Growing, planting and caring for scindapsus at home
Scindapsus is a vine that needs home care. This tropical visitor pleases all year round with its large, leathery, often variegated leaves. The creeping plant can be hung on the wall or placed on the ground, forcing the stems to wrap around the support. Scindapsus needs moderate watering, feeding and diffused sunlight. The vine can only grow in the heat; at negative values, it dies.
Description and peculiarities of the plant
Scindapsus is a deciduous perennial climbing plant belonging to the Aroides family. Native to the tropics. This evergreen vine with large, leathery alternate leaves is grown in our climate as an ampelous houseplant. The stem can be up to 3 meters long.
Scindapsus is called devil's ivy. The liana received this name due to the mottled color of the leaves and the poisonous juice that can cause poisoning. There are several types of splits.All plants have in common - they are fast-growing vines with leathery heart-shaped or ovoid leaves. Scindapsus rarely flowers in captivity. Flowers - small, collected in an inflorescence spike. If the pot hangs on the wall, the branches of the scindapus hang down. You can lay the plant on the ground and set up a support for it to climb and grow.
Main varieties
Under natural conditions, the vine clings to the branches of a tree and rises. It has underground and aerial roots. In the tropics, the scindapsus gets its food and water from the land and the environment. There are several varieties of vines. All plants have smooth green leathery leaves, sometimes covered with spots, dots, strokes.
Golden
It is a vine with shiny leaves in the shape of a heart. The leaf plate is decorated with golden spots. The length of the sheet is 15-20 centimeters. The plant likes bright but diffused light. Leaves may fade in shade.
Painted
This vine has leathery pointed leaves, dotted with silver spots. The length of the sheet is 15-20 centimeters. The leaves sit on short stalks, it seems that they grow directly from the stem.
Pinnate
This variety has large, heart-shaped leaves that are pointed at the tip. On the surface of the leaf, on either side of the midrib, oblong holes appear over time. The leaf is dissected pinnate.
Siamese
This is a vine with large, heart-shaped leaves that have an interesting color: several light green (silver) spots often blending into each other.
Conditions of detention
Scindapsus is an unpretentious climbing plant with a lifespan of more than 10 years. The vine is fast growing. With proper care, the stem grows 30-50 centimeters per year.
Lighting
The vine can grow in the shade, however, it prefers bright but diffused light. Good lighting is essential for variegated species. In a dark place, the leaf pattern may disappear. It is undesirable to put the flowerpot on the windowsill. In summer, being in the sun for a long time, the leaves may turn yellow and fall off. The scindapsus can be placed in front of the window. The duration of daylight hours must be at least 10 hours per day. In autumn-winter, the plant needs artificial lighting in the evening.
air humidity
This tropical vine is perfectly adapted to indoor conditions. The air humidity should be above 60 percent. In summer, the leaves can be irrigated with water at room temperature every 2 days. From time to time, the sheet metal plates can be wiped with a damp sponge and cleaned of dust. In winter, the vine should be placed away from heating appliances.
Temperature
This thermophilic plant in our latitudes feels great at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius. In winter, he can stand in a room where the thermometer does not drop below 15 degrees Celsius. At subzero temperatures, the plant dies. Scindapsus is also afraid of drafts.
Soil and capacity
The vine prefers to grow in a loose, nutritious substrate of slightly acidic or neutral acidity. It is better to buy ready-made soil purchased in the store for decorative deciduous crops. The soil mixture is prepared from peat, sand, turf, leaves, garden soil and compost. Plant the plant in an appropriately sized pot. It must have a hole, be spacious, plastic or ceramic. At the bottom of the container you need to pour the drainage from the expanded clay stones.
watering
Scindapsus prefers regular but moderate watering. In summer, the plant should be watered every 2 days. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced. Liana in winter is watered only once a week. For irrigation use soft settled water.
It is important to always remember that this plant does not like excess moisture. This will signal overwatering - drops will appear under the leaf.
If waterlogged, the root system will begin to rot. The liana is watered only if the topsoil has dried out a little. Once in a while (once a month) the Scindapsus can take a hot shower in the bathroom. This procedure will refresh the plant and help get rid of insects that have settled in the foliage.
top dresser
Liana is fed in spring, summer, early autumn. In winter, no feeding is carried out. For scindapsus, they buy a universal liquid fertilizer for decorative deciduous crops (with nitrogenous substances). In spring, summer and early autumn, the vine is fed every two weeks. The fertilizer is dissolved in water at the desired concentration. It is advisable to halve the dose recommended in the instructions so that the plant does not "burn" after applying the fertilizer.
Dormant period
In late fall and winter, plant metabolism slows down. True, the vine does not have a pronounced dormancy, it does not lose its leaves, it remains green all year round.
Bloom
Scindapsus does not flower in captivity. Reproduces vegetatively.
Cut and shape
The vine grows very quickly. At the end of winter, the main stem can be shortened to stimulate side shoots. It is recommended to pinch heavily overgrown branches.The plant can be left hanging from the pot or forced to roll up the support. A rail or trellis is used as a support.
Seasonal Care Features
The plant must be maintained regularly throughout the year. It must be remembered that seasonal conditions affect the growth and well-being of a vine.
Spring
This is a period of active growth of the scindapsus. Liana is watered every 3 days, once a week fed with nitrogen fertilizers. In early spring, the stems are shortened.
Summer
In hot weather, the plant is watered every 2 days, every other day the foliage is sprayed with water. The vines receive a hot shower once a month. Complex fertilizing is introduced into the soil every two weeks.
Autumn
At the beginning of autumn, the vine is watered every 3 days, fertilized once every 2 weeks. With the approach of winter, the number of waterings is reduced, and feeding is completely stopped.
Winter
In winter, the air temperature in which the vine is located should not fall below 15 degrees Celsius. The plant is watered only once a week. Top dressing is not done in winter.
How to plant and replant
An adult plant is transplanted every 3-5 years from a smaller pot (container) to a larger one. The transplant is performed at the end of February. The vine is transplanted into a new fertile substrate. When transplanting, the root system of the scindapsus is examined. All rotten, diseased and dried roots are removed.
the reproduction
Scindapsus can be propagated by cuttings or layering. Grapevine propagation is best done in spring or summer.
Cuttings
For reproduction, it is better to take cuttings obtained during pruning, that is, the tops of the stems with a growing point. The twig should be put in a glass of water, add Kornevin.The stem can be immediately planted in a moist substrate and covered with a transparent bottle. From time to time, the sprout should be ventilated and moistened. Usually after 3-4 weeks the cuttings have their own roots. Such a sprout can be transplanted to a permanent place in a pot.
Layers
With this method of reproduction, one of the branches of the middle liana is sprinkled with soil in a nearby pot. In contact with soil and moisture, the roots grow on the stem. When this happens, the cuttings are cut from the mother plant, and the shoot itself is planted in a new pot.
Solve common problems
A plant growing in a nutrient substrate will do no harm if it is watered in time, kept warm and fed in moderation. With improper care, the vine can lose its leaves.
Care errors
Scindapsus should not be exposed to direct sunlight or its leaves will wilt. It is not recommended to fill the pot with water - in this case the roots will begin to rot. If the vine is watered very rarely, its leaves turn yellow and fall off.
Diseases
Fungal diseases develop if the plant is flooded with water. When the soil becomes waterlogged, the roots begin to rot, the leaf plates become covered with spots or mold. Plants overfed with nitrogen and not receiving all the minerals necessary for their development are diseased.
If spots are found on the leaves, signs of wilting, the plant should be removed from the pot and examined. Sick and rotten roots should be removed, affected, yellowed, covered with spots of rust or mold, leaves should be cut off.The plant can be watered with a fungicide solution (Fitosporin, Fundazol) and planted in a fresh substrate.
pests
If the liana pot is taken out to the street, insects can settle in the ground or on the plant itself. For example, mealybugs, scale insects, spider mites, thrips. If insects are found, the plant can be taken to the bathroom and take a hot shower. Pests remaining on the leaves can be picked up by hand with a cotton swab dipped in soapy water. The foliage can be irrigated with an insecticide or acaricide solution (Aktara, Aktellik, Kleschevit).
Popular varieties
Scindapsus is a popular houseplant among flower growers. It is not grown for the first year in our region. Breeders have developed interesting varieties of this vine with leaves of different colors.
golden queen
This variety belongs to the Golden species. The vine has smooth leathery leaves. Each limb has an original pattern of golden and light green lines and spots.
marble queen
She is also called Marble Queen. The vine has an original variegated (mixed) color. The green leaves are speckled with silver strokes. The leaves are ovoid, pointed at the tip.
Tricolor
Another variety of golden scindapsus.The leaves of this vine are decorated with three colors: cream, golden, greenish. The pattern is chaotic, non-repeating, consisting of spots of different sizes scattered over the surface of the leaf.
N-Joy
It is a hybrid bred by Dutch breeders. The N-Joy variety has a compact appearance. The vine has curly shoots and medium-sized pointed ovoid leaves with silvery-white spots on the edges.
Exotic
This variety has a slightly curved leaf. One half of the leaf plate is slightly smaller than the other.The leaf is green, speckled with silver spots.
Trebi
Dutch hybrid with a long curly stem and large leaves. The leaf blade has a variegated silver-green color. From a distance, the leaf looks like the back of a lizard.
Money
This variety has small heart-shaped dark green leaves, densely covered with silver spots. The length of the sheet does not exceed 15 centimeters.
Neon
This plant is also called Golden Neon. It has light green, shiny, glossy leaves. The surface of the leaves is smooth, monochrome, without spots. The leaves are attached to the stem with long petioles.
Additional tips and tricks
Scindapsus is recommended for decorating living rooms. Liana can braid any support or simply cling to the pot. The large leaves of this plant secrete phytoncides and purify the air from pathogenic microbes.
Scindapsus does not react to high humidity and a sharp increase in temperature, so it can be placed in the kitchen on the top shelf. The plant not only cleans the air of toxic substances, but also has an original appearance. It is used to decorate a room, to create a green oasis that looks like a jungle.