Pachistachis

Transfer

Pachistachis is a perennial. Moreover, the root system in young plants is developing quite intensively. Therefore, they will have to be transplanted every year, or rather, every spring. More mature plants less often - once every three years

And here are the points you need to pay attention to when transplanting

• Pot. Each subsequent year, you need to select a flowerpot with a larger diameter. It is better that it be low and wide than tall and narrow.
• The soil. The ground for pachistachis should be air-permeable, that is, it should be loose. You can personally mix peat, leaf, turf soils, sand and humus in about the same amount. And you can buy ready-made slightly acidic soil for flowering plants.
• Drainage. It must be there. After all, pachistachis loves moisture and frequent watering can lead to root rot. Therefore, before pouring soil into the pot, lay a layer of expanded clay on the bottom (2 cm is enough). If there is no expanded clay, simple medium-sized pebbles will do.

Caring for pachystachis after transplanting is not much different from ordinary spring care: the plant needs to be cut off, watering should be increased and regular feeding should be introduced.

Pachystachis transplant and substrate

It is advisable to transplant this plant not as needed (after the roots have completely filled the substrate in the pot), but annually. A transplant after or simultaneously with pruning is carried out for this plant, regardless of age. The transplant period for pachistachis is classic - February-March.

For pachistachis, any universal substrates, purchased or compiled by yourself, are suitable. For it, sand, peat, humus and leafy soil are mixed in equal parts with a double portion of sod land. It is advisable to additionally add crushed charcoal or bone meal to the soil.

The procedure itself is quite simple. A fresh drainage layer with a height of at least 5 cm must be laid on the bottom of the container. Plants are not transplanted, but transferred, trying to avoid contact with the roots.

Diseases and pests of pachistachis

Aphids and whiteflies cause the greatest harm to pachystachis, but they are also rare on this plant. Pachystachis can be considered a resistant plant, problems on which are possible only in a very neglected state. If the pachistachis are healthy, then they are practically invulnerable. When signs of pest infestation appear, it is worth starting the fight immediately with insecticidal preparations.

Common problems in growing pachistachis:

• falling off of inflorescences and throwing off leaves with too dry substrate in a pot;
• curling leaves at too cold temperatures;
• dropping leaves in drafts;
• drying of the tips of the leaves in dry air;
• exposure of the lower part of the shoots as a result of natural processes and the need for rejuvenation;
• stretching shoots and shrinking leaves in too strong shading.

Pachystachis yellow (Pachystachys lutea)

A little more about pachistachis

It is noticed that with the appearance of a new indoor plant in the house, the life of its inhabitants can change. Some plants are capable of causing anxiety or, on the contrary, carry positive energy. Many flowers are capable of purifying the surrounding atmosphere or predicting changes in the weather. Pachistachis, as life shows, also has a special quality.

This spectacular evergreen plant with bright flowers can bring balance and peace to the lives of those who have acquired it, as well as significantly affect the psychological climate in the family.

Interesting! If a person is a pronounced extrovert, then it is worth giving him yellow pachistachis.Home care for this shrub with sunny "ears" will internally calm its owner, filling the soul with harmony and silence.

For an introvert or a person who has lost the will to live, the red representative of the amanth family is more suitable. Caring for pachystachis and reproduction of this flower will return a person's will to live, optimism and allow him to open up to this world.

If pachistakhis is presented to a married couple, then wisdom and mutual respect will settle in the family for a long time, Alas, this plant does not have any medicinal properties. But you should not be upset, since its purpose is to create an atmosphere of love, joy and happiness.

Pachistachis care

Despite the fact that pachistachis has been well known in floriculture since the 19th century, today it is not often found in homes. The plant belongs to the Acanthus family and comprises approximately 12 species. However, only three species are common in cultural floriculture. All of them are perennial shrubs and are widely used for decorative landscaping in countries with warm climates (where the air temperature does not drop below +10 degrees).

In translation, the name "pakhistakhis" means "thick ear" or "thick thorn". So the plant is called because of the original shape of the exotic inflorescence.

Homeland and appearance of pachistakhis

The plant is native to the rainforests of Central and South America, the eastern part of Australia and the subtropics of the eastern part of India.

Pachistachis is an evergreen plant that grows to a height of one meter. Shoots are erect, the leaves are opposite. The leaf plate is oval, pointed from above, dark green in color, up to 12 cm long, slightly wrinkled.

Inflorescences are of the greatest value: bright yellow bracts, forming an inflorescence in the form of an ear up to 10 cm in length. The flowering period of one inflorescence is up to 12 days. One adult plant can form up to 20 inflorescences in one flowering period.

Pakhistakhis is a rare guest in indoor floriculture, many growers are simply afraid to grow it, explaining their fear by the difficult nature of the flower and the difficulties in care. In fact, the process of growing pachistachis is quite simple, the main thing is to know the main secrets of success.

In indoor floriculture, Yellow Pachistachis is most popular, however, you can also find a plant with red flowers.

For those who want to grow a real yellow miracle, it is important to pinch the shoots in a timely manner and follow the recommendations of specialists

Irrigation mode and air humidity

The plant needs abundant watering from spring to autumn. In winter, watering is reduced, making sure that the earth in the flowerpot has time to dry out a little.

Pachystachis is equally sensitive to both over-watering and overdrying of an earthen coma.

You need to spray the flower throughout the year using soft, settled water. If the air in the room is too dry, you can spray pachistachis twice a day. Pallets with wet expanded clay, gravel or moss also help.

Lighting requirements

Bright diffused light is considered the most comfortable for the plant, therefore, it is preferable to choose eastern and western windows for pachistachis.

In winter, you can use an additional light source.

Temperature regime

The optimum temperature for a plant in spring and summer is +20 degrees, with a higher temperature, the air humidity should be increased.

In autumn and winter, the plant feels great at temperatures from +16 to +19 degrees. Temperatures below +14 degrees are considered dangerous.

Avoid sudden temperature changes and drafts.

Fertilizer and feeding

During the period of active growth, pachistachis needs feeding once every ten days with complex fertilizers

At the same time, it is important not to overdo it with the concentration of feeding.

Caring for the cellogin orchid at home

Illumination

All year round, such a plant needs bright lighting.So, its level should be at least 4000–6000 lux. The best place to place it is an east or west orientation window. At the same time, on the window on the north side, the flower will have little light, and on the south, it will need shading from the direct rays of the sun, which it cannot tolerate.

At the same time, do not forget that daylight hours should be no shorter than 12-14 hours throughout the year. In this regard, in the winter, he needs additional lighting.

Temperature regime

The temperature regime depends entirely on the type of orchid. In the warm season, almost all species need moderate temperatures from 20 to 25 degrees. In winter, the beautiful thermophilic cellogyne should be protected from low temperatures, so the room should not be colder than 10 degrees, while the cold-loving comb cellogyne needs coolness at this time (about 5 degrees).

Dormant period

It should be remembered that some species have a dormant period, while others do not. So, for example, the beautiful cellogyne does not have a dormant period, and therefore flowering can begin in any month, regardless of the season. In cellogyne fringed, the rest period is also absent, but at the same time this species blooms at a strictly defined time. A pronounced dormant period is present in the crested cellogyne, it begins at the end of the spring period and lasts 2-3 weeks. At this time, the growth of the root system is suspended, and the pseudobulbs become severely shriveled.

How to water

Watering is recommended by immersing the pot in a bowl filled with water. The pot should be removed after a few minutes. For irrigation, you need to use extremely soft water, which should be filtered or boiled. The fact is that such a plant reacts very badly to the salinity of the substrate (a whitish bloom forms on the surface).

During the dormant period, this orchid needs to be watered much less and only after the substrate has completely dried.

Air humidity

High humidity is required. In order to raise it, expanded clay is poured into the pallet and a small amount of water is poured in. Also, the foliage must be moistened with a sprayer at least a couple of times a day (best in the morning and evening hours).

Earth mixture

For planting, a purchased ready-made soil mixture for orchids is quite suitable. It must be necessarily small-fraction and contain in its composition a small amount of decomposed leaf compost and small (up to 1 centimeter) pieces of pine bark. It should be borne in mind that the amount of bark from the entire volume of the substrate should be approximately half.

Those species that have long roots (for example, fringed cellogyne) are recommended to be grown on blocks of pine bark. The roots are fixed on the block surface with wire and covered with a layer of sphagnum. With this method of cultivation, you need to water more often, as well as spray.

Transplant features

The transplant is carried out in case of emergency. So, this is when a pot or block becomes too tight, while young growths go far beyond the container.

If the bush is large enough, then when replanting it, it should be remembered that it is imperative to put a weighting agent on the bottom (several large pieces of granite or pebbles). Thus, you will protect the flower from overturning.

Fertilizer

Top dressing is carried out during intensive growth once a week. And the plant also needs additional foliar feeding. To do this, use a ready-made fertilizer specially designed for orchids. When the plant blooms, the amount of dressing is reduced to 1 in 4 weeks.

Breeding features

The easiest way to propagate this kind of orchid is by division. An adult specimen with several mature pseudobulbs is suitable for this. It should be remembered that on each plot there should be several pieces of young and old pseudobulbs with a developed root system.

Pests and diseases

Most often, a spider mite settles on a plant. If pests are found, the flower needs to be given a warm shower, and its foliage should be rinsed with special care. An identical method of control is used when aphids or whiteflies are found.

Most often, the plant suffers from a variety of fungal diseases. If you start treatment with fungicides at an early stage, then you can heal cellogin quite quickly.

Planting and plant propagation methods

The plant is unpretentious, it develops well on almost any soil. In its historical homeland in China, Stakhis mainly grows in mountainous areas, so it can be planted on alpine hills, and on stony soils not rich in humus, and along garden paths on fertile soils.

Most often, the purse is propagated by dividing the bush. To do this, there is no need to dig up the entire plant, it is enough to carefully separate several extreme outlets and use them as planting material. Stakhis grows very quickly in the open field, and such a separation will not cause damage, but, on the contrary, will give the plantation a neat, well-groomed appearance. The shoots take root very well, so planting can be carried out not only in spring, but also throughout the summer. You should only avoid too hot, dry periods, it is better to choose cloudy days with low temperatures.

Stachis is propagated by dividing the bush

Stachis and seeds reproduce well. In regions with harsh winters and short summers, seeds are sown in cassettes or peat pots. Seedlings appear together on the 7-10th day. After the appearance of 2 true leaves, the plant is dived and transplanted into separate containers. With the onset of comfortable temperatures, the plant is planted in open ground. In warm climatic zones, seeds are sown in grooves in open ground and covered with glass or foil. After the emergence of shoots, the shelter is removed. The grown sprouts are seated in a permanent place at a distance of 15 - 20 cm from each other. If reproduction is carried out in the fall, the seeds are sown thicker, because some of them may freeze out.

Pachystachis care at home

The cultivation of pachistachis requires compliance with some rules. Care mistakes often lead to the death of the bushes.

Illumination and temperature conditions

Indoor flower pachistachis grows in bright light. Lack of light can lead to disease. However, if exposed to direct sunlight, the bush may die. Therefore, it is necessary to grow the plant in a room with a sufficient amount of light, it is recommended to shade the plant in the summer. If necessary, use special fluorescent lamps. When placing a bush on a windowsill, preference should be given to the western side of the house.

Correct placement of a houseplant

In summer, the air temperature in the room should be + 17 ... +22 degrees, and in winter it should not fall below + 15 ... +17 degrees. Such indicators are necessary for the plant to be able to go into a dormant state.

Watering rules and humidity

When leaving, yellow pachistachis requires timely watering. In the summer, it is necessary to water the bush abundantly several times a day. However, the accumulation of water in the pot should be avoided. In winter, the frequency of watering must be reduced to 1 time in 5 days. In order for the plant to develop well, it is necessary to monitor the humidity of the air. To do this, pachistachis is sprayed with water using a spray bottle.

Note! To prevent the roots of the bush from decaying, there must be holes in the pot for removing excess liquid.

Top dressing and soil quality

An indoor flower needs regular feeding, and it is also picky about the type of soil. The soil should be light and breathable. When self-preparing the soil, it is necessary to mix humus, peat and deciduous soil in equal proportions.Also, sand must be added to the prepared soil.

As a top dressing, a special complex type of fertilizer for flowering crops should be used. It is necessary to add nutrients after abundant watering once every 2-3 months.

Flower container size

The amount of capacity for a plant depends on the age of the crop. Young bushes are grown in medium-sized pots. When the bush grows, it must be transplanted. The roots of the bush should not touch the sides of the pot.

Correct selection of a pot for planting culture

Important! To obtain a lush bush, several cuttings can be planted in one pot at once. After rooting, the ends must be pinched.

Pruning and replanting

To get a healthy flower, it is important to know how to properly care for pachystachis. One of the important criteria for care is transplantation and timely pruning of shoots.

To make the crown lush, and the plant is less exposed to diseases, pruning is carried out. Shoots of the culture at the age of 1 year are cut so that a stump no more than 15-20 cm long remains above the soil. After the leaves appear from the buds, 3 of them must be removed. In the spring, before flowering, you need to pinch the tops of the shoots. Such procedures are carried out annually.

Pruning the pachistachis bush

The pruned bush needs to be transplanted into a new potting mix.

To do this, the bush is carefully watered and carefully removed from the pot.

Important! In the process of transplanting, it is necessary to use drainage from small pebbles. Its layer is placed on the bottom of the pot and covered with soil on top.

Pachystachis pruning

Regular pruning is necessary for pachystachis not only to form a beautiful crown, but also to stimulate abundant flowering.

The algorithm for trimming and pinching is as follows:

• The first pruning is carried out at a height of 15 cm from the ground surface;
• On each tier of shoots that develop from lateral buds, it is necessary to pinch a third pair of leaves.

During the first year, at least three such procedures will be required. As a result, a bush with 10-12 tops grows by winter.

The next spring, you need to trim all the tops. Each top forms two shoots, so there will already be from 16 to 24 full-fledged tops on the bush and flowers will appear on them. At the end of flowering, each crown is again divided into two. Next year, in the spring, it will be necessary to trim all the tops of the pachistachis again.

Quite often, situations arise when the lower part of the stem is exposed in an adult plant, in this case, you can cut the plant completely, leaving no more than 10-15 cm from the ground.

Regular and timely pinching promotes more lush growth of the bush and prevents exposure of the lower part of it.

Reproduction methods

Most often, pachistachis is propagated by cuttings. How cuttings can be used for stems cut in spring when pruning

Please note that each apical stalk must have 2 internodes and the same number of pairs of leaf plates. Place the cuttings in a vessel filled with water, cut down, and provide them with an air temperature of about 22 degrees

Then rooting will take place as quickly as possible. During the rooting process, flying around of the leaf plates can occur. To avoid this, each leaf is shortened by ½ part. However, despite all the efforts, foliage can still fly around. But do not be discouraged, since after planting the rooted cuttings in the soil mixture, new leaf plates will form on its upper part.

To root the segments, you can also use a light soil mixture, which includes: leaf and sod soil, perlite, peat and humus (taken in equal parts). Cut off the top of the plastic bottle and fill it with earth mixture. Carry out the processing of the cut at the cutting with Kornevin, after which it is planted in the substrate. Cover the top of the handle with a transparent cap, for example, a film. Provide the section with regular ventilation and watering.Instead of a film, you can put the top of the cut bottle on top of it. Then, to ventilate the plant, it will be enough just to unscrew the cork. Rooting cuttings are placed in a well-lit place (the light should be diffused).

As a rule, pachystachis cuttings root very well. The regrowth of roots is observed even in those cuttings that have lost their foliage. After rooting is completed, the cuttings are planted in a permanent pot. To do this, take a low and wide pot, in which 3 or 4 plants are planted, so the pachistachis will look more impressive. Remember to regularly pinch the upper parts of the shoots, as a result of this the bush will branch more strongly.

Pachystachis cuttings

Diseases and pests of pachystachis

There are some specific diseases and pests of pachystachis that create problems when grown indoors. Most often, whiteflies, mealybugs, aphids, spider mites settle on flowers. May be affected by powdery mildew. Against pests and diseases, you should use special drugs that you can buy in stores.

In the summer, the problem with diseases and pests is solved by regularly ventilating the shrubs in the open air under the direct unprotected action of ultraviolet rays.

Very often, gardeners complain that the leaves of the pachistachis are curled. This is a consequence of insufficient watering and dryness of the surrounding air. Examine the leaves from the inside, if you do not see any damage and insects there, then just wet the earthen lump thoroughly and intensify the watering of the plant. To soak the earthy clod, the pot with the plant is placed for 10 hours with a basin with settled water at room temperature.

If pachystachis leaves fall off, then this is a consequence of improper care of the plant at home. It is necessary to reconsider your policy of applying mineral fertilizers. Most likely, this is a consequence of nitrogen deficiency. Also check the moisture content of the earthen coma and spray the leaves of the plant at least once a day.

We hope that we have provided you with comprehensive information about indoor pachystachis flowers, their reproduction and growing at home. We wish you the best of luck in cultivating this exotic guest on our windowsills.