Syngonium is a perennial evergreen vine with long stems with lateral shoots.
The shoots, creeping along the ground or entwining a vertical riser, are densely covered with beautiful large leaves, which have led to the wide popularity of the vine among flower growers.
The syngonium flower is ideal for a home where the owner wants to add some zest and fill the room with a rich palette of green. Following simple rules for caring for a tropical dweller will allow you to create a tropical corner in the interior of a city apartment.
Description of the plant
Liana-like culture belongs to the Araceae family, which has about 3,300 species and about 117 genera .
In the wild, the height of the vine can reach 20 m with a shoot width of 6 cm, and at home it varies from 1.5 to 2 m with a stem diameter of 1-2 cm.
Along the entire length of the shoot there are protruding nodes from which petiolar leaves develop, and a little lower there are aerial roots.
The green leaves are whole, heart-shaped or palmately divided and have different sizes. The location of the relief veins can be in the center or along the edge in the form of an edging. Depending on the variety, the leaf blade can be plain or variegated.
observe the flowering of a tropical vine only in its natural habitat . The beginning is noted at the end of spring, when cream-colored ears bloom, half hidden by a red or pink blanket.
The plant is characterized by cross-pollination, which results in cylindrical or ovoid fruits. Juicy fruits with a rich aroma are the food of monkeys, who distribute them over large areas.
Carefully! The plant is poisonous - work should be carried out with gloves, and children and pets should not be allowed to come into contact with the vine.
3.Types:
3.1.Syngonium podophyllum
Interesting decorative foliage plants that have leaves of different shapes. The young leaves that just appear are heart-shaped, and as they grow older they stretch out and take on a more spear-shaped shape. On the dark green background of the leaf blades, this species has a silvery-white or cream coating. The liana has long flexible stems that can reach 180 cm in length. During the flowering period, the plants form tiny greenish flowers collected in inflorescences. The cobs are surrounded by a pale green blanket.
↑ Up,
3.2.Syngonium Imperial White - Syngonium Imperial White
A variety of leg-leaved syngonium with large front leaves on long petioles. The coloring of the leaf blades is peculiar - white spots and specks of various sizes are scattered across the main green background. Leaf blades are glossy.
↑ Up,
3.3. Wendland's syngonium - Syngonium wendlandii
Colorful decorative foliage plants with dark green narrow spear-shaped leaves. Leaf color can include several shades of green. A characteristic feature of the sport is the presence of a white center on the leaves with radiating rays along the veins.
↑ Up,
3.4.Syngonium neon pink - Syngonium Neon Pink
A very impressive decorative - deciduous plant - liana. An interesting feature of the sport is that young leaves have a soft green tint, while adult leaves are painted a soft pink color. The leaf blades are glossy, spear-shaped, the veins are branched, slightly recessed into the leaf blades.
↑ Up,
3.5. Syngonium Pixie
A compact type of syngonium, which often does not exceed 15 cm in height. The plant has small green heart-shaped leaves. The center of the leaf blades is painted in a lighter shade.
↑ Up,
3.6. Syngonium butterfly
Plants with large spear-shaped leaves. Young leaves have a dark green tint, with pronounced light-colored veins. There are plants with white or yellow veins. With age, the leaves of plants fade more and more and often retain a green tint only at the edges of the leaf blades.
↑ Up,
3.7. Syngonium Tiffany
Decorative foliage plant with small heart-shaped leaves. Leaf blades are glossy and green. In the center of the leaf blade, closer to the central vein, there are pink or yellowish spots.
↑ Up,
3.8.Syngonium Macrophyllum or large-leaved - Syngonium macrophyllum
One of the most common species in indoor culture. The plant has large, emerald green, heart-shaped leaves on long petioles. The surface of the sheet plates is glossy. There are plants with a white or yellowish coating on the leaf blades. During the flowering period, the syngonium throws out a pink inflorescence - a spadix, surrounded by a pink blanket.
↑ Up,
Plant propagation
At home, syngonium propagation is carried out by the vegetative method - cuttings or lateral shoots . It is carried out at any time of the year, but the development of spring and summer cuttings occurs much more intensively. To successfully use this technique, you should follow these steps:
- a part of the shoot with 2-3 internodes and aerial roots is cut off;
- the cutting is placed in warm water with activated carbon or in a soil mixture of sand, moss and peat;
- before rooting, they are covered with a film to reduce moisture loss and create an optimal temperature regime for soil and air - 25-27°C;
- after rooting, the cover is removed;
- seedlings are grown by analogy with the mother specimen.
Advice! Before placing the cutting in the ground for rooting, it is recommended to treat the cut with a root growth stimulator.
This video shows in detail how syngonium is propagated:
Features of growing indoors
Cultivating a plant in an apartment does not cause problems, but a number of nuances should be studied.
Landing
Syngonium is planted in small containers with drainage holes.
To obtain the splendor of the plant, several shoots are planted simultaneously in one pot.
This variety of vine can be used as a hanging plant if its stems are allowed to hang freely from the pot. Forming a crown will allow you to become the owner of a unique tree.
Advice! To get the shape of a tree, when planting in the ground, you should install a reliable support that will allow the vine to crawl upward.
Transfer
Young specimens are replanted every spring , but as they grow older, the interval between procedures increases. To ensure a successful transplant, the following steps must be followed:
- Place expanded clay at the bottom of the planting container as a drainage layer;
- pour loose and fertile soil with weak acidity on top - a soil mixture of turf, sand and peat;
- Using the transshipment technique to avoid damage to the roots, complete the replanting of the perennial.
Attention! An adult representative of the tropics needs to be replanted after roots appear from the drainage holes.
Care
Caring for the plant is quite simple. The love of gardeners for syngonium is caused by its unpretentiousness, rapid growth and vitality.
- Lighting. The flower requires a long period of diffused light. When placing the pot on the windows on the western or eastern side, we must not forget about protecting the vine from the scorching sun at its zenith.
- Temperature conditions. Throughout the year, with the exception of the winter season, when a decrease to 18°C is permissible, the optimal temperature is in the range from 22 to 25°C.
- Watering and humidity. Tropical liana needs high levels of humidity, systematic watering and spraying. Spraying of shoots is carried out daily with purified water at room temperature. The soil should be watered with the same water at short intervals: the soil should not dry out deeper than 3 cm. Regular moistening makes it easier for the plant to cope with air drought.
- Feeding. Fertilizers in the form of aqueous solutions of special mineral complexes for ornamental plants are applied under the crop at a distance from the stems. Fertilizing can be done from mid-spring to mid-autumn.
- Trimming. Lana has good pruning tolerance. The shoots are pinched for the first time after three pairs of leaves have formed. If necessary, you can shorten any process. If the stem has become too old and bare, then pruning promotes the development of young side shoots.
- Protection from diseases and pests. A native of the tropics has a well-developed immunity to diseases and pests. However, in case of improper care for a long time, it is affected by powdery mildew, and harmful insects such as spider mites, scale insects or mealybugs are observed on the foliage. If detected, protective measures should be taken - a hot shower up to 45C and treatment with the insecticide Actellik or Aktara.
Benefits, signs and superstitions
In city conditions, syngonium is an excellent solution for apartments and houses. It not only perfectly refreshes the interior, but filters air masses, eliminating the negative effects of hazardous elements.
The plant acts as a stabilizer of the level of humidity and oxygen saturation of the air in the room . But superstitious people often wonder whether it is possible to keep syngonium at home from the point of view of folk wisdom.
Among the people there are absolutely opposite signs and superstitions associated with keeping syngonium at home. According to the interpretation of some, if a person is sick, then the vine will help the owner regain strength and fight a very serious and sometimes incurable disease.
The plant helps strengthen morale and get rid of bad habits. When the owner is tormented by nightmares, it will protect his sleep. In other signs, syngonium is considered a muzhegon: male representatives in the housing where this plant grows do not get along, and the owners face the fate of an old maid. But these are just superstitions that have no justification.
So, keeping such an exotic plant in the house will not cause trouble for the owner, but it will amaze him with its varied colors and have a beneficial effect on health.
Why do syngonium leaves turn yellow?
If the leaves of a plant turn yellow during growth, this is most often due to a lack of beneficial microelements. To correct the situation, you need to buy high-quality fertilizer for the syngonium at any flower shop. However, you need to water the flower with the chosen product in moderation, because the plant will also suffer from an overabundance of the drug. Then you need to regularly fertilize the syngonium to prevent repeated yellowing of the leaves.
