Pileas occupy a special place among indoor compact plants. Small and modest in size, very neat-looking cultures are used to decorate a wide variety of rooms. With their showy foliage, these potted flowers look great and catchy.
The plant got its name due to the ability to scatter pollen over considerable distances. However, in a room culture, such talents cannot be assessed, but the beauty of their leaves is undeniable.
General information
The flower belongs to the Nettle family. A perennial and annual herbaceous plant (a little less often a shrub) grows in tropical forests of both hemispheres of the Earth, excluding the only mainland - Australia. The genus includes about 700 species.
The name of the plant comes from the Latin pileus, which translates as "cap" or "hat". And in fact, one of the tepals in most varieties of this plant is shaped like a hood. Pilea can be grown as an ampelous plant. She adapts well tohome growing conditions.
Sometimes it is called the "artillery tree". This is due to the fact that when the flowers bloom, a unique phenomenon occurs - the release of a cloud of pollen. The homeland of the Pilea is the humid tropical zones of Southeast Asia.
Diversity of species
Practically all ornamental leafy plants are distinguished by a we alth of varied and attractive accents suitable for decorating any space. One of the most beautiful in terms of color, texture and shape are quite compact plants - pileas. They include such a large number of varieties and varieties that it is even difficult to believe that all these bushes belong to the same genus.
Unpretentious and rather hardy, pileas, although they do not differ in life expectancy, do not know their equal in the luxury of their small foliage. They are both easy to grow and easy to breed.
Views
The main advantage of the plant is diversity. Some of them are so original that it is impossible to guess about their relationship with other Pilaea. Some have velvety luxurious leaves, others are glossy. And differences in sizes and shapes can completely confuse anyone.
1. Pilea small-leaved - a plant that conquers a huge number of small leaves on drooping, lying shoots. This pilea in home growing conditions among the interior of the room looks great. Miniature fleshy leaves give it a wonderful "curl". The effect is enhanced by branching and spreading shoots. The color of this pileaquite bright, mostly in light colors. The convexity of the leaf plates is enhanced by a glossy sheen. The small-leaved species also includes a dwarf species, formerly known as the mossy pilea, which looks like a tussock of moss.
2. Pilea thick-leaved is a velvety beauty, a very popular species among flower growers. Reddish-green leaves with a raised, bumpy surface and light stripes along the edges, they appear velvety and powdered with light dust.
3. Pilea monetifolia (photo presented in the article) is a ground-blooded plant, which is a "curly" bush. Her leaves, unlike the small-leaved variety, are rounded (in the form of coins), with a very delicate whitish-green color. It is well cut, and creates a wonderful cascade or a spectacular elegant rug.
4. Pilea Spruce is an outlandish, rather rare plant that grows only up to 20 centimeters in height. It is distinguished by matte folded leaves with a basic brownish-reddish tint, with notches along the edges and longitudinal stripes. All this, together with the mother-of-pearl sheen of the leaves, gives the plant a resemblance to snake skin or lizard skin.
5. Pilea wrapped captivates with blistering protrusions on leaves with a copper, red or bronze-green color. It brings original metallic effects to the interior. The bushes reach a height of 30 cm. The surface of its leaves is a bit like a Byzantine cleaner, but its brightthe green color, through which the drawings of dark brown veins look through, looks very original.
6. Peperomiform (the article presents a photo of the pilea). Caring for this miracle, as well as for other species, is not difficult. The flowering of this plant is very difficult to notice, and it occurs extremely rarely when grown indoors, but its foliage may well compensate for such a disadvantage. This Pilea is luxurious: on a green-brown short stem, almost perfectly round leaves grow in a bunch.
7. Pilea Kadie has green leaves with spectacular silvery stripes, emphasizing the oval shape of rather large leaves (length - 10 cm, width - more than 4 cm). On beautifully curving leaves, gloss is clearly visible. The height of the bushes reach 40 centimeters.
Pilea Lebanese, pressed, creeping - all these are magnificent varieties of the described plant, which are popular in floriculture.
Home care
Pilea is a rather light and unpretentious plant in the home. Therefore, it is very popular with flower growers.
Pilea prefers partial shade and light places. Direct sunlight is undesirable for her, so she should be placed near an east or west window. With the advent of the first warm days, it can be kept outdoors (on the balcony, on the veranda, in the loggia or in the country). It should be remembered that bright light for this plant is detrimental. However, in winter, care must be takenadditional lighting with artificial light (up to several hours a day).
The preferred temperature for sawy is up to 25 degrees. Lowering the temperature below 20 degrees for most species (including the monetifolia) is undesirable. Also, drafts are contraindicated for this plant, especially during winter periods.
In terms of watering the pilea, home care for it is quite simple. The frequency of watering should be determined by the soil. When the topsoil dries up, the flower should be watered, only in winter it is worth waiting a couple of days with dried soil before watering. Drought with this flower is better tolerated than overflow. A sign of waterlogging of the soil can be wilting of the leaves with a simultaneous decrease in the brightness of the color. Water for irrigation is preferably separated, soft and at room temperature.
The plant needs high humidity but should not be sprayed. It is better to install a container with a flower in pallets filled with water with sand or expanded clay. You can put dishes with wet sand, moss or just water near the plant.
The soil for the pilea is preferably humus. Summer top dressing should be carried out once a week, and winter top dressing once a month. Suitable for flower liquid fertilizer designed for indoor ornamental plants.
Pilea monolifolia
This plant, native to South America, lives naturally in shaded areas of tropical rainforests.
In floriculture, a houseplant is used as a potted, ground-blooded and ampelous plant. drop him offtogether with erect, large species of indoor trees, bushes and flowers.
The variety under consideration is the shortest, with creeping stems and small (diameter - 1 cm) leaves, which look like coins. Due to these properties of the leaves, the plant is popularly called the "Japanese dollar". The upper part of the leaves seems to be quilted. They are green above and reddish purple below. And the stems of this variety are reddish, which, in combination with the greenery of the foliage, gives the plant a special decorative effect and showiness.
Growing at home
Practically not capricious Pilea monetolifolia. Home care for this flower is relatively simple. This plant, like other varieties of the genus, needs light, but slightly diffused.
As with other saws, the western and eastern windows are suitable for the coin-leaved variety. She feels great on covered balconies and verandas. Under these conditions, it is mostly grown as an ampelous plant in wall pots.
Air humidity and temperature
He likes moderate humidity and warmth. Caring for her is not difficult. It is not exacting and to temperature conditions. Of course, a native of the rainforests is well disposed to heat and sufficient humidity, but the creation of such conditions is quite feasible. The optimum temperature, as noted above, is between 20-25 degrees in summer and about 16-20 degrees in winter.
Importantremember that in winter the air temperature should not be allowed to drop below 10 degrees, as this can cause the plant to get sick.
Optimal air humidity should be 60%. Especially it is necessary to observe such conditions during the heating season. In addition to the above methods, you can use a humidifier or decorative fountains.
Diseases and pests
Monet-leaved pileas, like other varieties of plants, could be considered invulnerable, however, under not very comfortable conditions, at inappropriate temperatures or insufficient air humidity, they are susceptible to attack by spider mites, scale insects and thrips. Such pests are especially difficult to notice on moss and small-leaved saws. Traces of defeat in them appear only after the plant is completely depleted. And it is advisable to start the fight earlier, adjusting the growing conditions and actively using insecticides.
Although not so difficult to care for at home, Pilea monolifolia can suffer from some diseases. Most common problems:
- when there is poor light, color loss occurs, the tips of the leaves dry out or shred;
- with excessive soil moisture, the leaves wither and fall off, the stems become lethargic;
- extremely low air temperatures or a long period of drought lead to wrinkling and drying of the leaves;
- the direct rays of the sun contribute to the appearance of yellow and brown spots;
- breaking up the bush and exposing its shoots (dropping the lowerleaves) is a signal for rejuvenation.
Transplanting and propagating plants
Pilea should be transplanted annually in spring or summer. These plants do not need deep containers, as their root system is quite compact. Ideal pots are about 10 centimeters deep. Due to the fact that Pilea is a plant with erratic growth, young shoots should be plucked during transplantation, and the oldest ones should be cut off. It is quite possible to grow a new flower from pruned shoots. Reproduction occurs both by cuttings and seeds.
A feature of Pilea Monetolifolia is reproduction by self-sowing from seeds formed on the plant itself.
For the germination of purchased seeds, it is necessary to provide them with light and heat. They should be sown in a flat dish with soil consisting of sand and earth. The container must be covered with glass, which should be removed when the first shoots appear. As soon as three or four true leaves are formed, each sprout must be planted in a small pot.
The fastest and most affordable way of propagation is cuttings. For this, blanks 10 cm long are used, which are cut from young apical shoots and placed in moistened sand or earth. For better rooting, it is necessary to create a microclimate by covering the plant with a transparent material made of plastic or glass. When propagating Pilea monetifolia by cuttings, to obtain a more lush bush, several cuttings can be planted in a container at once.
This species can also be sprouted from a leaf. Best suited for this are the lower leaves, cut off at the very base of the main stems. Rooting should be done in the same way as when cutting.
It should be noted that only some species can produce seeds for propagation by self-seeding.
Possible difficulties and ways to overcome them
- Pilea is very sensitive to waterlogging of the soil and is quite easily affected by powdery mildew. With strict adherence to the recommendations for air humidification and watering, this problem can be avoided.
- If a grayish coating appears on the stem and leaves and a putrid smell is felt, the plant should be pruned or treated with a fungicide.
- Most of all of the parasites this flower is bothered by mealybugs, spider mites and thrips. They should be destroyed with insecticides.
- When wrinkling and falling leaves of the pilea, it is necessary to normalize the temperature in the room.
It is also important to remember that a plant (including the coin-leaved saw), whose age has reached 4 years and older, becomes unattractive. The lower leaves of it completely fall off. It is better to get rid of such a flower, and grow a new plant from cuttings.
In conclusion, some interesting properties of the plant
Due to an interesting feature of this plant, which was noted in the article, it is called the "artillery tree". Blooming flowers are capable of throwing out a huge amount of tiny pollen in the form of a cloud. The spectacle is amazingly beautiful and slightlyreminiscent of fireworks.
The favorable energy emanating from the Pilea flower can relieve anxiety and fatigue, as well as cheer up.
The versatility of growing this spectacular plant has gained popularity with many flower growers. It is planted as a regular or ampelous indoor flower. Pilea grows quite quickly and is not particularly demanding on care, and therefore even beginners and inexperienced flower growers can cope with its cultivation.
