The hamerops plant belongs to the Palm family, and its various species can be found in the western Mediterranean. Hamerops thrive on sandy and rocky plains. This plant is often referred to as the European palm tree, since the bushy chamerops adorns almost any park in southern Spain, France and Italy. The temperate climate of these countries allows the hamerops to overwinter in the open field without any difficulties.
Most of the hamerops are shrubs, less often trees. On average, a Mediterranean plant reaches a height of 3 meters. Its trunk is covered with hard brownish fibers. During periods of active growth of the hamerops of their sinuses of low trunks, young branches appear.
Hamerops are characterized by short inflorescences that do not exceed 25 cm in length.
Popular types
Hamerops squat - the classic fan-leaved palm tree, which most often grows in the form of a bush and remains relatively small in size. After many years, a squat hamerops may develop a low trunk covered with a reddish-brown fiber. The leaves are fan-shaped, have a round shape, their segments are quite rigid. The flowers are bisexual, miniature, yellow. Sharp thorns are often found on the shoots of the plant. Numerous lateral shoots appear from the basal buds of the squat chamerops. The fruit is an oblong berry with an orange, red or yellow color.
Home hamerops care
Location and lighting
Lighting plays a key role in maintaining the right palm plant. It is recommended to grow hamerops from the south side of the building, and when kept indoors, provide the palm with a sufficient amount of fresh air. In the cold season, the hamerops feels comfortable even in a little shade. In the summertime, the hamerops must be taken out into the open air. You should know that a purchased young plant requires gradual accustoming to direct rays, otherwise the delicate and thin foliage can face sunburn.
Temperature
The air temperature in the room during the winter keeping of the hamerops should not exceed 16 ° C. The optimum temperature for wintering palm trees is 6-8 ° C. In the spring and summer, the plant feels comfortable at 23-26 ° C.
Watering
In spring and summer, the palm tree requires abundant soil moisture. The frequency of watering depends on the condition of the topsoil of the plant. If the substrate dries up, fix the problem with soft, settled water. In autumn, soil moisture is reduced to a minimum, and in the winter season, watering of a palm plant is replaced by moderate spraying.
Air humidity
In the hot season, the plant needs regular spraying with water. In the fall and winter, you do not need to spray the palm plant. During this period, it is enough to ensure that dust does not accumulate on the leaves of the chamerops.
The soil
The optimal earthen mixture for growing hamerops is humus earth, sand, sod and compost in equal proportions. An adult plant must be transplanted into soil with a minimum amount of sand, as well as with the addition of more clayey sod land.
Top dressing and fertilizers
In the event that the palm plant has been outdoors since March, weekly fertilizing with special fertilizers is carried out from May to the end of summer. If the hamerops grows indoors, the soil is fertilized a few weeks after the palm tree has adapted to the new location. For the entire winter period, it is enough to fertilize the soil of the hamerops 3 times, however, such a feeding regime is permissible if an important condition is met - the palm tree should be in a room with good lighting.
Plant transplant
An adult plant can be replanted once every 4-5 years. For proper growth and development of the plant, it is recommended to renew the topsoil annually. To do this, you need to remove the old top of the soil with a handy tool, and then fill the missing amount with fresh earthen mixture. An adult hamerops should be replanted in the spring or summer. It is permissible to transplant a young palm tree in spring, no more than once every 2-3 years.
Reproduction of hamerops
Often, chamerops are propagated by seeds, which are placed in the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm. Next, a pot with seeds is covered with slightly moistened moss and kept at a temperature of 25-30 ° C. Strong shoots appear in about 2-3 months after planting the seeds. Hamerops are characterized by abundant formation of lateral processes, but they are not suitable for reproduction. When transplanting an adult bush, you should carefully get rid of new offspring without damaging the root system of the plant.
Possible problems when growing hamerops and their causes
- The leaves dry up - the air is too dry.
- Brown spots on the leaves - watering with hard water, waterlogging of the soil, a sharp drop in air temperature.
- Brown leaves - strong waterlogging of the soil, leading to rotting of the palm tree.
- Brown tips of leaves - creases due to careless handling of the plant, dry air, insufficient soil moisture.
- Leaves turn yellow - lack of moisture in the soil.
A common problem when growing hamerops is the appearance of parasites. Hamerops are doing great harm to health scabbardshiding on the underside of foliage. The palm tree can also suffer from the appearance spider mites.
