Ktenanta: how to take care of a beauty from brazil at home

Features ktenant

All ktenants have the unique ability to turn leaves. We already know that arrowroots raise the leaves up at night, as in prayer, and spread them in the morning - this is how they orient themselves in space relative to the light, for this in their homeland - in the countries of Latin America, all arrowroots are called praying plants. But the pursuit of the sun (light source) is not the only reason for leaf turning. Sometimes movement is a pronounced defensive reaction; in sunny weather, the plant turns the leaves in order to reduce transpiration, excessive evaporation of moisture. If you look closely, the leaves turn along the light flux, sideways to the sun, by the edge of the leaf - this way the heating surface is less than when the leaves are in a horizontal position. Moreover, what is interesting, the plant chooses how it is more convenient for it - it can raise the leaves up, or lower, almost perpendicular to the floor

Pay attention, if your ktenant suddenly pressed the leaves to the petioles on a spring or summer day, she may be hot or dry! The sun may no longer shine through the window, but the leaves are still pressed against the petioles. The fact is that in this position, moisture evaporation also occurs in a more economical mode - the moisture inside the bush, between the petioles and pressed leaves is preserved better than when the leaves are spread. By the way, all other arrowroots can behave in exactly the same way, but only in ktenants, stromanths and some kalata (large long-petiolate), this process is more pronounced

In arrowroot, the stem growth is different - semi-creeping, forming many nodes, and the bush is compact, so arrowroots from the heat also shrink like bristling hedgehogs, or the leaves are pulled closer to the walls of the pot

By the way, all other arrowroots can behave in exactly the same way, but only in ktenants, stromanths and some kalateas (large long-petiolate), this process is more pronounced. In arrowroot, the stem growth is different - semi-creeping, forming many nodes, and the bush is compact, so the arrowroots from the heat also shrink like bristling hedgehogs, or the leaves are pulled closer to the walls of the pot.

Thus, observing your ktenant (or other arrowroot), you can understand whether it is hot for her, too intense the sun, or both. To avoid burns and not overheat - the leaves will become an edge towards the light. But if there is no sun, look at the thermometer - it may be too stuffy, hot, remember how long you watered. With very strong dryness, the leaves become lethargic, like rags, but before that the plant will do everything to save moisture evaporation - it will squeeze the leaves.

In some cases, the leaves on one side of the plant are lowered, and on the other, they are raised, so you can observe the reaction to the currents of warm air from the battery and the orientation of the plant to the light source.

Home care

Any indoor plant needs proper care for normal growth. In the case of the ktenant, we are talking about the following significant points.

Temperature regime

The flower is highly sensitive to any temperature extremes. Drafts and hypothermia of the root system can provoke illness or even death. The soil without fail, regardless of the season, must warm up above + 18 ° С. In summer, the optimum temperature is +22 degrees.

Lighting

Lighting is required bright enough, but diffused. If the light is too bright, the leaves may begin to fade, the size of the plates will decrease.In winter, indoor shrubs in most cases will require additional lighting due to the short daylight hours. You can solve the problem with fluorescent lamps.

Watering

Planting requires moderate watering. In warm weather, the soil needs to be moistened more often than in winter. Neither overdrying nor waterlogging should be allowed under any circumstances. For the procedure, well-settled soft warm water is best suited. The use of water passed through a filter is allowed.

Spraying

Spraying will be required to maintain a suitable humidity level.

Important! There is one little secret, how to spray the plant in such a way that the leaves do not leave spots and streaks. It is about using a fine atomizer

The procedure in the summer should be carried out twice a day. It will not be superfluous from time to time to put the pot in a tray with damp moss.

Humidity

To maintain a high level of humidity, along with spraying, it is recommended to get a humidifier. With its regular use, the ktenant will feel especially comfortable.

Priming

When planting a plant, it is imperative to organize drainage at the bottom of the pot. The soil itself should be slightly acidic, loose and nutritious. It is allowed to use ready-made substrates for arrowroot or azaleas.

Top dressing

In spring and autumn, mineral fertilizers must be applied to the soil at a frequency of 1 every two weeks. In the cold season, it is enough to use top dressing once a month and a half.

Breeding features

Many florists are interested in how ktenants reproduce.

Germinating seeds

It is very problematic to propagate a culture by germinating seeds, since it practically does not bloom in room conditions. Accordingly, a problem arises in the search for planting material.

Rooting cuttings

Often the flower is propagated by apical cuttings. To do this, they are cut in the summer period, carefully making sure that at least three leaves are present on each cuttings. The cuttings are placed in a container of water, carefully covered with plastic wrap. When young roots appear, the seedling can be moved into the ground.

Air layering

Air layers are a section of a plant that is specially stimulated to form roots by being surrounded by soil. This method is practically not used with a nurse.

Dividing the bush

Most often, the described indoor flower is propagated by dividing the bush. As a rule, the method is applied on an adult specimen. The plant is pulled out of the ground, the roots are shaken off the soil, divided into several parts, trying not to damage the root system, and transplanted into different containers.

Diseases and pests, control methods

If the growing conditions are not observed, insects may appear on its surface and in the soil, causing various plant diseases:

Ktenanta: home care

Caring for this plant at home is quite difficult, because it is quite demanding. A wild-growing flower grows in the lower tier of the tropics, namely, a humid forest. The ktenanta, which is cultivated indoors, should be provided with similar conditions: high humidity of the air, there should be no draft at all. Under such conditions, the culture looks more beautiful, original, as, indeed, all plants from the Marantovye family.

Illumination level, choice of location.

The flower can grow in good light and in a semi-shaded room. It is advisable to place the ktenant on the western windowsill. But it is allowed to put it next to a north-facing window. In addition, the culture can be placed on a dummy table, which is located not far from the south-facing window, and it is necessary to shade the plant from the direct sun.

Remember that it is forbidden to put this vegetation near the window that opens to ventilate the room, because it reacts very badly to drafts.

Temperature conditions.

The plant needs warmth. All year round, temperature conditions must be maintained within the range of 20-25 degrees, and abrupt changes in temperature regimes at night and during the day are prohibited (a very small difference is possible). The ktenanta is not taken out on the terrace or outside, even when it is very warm.

Humidity level.

The ktenant plant is very fond of water. It is recommended to spray the bush frequently. With excessive dryness of the air, curling of the leaves of the ktenanta will begin. Professionals recommend regular sprinkling of the plant, but keep in mind that there should be no water getting on the foliage.

Watering.

Watering the indoor flower ktenante is required regularly, in moderation. For this purpose, soft settled water is used. It is worth ensuring that moisture does not stagnate in the soil, and also that the soil lump does not dry out. Watering is carried out with warm water.

If the room is colder in winter than in summer, the watering frequency is reduced.

Fertilization.

It is worth making sure that the soil for the ktenants is not overfed. Top dressing is applied from April to August, twice every 30 days. For this purpose, a liquid complex is used for room decorative leafy vegetation (dosage - 0.5 part of the recommendation). In winter, the plant is fed once every four weeks.

Transplant ktenants

It is necessary to transplant an indoor flower ktenante annually in the spring. Large-width flower pots are used for transplanting ktenants. Remember to have a good drainage layer at the bottom of the container. Professionals recommend mulching the roots with moist moss.

Soil mix.

The soil for ktenants should be slightly acidic and loose. The soil mixture includes peat, coniferous, leafy soil, humus, plus sand is added. The proportional ratio is 1: 1: 2-3: 1. In addition to this substrate, a soil mixture is used, which contains sod, leafy soil, humus and sand in equal parts.

A little charcoal is also added to the substrate. You can buy ready-made soil for ktenants from the Marantovy family at a flower shop.

Reproduction ktenants

Reproduction of ktenants is easy. In the spring, when you transplant to a ktenant, its root is divided.In order for the delenki to take root completely, they are covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm place, you need to water it with a small amount of water. Because before the roots appear, the plant absorbs a very small amount of water from the potting mix. When the plants take root, all the leaves may fall off, but after that the active and rapid growth of new leaves begins.

They also carry out the rooting of the apical rosettes in mini-greenhouses. The stalk should have two or three leaves, it is cut just below the attachment of the leaf to the branch. In addition, rooting in water is also good.

Ktenanta: diseases and pests

The ktenant flower can be attacked by scale insects. Shoots and leaves are covered with brownish bumps. Foliage turns pale, dries up and falls off.

A red spider mite may also be a guest, but this will happen due to a very low humidity in the room. To eliminate this pest, use insecticidal preparations.

Ktenanta: photo

Reproduction ktenants

The ktenant is propagated by dividing the bush and rooting the apical cuttings.

They are propagated by division during transplantation (large plants are carefully divided into 2 - 3 new specimens, while trying not to damage the roots) - they are planted in a peat-based substrate, after which it must be thoroughly watered with lukewarm water and allowed to dry the surface before the next watering. The pots are placed in a loosely tied plastic bag and kept in a warm place until the plant hardens and new leaves appear.

For reproduction of ktenants with apical cuttings in late spring or summer, it is necessary to cut cuttings 7-10 cm long with 2 - 3 leaves from new shoots of the plant, the cut is made just below the place where the leaf is attached to the stem. Cut cuttings are placed in a container with water, in addition, they can be placed in a mini-greenhouse or in a transparent plastic bag. Cuttings take root in about five to six weeks. They take root well in greenhouses with high temperature and humidity. The cuttings that have given roots are planted in a peat-based planting substrate.

Transplant procedure and preparation for it

For ktenants under the age of five, the transplant is an annual procedure. Adult specimens are moved to a new pot less often - every 2-3 years. At the same time, the top 2-3 cm of the soil are changed annually. The best time for the procedure is late spring or early summer.

The container is taken wide and shallow, similar to a bowl. Each time, its diameter is increased by 5–7 cm. The best material is unglazed ceramics, in which the soil sour much less often.

The soil is required sufficiently nutritious, but at the same time it is well permeable to air and water, slightly acidic. A special mixture for arrowroot is rarely found on sale, so it is prepared independently from leafy soil, peat chips, coarse river sand (2: 1: 1) and pieces of charcoal, finely chopped sphagnum moss (about 5% of the total volume of the mixture). An alternative is a commercially available substrate for azaleas.

Soil for Marantovs is rare on sale, but it can be replaced with a self-prepared mixture, all components of which are readily available

The transplant itself looks like this:

1. Pour expanded clay or pebbles into a new pot (layer 2-3 cm thick). Above - about the same amount of fresh soil.
2. Remove the ktenant from the old container. It is easier to do this if you water the plant abundantly in about half an hour. Try to keep the earth ball intact.
3. Trim off dried leaves. Do the same with dead and / or decayed roots. Sprinkle the "wounds" with crushed chalk, activated carbon, cinnamon.
4. Place the earthen ball in a new pot, add the substrate around the edges. When finished, gently shake the container to fill any voids.
5. Do not water the plant for 3-5 days. Protect it especially carefully from direct sunlight. This will help minimize the stress you have suffered.

The ktenant is transplanted by dividing the bush, trying not to destroy the earthen lump

Microclimate

As a true inhabitant of the tropics, the comb flower makes very high demands on temperature, lighting and humidity. If these conditions are not met, the plant can be easily lost, so you need to worry about them in advance.

Location

When choosing a place for a crocodile leaf, you need to take into account the peculiarities of the growth of this flower in nature. There, the ktenanta prefers to hide in the shade of tall trees, while constantly being in a very humid and warm environment typical for the tropics. Thus, in room conditions, the flower will be equally uncomfortable with both the southern and northern windows: in the first case, too bright sun and dry air play a negative role, in the second, on the contrary, a lack of light and heat. From this point of view, it is optimal to place the pot near the east or west windows. In the absence of such an opportunity, on the south side, the flower will need to be removed away from the window, on the north side - additionally illuminated.

Important! You can not put a ktenant next to heating devices, since they dry the air very much, and this factor is destructive for a tropical plant

Lighting

In summer, direct sunlight is the most dangerous for the crocodile leaf. In general, the plant is shade-loving, so it feels quite comfortable in partial shade. However, in winter, when the number of clear days in the middle lane is sharply reduced, the flower begins to experience a lack of light and warmth. Based on these rules, lighting must be correctly varied depending on the season. The state of the ornamental leaves will tell you how correctly this condition is fulfilled: their size decreases, and the brightness of the color is lost in cases of excess light, with insufficient illumination, the leaf plate becomes sluggish.

Temperature

The comb flower is not as demanding to the temperature regime as to other climatic conditions, however, it is very important for the plant that these parameters are constant: the flower does not like sudden temperature changes, including day and night. The leaf feels best for crocodiles when the soil temperature is in the range of + 18… + 22 ºC, air temperature - + 22… + 25 ºC. It is advisable not to allow the room to cool below +18 ° С, a critical indicator at which the plant can no longer develop normally is cooling to +16 ° С

It is advisable not to allow the room to cool below +18 ° С, a critical indicator at which the plant can no longer develop normally is cooling to +16 ° С

The leaf feels best for crocodiles when the soil temperature is in the range of + 18… + 22 ºC, air temperature - + 22… + 25 ºC. It is advisable not to allow the room to cool below +18 ° С, a critical indicator at which the plant can no longer develop normally is cooling to +16 ° С.

Air humidity

At home, the most difficult thing is to provide the ktenant with sufficient air humidity. The plant needs an indicator at a level of at least 70%, better - up to 90%, which is almost impossible to achieve in residential premises.

Did you know? In the evening, the leaves of the ktenants gather at the base, and with the first rays of the sun they bloom again: thus, a rustle is created from them, and it seems that they seem to come to life.

Some growers place the ktenant in decorative florariums, aquariums or terrariums, where it is much easier to create a suitable microclimate for the plant.

Popular varieties

There are a large number of tropical flower varieties, therefore, it is worth considering in more detail those varieties that are best suited for planting in an apartment on a windowsill.

Ktenant Oppenheim

Ktenant Oppenheim creates a minimum of problems in home care. It is often chosen by those who do not like to spend a lot of time caring for flowers.Ktenanta Oppenheim is a fairly tall species that grows in a pot up to 120 cm, in nature - up to almost 2 meters. The leaves of this variety are characterized by a lanceolate shape. They grow up to 20 or 30 cm in length. The color of the foliage of Oppenheim's calathea is an alternation of grayish-green and gray stripes.

Ktenanta Lubbers

Ktenanta Lubbers is another optimal variety for the windowsill. It is very easy to look after him. The description of the variety is as follows: plant height - from 80 to 100 cm, oblong leaves, dark green above, pale green with variegated veins in the lower part.

Ktenanta Amagris

Many people know Ktenant Amagris. This herbaceous perennial has oval oblong leaves that range in length from 15 to 25 centimeters. Their color is silvery green, very light, along the veins there are thin stripes of a dark green hue. Another feature of the Amagris leaf is the burgundy shade of its lower part. All together it looks very impressive and original.

Ktenanta pubescent

Among the flowers, ktenants of different types of ktenant, pubescent is considered the most capricious. The plant is especially picky about air humidity, temperature and drafts. The flower looks very interesting. It has dark green ovoid leaves with light green stripes. The latter look as if they were painted with paint with a brush. The variety grows pubescent up to 80 centimeters in height.

Ktenanta compressed

Another interesting variety, which often has a place on the windowsills, is the compressed calathea. This species grows on average up to 90 cm. Among the features of the compressed ctenants are glossy oval-shaped leaves, the length of which can reach 30 cm. They are usually located on high basal carts. At the same time, the leaf blades are whole-edged, of a dark green saturated shade.

Ktenanta Burle Maxi

Many people know Ktenanta Burle Maxi as the smallest plant in the family (up to 20 cm), which is characterized by very original colored leaves. The foliage itself is thick, almost rectangular in shape with wide dark stripes and a dark purple seamy side. In nature, Burle Maxi forms an almost continuous carpet, consisting of bright leaves, the length of which is 10 cm, the width is 5 cm.

Ktenanta Setosa

Ctenant Setoses have elongated dark green ovoid leaves. The longitudinal stripes located on them are most often colored in a gray or light green shade. Plant height can reach 80-90 centimeters. A perennial feels quite comfortable as a houseplant and does not require special conditions for successful cultivation.

Ktenanta Tricolor

The main feature of the tricolorr ctenants is (as the name suggests) tricolor leaves. It is a hybrid of the Oppenheim variety, with striped yellow-green leaves and a bright purple underside. Outwardly, the flower resembles one of the varieties of Stromant.

Important! Ktenanta is a poisonous flower. It is not recommended to grow it in houses where pets live.

Some types of ktenants

Ctenant Burle-Marx, or Ctenanthe Burle-Marx (Ctenanthe burle-marxii). The native land of the species is Brazil. An adult plant can grow up to 20-40 cm in height. The leaf blade is about 10 cm long and 5-6 cm wide, oblong or obovate with a short pointed apex, glabrous, light green, has beautiful dark green stripes along the lateral veins, the reverse side is purple. The flowers are collected in apical inflorescences, small, creamy white. The fruit is an elliptical pubescent capsule. Flowering begins in February.

Ctenant Lubbers, or Ctenathe lubbersiana. The native land of the species is Brazil. An adult plant can reach a height of 75 cm. It has oblong green leaves with beautiful yellow or whitish-yellow feather-shaped strokes, green on the back.

Ctenant Oppenheim, or Ctenanthe oppenheimiana.Plant up to 90 cm tall. Leaves on long petioles, oblong, about 20-40 cm long. The surface of the leaf is velvety with light green and cream stripes, the underside of the leaf is purple. Tricolor form is available.

Ctenanthe compressa, or Ctenanthe compressa. Grows in tropical rainforests in Brazil. Perennial herbaceous plants. Leaves are oblong-ovate, 40 cm long and 10 cm wide, shortly pointed, rounded at the base, green, with a compressed, pubescent sheath. Flowers are collected in ears of 20-30 cm long. Deciduous ornamental plant.

We are waiting for your advice and observations on growing this bright plant!

About caring for Ktenanta:

Temperature: The optimal temperature for Ktenanta in summer is 22-25 ºC, and in winter the temperature should not drop below 16 ºC. There should be no strong variation in temperature at night and during the day. Ktenanta is a thermophilic plant, but it is not recommended to place the plant next to batteries or heaters in winter. In summer, the plant can suffer from the cold air currents of the air conditioner, so it should not be placed under or in critical proximity to air conditioners. The plant is afraid of drafts and hypothermia of the root system. In summer, the ktenant can be taken out onto the balcony or terrace, while it is necessary to protect it from direct sunlight, wind and precipitation.

Lighting: Ktenante needs diffused lighting. An eastern or western window sill is suitable for her, it also develops well on the northern window, since the plant is not demanding on lighting and is considered shade-tolerant. When kept in a south-facing room, it is recommended that you find a place for her on a table next to the window.

Ctenanthe oppenheimiana.

Watering: Should be regular and abundant. Watering is necessary with warm soft settled water. Watering frequency depends on the temperature of the content. In the summer, watering must be carried out as soon as the topsoil dries out. At the same time, in summer, on hot sunny days, you need to water more often, and less often in cold and cloudy weather. In winter, watering is reduced, but it is not worth bringing the substrate to complete drying. After watering, the water from the pallet must be drained. Excess water in the soil can lead to root rot.

Air humidity: Ktenanta is demanding on air humidity and her daily procedure should be spraying the leaves with soft, settled water in the morning and evening, especially if the plant is kept in a room with dry air. In order to increase the humidity, pallets with wet expanded clay can be used. In this case, the bottom of the pot should not touch the water. It is necessary to clean the leaves from dust and periodically arrange a shower for the plant, but make sure that the drops after the shower do not remain on the foliage.

Fertilizers: It is necessary to fertilize in spring and summer 1 time per month, and in winter, watering can be reduced to 1 time in 2 months. Fertilizers must be applied in half dose, as the plant is very sensitive to fertilizers. Further, for feeding, complex fertilizers are used for decorative deciduous plants.

Ctenanthe lubbersiana.

Soil: For Ktenanta, soil for decorative deciduous plants, a universal substrate, is suitable. You can use special soil for Marantovs. It is advisable to add charcoal, perlite, coconut soil and humus. Good drainage is required at the bottom of the pot.

Transplant: It is necessary to transplant once a year in order to accelerate the development of the plant, and adults only once every 3 years by the transfer method. The pot should be wide and not deep and 1-2 cm larger than the previous one. When transplanting, it is recommended to wrap the roots of the plant with sphagnum moss. After transplanting, the plant is not fertilized for a month. If the transplant is not carried out, it is recommended to replace the top layer by adding fresh substrate.

Pests Ktenants. Damaged by spider mites and scabbards.

Description

Ktenanta is from South America.The flower is an evergreen deciduous bush with beautiful leaves. The habitat for this plant is the jungle. Therefore, warmth and high humidity are ktenants' best friends.

As a houseplant, the ktenant took root due to its compact size and relative unpretentiousness. For a flower from warm edges, it does not have a long list of impossible care requirements. Everything is rather prosaic - good watering, warmth, sun and fertilization.

The main decorative merit of a flower is its leaves. They have a beautiful pattern. It is he who stands out to the ktenant against the background of other deciduous plants. Depending on the type of plant, there are several different patterns and colors of the leaves from the usual combinations in green tones to more contrasting ones.

Blooming ktenants as a houseplant is a very rare phenomenon. It even happens that it does not bloom, at all. It does not depend on how well the flower is provided with all the necessary conditions for life. But flower growers do not consider this a big omission. The ktenanta flower looks rather inconspicuous - it is a small spikelet of red or white.

An interesting feature of ktenants is the great mobility of the leaves. They follow the sun throughout the day, turning towards it with the entire plane of the leaf. And also the leaves wake up in the morning with the sun: they descend and open. By evening, they roll up and rise higher. Sometimes this process is accompanied by a quiet rustling.

Ktenanta home care

Based on the fact that Ktenanta's primary residence is the lower tier of the tropical forest, it becomes clear that it is quite difficult to care for this plant at home, since it is necessary to ensure high humidity, constant temperature and the absence of drafts. However, having satisfied all the requirements for the comfortable existence of Ktenanta, you will receive a plant with beautiful leaves as a reward.

Usually Ktenanta is undemanding to lighting, in her homeland she would be protected by a canopy of tropical forests. Dim, diffused light is best. Ktenanta will feel great in the north or west room, but if the lighting is insufficient, then the new leaves will have shorter plates than the old ones.

When placing this plant on the southern window, it must be shaded, otherwise the leaves may lose color, but it can also react to a too dark location. Ktenanta does not like direct sunlight in spring and summer, she prefers bright, but diffused light.

In no case, you can not place this plant in a draft, Ktenanta can feel comfortable only at a constant air temperature, the optimal indicator for her is 20-25 degrees year-round, without changes during the day and night. Overcooling of the roots can lead to the death of the plant.

Features of caring for a ktenant at home

Ktenanta (ktenante, Ctenanthe) is a houseplant of the decorative leaf group, belongs to the Marantov family.

It is often confused with Calathea due to the lack of classification of these species.

In the wild, the ktenanta is found in the humid tropical climate of South America (Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela), introduced to our mainland at the end of the 19th century.

The leaves of the ktenants have an oval, pointed or rectangular shape, with veins, located on small shoots in the form of a fan or comb, from which the name of the flower comes.

In height, a room ktenant can reach 90 cm, and in nature - up to 2.5 m.

Ktenanta rarely pampers the owner with flowering, the shape of the flowers resembles a large wheat spikelet of pale purple, white or yellow. For lovers of indoor plants, the beauty of the foliage of the plant is in the price.

At home, they grow ktenant Burl-Marx, Lubbers, Oppenheim and compressed, although about 15 species of ktenant are known to science.

Ktenant Burl-Marx

The species Ctenanthe burle-marxii was discovered in Brazil by Roberto Burle-Marx.Of all the species of the arrowroot family, this plant is the smallest, it reaches no more than 40 cm in height. The foliage is light green, gray, with bottle-colored spots in the form of stripes, has the shape of a rectangle with rounded edges about 6 by 10 cm in size, and on the back side it is cherry.

The species takes root very well in the garden, spreading out in the form of a carpet.

There are several varieties of Berl-Marx ktenants: obscura, amagris and dwarf species. They differ in the shade of the leaves.

Ktenant Oppenheim

Ctenanthe oppenheimiana is one of the tallest. In the wild, Ktenant Oppenheim grows up to 2 m, at home - up to 1 m.

The widespread variety in Europe is "Tricolor", there are spots and stripes of pale pink color on the leaves.

Ktenanta compressed

The leaves of the compressed ctenanthe (Ctenanthe Compressa) are rectangles with round pistachio-colored edges with invisible stripes of a light shade in the form of veins. Science knows the bristly ctenant, or cytosis ctenant (Ctenanthe setosa) with bristly cuttings.

Ktenanta comes from the tropics, the care and cultivation features provide for the creation of a warm and humid tropical climate. Caring for a ktenant at home includes controlling temperature, air and soil humidity, and the degree of lighting.

The most hardy species of ktenant is considered ktenant Oppenheim.

Temperature

For normal growth and a beautiful appearance, the ktenant requires well-warmed air, in the summertime - not lower than +20 ° С (at night a little less is permissible), in winter - not lower than +12 ° С. Failure to comply with these rules can lead to diseases of the root system of the plant.

You should not leave the ktenant at an open window, as drafts can destroy the flower. A jump in temperature differences is also unacceptable for healthy plant growth. To reduce the likelihood of its death, it is desirable to provide a consistently high temperature.

You should not rearrange the ktenant from place to place, this can be detrimental to her beauty.

Air humidity

In the room where the ktenant is growing, the humidity should be maintained at a level not lower than 55%, and better - 70%.

Under natural conditions, the ktenanta grows in the shade of tropical trees, which cover it from direct sunlight. Therefore, an excess of bright sunlight can cause the leaves to burn out.

If the windows of the room where the ktenant stands face south, it is good to put the flower not on the windowsill, but on a stand or table near the window so that the diffused rays of the sun illuminate the plant a little, since a lack of light will lead to loss of brightness of the leaves and poor growth. But best of all, this type of flora feels in rooms in which the windows face in other directions. Ktenanta tolerates artificial lighting well, which is important in winter.

Ktenanta needs a special soil, not acidified, without lime. In home floriculture, caring for a ktenant includes the purchase of a special substrate for arrowroot. Azalea soil can be used as a substitute.

You can also make a special mixture yourself by mixing 2 parts of leaf soil, 1 part of peat, 1 part of sand and adding a little charcoal. An important condition is to provide not only nutritious, but also loose soil that can retain moisture, so you must definitely check this composition, clenching it in a fist. If the earth is loose, you can put it in a pot.