Caring for indoor plants this month, or “February-Pie”

П – transplantation of violets and dieffenbachia

И – interesting facts about early planting seeds

Р – reproduction of dieffenbachia, fuchsia, pelargonium

О – pruning plants

Ж – life after flowering: poinsettia and Decembrist

О – spraying

К – how to help the Decembrist bloom, planting calendar.

Begin!

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P – pseedling

In February, violets and Dieffenbachia are transplanted.

Dieffenbachia belongs to the aroid family, whose representatives in our rooms are spathiphyllum, monstera, aglaonema, anthurium, scindupsus, syngonium. When transplanting any of these plants, be careful, use gloves, plants of this group emit toxic substances when damaged! The soil for aroids should be loose, do not use peat alone. To pamper your pets, add sphagnum moss, grated charcoal, coniferous earth additives and pieces of pine bark to the soil. If you don’t know where to get such a set, then just take the soil for orchids and add it to the soil you have prepared in a ratio of 1: 7 (1 tablespoon of soil to 7 tablespoons of earth) – the flowers will be grateful!

The end of February is favorable for violet transplants. The plant should be 3 times the diameter of the pot, it is best to use plastic containers. If you recently transplanted dieffenbachia and you still have sphagnum and coniferous earth, then violets also like such natural “food supplements”.

And – andinteresting. If your hands are itchy plant something nowthen, you are welcome. Plants with a long growing season can be planted as early as February: balsam, lobelia, tuberous begonia, snapdragon, salvia, delphinium, Shabo carnation. You can also plant seedlings – tomatoes, for example. However, there are those “buts” that need to be taken into account so that after the joy of pecking and growth of seedlings, disappointment from their stunted and elongated shoots does not follow.  

Consider some features of early sowing. Firstly, additional lighting with special lamps is necessary, since the daylight hours are still too short. Secondly, you need to try to ensure stable temperatures without drops. Thirdly, constant, but not excessively high and not too low humidity: tender sprouts can simply rot or dry out.

R – rpropagation of pelargoniums, fuchsias and dieffenbachia by cuttings.

For geranium breeding suitable apical cuttings about 7 cm long with 3-5 leaves: cut, making an oblique cut under the kidney, cut off the lower pair of leaves. We put the cuttings in water, I advise you to crush a tablet or two of activated carbon in a jar of water so that there is no decay, or use boiled water. I do not recommend a complete daily water change, it is better to add a little. 

We also do with fuchsia. Roots will appear in 7-10 days. When they reach a length of 2-3 cm, the cutting is planted in the substrate.

Dieffenbachia reproduction. As we already know, aroid juice is dangerous, therefore we hide our skin and eyes, children and pets from dieffenbachia. You need to cut it off with a clean knife, sprinkle the slices thickly with coal, without touching it with your hands. When cutting cuttings, remember that it will take a long time to wait for fast new shoots on an old plant – in 2-3 months, so it is better to cut cuttings in such a way as to leave the “stump” prettier. The apical cutting is well rooted in water, sphagnum, sand and in a mixture of sand and peat. Basic conditions: frequent spraying and washing of leaves, lack of direct sunlight, moderate heat (21-24 ° C). The stalk, which is in the water, should not be in a hurry to transplant into the soil at the first appearance of the roots, let them grow back and become stronger!  

Oh – ohspraying is just as important, since the climate in the apartment is far from ideal for plants, because the heating season continues. Of course, you need to spray not looking at night, half-asleep torturing the spray gun – a combination of humidity and cold snap at night can cause spots on the leaves and disease. Spray only those plants that do not have soft fluffy leaves (and not cacti covered with thorns!). However, in addition to spraying, it can be advised to place flowers in deep and wide trays with perlite or expanded clay and periodically add water to them.

Ж – life after flowering: poinsettia and Decembrist.

Poinsettia in February, it “undresses”, shedding its dress of leaves, hinting that it is worth reducing watering and that the plant wants to go to “sleep”: it begins a dormant period. As soon as the stems are completely bare – everything, the dream has begun and it will last a month and a half. The branches are cut to half or a third of their length, the slices are sprinkled with crushed charcoal. For a good rest – everything is like in people: coolness – 18-19 degrees and dim lighting. Water the soil a little so that it does not dry out. In March-April, expect yawning, new green branches will reach out to greet you! Room Decembrist (zygocactus, schlumbergera) after flowering. When the Decembrist fades, begin to gradually reduce watering by placing the plant in a cool place where it will stand until the end of March, resting from flowering. After flowering, the plant goes into a dormant phase and watering is reduced. Watered with warm and soft water. Overdrying an earthen coma, as well as waterlogging (especially at low temperatures), is dangerous.

For the successful development of Schlumbergera, high humidity is necessary, so it is constantly sprayed with soft and warm water. It is possible to transplant the plant after flowering, during this period the transplant will be the least painful for the plant.

О – pruning

In late February-early March, geraniums wake up. During this period, it is necessary to form a crown, for which old and large stems are cut off, leaving 2-5 buds on each shoot. Cut stems are used for cuttings.

К – boarding calendar

How to help the Decembrist bloom: wake up! Put in a warm place and water. As soon as the Decembrist has buds, the plant is placed in a permanent place with a temperature of 15-20 ° C at night and 20-22 ° C during the day. Rotate the plant around its axis to achieve uniform illumination of all sides of the flower. Once buds start to form, make sure the substrate in the pot doesn’t dry out and that no one else is moving or turning your flower, or the plant may panic and drop buds. If you follow these rules, your Decembrist will definitely bloom.

Dates of sowing seedlings and forcing in February according to the lunar calendar 2016

planting root crops on greens: 1, 2, 5-6, 22-24; sowing seeds for forcing greens: 13-14, 17-19, 20-22, 27-29; sowing flower seeds: 2, 13-16, 20-21; sowing seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants: 9-14, 17-19, 20-21.

 

 

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