Pachypodium: transplanting, care, reproduction

Pachypodium is considered to be a truly exotic plant, it is often compared with a palm tree or a cactus, but in addition to spectacular external data, it has equally beautiful flowering. Often on the shops it can be found under the name "Madagascar palm" although in fact, it has nothing in common with palm trees. Therefore, today we will talk about pachipodium, discuss the peculiarities of home care for a plant and find out how it can be done with a photo.

Description and photo

Pachypodium is a family of Kutrovs, and belongs to the succulents that grow on the African and Australian continents, as well as on the island of Madagascar. This overseas guest has a fleshy stem, which is thickly covered with needles, which is why it is often confused with cacti.The long narrow leaves, which are located on the top of the pachypodium, give it the appearance of a palm tree.

In the wild, this flower can grow up to 10 meters in height, but at home, it reaches no more than 1.5 m.

The life span of a pachypodium flower averages 15 years and is directly dependent on the quality of care for the plant.

This plant is divided into many species:

• Lameru. This species is one of the most popular, has a lush crown and an impressive trunk, which is characterized by a lumpy structure and powerful needles. The length of the leaves of the plant reaches 50 cm, and the "palm" blooms gently with cream or pink flowers.
• Saunders is a species that has a spherical stem, decorated on top with a bundle consisting of wide leaf plates. This species blooms with white color buds that have pink stripes.
• Zhayi is a species that looks like Lameru in appearance, but is more compact. The maximum height of this pachypodium is 60 cm. Zhayi has leaves slightly larger than Lamer and is distinguished by white buds, which are clearly visible due to the yellow center.
• Gustotsvetkovy - a small plant that reaches 45 cm in height, has a lush crown, with broad-leaf covering it and bright yellow flowers.
• Succulent - a species with a spherical trunk, reaches a height of one and a half meters, blooms with pink-red buds that are similar in appearance to the bells.

Room conditions

In order for the plant to feel good, you need to take care of creating the necessary conditions.

Using the example of pachypodium Lamer, let us consider what kind of microclimate should be created for a plant and how to take care of it at home.

Air temperature and humidity

In summertime, the pakhepodium likes the air temperature to be above +25 degrees, and in the winter - not below +18. Considering that the flower is a succulent, dry air is not terrible for it, since it can accumulate water in itself and stay for a long time without spraying.

Lighting

Unlike most other indoor plants, this representative of the flora perfectly transfers direct sunlight, so it can be placed on well-lit window sills.

Suitable flower southern, southeast and southwest windows.In the penumbra, the plant will also feel good.

Substrate for planting

The best substrate for pachypodium is leafy and soddy earth, which is mixed with perlite, all components are taken in equal amounts.

You can also use the following option for planting: 1 part of turf land + 1 part of the ready mix for cactus + 1 part of coarse sand + 0.5 parts of peat. These components must be thoroughly mixed and used for planting the pachypodium.

Pachypodium will feel great if you add clay, charcoal or brick in small quantities to the pot.

Also important is the presence of large holes in the bottom of the pot, so that excess liquid can easily seep through them and leave the limits of the substrate.

Growing pachypodium from seeds

Despite the fact that the described plant is a succulent, it is very poorly propagated by the apical cuttings.

If you want a pachypodium to appear in your body earlier than “babies” form at the base, then for reproduction at home, it is recommended to use the seed method.

Best time

The best period for growing a plant from seeds is summer, since the air temperature will be at a sufficiently high level, which will contribute to better germination and the normal development of seedlings.

Seed preparation

A special feature of pachypodium seeds is the rapid loss of germination, therefore, to obtain a successful result in growing a plant, it is necessary to use fresh seeds.

Planting material before sowing should be soaked in warm water (up to +35 ° C), and stand for about three hours.

Sowing and caring for seedlings

To prepare a suitable soil for sowing seeds, it is necessary to use leaf humus - 1 part, charcoal - 1 part, sod land - 0.5 parts, vermiculite - 1 part, sand - 4 parts, bone meal - 10 g.

In the selected container, the soil is poured and watered. In this case, one can observe the subsidence of the substrate and the alignment of its surface. Next, you need to decompose the seeds, so that between them remains an interval of 3 cm and cover them with a five-centimeter layer of substrate.

The sprayer needs to be watered. Next, the container should be placed in a plastic transparent bag.To prevent the formation of condensation, make a series of punctures in the bag with a large needle.

Seedlings should be watered regularly, without waiting for the substrate to dry. Humidity should be at the level of 80%, while the seedlings must be regularly aired, about 3 times a day. When the first shoots appear, the package should be removed completely. The optimum temperature for seedlings is +25 ° C and higher.

The rate of seed germination depends on the conditions of the crops and may be in the range from 1 to 4 weeks. If the seeds do not germinate in 6 weeks, then they are considered not viable.

After seed germination, air humidity should be reduced to 60%. Shoots need to be placed in direct sunlight before 11 o'clock in the afternoon and after 17 in the evening. All the rest of the time, crops need diffused sunlight.

After emergence of shoots, watering is reduced a little and achieve easy drying of the earthy coma in the interval between the introduction of fluid. Transplantation occurs after the development of a pair of true leaves.

How to care for a plant?

The growth rate, the abundance of flowering and the normal well-being of the flower depend on the quality and regular care for it.

"Madagascar palm" is rather unpretentious to the living conditions, but it is necessary to consider the main nuances of caring for the plant at home, so that the flower feels as comfortable as possible.

How to water?

As indicated above, pachypodium is a succulent and tolerates dry days normally.

Even if you forget to water the plant several times, then nothing will happen to it for a long time.

However, do not neglect the watering, because the plant can lose leaves and lose its decorative effect. It is also impossible to flood a flower, as the stem can stretch ugly. In the spring and summer periods, watering the pachipodium should be regularly and moderately. The substrate should always be wet, but with a drying top coat. When the soil dries up to 1 cm, it will be familiar to the next watering.

If there is such a situation that the pachipodium shed the leaves, watering should be significantly reduced until new leaves grow.

In the autumn-winter period, watering is significantly reduced.

Suitable water for watering plants is considered a little warm and settled liquid.

What to fertilize?

In the spring, when there is an active growth of new shoots, it is recommended to feed the pachypodium every month, for which it is better to choose a liquid feed for cacti. If the pachypodium has just been transplanted, then the first month is recommended to refrain from fertilizing. Given that this plant has a slow growth, it blooms only in the seventh year after planting, but it is impossible to neglect dressing, since the pachipodium may not bloom.

How to trim?

Pruning pachypodium need only when he grew very high and began to rest on the ceiling. In this case, it is recommended to trim the top of the plant to the required length.

Performing the pruning procedure is easy enough, but in order not to harm the flower, you must follow certain rules:

• To make cutting with a pure and very sharp knife.
• The cut should be treated with coal, which must be pounded beforehand.
• Using a brush, remove the residue of coal and sprinkle with sulfur.
• The cut should not be flushed with water.

When to transplant?

While the plant is young, it grows and develops much faster, and therefore needs annual spring transplantation. When performing the procedure, each time choose a larger capacity previous. When the pachypodium is three years old, the transplant is reduced to that every three years.

Diseases and pests

Pachypodium is a plant that can shed its leaves from time to time. This feature is not necessarily associated with a serious illness or attack of pests, most likely, it lacks moisture or the period of winter dormancy is near.

In winter, your green pet can quickly lose leaves, it all depends on the characteristics of the indoor microclimate.

If, on the contrary, watering is very abundant and the ground is constantly overly wetted and does not have time to dry out, then the plant stem may rot. In this case, it is necessary to place the pachypodium in a room with elevated air temperature, transplant into dry soil, remove all rotten parts and monitor watering more carefully.

Among the pests that are common to the described plant, emit:

• spider mite;
• shield;
• thrips.

At the first signs of pachypodium damage by pests, you can try to rinse it well with a stream of hot water (temperature up to +46 ° C).

In the fight against these pests, the treatment of the plant "Fitoverm" helps.

Pachypodium toxicity

Despite the beauty of pachypodium, the plant is very poisonous, which is associated with a high content of alkaloids and glycosides, which can cause vision loss if the juice gets into the eyes.

If you accidentally swallow the juice or part of a plant, it can lead to serious consequences, such as tetanus or cardiac arrest.

Thus, pachypodium is an unpretentious plant, and caring for it does not cause any particular difficulties, it is important only to adhere to certain rules and follow the recommendations described in detail in this article.