Palma washingtonia: description, types, nuances of care

Washingtonia is a plant belonging to the Palm family. Distribution areas - the south of the USA, the west of Mexico. It received its name in honor of the first president of America.

Features and appearance of Washington

The palm tree has a fan-shaped thin foliage that reaches a length of 1.5 m. Under natural conditions, grows up to 25 m. Petioles are bare, up to one and a half meters in size. Foliage consists of segments, between which there are peculiar threads.

Washingtonia is grown in the subtropics, when moving to central Russia, it may not survive the winter. The drier the air, the easier it is for a palm tree to survive the cold.

When grown at home, the height of the plant is much less, about 1.5-3 m, but it still needs space, fresh air and good lighting. It is recommended to grow the plant on the balcony, porch or in the loggia.

Washingtonia is not suitable for landscaping, as it gets sick when there is a lot of dust, soot or dirt in the air.

Varieties of washington for indoor cultivation

Only two species can be grown in a room:

1. Washingtonia is nitiferous. Perennial plant, tree-like, with fan foliage. In nature, grows up to 20 m in height. In the house up to 3 m. On the top of the trunk thin hard hairs are visible. Color - gray-green. The flowers are white. It is resistant to relatively low temperatures, in winter it is comfortable at + 6 ... +15 ° C. At home, this type of palm is considered to be edible, juicy petioles of the plant are consumed in boiled form, although recently such a dish is practically not used.
2. Vashintony robusta. A tree-like perennial plant that in nature grows up to 30 m. At home, in the first year it reaches a height of 50 cm, but also continues to grow afterwards, sometimes up to 3 m. A thin and elongated trunk, on which there are minor longitudinal cracks. Leaves are dissected into a third, fan-shaped. Petioles elongated, reddish at base. The flowers are light pink. Negatively refers to the heat, therefore, at a temperature of +30 ° C, the plant immediately needs to be shaded. In winter, she feels comfortable at room temperature (+ 21 ... +23 ° C).

The presented species of Washington are well adapted to the subtropics of the Crimea and the North Caucasus, where these palm trees can grow in open soil.

Home Care for Washington

When caring for Washington at home, you should pay attention to the season of the year:

Transplant, soil

Suitable time for transplantation is from February to March. Plants under 3 years old should be replanted every year. More adults every 3-5 years.

Washington, which turned 10 years old, cannot be transplanted.

For transplanting, you need to prepare the soil from the following components in a ratio of 2: 2: 2: 1:

• turf land;
• sheet soil;
• humus or peat;
• sand.

Having prepared the soil and a new pot, the plant should be carefully removed from the old container and the remaining soil removed from the roots. Next, place in a new container and fill it with an already prepared substrate. Do not forget about the drainage layer, consisting of pebbles, it should occupy about 1/3 of the pot.

When transplanting, you need to abandon pruning, since the palm of Washington is an ornamental plant, it does not tolerate this procedure. Only fading leaves are allowed to be cut.

Breeding

To propagate this indoor plant, apply the seeds:

1. It is preferable to begin to germinate the seed at the beginning of spring, but before this period it should be stratified. For this purpose, using a sharp knife, small incisions are made on the seeds, then they are placed in wet gauze and placed in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. After a week, they stimulate growth by putting them for 10-12 hours in the Epin solution.
2. After they prepare the soil from such components: sheet soil, fine sand, peat (4: 1: 1).
3. The substrate is poured into already selected containers, seeds are put in them and they are sprinkled with soil 1-2 cm in length. The earth is watered, and the trays with seeds are covered with a film. This is required to create a greenhouse effect.

Further, the seedlings are timely aired and watered. The first sprouts form in 2 months, after which the containers with Washington are moved to a more illuminated place. After the appearance of 2-3 leaves, the plants are planted in different pots. Do this carefully so as not to injure the root system of the palm.

Diseases and Pests

During the cultivation of washingtonia in room conditions, the plant can be affected by various diseases and suffer from exposure to harmful insects:

With the timely fight against diseases and pests, the palm will delight with a healthy appearance for many years.

Watch the video: Desert Fan Palm - Washingtonia filifera (April 2024).