Indoor plant ardisia: home care, growth characteristics and recommendations

A tropical indoor plant, ardisia, attracts the attention of flower growers primarily thanks to the bright red fruits. Small peas collected in a brush appear on it year-round and are more effective in appearance than in the previous nondescript flowers. In room floriculture the most common is crenate ardisia (crenata). Growing and caring for her do not cause difficulties even for beginners.

Biological description of the genus

With its appearance, ardisia resembles a paradise tree with beautiful glossy foliage and tempting fruits of rich red color. Representatives of the same genus belong to the woody tropical plants from the subfamily Mirsinovs. Their natural habitat is the subtropical regions of America and Asia. For all representatives of the genus Ardisia, the regular arrangement of leaves is oblong-lanceolate, wavy along the margin. Pink or red flowers are collected in paniculate or corymbose inflorescences located apically or in sinuses. Fruits - berries, inedible, color bright red, sometimes with shades of orange.

Tropical ardisia, home care after which is quite simple, grows in the form of a small tree, reaching a height of up to 2 m (the dimensions depend on the species). In nature, the species are represented by trees, shrubs or half-shrubs up to 8 m in height and leaves up to 25 cm in length. The genus Ardisia has about eight hundred species. Since 1816, only a few of them have been introduced into houseplants: curly, Wallich and crenate.

Selecting a place and lighting for a plant

Ardisia comes from subtropical forests. It grows under the cover of age-old trees, on the fringes, where sunlight is present in sufficient quantity, but it is not bright, but diffuse. This feature should be taken into account when choosing a place in the house for the plant ardisia. Care at home involves limiting direct sunlight in the hot midday hours. You can choose any window for the flower, but be prepared to prune it regularly. It will be best to develop on the eastern side. The plant is responsive to refreshing in the winter, when the day gets shorter.

Humidity and air temperature

The subtropics have very high air humidity, therefore, at home you must provide this aspect if you want the plant to grow, bloom and give original fruits. Specialists recommend using special room air humidifiers. They will provide a sufficient percentage of humidity (at least 60%), which requires ardisia. Care at home for her also involves regular spraying, at least 2-3 times a day, you need to take breaks only during the ripening of berries.

The plant is thermophilic, so it will be quite comfortable both in city apartments with central heating in winter, and in sunny summer verandas. The most optimal temperature range is 20-27 ° C in the summer months and at least 15-18 ° C in the winter months.

Substrate for ardisia

As already mentioned above, three types of plants are most common in indoor culture. However, we hasten to note that, for example, care for Ardisia crenate at home or behind a variety of Wollich is absolutely identical. The rules of soil selection for plants also do not differ in any way. One of the advantages of ardisia for indoor floriculture is its absolute unpretentiousness in terms of substrate selection. The main requirement for it is good water flow capacity. Required drainage is not less than 1.5-2 cm thick. You can safely use the universal purchased soil for indoor plants of various types. Or make a substrate yourself. To do this, in a proportion of 1: 1: 1: 2, mix previously disinfected sand, peat, leaf and turf ground. Plant transplantation is carried out annually, in the spring, increasing the diameter of the pot by 2-3 cm.

About care for ardisia at home: watering and fertilizing

Ardisia is quite demanding to watering and loves a moist, but not flooded substrate. At the beginning of the growing season and until the autumn, it should be moderate and regular. Do not allow the earthen coma to dry out. Before watering, make sure that it is really needed. For this, about 2-3 cm, immerse your finger in the substrate. If the ground is dry at this depth, you can safely water the plant. In winter, ardisia is at rest. At this time, water it should not be more than once a week. However, one condition is compliance with the low-temperature regime. In the photo above, by the way, ardisia of the crenate is represented.

Home care also involves regular fertilizing of the plant with complex fertilizers. The procedure is carried out in the phase of the most active growth, that is, in the spring-summer period. Use complex mineral fertilizers, observing the exact dosage specified on the package. Periodicity of fertilizing - once in two weeks.

Very often, in order to give the plant a compact miniature shape and decorative appearance, use special chemical preparations - retardants, restraining growth in height. It is not necessary to abuse them, but regular cropping does not hurt, besides, it will naturally give it a beautiful shape.

Many difficulties will disappear by themselves after you find out what kind of plant such as ardisia, nursing is needed. Cultivation of a tropical plant will not cause special difficulties. Ardizia will please you with a beautiful view and fruits. Perhaps, there will be a need for its reproduction. This can be done in two ways: vegetative (cuttings or cuttings) and seed.

Reproduction by cuttings

Cuttings take root badly and require certain conditions. Slice should be partially lignified shoots. The cut must be dried, then experts recommend that it be dipped in a solution with a rooting stimulator. Then place the cuttings in the prepared substrate and provide them with hothouse conditions with high humidity and a temperature of at least 25 ° C, and best of all - 30-35 ° C. In a couple of months you will already have a new small ardisia. Care at home for young plants is similar to caring for adults.

Seed Reproduction

Seed propagation of ardisia is a fascinating process, with a high probability of a successful outcome. The plant obtained in this way turns out to be stronger, with well-defined signs of the species, large leaves and berries, it is less susceptible to diseases. Seeds can be bought or taken from home-made specimens. They are quite large (up to 0.5 cm in diameter), in a hard shell, so it is recommended to make a scarification before the planting, that is, damage to the outer layer. For this, lightly inscribe each seed.

For planting, prepare a light substrate, moisten it slightly beforehand. Sow to produce a depth of 1-1.5 cm, then close the container with a glass jar or pull it over with a film to create a hothouse environment. Maintain soil temperature at 18-20 ° C. The most optimal time for landing is March. Seedlings are planted in separate pots at the stage of 3-4 true leaves.

Diseases and pests

Spider mite, mealybug is a pest to which ardisia is most susceptible. Care at home with the observance of all the rules and recommendations will help to avoid many problems. Optimal humidity, lack of drafts and temperature changes, moderate watering - these are the main aspects of it.

The presence of a spider mite or mealybug can be determined by the state of the flowers on the plant, which immediately lose their attractiveness. The leaves are covered with a characteristic coating and lose the turgor (elasticity), which makes them seem slightly wilted. Insects are visible to the naked eye, just look at the inner surface of the green. The first step is to isolate a diseased plant from a healthy one. Then it should be treated with special preparations, and severely damaged areas should be removed.

Tips for caring for ardisia at home

• Ardisia grows rather slowly both at home and in natural conditions. Do not try to accelerate its development by abusing fertilizers, so you risk killing the plant. Let him grow at his own pace.
• Shop plants are often watered with the addition of stimulants or growth retardants to give maximum decorativeness. Therefore be prepared for the fact that new shoots may differ in length from internodes from old ones.
• In order to have a budding deposit in ardisia, it needs to lower the temperature in winter to 15-18 ° C, and for the formation of fruits - humidity of at least 60%.
• If the plant has chlorosis of leaves (lightening of individual areas), then this indicates that it lacks iron.
• When the air is too dry, the irrigation starts to dry at the tips of the leaves.
• If you notice small seals along the edges of the leaves, then do not worry. These are not pests or disease. The plant is characterized by a symbiosis with a certain kind of bacteria that develop in these thickenings. It is proved that their destruction slows the growth of ardisia.