Tsikas: description, types, home care + errors

Exotic indoor cicada many take for a palm tree. However, the oldest flower is not associated with it. This is a plant related to ferns.

The biological species appeared on Earth before glaciation. Petrified leaf remains are found in Mesozoic sediments. Tsikas - a plant of the Cycas family - can be found in tropical forests. There are about 90 varieties of decorative flower.

The homeland of the plant is considered to be the moist tropics of the eastern hemisphere. It is found in some countries of Africa, on the islands of Japan. In Russia, it grows on the Black Sea coast.

Description: appearance, trunk, leaves, features

Tsikas belong to coniferous plants. It resembles a palm tree due to its spreading crown.

A powerful trunk with a diameter of 20-80 cm reaches a height of 7 m. Its bark resembles a shell. Indoor tsikasas are unhurried in growth: in a year, 1-2 leaf branches appear. They are distinguished by elasticity, immunity to the environment. The flower is unpretentious to care at home.

The plant has hard leaves that appear simultaneously in the lower part of the downy rosette. At the beginning of the formation, they are reminiscent of the unfolding waii of a fern. Within 1-2 months they become leathery, more rigid. Having reached the stage of reproduction, semi-glossy leaves take on strongly curved shapes.

Tsikas is a bisexual plant. You can distinguish between masculine and feminine forms by cone. She appears at the top. In a female specimen, a cone resembles a cabbage; large seeds of a dark red color ripen in it. Pollen forms in the male.

Tsikas is a poisonous plant. Toxins contained in the floral parts, when ingested, cause severe poisoning. The decorative flower should be located in places inaccessible to children and animals.

Types of Tsikas for indoor breeding

In areas with a mild, warm climate, saga palm is used for landscaping streets and squares.

In indoor floriculture, a small number of varieties are used for breeding.

Home Care for Cicas - Seasonal Table

Plant a decorative flower should be in a good permeable soil. Tsikas requires moderate watering: the colder the room, the less often the flower is moistened. Water should immediately pass through the soil into the sump. After half an hour, it is drained.

When moistening the plant, care should be taken to prevent large drops of liquid from falling onto the leaves. A fine cloud should create air humidity around the flower (70-80%). Under such conditions, the cicada feels comfortable.

Caring for the cycas, wipe the leaves with a soft cloth. Tsikas gratefully responds to spraying with warm water, any air humidification. In the winter season, watering is reduced. The plant is provided with a state of rest.

For a year, cicada grows by 3 cm, forming one level of leaves. With a good relationship, a long-lived flower develops for decades.

Errors in care, their elimination

Transplant: pot, soil, step-by-step description, features

For good growth, cicasus needs a slightly acidic, nutritious, soil. The art of compiling a substrate is the key to the prosperity of any indoor flower. Use natural materials in approximately equal amounts:

• sphagnum moss with leaf litter;
• pine bark of various fractions - pre-processed, digested;
• pine nutshell - prevents soil acidification;
• thorny ground - light, nutritious;
• peat - rich in trace elements that improve the composition of any soil;
• fine fractions of brick chips;
• coarse river sand;
• crumb of birch coal.

The mixture is sterilized before use (for example: in the microwave - + 200 ° C, in a water bath - + 80 ° C). You can use ready-made soil for palm trees.

Tsikas is a slowly growing flower. In a light, well-drained substrate, he will spend at least 3 years.

• Remove the cicada from the transport pot. The condition for safe extraction is preliminary drying of the soil for two days.
• Remove old soil from the roots.
• Dry the tuber under an ultraviolet lamp for 2 hours.
• Pick up a new pot made of harder plastic: the plant will settle in it for several years. For additional aeration, make holes in the side walls.
• Use a prepared substrate, the usual drainage expanded clay is not needed. The volume of the new pot slightly exceeds the size of the previous one.
• At the bottom, lay a layer of 3 cm. Leave the tuberous bulb on the surface of the substrate, without deepening into the soil, cover it with earth.
• It is good to shed the soil by filling the pot with water to the level of the base of the root ball. Allow excess moisture to drain. Further watering should be carried out as the soil dries 3 cm in depth. Use slightly warm reverse osmosis water or purified through a filter.
• Choose a suitable location for the plant. Best of all is the east window. The abundance of sunshine has a beneficial effect on it without hit by midday burning rays.

It is advisable to transplant at an early age.

A young plant can be transplanted by transshipment when the root system begins to grow. Adult tsikasa disturb in extreme cases. Transplantation is permissible in cases of root growth for the drainage system. You can put the flower in a plastic pot. As you grow, use a more capacious planter, suitable for the interior of the room.

Breeding

In indoor conditions, the plant does not bloom. Growing cicas from seeds will take more than 3 months. Florists propagate by children forming at the base of the trunk. Landing is done in the spring.

The shoot is ready when it reaches 7 cm.

The best option is to purchase an adult plant, the price of which reaches 5-7 thousand rubles.

Diseases, pests

The main problem of gardeners is the susceptibility of plants to rot.

All kinds of pests cause trouble.

An unusually beautiful plant will become a worthy decoration of any room. In leaving it is unpretentious.

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