Rules for caring for Araucaria at home

Fir-trees and pines appear in the houses for the New Year holidays. But there is a tree that can grow in an apartment all year round - Araucaria. This beautiful coniferous tree will decorate and refresh any room.

Botanical description

Araucaria is an evergreen coniferous tree with flat green pine needles. The branches grow in circular whorls almost perpendicular to the trunk, which gives the crown a pyramidal shape.

The tree has hard branches and soft leaves, needles. Seeds are eaten, and furniture is made from wood. In nature, trees grow to 50-60 m, some specimens reach 90 m.

There are about 20 species of Araucaria. Mostly they can be found in the southern hemisphere: in South America, Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. But they can grow in the Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, where they are grown for decorative purposes.

The only species that feels good, not only in the open air, but also indoors, is Araucaria diverse.She came to us from Norfolk Island, which is located in the Pacific Ocean.

Under natural conditions, it grows up to 60 m, and in a flower pot - only 1.5 m. This room tree looks nice and smells of pine needles.

Conditions

Araucaria (pictured) is an unpretentious plant, but it needs special care if it grows at home. It is difficult to grow it in a warm, well-heated room. A cooler room is suitable for this purpose: a veranda, a glazed loggia, a greenhouse or a winter garden.

Temperature and humidity

• Room tree loves coolness and does not like the heat, especially in winter. In summer, she is comfortable at room temperature. And in winter, she needs to provide a "rest" at a temperature of 10-12 ° C. If the room is warmer than 15 ° C, the plant can get sick.
• In a warm room, spruce should be sprayed, preferably 2-3 times a day and only with cold water. To increase the humidity, some put a pot with moist expanded clay, but not on the expanded clay itself.

Lighting

For normal growth Araucaria need a bright diffused light. To branches grow symmetrically, once a week the pot must be rotated 90 °. Ideal room, which is lit from two sides.

A fluorescent lamp suspended directly above the Christmas tree can also be a good option. In the summer, it is advisable to take it to the air, but put it in the shade, for example, in the courtyard or on a covered balcony.

The soil

Normal soil for indoor flowers should be diluted by half with a peat-containing substrate with an acidic reaction. For this purpose, you can take the land for rhododendrons. Substrate composition: turf, leaf and peat soil and sand in the ratio of 1: 2: 2: 1.

Another option: coniferous soil (1: 1: 1: 1: 0.5) can be added to the mixture of the same components.

How to care for a plant

In order for a house tree to feel good in a flower pot, constant and proper care is necessary, otherwise araucaria can get sick.

Watering

Drying the earth coma is detrimental to the room spruce, so it must be constantly watered abundantly. In the summer, this should be done often, immediately after the drying of the coma. In winter, watered no more than once every 2-3 days.

Hard water is not suitable for irrigation, rain, boiled or settled water is suitable. Do not allow the water in the pot to stand.

Fertilizer

Araucaria should be fertilized in spring and summer (vegetative period) in 2-3 weeks. You can take a complex mineral fertilizer, but the dosage should be half less than for other plants. You need to choose a fertilizer with the least amount of calcium, because the tree does not like it.

Transfer

A room tree is difficult to tolerate the transplant, so you need to transplant it only when necessary: ​​when the root is braided all over. This can be done in March, April or summer. The pot needs a wide, quarter-filled drain. The growth of the tree depends on the size of the pot. If you need to restrain growth, then take the same capacity for transplantation. It is necessary to replant carefully so as not to damage the root.

Reproduction Features of Araucaria

Although Araucaria is an exotic tree, its reproduction is also possible at home. There are two breeding methods available:

1. Fresh the seeds (immediately after harvest) should be sown in the soil, which consists of peat, sheet, sod land and sand, or a mixture of peat land, sand and some charcoal. Sprinkle, cover with a sphagnum pot and leave at a temperature of 18-20 ° C. From time to time you need to moisturize. The first shoots may appear in 2 weeks, the last - in 2 months. When the first needles appear, you need to dive.
2. Cuttings planted in the first half of spring. The source material may be the top of an adult tree over 10 years old, which must be carefully cut 3-4 cm below the whorl. The stalk must be dried during the day, cleaned of resin and sprinkled with charcoal cut. It can also be treated with heteroauxin which stimulates root formation. Planted cuttings should be one by one in wet sand or a wet mixture of peat and sand (1: 1). From above they are covered with something transparent: a bottle, a can or a glass.You can plant them in a heated greenhouse, then rooting will be faster. In the warmth of the roots appear in 2 months, and at low temperatures - in 4-5 months. Planted in a pot with soil for an adult plant is needed when the whole person is covered with roots.

Pest and disease protection

• Mealworms and aphids pose a threat to room spruce. To get rid of them, you need to take a soft brush, wet it in soapy water and clean the branches and stem of the plant. Then you need to spray it with a solution of green soap. The procedure is repeated 3 times with an interval of 7 days. You can treat the affected area with alcohol. If pest damage is strong, special preparations are needed.
• Sick plant due to improper care. For example, dry air, high temperature, and overdrying of an earthy coma lead to the fact that the leaves turn yellow and fall off. And because of poor lighting, the stem is pulled out, and the leaves turn pale. To improve a tree, you need to return the correct conditions for its maintenance.
• Tree branches have fallen - this is the result of excessive heat or dried coma. The plant will not be able to cope with this symptom, even if it is put in a cool place and resume abundant watering. To save him, some take the following actions: moisten the earth bed, tie it up with a plastic bag, turn the tree over and hang it up several days up.

Araucaria variegated, like any other indoor plant, needs care and attention, wherever it grows: in an apartment, office or winter garden.