How to properly care for Ikea bamboo: step by step instructions

Bamboo naturally grows in tropical climates and reaches a height of 38 meters. But in contrast to it, an indoor variety appeared - an exotic plant that can be used to decorate the interior of any home.

Recently, this plant can be purchased in the Ikea chain of stores for a purely symbolic price - 59 rubles for a plastic container. Having bought a plant, you need to know how to properly grow bamboo from Ikea, how to care for it.

What kind of plant

Indoor bamboo - this is not bamboo at all, but one of the varieties of indoor palms - Dracaena Sander. In the Ikea chain of stores, it is sold under the name "lucky bamboo". The plant looks like a real one, except for the spiral-shaped stem, which makes it unusual and exotic.

But the spiral-shaped stem does not work out by itself, it is formed artificially by placing the sprout in a curly flask. When the sprout grows up, it is freed from "captivity". If this is not done, the dracaena will grow into a straight bush with lush foliage at the top.

With proper care, the plant can grow to a height of 2 meters. Its stem is hollow, but very strong. The stem is green or with a yellowish tinge, it can be bare or leafy. The leaves are lanceolate and have a rich green color. When the plant is still young and continues to grow, its trunk can be twisted into a spiral or made other bizarre shapes yourself. To do this, you can use various devices: sticks, balls and other objects.

This type of dracaena is believed to bring happiness, health and prosperity to the house. Feng Shui followers love him very much. According to their beliefs, she brings good luck and prosperity to the house.

About the conditions of detention

This fake flower is suitable for apartments, houses and offices. This is an unpretentious plant and care for it is minimal, but you need to strictly follow the rules of maintenance. They depend on the environment in which it grows - in soil or water. There are several factors that must be strictly followed for any content:

• The pot should be installed on a windowsill on the west or east side of the room. The window should be covered with a thin curtain so that ultraviolet rays do not fall on the plant. Although a small amount will not hurt.
• The room should be ventilated frequently so that there is no lack of fresh air. At the same time, it is better to protect the flower from drafts and gusts of wind.
• In summer, the flower is watered more often than in winter.
• It is recommended to provide high humidity indoors - this will have a positive effect on the condition of the leaves. Otherwise, you will have to face cracks on the surface.
• In the room, it is enough to maintain the room temperature, but bamboo will withstand the summer heat with ease. The only exception is the recommendation of more frequent watering.
• The leaves are wiped with a wet cloth, or better with a sponge, so as not to damage the surface.
• The pot should not be in a shaded area as the bamboo will thin out.

Surprisingly, this the flower can be grown in water, although it grows faster in the ground. At the same time, he does not need to select a special soil - it is enough to collect land for the usual green plants. It is only important to make drainage from expanded clay in a pot.

Water will help prevent the plant from drying out as the roots are always moist.But one should not assume that in this case simple tap water will help - its use will only destroy the bamboo. Use only filtered water, thawed or rainwater.

About the rules of self-cultivation

This type of "bamboo" grows slowly, it will never please with attractive and fragrant flowers, but will form a kind of bush saturated with a large number of green leaves. This makes it decorative, despite the lack of flowering.

If the cultivation takes place with the use of water, place the flower in the pot vertically, filling the container на from the height. They change the moisture every week, and fertilize an unusual soil once every 2 months. If a flower is grown in the ground, it means that they choose a wider pot, regularly water the soil and fertilize in accordance with the following tips. Yellowed and dried leaves must be removed in a timely manner.

In all cases, the plant is hidden from the sun's rays, as the leaves can burn and turn yellow. One barrel will remain.

1. Watering. In this case, they are guided by the cultivation method. If the bamboo grows in water, then a weekly change of liquid in the flowerpot is carried out. It is important to ensure that the root system is always covered with water. Therefore, water is topped up as needed. If the flower is in the ground, then it is watered regularly - a couple of times a week. An excess of moisture in this case will lead to damage to the leaves - they begin to turn yellow at the tip, and then dry out altogether.
2. Lighting. The plant suffers greatly from a lack of light - the color of the leaves changes, the development of the flower slows down. Lack of light leads to changes in the stems - they begin to reach for the window, as a result of which the entire bush is deformed. To prevent the sun's rays from provoking a burn, the windows are covered with tulle.
3. Temperature conditions. The flower loves warmth, the optimum temperature is 18-30 degrees. The pot should not be placed on a windowsill where the window is often opened. Also, do not place it next to a heater or air conditioner.
4. Air humidity. The flower requires moderate indoor humidity - 35-50%. You can place a humidifier in the room or spray the bush yourself every two days. Lack of moisture provokes the appearance of cracks on the stem.
5. Top dressing. If the plant is placed in water, it is often impossible to apply fertilizer, otherwise an excess of them will cause great harm. For feeding, you can use water from the aquarium or apply conventional fertilizer solutions containing nitrogen. From the beginning of spring, top dressing should be applied monthly.
6. Pruning. The plant grows easily to the ceiling, so it must be pruned regularly. To do this, remove the shoots from the soil and lateral shoots, cut off the tops above the branch point. Without harm to the plant, you can cut a quarter of the length of new shoots.
7. Reproduction. Bamboo propagates by seed, cuttings and root splitting. The most popular way is propagation by shoots. To do this, you need to choose a good shoot and cut it off with a sharp knife. Treat the cut site with beeswax so that there is no infection. Remove the lateral leaves from the cutting, leaving a few at the top. Place the cutting in water and after 1-2 months, when the roots appear, it must be transplanted into a pot with soil.

Troubleshooting methods

Dracaena is an unpretentious plant, but it can also have problems that require immediate intervention. The most common ones are:

• The leaves turned yellow. There are many reasons for this phenomenon - a burn with direct sunlight, an excess or shortage of fertilizers (an excess is worse than a deficiency, because it promotes plant decay), dry air, an infectious fungal infection. Control measures stem from reasons. If the plant is infected with a fungus, yellow spots appear on the leaves. In this case, you need to cut off the affected leaves, treat the cuts with charcoal, and treat the bush with any antifungal drug.
• The trunk turned yellow. This indicates the beginning of the death of the plant.If it grows in water, it means that the water has not been changed for a long time or a lot of fertilizers have been added. It is necessary to change the water in the container, and wash it well. The trunk will also turn yellow from sunburn, it is necessary to slightly shade the window. Bamboo reacts in a similar way to drafts and cold. Place the pot in a warm, draft-free place.
• Leaves curl. This happens when the plant is in a cool room for a long time. It is necessary to transfer it to a warmer place.

Compliance with all recommendations for plant care prevents problems. Therefore, before you buy bamboo in Ikea, you should familiarize yourself with the rules and features of self-cultivation.

From experienced florists

Experienced flower growers advise replanting young bamboo that grows in the ground annually. For what - it is required to completely change the soil and select a larger pot. Take soil for palm trees and dracaena. Adult specimens can be transplanted less often - once every three years. Transplant in the spring.

In winter, reduce the amount of fertilization. The plant is dormant at this time. When buying a plant, you need to ask the seller when the fertilizer was last applied.

About diseases and pests

Indoor bamboo is disease resistant. But sometimes it is affected by a fungal infection, which can be seen by black spots on the plant. It needs to be treated with fungicides.

If the plant grows poorly, and the leaves become yellow, this indicates a lack of nutrients in the plant. It is necessary to increase the introduction of top dressing

Pests also rarely attack the plant. Sometimes you can see spider mites or thrips on bamboo leaves. To destroy them, you can use folk recipes or chemicals - Fitoverm.

With proper care, indoor bamboo can live a long time and feel good, delighting the owner with lush and green vegetation. At the first appearance of external changes in the plant, it is required to take measures to eliminate the problem, which was described above.

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