General description of a representative of the flora, recommendations for the care of homalocladium, difficulties in cultivation and ways of solving them, interesting facts. Homalocladium is an example of the Buckwheat family (Polygonaceae), it is very extensive and includes about 55 genera, and the number of species reaches 1250 units. The genus of the same name contains only one single representative of the Homalocladium platycladum, which can be referred to under the botanical names Coccoloba platyclada or Muehlenbeckia platyclados. In natural conditions, this green inhabitant of the planet can be found in the wild in the Solomon Islands, as well as the island territories of New Guinea and New Caledonia. He also settled in other areas where a tropical climate dominates, such are the lands of Puerto Rico, India and Bolivia, Nicaragua and Pakistan also belong there, and the island of Madagascar is also added.
However, if we analyze the specific name of the plant, then it basically contains the Latin word "platys", translated as "flat" or "wide", which reflects the contours of the stems of homalocladium. In everyday life, it bears very unusual names - "centipede plant", and in America it is called "Bush's tape", there is one more unsightly name, since the flat stems reminded someone of worms, then the poor innocent exotic was called "tapeworm plant "Or" tapeworm grass ".
So, homalocladium is an evergreen shrub, the height of which rarely exceeds the values varying within 60-120 cm in height, and the width of the shrub does not exceed 45-90 cm. Its growth rate is quite high. The shoots are highly branched, with irregular branching, over time, they will require pruning. The leaves of the plant are very small in size with spear-shaped or lanceolate outlines. They are located opposite, their color is bright green. These leaf blades, similar to needles, quickly fly around and only stems remain on the bush, which are mistaken for leaves. These formations are called cladodia (derived from the Latin word klados, meaning "branch"), which are modified shoots of a plant, with a flattened surface, and it is they that completely carry the functions of an ordinary leaf. These stems are ribbon-like or belt-shaped, painted in a light green color and consist of multiple segments. Their surface is smooth and glossy, the size of the diameter can reach 2 cm with a length of up to 3 meters.
When the plant's shoots are still young and decorated with spear-shaped leaves, the whole bush looks very decorative. Due to the flattening of the branches, homalocladium is not at all afraid of the heat, which is usually observed in tropical regions of the planet, so the plant likes to settle in fairly bright places.
If we talk about flowers that eventually appear on the shoots, then they have no decorative value. Their sizes are small, the color is greenish-whitish, they consist of multi-flowered inflorescences, which are attached to the places where the segments of the stems are connected. The diameter of the inflorescences does not exceed 1.5 cm, their outlines are racemose. In the conditions of rooms, the flowering process is practically not observed, therefore flower growers love it for the beauty and originality of the forms of the shoots.
After flowering, fruitlets with short legs begin to ripen, they are surrounded by tepals, painted in red or pink shades. Since the plant is a representative of the Buckwheat family, the likeness of the fruits of this exotic plant with the well-known buckwheat and sorrel is immediately striking.
Because of its appearance, homalocladium is used for landscaping large rooms and halls, and is often used as an ornamental leafy crop for interior decoration.
Homalocladium care tips, planting and growing
- Lighting and location selection. The plant likes a well-lit place, but it is important that direct sunlight does not fall on the "specimen grass" at midday. It is recommended to install a pot with a bush not on a windowsill, but on a bedside table or chair next to a window, and cover the window with a curtain or tulle. If this rule is not followed, the foliage will quickly turn yellow. But it should not be placed on the north side either, since with an insufficient level of illumination, the shoots will begin to stretch towards the light source, and the growth of the bush will greatly slow down, the leaves will begin to fall off. In this case, when there is no way out, and you want to grow homalocladium in such a room, additional lighting is carried out with special phytolamps. If the windows of your room face west or east, then this arrangement is the most successful for the plant. With the arrival of the warm season, the pot with the "centipede grass" is taken out to the balcony or terrace, protected from direct sunlight and drafts.
- Growth temperature. It is best when the room is kept at a moderate temperature. During the summer months, the column of the thermometer should not go beyond 21-24 degrees, but if the temperature rises for a short period, this will not affect the decorativeness of homalocladium in any way. With the arrival of autumn and in the winter months, it is recommended to lower the heat indices so that they stay in the range of 18–20 degrees, but do not fall below 16. If suddenly the stems of the bush began to turn yellow, it means that the temperature for the "specimen grass" has dropped dramatically, and its branches begin to slowly die off.
- Air humidity when growing homalocladium should be moderate. For this, in the summer months, regular spraying of shoots with warm and soft water from a fine spray is carried out. The regularity of such operations in the spring-summer period is daily, and with the arrival of autumn and throughout the winter, especially with cold content, they are repeated only twice a week. If the water is not defended, then all the segments will become covered with whitish streaks, which will reduce the attractiveness of the "Bush tape". To remove dust, it is also recommended to wipe the stems and leaves with a damp soft cloth or napkin.
- Watering. For the plant to feel comfortable, the potting medium should always be moderately moist. With the onset of winter, watering is reduced, and the next moistening is carried out when the soil in the flowerpot has dried out a little. If the substrate is flooded, just like its strong overdrying, then the gomaloclodium will immediately react by dumping the foliage, if it is still on the plant, then the roots may begin to rot. When watering, water that is glass in a stand under the pot must be drained after 10-15 minutes, otherwise it can also threaten with subsequent rotting of the root system. Water for irrigation must be defended or boiled; rain or river water is also used.
- Fertilizer for homaloclodium, they are introduced from the beginning of spring to the end of summer days. Regular feeding every 3-4 weeks. Liquid preparations of complex fertilizers for indoor plants are used. It is better if there is an increased nitrogen content in such liquids, which will make it possible to build up the leaf (stem) mass. There are recommendations in the spring months to sprinkle the surface of the substrate in a flowerpot with dry crushed mullein.
- Pruning "solitary grass". If you do not care for the stems of homalocladium, then the bush grows very quickly and loses its attractiveness. Some growers shorten the shoots during the transplantation process, while others advise adjusting the shape of the bush 2-3 times a year. In the spring, branches are cut with well-sharpened and disinfected scissors or garden tools. For disinfection, wipe them with potassium permanganate or alcohol. The shoots should be shortened so that only 6–8 cm from the soil surface remains. This procedure will further stimulate the activation of lateral stem growth.
- General plant care. The shoots of the "Bush tape" very quickly become long and can break off under their own weight, therefore, it is required to install supports in the pot with each transplant. 3-4 bamboo sticks should be buried to the full depth of the flowerpot, and then the central shoot is tied to them using a soft tape or wide rope.
- Transplantation and selection of the desired substrate. It is often required to change the pot and substrate for young homalocladiums (annually), since they grow rather quickly, and over time only after the earthen lump is mastered by the root system of the plant or the bush grows strongly and the flowerpot becomes small for it. Holes are made in the bottom of the pot to drain excess moisture, then they should not be large so that the drainage material does not fall out. Before filling the soil, a drainage layer of 2–3 cm is laid, it can be medium-fraction expanded clay, pebbles, broken shards of small size. The pot is selected large enough, taking into account the subsequent growth of the homaloclodium. It is recommended to use ceramic containers, as they have a more porous structure and then there will be no acidification of the substrate.
The soil for planting "specimen grass" should be light and friable, and its nutritional value, sufficient moisture and air permeability are also important. You can make a dredge from the following options:
- greenhouse or garden soil, peat soil and sand (in proportions 1: 1: 0, 5);
- garden soil, humus soil, fibrous peat substrate, coarse sand (1: 1: 1: 0, 5).
To make the mixture even more friable, a little finely crushed and sifted bricks, perlite or crushed polystyrene are mixed into it.
Homaloclodium self-breeding rules
To get a new bush of "specimen grass" it is required to carry out cuttings or division of the mother plant.
To propagate the "Bush tape" using the grafting method, you will need to select a well-branched lateral branch from spring to autumn days. An annual shoot can become a cutting, which should be cut off from the main stem. The length of the branch should not fluctuate within 8-10 cm. A shallow container is prepared, at the bottom of which drainage material is laid (for example, small expanded clay or pebbles), and then it is filled with a sandy-peat substrate (parts of the mixture components must be equal). It is recommended to treat the cut of the cutting with phytohormone of growth (say, "Kornevin"), this will accelerate its rooting. And it is better to plant 3-4 cuttings in pots. The germination temperature should be within room limits (20-24 degrees), and a place protected from direct sunlight.
As soon as the growth of the cuttings is noticed, it means that they have already released the roots and started, then it will be necessary to pick the seedlings into separate pots, placing 2-3 seedlings in each, this will subsequently be a guarantee of a beautifully branched bush of homalocladium. The substrate is selected the same as for growing adult specimens. You will need to immediately provide a support for future shoots in the flowerpot, since the plant grows very quickly.
Sometimes such cut branches are placed in a vessel with boiled water, so you can also wait for the roots to appear. As soon as the cuttings develop root processes up to 2–3 cm long, they are planted in separate pots with suitable soil. If in the spring the transplant of "solitary grass" is carried out, then it is possible to perform the division of a strongly overgrown bush. In this case, the plant is removed from the old container and its rhizome is cut with the help of a well-sharpened knife. Potassium permanganate or simple alcohol is taken as a disinfectant solution. Before planting, it is recommended to sprinkle the slices with activated or charcoal crushed into powder. Then each of the sections is planted in a separate container with a suitable soil for homolacladium. Until the plants take root, it is not recommended to place them in direct sunlight, and you should be more careful with watering.
Diseases and pests of homalocladium
Of the possible difficulties that have to be solved, when growing this exotic, the following can be distinguished:
- Stretching stems and their pale coloration is a sign of insufficient lighting. The plant will need to be rearranged closer to the light source, and shortened shoots that are too elongated.
- If the shoots began to take on a yellow color and become dull, then the level of illumination is excessive. You will need to transfer homalocladium to a more shaded place or hang a gauze curtain or light curtain on the window.
- In the case when the tops of the stems and even the leaves turn very yellow and then dry out, the reason for this is the low humidity in the room. It will be necessary to spray the “tapeworm grass” in the summer, and in winter to increase the humidity in other ways: put mechanical humidifiers next to it; place vessels filled with water near the pot; put a flowerpot with a plant in a deep tray, at the bottom of which drainage material is poured, and a small amount of water is poured (the main thing is that the liquid level does not touch the edge of the pot).
- When the substrate in the flowerpot is too waterlogged, the stems begin to rot at the base, while the plant withers, turns yellow, the soil in the container turns sour. It is necessary to limit watering, and when the substrate dries out, transplant gomaloclodium into fresh soil.
In case of violation of the conditions of detention, damage by harmful insects occurs:
- Spider mite. When attacked by this pest, the leaves and stems turn yellow, and a thin cobweb covers them. Severely affected shoots will need to be removed, and all remaining ones should be wiped with a sponge or cloth soaked in one of the following: soapy water, alcohol or oil. For a soap composition, it is required to dissolve laundry soap or any dishwashing detergent in water. 2–3 drops of rosemary oil are added to the water as an oil, and a pharmacy infusion of calendula can be used as an alcohol preparation. If these sparing agents do not help, then treatment with insecticidal preparations is carried out. Sometimes, for prevention, repeated spraying with chemicals is performed, after two weeks.
- When a mealybug appears on the stems, cotton-like lumps of whitish color are formed, the homaloclodium stops growing, and some of the segments can also be covered with a sugary sticky bloom (pest discharge). These lumps must be removed with a sharp stick (you can use a toothpick), and all the shoots are wiped with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, then you will need to rinse the stems with clean water.
Interesting facts about homalocladium
The plant still does not have a definitively approved classification in the APGIII system, which is the modern taxonometric system in which all flowering plants are classified. It was developed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and was first published in 2009 in the Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Society of London. And as you know, Karl Linnaeus first began to classify all plants discovered and described at that time.
What homalocladium flat-flowered looks like, see here:
