Maranta

Refers to the family of maranthives. Fatherland is America's tropical belt.

General description: Maranta is a compact, not extremely fanciful and very effective looking ornamental foliage plant. On the roots forms nodules. The most popular species is Maranta leuconeura (Marantha belozhkovataya). Its forms differ in the color of the leaves. Maranta leuconeura kerchoveana leaves are green, with duplicated rows of brown spots. Maranta leuconeura tricolor owns a yellow speck along the middle veins and scarlet paint of the veins themselves. The main paint of the young leaf is light green with dark green spots, mature - dark green. The leaf surface is velvety. The shape of Maranta leuconeura massangeana leaves are dark green, approximately black in color, with silver veins.

At night, the arrowroot lifts and folds its leaves, because of this the English call it a "prayer plant".

Recommendations for the care of the plant Maranta:

Illumination : Photophilous, but in no way tolerates direct sunlight.

Irrigation regime : Abundant during growth, moderate in winter.

To water with warm soft water. He does not adore in any way the overflow, nor the drying out of the earth.

Humidity : Requires frequent spraying, especially in warm rooms.

Air humidity is similarly supported by placing pots on a pallet with pebbles or expanded clay, which is continuously moistened. It is useful to cover the rhizomes of the arrowroot with moist moss.

Temperature regime : In summer, the temperature should be moderate 15-18 ° C., In the winter cool, 12-15 ° C. Does not tolerate drafts and sudden temperature changes.

Soil: Proper benign drainage is required. You can add small gravel or expanded clay. The soil is acidic or weakly acidic. When a snow-white calcareous deposit appears on the surface of the soil, the top layer must be replaced.

Recommended soil mix: 2-3 leaf elements, 1 share of peat, 1 share of humus, 1 share of softwood and 1/2 elements of sand. It is useful to add a little charcoal.

During the growth period, it needs fertilizing once every two weeks with liquid complex fertilizer for ornamental-deciduous plants. Mararant is sensitive to overfeed.

Breeding : Chipping the bush. Remove the lint under the film in a warm room until rooting.

Transplant : Transplanted annually, in the spring. The root system is superficial, so the pot must be wide, but not deep at all.

Pests : Most often it is affected by scarlet arachnoid mite (in a dry atmosphere, leaves and stems are braided with cobwebs), scabbards (brown plaques appear on leaves and stems, leaving sticky discharge).

The plant is allowed to help finish with a soap solution, warm washing and spraying with an actinic (1-2 ml per liter of water).

Maranta tri-color - Maranta tricolor

Maranta kerchoveana

Three-colored maranta - maranta tricolor

Maranta kerchoveana