Cordilina kiwi is a popular plant belonging to the Agave family. Outwardly, it looks like a miniature palm tree. Cordilina kiwi grows in its natural habitat in Northern Australia, but other varieties can be found in Southeast Asia, as well as on the Hawaiian Islands.
Plants differ from each other in overall size, shape, color, as well as the size of leaf plates. Cordilina kiwi is a very unpretentious plant in care, so it can be successfully grown indoors. We will talk about the features of care and maintenance in this article.
Description of cordilina kiwi
In its natural habitat, this culture can grow up to three meters in height. However, in the conditions of room content, this cannot be achieved. As a rule, trees that live in pots grow no more than one and a half meters in height.
The main advantage of cordilina, the photo of which is presented in the article, is the spectacular narrow leaves that crown the ends of thin trunks. Asdevelopment, the lower leaves begin to die off, and the tree becomes more and more similar to a palm tree. On the side of the main trunks, new shoots constantly appear, which are suitable for plant propagation.
In the photo of cordilina, you can see that the plant has juicy, hard leaves that have rounded edges. The color of the leaf plates combines yellow, dark green, and pink shades.
Features of care
Cordilina is a very unpretentious indoor plant. Culture will feel great in an ordinary city apartment. In this case, the tree will not suffer from too dry air, as well as high room temperatures. In winter, a dormant period is not required, so the plants are able to maintain their decorative effect throughout the year.
Lighting
What kind of care does cordilina require? The container with the plant is best placed on the windowsills that face the southwest, southeast or south side. The largest specimens are located near the window on a table or on a special stand. In the event of a lack of lighting, the cordilina kiwi houseplant will lose all its spectacular multi-color coloring, the trunk will begin to stretch, and the leaves will become lifeless and lethargic.
Culture must be shaded from direct sunlight. At lunchtime, it will be enough just to draw the curtains, and it is not necessary to move the pot to another place. Permanent would be ideal.diffused bright light.
In late autumn and winter, additional lighting can be arranged, as a result of which the flower will look much better in appearance.
Air temperature
If the tips of the leaves of Cordilina kiwi dry, then most likely the plant is in a room with the wrong air temperature. This culture prefers moderate heat. It is best to keep the flower in a room where the air temperature is between 18 and 23 degrees. This green pet does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature, as well as strong drafts.
In summer and late spring, it is recommended to take the pot to the loggia or balcony, but at night it must be brought indoors. The slightest frost will destroy the plant.
In the case of placing cordilina on the windowsill, it must be protected from cold air during airing. If you open a window or window, it is best to remove the culture from the windowsill for this time.
Humidity
From the description of the cordilina kiwi, you realized that this plant in its natural habitat grows in tropical conditions. When growing in a room, the air in the room can be dry, however, to ensure good vitality, the leaves should be sprayed regularly with water. In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that the water should be at room temperature. Spraying is carried out using a spray gun. In no case should you place a green pet near hot batteries. If necessary, cover the battery with some kind ofthick cloth.
Irrigation Rules
We continue to consider the features of growing cordilina kiwi. In the spring and summer, when it is hot outside, and the plant is in the stage of active growth, it needs regular and plentiful watering. For this, soft boiled, rain or settled tap water is used. When the air temperature drops, watering is slightly reduced.
The secret of successful cultivation of cordilina lies in the absence of stagnation of moisture in the soil without complete drying of the earthy coma.
Features of flowering
You should immediately pay attention to the fact that the plant, which is contained in a city apartment, will not bloom. However, in greenhouses, you can achieve successful flowering of Cordilina kiwi. The inflorescences of the culture are paniculate, abundantly strewn with small white or purple buds.
Feeding
In order for your cordilina to develop successfully, it must be fed regularly. To do this, the flower is fertilized throughout the year. For this purpose, universal fertilizers are used, which are bred according to the instructions attached to the top dressing.
Liquid formulations are preferred over granular formulations. In summer and spring, the flower is fertilized once a week, and with the advent of winter and autumn, top dressing is applied no more than twice a month.
Transfer
Kordilina kiwi is developing very actively. Young plants need to be repotted every year, while adults need to be repotted every three years. Too overgrown root system,which is already visible on the surface of the soil is a sign that the flower needs the most capacious pot.
During transplantation, it is necessary to take a new deep container made of ceramic or plastic. Drainage holes must be present at the bottom without fail. In addition, the container should be supplemented with a pallet. Expanded clay, pebbles, well-washed river sand are laid in the first layer.
As the main soil, a ready-made mixture is used, intended for growing indoor palms and dracaena. However, you can prepare the soil mixture yourself, for which they take 3 parts of turf, 1 part of sand, 1 part of peat. To make this soil as light as possible, moss or perlite can be added to it.
Adult specimens are removed from the old container along with an earthen clod, after which they are transferred to a new pot, sprinkled with prepared soil. In conclusion, the cordilina should be well watered and placed in a place where there is diffused bright light.
Reproduction
You can propagate this green pet with the help of shoots or tops. As a rule, the first ones form near an adult plant. To root the shoots, it is necessary to use those that have already formed leaves. The shoot is cut off with a sharp knife, after which it is planted in a pot with a well-moistened substrate for dracaena or palm trees.
The cutting can also be rooted in a mixture of moss and well-washed river sand. The young shoot can be placed in a greenhouse or covered with a plastic bag. For a speedy recoverycuttings will need bright lighting, but at the same time they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. You should also control that the soil does not dry out.
Conclusion
If you have just started breeding indoor plants, then you can safely choose kiwi cordilina for these purposes, as it is quite unpretentious in care and cultivation. If you master all the simple rules for caring for this little palm tree, you can include it in your green collection. And if you manage to grow lilac, white or cream varieties of cordilina, then together they can form a real greenhouse, bringing an atmosphere of tropical exoticism into the house. If you follow all the above rules for growing this exotic plant, you can easily grow this incredibly beautiful indoor flower on your windowsill.
