Spiral pine, spiral palm, pandan or simply corn is popularly called the beautiful tropical plant pandanus, which has long settled in the apartments of flower lovers due to its unpretentiousness, impressive size and chic appearance. Although the plant tolerates flaws in care, creating special conditions will help it grow healthy and beautiful.

Pandanus is a false palm from the Pandanaceae family.

The exotic screw palm is native to the tropics of the eastern hemisphere. Pandanus can be found in Vietnam, Madagascar and Java, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Thailand and the Philippines. It grows on sea coasts, river banks, and tropical rainforests.

In the natural environment, there are specimens whose sizes vary from small shrubs less than 1 m high to trees 20 m high. The trunk is thick, highly branched. Depending on the species, it may be smooth or warty. Aerial or stilted roots form a pyramid, holding the trunk and a massive crown of leaves and fruits. The upper part of the plant has one or more crowns of ribbon-like leaves, which may be spiny. The length of the leaf plates (depending on the type) ranges from 30 cm to 2 m, and the width varies from 1.5 cm to 10 cm.

In Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and the Philippines, local people use the leaves of the plant for cooking. They have a pleasant herbal aroma and are used to wrap rice, meat or fish during cooking. Baskets are woven from pandanus leaves and filled into mattresses, and rafts are made from trunks.

The plant is dioecious. The male tree's flowers are long and fragrant, while the female pandanus bears round flowers that are also surrounded by bracts. The fruits are drupes that merge into one spherical fruit with a diameter of 10–20 cm, which looks like a pineapple. The color changes from green to bright orange or red as it ripens. The fruits can remain on the tree for more than 12 months.

Pandanus Veitch, Sandera and other species

Of the 600 plant species found naturally, only a few are suitable for growing as potted plants.

• Veitch's pandanus (P. veitchii). A spiral palm with a shortened trunk and stilted roots that serve as supports. The leaf blades are twisted in a spiral along the shoot. The width of the leathery leaves, painted in a bright green shade, is 5–7 cm, and the length is 60–90 cm. Veitch's pandanus grows up to 1.5 m in height. The variegated form of this species is very impressive.
• Pandanus useful (P. utilis). A fairly large indoor plant that grows up to 2–3 m. Bright green leaves, covered at the edges with thorns, colored in a reddish tint, are arranged in a spiral. The leaf blades grow up to 1.5 m in length.
• Pandanus Sandera (P. sanderi). The leaf blades reach 80 cm in length and 5 cm in width, they are dark green with thin yellowish stripes and small spines along the edges.
• The plant is powerful, reaching a height of 2 m. Narrow and leathery leaves are decorated with yellow stripes. The edges of the leaf plates are smooth, without thorns.
• This type of screw palm grows up to 1.5 m in height. Stilted (aerial) roots extend from a shortened trunk. The narrow leaves have serrated edges. The leaf blades are large, they grow up to 90 cm in length and up to 8 cm in width. The leathery leaves are colored green. The species got its name due to the fact that local residents use dense leaf plates as material for roofs of houses. They are also used to make ropes, baskets, hats and other household items.

Types in the photo

Pandanus Veitch is the most common species in indoor floriculture.
Distinctive feature pandanus useful - reddish thorns along the edges of the leaves Pandanus Sander leaves are decorated with thin yellowish stripes Pandanus Baptista - a spectacular plant with leaves decorated with yellow stripes Pandanus roofing leaves are very durable, which is why they are used as a material for roofs

Screw palm in nature - video

Pandanus in a bottle garden or florarium

Florariums have become very popular. You can place several plants in them, creating beautiful compositions from them. Flower growers sometimes wonder if pandanus can be grown this way. Due to its impressive dimensions, pandanus is not suitable for growing in florariums. For full development and growth, the screw palm needs space. In addition, high humidity inside the bottle garden will not benefit the flower.

Tips for planting and replanting pandanus at home

Replanting mature plants is quite troublesome, so you can simply change the top layer of soil in the pot every spring. To do this, take out the old substrate and add fresh soil, which is made up of:

• turf and leaf soil,
• sand,
• humus, taken in equal proportions.

A young screw palm is transplanted annually into a larger pot (select a container 2–3 cm wider and a third deeper than the previous one). Please note that the leaf blades of pandanus are covered with sharp thorns, so it is recommended to carry out the procedure only with gloves.

Step-by-step instructions for planting and replanting a screw palm tree

Video: plant transplantation

The nuances of caring for pandanus

The plant is quite unpretentious, but in order to achieve rapid growth and a spectacular appearance, it is necessary to take into account several features.

Watering

The screw palm is quite moisture-loving, so the substrate in the pot should not be allowed to dry out completely. On warm days in spring and summer, I provide the pandanus with abundant watering, and in autumn and winter I reduce the amount of moisture by half. I make sure that the moisture does not stagnate in the pot; I drain excess water from the pan an hour after moistening.

Aerial roots also need moisture. To do this, they are covered with damp (but not wet) sphagnum moss.

Cold water should not be used to water the screw palm; it is best if it is at room temperature. It is not recommended to spray pandanus, as water that gets into the middle of the rosette can cause rot. But the air around the plant needs to be sprayed, especially on hot days, since the screw palm, like any other inhabitant of the tropics, needs high humidity.

Dust often accumulates on large leaves. They are wiped with a damp sponge from the base towards the tips. It is not recommended to give pandanus a shower, since, as already mentioned, water that gets into the base of the leaves can cause the plant to rot.

Top dressing

The beautiful pandanus requires large amounts of mineral and organic nutrients. In the spring and summer, it is fed twice a month with liquid complex fertilizers, which contain both mineral components and organic biostimulants. Good results Provides root feeding with Ideal and Bona Forte preparations. Half a cap of the product is diluted in 1.5 liters of settled water. The pandanus is watered with this nutrient liquid, and the procedure is carried out an hour after watering with ordinary water.

Rest period

Pandanus does not have a clearly defined dormant period; it continues to grow even in winter. But during periods of short daylight hours, the plant should be illuminated with a fluorescent lamp. Pandanus does not tolerate coolness well, so it is best to maintain a temperature of around +20 °C.

Plant Formation

There is no need to specially shape the crown of the pandanus; the lower leaves gradually die off, forming a trunk that looks like a screw. Often the stem becomes overgrown with numerous children. Some gardeners do not remove them to make the plant look more lush. But you can cut these decks, root them and get new specimens. And as a result of this procedure, the mother plant will have a trunk and a lush crown.

Possible problems during cultivation - table

Pests

Pests can cause great damage to the screw palm. They lead to withering of the flower and deformation of the leaf plates.

Pests threatening pandanus - photo gallery

The presence of cobwebs on the reverse side of the leaf blades is the main sign of spider mite damage. The characteristic white discharge on the leaves and trunk is the result of the activity of the mealybug. Pests hide under the round brown shields

How to propagate screw palm

It is very easy to propagate pandanus using cuttings and pups (lateral shoots with aerial roots). They take root without any problems and quite quickly.

Cuttings

Many lateral shoots grow on the trunk of the pandanus, which subsequently acquire their own roots. While the roots have not grown, these shoots can be cut off from the trunk and the resulting cuttings can be used for propagation. They are rooted like this:

Children

The lateral shoots on the mother plant grow their own aerial roots. These rosettes take root well, they can be separated and new specimens can be grown very quickly. To do this you need:

Seeds

If you manage to get a pandanus fruit, then it is quite possible to grow young specimens from its seeds. This process is very interesting. To do this you need:

Pandanus (pandan) is a very spectacular plant of the Pandanaceae family. Its colorful crown consists of many long, spiny leaves. They are arranged in a spiral pattern relative to the central axis, which is why flower growers also call the flower “spiral palm.” Pandanus is native to the African tropics, Madagascar and the forests of Polynesia. In our country, pandanus is grown as a houseplant. Due to its ease of care, pandanus can be recommended to beginning flower lovers.

Botanical description

Pandanus is an evergreen perennial, in its natural environment it can reach more than 13 m in height. Indoor plant rarely exceeds 3 meters in height. Thick, dense roots go deep into the ground. It is noteworthy that the flower has not only an underground, but also an aerial rhizome.

Above the surface of the ground there is a smooth short trunk covered with light brown bark. It is almost completely hidden under sessile leaves. The top is decorated with a spreading crown of many belt-shaped leaves. They grow along the stem in a spiral. The leaves at the base fit tightly to each other. The leaf has a pronounced central vein and a bright green color. The length of the plate is 60-120 cm, and the width is 3-8 cm. There are short but very sharp spines on the sides of the leaf, as well as below along the central vein. They grow at an angle towards the edge of the leaf.

In its natural environment, the Pandanus screw palm produces flowers annually. On one tree you can find spike-shaped male inflorescences and female cone-shaped flowers. As a result of pollination, large edible fruits are formed, similar to a round pineapple. They have a pleasant sweetish taste and contain small seeds. Alas, it is almost impossible to get indoor pandan to bloom.

Pandanus species

The Pandanus genus has 600 species of plants, but most of them can only exist in the natural environment. Among indoor specimens, the most popular are the following:

This evergreen plant has a short tree-like trunk. Lignified roots descend from it like stilts. Indoor specimens grow slowly, after a decade they are no more than 1.5 m in height. The sword-shaped foliage fits tightly at the base and spreads out in the form of a fan. The length of the leaf plate is 60-90 cm with a width of 5-8 cm. The bright green foliage has a contrasting white stripe on the sides. The edges of the foliage are dotted with light brown thorns.

The indoor plant is a spreading tree up to 3 m high. The old trunk can branch. The top of the stem is crowned with a spiral crown of drooping leaves. The leaf length is 100-130 cm and the width is 5-10 cm. The dark green foliage has serrated edges and a keel.

The hard, belt-shaped leaves are 80 cm long and 5 cm wide. Along the edges of the dark green leaf there are narrow yellow stripes and brownish thorns.

A dense shrub up to 4 m high has a branched stem. Its base is elevated due to aerial roots. The crown has a pyramidal shape and consists of hard, straight leaves of a single color.

In addition to the main types, there are several decorative varieties, which allows you to choose pandanus with the most interesting appearance.

Palm tree at home

Some gardeners are afraid to start pandanus at home. The reason for this is unfounded superstition. They say that with its thorns it attracts negative energy. However, even fans of spiritual practices do not confirm this version.

At home, the plant is used as a fodder crop and also for weaving baskets. By chewing a pandanus leaf, local residents get rid of toothache. The only cause for concern is the sharp thorns, so it is not recommended to place the palm tree in a place accessible to children.

Reproduction

The pandanus flower can reproduce by seed and vegetative methods. Seed propagation is possible only in the wild, since the seeds are planted with part of the pulp immediately after the fruit ripens.

At home, a new plant can be obtained from lateral shoots (children) or by dividing a bush. Young shoots appear almost all the time at the base of the stem between the aerial roots. They have their own roots and leaf rosette. When the shoot reaches a height of 18-20 cm, it is carefully separated with a sharp knife. The seedlings are rooted in moist sandy-peaty soil. Within 1-2 weeks the plant will adapt and begin to grow.

Some types of pandanus do not produce children, so they are propagated by dividing the bush. It is necessary to cut off part of the leaf rosette with aerial roots. The cut area is sprinkled with crushed charcoal and dried in air for 24 hours. Root the cuttings in sandy-peaty soil with the addition of sphagnum moss. The seedlings need to be covered and placed in a well-lit room with an air temperature of +24...+28°C. The greenhouse is ventilated daily and the soil is moistened. Rooting is completed in 4-7 weeks.

Plant care

The rules for caring for pandanus at home are simple. Even if the maintenance is far from ideal, the plant looks good and grows in size. However, it will not be particularly beautiful and will not have large leaves. To achieve a spreading crown, you should follow a few simple rules.

Pandanus needs long daylight hours and bright lighting; it can easily tolerate direct sunlight. The ideal place would be eastern or western window sills. With a lack of light, the leaves lose their elasticity and begin to droop more; variegated forms lose their bright color. In winter, when daylight hours are short, bright lighting should be used for 6-8 hours.

The optimal air temperature for an adult plant is +22…+25°C. Cold temperatures below +15°C are detrimental to it. In the summer, it is advisable to place the pandanus flower outside. Fresh air, however, protection from strong gusts of wind and cold air will be required. The palm tree does not need to artificially lower the temperature in winter.

Pandan is undemanding to air humidity. It responds well to wiping the leaves from dust and periodic spraying. You need to care for the palm tree carefully so as not to get hurt by the sharp thorns. When spraying or bathing, you need to make sure that moisture does not linger in the axils of the leaves, otherwise rot will develop.

Pandanus needs abundant and frequent watering, but the soil should be half dry between waterings. Water for irrigation is taken purified and slightly acidified. Its temperature should be in the range of +25…+30°C. As it gets colder, watering is reduced. You should focus on the condition of the soil.

In March-October, the plant is fertilized with liquid mineral compounds for deciduous plants. Fertilizers are applied to the ground twice a month. They should be diluted well with water so as not to burn the rhizome.

Transfer

It is difficult to imagine proper pandanus care without regular replanting. It is rarely carried out at home, since the aerial and underground roots of the plant are quite fragile. The plant is replanted when the roots completely entwine the earthen ball. Choose a deep pot, several centimeters wider than the previous one. The drainage layer should be about a third of the container. The soil for pandanus should be light and slightly acidic. It is made up of:

• deciduous soil;
• humus;
• turf soil;
• river sand.

Transplantation is carried out using the transshipment method. Do not deepen the palm too much. Aerial roots should remain on the surface. Care must be taken not to break them off.

The tropics of South Asia, the islands and coast of the Indian Ocean, and Africa are the homeland of this unusual plant. The pandanaceae family is large and diverse. The genus, which includes plants grown indoors, includes almost 700 species. Most often you can see in flower shops Veitch's pandanus(Pandanus Veitchii), Pandanus Sanderi and useful (Pandanus utilis). These plants are unpretentious, original and beautiful, but when maintaining them you need to remember a few rules, which we will discuss below.

In their homeland, these trees or shrubs reach a height of 20 - 30 meters. Their powerful sword-shaped or lanceolate leaves are used for household needs. When grown indoors, they are much smaller, but still, when purchasing pandanus for yourself, you need to take into account that it grows quickly and can reach sizes that are incompatible with the dimensions of the apartment. The best place for it is a spacious hall, where this powerful plant will look very impressive.

Externally pandanus looks like a dracaena. It is often called the screw palm due to the fact that its sword-shaped leaves grow in a spiral, emerging from a rosette at the top of the trunk. In pandanus different types The color of the leaves is different: green, with yellow or white longitudinal stripes. There are sharp thorns along the edges of the leaves and along their midrib, which must be kept in mind when caring for the plant.

Another feature of pandanus is the presence of aerial, or stilted, roots. They extend from the trunk from below and over time become lignified, taking root in the soil. The old trunk dies and the plant rests on them, so there is no need to remove them. When grown indoors, pandanus does not bloom, but in the tropics it is decorated with fragrant inflorescences in the form of cobs. In some species, edible and very tasty fruits ripen under natural growing conditions.

Pandanus care

As a guest from the tropics, your pandanus will need light, warmth and moisture. Moreover, he does not like bright direct sunlight. The light should be diffused. It is better to have eastern or south-eastern windows. The plant should not be taken outside.

The temperature at which pandanus feels most comfortable at 24 - 28 °C. At temperatures below 18 °C the plant may become sick, which must be taken into account, especially in winter.

Watering in summer should be quite plentiful. Water the plant when the soil above dries out a little. Drying out the earthen coma is unacceptable. Pandanus especially loves watering with warm, up to 35 °C, water from a tray. After half an hour, the remaining water must be drained. In winter, watering is reduced, watering the plant every 2 or 3 days.

It is better not to spray with water, since if it gets into the axils of the leaves, the plant may get sick. It is better to wipe the leaves with a damp cloth, not forgetting, however, about the sharp thorns along their edges. Hands must be protected with gloves.

In winter, it is necessary to maintain a certain air humidity, for which you need to keep a container of water close to the plant.

Fertilizing in spring and summer should be done every 2 weeks, using complex mineral fertilizers for indoor plants.

Young pandanus need to be replanted annually, in the spring. The plant must be placed in a large container, being careful not to destroy the earthen ball in which its roots are located. The soil should consist of a mixture of peat, leaf soil, humus and turf soil. When transplanting, pandanus does not need to be buried. Large 7-year-old plants are planted in tubs, and replanting is no longer carried out, only soil is added annually in the required quantity.

Pandanus propagation

Under natural conditions, pandanuses reproduce by seeds. Since it is almost impossible to obtain them with indoor breeding, propagation using cuttings and rosettes remains. appear in the axils of the leaves and in the lower part of the trunk. It is better to take them in the spring. Select those that already have roots and are about 20 cm long. They are cut and, after drying for 24 hours, planted in a container with drainage and a layer of turf soil and sand on top to a depth of 2 cm, sprayed with water and covered with glass. After 1 - 1.5 months, they take root and are planted in pots with a mixture of leaf soil, sand and turf soil.

For cuttings, take side shoots at least 20 cm long. They are cut, sprinkled with coal at the cut site, dried and planted in a mixture of sand and peat, taken in equal quantities. Everything is covered with plastic film. Care temperature - 25 - 28 °C. Regular spraying and periodic airing help them take root. After this, they are transplanted into pots with an earthen mixture.

Here are the main secrets of growing this interesting and not quite ordinary

Pandan, or pandanus (lat. Pandanus)- a genus of tree-like plants of the Pandanaceae family, which includes about 750 species, growing mostly in the tropical climate of the Eastern Hemisphere. About 90 species of the genus grow on the island of Madagascar; pandanuses are found in Hawaii, along the coast of Western India, in the east of Northern India, in the lowlands of Nepal, in West Africa, Vietnam and from Australia to Polynesia. Pandanuses adapt to various conditions: they grow on the sea coast, along river banks, in swamps, as well as in mountain and alpine forests, on the slopes of volcanoes and on coral reefs.

Planting and caring for pandanus (in brief)

• Bloom: the plant is grown as an ornamental foliage plant.
• Lighting: in autumn and winter - bright diffused light, in summer and spring - light partial shade: eastern and western window sills are most suitable for the plant.
• Temperature: all year round– 19-25 ˚C. The lower temperature limit is 12 ˚C.
• Watering: in summer - regular and abundant, as the top layer of the substrate in the pot dries. In autumn and winter – moderate and not so frequent.
• Air humidity: ordinary. It is not recommended to wash or spray the leaves. In conditions where the air is too dry, the pandanus is placed on a tray with wet expanded clay.
• Feeding: from March to August - 2 times a month with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer for decorative deciduous plants. During the rest of the year, no fertilizing is applied.
• Rest period: not clearly expressed.
• Transfer: young plants - annually, from the age of three - only if necessary, when the roots become cramped in the pot. This usually happens once every 2-3 years. Pandanus is transplanted using the transshipment method.
• Reproduction: cuttings, dividing the bush, sometimes seeds.
• Pests: Scale insects, false scale insects, mealybugs, spider mites.
• Diseases: root rot.

Read more about growing pandanus below.

Home pandanus - description

Pandanuses are tree-like evergreens, sometimes shrubs, reaching a height of 10-15 and sometimes 25 m in natural conditions. Externally, these plants look like vines or palm trees. Pandanus often form aerial roots, which eventually grow into the soil. With age, the lower part of the trunk of pandanus dies, and the plant is kept in an upright position precisely due to the aerial roots that have grown into the soil and become lignified, which are called stilts.

The leaves of pandanus are linear, xiphoid, slightly grooved, sharply serrated at the edges, up to 4 m long and up to 15 cm wide. They are located on the trunk in two spiral rows, which is why pandanus is called a screw tree or a screw palm. With age, the lower leaves fall off and scars remain in their place. The flowers of the plant are small, yellow, unisexual, without a perianth, collected in panicles or cobs; however, pandanuses bloom infrequently in cultivation.

screw palm- an unpretentious plant for spacious halls and winter gardens, which easily tolerates a lack of light and moisture, grows quickly, but requires a lot of space, so only young pandanuses can be kept in an apartment.

Caring for pandanus at home

How to care for pandanus

The pandanus plant prefers bright light in autumn and winter and light shade in spring and summer. The best place it will have window sills oriented east or west. Indoor pandanus cannot put up with a lack of light for long: very soon the leaves of the pandanus, losing strength, begin to bend, and the variegated forms lose their original color. In case of insufficient lighting, it is necessary to install an additional light source for the pandanus at a distance of 60-70 cm, which should work for at least 8 hours a day. To prevent the plant from developing one-sidedly, it must always be turned to the light in different directions. In winter, rooms with home pandanus must be regularly ventilated, but the plant should be protected from drafts.

The pandanus flower feels good at normal room temperature - 19-25 ºС: it does not need any difference between summer and winter maintenance. The main thing is that the thermometer column does not fall below 12 ºС.

Pandanus prefers moderate air humidity. If the air in the room is dry, place the flowerpot with the plant on a tray with damp pebbles or expanded clay. It is not recommended to spray or wash pandanus, because water can get into the axils of the leaves, and this causes rotting of the stem. The leaves of the plant are wiped from dust with a damp cloth or washcloth from the base to the top, and it is better to carry out this procedure with gloves: pandanus leaves are equipped with thorns.

IN room conditions the plant rarely forms aerial roots, but if they appear, do not try to remove them, it is better to cover them with damp moss so that they do not dry out, and keep the moss moist all the time. This is especially important in the summer. If pandanus does not form aerial roots at home, it will lose stability over time.

Watering pandanus

In summer, the pandanus palm tree needs plenty of moisture, but the top layer of the substrate should dry out between waterings. However, the entire earthen pandanus plant should not be allowed to dry out. Water the plant with water heated to 35 ºС, and half an hour after moistening, you need to drain the excess water from the pan. Pandanus should be watered 2-3 days after the top layer of soil in the pot dries out. In autumn and winter, watering pandanus is reduced. Water for irrigation should be settled and not cold.

Feeding pandanus

During the spring-summer period (from March to August), pandanus is fed every two weeks with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer for decorative foliage plants. In autumn and winter, pandanus does not need feeding.

Pandanus transplant

Pandanuses are replanted only when its roots have mastered the entire earthen ball: young plants annually, adults - once every 2-3 years. The roots of pandanus are very fragile, so transplantation is carried out using the transshipment method.

The substrate for pandanus is prepared from leaf and turf soil, sand and humus, mixing them in equal parts. The dishes need to be deep; one third of them are filled with drainage material. Before transplanting, pandanus leaves are lifted up and tied, then the plant is transferred to a new pot, after which the voids are filled with soil mixture. The pandanus in the new pot should remain at the same level at which it grew in the old one.

Pandanus propagation

Pandanus propagates by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush.

Propagation of pandanus by seeds

Immediately after collection, the seeds in fruit clusters are sown in a mixture of sand and peat or sand and leaf soil in equal proportions and covered with film or glass. Keep crops at a temperature not lower than 25 ºС, regularly ventilating and moistening the surface of the substrate. Shoots appear in groups after 2-4 weeks, but if you use a mini-greenhouse with bottom heating to germinate seeds, the seeds will germinate earlier. When the seedlings develop 2-3 true leaves, they are planted in separate pots with a mixture of turf soil, sand and leaf soil in equal proportions.

Propagation of pandanus by cuttings

Pandanus cuttings are harvested from side shoots: their length should be at least 20 cm, since short shoots do not form roots well. The cut areas are sprinkled with charcoal and dried, and then the cuttings are planted in a substrate of peat and sand (1:1), covered with a glass cap or a transparent bag and kept at a temperature of 25-28 ºС, regularly ventilating and moistening the soil with a sprayer. Rooting of cuttings lasts 1.5-2 months, but when using a root formation stimulator and a mini-greenhouse, the process will go faster.

Reproduction of pandanus by dividing the bush

At the base of the trunk of an adult pandanus and in the axils of its leaves, daughter rosettes are formed in large numbers. They are separated from the mother plant when they reach a length of 20 cm and acquire their own roots. In order for these roots to appear, you need to cover the bases of the children with sphagnum, moistening it with a spray bottle as it dries.

The cut rosettes are dried for 24 hours. A layer of drainage material 1.5-2 cm thick is placed in a flat dish, then a layer of turf soil 6-7 cm thick, and a layer of washed sand 3-4 cm thick is placed on top of it. The roots of the rosette are buried 2 cm in the sand and pressed tightly. around the baby, spray with water from a spray bottle and cover the outlet with a glass cap or a transparent plastic bag. For successful rooting, the soil temperature must be at least 22 ºС. Rooting occurs in a month and a half. To speed up the process, phytohormones can be used. After two months, the rosettes, together with a lump of earth, are transplanted into a large container filled with a mixture of turf, leaf soil and sand in a ratio of 2:3:1.

Diseases and pests of pandanus

Pandanus pests

Pandanus at home is very rarely affected by pests, but sometimes scale insects, scale insects and spider mites can be found on it.

Shields form brown scaly formations on the leaves of the plant and leave a sticky discharge. These pests are destroyed by treating pandanus with Actellik and Karbofos.

Mealybugs removed with a cotton swab or brush soaked in alcohol, after which the plant is treated with an anticoccidal drug, for example, Tolkox, Diclox or Coccygard.

Spider mites grow on a plant in conditions of low air humidity: dots (punctures) appear on the leaves, merging with each other. It is necessary to treat the pandanus with an acaricide (Aktellik, Aktara) and increase the air humidity by placing the plant on a tray with wet expanded clay.

Why does pandanus turn yellow?

The plant is resistant to diseases, but sometimes pandanus leaves turn yellow. Why does this happen? Most often, this phenomenon is caused by excess light, watering with hard water or high calcium content in the soil.

Due to insufficient lighting, pandanus leaves become smaller, and variegated forms lose their original colors.

Low air humidity causes the tips of pandanus to dry out and turn brown, but if you keep the plant on a tray with wet pebbles, this can be avoided.

Types and varieties of pandanus

Veitch's pandanus, or Vicha (Pandanus veitchii)

- an evergreen tree-like plant native to Southeast Asia with a shortened trunk and aerial support roots extending from it. Green leaves with a white bordering stripe, up to 1 m long and 5-8 cm wide, are arranged spirally, their edges are lined with light spines with white tips. In culture, under favorable conditions, Veitch's pandanus can grow up to one and a half meters in ten years. The species has a variegated variegated form. At home, Veitch's pandanus blooms very rarely.

Pandanus utilis

is a large plant, reaching a height of 20 m in natural conditions, but in cultivation it grows only up to 2-3 m. In addition, the useful pandanus, which branches after flowering, does not bloom in indoor culture, and therefore does not branch. The dark green hard leaves, densely dotted along the edges with reddish thorns, are spirally arranged along the trunk, reaching a length of 1-1.5 m and a width of 5-10 cm.

Pandanus palm is also called screw pine or Pandan. It is a genus of 600 known species. Depending on the species, they can be either monoecious or dioecious. Classified as family Pandanales, genus Pandanaceae.
The palm genus Pandanus includes subspecies from the West African region in the east and Hawaii, in coastal and mountainous areas at an altitude of 3-4 meters. It also grows along the Indian East, along the coast of Western India and Sri Lanka. Further inside the country, it is found less and less often, but they can still be found scatteredly in the eastern part of Northern India, including in the lowlands of Nepal. Pandanus is considered by some to be a species of the aromatic subspecies of Parkinson's P. tectorius, which has a much larger range from Australia to Polynesia. Pandanus grows and develops well at home and does not require complex care.
Pandanus flowers flow from the pandanus palm. It is cultivated in India and has a delicate, floral aroma

Description of pandanus and its photo

The flower has a sweet fragrant smell, which is very pleasant and slightly reminiscent of the smell of a rose. The leaves are heavy and very durable.
Plants can vary in appearance, for example, there are indoor pandanuses one meter high, and there are also trees 20 centimeters long (as a rule, they have a wide canopy and grow very slowly). Look at the photo of pandanus from different phases of development:

The wide trunk has extensive branching and needle-like, scarred leaves. Typically, the pandanus palm has strong, thick roots at the base - they provide support for the flower during the process of growth and development, especially the growth of its upper part with leaves and fruits.
The belt-shaped leaves can range in size from 30 centimeters to 2 meters in length and from 1.5 centimeters to 10 centimeters in width. Since the flower is bisexual, the flowers can be either female or male. Naturally on different plants.
Male flowers on the tree can reach a length of 2-3 centimeters, have a pronounced aroma and are surrounded by white narrow bracts.
Below we offer you numerous photos of pandanus:

Female pandanus tree at home with proper care bears flowers with large fruits, which are also surrounded by bracts. The fruits are spherical in shape with a diameter of 10-20 centimeters and have many prisms, like divisions, externally reminiscent of a pineapple fruit. Typically, the fruit changes in color from green to bright tan or red when fully ripe. The fruits of some species can even be edible and are eaten by some animals, including bats, rats, crabs, elephants and monitor lizards.
Over time, the lower leaves of the pandanus fall off, leaving scars on the surface due to which the trunk may appear twisted in a spiral, and the flower takes on the appearance of a false palm.

Caring for pandanus at home

Caring for indoor pandanus is not as difficult as you might think at first glance. Provide the flower with a bright, diffused color (but not the most dangerous, daytime color) - if there is a lack sunlight the foliage becomes less durable and subsequently droops. Leaves with variegated, picturesque colors lose color when there is a lack of light. In winter and autumn, when caring for pandanus at home, the flower does not require shade at all; on the contrary, it is at this time of year that it is necessary to provide access to as much as possible a large number Sveta. You can use not only natural light sources, but also artificial ones - table lamps, etc. things. Place them a meter away from the object for 6-8 hours a day.
The best option is east and west windows. It is not recommended to take the plant outside, but in winter to store it indoors with sufficient light and an air temperature of 18 °C, and in winter it can be within 15, but not lower, and for a short time.

You should not be active in drafts, but it is necessary to ventilate the room a little during wintering. And do not forget to periodically turn the container with pandanus for care at home (for uniform development).
Pandanus does not tolerate excess water very well, so in summer and spring it needs to be watered every other day so that the soil has time to dry out. You can water generously, but after 30 minutes of the procedure, be sure to remove all excess water. To water a flower you need warm water temperatures 30-35 degrees. It is good if the water is soft and settled. In winter, the volume of watering must be reduced - it is especially sensitive to large amounts of moisture at this time of year. Watering cold water can cause numerous plant diseases.
Pandanus at home can easily tolerate the lack of moisture, but this does not mean that it can do without additional spraying. The procedure must be carried out at least once every one or two weeks, and additional dust must be removed from the leaves with a damp cloth (from the base to the top). Often a flower may develop aerial roots that you are unable to remove. To avoid drying out, we recommend covering them with moistened moss and remembering to change it from time to time.

Pandanus transplant

Pandanus at home should be replanted only when necessary, that is, when the roots cover the entire surface of the earth in the pot. Usually, younger ones require an annual transplant, adults can do it a little less often - once every two to three years. The pandanus palm tree has very fragile roots, so it must be transferred to another pot in the literal sense of the word (and carefully ensure that the earthen ball is not destroyed).
The container for the new sprout should be deeper than the previous one and consist of 1/3 drainage. You shouldn’t plant it deeply - leave the flower at the same level as it was before.
Experienced gardeners recommend gathering the prickly roots into a knot before replanting, so you won’t harm yourself or the flower.

Pandanus: methods of reproduction

There are three ways to propagate pandanus at home. Properly organized palm tree care guarantees the constant growth of new shoots, which take root well in a moist substrate. Let's look at the main methods of propagating pandanus.

• 1. Seeds. They are immediately thrown into the soil with peat, sand and leaf soil without pre-treatment. Then cover them with a plastic or polyethylene cap and keep them in a room with a temperature of at least 25 degrees. Do not forget to regularly water and spray the sprouts, as well as ventilate from time to time. If all maintenance conditions are met, the first sunrises appear after three to four weeks. If you want to speed up the process, you can use special mini-greenhouses that have bottom heating. When each seedling has 2-3 leaves, you can transplant them into separate pots with soil made from turf, leaf soil and sand.
• 2. Cuttings should be taken from the side shoots of pandanus - they should be at least 20 centimeters. The cut areas must be healed by covering them with charcoal. Prepare the soil with peat and sand, and then, like the seeds, leave for some time under a glass or plastic cap in a room with a temperature of at least 25 degrees. After one and a half to two months, if all conditions are met, the sprouts should already take root.
• 3. Daughter rosettes may appear at the root and on the leaves, with the help of which pandanus can also be propagated. They should be separated when they reach 20 centimeters. The cut rosettes are allowed to dry for one day and then planted in soil with drainage from shards with coarse sand. It is necessary to plant it to a depth of at least two centimeters, compact it well, spray it thoroughly with water (or simply water it) and cover it with glass. Gardeners advise using bottom heating and maintaining moderate soil moisture. The rosettes take root in one and a half to two months. After two months they can already be transplanted into a separate pot.

Pandanus vecha

Pandanus vecha develops as a shrub. This plant is green in color even in winter and is small in size, but certain varieties can reach one and a half meters in height. They keep the foliage in its natural form in winter. The leaves of this subspecies are very developed - they are long and arched. appearance very reminiscent of a palm tree due to the rather high lower part of the trunk.
Must be kept at a minimum room temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. And you should check the weather overnight before leaving it outside - additional insulation may be required. Plants kept at home must be protected from direct sunlight, which can damage the surface of the leaves (this danger is especially acute in mid-summer, during the hottest time).
In the spring, during the growing season, along with watering, feed the pandanus with fertilizer for flowering plants once in two weeks. When choosing a fertilizer, pay attention to the fact that it must contain nitrogen and potassium (they contribute to the balanced growth of new shoots).
Pandanus vecha should be watered moderately, but at the same time thoroughly moistening the soil (skilled gardeners have calculated that 2-3 glasses are enough for every week). Do not leave water in the saucer after watering - this may promote the formation of fungus.
This variety prefers well-drained soil.

Using pandanus

Pandanus fruit is used as a fruit or as a seed. The edible fruits of the flower are red or yellow in color. And after processing, the inhabitants of Polynesia use them as soap. Edible pandanus seeds are completely inedible in their raw form, as they require special heat treatment.
The plant is also used as a flavoring agent for food products, especially for North Indian sweets: pandanus liquid is used there along with sugar and milk as the main ingredient for various delicacies. In Southeast Asia, it is used in rice to enhance the flavor of curries.
Essential oil is produced from the flower, which is often used as a flavoring in ice cream and drinks. This oil has a unique and sweet aroma.
At home, pandanus is used for landscaping interiors and creating a favorable microclimate. The palm tree perfectly collects all harmful substances from the surrounding air and enriches it with oxygen and essential oils. This contributes to the destruction of pathogenic microflora.
In Oceania, pandanus is used to make materials for the casings of household appliances, clothing and textiles (including various bags and decorative rugs), food, medicine, jewelry, fishing and religious ceremonies.
Its leaves can be chewed as a sweetener or as a breath freshener. Scientists have also proven that the plant contains flavonoids, which have a number of healing properties– antiviral, antiallergenic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
By the way, cockroaches do not tolerate the smell of pandanus, so you can use the leaves or seeds as a pest control.
The plant grows and develops well at 3 thousand meters above sea level. It has enormous economic, cultural and health significance for the territory of Northern India - its value can be confidently equated to a coconut.
In some areas, pandanus is the basis of handicraft production - usually workers collect the leaves, finely chop them and prepare them for the manufacture of various textiles and other household items.