Reineckea

Family.  Liliaceae

Origin. Japan, China.

Description. Reineckea is a perennial herbaceous plant that forms a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves. The leaves are simple, green, in some species the underside of the leaf blade is painted red. The flowers are small - up to 1.5 cm in diameter, but are collected in large inflorescences - spikelets, pink, fragrant, opening sequentially - from bottom to top. After flowering, round, red berries appear. There are variegated forms.

Height. It grows slowly and reaches 20 cm in height.

Care at home

Temperature 

Easily adapts to temperature changes from 10 to 29 ° C. Moderately thermophilic crop, grows well at air temperatures of 14 - 18 ° C. Pots can be placed on northern and western windows. 

Lighting

Shade-tolerant species, prefers partial shade and does not tolerate direct sunlight - this leads to the appearance of brown burns on the leaves.

Care

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

Substrate

Reneckias grow well in drained, loose, nutritious soil, which contains a fairly large amount of organic matter. A mixture of leaf humus, peat, with the addition of coarse sand or perlite to improve drainage is suitable.

Feeding

During the period of active growth, once a month with fertilizer diluted by half. Do not feed in autumn and winter.

Purpose

Reineckea can be used as a ground cover plant.

Flowering time

Spring Summer.

Air humidity

Tolerates fairly dry air from heated rooms. 

Soil moisture

Water generously during the growing season, but allow the soil to dry out before watering again. Reduce watering in the fall and winter. Overwatering will cause yellowing of the foliage.

Transfer

Replant in spring into fresh soil as needed. 

Reproduction

Divide in spring when the bush fills the pot, about every 5 years. It is better to cut young shoots and root them in a separate pot, rather than replanting older specimens. Seeds.

Pests and diseases

Dry and damaged leaves may indicate an excess of fertilizers. Stop fertilizing for a month, and then dilute the nutrient solution well. You can trim off damaged leaves at the soil level. With excess moisture, the leaves turn yellow and may even fall off; stagnant water at the roots leads to rotting of the root system.

Spider mites may appear.