Reproduction shefflera at home. Flower "Schefflera": pruning, care at home

Shefflera at home - one of the few plants that are bred both for window sills, and as an outdoor flower.

Depending on the needs, the growth of shefflera can be slowed down without replanting the plant in a more spacious pot. Well, if you do not restrict his freedom in caring for indoor flowers from Scheffler, it can turn into a sufficiently tall tree, sometimes reaching a height of more than two meters.

Family:  Aralia, light-loving, moderate hydration.

Tree or shrub with open branches and palmate-complex glossy light green leaves on long petioles.

Have   shefflery luchelistnoy  (Schefflera actinophylla)  leaves are divided into 15-16 oval, pointed at the ends of the leaves up to 15 cm long and 6-8 cm wide, on short petioles.

As seen in the photo of flowers Schefflera, small greenish-yellow flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences.

Less tall look - scheffler Finger  (Schefflera digitata)  with spotty leaves of 7-10 leaflets.

Care for indoor flowers Schefflera at home

When caring for Sheffleroi at home, remember that all its parts contain substances that irritate the skin and mucous membranes! Wipe the leaves or transplant this plant should only gloves. However, fleeting touches to the plant can not cause much harm, so you should not be afraid to start this plant. Of course, sheffler is not recommended to be placed in children's rooms and rooms where there are animals.

Conditions for the care of the flower Schefflera

The main conditions for the care of the flower Schefflera - an abundance of light, heat and humidity. In the summer they are placed outside at a temperature of + 15 ... + 21 ° С in a shade, in winter - in winter gardens, offices or spacious rooms with good lighting and a temperature of + 12 ... + 16 ° С. Watering in summer is moderate, in winter - rare. It is necessary to ensure that the soil is constantly only slightly moist. Sheffler need to spray throughout the year. Top dressing is made from spring to autumn every two weeks. A heavily grown specimen in spring needs to be cut to grow young shoots. Replace the Scheffler once every two or three years in a soil mixture of turf and leaf soil, humus, peat and sand (2: 1: 1: 1: 1). Propagated by the plant cuttings cuttings in the spring or summer.

Useful properties of the flower Scheffler

The rapid lush growth, bright elegant foliage favorably affects the psyche, improves mood. Another useful property of shefflera - this flower calms, adjusts to a positive way. To draw attention to the sheffler, its leaves are often covered with a luster (adding luster) solution. Young specimens can be grown in color hydrogel, and adults - in hydroponics.

  In the interior of official institutions - hospitals, receptions, offices - you can often see a plant with the original name “umbrella tree”. Shefflera fell in love, care of which is minimized of events, and owners of indoor gardens. A tree or shrub with a lush crown formed by large leaves, palm-like with fingers apart, is equally decorative in winter and summer. When grown indoors, a blooming sheffler is rare, but it is beautiful and without buds, the appeal of which to many is questionable: when loose, they resemble tentacles.

Types and varieties

Culture leads its way into the home garden from the tropical rain forests of the Australian continent, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Her closest relatives are representatives of the Araliaceae family: ivy, eleutherococcus, ginseng. Wild species shefflera, which are known about 200, are diverse. They are distinguished from each other in size, shape, length and color of leaves. Among them are creepers, shrubs, huge (up to 20 m tall) trees. About 10 cultivated flower forms are grown at home.

Most often indoor garden decorate the following types of shefflera.

• Eight-leaf (Schefflera octophylla).  Her leaves are shiny leathery, elongated, lanceolate. To the top they sharpen, have a rounded base. Because of their form in the people, this Scheffler was called an octopus tree. To the touch leaves are rough. In length reach 30-40 cm, in width - 10 cm. Petioles are long, strongly drooping, milky-cream-colored. Each is attached from 6 to 12 leaves. While they are young, their color is olive-green with a bottle-yellow shimmer. Over time, they are painted in a rich malachite hue, against which paler veins become clearly visible. Bottom sheet plate is matte, its color is dull, pale green.
• Finger (Schefflera digitata). Also known as the Aralia Schefflera (Aralia schefflera). In nature, found in New Zealand. This is a tall (up to 3-6 m) tree, the shape of leaves resembling a palm tree. Each of them is divided into 7-10 plates, the length of which is 15-35 cm. The leaves have the shape of a strongly elongated oval, pointed at the base and at the top. They are wide - up to 6 cm. Their surface is glossy, leathery, like parchment. The edges of young leaves are pinnate, as they grow, rare teeth appear. They are located on the long (up to 20 cm) tubular petiole. Flowering finger sheffler produces umbrella inflorescences, consisting of 4-8 buds. They are very small. In the open state, the diameter of the flower is about 0.6 cm. There are variegated species of this shefflera.
• Tree (Schefflera arboricola).  The stem of the plant is upright, branching. The color of the shoots depends on their age. While they are young, it is green. Adult shoots become light brown. The tree species of shefflera is distinguished by the shape of the leaves: it has a pinnate. In length, they reach 20 cm. Among the flower growers, the popular varieties are Gold Capella (with lush green leaves covered with small yellow spots), Gerd (with colorful lemon green leaves resembling an open rosette), Amate (having increased resistance to diseases and pests and juicy green leaves). A tree sheffler in a home garden can grow to a height of up to 1.2 m.
• Radiant (Schefflera actinophylla).  Its second name is star-leaved. It is grown at home most often. The trunk of her dusty brown, powerful, straight, at the base noticeably thickened. The leaves are divided into 14-16 lobes. At first they are ovoid, then become oval-elongated, pointed to the top. Their average length is 15 cm, width is 5 cm. At the edges they are slightly wavy, attached to long petioles of red-brown shade. The color of the leaves depends on the type of plant. In some species, they are shiny and rich green, in others they are mustard (Green Gold) or olive-yellow, jagged, similar to oak (Nova). In the middle part of the lobe wide, they can even touch the edges with the neighboring. Veins on leaves of a lighter shade, they are clearly visible. The indoor flower can reach a height of 3 m.

All types of shefflera unpretentious. Care of them will not seem difficult even to inexperienced growers.

Lighting and temperature

Light Sheffler needs a lot. The optimal place for her is the window sill, located on the east or west side of the house. A plant with monophonic leaves will be comfortable on the northern windows. If they are covered with fancy patterns of white and yellow (Gerd, Hong Kong, Gold Capella, Sophia, Janine), due to insufficient lighting, the patterns on them will fade.

South windows shefflere not suitable. On them the flower will be too hot and sunny. It is better to put the tree on a well-lit table, moving it to the window. The plant patiently endures unfavorable conditions, but for a long time in the sun shefflera does not stand up - its leaves turn yellow and become covered with burns. Therefore, from the heat of its recommended to hide under a light curtain.

You can put Scheffler in partial shade. But to place it in the depths of the room, at a considerable distance from the light source, is not worth it, otherwise instead of a spectacular tall tree there will grow a stunted misunderstanding with rare leaves. In winter, this indoor flower needs additional lighting. This is especially important when it is warm (at temperatures above 17 ° C).

In the warm season, a pot with a shefflera can be taken outside: on the terrace, balcony or garden. The main thing is to cover it from the bright sun and protect it from wind and draft.

Despite the tropical origin, the heat of the plant is not to their liking. Preferred for him is a temperature in the range of 17-22 ° C in summer and at least 12 ° C in winter. On overheating shefflera reacts sharply, throwing off the leaves. For this reason, the window sills, under which the battery is located, and the corners near the heaters are bad options for its placement. Leaves of a flower also fall due to drafts and sharp fluctuations in temperature.

Watering and moisture

This houseplant likes a humid atmosphere, but does not tolerate stagnant water in a pot. Those whose home garden adorns Schlumbergera Trunkata (better known as the Decembrist), his demands will seem familiar. During the period of active growth, sheffler needs frequent (with an interval of 2-3 days), but moderate watering. Allow the soil to dry, it is impossible. It should always remain slightly wet. But with a short-term drought, the Scheffler is easier to cope with than the constant dampness, due to which the soil turns sour, and the roots of the tree begin to rot. About overmoistening says blackening and flying leaves. Such problems will not arise if you grow a Schaeffler hydroponically.

When the flower is at rest, watering is reduced to 1 procedure in 7-10 days. It is important to follow this rule if in winter the plant is kept at a low temperature. Water for watering sheffleri defend. Suitable also distilled or boiled. Its temperature should be at or above room temperature at 2-3 ° C.

Increased air humidity is a prerequisite for the full development of Schefflers. On hot days, the tree is sprayed daily, using soft water for the procedures, otherwise after it dries, white leaves will remain on the leaves. Dust from this indoor plant is cleaned with a damp sponge or suit him with a warm shower. In winter, a favorable microclimate for shefflera is created by filling the pot tray with wet expanded clay. You can replace it with pebbles or moss. The roots of the flower should not come into contact with water. If it is warm in the room in winter (more than 17 ° C), spray the plant does not stop.

Reproduction stem cuttings

Florists who are not familiar with breeding are interested in how a tree propagates. You can grow it in different ways:

• from seeds;
• from cuttings;
• from the air otvodka.

Most often, flower propagation is carried out by cutting. Having chosen the most developed half-woody shoot on an adult sheffler, it is cut with a sharp knife and divided into parts. On each handle should be 2 internodes. Then shoots for 6-8 hours immersed in a solution of root growth stimulator (Heteroauxin). It is advisable to stock up and root. In it the cuttings are dipped before planting.

Root them in separate tanks in a mixture of peat and sand. To prepare the substrate, both components are taken in equal volumes. Capacity planted with cuttings placed under a plastic bag. In order for them to take root, it is necessary to provide them with two conditions:

• warm (about 22 ° C);
• bright but diffused lighting.

To care for cuttings shefflery at this stage is simple. It is only necessary to periodically moisten the soil from the sprayer and air the greenhouse, briefly removing the bag. When the cuttings take root, the temperature is reduced to 18-20 ° C, and the shelter is removed. The plants are left in the planting tanks until their roots completely entwine the soil. Then they are transferred to larger pots. Until they take root in a new place, the temperature should not rise above 14-16 ° C.

Alternative breeding methods

Seeds shefflera at home is almost impossible to obtain, so you have to buy them in the store. They are sown early in January-February. To improve germination, seeds are pre-treated with a growth stimulator (Appin, Zircon).

The landing tank is filled with peat mixed with sand, or a substrate of the following components:

• sod land;
• leafy ground;
• sand.

The recommended embedding depth is 3 seed diameters. After sowing, the container is placed under the glass or tightened with a film. Shefflera seeds germinate at a temperature of 20-24 ° C. Caring for crops is reduced to daily airing and moistening of the soil as needed.

It will be easier to propagate a flower in a generative way if you warm up the container with the seeds planted below. So sprouts shefflery appear faster.

When the seedlings produce 2-3 true leaves, they pick them in separate pots. They should not be large - from 7 to 9 cm in diameter. Sheeted Schaefflers need coolness. The temperature in the room with them is maintained at 14-16 ° C. Closer to the fall, they are transplanted again, using pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm. They need the substrate almost as much as the crops. Only the proportions change: the components are mixed in a 2: 1: 1 ratio.

In order to propagate an adult Schaeffler with an air layer, a vertical incision is made on its trunk. Moss-sphagnum moistened with nutrient solution is applied to it. Prepare it from complex fertilizers or drugs-immunomodulators. Add 1 g of substance to 1 l of water. Having pressed the moss to the shefflera trunk, it is wrapped tightly with a film on top of it. Under it should be kept constant humidity, for this you need to closely monitor.

Soon at the site of the cut will appear the roots. When they grow up (it will take about 2 months), the flower is cut and planted in a pot. Throwing out the old schaffler is not worth it. It is cut, leaving a low stump. If you water the plant, over time it will release young shoots.

Top dressing and transplanting

During the period of intensive growth (March-August), shefflerer needs care in the form of supplements. Conduct it once in 1.5-2 weeks. The flower is suitable for complex mineral compositions intended for decorative leafy crops. It is advisable to alternate the sheffleers with liquid fertilizing with organic matter. The plant responds well to shredded egg shells. 1 tbsp. l substance scattered on the surface of the soil in a pot. In winter, this indoor flower is not fed.

Young shefflers need an annual transplant. For adults, the pot is changed less often - once every 2-3 years, when their roots become cramped in the old. In order to adhere to such a scheme of transplants, each spring, the top layer of the earth (to a depth of 5 cm) is changed to fresh. The new container should be much larger than the former in diameter - by 5-6 cm. The best time for transplanting is spring.

The bottom of the pot is covered with a thick drainage layer. Sheffler's soil likes light, loose, high nutrient content. From ready-made substrates it is suitable soil for palm trees or universal.

If a soil mixture for a plant is made independently, then the following components are taken for it:

• compost earth (3 parts);
• peat (1 part);
• coarse sand (1.5 parts).

Transplantation is carried out by transferring a flower from a pot to a pot and trying not to destroy the earthen room. The voids are filled with soil, crushing it. Finish the transplant irrigation.

Pruning

If shefflera decorates indoor flower garden, it is given the shape of a tree or a bush. In the first case, it will look spectacular next to the ficus of Benjamin. In the second - a successful neighbor for the flower will be Schlumbergera Trunkata. In young sheffler stems are thin. In the future to get a beautiful powerful tree, they are tied to a support.

Whether the flower is needed pruning depends on the variety. Radiant varieties of plants, in which the stalk is only one, it is not required. If wood shaflera, the purpose of such care is to save space. When the flower grows strongly, the upper parts of its shoots can be cut. This stimulates their branching.

From trimming plant ornamentation suffers, so many owners Scheffler do without it. To make the flower bushy and lush, 2-3 trees are placed in one pot. Leaves disturbing each other do not touch, allowing them to dry out. When this happens, they are pruned. For it use a sharp knife, the blade of which is disinfected with alcohol, a solution of potassium permanganate or hardening. This will protect the indoor plant from penetrating the wound infection.

Getting on the skin and mucous membranes, juice shefflery can cause irritation. Therefore, pruning it requires caution. It is recommended to carry it out in rubber gloves.

Change color and fall leaves

Improper care can reduce the ornamentation of Scheffleers and even destroy it. Indicator of the well-being of the tree - its appearance. Yellowing of the leaves of the plant speaks of an overabundance of sunlight. In this case, the flower must be removed from the window sill or pritenit. The lack of moisture in the soil and air is the main cause of blackening of leaves at home. It begins with their tips. If you normalize watering and make sprays frequent, the tree will gradually restore its former beauty.

Leaves fall off a flower because of pests or unfavorable maintenance conditions:

• prolonged supercooling (if the temperature in the room is below 14 ° C) or overheating (at 30 ° C);
• chronic waterlogging, which resulted in rotting of the sheffleer roots;
• inadequate lighting (species of a plant with variegated leaves react more often to it).

Finding that the roots are rotting, you urgently need to save the tree. It is removed from the pot. Roots carefully inspect, cutting off the diseased areas. Then they are immersed in a solution of a growth stimulating drug (Epin, Zircon). The next step is decontamination of sheffleer roots. You can use herbal or crushed coal. After treating the roots, the plant is planted in fresh, slightly moistened soil mixture. The pot is placed under a plastic bag. In such a hot house sheffler is kept for 5-7 days. Periodically, the package is removed to air and water the flower.

Of insects dangerous to the tree:

• scythes;
• thrips;
• spider mites.

Due to their invasion, the development of shefflera slows down, turn yellow on the flower, and then the leaves fall. If you do not fight pests, the plant will wither. Getting rid of them in the initial stages of the lesion is easier. Detected insects are carefully removed from the leaves and stems with a sponge, cloth or cotton swab soaked in soapy water.

If the pests on the sheffler formed a whole colony, you will have to use insecticides. Actellic, Fitoverm and Karbofos have proven themselves well. It is necessary to work with them carefully, observing safety rules and making sure that the drug solution does not get into the soil. If necessary, after 2 weeks, re-treatment.

Schefflera - truly universal indoor plant. It will delicately set off the beauty of other flowers in the home garden, but even in a single landing, it will please the eye with its lush, bright crown, creating an atmosphere of warmth and comfort. Caring for a tree is simple. It is necessary to provide shefflerera good lighting and constant humidity, and she will thank for the care, quickly turning into a tall showy flower.

Lovers of indoor plants who believe in omens will find many reasons to get this guest from the tropics. According to Feng Shui, well-developed in the house shefflera speaks of material well-being and emotional balance. This plant, like a sponge, absorbs negative energy. Being close to him eliminates anxiety, fears and sad thoughts, soothing, invigorating and bringing a sense of peace and harmony. If you put a pot with a chefflera in the bedroom, you can not worry about nightmares and insomnia. Successful will be its placement in the office or classroom - the esoterica attributes to the tree the ability to facilitate and improve the assimilation of knowledge.

Many growers have chosen a chef to decorate their homes, because this flower is the beauty of any interior.

It looks like a shrub or small tree with very spectacular leaves. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that they have a dense, glossy surface and at the same time look like leather.

The leaves are spaced apart from each other and create the effect of an umbrella with knitting needles.

Flower Sheflera. Kinds

Rod cheflers rather numerous, there are about 200 species. But in our latitudes within the closed premises they grow the following types:

Shefflera Starfish   characterized by the similarity of the structure of leaves with a star or fingers spread palm. Its trunk is brown - gray, straight, slightly thickened at the base. Its main difference is 7 oval leaves with a wide middle part and uneven wavy edges on long petioles.

   is an upright low tree. It has long (up to 20 cm) odd-pinnate leaves. Young plants are characterized by a bright green color, over time darken and become brownish. The older the flower, the darker the branches. The tree of a chef is represented by different varieties, but they all resemble a palm tree in structure.

Sheflera flower has a high decorative qualities, and above all, thanks to its leaves - large, dense, leathery, painted in a rich dark green color. Variegated forms are quite common.

Shefler's eight leaf characterized by non-standard arrangement of sheets. 8-12 long narrow leaves (30-35 cm) are located on beige-drooping petioles, the tip is slightly pointed. Depending on their age, eight-leafed cheflers may have different shades, from olive green in young to light green in older plants. The upper side of the leaf is glossy, the bottom is matte, bright green.

Queen Sheflera. Home care

Since sheflera is a tropical flower and does not impose any special requirements on the conditions of detention, a reasonable approach and some knowledge to provide her plant with a comfortable existence. Attentive attitude and adequate care of the chefler will be appreciated, but, unfortunately, in most cases, it does not bloom, as it blooms mainly only in its natural environment. (or very close to them).

With the observance of the basic rules of care and in the presence of free space, the flowers of the chefler can grow up to 2.5 meters

It is advisable to choose for her enough bright place. At the same time, direct sunlight for dark green species should be avoided; it is worth taking care that the shade protects the leaves of the plant from the scorching rays, otherwise it can get burns - faded and faded pockets. Although variegated sheflera - the flower is quite light-requiring and the shadow is not so desirable for her. Pretty unpretentious plant cheflera, care at home is not burdensome even for novice florists.

Does not require frequent and abundant watering, but wetting the leaves by spraying is desirable. For spraying, it is better to take separated or thawed snow so that a white limescale does not appear on the sheets.

Caring for a chef will require regular spraying - only in this case you can grow a strong, healthy plant and avoid many problems, in particular, leaf fall

Watering the plant should be as the soil dries - just touch the ground with your finger to find out if watering requires a chef. If the soil is too dry, the flower can be reanimated by placing it directly in a pot in a basin with water at room temperature. Leave the pot in water for no more than 10 minutes and remove, allowing the remaining water to drain. But often you should not do such procedures.

It is best to place the Chefler in partial shade, protected from direct sunlight. Watering as the soil dries.

To prevent the flower from drying out, it is not necessary to place it near the radiator. In winter, sheflera is capable of staying at a temperature not lower than 12 degrees, but drafts should be avoided. If the regime is not followed, she quickly loses the sheets, but with the improvement, she is able to release new ones just as quickly.

Flower Sheflera. Transfer

Considering that the chefler is not a fast-growing flower, it is advisable to replant young plants no more than once a year (preferably in spring), for older plants, transplantation takes place once every 3-4 years. It is easy to determine the need for such a procedure: it is enough to carefully pull the flower out of the pot and estimate the number of roots.

Sheflera does not need frequent transplantation. Only after noticing that all the soil is covered with the root system, it is necessary to find a more spacious pot for the flower.

For transplanting, a flower is taken from an old pot, and a part of the ground is removed from the roots by hand. In the new pot, and it is advisable to choose it wider at least 3 cm wide, lay drainage so that the roots can breathe (expanded clay), fall asleep part of the ground, install the plant and fall asleep the rest of the ground. It is better to use a slightly acidic soil. You can combine the turf and humus soil with sand. Permitted use of the substrate for palm trees.

Sometimes used transshipment method . It is used for young plants that are in the growth stage and to disturb them excessively is not desirable. The method differs in that the earthen clod on the roots during transplantation is not disturbing. A new pot is drained, a chef is pulled out of the previous pot and a new ground is filled to the top. After that, watering is necessary.

When complete soil replacement is not possible, it is permissible to replace only the upper layers that have become obsolete. In this case, you need to gently loosen the top layer, remove, and in its place lay a new layer of earth.

Sheflera. Home care during breeding

In the spring or summer you can breed cheflers. There are several ways to do this: cuttings, seeds or air layering.

With the "cherenkovom" method   choose stiff cuttings and root in the soil or in the water. At the same time a few leaves should remain in the upper part of the cutting. It is necessary to use phytohormones or special conquerors and bottom heating. Cuttings are covered with a film, occasionally airing. Do not throw out the remaining stump - it can release side shoots.

Seed propagation you need to buy quality seeds in a specialty store and soak for a short time in the water, where you can add drugs epine or zircon. Then the seeds are sown in peat with sand, watered and put in a warm protected place. It is better to cover the pot with glass. Sometimes the soil needs to be ventilated and sprayed. When 2-3 leaves appear on the surface, the plant is swooped and planted in pots. This method is more often used in industrial breeding cheflers.

Periodically, you can cut the top of the cheflera - it will be more magnificent. Watch for humidity and temperature, as well as for pests, and then its leaves will not fall off.

If applicable reproduction by air layouts , on the trunk, make a small incision and wrap it with wet moss and film. It is necessary to carefully monitor the humidity of moss and, if necessary, maintain its level. After some time, roots are formed, and 2 months later, the top of the root is cut and rooted in another pot.

When reproduction has occurred, and a new chefler has appeared, care at home should be provided to each plant in accordance with its needs. Young flowers must enter the stage of intensive growth - for this purpose, apply various dressings, and older plants need care and save them from discomfort and disease. For feeding, it is advised to use liquid products, since solid, so-called rods, can lead to an overdose, which is highly undesirable.

In order for the stem of a young plant to grow straight and strong, it needs to provide support

Diseases and pests

Like any plant, cheflera can be exposed to diseases. With proper determination of the cause, the treatment will not be long and time consuming. The main causes of plant disease are careless or improper care and pests.

Brown leaves   - signal drying plants. It makes sense to increase watering and spray more often. Sheflera - moisture-loving flower. She will benefit if periodically (twice a year is enough) to perform shower procedures. In this case, the pressure of the jets in the shower should not be too intense.

Lack or excess of sun leads to leaf bleaching . And the leaves are light from a lack of light. And white spots - fading or burns from too bright rays.

Sheflera or "tree - umbrella" is able to add new colors to the interior thanks to the uniqueness of its leaves and the ability to weave, creating compositions of different species.

  Sheflera: leaves fall - causes and treatment

Non-observance of temperature   - the main reason that the plant begins to lose foliage. And unfavorable will be both too low and high temperature. If the trunk is still healthy, the flower can be saved by transplanting it into another pot. Previously, you should only cut the dry branches, treating the cuts with crushed charcoal. The transplanted chef is placed in a well-lit, warm enough place.

If the plant not only loses the leaves, but the root system also starts to rot, this indicates excessive watering , especially in combination with low air temperature in the room. A flower can be reanimated if you remove rotten roots in time and hold it for a couple of hours in a solution of epine or zircon. Next, the root system must be treated with a fungicide, and then transplanted into a pot. In order to fully restore the health of the chefs, it is necessary to spray the bush with a solution of zircon (epine), and wrap with polyethylene for several days, which should be removed periodically for ventilation.

Often the leaves cheflers turn black fall due to insufficient air humidity . Regular spraying of a flower can save the situation: several times a week during the cold season and every day on hot days.

Draft   - the reason why the chefler may lose his health. Falling leaves in this case due to the fact that they become too fragile. For this reason, it is important to correctly select a permanent place for a flower.

  Sheflera - flower for the interior

Due to its features, the chef has earned fame for excellent decoration of the interior of an apartment or office. With the help of trimming the top, you can give it a beautiful shape, the fantasy of the hostess will tell which one.

Having planted several trunks in one pot, the cheflera can be given the look of a stab tree. In the same form is sometimes grown and bougainvillea care  for which it is not particularly complicated, and the decorative qualities, on the contrary, are high.

While the plant is young and the trunks are very flexible, they can be braided in braids and give a fancy and spectacular look. To do this, in the place of the plexus, the side shoots must be removed, and the “braid” at the top should be tied, until all the stems are woody, then the clip or rope is removed. In order for the chef to be branchy, it can be cut off - so the overall composition will become more fluffy in appearance.

Experienced breeders and amateurs point out that a sheflera is a spectacular flower that does not require increased attention; it will suit even beginners and even scattered flower growers. Observing the necessary measures and providing it with the necessary space for growth, the owner very soon will appreciate all its advantages in its true worth: the green mass will decorate the home and make it more comfortable. If, in addition to the design of the flower itself, to show imagination and place it in a stylish interesting pot - you get a charming piece of furniture.

Schefflera - an evergreen plant of the Aralia family. Depending on the species, it can be a tree, liana, or shrub. For unusual leaves, where oval or slightly elongated leaf lobes depart from long petioles, which look like knitting needles from an umbrella, shefflera is called an umbrella tree.

Features of cultivation Schefflera - a brief description.

The plant does not tolerate direct sunlight. In winter, sheffler is placed in a bright, but protected from direct rays place (this is especially important in warm rooms). Only variegated forms suffer from a lack of light.

Planting plant plants Schefflera

The main reason for the rapid spread of indoor types of shefflera - decorative and unpretentious. Even beginning plant growers with a minimum of time and effort can quickly grow this beautiful flower on their windowsill.

In addition, there is a second explanation for the popularity of Schefflera. Nowadays, it is rarely what kind of house (not to mention the offices) does without a computer, TV, and other equipment that makes indoor air dead and harmful. Shefflere is credited with attributing properties to a healthy environment. It is like a sponge absorbs all the negative, filling the space with phytoncides, moistening the air and ionizing it.

The positive effects on the nervous system are noted:  with its presence, it calms, relieves irritation, enhances concentration and memory.

Landing methods

To get Schefflera, you can buy it in the store, but you can try to grow a whole plant from a process, cutting or seed.

Optimum landing time

It is best to plant and transplant Schäffler in early spring. then it will be easier to settle down and will have time to get stronger before the onset of the winter rest period.

Soil for the plant

The soil for shefflera can be bought in finished form. In the flower shop you are recommended the necessary formulations. Most often it is a mixture of ficus or palm trees.

But you can prepare the soil yourself. To do this, take one part of pure river sand, add three more parts of leafy ground and two parts of turf. It is possible to replace two parts of leafy ground with one part of humus.

IMPORTANT!  According to the structure, the soil should be rather soft, loose and permeable, but not acidified.

Growing an umbrella tree is pretty easy. Subject to certain rules Scheffler in the interior will look amazingly attractive, and will remain beautiful and not capricious in the care for many years.

Location and lighting for the plant

Shefflera loves light, but is afraid of direct sunlight. Therefore, ideally, you need to put the pots on the south side, slightly pritenyaya plant. Western and east oriented windows are also favorable.

The exception is the types of shefflera with motley-colored leaves. For their cultivation only suitable places with high illumination.

Air humidity

The only difficulty in caring for an umbrella tree is to maintain high humidity in the summer.

In nature, the plant was formed in a tropical forest, where dryness does not exist at all. Therefore, at home, a houseplant is desirable not only to water the Scheffler with warm and necessarily settled water, but also to spray its leaves up to two times a day.

Temperature for the plant

From spring to late autumn, Scheffler is in a period of activity. The temperature for its cultivation is recommended to maintain at the numbers of 18-22 degrees. Small differences in day and night temperatures benefit Sheffler, but it must be protected from drafts and abrupt changes in conditions.

How to water

The subtlety of watering an umbrella beauty is to capture the right time for watering. This time can be determined by the following features: the top layer of soil is already dry, but the clod of earth is still wet, which will show the weight of the pot.

Under the conditions of an ordinary city apartment with its dryness, it is possible to put the Scheffler in a pan filled with expanded clay and add soft and warm water directly to this pan.

In the summer, watered 2-3 times a week. In winter, much less.

A healthy adult requires feeding. Due to the similarity of the conditions of shefflera with the conditions for palm trees and ficus, fertilizer can also be borrowed from these types of plants or pampered with a universal fertilizer with mineral additives.

It is necessary to fertilize a plant during its active growth phase (excluding the winter). If the plant has not completely taken root after transplantation or reproduction, it is necessary to wait for the first young leaves, after which to introduce nutrients.

The frequency of feeding - once a month. You can help the plant foliar dressing, spraying it with bioregulators, for example, Zircon or Epin. This is also done about once every 4 weeks.

Pruning Shefflers (For what purpose, complexity of the process, accessibility)

While the plant is young, it pleases with lush greenery, but then the trunk begins to stretch and the leaves are only on top of the bush. In order to prevent the reduction of decorative, apply pruning. With its help, you can form a beautiful and compact home flower.

Trimming methods

Depending on the shape you want to give to the Scheffler, you can use apex pruning or pruning of the lower leaves.

Both that and other type of trimming the plant maintains absolutely calmly.

Transplant shefflery

A young plant requires compulsory transplantation in the first year of life, because its growth is very active and it may not have enough space to live in a close pot. When the sheffler reaches 3-5 years old, the growth rate slows down and it can be transplanted less often: once every 2-3 years.

Ways to transplant

The transplant process can be of two types:

• transplanting with cleansing from the former soil
• transshipment, in which the flower is carefully removed from its former pot and placed in a bulk vessel with a clod of earth.

The substrate in which you plant Scheffleru must be loose and fertile. The mixture of sand and earth should be thoroughly mixed, subjected to disinfecting treatment. After transplantation, the soil needs to be compacted and watering without fail, so that there are no voids left and the ground tightly adjoins the roots.

If you have conceived of making two, three, or even a whole greenhouse from one plant, then get ready for much greater difficulties than the usual daily care for a shefflera.

Whichever of the three methods of breeding (seeds, cuttings or layering) you choose, you will have to pay increased attention to the humidity and temperature of the new plant, since it takes root rather difficult.

Breeding methods

You can grow a copy of your favorite in the following ways:

• grafting;
• layering;
• seeds.

The easiest way to give life to a new plant is cutting. The trunk is chosen not young, but already lignified. Cut with a sharp short knife so that the cutting has at least 5 leaves. Before landing in the ground, they are kept for several hours in bio-solution (Heteroauxin).

It will help engraftment of the appendage and dusting with Kornevin or coal dust.

Pay special attention to the conditions of germination: soil, temperature, humidity.

In small and well-drained pots with a mixture of sand and earth, heated to 22 degrees, cuttings are planted with a small depth and covered with a glass or plastic jar.

From time to time sprouts are ventilated, stagnation of air during propagation by cuttings can also be disastrous. It is recommended to spray them.

A more complicated and costly method is reproduction by layering.  To do this, sprout roots on the stem without cutting the stalk, but only cutting it. After that, the incision site is wrapped in moss or bandage, moistened and covered with foil.

Note:  if you do not allow the cut to dry in one and a half to two months, you will get a ready-made process with roots for cutting and landing in a separate container!

Seed propagation  - the rarest way for shefflera. Do it in January-February. Requirements for breeding using seeds are the same: compliance with temperature and humidity conditions, ventilation, similar to the composition of the substrate.

Planted seeds pretreated with stimulants to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. Then they are placed in greenhouse conditions. When the roots form a visible lump at the base, you can replant them in separate places.

Does sheflera bloom?

Flowering shefflery can be more often seen in street forms than in home forms. The flowers are small, white or pink in color, are clustered and resemble the shape of an octopus tentacle. Because of this, sometimes you can hear the nickname "tree-octopus." But even without a flowering tree, the tree is so beautiful that this feature will not upset you greatly.

Any disturbance to the natural conditions of the sheffleers will affect its appearance: insufficient lighting will be indicated by pale and dull leaves or twisting of the trunks, the wrong temperature conditions will show themselves by falling leaves. Slowed growth means lack of nutrients.

Pests can also interfere with a weakened sheffler: aphids, spider mites, and scale insects.

In the case when you noticed, the leaves became sticky, as if covered with a sweet film, know: this is aphid.

Plant disease is treated by spraying with soapy water or purchased herbicides.

The attack of the spider mite is easy to notice by the thin webs on and around the leaves. Karbofos - help get rid of this scourge. But remember that the tick is omnipresent and cunning. It can hide in hard to reach places, for example, in the axils of leaves or under them.

The main rule:  an infected individual must be isolated from the rest !!

Aphids and mites are afraid of mustard infusions. Recipe: Take 50 g of dry mustard, insist in 6 liters of warm water for 3 days. Then dilute to two buckets and wipe, and also spray the plant 2-3 times a day.

Common species

Scheffler plant has nearly three dozen species:

• Shefflera mix  - This is not so much a separate type of shefflery, as a mixture of several species in one pot or tray. It looks very impressive and attractive.
• Schefflera Janine  This is one of the varieties Schefflera, characterized by smaller, but beautiful leaves. Their color resembles the stains of white-yellow-green paints. The leaves are pinnate at the edges.
• Schefflera Nora  has small leaves of light green color.
• Scheffler Gerd  - A type of plant whose center is light yellow in color, and the edges are green, of a very nasty thick shade.
• Schefflera Louisiana  - Perhaps the most beautiful and elegant version Scheffler. The leaves resemble the texture of glossy skin. The color is green, juicy, with light spots.
• Sheflera Janine
• Schefflera Louisiana
• Schefflera Nora
• Scheffler Gerd

By adjusting the humidity, temperature and light, you can achieve a remarkable appearance and quality of your copy of shefflera. Listen and look at your green pet, especially during the first time you stay in your house, and he will repay you a hundredfold.

Answers to readers' questions

With proper care, timely transplantation and pruning shefflera can live up to 20 years.

If you allow strong growth (up to 2 meters in height), then it will simply cease to fit in your house.

Is this flower poisonous?

Rubbing the leaves, the owners of the plant achieve a beautiful glossy sheen and a magnificent view of shefflera. But care must be taken as the flower is poisonous. Particular attention should be paid to this fact when pruning a plant.

Do not forget!  Sheffler juice contains substances that can irritate the skin and mucous membranes of humans!

Why darken, dry and fall leaves

If the leaves shefflera began to darken, starting with the tips, urgently pay attention to the humidity and watering. Most likely, the plant dries.

If the leaves fall, it is likely that you have gone too far with the temperature, or vice versa, the flower is frozen.

Schefflera went stained? Hastily remove it from the bright and burning rays of the sun.

But because of the lack of light the leaves will fade.

How is the wintering of the plant?

Like any tropical plant shefflera should rest. This is a state of rest, when growth slows down and the main functions usually occur in winter. The air temperature is reduced to 15 degrees. Variations of values ​​plus or minus 3 degrees are allowed. The best place for wintering is a heated loggia or a balcony. Watering shefflera sharply limit and watch her behavior. Excessive moisture can cause flower diseases: dropping leaves or viral infections.

Sheflera  (or sheffler), unpretentious plant, and therefore popular. For novice gardeners (and not only beginners, but also experienced ones) a combination of beauty and unpretentiousness is always preferable. So sheffler settled in city apartments and various offices, where paying them enough attention, just do not have time. And nothing lives ... But to grow a really beautiful plant, you just need to know the rules for caring for the chef and follow them.

Care chefleroy (sheffleroy) at home

Lighting and temperature

It is better to place the chefler in a well-lit place without burning direct sunlight and drafts. As long as the plant is small and fits easily on the windowsill, the window sill of the western and eastern windows is the most suitable place for it. This should take into account a very important point. If you have a shefflera with monophonic, green leaves, then she needs less light than variegated species. If the light is not enough, the leaves of such a plant will easily lose their variegation. The opposite happens. I had more than once seen a chef standing in a sunlit place with bleached leaves, and to identify what they were originally possible only with great difficulty.

Temperature for shefflera is preferred rather moderate, within + 18- 22 degrees. It is at this temperature that it develops best.

Watering and humidity

To watering cheflera should be approached carefully. This houseplant equally dislikes both overdrying and overmoistening. Watering should be regular, but after drying the top layer of soil. Water for watering plants must be well settled and room temperature. You can use rain or snow.

Air humidity for cheflers is no less important than adequate lighting and high-quality watering. Maintaining high humidity for this indoor plant is most relevant in the heating season, when, as a rule, indoor air is overdried. And in the summer you should not forget about regular spraying. To increase the humidity of the air and to prevent a strong overdrying of the earthen coma, it is advisable to put the pot with the chef in a deep and wide pan with moistened pebbles, expanded clay, sand and under.

Transplant shefflera (cheflera)

You can replant it in spring and autumn. But if there is a choice and an opportunity, then it is still better to replant it in spring. The flower is transplanted not very often, with a frequency of 2-3 years. But such a periodicity is rather relative. Home carer with proper care grows quickly enough, which means she periodically needs a larger pot, which means more frequent transplants.

For a good development of indoor plants, it is important to choose the right or. There are many different earth mixes for sale, and for general use (by genera and species), and for specific plants. But to make the ground for the chef is easy and very. Its composition is as follows:

• Fertile land (compost, greenhouse) - three parts;
• Peat (low, not sour) - one part;
• Sand (can be mixed with or) - one and a half parts;

Sure to!

Reproduction sheflera (shefflery)

At home, this indoor flower propagates mainly by cuttings, seed propagation of the plant is used much less frequently.

For reproduction by cuttings, first of all you need to find the right material. These should be developed, strong, half-lignified cuttings. Before planting the stalk must be prepared. The best preparation would be keeping it in a solution of heteroauxin or root for 6-8 hours.

You can not soak the cutting, but simply dip a cut of the root in powder before planting. A mixture of peat and sand (perlite) is best suited for planting a cutting. But it is not enough to choose the right one, prepare the stalk and make the desired feed mixture; the cutting will not be accepted. It's all about the temperature required for rooting the cutting. More precisely - in the temperature of the soil, which must be maintained within + 20-22 degrees. Of course, the best option is to use a miniteboard with underheating, but not every grower has it on the farm. The output can serve as a shelf, fitted over the heating radiator. Here you can put a pot with a handle on it, covering it with a transparent cap. Of course, this option is possible only in the heating season. But it is precisely in the spring, when the heating has not yet been turned off, to the Scheffler and it is desirable to multiply. During the entire rooting time, the graft should be periodically ventilated and sprayed, and condensate should be removed from the cap. Bright lighting during rooting is not required, on the contrary, it should be very moderate. After the stalk gives the roots do not need to rush it to transplant in a permanent pot, let the roots braid the whole earthy ball. After rooting, a pot with a young plant is placed in a well-lit place.

Reproduction of sheffleers by seeds at home is a longer process and depends largely on the quality of the seeds themselves. Therefore, it is less popular. The very same technology of this method is quite simple, and is similar to the cultivation of seeds from other indoor plants or the usual seedlings of garden flowers and vegetables.

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