Some lovers of indoor plants have a question: what is asparagus? It is called asparagus, as the flower is an integral part of the Asparagus family. In total there are about 300 species. The plant does not need careful care, for which he earned the sympathy of flower growers. Knowing what asparagus care requires at home, you can make it an unusual decoration element. It is worthwhile to understand what asparagus is, how to care for it, and how the plant multiplies.
General information
Asparagus flower is a perennial plant that has the appearance of shrubs or shoots growing from the ground. The height of the stems can reach from 120 to 160 cm. Leaflets of green color, soft to the touch, in appearance resemble a Christmas tree.
Asparagus - an unpretentious flower that grows at home or in the garden
The plant is called differently: asparagus or asparagus. These are synonyms, but the first name more often refers to a vegetable grown in the garden, and the second refers to a houseplant.
Almost all types of home-grown plants come from South Africa, where there is a clear separation of the seasonal rhythm. For this reason, the flower is not used to low temperatures and a decrease in watering intensity in the winter. Some species dump the aboveground part in order to spring new shoots.
In the wild, asparagus asparagus is found in Europe and India.
As a houseplant, pyramidal and cirrus asparagus are most often grown. The first in appearance is similar to juniper. It will be appropriate to look both in the house and in the office.
The cirrus flower has thin and reduced leaves that are similar to small scales. Another name for setaceus asparagus is the cyst robot.
Cirrus asparagus is similar to juniper
To plant began to bloom, you should make a lot of effort. If flowering has begun, artificial pollination can be performed. To do this, use a soft brush to take pollen on one flower and carefully transfer it to another. As a result, fruits appearing in the form of saturated red berries.
Cooking Application
Young shoots of asparagus are used in cooking. They can be of different colors: white, purple, pink or green. Vegetable culture brings many benefits, it contains a large number of useful trace elements, folic acid, selenium, choline, nicotinic acid, vitamins of the groups C, K, E, A, B.
Asparagus is part of many recipes
For cooking, take young shoots. With them, you can perform any culinary manipulations: preserve, bake, fry, stew, cook. Asparagus is excellent for preparing side dishes, cooking soups, desserts. It is combined with meat, game, poultry, fish and seafood.
Important! Asparagus is one of the most expensive vegetable crops.
Care Features
If you properly care for the asparagus indoor, it will delight the eye with an attractive appearance. To obtain a healthy and beautiful plant, it is necessary to observe the right temperature, light, humidity, use the right soil and top dressing.
Temperature mode
Care for asparagus should not be too serious, but you can not keep it for a long time in the heat. The optimum temperature is from 22 to 24 degrees. If in winter the room where the houseplant is located is above 15 degrees, its leaves will begin to fall off. In the event of such a problem, dried shoots must be cut off.
Lighting
For asparagus, care implies the presence of a large amount of light, but direct sunlight should not fall on the sheet. If there is a place for a flower only on the south side of the room, place it further from the window opening. In summer, the plant can be placed outside, but away from the midday sun, drafts and precipitation.
Watering
Watering plants should not be treated after the sleeves. Asparagus does not tolerate excessively moist or dry land. For this reason, you should choose a middle ground: the top layer of open ground should dry out, the rest of the earth should remain moist.
Important! The roots of the plant are able to accumulate moisture. Stagnant moisture in them can destroy the flower.
During the period of active growth (spring and summer), regular watering should be provided, as a result of which the soil will not be allowed to dry out.
Watering a flower should not be neglected
In winter, the frequency of water supply should be reduced. Water must be warm to moisturize. In some cases, gardeners use lower watering (water flows only through a tray).
Spraying
Spraying with useful components is necessary during the active period of plant growth. For bright coloring of the crown of the flower, a solution for growth stimulation called Bud is suitable. The product is diluted in the following proportions: 1 g per 1 liter.
During the heating period, asparagus should be sprayed with slightly warm water. This is necessary so that the plant receives enough moisture and does not dry out.
Humidity
When growing room asparagus, it is necessary to regularly moisten the air by spraying. The best time for this is morning or early evening (before the sun has already set). Humidity is increased not only with a spray gun. Moistened sphagnum or expanded clay is poured into the pan. A pot of plants is placed on top of it.
Priming
Carefully select the composition of the earth for the asparagus plant is not necessary. For planting and transplanting, a soil mixture for ferns or slightly acidic universal soil is suitable. To improve the conductivity of moisture, coarse sand is added to the finished purchased mixture.
For better flowering, a specially prepared substrate is suitable. It is easy to do it yourself. Mix 1 part humus, turf and leafy soil and half the volume of coarse sand (1 * 1 * 1 * 0.5). To prevent stagnation in the root water system, drainage is used, which should occupy a third of the total volume of the pot. The drainage mixture is sold in flower shops or using broken brick, polystyrene balls, small pebbles or clay shards.
Important! A young and fast-growing asparagus needs an annual transplant. Adult plants are transplanted every 2-3 years.
Top dressing
Before growing asparagus at home, it is necessary to take into account that the plant should be fed for a year. In winter, top dressing is performed infrequently: 1 time in 28-30 days, in the fall 1 time in 14 days, in spring and summer - once every 7 days. Ready-made mineral fertilizers are chosen, which can be purchased at each store. They are alternated with organic top dressing.
The plant is regularly fed
The mixture should be weakly concentrated. Excessive nutrients will not benefit the plant.
In winter time
In winter, asparagus flowers do not need an excessively warm room. Approximate air temperature should range from 15 to 16 degrees. The plant is extremely negative towards a sharp increase in temperature.
Watering during the heating season should be carried out regularly. This procedure is not necessary if the flower is kept in a cool room.
Pruning
Targeted pruning is not necessary for crown formation. If you trim a healthy branch, it will cease to curl and may soon die. From this pruning will only harm. Only old and yellowed stems can be removed. When performing such an action during a transplant, the plant will receive a push to form a young shoot and maintain a decorative appearance of the plant.
Reproduction of asparagus
To perform asparagus breeding, 3 methods are used:
- Planting seeds;
- Rhizome division;
- The use of cuttings.
From seed
Growing asparagus from seeds is easy. You can buy them in the store or get at home. This will require artificial pollination. Sow the seeds immediately after harvest: January - March.
Asparagus can be propagated by seed
Perform the following actions:
- the seed is soaked in water at room temperature for 48 hours;
- shallowly sow each seed in a mixture of peat and sand;
- cover the container with glass or polyethylene;
- the resulting mini-greenhouse is aired and moistened from time to time;
- seedlings should appear in about a month, until this time the seeds should be kept in the shade at a temperature of 20 to 22 degrees;
- when shoots appear, you can transfer plants to a more illuminated place, but not in direct sunlight;
- as soon as the crops reach 10 cm in height, they should be rooted in separate pots with a substrate, after which they provide the same care as an adult plant.
Rhizome division
The division of the rhizome can be called the classic way of rejuvenating and propagating the plant. It is most simple and easy to combine with transfers:
- The root ball of a flower is divided into several parts.
- On the root shoots are removed that begin to rot.
- Slices on the roots sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.
- Each part should be planted in a separate pot and care for the flower in the same way as with a conventional transplant.
Important! It is recommended to divide the rhizome manually, but you can do this with the help of the skin.
Cuttings
So that asparagus can reproduce in this way, it is necessary to take only young shoots that reach a length of about 15 cm. Raw materials for cuttings should be prepared in the first months of spring.
The process should be phased:
- planting cut last year's cuttings in wet sand and cover with polyethylene;
- covered containers are placed in a bright place, the temperature of which should not be higher than 21 degrees;
- periodically received greenhouse must be ventilated and moistened;
- rooting occurs in about a month;
- after that, the plants are planted in the ground.
A plant can be propagated in several ways. Everyone chooses the option that will be best suited.
Possible growing problems
With improper care with the plant, many problems can arise:
- The stems stopped growing after pruning. The plant has a feature in which cut shoots stop their growth.
- Fall of foliage. Such a problem may occur as a result of direct exposure to leaves of sunlight or due to dry air. Too dark a place can also provoke shedding of the plant.
- The appearance of spots on the foliage. The plant has a negative reaction to direct exposure to the sun. It is because of it that small spots can appear on the leaves, which are sunburns. Due to the bright sun, yellowing of the edges of each leaf may be observed.
- Pests. Sometimes asparagus can attack harmful insects. Most often, the plant is attacked by a spider mite. Experts do not recommend the use of chemicals for spraying, as the flower reacts negatively to them. It is better to use alternative methods, which can be no less effective than chemistry.
Often amateur gardeners have a question: why does asparagus turn yellow and show off what to do.
There may be several reasons:
- over-dried soil;
- low humidity in the room;
- excess watering;
- lack of light or its excess;
- filling the pot with roots;
- high temperature in the room.
If the plant begins to look sick, a number of actions should be taken: adjust the watering regime, put the pot in a more or less lighted place, increase or decrease humidity.
Most often, a flower attacks a spider mite
Asparagus is an unpretentious plant, but even it requires care. Some types of flower can be eaten. From asparagus, delicious dishes are obtained that are perfectly combined with meat and fish. In the office or at home, the plant will be an excellent decoration of the room.
