Brachea (Brahea) - belongs to the Palm family. The beauty of this tree is that it is evergreen. Palma was discovered by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, so the brachea bears his name. This type of palm grows in the USA and Mexico.
The plant has a thickened trunk at the base, up to half a meter in size. When the leaves die off and fall off, then a kind of scars remain on the trunk of the brachea. Fan-type leaves grow from the top of the tree trunk. The leaves are located on thin petioles with thorns and have a bluish silver color, they are quite tough, which is the hallmark of this tree. The brachea blooms with unique inflorescences hanging to the ground, the length of which reaches 1 meter. After the brachea has faded, round seeds are formed, up to 2 cm in diameter, of a brown tint.
The brachea is best grown in conservatories or greenhouses.
Brachea care at home
Location and lighting
The brachea can grow in partial shade, but it is better to provide it with a brighter place. If the direct rays of the sun begin to fall on the palm tree, especially with high solar activity, then it is better to protect it from such effects. In order for the palm to grow evenly, it needs to be rotated from time to time. In the summer, when it is warm outside, fresh air will not interfere with it.
Temperature
During the period of active growth, the temperature in the room should be within + 20-25 degrees. The brachea hibernates at an air temperature of + 10-15 degrees, while it can easily tolerate a drop in temperature to -4 degrees.
Air humidity
To maintain normal conditions, the palm should be sprayed from time to time, and dust from the leaves should also be wiped.
Watering
The brachea palm needs moderate year-round watering.
The soil
You can take a ready-made substrate for palm trees or prepare it yourself by taking one part of sand, two parts of leaf and turf soil, mixing them together.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Twice a month, starting in April and ending in September, the brachea must be fed with a special fertilizer for palm trees or a complex fertilizer for decorative deciduous plants.
Transfer
After 2-3 years, the brachea is transplanted into a larger pot. In order not to harm the plant, it is necessary to transplant using the transshipment method. If the root system is damaged, then the plant stops growing until the roots are restored.
Reproduction of the brachea palm
Reproduction of the brachea is carried out mainly by seeds. After ripening, the seeds have maximum germination for 8-16 weeks. To activate the germination of seeds, they need to be soaked in a growth stimulator and left there for a while (up to 30 minutes), then left in warm water with a fungicide and allowed to stand for 12 hours.
Then the seeds are sown in a specially prepared substrate. It is made from a mixture of sawdust, then humus and peat are added, and then covered with a simple film.After that, it is necessary to maintain the soil temperature + 28-32 degrees. Within four months, the seeds will begin to germinate. The process of obtaining young seeds can take up to 3 years.
Diseases and pests
The following pests pose the greatest danger to the brachea: spider mite and mealybug.
With low humidity, the leaves may turn yellow, and the tips begin to dry out.
Popular types of brachea
Brachea armed
The trunk of this palm tree is covered with a cork-like shell on the surface and also consists of old dried and dried leaves with a diameter of up to 1.5 meters. Faith-like leaves have dissected to the middle of the plate, and, as it were, by themselves with such a waxy bloom in a bluish gray color. The leaves are placed on petioles, the length of which is up to 90 cm and the width is up to 5 cm. Brachea "Armata" blooms with grayish-white flowers located on peduncles 4 to 5 meters long, hanging from the crown.
Brachea Brandegi
It has a single trunk on which fan leaves are located, with a diameter of 1 meter, divided into 50 parts. The leaves are green above and bluish with gray below. Narrowed stalks are strewn with cream-colored flowers.
Brachea edible
A plant of the evergreen genus, which has a dark gray trunk, on which traces of old leaves remain. Light green leaves, which are 90 cm in diameter, are divided into 60-80 lobes. Leaves tend to attach to the petioles, up to 1.5 meters long. The fruits reach a size of up to 2.5 cm in diameter, have an edible pulp inside.
