideal recipe can only be selected empirically. The main thing is not to forget about good drainage in order to avoid root decay.
Important Nuances
Pay attention to such recommendations of experienced gardeners:
- The substrate for "female happiness" should be slightly acidic. Optimum performance is 5-6 pH.
- It is recommended to use soil containing charcoal. It is an excellent antiseptic and can prevent root decay in case of waterlogging.
- Self-prepared soil must be decontaminated. To do this, you can use a hot solution of potassium permanganate dark pink.
Features of store soil
You can purchase universal soil or intended for aroid plants. It is worth noting that they usually have few useful substances. Therefore, after transplantation, it is necessary to observe the spathiphyllum and, if necessary, nourish it with fertilizers.
There are also ready-made primers for spathiphyllum. To make the flower feel as comfortable as possible in them, it is recommended to make the soil more loose. To do this, you can add coarse river sand, brick chips or vermiculite at the rate of 1 part to 9 parts of the substrate.
When to transplant?
Having become the owners of "female happiness", many are wondering when to transplant it. This is advisable in the following cases:
- The plant has recently been brought from the store.
- The flower has omitted leaves and a generally unhealthy appearance.
- His age is 1 year.
- Spathiphyllum has not been transplanted for 2-3 years.
- The roots sprouted into the drainage holes of the vessel.
- The plant does not bloom for a long time.
The best period for transplantation is considered the beginning of spring and the end of winter. If this procedure is urgently needed, then it can be carried out at any time of the year.
Pot selection
It is important to know which pot is needed for spathiphyllum. Due to the wrong choice, it will hurt or stop blooming.
This plant prefers tight spaces, therefore the vessel must be taken appropriate - small and shallow. If there is a lot of space, then flowering will not happen soon. Usually it begins when the roots occupy the entire capacity.
When the spathiphyllum reaches a height of 30-40 centimeters, the transplant must be stopped. For such a green pet, containers with a diameter of 17-20 centimeters will be optimal.
The material of the pot does not matter. But for large specimens, it is advisable to take the vessel more stable. For example, a ceramic tub or pot. There must be drainage holes to allow excess water to drain.
Transplant Features
In order for the spathiphyllum to take root well and begin to bloom, it needs to be transplanted correctly. It is recommended that you follow these steps:
- If you want to get a large copy with beautiful leaves, then the lateral processes will have to be separated.
- Before planting, spathiphyllum needs to be properly watered.
- At the bottom of a new pot, drain. It is advisable to lay a layer of expanded clay with a thickness of 2-2.5 centimeters.
- Pour a little fresh substrate and put the plant itself with an earthen lump. Fill the voids with soil and tamp.
- Water a little so that the earth becomes wet.
- To speed up the rooting process, it is recommended to spray the flower with the Epina solution. Two drops of the stimulant in a glass of water are enough. Repeat the procedure after a week.
- The first 3-4 days it is better not to water the "female happiness", but only to spray twice a day.
Top dressing
The growing season is from March to September. Therefore, in these months, the green pet is especially in need of nutrients. Fertilize every two weeks. You can use universal dressing for flowering plants. Usually they have a balanced composition, but are quite concentrated. Therefore, it must be diluted a little more than expected. Otherwise, you can leave a burn on the delicate root system of the plant. Spathiphyllum also responds well to organic and mineral supplements. This can be bird droppings, a sweet drink, water after cooking pasta, etc. In winter, it is enough to fertilize the flower once a month.
Temperature and humidity
The optimum temperature for the content of "female happiness" is 16-17 degrees Celsius. The minimum allowable value is 13 degrees Celsius, and the maximum is 27 (subject to abundant watering). Humidity should be high enough. Therefore, you often need to spray the plant or leave water in the pan.
Lighting
Spathiphyllum prefers well-lit places. But direct sunlight can cause burns on the leaves. It is advisable to place a flower pot on the northern windowsill. If this is not possible, then you can put it in any place where diffused light falls. It can be a stand, bedside table, shelf, but not a window.
Watering
The main secret to the success of growing spathiphyllum is abundant watering. But you do not need to fill the soil to the state of the swamp. To understand that itās time to water the plant is very simple. This should be done when the topsoil is slightly dry. The draining of an earthen coma must not be allowed. Water for irrigation should be warm, settled.
The bush of "female happiness" is very responsive to spraying from a spray bottle. But in winter, the amount of irrigation and watering needs to be reduced.
It is also necessary to periodically wipe the spathiphyllum leaves with a wet sponge. The plant in this case will be protected from scale insects, soot fungus and mealybug.
Possible problems
In appearance, the green pet is easy to understand that something is wrong with it. The following symptoms indicate problems with care.
- Long no flowering. The cause may be too large a pot or insufficient lighting.
- The plant slowed growth, the leaves become chlorotic. This is due to a lack of iron and manganese. If these trace elements are present in the soil in sufficient quantities, it means that they are not absorbed due to cold or poor aeration of the substrate.
- Spathiphyllum leaves turn yellow. What to do in this case? Most likely, the plant needs to be fed or saturated with moisture. The emergence of such a problem contributes to several factors. Inadequate watering, use of hard, unsteady water, low humidity. Also, the cause may be a lack of nutrients after abundant and long flowering.
- Leaves dry and brown. In this case, you need to increase the humidity by increasing the frequency of spraying.
- Leaves turn black. This means that watering is excessive, and the room temperature is too low.
- The flowers turn green. This is not a problem at all, but a natural process. And some species always have this color.
- Water droplets form on the leaves. Here, too, do not worry. You just need to take into account that in this way the flower tries to get rid of excess fluid in the tissues. This usually occurs with excessive spraying or high humidity in the room.
Now you know what care spathiphyllum needs at home. The secrets of success are actually simple, because the plant is quite unpretentious. It can be successfully maintained even by a novice, just stick to the recommendations given.