Afelandra: All The Nuances Of Caring For A Flower At Home + Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Home Afelandra care: does beauty require sacrifice?

A huge number of amateur and professional florists strive to recreate tropical thickets on their windowsills, growing rare and original plants. Some of the exotic specimens do not require special conditions, but often do not have any special decorative qualities. The opposite of the "gray mice" is the beauty of Afelandra. She has bright inflorescences and unique variegated leaves, the color of which allows the flower to decorate the interior even on its own all year round. However, unlike many other domestic tropical counterparts, Afelandra is finicky, and not everyone can afford to take care of her. But you should not be upset: you just need to find out more about the nature of this flower, so as not to ignore the really important points - and everything will work out!

Content

• 1 Always decorative

• 2 Varieties for home cultivation

  • 2.1 Photo gallery: varieties of Afelandra for indoor use
  • 2.2 Video: compact Afelandra

• 3 How to groom a rainforest guest

  • 3.1 General conditions of detention by seasons - table
  • 3.2 The nuances of watering and feeding
  • 3.3 Flowering
  • 3.4 Rest period
  • 3.5 Cropping
• 4 Planting and transplanting

• 5 Troubleshooting

  • 5.1 Maintenance errors and their elimination - table

  • 5.2 Diseases and pests of Afelandra - table

    5.2.1 Photo Gallery: Acanthus Lesions

• 6 Reproduction

  • 6.1 Seeds
  • 6.2 Cuttings
• 7 Reviews about growing afelandra
• 8 Video: the story of Afelandre

Always decorative

Afelandra (Aphelandra) is a representative of the tropical flora, a hygrophilous and thermophilic flower of the acanthus family. It is grown as an ornamental-leaved and ornamental-flowering houseplant. This is a perennial shrub or shrub with large, contrastingly colored leaves, reaching a height of two meters in nature. Domestic aphelandras grow no more than 1–1.3 m, and most of them are shorter, especially if you buy a compact variety.

The leaf plate of the flower is shiny, can be corrugated and smooth. The color is variegated: on the green surface of the leaf there is an ornament of white or silver stripes along the middle and lateral veins.

The flowers of aphelandra are small, but the bracts are very decorative: they are bright and collected in the form of a faceted spike or a pyramid 10-15 cm long. Orange, yellow and red colors are found.

Afelandra bracts are more decorative than flowers

It is believed to be a very moody plant and it takes a lot of effort to grow it successfully. This is not entirely true: if you initially provide optimal conditions for Afelandre, it will grow and delight you with its flowering.

Varieties for home cultivation

More than 170 varietal varieties are found in nature. Only two species have adapted for keeping in room conditions - protruding aphelandra and orange aphelandra, however, the second species on sale is extremely difficult to find.

The orange aphelandra (Aphelandra aurantiaca) is a short shrub with a fleshy stem. As the plant matures, the trunk gradually lignifies. This aphelandra species has large silvery-green leaves. The flowers are tetrahedral, bright orange. Flowering lasts about 7 days. Bracts and flowers in all varieties of bulging aphelandra are bright yellow. Under comfortable conditions, it blooms from June to November, on average, flowering lasts 6 weeks.

Photo gallery: varieties of afelandra for indoor keeping

Afelandra orange leaves are silvery-green, without contrasting veins

Louise is a medium-sized home shrub

If you are attracted by patterned leaves, choose Fitz Prinsler

Brockfield and Denmark are considered the most compact varieties.

Video: compact afelandra

How to groom a rainforest guest

Growing Afelandra is quite difficult. She does not tolerate drafts and requires compliance with all maintenance rules. Violations of growing conditions can lead to deterioration in appearance or disease.

General conditions of detention by seasons - table

Season	Temperature regime	Humidity	Watering	Lighting	Top dressing
Winter	Not lower than 15-16 ° С, no draft.	Moderate	Once a week	Additional artificial lighting	Not required
Spring	About 20 ° C	Increased: frequent spraying	Abundant, 2-3 times a week	Bright diffused light	Once every 1-2 weeks
Summer	22-25 ° C
Autumn	18-20 ° C	Moderate	Once a week	Additional artificial lighting	1 time in 1-2 months

The nuances of watering and feeding

The flower requires regular and fairly abundant watering, especially in summer. It is important to ensure that water does not stagnate in the pot and pan, this can provoke putrefactive processes. The soil in the hot season should be well moistened, and in the cold it is enough to water as the earthy coma dries out. It is necessary to spray the leaves in the summer several times a day, in the winter 1 time in 2-3 days.

The plant requires regular mineral fertilizing, as the rapidly depleting supply of trace elements in the substrate is actively growing. Fertilization is carried out once every 1-2 weeks during the period of active growth and vegetation. In the cold season, occasional feeding is done. Complex fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen are used.

Bloom

Indoors, Afelandra usually blooms in early summer. A large inflorescence pleases for several weeks. Florists recommend removing it after flowering, since there is a chance of getting a fruit, and in this case, after successful fruiting, Afelandra can finish its life cycle and wither.

To regularly observe the flowering of a tropical pet, it is imperative to arrange a dormant period for the flower.

Dormant period

The plant usually goes into rest mode immediately after flowering. From about mid-autumn to early spring, the flower is taken to a bright, cool room with an air temperature of 16–20 ° C. Rare spraying and watering is carried out as the soil coma dries. With the arrival of spring, Afelandra is again moved to its permanent place.

Pruning

Due to active growth, the plant stretches very quickly, loses its compactness and attractiveness, so it is worthwhile to carry out timely pruning. Pinching the buds on the upper shoots in young specimens allows you to form a neat crown and give splendor. Adult plants are recommended to be cut in early spring, removing up to half the length of the stems. After the pruning procedure, it is necessary to intensify the foliar spraying.

Afelandra is a fast growing plant that requires pruning and shaping

Planting and transplanting

A flower purchased in a store must be planted in a permanent pot. The fact is that aphelandras are often sold in transport soil, and an earthen lump can be wrapped with a special cloth to retain moisture. It is impossible to keep the flower in this form, exhaustion and diseases from waterlogging are guaranteed to it.

Afelandra needs a regular transplant. Adult plants over 4 years old are transplanted every 2-3 years, and young plants need only one transplant per year. The optimal time is early spring.

A high one is chosen for planting - and if you have a Louise variety, then a heavy one - a pot 5-7 centimeters larger than the previous one. It is advisable to opt for non-glazed ceramics. There must be drainage holes in the bottom.

Afelandre needs light, loose soil that allows air to pass through well. You can buy a universal substrate and peat soil at a flower shop, and then mix them with sand or fine perlite in a ratio of 6: 3: 2. When self-manufacturing the soil, the ideal ratio will be a mixture of sod land, dry peat and river sand in a 2: 1: 1 ratio.

For a correct transplant, the following sequence of actions must be observed:

1. The flower is watered abundantly, carefully removed from the container. The roots of a newly purchased flower are washed, and in other cases, they are first examined for damage or rot.

   

   Afelandru should be removed from an old pot very carefully.

2. Dry or rotted roots are cut with a sharp knife. The remaining healthy roots are washed after removal of rot. Places of cuts are sprinkled with activated carbon powder.

3. Drainage from expanded clay, tiles, coal or pebbles is poured onto a quarter of the height of the pot. 3-4 cm of soil are poured from above.

   

   Drainage must be poured at the bottom of the pot, it will take about a quarter of its height

4. The plant is set on the soil, avoiding strong bending of the roots. The soil layer is poured in portions, lightly tamped. You can cover the soil surface with drainage or large decorative pebbles.

   

   When planted correctly, the aphelandra roots are completely covered with earth

5. After planting, the plant is well watered.

Solution of problems

Problems with Afelandra usually begin with improper care. They can manifest themselves in different ways, but if you do not respond to the sos signals, the flower will die very quickly.

This Afelandra was most likely kept in a cold draft.

So, the main thing is to diagnose the cause of the deterioration in time and correct the shortcomings.

Care errors and their elimination - table

Problem	Cause	Elimination
Falling leaves	Insufficient watering	Adjust watering mode
	Draft or low room temperature	Move to a warm place without drafts
	Plenty of bright sunlight	Cover or remove the plant from direct sunlight
	Lack of nutrients in the soil	Adjust feeding mode
	Dry air	Spray the leaves every day, place the pot on a pallet with damp drainage
Plant wilting	Cold draft	Rearrange the flower to another location
Brown leaf edge	Mold damage	Remove infected leaves, treat the plant with a fungicide according to the instructions
	Insufficient moisture	Spray the leaves every day, place the pot on a pallet with wet sawdust
Brown spots	Excessive amounts of bright sun	Ventilate the room regularly or change location
	Lack of fresh air	Shade or rearrange the plant
Shrinking leaves	Lack of minerals	Adjust feeding mode
	Pot too tight	Transplant into a larger pot

Thanks to its poisonous juice, this flower rarely gets sick, but waterlogging is destructive for it: fungal diseases - rot can develop. In addition, a plant weakened by improper care loses its immunity and is easily affected by pests.

Diseases and pests of Afelandra - table

Source of defeat	Signs of the disease	Prevention	Treatment
Shield	Brown plaques and sticky drops on the leaf plate	Regular inspection and wiping of leaves with a damp cloth	One-time or weekly (with severe infection) chemical treatment with Fitoverm or Actellik
	Falling leaves
Mealybug	Whitish bloom on the leaves in the form of cotton wool		Wiping with soapy water followed by insecticide treatment
Aphid	Deformed tips of the sheet plate		Treatment with Akarin, Iskra Bio preparations or infusions of plants with a pungent odor, such as wormwood
	Dying leaves
	Insect colonies on leaves
Root rot	Roots darkened and softened	Sufficient, but not excessive watering, removing water from the sump after watering.	Surgical. Cut off the affected parts of the root system (if all the roots are affected, the plant can no longer be saved), rinse the remaining roots, sprinkle the cuts with crushed coal and after a couple of hours transplant the flower into a new disinfected soil with good drainage.
	Leaves gradually turn yellow and wither

Photo gallery: Acanthus lesions

When aphids are damaged on a plant, insect colonies are clearly visible

Mealybug looks like a white cottony bloom

When damaged by a scab, brown sticky spots appear on the plant.

The rotted plant stops growing and gradually withers

Reproduction

Afelandra can be propagated in two ways: by seeds and cuttings. The second option is more preferable, since the mother plant often dies after fruiting.

Seeds

Well-ripe seeds are harvested and immediately sown into the substrate. A mixture of sand and sheet earth (1: 4) is used as a soil. For germination, create greenhouse conditions and a temperature of at least 25 degrees. The greenhouse must be ventilated every day for 20 minutes. The grown seedlings are dived into small pots.

Afelandra seeds about 5 mm in diameter

Cuttings

Vegetative propagation is a much more reliable and simple method. Cuttings are made from March to May (less often in winter or summer). For this:

1. Cut off annual shoots up to 15 centimeters long. They must have at least two leaves.
2. The cuttings are treated with drugs that stimulate root formation: Athlete, Baikal EM-1, Kornevin and others.

3. Rooting is carried out in a moist peat or sandy substrate. Create a greenhouse environment by covering the pot with cuttings with foil or glass.

   

   One way to create a greenhouse is to place the jars of plants in a transparent plastic container.

4. The container with the handle is placed in conditions with diffused light and a temperature in the range of 22-24 ° C.
5. The greenhouse is ventilated for 10 minutes a day.

6. Rooting occurs within 1–2 months. After that, they are transplanted into small pots and begin to look after, as for adult plants.

   

   Afelandra cuttings take root up to two months

Reviews about growing Afelandra

Video: the story of Afelandre

Despite the fact that Afelandra is very thermophilic and requires constant maintenance of a high level of soil and air humidity, it is quite possible to cope with a capricious beauty. Buy a compact variety, put the plant in a place with bright diffused light without drafts, do not forget to water and feed, and in the spring, transfer to a slightly larger pot and pinch the tips of the upper shoots - and you can enjoy the spectacular greenery and bright flowering of this tropical flower all year round.