Growing airflow, how to grow a "love tree" at home

Aihrizone, or, as it is otherwise called, the "tree of love" - ​​a popular indoor flower, which is quite often found in home floriculture. The plant received its popular name thanks to the decorative leaves of the heart-shaped form.

In the people it is believed that the flower brings happiness and love in the house where it is well looked after. Therefore, if you give more attention to airhizon, the plant will reward its owner with long flowering, high decorative qualities and emotional comfort in the house. It is not difficult to grow a “flower of love” even for a novice grower, as it is quite simple to care for him.

Aihrizon: description of the genus

Consider how the plant "tree of love" and its main characteristics. It belongs to the airhizon family Crazy, from the kind of succulent plants growing in the mountain crevices of the Azores and Canaries, as well as in Morocco, Portugal and Madeira.

The scientific name of the plant is “AIhrizone” from two Greek words: “ai” - “always” and “chrysos” - “golden”. The “flower of love” is very similar to its “relative” - the money tree, so they are often confused.

The achirizone room flower has branched, rarely woody stems with fleece rounded ovate leaves, resembling a heart and gathered in rosettes.The leaves are green or dark green in color, sometimes have gray, yellow, reddish or white blotches.

Inflorescences of the airchrizone are corymbose or paniculate, consisting of small star-shaped flowers of white, cream or red. The plant blooms in April - May, after which the rosette forming the peduncle dies.

Of all the existing types of airhizona in indoor floriculture, you can find only five of them:

• Aihrizon home - a short shrub, more than 30 cm tall. It has small fleshy green leaves, pubescent with white hairs. It has a long flowering period, which, if properly cared for, can last for six months: from spring to autumn. The flowers are yellow, fragrant. You can grow an indoor plant ahikhrizon home as a bush or as a standard tree.

• Aihrizon is chicled - a very dense dwarf, has straight, thin twigs reaching a height of 15-40 cm.The leaves are 1.5 cm long, fleshy, club-shaped, gathered in rosettes. The leaf plates are sticky, light green or yellowish-green with red patches. Leaf pubescence in this species is absent. The inflorescences are large, racemes, about 2-7 cm long, the flowers are golden yellow. The peculiarity of the species is the partial fall of the leaves, which is observed in the dormant period.

• Aihrizon loose - medium-sized square-shaped shrub. The height of the stems reaches 40 cm. The leaves are pubescent, diamond-shaped, green. Flowering plant in spring for six months. Inflorescences are large clusters of 30 cm in length, golden yellow.

• Aihrizon sinuous - a small shrub about 15-30 cm tall. The leaves are light green, fleshy, diamond-shaped, pubescent with white hairs. Flowering lasts for six months.

• Aihrizon dotted - grassy bush up to 40 cm high. Shoots are brownish-green, with pubescence. Stem pubescent thicker than the leaves. The leaf plates are fleshy, diamond-shaped, light green. Inflorescences stellate, bright yellow.

Features of the cultivation of airflow: how to create conditions for successful growth

The "tree of love" requires almost the same care as any other decorative flower cultivated at home.

Lighting for the "tree of love"

Airchrizone prefers a lot of light, but it must be diffused. It is best to place the plant on a window that faces east or west. Be sure to protect the plant from direct sunlight, as this leads to burns of the leaves.

However, in winter, when the light becomes less, the plant needs to provide direct sunlight and make sure that there are no burns. In order for the leaves to grow smoothly and beautifully, it is necessary to periodically turn the pot with the "tree of love."

Air temperature and humidity

In spring and summer, the air temperature should be at least +25 ° C. In autumn and winter, it should be lowered to + 10 ° С. If in the winter time it will be too stuffy and hot from the radiators, the leaves will fall off and the shoots will stretch out.

High humidity of air is not required, it feels good in moderately dry rooms. In the hot summer period, you can wash the leaves of the plant with water at room temperature. The rest of the time to wash and spray the plant is not recommended.

Soil requirements

The plant is not demanding on the soil. Ahichrizon feels good in a mixture of sand and sod, where you can also add leafy soil with humus in a ratio of 1: 4: 1: 1, respectively. It is also recommended to add pieces of charcoal to the soil.

Reproduction of airstone, how to plant a plant

It is possible to propagate airflows in two ways: either by cuttings left after pruning, or by planting seeds.

Seed propagation

Ahichrizone seeds seed soil consisting of leafy ground and 2: 1 pure sand. Cover the crops with glass and place in a well-lit room. Seedlings regularly air and spray. After a couple of weeks, when shoots appear, they dive into containers at a distance of 1 cm. At the same time, the soil should be different: clean sand, light earth and leaf earth (1: 1: 2).

After a time, the plant is transplanted into pots, having previously laid a layer of good drainage. Choosing which pot is needed for airflow, stop at a low variant, since the plant has a shallow root system. It is necessary to grow small saplings of the "plant of happiness", having provided them with an air temperature of + 16 ... + 18 ° С. On the fifth or sixth day after transplantation, it is necessary to begin daily watering.

Plant cuttings

Much faster and easier than seeds, the "tree of love" propagates by grafting. After the trimming procedure, airborne remains planting material, which is used for propagation by cuttings. Before planting the cuttings, you need to hold them for a couple of hours in a dry dark place. Then the planting material is planted in a shallow container, in a mixture of sand with vermiculite (layered mineral containing water in its structure) or in a special soil for succulents mixed with sand.

Planted cuttings root quickly, after which they are transplanted into pots with a diameter of 7 cm. You can also root the cuttings in water mixed with charcoal. The composition of the land for transplanting into pots and further care are the same as when planting seedlings obtained from seeds.

How to properly care for the "tree of love", especially the cultivation of airzone

The "tree of love" is an unpretentious flower, how to care for it, to ensure long-term flowering and a favorable atmosphere in the house, consider below.

Watering

Airhizon should be watered regularly and moderately in spring and summer. The next watering is carried out when the soil in the pot is half dried. The roots of the plant are very sensitive to an excess of moisture, so you can not pour the plant so that they do not rot.

In winter, watering is reduced, but we must not allow the soil to dry out in the pot and the leaves to wilt. About when to water the plant, you can tell by the turgor (bloating) of the leaves and shoots of the plant. If the leaves and shoots spring when pressed, it means that you can still wait a little with watering. If the leaves are sluggish, watering is urgently required.

Top dressing

To improve the well-being of the plant in spring and summer, when the airdrop blooms, it is recommended to add fertilizing every two weeks. For this purpose, complex fertilizers are suitable for succulent plants, with a low amount of nitrogen in the composition.

Transfer

Repot the "flower of love" as you fill the roots of the pot. It is better to use clay pots, as they are porous and provide high air permeability.A mixture of sand and turf land, or turf, leaf and humus soil, mixed with sand 4: 1: 1: 1 will be suitable as a substrate.

Airflow does not tolerate stagnant moisture in the soil, so before you transplant it, you need to lay a good drainage layer of coal or brick dust on the bottom of the pot. The first watering is carried out 4-5 days after transplantation. Watering should be carefully, in small portions, so as not to overwet the root system.

Pruning

Aihrizone can be grown as a shrub or as a standard tree, with the trunk free of branches. To form the correct decorative crown will help pruning weak branches and pinching the top of young shoots. This is done during the entire growing season of the plant.

If airchrizone is stretched out and deformed due to the heat and warm wintering, its shape can be saved by trimming or rooting cuttings near the stem of the mother plant. After the plant has faded, it is necessary to cut the panicles so that the vital force of the flower goes into renewing the leaves that have fallen during flowering.

Diseases and pests of the flower

"The tree of love" is a unique indoor plant that will not cause problems with proper care.Insects do not like this flower, they can attack it only if it is irrigated improperly and the temperature is disturbed. This can lead to diseases of rot and white edema, as well as the defeat of spider mites, scutes, powdery mealybugs and nematodes.

In this case, the plant should be washed with soap and rinse. Also an effective remedy for parasites - medical alcohol (96%), which need to moisten cotton wool and wipe the leaves. Among the chemical preparations, Actellic is considered the most effective; they are sprayed with affected plants. In general, in order not to have to use pesticides and treat the indoor flower "tree of love", you just need to follow simple agrotechnical recommendations for growing it.