Self-propagation of strelitzia
“Bird of Paradise” Strelitzia is a valuable exhibit in the collections of flower growers who are not indifferent to exotic plants. However, this flower is not often found in the store, and independent reproduction of strelitzia will come to the rescue. You can get a young specimen at home using vegetative division or sowing large “crested” seeds.
All varieties of strelitzia differ in size, considerable for indoor crops, a dense leaf rosette above the soil level, a powerful, juicy rhizome hidden under the substrate and an unhurried pace of development.
Transplant and selection of soil for strelitzia
However, when caring for a flower in the first few years, it is transplanted annually, carefully transferring the earthen ball to a new larger pot. When the plant is young, its root system should be handled with particular care, as long as the strelitzia taproot does not have enough lateral branches. They are formed by the age of 4–6. And this means that the flower can be used to propagate strelitzia by dividing the roots. It is more convenient to combine the procedure with an early spring transplant..
How to transplant the African “bird of paradise” correctly? You should start with the choice of soil for transplanting strelitzia. To provide the flower with a supply of strength for growth, the substrate must be nutritious, loose, well-permeable to water and air. These requirements are met by ready-made mixtures for ornamental flower crops. If there is no way to buy such a soil, it is made independently, mixing in equal parts:
- leafy ground;
- humus;
- coarse sand;
- peat.
Before use, all components of the soil for strelitzia are cleaned of large foreign inclusions, and then disinfected by heating in a microwave oven or in an oven.
Since the roots of the flower have a rod structure, a pot for transplanting an adult plant or planting a young cutter needs to be deep enough with several drainage holes to drain excess moisture. This is also taken into account when self-propagating Strelitzia in a vegetative way..
At the bottom of the pot, a drainage layer is made of expanded clay or other suitable material, a little soil is poured over it, onto which an earthen lump is transferred. The gaps between the root system of the flower and the walls of the pot are filled with fresh substrate.
Reproduction of strelitz by dividing the roots
If we are talking about a simple transplant, then the choice of a substrate for strelitzia and a suitable pot is also limited. In this case, with healthy roots, it is not necessary to clean up the remnants of the old soil. When a transplant is due, or there is a suspicion of a bacterial or fungal infection of the underground part of the flower:
- the roots are freed from the substrate;
- the damaged areas are cut off;
- the rooted side shoots suitable for strelitzia propagation are carefully separated;
- the places of the cuts are treated with crushed charcoal, and, if necessary, with a fungicide.
Experienced growers advise to propagate strelitzia by dividing the roots when flowering is complete. This can be done even before the onset of the active growing season..
In order for a powerful rosette of leaves to grow from the delenka over time, each of them must have its own growing point or an already formed shoot. A plastic pot with a diameter of 12 to 20 cm is suitable for planting young strelitzia.The soil is immediately used with the same composition as for adult specimens.
Strelitzia: seed propagation
Owners of mature specimens of strelitzia can get a new generation of plants using seeds. Unfortunately, purchased seed is not a guarantee of retirement. Even fresh seeds germinate very tightly, and then completely lose their germination..
At home, artificial pollination is used to propagate strelitzia by seeds. For convenience and accuracy, you can take a cotton swab, with which the pollen is carefully removed from one flower and transferred to another.
After a few months, dense bolls form in place of the flowers, hiding seeds that are round, resembling dark brown or black peas. Feature of seeds – bright “felt” crests.
Sowing is carried out in the spring, after removing the bundles of orange pile. This can be done by rinsing the seeds with warm water and lightly massaging the peas under the stream. It is useful to treat seeds with a growth stimulant.
The seeds are embedded in a light nutritious substrate to a depth of 1–2 cm. When the seeds are in the soil, they need warmth and moisture. Before the sprouts hatch, the temperature in the greenhouse is kept at the level of 22-25 ºC, and the soil is uniformly moistened. Shoots at strelitzia are uncooperative. The first of them appear in a month, and the last seeds can wait up to six months..
Seedlings do not like direct sunlight and quickly react to both excessive watering and lack of moisture.
Young strelitzia, during independent reproduction, are transferred to their own pots, when they have 2-3 leaves. After three years, indoor plants are fully formed and bloom..
