Afelandra (Afelandra) belongs to the genus Acanthus. Homeland - tropical regions of America. The family includes about 170-200 species according to information from various sources, some of them are cultivated indoors.
Description of Afelandra
Afelandra is a long-lived herbaceous plant or a low shrub. In the wild, grows up to 2 m, in captivity, much lower, not more than 0.7 m.
Large leaves are dark, glossy, prickly or smooth with wide central and lateral veins of beige, silver, snow-white tone, a unique pattern. Flowers with hard bracts of saturated color are located on the apical cone-shaped or spike-like. They have a two-lip corolla of a reddish, red, yellow or lilac tone. The upper labellum (lip) is two-toothed, the lower is three-lobed.
Species and varieties suitable for indoor floriculture
Afelandra is used to ennoble residential and office premises, various exhibitions, etc. Popular varieties of Afelandra:
| Species / varieties | Distinctive features | Leaves | Flowers |
| Orange | Low-growing shrub with a thickened, juicy stem of a reddish tone, lignified with age. | Oval-oblong, located diametrically. Silver-green color, with solid edges and a sharp end. | Bright red with greenish opaque leaves on tetrahedral spike inflorescences. |
| Retzl | Most popular for home content. | Silver-white. | Fiery red. |
Protruding, varieties:
| With fleshy, bare stems. | Large, without petioles, elliptical in shape. On the outside, glossy, green, with silver-white stripes. The inside is lighter. | Pale yellow with red cover sheets. Collected in inflorescences with 4 faces. Corolla formed by a pestle and 4 stamens. |
The optimal environment for growing afelander
Caring for a plant at home is not easy. In addition, Afelandra's juice is poisonous, you need to touch it with gloves, clean it away from children and pets. For good growth, it is necessary to provide an environment as close to natural as possible:
| Parameter | Conditions | |
| Location / Lighting | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
| Rooms with good ventilation. | ||
| At a suitable temperature, take out into the open air, terrace, balcony. Protect from gusts of wind, rain. Bright, scattered. If the pot is on the south windowsill, it must be shaded in the sun. | Remove from cold window sills away from drafts. Extend daylight hours to 10-12 hours with fluorescent lamps. Hang them at a distance of 0.5-1 m above the flower. | |
| Temperature mode | + 23 ... +25 ° С | +15 ° С (with the exception of the protruding Afelandra, it needs + 10 ... +12 ° С). |
| Humidity / Watering | High, not lower than 90-95%. Spray several times a day. Put wet moss and peat in the pan. Install a humidifier in the room. | Average 60-65% |
| Moderate, as the earth dries up (2 times a week). | Rarely, once every 1-2 months. | |
| Water at room temperature, settled for at least 1 day. It is better to use melt or rain. Avoid liquid on greens. Make sure that there is no stagnation in the pallet. This will cause rhizome decay. | ||
| The soil | Light, loose, good air permeability. A mixture of:
It is advisable to pour wood ash and the product of the processing of bones of livestock into the soil (3 g per 3 l of the mixture). | |
| Top dressing | Every 2-3 weeks. Alternate purchased fertilizers for decorative flowering plants and organics (bird droppings, nettles, cow dung). It is desirable to cook the latter outdoors, as the smell will be specific:
Mixes from stores are used strictly according to the annotation. | Not necessary. |
Landing
Professional flower growers grow Afelandra in an artificial environment without land. The shrub takes the necessary substances from the nutrient mixture surrounding the rhizome. In this case, the plant does not need to be transplanted.
Without a transplant, it loses its decorative effect: it grows strongly upward, discards the lower foliage, exposes the stem. Young specimens (up to 5 years) must be moved to another pot every spring. Mature bushes - if necessary, about once every 3-4 years.
If the root system did not have time to entangle the earthen lump, it was not struck by diseases, it is enough to change the top layer of the earth (3-4 cm) annually to a fresh substrate.
Pick up a pot a few centimeters more than the diameter of the root system. The tank must have drainage holes. It is better to choose a cache-pot from unglazed ceramics, it helps aeration of the soil.
Transplanting step by step:
- Water the bush, wait 5-10 minutes to completely saturate the soil.
- Take out the plant, clear the roots of the earth, rinse with running water.
- Inspect them: rotting, dry, broken processes cut off with a knife dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate. Treat damaged areas with crushed charcoal.
- Pour drainage from expanded clay, shards, pebbles 3-5 cm into a new pot.
- Fill the pots with soil 1/3.
- Put the bush on the ground, spread its roots.
- Holding the plant vertically, add soil, tamping it slightly (leave 1-2 cm from the surface of the substrate to the top of the pot).
- Water abundantly and put in a permanent place.
Breeding
Afelandra is bred using cuttings and seeds. The first method is considered the most preferred and easy.
Propagation by cuttings:
- In spring, choose a one-year-old, healthy shoot up to 15 cm.
- Leave on it 2 large, non-sick leaves.
- Place planting material in a growth promoter (e.g., Cornevin, Heteroauxin, Zircon).
- Root shoots.
- Cover with polyethylene to create greenhouse conditions.
- Keep at a temperature of + 22 ... +24 ° C in a room with stray light, without drafts.
- Remove cover for 10 minutes daily to ventilate and remove condensation.
- After 4-8 weeks, rooting will occur, the bushes can be replanted in separate pots and put in a permanent place.
Seed Dilution:
- Select fully ripened seed.
- Spread evenly over the surface of the substrate.
- Cover with a glass jar or plastic bag.
- Keep at a temperature of at least +25 ° C.
- Clean the shelter every day for 20 minutes for ventilation.
- After the appearance of the first sprouts, transplant into small flowerpots.
If there is no purpose to use seeds for breeding, it is better not to wait for their appearance, because ripening takes away plant nutrients and forces. It is recommended to cut inflorescences immediately after the petals fall.
Common Afelandra Growing Problems
If mistakes are made in the care of the aphelander, it begins to hurt, insect pests begin to eat it.
| Manifestation | Causes | Remedial measures |
| Brown growths, sticky drops on the plates. Fall of foliage. | Shield. |
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| Snow-white bloom on the green, like pieces of cotton wool. Growth stops. | Mealybug. |
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| Withered leaves, deformation of their ends. Green insects are visible on the plant. | Aphid. |
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| Darkening, softening of the rhizome. | Root rot. |
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| Falling foliage. |
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| Withering. |
| Move the pot. |
| Brown stains around the perimeter of the sheet. |
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| Brown spots. |
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| Fading leaves. |
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| Delay or lack of flowering. |
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| Verticillus wilting: yellowing and falling of the lower leaves, twisting of the upper plates, the gradual death of the bush. | Fungal infection of the soil. | It is impossible to cure. To prevent disease, the substrate must be sterilized before planting. For example, place in an oven for 1 hour or hold in a water bath with a temperature of +80 ° С. This will destroy the infection. |
