Teschin tongue, or pike tail - houseplant, champion in the production of oxygen and the absorption of harmful substances from the air. It is capable of secreting an antiseptic that kills viruses and germs. Also, the plant is unpretentious and looks great indoors. How to care for him?
Description of mother tongue flower
Teschin tongue is a species of perennial plants belonging to the Agave family. Its homeland is the savannah and subtropics of Africa and Asia. There are about 60 species of plants. Its leaves grow from the rhizome. Some species have a stem. The leaves are long, can be thick, oval, flat or wide, mostly dark green in color (in some species the color is dark brown). On the leaves there are strips of yellow or white. They grow mainly vertically, some in opposite directions or parallel to the ground. The rhizome is creeping. Propagation of the flower is done by leaves, seeds, processes or rhizome.
What does it look like
For your information! The plant has many popular names: mother-in-law's tongue, pike tail, Indian sword, snake skin, and even the language of the devil. All thanks to oblong leaves that look like long tongues.
Appearance
The scientific name - sansevieria or sansevier - received the flower in honor of Prince R. de Sangro.
How "Mother-in-law's Tongue" Blooms at Home
Flowering tongue tongue is a rare occurrence. Its flowers are white or cream with long stamens collected in a brush on a long thin stalk and have a pleasant smell.
Care Features
Mother-in-law's tongue is a flower, home care for which does not cause much trouble, we love flower growers for simplicity and undemanding.
Temperature
In summer, the plant is not afraid of any heat and grows well at any temperature. It is best to maintain it in the region of 16 ° C. The minimum winter temperature is 5 ° C. Otherwise, the roots begin to rot.
Lighting
The homeland of the flower is filled with the sun, so in the apartment you should choose the most sunny place for it. You can leave it in the shade, but with a lack of light, the plant develops poorly, and its leaves lose color.
Watering
The roots of sansevieria are adapted to life in arid places, so the plant can do without watering for a long time. It is advisable that the water be standing or rain at room temperature.
Depending on the season, it is recommended to water the flower:
- in summer on hot days, once a week, on cloudy soils as they dry;
- in winter 1 time in 3-4 weeks;
- spring and autumn watering is required moderate, depending on the degree of drying of the soil.
After 15-20 minutes after watering, drain excess water from the sump.
Important! Water should not get into the outlet of the flower, this can lead to its decay.
Spraying
It is not necessary to spray the flower, especially when kept in an environment with a low air temperature.
Humidity
For sansevieria, the best air is dry. Leaves are periodically, but not too often, wiped with a damp soft sponge to clean them of dust and additionally saturate with moisture.
Priming
So that moisture does not stagnate in the tank, it is worth making a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. It can be expanded clay, brick chips, gravel or gravel.
To create a breeding ground for sansevieria, turf, leaf soil and sand are mixed in proportions of 2: 1: 1.
Important! The soil should be loose.
Priming
Top dressing
A young plant can be fertilized no earlier than six months after planting. Top dressing is carried out only in the summer 1 time per month.
As a fertilizer, liquid preparations for home plants are used. They can be found in specialized stores. Sansevieria is also suitable fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and calcium.
Note! The amount of nitrogen in top dressing should be minimal, due to its excess, the root system may begin to rot.
Disease
Sansevieria is not susceptible to disease, but improper care can cause the following problems:
- dark spots on the leaves - an excess of moisture at low temperature;
- yellowing of the leaves - a lack of light or too tight a container;
- leaves are soft and fall under their own weight - lack of light;
- yellowing and softness of the leaves at the base - water may have got into the flower’s outlet. This can cause rotting or fungal diseases;
- sluggish, yellowed, dry leaf tips - an excess of moisture, lack of light or too low air temperature;
- leaf wilting - lack of moisture;
- mold or bloom - an excess of moisture.
Disease
Important! You can not break off the tip at the tips of the leaves, this affects the growth of the plant.
How to plant a mother-in-law's flower tongue at home
The capacity is selected wide, but shallow, as the root system of the flower develops slowly and does not master a large area. The bottom should have openings for the outflow of excess moisture. The pot should be made of a porous, moisture-permeable material. Clay or ceramics will do.
The soil needs loose, slightly acidic. In addition to the above soil option, the following options will be useful:
- leaf and turf land, humus, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 0.5: 1: 1;
- sheet and turfy earth and coarse sand in the proportions of 1: 1: 2;
- turf, peat and sand in a ratio of 3: 1: 1.
Also suitable store soil for cacti.
In the finished soil, you can add brick chips, bone meal or pieces of charcoal (sold in specialized stores).
Half of the landing tank is filled with a drainage layer. The flower itself needs to be planted with a clod of earth entangled with roots, so they are less injured.
How to transplant a flower
The number of transplants depends on the age of the plant. Young mother-in-law's tongue is transplanted every spring. For older flowers, once every 2-3 years is enough. The capacity for transplanting should not be much larger than the previous one, since the roots grow slowly.
Important! A transplant is necessary when the roots completely cover the ground.
When transplanting, the overgrown rhizome is cut and planted in suitable containers, after preliminary processing the places of cuts with charcoal.
Properly transplanted mother-in-law, the tongue develops and blooms perfectly.
In good conditions, rhizomes grow in young shoots. They must be planted. If there is at least one growth bud on the shoot, it may well grow spontaneously in a separate container.
Transfer
Signs and superstitions
Sansevieria is entangled in signs - both good and bad. Long leaves look like tongues, which brought the plant many unusual names, and with them - believe. Here is some of them.
Is it possible to keep a mother-in-law's flower at home
It is difficult to judge the benefits or dangers of a flower: some believe that mother tongue brings quarrels and abuse, because of it marriages break up. At the same time, many psychics and bioenergy are convinced of the opposite. Sansevieria returns peace and harmony to the family, helps to establish relationships and avoid conflicts, and the effect of its action is equivalent to the effect of a flower female happiness.
What is the energy of the flower
Mother tongue is a vampire plant. It has the ability to absorb the energy of the room, but the peculiarity is that it absorbs negativity, anger and aggression, so that the residents become friendlier to each other.
Important! It is believed that it is long leaves that absorb all the bad energy and secrete good.
The appearance of sansevieria flowers is considered a good omen. This predicts success in business and a warm atmosphere in the family. However, if the flower blooms in winter, then, on the contrary, this is a bad sign. Major quarrels and conflicts can happen that can radically change lives.
But according to experts, the plant begins to bloom when it feels that it may soon die. This is due to maintenance in poor conditions, so sansevieria in a hurry to produce seeds for further reproduction. But you should not leave the flower without water and light or in their excess to make it bloom, rather it will lead to its death.
Trusting signs or experienced gardeners is a purely personal matter.
Bloom
How to attract well-being with the flower of mother-in-law's tongue
For sansevieria to be beneficial, you need to choose the right place. It should not be a bedroom or a children's room. Also, do not leave a flower on the windowsill or close to the doors.
Mother tongue is able to protect its master. If one of your acquaintances is suspicious of your plans, you should put a flower at the intersection with this person. So the plant will protect against negative influences. You can also put it in your workplace to attract success in business and protect yourself from the harmful influence of other people.
Mother-in-law's tongue is loved by gardeners for its beauty and unpretentiousness in leaving. In addition, he is able to help the owner in certain conditions. But most importantly, sansevieria should please its owner. Then it will bring maximum benefit and joy.
