Caryote: rules of cultivation and care at home

Among plants kept in the home, it is not uncommon to find indoor palms, the most interesting representative of which is the caryote. It is unusual for its lush foliage, which has not quite the usual shape. It is important that the caryote requires no special skills to grow, is very unpretentious, especially as an adult.

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Description

Evergreen caryota in natural conditions (tropical Asia and Australia) is a large tree, can grow up to tens of meters, and is often a multi-stemmed plant. Fortunately, in domestic conditions its height never exceeds two meters. The main difference between the caryote and other palms is the bizarre shape of the leaf plates, which are on long petioles and make up a very lush crown. They are asymmetrical, twice pinnate and very large. The feathers that make up the leaves resemble truncated wedges with the tip torn off.

Under natural conditions, the caryote is capable of flowering, and flowering occurs only once in a lifetime. It begins at age 10 or more and continues for several years without interruption. Its inflorescences are large, looking like branched cobs consisting of many thin twigs. They form in the axils of the leaves: first the upper ones, then they descend downwards. A peculiarity of this palm is that after flowering and fruit formation the trunk gradually dies off, but in bushy forms the formation of new ones is possible. However, in domestic conditions the cariota palm blooms very rarely, and if in optimal conditions it does happen, after about a year the blooming ends and the plant dies.

There are about 20 species of this palm which are easily cross-pollinated, their botanical classification is very difficult. Only two species, easily distinguishable from each other, can be found in the home:

Caryota gentle, or soft (Caryota Mitis). Often, due to the original shape of the leaves, it is called the Fishtail palm. In apartments it grows in multi-stemmed form, the height does not exceed one and a half meters. Cuttings up to half a meter long, the width of leaf plates about 12 cm.
Caryota stinging, or Wine palm (Caryota Urens). Because it grows in the form of a rather tall tree with a single trunk, it is more often found not in apartments but in greenhouses. The leaf plates consist of triangular lobes, they are narrower than those of the soft caryota.

The second species can also settle on the windowsill, but after a few years the tree will take up too much space. Care for both species is almost the same. A great advantage of this tropical plant is that it is not required to find a cool room for wintering. It forgives even gross mistakes of an amateur florist.

Planting and care

Planting a cariot palm requires a large pot, the size of which depends on the plant received by the florist. The height of the container is more important than the diameter, because this palm has strong tap roots going to a considerable depth. The soil can be any mixture for houseplants (with a neutral or weakly acidic reaction). It is important that it is loose and water-permeable. If you prepare yourself, you can mix equal amounts of coarse sand, sod soil, humus and compost. The soil is poured on top of a thick layer of drainage material.

Transplanting is performed infrequently: young plants are subjected to this procedure after one year, adults – once every few years, when the pot (tub) to them becomes obviously too small. Despite its unpretentiousness, the palm reacts painfully to damage to the roots, so it should be removed from the old pot with a large clump of soil: transplanting is carried out by the method of transplanting.

The optimal conditions that should be created when growing a cariota are the following:

Illumination. It is best to put the pot in a place where scattered sunlight will fall on the plant throughout most of the day. Leaves are afraid of burns, so while the palm is young, the best place is a southwest or southeast windowsill. Over time, the container will have to be moved to a stool or even on the floor, you can also move it to the south side, but slightly shade the glass. However, the lack of light will not kill the plant, but it will look less spectacular.
Temperature. You can not pay attention to this indicator: the cariota feels fine at normal room temperature both in summer and winter, but reducing it to 18 degrees and less is undesirable. It’s bad if the temperature changes sharply, so this palm can’t be taken out on a balcony. Despite its tropical origin, the cariota feels worse in heat: the main requirement for its maintenance is moist air, so in hot regions it grows even worse than in temperate climates.
Humidity of the air. It is important throughout the year. If there is no special humidifier, daily spraying with soft, tempered water from a sprayer is mandatory. Periodically, the leaves are treated with a damp sponge.
Moisture of the soil. Neither overheating of the soil, nor stagnation of water in it can not be allowed: the humidity must be moderate. With insufficient moisture, leaves can fall off, with waterlogging – rotting of the roots. Apply water less often in autumn and winter.
Nutrition. Feed the palm in the spring and summer twice a month. It is better to immediately buy a special fertilizer for palm plants: it contains the necessary complex of microelements, which is not easy to create on their own.

No special formation of the plant is required, but moderate pruning of excess leaf plates to give decorativeness is possible. But the trunk must not be touched: cutting it back will almost inevitably kill the palm.

Propagation

Partitioning in the case of soft cariota is not the best way of propagation, and for the wine palm it is not applicable at all. Dividing is engaged in the process of transplanting. Performing the procedure is not at all difficult, but the root system, which will be affected by this, very painfully endures division, not always the resulting divisions take root. Therefore, most often soft cariota is propagated by cuttings.

In this case, cuttings are not pieces of stems, as in most plants, but root scions. It is them, that is, the root shoots, that are used for vegetative propagation. They are carefully cut off and planted in the sand, creating greenhouse conditions: high air and soil humidity at room temperature. After rooting, the young plants are planted in pots.

Seed propagation is used less often: seeds deteriorate quickly, and seedlings appear only after a few months. Sowing is carried out in the spring, and the treatment of seeds with growth stimulants is mandatory. Until the emergence of seedlings are kept in the warmth and darkness, systematically watering and airing. Seedlings are very delicate, all operations on their transplanting have to be carried out very carefully. They grow slowly, in the first year they need an increased temperature.

Possible problems

Despite the relative ease of cultivation, a gross violation of conditions can lead to problems, sometimes irreparable. Among them:

Change in the appearance of the leaves with loss of decorativeness. Usually it is associated with a lack of micronutrients: it can be crumbling, the appearance of spots, curl, yellowing, etc.
Leaf fall can be observed due to irrigation failure.
Darkening of the leaves may be due to stagnant moisture. Following this, problems associated with rotting of the roots can also begin.
Slow growth. Lack of light, especially at low air temperatures, can be the culprit.
Brown spots can be a sign of fungal diseases and require immediate treatment with fungicides.

Among the possible pests – the usual set for houseplants: aphids, scab, powdery worms. Their appearance requires treatment of the plant with insecticides.

The cariota palm, an evergreen plant with unusual leaves, is not difficult to grow, but requires basic care. Experienced florists can even achieve its spectacular flowering in room conditions, although they do it rarely, because the palm blooms only once, after which it dies. The plant requires a lot of space, but in spacious apartments is very decorative.