Mother-in-law's tongue, or sansevieria - a convenient flower for beginner gardeners

Which houseplant to choose in order to get an excellent result at the lowest cost? Caring for sansevieria is not a hassle; this flower is unpretentious, but has a high decorative value. The long fleshy leaves of the beautiful sansevieria not only decorate the room, but also benefit the owner of the plant. The flower purifies the air in the room and has a beneficial effect on the human condition.

Description

Sansevieria (from Latin: Sansevieria) is a genus from the asparagus family, which includes about 60 species. These evergreen stemless plants grow in the savannahs, deserts and semi-deserts of Asia and Africa. It is popular with flower growers around the world and causes many associations, which is why it was given a variety of poetic names:

• pike tail
• leopard lily
• mother-in-law's tongue
• cuckoo tail
• indian sword
• Snake skin,
• African hemp
• the tongue of the devil
• There are variants of the Latin name: Sansevier, Sansevier, Sancivier.

Mother-in-law's language is suitable for landscaping both an apartment and an office. The main decorative value of sansevieria is its leaves. They have a lanceolate shape and extend upward from a powerful root. Pointed leaves can reach a height of 1 m, in some varieties - higher. The color of the leaves is dark green or brown; varieties with yellow and silver leaves are bred. Depending on the variety, decorations can be found - edging, transverse or vertical stripes.

In early spring, the flowering period of sansevieria begins. It lasts an average of 2 weeks. The flower releases a spiky arrow on which small white flowers are located. An interesting feature: the buds open late in the evening and stand all night. At this time, a delicate and delicate aroma resembling vanilla is felt. The fruit of the plant is a berry with a small amount of seeds, but at home it is rarely tied.

Varieties

There are many types common in home gardening. The activity of breeders allowed to breed varieties of different sizes, shapes and shades. All of them are unpretentious in leaving and even differ in surprising vitality.

The most famous varieties of sansevieria:

• Three-way (Sansevieria trifasciata) - a combination of decorativeness and minimal care requirements. That is why the variety was one of the most common. This plant has a powerful rhizome and erect leaves of light green color, covered with transverse dark stripes. Three-lane sansevier blooms twice a year - in autumn and spring. Fits well in any interior, becomes an excellent basis for floral arrangements.

• Sansevieria Grande (Sansevieria grandis) - African perennial. The rosette consists of 2-4 dense leaves of a light green hue. In height, the sheet takes from 30 to 60 cm, in width - up to 15 cm. Each sheet is decorated with transverse stripes of dark green color and a red border.

• Sansevieria cylindrica - the owner of dark green cylindrical leaves with a diameter of 1-2 cm. A deep groove runs along the length of the entire sheet. In height, an adult plant can reach 1.2-1.5 m. Due to its unusual shape, this species became the basis for breeding work, which resulted in many interesting varieties (leaves that can be braided into braids and others).

• Sansevieria hyacinthoides - a plant up to half a meter high, leaves are arranged in bunches of 2-4 pieces. Color - dark green, decoration - reddish or white edges, light green broken lines.

• Sansevieria graceful or graceful (Sansevieria gracilis) - oval leathery leaves of a gray-green hue with transverse stripes of beige color.

Care

Some gardeners jokingly call sansevieria indestructible: you can forget about it for a couple of weeks, but it will not dry out, and it is easy to reanimate. The plant is highly resilient due to its growth in deserts and savannahs. Sansevieria is a succulent: in its fleshy leaves, it accumulates moisture in case of long-term drought. But do not think that it is enough to put a flower pot on the windowsill and forget about it.

Minimal care is still needed:

1. First of all, location. Sansevieria is photophilous, so the window sill will be the best place. If there is no place near the window binding, the cuckoo tail will not be upset at all and will take root perfectly in any other place in the apartment.
2. The plant tolerates shade well. If the room has very little light, the maximum that can happen to a flower is a slight loss of decorativeness.
3. The temperature for growing leopard lilies does not play a big role. She is comfortable both in warmth and in cold. To preserve the decorative effect, purity.bigbadmole.com/en/ magazine advises not to let the temperature drop indoors in winter below +16 degrees.
4. Sansevieri practically does not need fertilizer. One feeding a year is enough for her. In spring and summer, the flower will not give up a monthly portion of liquid fertilizer for cacti. In this case, the concentration decreases by two to three times, since an excess of nitrogen affects the plant poorly, especially varieties with colored stripes. They can lose decorativeness and become monophonic.

Tip
Choose an east or west window for sansevieria, as direct sunlight will most likely burn the leaves, or use a little shading.

Humidity and watering

The main task of the grower is to provide competent watering. The worst thing for sansevieria is the waterlogging of the soil. If you fill the soil, then the root system will quickly rot. Important
The error is precisely in the amount of moisture that can destroy an invincible plant. Buy a humidity indicator at the nearest flower shop. This device will remind you when it is time to water the flower.

Water should be soft. It is better to use distilled, rain or sediment. Water temperature - room. Water the plant sparingly, but regularly. The lower the room temperature, the less often you need to make water. In winter, 1-2 waterings per month are enough.

Do not allow water to enter the outlet of the leaves: most likely, this will provoke diseases. To preserve the decorative appearance, it is sometimes permitted to wash sansevieria. Dust from the leaves is removed with a wet sponge or a damp cloth. Occasionally, light spraying is allowed. Humidity does not matter.

Transfer

The resettlement of sansevieria is the second most important flower care facility. The procedure is performed in early spring. The roots have time to grow in 3-4 years, so the change of the pot does not occur more often. Young plants can be moved every 2 years. If you do not transplant the flower when its roots are mixed with the ground, then it will stop in development. A sign that it is time to pick up a new flowerpot: the roots stick out from the drainage hole.

The size of the pot should not be much larger than the size of the previous container. This is important for the flowering of the pike tail: it occurs when the roots surround the earthen lump. Buy a special primer for planting. In store mixes include gravel and perlite.

How to independently prepare the soil for the plant:

• turf land - 2 parts;
• sheet - 1 part;
• humus - 1 part;
• peat - 1 part;
• sand - 1 part.

It is better to take a container for growing clay with thick walls, otherwise the flower will destroy it: a powerful root system can break a fragile pot, and heavy and long fleshy leaves can easily overturn a flowerpot, it’s worth hitting them. Therefore, the strength of the tank is so important. Its shape should be wide rather than deep.At the bottom it is necessary to lay out a small layer of drainage from shards or expanded clay.

Breeding

Sansevieria is planted at home in two ways:

1. Dividing the rhizome. It is most convenient to separate parts of the plant during transplantation. Rhizome is cut with a sharp knife. A growth point should remain on each part. Divided sansevieria is planted in different pots, moderately watered, stored in a warm place. The method is equally suitable for all varieties.
2. Division of the sheet. An old sheet is taken, cut into 4-5 cm pieces and dried in air. The lower end of the sheet (it must be noted when dividing) is immersed in sand at a slight angle, covered with a jar. Watering is done through a pan. A piece of leaf takes root within 30-40 days. After rooting, the young plant is transplanted into the ground. This method is only suitable for varieties with plain leaves: a variegated sheet gives plain children.

Growing difficulties

Sansevieria has an enviable vitality, but also troubles happen to it:

1. Leaves turn yellow, soften at the base. This is caused either by waterlogging of the substrate, or water entering the outlet. It is necessary to remove the damaged parts and transplant the plant. In a neglected case - root decay - only the healthy part (for example, a leaf) takes root.
2. Leaves become sluggish, rot, but the soil is dry. A possible reason is the room temperature is too low. As in the previous case, only healthy parts of the flower are left and transplanted.
3. Dark brown spots on the leaves are a sign of increased soil moisture. Perhaps there is not enough light.
4. Brown spots with yellow edges - a fungal infection. Treat with fungicide, remove affected parts.
5. Pests of sansevieria - spider mite, scale insect. The control method is insecticides, transplantation into a healthy soil.

Benefit and harm

Pike tail - a medicinal plant. In traditional medicine, it is used to make anti-inflammatory, choleretic, laxative, and expectorant drugs. In folk medicine, the benefits of parts of the plant for otitis media, inflammation of the oral cavity, skin damage and cystitis are noted. Use the juice of the plant with great care, since substances benefit only with a certain treatment. It is better to entrust the preparation of the drug to a professional.

Not all varieties are safe. So, three-lane sansevieria contains toxic substances that cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Getting juice on the skin is safe, but eating parts of the plant is fraught. Limit access to sansevieria to children and pets.

Indoor sansevieria is recommended for growing people prone to anxiety. In China, they are sure that the flower absorbs negative energy, helps restore harmony to the house. The plant disinfects the room, helps the body to resist viral diseases. The flower cleans the air of harmful substances, neutralizes hazardous radiation.

Sansevieria is a convenient option for a beginner grower. The plant is grateful for the care, but its absence will survive. A minimum of action - and not only a highly decorative flower, but also a useful medicinal plant grows on your windowsill.