This small tropical plant with decorative leaves with a fancy pattern is used as a useful decor. Pilea Kadier - this plant will be discussed in the proposed material.

Botanical description of a houseplant

Pilea Kadier is a species of perennial evergreen herbaceous plants from the genus Pilea and the Nettle family up to 0.3 m high and abundantly branching closer to the base. Cutting leaves are opposite, widely lanceolate or oval in shape, from 8 to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. The leaf itself is glossy, with an uneven, "quilted", dark green surface, with two convex broad silver stripes extending on two sides of the main veins. Because of these stripes, the Germans called this plant a silver saw, and the British - an aluminum plant. The edges of the sheet are marked by individual silver blotches.

It rarely blooms at home, but when the proper conditions are created, this process occurs in June-July. The flowers are small, artless, inconspicuous against the background of diverse leaves. Formed in axillary inflorescences. As a rule, the flowers have a pale yellow or light pink color. It is interesting that flowers spread their seeds: during ripening, the stamens “shoot” pollen at a considerable distance - sometimes up to 100 m. Thanks to this feature, the plant acquired another name - an artillery flower. The homeland of Kadieu Pilea is Indochina (the territory of South China, Vietnam and Laos).

Separately, it should be noted the beneficial properties of pylaea - it is inherent in it:

1. Phytoncide properties - the ability to produce biologically active substances that inhibit the development of staphylococcus bacteria and sarcinomas in the room.
2. The ability to enrich the air with biogenic stimulants, which, in turn, activate the metabolism, protective and regenerative functions of the human body.
3. Sound absorption ability.

Optimal conditions for growing a house

In order to provide the sawmill with suitable conditions when growing a house, it is necessary to fulfill certain requirements, consider them.

Did you know? In the world there are over 400 varieties of pylaea.

Plant lighting

Light Pilje needs a bright and diffused, with protection from direct sunlight (you can use a translucent curtain). The best location for the flowerpot is at the western or eastern windows. In case of insufficient natural light (in winter or during prolonged cloudy weather) - use of additional illumination: optimal - use of a special phytolamp, which should be located above the saw at a distance of 17-22 cm from its upper point.The lamp should turn on 2 hours before dawn and 2-3 hours after dark. If additional lighting is neglected, then due to a lack of light, the leaves will lose their color, and silver stripes will become poorly visible.

Temperature mode

Pilea Kadier prefers summer temperature in the range + 20 ... + 24 ° С. In winter, the temperature should be reduced by several degrees - up to + 18 ° C, but no more. Also, sharp temperature drops and drafts are poorly reflected in the plant.

Important! When the ambient temperature drops to a critical point of +16°With a plant may lose leaves.

Air humidity

Saw air, like any tropical plant, requires moist - from 60% and above. In order to increase the humidity in the pan, under the flower container, it is recommended to place moist expanded clay and maintain its constant humidity by regular water addition or to wrap the surface of the container with moss, while also maintaining its constant humidity.

Sawing at home

Despite the fact that Kadia pilya is a rather unpretentious plant, caring for it in an apartment or in a house has its own characteristics, which we will dwell on in detail.

Watering

Watering should be regular and plentiful - 2-3 times a week, using well-defended soft water at room temperature with a small amount of alkaline earth metal salts dissolved in it - less than 2 mg per liter. Water should be watered, but spraying is not recommended - water droplets that fall onto bright leaves will leave unattractive spots on them.

Important! When watering, special attention should be paid to preventing stagnation of water in the tank with the plant, which is especially dangerous in winter.

Fertilizers

Top dressing is applied throughout the year, with the only difference being that from March to September inclusively twice a month (since the plant is actively growing green mass), and from October to February (at rest) - only once a month. Usually, liquid top dressing is used for foliage plants (in accordance with the instructions on the package).

Actions during the flowering period

During flowering, caring for the saw cut comes down to gently nipping off the wilted flowers - this is done to maintain the external attractiveness of the plant.

Work at rest

At home, the dormant period in pylaea is forced and is due to reduced illumination and low humidity. It lasts from October to February.

Did you know? As indoor plants, only about 10 species of pylaea are cultivated.

At that time:

1. The ambient temperature drops to + 18 ... + 20 ° C.
2. Humidity decreases to moderate - 55-60%.
3. Watering is reduced. At this time, the saw does not have time to dynamically evaporate moisture and excessive moisture can provoke rotting of the root system, and this can destroy the plant.
4. The frequency and number of top dressings is reduced to once a month at half the usual dose.

Shaping and trimming

Pilea Kadier is a fast-growing plant, therefore, forming pruning for her is a mandatory procedure. If you ignore it, the compactness of the plant will very quickly be lost, its shoots will stretch out, become bare, and the saw will lose its former attractiveness. Formative pruning is done annually in the initial stage of active growth; if necessary, it can be repeated throughout the year to maintain the purity of the Kadier pylae.

Important! Trim shoots to two-thirds of their length, while leaving at least two buds on a branch.

This trim performs a number of functions:

• activates the growth of young and side shoots;
• stimulates budding;
• prevents stretching, the formation of elongated unattractive branches;
• corrects the crown, maintains its symmetry and attractiveness;
• reduces the size - if necessary;
• supports the desired plant shape.

Pruning begins with the removal of unnecessary, thickening and dry shoots, only after that you can proceed directly to the formation. Such pruning will save the beauty and attractiveness of the saw.

When performing these procedures, it is extremely important that you observe the following general rules:

1. The use of sharp and specially selected tools for trimming - a clerical knife, blade or scissors for trimming plants.
2. Compliance with hygiene standards - clean hands, tools and plant surfaces.
3. The correctness of the slices is exclusively at such an angle that the new shoot grows outward of the crown, 3–7 mm above the kidney and directed away from it.
4. Immediate treatment of wound pruning. The entire cutting area should be treated, as a rule, this is done with sulfur powder or charcoal.
5. Adaptation of the plant. It consists in the fact that “soft” conditions are created for the pylaea - protection from excessively high temperature and dry air, accurate watering. Feeding is done after the resumption of growth.

How to propagate a plant

Kadia Pilea can be propagated in three ways: by seeds (spores), by dividing the bush or by cuttings. Consider these methods.

Propagation by seed.Considering that pylaea rarely blooms in a house or apartment, it is extremely difficult to get its seeds, but you can try to get them in a specialized retail network. Directly growing from seeds is carried out using traditional technology: sowing with two or three seedlings is done on moist, peat-sandy soil, while the seeds do not go deep into the soil.

Important! The temperature of the soil during propagation by seeds should be maintained at +21°WITH.

To prevent drying out, the pot with seeds is covered with a film and kept in a dark place until the first shoots. Every day, the soil must be ventilated and sprayed from the spray gun. One to three months after planting, an abundant emergence of seedlings will begin. This is a signal for the container to be transferred to a lit place and the film was removed from it. After this, the seedlings must be thinned out, but so that there is a minimum of 2.5 cm between them. Then the grown plants are transplanted into containers with soil for adult plants (the soil will be discussed below).Reproduction by dividing the bush.An overgrown plant is dug out of the pot and freed from most of the soil. Then, with a sharp and clean knife, its roots are cut into several parts, but so that at least 2 leaf rosettes remain in each separate part of the plant. Seedlings root immediately - this is necessary to prevent the drying of thin roots. Further adaptation will take about a month. At this time, the saw is located in a dark place, its watering is limited.

Propagation by cuttings.In this method, a branch or a stalk is cut from an adult plant, which is then cut into 7 cm cuttings. Cuttings, in turn, are rooted in water or in the soil. Rooting in water is done as follows: first, a tablet of activated carbon is diluted in a container with water. Then the stalk is placed there and left until the roots sprout. Rooting in the soil is done as follows: the cuttings are somewhat deepened into the soil, well watered and covered with a plastic bag or a glass of transparent plastic.

From time to time to air the coating is removed. As soon as the stalk begins to grow, the glass (bag) is removed, and for another week the plant is kept warm, then it is sent to the place where it will be in the future. Recommended soil: earthen mixture of 1 part of turf land, 3 parts of leaf soil and 1 part of sand. Soil acidity at the level of slightly acidic (5.0–6.0) or neutral (6.0–7.0).

Growing difficulties

When cultivating Kadier pylae at home, you may encounter difficulties such as:

1. Puckering and falling leaves. This phenomenon indicates that the ambient temperature is too high or too low.
2. Softening, blackening and leaf falling, rotting of the base of the stems is evidence of excessive watering.
3. Pallor and lethargy of leaves - The reason for this is too bright lighting.
4. Tarnishing a silver strip on the leaves, chopping leaves and stretching shoots - this indicates a lack of lighting.

In addition to errors in care, an aluminum plant can be susceptible to attacks by such harmful insects as a spider mite, thrips, scale insects and mealybug. In these cases, the main difficulty is that the onset of the lesion is difficult to see immediately, so the saw must be regularly examined and, in cases of pests, immediately begin to save the plant.

Did you know? Pilea is able to improve mood, relieve fatigue and reduce anxiety.

Thoroughly rinse the silver peel under the hot streams of the shower, dry and treat with insecticides - preparations for the destruction of pests of indoor plants, for example, Aktara, Actellik, Bona Forte bioinsecticide. The use of drugs - according to the instructions. Caring for a silver saw is completely uncomplicated and available even for beginner gardeners. Compliance with simple rules for caring for a plant guarantees its amazing beauty.

Video: Kadia Pilya