IN GENERAL:
- Aphelandra is also known in our country as the zebra plant. It comes from the Acanthaceae family and has about 150 species. He is originally from Brazil. The only species that can be obtained as indoor flowers is the Aphelrand squarrosa. The lifespan is from 1-3 years.
MAINTENANCE AND CARE:
- Aphelandra thrives best in a room where there is light, but it does not like direct exposure to sunlight and drafts. It is also not resistant to dry air and thrives best in high humidity around 60%. In summer, it tolerates temperatures of 18-24 degrees. In winter, a temperature of 13-15 degrees suits her.
When it comes to watering during growth, it is necessary to water twice a week, and during flowering three times a week. After flowering, it is best to keep it at a temperature of 13 degrees and it should not be watered more than once a week (in a period of 4-6 weeks), and then continue with normal watering. Water for watering should be soft, without limestone, and rainwater is perhaps the best. In winter, it is enough to water every 10 days. The plant should be watered daily in the morning and evening.
You can use a foliar spray on this plant once a month.
FOOD:
- Feeding is done every 15 days from May to October. It is fed with liquid fertilizer for flowering plants.
TRANSPLANTING:
-Plants are transplanted every year in the spring into larger pots. Place a drainage layer of styrofoam or small gravel on the bottom of the pot. The soil for transplanting should be a mixture of loam, peat and sand (ratio 2:2:1).
PROPAGATION:
- It is propagated by cuttings of side shoots 8-10 cm long. It is necessary to use hormones for rooting. And place the cuttings in a substrate composed of loam and sand. First, water them and cover them with a plastic bag. Once a day, lift the plastic bag for airing. You need to keep them at a temperature of 24 degrees for scarring the cuttings. After three weeks, transplant them into a separate pot.
DISEASES AND TIPS:
-Loss of leaves is caused by drafts and dryness of the substrate (when this happens, move to another place and water as we mentioned above)
Brown tips on the leaf means dry air (spray the plant more often)
