Among the many home flowers, pachistachis stands out for its unusually vivid colors, which are always of interest to both beginners and experienced gardeners. At the same time, this plant is not found in homes as often as geraniums or other flowering plants, which is explained by the imaginary complexity of caring for the plant. Of course, there are some nuances of growing, but everything is not as scary as it seems, and now you will see it.

Botanical description of the plant

By the interesting name "pachistachis" is meant an evergreen perennial shrub brought to Russia from India. In addition, in open nature, it is found in Central and South America. The height of the plant usually does not exceed one meter, and its main constituent parts are upright shoots, with oppositely located dark green leaves pointed at the end.

The leaf plate is oval in shape, usually not exceeding 10–12 cm in length. Inflorescences are spike-like, formed by several bright bracts, mainly yellow and orange. The length of one inflorescence can reach 10 cm, but the flowers themselves only peek out from them. On one bush, there are about 15–20 inflorescences.The duration of flowering of pachistachis does not exceed 10-12 days, after which the flowers that appear have faded and fallen. True, even without them, the bush does not lose its attractiveness, largely thanks to the mentioned bright bracts. Flowering time is summer.

Did you know? Esotericists consider pachistachis to be a sunny flower that can normalize relationships in the family by calming more active people and activating more calm people. By and large, this is a merit not only of the plant itself, but of the yellow color of its flowers.

The main botanical features of this plant are presented in the following table:

Main types

The most popular types of pachistachis, which are actively grown at home, are considered only two varieties - yellow and red. Pachistachis calyptrocalis and spike pachistachis are much less common. Consider them in more detail:

1. Yellow pachistachis Is an evergreen plant that grows up to 1 m in height. On the long dark green shoots there are oval large leaves of the same color, up to 20 cm long. Inflorescences are bright yellow.
2. Red - has bracts of a dark olive hue, of which red flowers are shown during flowering. Compared with the previous variety, this option can grow up to 2 m, therefore, in indoor conditions it is grown much less often.
3. Spicate - presented in the form of a fluffy bush, up to 1 m high. Dark green leafy plates are even larger than that of the yellow variety, and can reach 25 cm in length (curved along the central vein in shape). With the advent of spring, long and narrow inflorescences appear on the plant, with green discreet scales. The flowering of the spikelet variety is very lush, because at one time several bright red flowers bloom at once, with the same bright, but already orange anthers.
4. Pachistachis calyptrocalis - this variety also belongs to tall plants, with a stem height of about 2 m. The trunk of the plant is slightly narrower than that of the rest of the species, the leaves are cirrus, oval, opposite to the stem, with slightly elongated ends. Young leaf plates initially have a maroon color, but over time it becomes emerald.

Usually, only yellow pachistachis is grown indoors, and only other varieties are rarely found, which is explained not only by the significant size of many of them, but also by the limited distribution.

Important! Sometimes pink pachistachis is another houseplant called white perone, characterized by a similar structure of leaves. However, although they belong to the same family, they are different plants, the main difference between which is the shape and arrangement of inflorescences: in the first case they “look up” and in the second they hang down.

Conditions for successful growing at home

The first thing you should pay attention to before buying a pachistachis is the ability to organize suitable conditions for its active growth and development. The main evaluation criteria in this case are the level of lighting, temperature and humidity. It is also worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the requirements for irrigation, fertilizer and pruning.

Lighting

Pachistachis is a photophilous plant, but for lush flowering, sunlight falling on it must be diffused so that no burns remain on the delicate flower petals. An ideal place to place a pot in the summer is a window sill in the eastern or western part of the house, located away from drafts.

In addition, in the warm season, the flower can be taken outside, but be sure to protect from direct sunlight at lunch time. With the advent of cold weather and a decrease in solar activity, the capacity with the plant can be transferred to the south side of the room.

Temperature

The optimal temperature indicators for the well-being of pachistachis will be between + 17 ... + 22 ° C in the summer and + 15 ... + 17 ° C in the winter, which will provide the flower with a natural state of winter dormancy. With the start of the heating season, a pot with a plant is best placed away from batteries and other sources of heat.

Air humidity

Humidity in the room is an important criterion for well-being for any indoor flower, and pachistachis is no exception. This plant is a hygrophilous species, so it needs spraying almost all year round. To maintain a high level of humidity (not lower than 70%), it is useful to substitute a pan with moistened sphagnum moss or expanded clay under the pot.

Important! The bottom of the landing tank with the drainage holes in it should not touch a wet surface, otherwise the likelihood of rotting of the root system cannot be ruled out. You can put a saucer on a tray and already place a pot with a plant on it.

After the appearance of flowers, spraying is stopped, and when watering, make sure that moisture does not get on the inflorescences.

Home Care

An equally important condition for the active growth and flowering of pachistachis is properly organized care with sufficient watering, timely top dressing and formative pruning of the plant. Of course, each of these processes has its own characteristics, which it is desirable to know in advance.

Watering

In the warm season, the flower needs abundant watering, the frequency of which is determined based on the state of the substrate at each individual point in time. In summer, soil moistening is performed at least once every two days, and in winter, watering regularity is reduced to once every 4–5 days. It is considered permissible to dry the soil mixture 1 cm deep into the pot, but with large values ​​the pachistachis should be immediately watered. Make sure that the soil is always slightly moist, but not waterlogged. For watering the flower, suitable water at room temperature is suitable, without any harmful impurities and heavy metals. If tap water is not of high quality, then you have to additionally filter it. Watering is performed by the root method.

Top dressing

Awakening of the plant after winter dormancy occurs at the beginning of March, so it is at this time that fertilizers can already be applied to the soil that make up for the lack of nutrients after winter. An excellent option for ready-made formulations will be complex preparations for decorative-flowering plants (for example, Agricole, Forte, Etisso), with which pachistachis can be fertilized until autumn, with a regularity of once a month.

At the same time, try not to overfeed the plants, because an excess of nutrients is as harmful to the flower as their deficiency, and in some cases can even lead to the death of pachistachis.

Important! Coffee and tea grounds, contrary to popular belief, have no nutritional value for the flower; on the contrary, when they are added to the substrate in large quantities, alkaline balance can be disturbed with all the associated problems.

The use of liquid fertilizers is carried out only in diluted form and a few hours after watering, in compliance with a certain distance from the stem part. If you spill the solution too close to the plant, burns may form on it.

Pruning

All varieties of pachistachis are characterized by rather impressive growth, so when growing at home, forming pruning is simply necessary. In its absence, the shoots will not only stretch, but will also be exposed, laying flower buds only at the ends of the branches. Of course, this will not affect the decorative qualities in the best way, so you can start pruning the plant already when it reaches a height of 20 cm.As with the cultivation of other indoor flowers, at the initial stages, pachistachis pinch the apex, which should limit its growth, as well as stimulate the growth of sleeping lateral shoots. Given that the active vegetation of the flower falls in the spring, it is advisable to trim the top at the end of February, so that by the time of active sap flow he has time to recover. To get a thick and lush crown, in addition to removing the apical part of the main shoot, it is recommended to pinch the side shoots.

In the first few years of pachistachis, the pinching procedure is performed 2 times a season, and adult plants with slow growth can be cut once a year - in the spring. If timely attention is not paid to pruning, the flower will quickly lose its decorative effect and only deep cleaning can save it, up to removing shoots to the axillary buds in the lower part of the trunks.

Transfer

Pachistachis is recommended to be replanted at least once every 2-3 years, when grown roots begin to appear from the drainage holes. A new pot for the plant should be only 2-3 cm larger than the previous one, otherwise moisture will accumulate in empty soil. The ideal time for transplanting is early spring, that is, before the flowering of the plant begins.

Video: Pachistachis Care

As a soil mixture, you can use your own prepared substrate from equal parts of leafy soil, peat, sod soil, humus and coarse sand, which, after placing the plant in it, it is recommended to water abundantly.

The technology of the process of pachistachis transplantation is simple and involves the following steps:

1. Carefully remove the plant from the old pot, brush off the top layer of soil from the root system and cut the roots, thereby removing all damaged areas.
2. Take a new pot, pour a 2-cm drainage layer of pebble, gravel or expanded clay into it, and then a small amount of the prepared soil mixture (it is desirable that it forms a hill).
3. Place a plant inside the container, straighten the roots and sprinkle with the rest of the soil mixture, slightly tamping it.
4. Water the flower plentifully and leave it in a warm place.

Did you know? The list of the most useful indoor plants compiled by phytotherapists includes ficus, chlorophytum, geranium, evergreen laurel and aloe, which can be used to improve the emotional and physical condition of a person. In particular, it is recommended to use them for chronic fatigue, colds and a serious emotional state (in the latter case, geraniums will help better than others).

Breeding

Reproduction of the described plant can be performed in two ways: by cuttings or sowing seeds. The latter option is more time-consuming, which is why many flower growers prefer to cut cuttings. However, regardless of the decision made, for the success of the procedure, you need to know about all its features.

Cuttings

To propagate the pachistachis with cuttings, both the apical and middle parts of the stem are suitable, provided that they have not yet managed to numb. Harvesting cuttings at home is performed in the spring, but only so that each copy has at least one pair of leaflets.

Cut pieces must be temporarily placed in warm and previously purified water at room temperature. It is better to cover the container with planting material with a cap or stretch a film over it so that the inside temperature is constantly maintained within + 22 ... + 25 ° C.

Care of the cuttings provides for daily ventilation and spraying the tops with the same warm water. If everything is done correctly, then after 10-15 days, roots will appear at the end of the segments. After that, they can be planted in small pots filled with soil for adult plants.

Important! To get a lush bush in one pot, it is better to place 2-3 seedlings, and as soon as young shoots appear on them, pinch their ends for better branching.

Transshipment of young plants in permanent flower containers can be performed in the spring of next year.

Seeds

Reproduction of pachistachis by seed method will require more effort from the grower. The purchased planting material must first be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then dried and only then sown in prepared seedlings, deepening into the ground by about 1 cm. The soil for seedlings can consist of the same components as the substrate for adult plants, most importantly - pre-bake it in the oven.The sown seeds are covered with a film and in the first weeks they are opened only for airing and spraying the soil. It will be possible to remove the shelter after emergence, gradually adapting the plants to environmental conditions. After the appearance of 1-2 pairs of true leaves, seedlings are planted in separate pots and continue to grow.

Possible growing difficulties

Pachistachis does not belong to very demanding indoor plants, but this does not mean that when it is grown, problems can be avoided. The most common of them are the lack of flowering, the development of diseases and the activity of pests, so these are the aspects I want to pay more attention to.

Does not bloom

To understand why your flower refuses to bloom and what to do with it, first you need to find out the possible causes of this phenomenon. In fact, the list of needs of the plant is small and includes the following:

• the presence of bright lighting, suitable temperature conditions and sufficient humidity;
• protection from direct sunlight in the summer and drafts in the cold period;
• timely watering and fertilizer;
• transplantation during the growth of the root system;
• absence of diseases and pests.

Try to objectively assess the growing conditions of the flower, eliminating even short-term temperature changes or disturbances in care. Note also that it is impossible to increase humidity due to abundant and frequent watering of the plant. Despite the tropical origin of the flower, a large amount of moisture inside the pot is detrimental to the root system.

Disease

Adult pachistachis is highly resistant to fungi and pathogens, and emerging problems with leaves or flowers are mostly associated with impaired care and pest activity.If you notice that the rhizome or trunk near the ground began to wither or become covered with an incomprehensible coating, most likely, the reason is to look for in high humidity. The same applies to changes in other parts of the flower: for example, spots on leaves or dried parts at their corners may indicate exposure to direct sunlight or draft.

Pests

The activity of pests is more often observed on plants that, due to violation of the rules of growing, weaken and cannot resist them. When breeding pachistachis, you need to be prepared for the fact that aphids, spider mites and scale insects can settle on it. It is not difficult to recognize them, because in any case, the plant will no longer look like before.

So, sticky liquid on the shoots and the inner part of the leaf plate will indicate the presence of guards, the cobweb on different parts of the plant will report the presence of a spider mite (later the shoots are covered with black dots), and the aphid activity will be noticeable on a whitish coating with traces of sweet syrup.Regular washing of the plant under a warm shower (up to +45 ° C) and the use of special insecticidal compounds, the most effective of which are Actellik and Aktara, will help in the fight against any of the listed pests. The spraying procedure is carried out according to the instructions on the packaging.

Did you know? An important role in the discovery of insecticidal compounds was played by the German chemist G. Schroeder, who in 1935 introduced to the world the strongest insecticide - organophosphate.

Omens and superstition

Almost every domestic plant has an interesting history, often associated with popular beliefs and certain superstitions. Pachistachis was no exception in this matter, so it will be interesting for each grower to learn about the following signs:

• if the plant twisted leaves - get ready for material losses;
• causeless wilting of a flower promises a sad message about a loved one;
• lush flowering of pachistachis - to family harmony and well-being;
• winter flowering plants promises an early marriage or replenishment in the family.

If you want the plant to please you with abundant flowering and really fulfill the functions of a home defender assigned to it, esotericists advise you to talk to it, doing it as gently as possible.In general, the cultivation of pachistachis should not be particularly troublesome, because caring for this flower is not more difficult than caring for other indoor plants. With a little effort, very soon it will be possible to admire its bright and unusual colors.

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