Spathiphyllum, popularly referred to as "women's happiness", is an amazingly beautiful evergreen plant that grows naturally on the shores of reservoirs in New Guinea and South America. Many flower growers, once seeing this plant, decided to settle it in their home.
Signs associated with a flower
The flower "women's happiness" fully justifies its name. Women and young girls associate their hopes for a happy personal life with him. In their opinion, they are not in vain. Although the mystery of the magical power possessed by the “female happiness” flower remains a mystery today, pretty quickly women who grow this plant in their home find peace and prosperity in the family.
There are many myths and legends about the magical properties of this magnificent plant. All of them tell about how women with the help of this plant got rid of loneliness and found family happiness.
It is given to girls and women. In this case, it is important not to purchase a plant in a store on your own, butreceive it as a gift from loved ones. There are many signs associated with the home flower "women's happiness":
- a plant given to a girl makes her more attractive, tender and feminine for men;
- flower gives girls the opportunity to start a family;
- in the bedroom of the spouses, the flower "female happiness" helps to get rid of quarrels and strife;
- an amazing plant helps expectant mothers to easily endure pregnancy.
Description
The "women's happiness" flower, the photo of which is posted in this article, is a lush bush with elongated green leaves, but without stems. Its height does not exceed 50 cm. The yellowish-white cobs of the inflorescence are surrounded by snow-white tear-shaped leaves located on long legs. Over time, the leaf turns green.
Pedicle and oblong leaves grow straight from the root. By planting a spathiphyllum in a pot, you will get a luxurious bouquet of white flowers surrounded by embossed leaves of a rich green hue.
Growing
Experienced flower growers say that the home flower "women's happiness" prefers a secluded corner of the room without excessive lighting. And the direct rays of the sun in general can harm the plant, which needs attention and care from the owners.
It is considered quite unusual flower "women's happiness". Caring for him at home involves following certain rules.
Temperature and humidity
In the room where the spathiphyllum grows,the air temperature in winter should not be lower than +15 °C, and in summer +22 °C. The plant does not tolerate drafts. In addition, air humidity should be controlled, since the “female happiness” flower came to us from tropical countries. You can install a fountain in the room or periodically spray the leaves with water at room temperature.
Lighting
Spathiphyllum needs diffused, dim light. Try to protect it from direct sunlight. Experts believe that the ideal place for this plant will be a table standing by the window, since the light is scattered here much better than on the windowsill.
Irrigation
What does the “female happiness” flower need, how to care for it so that it feels comfortable, does not dry out, its leaves do not turn black? In winter, the flower does not require abundant watering, since its root system can simply freeze from temperature changes. And in the summer heat, the plant needs moisture. Carefully observe the flower - its behavior will tell you about the state.
As a rule, the plant is watered once a week in winter, and no more than three times in summer. Do not use distilled or bottled water for irrigation. The time-tested best option is ordinary tap water, which is settled in an open vessel for 24 hours to evaporate chlorine.
You can soften it with wood ash, lemon juice, oxalic acid or vinegar before watering. Add a small amount of the substance of your choice to the water beforeupholding. Do not use boiled water as it may cause root rot.
Drainage
Caring for the flower "female happiness" involves the observance of one more condition - the presence of a powerful drainage system. It will help the plant to actively develop. If the water stagnates, then the root system of the plant begins to rot, and this problem will certainly affect the leaves. For drainage, small gravel, expanded clay, coarse river sand are usually used.
Feeding
If you want this amazing flower to please you with its well-groomed appearance for a long time, feed it periodically. Without this simple procedure, flowering will be irregular, and possibly stop altogether. The easiest way to replenish the valuable nutrients in the soil is to use organic fertilizers. It could be bird droppings, for example.
In a specialized store you can buy ready-made mineral fertilizers for flowering plants. Top dressing is carried out no more than once a month. An exception can be made only during the period of active development, when the number of feedings can be increased to two per month.
Reproduction
The "women's happiness" flower is usually planted (or transplanted) in the spring. First, you need to prepare a substrate consisting of humus, sand, turf, peat (two parts of sod land, and the remaining components one at a time). An adult flower has numerous root layers. They must be carefully separated todo not injure the bush. Young shoots with roots are planted in new containers. The soil is well watered with settled water.
Experienced flower growers know how to propagate the flower "women's happiness" by dividing the rhizome. But this is a rather complicated method that requires some skill, since inaccurate actions can damage both the root and the sprouts. Propagation by seeds is not very popular with specialists, as it takes too much time.
If the bush of the flower "women's happiness" has grown strongly, it needs to be transplanted into a larger container. Otherwise, the plant will slow down growth and stop flowering. Prepare the soil mixture according to the recipe above, lay drainage on the bottom of the pot, pour a little soil mixture on top. Carefully transfer the plant and fill the rest of the earth into the pot. After transplanting, the spathiphyllum must be watered abundantly.
Diseases
When a beloved houseplant falls ill, owners are often at a loss as to how to help it. When this flower is sick, the following symptoms appear:
- Growth slows down. In this case, reduce watering and rearrange the pot in a slight shading. Water the plant under the root, it is desirable that the water does not fall on the leaves.
- Often, novice growers complain that the leaves of the flower "women's happiness" dry. There are several reasons for this, and one of them may be the location of the spathiphyllum. If the plant has been in a brightly lit place for a long time, then yellownessleaves can cause constant drying of the soil. Many people think that the flower "women's happiness" is rather fastidious. Care in the conditions of indoor cultivation is necessary for him regular, not periodic. Only under these conditions, spathiphyllum will delight you with a magnificent view for a long time.
- In an adult plant, yellow leaves appear after flowering, and this is a completely normal process, because during the flowering period, the spathiphyllum spent a lot of energy and was exhausted.
- If the leaves turn black at the tips, and brownish spots appear in the center of the leaf plate, this may indicate the presence of parasites or excessive watering of the plant. Pests (spider mites, shield aphids or common aphids) infect the plant if the air in the room is too dry.
- The blackening tips of the leaves and the same spots in the center of the plates indicate a lack of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus in the soil.
- Often the tips of the leaves dry and turn yellow after transplanting the plant into a new environment. If this happens with an adult and a mature spathiphyllum, then it is necessary to increase watering.
Why does the plant not bloom?
In order for the spathiphyllum to actively develop and bloom, it is necessary to create the necessary conditions for its vital activity. Moderately humidified air contributes to the flowering of this beautiful plant. You will never be pleased with the flowering of "female happiness", standing in a draft - this is one of its main enemies.
Perhaps you have chosen the wrong pot for the plant. "Women's happiness" does not like too large containers. plant welldevelops and actively blooms only if its roots are closely intertwined and in contact with each other. Do not get carried away with too spacious pots for this flower.
Do not forget that transplantation is the most powerful stress for any plant, "women's happiness" in this sense is no exception. Do not repot the plant too often, it is enough to periodically loosen the soil so that air enters the roots, and carefully monitor watering.
Perhaps beginner flower growers will be surprised to learn that top dressing and fertilizers can not only improve spathiphyllum, but also destroy it. Some housewives (of course, with the best of intentions) literally "feed" their favorite flower with nutrients. They are unaware that concentrated fertilizers adversely affect the condition of the plant. It is necessary to strictly observe the dosage and timing of feeding, which are indicated on all packages of nutritional formulations without exception. If this is not enough for you, then florists working in large specialized stores can always give complete information on this topic. You should not once again disturb a flowering plant, rearranging it from place to place.
The exquisite beauty of this flower directly depends on the careful and systematic care of it. Experienced owners of such a plant assure that this flower loves its mistress, and therefore she should devote time to him for “communication”. He will definitely answer your care with active growth and amazing flowering.
