Nolina bentis an undemanding and long-lived plant that perfectly tolerates living conditions. Resistant to tobacco smoke, fumes from gas cookers and air conditioning. With proper care, it can grow up to 20 years in an apartment! Learn the rulesof bent nolina care , which will allow you to achieve and maintain the expected form of the plant, 2 easyways to reproduce nolinaand see whatdiseases nolinscan attack this plant. Here's all aboutgrowing curved nolina
Nolina bent - Beaucarnea recurvata <p
Nolina bent(Beaucarnea recurvata) is a succulent from Mexico with a very peculiar appearance. Its close relative is the home yucca. The decorative qualities of the nolina are: a trunk that is characteristically thickened at the base, allowing the plant to store large amounts of water, and a plume of long (even up to 1.2 m), stiff leaves growing at the top of the trunk. The specific shape of the trunk was the reason fornaming nolina the common name of elephant leg "
Nolina curved - care
Nolina bent for proper development needs a lot of light , i.e. 4-6 hours of sunshine a day on average. It does not need to grow in full sun, enough diffused light is enough. In winter, on short and cloudy days, it requires additional lighting with plant lamps, because it reacts negatively to its lack very quickly. It grows best in the vicinity of southern and western balcony doors. In summer, we can take it to balconies or terraces, placing the pot in a quiet place.
The bestsoil for growing nolinais a mix of garden soil with coarse sand (2: 1) or commercial ready soil for palm, yucca and dracaena, as well as a mixture for cacti. The optimum pH of the substrate is 6.5. We grow nolina in not very large, shallow pots, with a drainage layer and holes at the bottom. The diameter of the pot should not exceed twice the diameter of the trunk at the point of the thickening.
Due to its slow growth,replant nolina no more than once every 2-3 years , but only when necessary. The smallness of the leaves will prove the necessity of repotting. We exaggerate Nolina in March. Two people should participate in transplanting large specimens, because when removing the plant from the pot, it is easy to damage the delicate roots. In a new pot, maximally one size larger, the plant should be planted at the same depth as it was previously growing (the characteristic thickening of the trunk should be on the surface).
Watering is an important procedure in the care of nolina.In spring and summer, water the nolina rarely (once every 2-3 weeks), but abundantly. The soil should soak up the water well. The plant will slowly draw water from the substrate. The plant should be watered again only when the soil in the pot is dry.
In winter, watering the nolina is strongly limitedThis method of irrigation causes the formation of a characteristic thickening at the base of the nolina trunk.Too frequent watering causes the nolina leaves to fade and flabby and does not allow the desired trunk shape to be obtainedIn rooms where nolina is grown, it is necessary to increase the air humidity. It is best to place the pot with nolina on a stand with water and stones.Too low air humidity causes nolina leaf tips to dry up
Nolina bent growing in the wild
The optimal temperature for growing nolina is 18-22 ° C during the day and 10-15 ° C at night Maintaining this temperature in the place where nolina is grown will ensure he althy leaf growth. In winter, the temperature of the nolina should be much lower, i.e. within 3-5 ° C. It is related to the transition to the dormant period.To allow the plant to enter the dormant period, from the end of October, gradually reduce the frequency and abundance of wateringThe plant should be moved to a bright and cool room (e.g. a glass porch). We keep nolina in such conditions until the turn of January and February.
From the beginning of February, we gradually raise the temperature and increase the frequency of watering.The transition to winter dormancy through the nolina causes intensive growth during the growing seasonIf we cannot create conditions suitable for the winter rest of the nolina, in the autumn and winter period we place the plant in the brightest possible place and water it regularly with small ones doses of water.
From March to September, 3-4 times a season,fertilize nolina withcompound fertilizer, preferably with a low nitrogen content.Sometimes fertilization in a given season can be omitted, if the plant grows well, the leaves are properly formed and colored. After transplanting to a new substrate, we do not fertilize the nolina for 1 year.
Nolina bent - reproduction
Bent nolina propagationcan be done in two ways:
- From apical cuttingsIf we have nolina with branched stem, we can obtain apical cuttings from it. Use a knife to cut off a leaf plume with about 1 cm of wood from the branches of the trunk. Dip the lower end of the seedling in a rooting for woody cuttings and then place it in a litter box with moist sand. We maintain the temperature of 20 ° C throughout the rooting period of the cuttings. The sand should be kept moist at all times, but not wet. If the substrate is too wet, the seedlings will rot.
- By root or stem suckers , appearing on older plants. We gently tear the regrowth from the mother plant and place it in a pot with moist sand.
Nolina bent - diseases and pests
Nolina is an easy-to-grow plant that is occasionally attacked by diseases and pests. The most commonnolina disease is fusariosiscaused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Its symptoms arewilting and browning of the rosette of leavesLeaves, despite increasing the frequency of watering, do not regain stiffness. On the trunk,just below the leaf plume, rot is visibleAfter noticing the symptoms of fusariosis, remove the diseased parts of the plant and then spray Topsin M 500 SC.
Sometimes, in conditions of low air humidity,brown, hard discs may appear on the leaves of the nolinaThese are scales, small insects sucking the juice from the leaves. They should be gently removed from the leaves with a cotton swab soaked in an aqueous solution of denatured alcohol, and then the level of air humidity in the vicinity of the nolina pot should be increased.To prevent pests from reappearing, it is worth putting Provado Care insecticides in the ground.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
