How to grow a spectacular bush of Anthurium Hooker? Description of the variety and rules for the care of indoor plants
Hooker Anthurium is appreciated by collectors for the bright greenery of a luxurious bush. At home, rarely blooms, but it adapts well to room contents.
Hardy and unpretentious exotic will decorate any interior of the house and garden. In this article we will consider this flower in detail, read its description and history of occurrence.
You will also see a photo of the plant, you will learn how to properly care for it at home. Find information on common pests and diseases.
Botanical description and Latin name
Anthurium Hooker (Anthurium hookeri) - a bred variety of the Anthurium family Aroidae (Araceae).
In nature, there are more than 800 species of anthuriums.
The Hooker variety belongs to decorative and deciduous epiphytes, has a short trunk. The stems are practically absent, the flowers themselves are inexpressive. The large bright leaves of the plant are particularly decorative..
The flower is called "male happiness", "flamingo flower." Due to the peculiarities of the structure of the outlet, the plant is called "bird's nest", "Anthurium - hooks."
History of occurrence and geography of habitat
19th century French nerd Edward Andre from the expedition to South and Central America brought the first copy of anthurium to Europe. Thus, the tropical flower fell into one of the largest collections of living plants of the Royal Kew Botanical Garden in England.
In modern floriculture, hybrid varieties of Anthurium grow in greenhouses, nurseries, often planted as a pot plant, and are used in landscape design.
The natural habitat of Hooker Anthurium is considered the tropical woodlands of the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, and Guiana. Prefers monsoon climate.
Description of appearance
Epiphyte has broad, oblong, dense in structure leaves of a rich green color. The sheet plate is marked with small black dots.. Petioles are short, up to 3-4 cm. Leaves grow up to 90-100 cm in length, leaf width up to 30-40 cm.
The bedspread is narrow, inconspicuous, greenish. The length of the bedspread is up to 20 cm, the width is about 3 cm. The inflorescence is an ear of pale purple or violet, grows up to 30 cm long. The peduncle is straight, strong, up to 90 cm in height.
A distinctive feature of the variety - snow-white fruits - berries with a red coating on the top.
The plant has virtually no stem. Leaves form a large outlet - a nest. The diameter of the outlet of an adult bush is up to 1.5 - 2 m. The height of the bush is more than 60 cm.
Houseplant care at home
Temperature
In spring and summer, the optimal temperature range is 22 - 27 ° C. In autumn, it is required to lower the temperature of the content, the flower is preparing for winter holidays.
Watering
In summer, watering should be plentiful and frequent. In the heat, additional humidification is required through shallow irrigation of the bush. The soil around the outlet is mulched with moist moss - sphagnum to avoid drying out of the substrate. You can also arrange open containers with water to create conditions close to the humid tropics. The optimum humidity is 90 - 95%.
Important: prevent stagnation of water in the soil and sump. Immediately after watering, water is poured out of the pan. In autumn, watering decreases, it is enough to water the plant 1 time per week.Shine
Lighting for Hooker Anthurium should be bright, but somewhat distant, scattered. Southern windows should be obscured by a light curtain in summer. It is better to install pots on the east and west sides of the apartment.
Priming
The soil should be loose, good air and moisture. A powerful drainage is required, consisting of large clay shards, gravel, expanded clay.
For the Hooker variety, a ready-made mixture for succulents is suitable.
The soil mixture is prepared independently:
- moss-sphagnum - 2 hours;
- peat - 2 hours;
- turf land - 1 hour;
- sand - 1 hour;
- drainage.
It is advisable to add humus for nutrition, pieces of coniferous trees for friability and charcoal for disinfecting the substrate.
Simplified version of the soil:
- sheet land - 2 hours;
- chopped moss - 1 hour;
- turf land - 1 hour;
- drainage.
Pruning
For the formation of the bush pruning is not required.
Sanitary pruning procedure:
- When transplanting, rotten and dry processes of the root are cut out.
- Places of cuts are processed by crushed coal.
- After flowering, wilted inflorescences are cut.
- Faded flower stalks are cut to the level of the outlet.
Top dressing
In spring and summer fertilizers are applied every 10 days. It is advisable to use special complex feeding in liquid form.
Florists recommend using:
- "Effekton for houseplants" on the basis of peat (2 tablespoons per 3 liters of water).
- "Yantarin, vrk" used for growth regulator, applied in spring. It is used for watering and spraying (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water).
- "Forte" Gloss for leaves is an excellent tool for a voluminous sheet plate. The aerosol product contains green soap, silicone, which provides a healthy look to the leaves. For young leaves and stems it is not applied.
In the garden, you can feed bushes with organics - a weakly concentrated solution of mullein (200 g per 5 liters of water).
Pot
The pot is selected according to the size of the dense root, too spacious containers cause stagnation of water, growth and flowering slows down. The plant is not demanding on the material of the container. For each transplant, the size of the pot must be increased by 2 cm in diameter.
Important: drainage holes should be wide.Transfer
Young plants are transplanted once every 2 years. Adult bushes are replanted less often, as the roots grow. The procedure is best done in spring or summer.
Transplantation scheme:
- In a new container, a drainage layer is placed, 3-4 cm.
- A new mixture is poured with a layer of 2 cm.
- The entire bush is removed from the previous container (for convenience, the pot should be put on its side).
- By transshipment, the plant is transferred to a new container, the soil is replenished, lightly compacted.
- Watering is plentiful.
The roots must be deepened 0.5 cm more than the previous planting to prevent them from drying out. The topsoil is mulched with moist moss.
10 days after the purchase, the plant should be transplanted from a temporary container into a permanent pot, the soil changes.
Wintering
During the dormant period that the plant needs to stimulate flowering, air temperature should not exceed 15 - 16 ° C.
In winter, instead of spraying, it is better to wipe the voluminous leaves from dust with a damp cloth. Soil moisture is moderate. It should be watered only with warm water.
For early flowering:
- Starting in January, it is advisable to gradually increase the room temperature to 20 ° C.
- The windows are shaded, partial shade is needed.
- In February, water should be watered with hot water, temperature up to 40 °.
Propagation Features
Seeds
Special conditions for growing seedlings through sowing are needed. This method is most often used in greenhouses. To obtain seeds, artificial pollination of the flower is necessary. Pollen is carried by brush.
Seeds quickly lose their germination. Before planting, the seeds are soaked in a solution of manganese for 2 hours.
For germination of seeds you need a greenhouse. Seedlings dive after the appearance of 2 - 3 leaves. Humidification is regular. The light is diffused.
Bush division
The most common and easiest way to reproduce at home.
During transplantation, lateral young shoots are separated. Separated bushes are immediately transplanted into separate pots. When transplanting, it is important to save the earthen lump. Rooting is painless.
Important: young bushes are not divided.On each separated part there should be buds, leaves and a part of a healthy root.
Diseases and Pests
- Leaves turn yellow from cold, lack of light. Additional top dressing is needed.
- Leaves dry from dry air and with insufficient watering.
- Leaves dry when aphids and ticks are affected. The bush should be treated with soapy water.
- From the dampness of the soil and the cold, gray rot appears. Urgent transplantation, soil replacement, temporary quarantine are required.
- To increase immunity in the spring, the bushes are treated with a solution of amberin.
- For the prevention and treatment of powdery mildew, spotting, periodically spray and water the plant with phytosporin.
Similar flowers
- Spathiphyllum Sensation different bright green broad leaves. It can also grow in partial shade.
- Alocasia of Calidor grows in height to 1.5 m. The leaves are large, wide.
- Syngonium Wendland - large variety. The leaves are voluminous, velvety, dark green in color.
- Dieffenbachia Leopold has large dense leaves, up to 40 cm in length. The bedspread is green, narrow.
- Asplenium nesting - fern. Epiphyte has no stem. Voluminous long leaves form a rosette - a nest.
You can grow a healthy and effective bush of Anthurium Hooker under the condition of stable, regular and proper care.