Sparmania is an evergreen shrub native to South Africa. The name of the plant comes from the surname of the famous botanist from Sweden Anders Sparman. For growing indoors, only one species is suitable - African sparmania.
This evergreen plant has erect shoots and rather large leaves with slight pubescence. Sparmania blooms with white flowers with light yellow stamens in the center.
Sparmania care at home
Location and lighting
Light is of great importance for the development of sparmania. The bright sun is contraindicated for the plant, here a large amount of light in the winter is a must. You can use artificial lighting to extend the daylight hours of the indoor flower.
Temperature
The temperature conditions for keeping sparmania differ in winter and summer. From March to August - 20-25 degrees Celsius, and from September to February - from 10 to 12 degrees. The plant needs short airing, but not cold drafts.
Air humidity
Indoor sparmania prefers to grow in high humidity conditions. Spraying should be done daily. It is necessary to spray water using the smallest spray to avoid stains on the leaves due to excess moisture.
Watering
Abundant watering of sparmania is carried out throughout the warm season. But with the arrival of cold weather, water volumes are gradually reduced. Each subsequent watering is recommended only when the entire surface of the soil (1-1.5 centimeters in depth) is dry. The only thing you need to protect a houseplant from is from the complete dryness of an earthen coma.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Organic and mineral dressings should be applied alternately approximately every ten days. All fertilizers are recommended to be used only between March and September.
Transfer
Sparmania is transplanted as it grows. In the first year of development, this can even happen twice, and in the future, transplants will be required only once every 3-4 years. It is important that there is a drainage layer and drainage holes in the flower pot. And the soil mixture should consist of sand, humus and leafy earth.
Pruning
It is necessary to cut off shoots from room sparmania only after the end of flowering. Timely pruning will form a bush and allow for abundant flowering in the next season.
Reproduction of sparmania
Indoor linden is mainly propagated by seeds and cuttings.
Seed propagation
To propagate the plant with seeds, it is necessary to plant them in early March in shallow grooves (about one centimeter), water moderately, cover with thick plastic and keep in a warm and bright room until shoots appear.
Reproduction by mating cuttings
It is more convenient to use apical cuttings for reproduction.They can be treated with a root growth stimulant, and then left to root in moist soil or in a container of water in a room with an air temperature of at least 20 degrees.
Diseases and pests
- Sparmania has stopped blooming and is not growing - additional feeding is needed.
- Red-brown spots appeared on the leaves - the influence of the bright sun.
- Dry or curled leaves - lack of moisture or exceeding the temperature limit.
- The most common pests are spider mite and mealybug.
The decorative sparmania tree will be a wonderful decoration for your home, besides, the plant is completely unpretentious in care.
