Stromanta is one of the representatives of the arrowroot family. This perennial ornamental deciduous plant is often confused with its closest relatives, very similar to it: ktenant, calathea and arrowroot... The height of a home-grown stromant can reach about 80 cm. It is native to the rainforests of South and Central America.
The plant attracts attention with its festive look, which is created by its graceful leaves with stripes of bright green, cream or pink. The purple-violet and shiny color of the seamy side of the leaf also looks very attractive. The fact that the leaves of the stromant are always directed towards the sun is its distinguishing feature. And because at night the leaves are constantly raised upward, the plant was called "praying".
When flowering in natural conditions, the plant produces a long peduncle with small flowers of a yellowish or white hue. Stromant blooms in nature, usually in the summer, and when grown in indoor conditions, its flowering, unfortunately, is practically impossible to achieve.
Stromantha care at home
Stromanta is a rather whimsical and capricious plant, afraid of drafts, dry air and sudden temperature changes. And for this reason, caring for her when growing at home is accompanied by certain difficulties. Stromanta prefers to be under diffused, bright light or in partial shade. If this houseplant is in direct sunlight, or vice versa, there is not enough light for it, then the leaves of the stromant become faded, and the size of the leaf plate decreases in size.
Location and lighting
For this plant, it is better to choose a place near the windows oriented to the east or west. If the place is chosen on the south window, then it must be shaded. You can place the stromant on a window located in the north, but only with additional lighting with fluorescent lamps. In winter, highlighting plants is a must.
Temperature
The optimum temperature for this indoor plant is 20-30 degrees in summer and 18-20 degrees in winter. When the temperature drops below 18 degrees, the root system may be supercooled, and the plant may die. In winter, the plant must be protected from drafts, sudden temperature changes and cold air entering through the windows.
Air humidity
The optimum moisture content for growing stromant is 90%. With dry air in the room, this plant should be sprinkled daily with settled filtered water at least once or even once a day.
It is recommended to place a pot with a flower on a pallet on which wet moss, pebbles or expanded clay are placed.To increase humidity at night, you can throw a plastic bag over the plant, creating such a mini-greenhouse with a favorable habitat.
Watering
It is recommended to water the stromant with plenty of water each time the soil in the pot dries. For irrigation, use warm, filtered or settled water. In winter and autumn, watering should be reduced. It is very important not to bring the earthen room to dryness or to stagnant water.
The soil
The soil for growing stromant should be slightly acidic, loose and nutritious. For its preparation, they take a substrate from peat, sand and leaf humus and add fine charcoal to it. It is also necessary to arrange good drainage, which is ensured by filling the flower pot with expanded clay one quarter of the height of the pot.
Top dressing and fertilizers
During the growth of the stromant, it should be fed with a complex fertilizer intended for decorative deciduous plants. Top dressing is carried out with special care, since with an excess of minerals and calcium in the soil, the tropical beauty may die. Top dressing is recommended once every 2 weeks. Fertilizers diluted to half the concentration should be used for feeding.
Transfer
A plant transplant is required every two years during the spring / summer period. In addition, a small amount of fresh soil should be placed in the pot every spring. During each transplant, old, drying leaves must be removed.
For a flower, it is better to choose a pot higher, corresponding to the size of an earthen coma and pour into it drainage from expanded clay. It is better to take a mixture of leaf humus, sand and peat as a soil. Fine charcoal must be added to this mixture. You can also apply a store-bought primer made for palms, azaleas, or arrowroots.
Reproduction of stromant
The stromant can be propagated by three methods: by seeds, dividing the bush and rooting of the apical cuttings. The last two methods are most commonly used. Seed propagation requires a significant investment of time and considerable effort, and for these reasons this method is not often used.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
It is best to divide the stromant bush with a spring transplant. For this, the plant is removed from the flower pot and carefully divided into two or three parts. The separated parts of the flower can be immediately planted in the ground and poured abundantly with the water that has stood in the room. The next time you need to water only after the soil is completely dry. Flower pots should be covered with plastic bags and placed in a warm place until the young leaves appear.
Propagation by rooting apical cuttings
To do this, in spring or summer, the top of the stem about 10 cm long with two or three leaves located on it is cut off from the plant. Cuttings cut below the point of attachment of the leaf to the stem should be placed in water and covered with a polyethylene bag. At high humidity and high temperatures, the cutting will take root after about 6 weeks and the plant can be planted in the ground.
Growing problems
Stromanta is a very capricious plant. The smallest violation can lead to plant diseases. It will begin to dry out, the leaves will become faded. It is very difficult to bring a diseased plant back to its original form. A plant disease can be identified by the following features:
- The leaves begin to turn yellow and dry in very bright light or when the flower is in direct sunlight. In this case, the flower should be slightly shaded.
- If the water is insufficient, the leaves may develop spots and begin to curl.
- Slowing growth and drying of leaf tips can be caused by too dry air or the presence of spider mites. If systematic spraying does not help, you need to inspect the plant to see if a spider mite has wound up.
- Excessive watering and stagnant water in the pots can lead to leaf fall and sluggish stems. Low room temperatures can also lead to this problem. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the room warm and apply a fungicide to treat damaged plants.
- Overdrying of the soil and low temperature in the room can cause the stems to bend to the sides and the leaves to roll into tubes. Keeping the room warm and watering the plants well will help correct the situation.
- With a lack or vice versa, with an excess of nutrients in the soil, the leaves turn yellow-brown at the edges, so you need to be careful about feeding the plant.
Diseases and pests
Red spider mite - under the yellowed leaves, you can see small cobwebs, talking about the defeat of the flower with a red spider mite. The appearance of whitish spots on the leaves and the subsequent fall of the leaves also speaks of the defeat of the stromant by a spider mite. To eliminate pests, remove the affected leaves and rinse the plant with heated water. Spray with derris, fitoverm, actelik, or fufan.
Shield - a change in the color of the leaves of a plant and leaf fall may indicate the presence of a scale insect, which sucks cell sap from the leaves of the plant, harms it and leaves sticky secretions on them. To eliminate the pest, it is necessary to clean the leaves with a soapy sponge and spray the stromant with 0.15% actellic solution for the preparation of which you need to dilute 1-2 ml of the drug in one liter.
