Sedge

Family. Cyperaceae.

Where does it grow? Asia, New Zealand, North America.

What does it look like? The genus Carex includes about 2000 species of herbaceous evergreen, less often deciduous perennial plants. The plant forms a mound of many basal long, sword-shaped, arcuately curved thin leaves. The leaves have parallel venation, their color is very diverse - they can be uniformly green, bluish, brown, gray or with white and yellow stripes across the entire leaf blade. In summer, tall bare peduncles with a large number of male and female flowers appear, but they do not make a special impression.

Height. Depending on the species, it reaches a height of 25 - 45 cm. Growth slows down in winter.

Care at home

Temperature conditions

If possible, provide the plant with a cool temperature of about 15 ° C. At higher temperatures, increase the frequency of watering and air humidity.

Growing sedge - lighting

Ornamental sedges will thrive in bright light without direct sunlight. Leaves are sensitive to sunburn. Variegated varieties require more light.

Care

Periodically divide mature specimens when replanting to rejuvenate them. Bushes like to be outdoors in the summer. Remove old or damaged leaves to maintain a striking and neat appearance.

Substrate

Well-drained soil, sometimes even quite poor in nutrients. Add coarse river sand or perlite to the mixture to improve drainage. 

Feeding

During the growing season in spring and summer, feed the sedge with liquid fertilizer once a month.

Purpose

A nice decorative foliage plant that can be grown, for example, in a hanging pot. 

Flowering time

Peduncles appear in the summer, but are not of particular interest.

Air humidity

Spray the sedge leaves or place the plant pot on a tray of damp pebbles. You can also use a room humidifier to increase air humidity. Do not place sedge near heat sources. 

Watering

Representatives of the genus, when grown as houseplants, require regular watering throughout the year. Allow the top 3 cm of soil to dry out before the next watering.

Transfer

The transplant is carried out in the spring, when the bush becomes too small for the pot.

Propagation

The plant needs to be divided from time to time, as it quickly takes up the entire pot. Plant division is carried out from mid-spring to early summer.  

Pests and diseases

The ends of the leaves turn yellow as a result of being too warm or when the air is dry. Leaves turn yellow and dry out when exposed to direct sunlight. The plant slows down when there is a lack of nutrients. In variegated varieties, the stripes become less pronounced with insufficient lighting. Rust and leaf spot.

Of the harmful insects, the main danger is mealybugs, spider mites, aphids, and scale insects.

Note

Indoor sedge is a perennial plant that is easily renewed by division.