Aspidistra

Family. Liliaceae.

Homeland of the plant. China.

Description.  A very unpretentious evergreen plant, shade-tolerant, drought-resistant, adapts well to extremely high temperatures. The only thing he doesn’t like is waterlogging and frequent transplants.

It grows slowly, has shiny, oblong, dark green basal leaves about 60 cm long and 10 cm wide.

Aspidistra has a powerful creeping rhizome. At the base of the leaves on the rhizome you can often see one or two reduced scale-like leaves surrounding the petiole of a green leaf.

Variegated forms are available.     

Small, barely noticeable and unattractive, lilac-brown flowers may appear in spring. The flowers are located at the foot of the leaves, almost close to the ground, on short and strong peduncles. At home, the plant rarely blooms.

Each bud remains open and attractive for just one day.

After flowering, the bushes form round, green fruits with large yellow seeds.

The lifespan of aspidistra indoors is up to 10 years or more. 

Height. Aspidistra indoors grows up to 90 cm.

Plants develop slowly - even an adult bush is capable of forming only 2 - 3 new leaves in a year. 

Care for aspidistra at home

When it blooms 

It blooms in spring, but buds rarely form indoors. Flowering does not add any special charm to the plant and may even go unnoticed.

How to care 

Aspidistra is undemanding and forgives many mistakes of novice gardeners, so it can be safely recommended for cultivation.

Wipe the plant from dust with a damp sponge in a timely manner, this will keep the leaves shiny.

From time to time, the old foliage of the flower will dry out - such leaf plates are removed using a sterile and sharp pruner, cutting them off at the very base.

Such pruning not only helps to maintain a neat and attractive appearance of the plant, but also serves to prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases. 

Take the flower outside in the warm season - it will be quite happy under a canopy that protects it from wind and rain, as well as from direct sunlight. Bring the plant into the house when in the fall at night the air temperature drops to 7 - 8 degrees Celsius.

In the summer months, you can periodically put the flower under the shower, covering the surface of the soil in the pot with plastic wrap. The water temperature should be adjusted so that it is 35 - 40 degrees Celsius.

After water treatments, the plant is left in the humid and warm atmosphere of the bathroom for another half hour. 

Sometimes green leaves appear among the variegated leaves of variegated varieties. Shoots with green leaves must be cut out, otherwise it will dominate.

Reproduction of aspidistra 

Aspidistra is most often propagated by division in the spring, when the plant fills the pot.

Adult plants are divided during transplantation, approximately every 5 years. Division helps rejuvenate the flower.

• The bushes are removed from the old pot and cut into pieces in such a way that as a result of the manipulations, divisions with a well-developed root system and 5 or more leaf blades in each part are obtained.
• If necessary, I cut the root system with a knife, dusting the cut areas with wood ash.
• After dividing, the plants are planted in separate pots, watered and sprayed abundantly and covered with a transparent plastic bag on top. After division, leaf blades may lose turgor and droop. The shelter helps maintain a high level of air humidity and allows the flower to more easily adapt to new conditions.
• Every day the polyethylene is removed and the flower is ventilated. Place the cuttings in a well-lit, warm place with a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius and without access to direct sunlight.
• To prevent the bag from touching the surface of the leaves, you can first stick several wooden skewers into the pot, building a small frame.
• Place the cuttings in a well-lit, warm place with a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius and without access to direct sunlight.
• As soon as the leaves perk up, the cover can be removed.
• It will be possible to say that the divisions have successfully taken root in a new place when they begin to sprout young leaves - this usually takes a month.

Leaf cuttings also root successfully in spring and summer.  For propagation, adult leaf blades with long petioles are used.

1. These leaves are cut off at the base, separating them from the mother bush.
2. The bases of the cuttings are powdered with powder to form roots. For rooting, prepare a glass of warm water to which a charcoal tablet has been added.
3. The bases of the cuttings are immersed in water, which is replaced with fresh water every 5 to 6 days.
4. When roots 1 - 2 cm long appear on the cuttings, the plants are planted in a well-moistened and loose substrate.
5. Such plants are covered with a transparent plastic cap or glass on top to create a greenhouse effect.
6. Place the container in a room with a temperature of 16 - 18 degrees and periodically water and ventilate the flower.

When the first new leaf blade appears on the bush, the cover is removed.

You can grow aspidistra from seeds, but you will have to work hard to do this.

1. Seeds are sown in the spring using a transparent plastic container with a lid filled with moist and loose peat-based soil with the addition of coarse river sand.
2. Drainage holes must first be made at the bottom of the container.
3. The substrate is thoroughly moistened from a spray bottle with water at room temperature.
4. Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil and covered with a layer of earth 5 - 10 mm thick.
5. The top of the crops is sprayed again and covered with a transparent lid to create a greenhouse effect. 
6. Every day the shelter is removed, the condensation that appears on it is removed and the crops are ventilated.
7. With the appearance of the first shoots, the cover is removed completely.

When each bush forms 2 - 3 true leaf blades, a dive is carried out - the plants are planted in separate containers. When diving, try to minimally disturb the roots of the flowers.

The first fertilizing  with a very weak fertilizer solution is carried out 7 - 10 days after the dive. Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are used as the first complementary food.

Since the seeds are large, you can plant them immediately in separate small pots - this way you can do without diving.

Soil 

The plant is quite undemanding to soil conditions and adapts well to almost any type of substrate.

For growing aspidistra, nutritious soil with good drainage is suitable, the plant also does not have any special requirements for soil pH.

The soil mixture for the bush can be made up of such components as garden soil, humus, light turf and leaf soil, as well as peat.

To improve drainage, add a sufficient amount of river sand or perlite and vermiculite.

Remember that the soil should not only have good drainage and allow excess moisture to get into the tray, but also allow the root system to breathe, passing air.

Transplantation of aspidistra 

Aspidistra is replanted in the spring. The best time to repot is when new growth begins.

Young plants will need annual replanting as they grow - their root system will require more and more space.

If such specimens have root tips in the drainage holes of the pot, then it is worth changing the size of the pot to a larger one.  Each time such a flower is planted in a pot that exceeds the diameter of the previous container by 2 - 3 cm in diameter.

Adult bushes are replanted every 2 - 3 years - the root system of the flower does not like unnecessary shocks.

Plants bought at a flower shop should also be replanted - they are allowed to get used to the new conditions within a week, and then transplanted into a nutrient substrate. 

• Since the root ball may be too dense, before transplanting the plants are soaked for several hours in warm water - this will make it easier for them to pull away from the walls of the pot.
• Before planting, soaked plants are dried in the open air for 1 hour.
• If the plant does not have external signs of disease (especially rot), then instead of replanting, transshipment is carried out.
• Pots for growing flowers must have fairly large drainage holes.
• First of all, a drainage layer made of expanded clay, brick fragments, clay shards or simple river pebbles is placed on the bottom of the pot.
• A layer of fresh nutrient soil is poured onto the drainage and a flower is placed.
• In a new container, the flower is sprinkled with fresh soil mixture and tapped on the walls of the pot so that the soil evenly fills its space. 
• The plant should be at the same level as it was in the previous container.
• The surface of the soil after planting should be 1 - 2 cm below the walls of the pot.
• After replanting, you can lightly tamp the surface of the soil with your fingertips to remove air pockets.
• After planting, the flower is watered generously with warm water and placed in a place protected from direct sun.
• If, after watering, depressions form on the soil surface, they are filled by adding additional substrate.

If transshipment is used, then the root ball is left untouched - such flowers tolerate the procedure more easily and begin to grow faster. 

If there are signs of root rot, then remove the flower from the old pot and shake off the remaining substrate from the roots. The roots are inspected and the areas affected by rot are cut back to healthy tissue.

After pruning, the wound surface is treated with charcoal powder or wood ash - this will allow it to dry out faster and disinfect it. 

You should not rush to feed the transplanted plants - their root system could be damaged during the procedure and contact with a chemical solution on the roots can cause a burn.

For 3 weeks, the flower will have enough of the nutrients that are already in the fresh soil. 

Diseases and pests 

• Dry and damaged leaves  may indicate too much fertilizer. In this case, do not fertilize the plant at all for a month, and then dilute the fertilizer well. You can cut off damaged leaves at soil level.
• The plant's leaves turn yellow if the watering schedule is incorrect.
• Stagnation of water at the root system leads to the appearance of root rot.
• The tips of the leaves dry out when there is insufficient air humidity or when placed near heating devices.
• If exposed to direct sunlight, burns may appear on the leaf plates. 
• With insufficient lighting, variegated plants lose their attractive bright coloring of leaves.
• Leaf blades lose turgor and become sluggish when there is a lack of moisture in the soil.
• Leaves become dry when kept in hot conditions.
• Aspidistra does not grow - either the plant lacks fertilizer or is kept in cool conditions with short daylight hours.
• Leaf blades darken when exposed to cold air.
• Leaf blades may crack if large amounts of fertilizer are applied.
• Fungal diseases appear when kept in too cool rooms with high air humidity and insufficient air movement.

Harmful insects may include spider mites, scale insects, and mealybugs. 

Watering 

Aspidistra requires abundant watering during the growing season, however, allow the soil to dry out before the next watering to a depth of 2 - 3 cm.

Plants do not like either drought or excess moisture in the soil.

After watering, excess water is drained from the pan after a few minutes.

Reduce watering in autumn and winter.  If the pot with the plant is in a cool room, then the earthen ball is simply protected from drying out completely, reducing the frequency of watering to a minimum.

Overwatering the plant causes yellowing of the foliage.

For irrigation, use water that has been left standing for 24 hours at room temperature. You can water the flower with drinking bottled or filtered water.

This plant does not like watering with unsettled water.

Feeding

Aspidistra in a pot has a limited feeding area, so it periodically needs feeding.

During the period of active growth, feed the flower once a month with mineral fertilizer for ornamental foliage plants, diluted by half. The bushes are fertilized with solutions containing a fairly large amount of nitrogen.

In the fall, fertilizing is reduced to once a month, and in the winter months the flower is put into a dormant state, refusing to supply nutrients. Fertilizer application is resumed in the spring, when the aspidistra begins to form young leaves. 

Plants react positively to both mineral and organic fertilizers. Well-rotted cow or horse manure, bird droppings, and humus can be added as organic substances.

The best results can be achieved by alternating organic and mineral fertilizers.

When applying fertilizers for variegated specimens, you should be careful - with an excess amount of nutrition, their attractive leaves turn simply green.

Aspidistra in general does not like large amounts of fertilizer in the soil and tolerates a lack of it better.

Interestingly, plants grown in well-lit areas will develop faster and, accordingly, consume more fertilizers compared to those bushes that are kept in partial shade.

Containment temperature

House flowers easily adapt to temperature changes from 10 to 29 ° C. 

Aspidistra is a moderately heat-loving crop, grows well at air temperatures of 14 - 18° C. When the air temperature rises to 20 ° C and above, the air humidity and frequency of watering should be increased.

It is advisable to provide the flower with a cool dormant period in the autumn-winter period, which the plant will spend at a temperature of about 16 ° C, but this condition is not mandatory.

Aspidistra does not tolerate frosts, but is tolerant of sudden changes in temperature.

Lighting

Aspidistra is shade-tolerant, prefers partial shade and does not tolerate direct sun - it leads to brown burns on the leaves. This plant contains a large amount of chlorophyll in its leaves, so growing it in partial shade is preferable. 

Variegated specimens are more demanding of lighting and can sunbathe early in the morning or late in the evening. If there is not enough light, their leaves may turn simply green.

The most preferable places for keeping flowers are the window sills of northwestern, northeastern or even northern windows. 

In autumn and early winter, you can place the flower on the western or eastern side - at this time the sun loses its activity and often remains behind the clouds.

If the room is too dark, you can supplement the light with regular fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps.

If you place the pot in deep shade, plants with green leaves will slow down their development.

Spraying

Aspidistra tolerates fairly dry air from heated rooms as long as it is kept cool. 

In spring and summer, spray the plant with a fine mist of water at room temperature. Spraying is carried out mainly in the first half of the day so that droplets of water do not remain on the leaves at night.

You should not use unsettled tap water to spray the flower - after drying it will leave unsightly whitish stains on the surface of the glossy leaf plates.

You can increase air humidity using a tray with wet pebbles placed under the pot - the surface of the water should not reach the bottom of the pot.

Placing several plants in a small space or any open vessel filled with water and placed in close proximity to the flower increases atmospheric humidity well.

Aspidistra likes to be in rooms with good air circulation, but it is better to protect the plant from cold drafts. 

Purpose

It is believed that aspidistra is capable of purifying the air in the room from harmful impurities such as phenol and tobacco smoke. The flower is also capable of saturating the atmosphere of a residential building with oxygen.

The leaves are used in floristry - they are inserted into flower arrangements and bouquets.

Note

The bushes easily tolerate polluted atmosphere, so the flower can be grown even on the balcony of an apartment located near a busy highway.

It is interesting that in the plant's homeland, in Asia, dense thickets of aspidistra are used as shelter by snakes. Local residents know this feature and watch the plants - the rustling and movement of the leaves serve as a hint about the approach of amphibians.

In folk medicine of eastern countries, the leaves of the flower are used as a wound-healing agent - it is believed that they can disinfect wounds and help stop bleeding.

Fresh leaves of the flower help improve the condition of the gums and help with periodontitis.

It is believed that the plant has diuretic properties and helps remove stones from the kidneys.

Types of aspidistra:

Aspidistra elatior

        An evergreen herbaceous perennial houseplant native to Japan and China. The leaves are glossy, dark green, pointed, up to 60 cm long, on short basal petioles. The flowers are hidden in the foliage, on short and strong peduncles.

Aspidistra Variegata

       An attractive ornamental foliage plant with large, green leaves with numerous longitudinal white or light green stripes. The variegated species reaches a height of 50 cm.

Aspidistra "Milky Way"

     The species is distinguished by long, lanceolate leaves with a glossy surface and small yellow dots resembling stars.