The asparagus houseplant is a perennial from the asparagus family. It is easy to grow, it is unpretentious. The plant is of several types: vines, herbs, shrubs. In the wild, asparagus is found in warm areas of Europe, in Asia and Africa. This unusual shaggy flower is often grown indoors, in the open ground. It is easy to propagate by seed.
Description
Indoor plant asparagus has beautiful openwork twigs, which are often used by florists in the preparation of bouquets. In spring, fleshy shoots appear on the flower, which are used in cooking. They contain many trace elements, vitamins.
The plant is able to live twenty years, forming up to fifty edible shoots over its long life. The plant itself is grown both in open ground and at home.
The root of a houseplant asparagus is a rhizome. The flowers of the plant are similar to lilies, because of this it has long been attributed to lily.
The leaves of the flower are needle-shaped, soft (this type of leaf is called cladode). If you trim the shoot, it will no longer grow. From such lashes it is impossible to take material for reproduction. New shoots appear from the rhizome, old gradually dry out.
Asparagus is a self-pollinated plant species.
Plant species
Despite its attractive appearance, the flower came into the view of flower growers only in the 19th century. All asparagus houseplants grown to date differ in appearance: there are beautiful shrubs, unusual vines. The most commonly grown species are:
- Common Asparagus. This variety is characterized by straight stems up to one and a half meters long. Another name for the species is asparagus medicinal or pharmacy. Leaves are directed up or along the branch. The variety blooms with white flowers, after which red berries form on it.
- Often found among indoor plants, cirrus asparagus. This is something between a Christmas tree and a fern. The plant forms a small bush, which is covered with pale yellow flowers. After flowering, fruits of a dark blue color are formed. This variety is great for growing on western and eastern windows. It can not be placed on the northern windows, in the shade, or in direct sunlight.
- Another popular houseplant variety is Meyer asparagus. There are a huge number of mini-needles on the branches of the variety, which is why the branches look like the tail of animals. The length of these "tails" reaches eighty centimeters. The variety loves bright places without direct sunlight. Blooms in white, small flowers. After flowering, red fruits appear with black seeds inside.
- A slightly different species is the indoor plant Asparagus Sprenger. This variety is characterized by small fluffy needles of a soft green hue, located on one and a half meter shoots. They look like long branches with lace. The flowers are white, similar to lilies. The variety does not like direct sunlight. In the warm season, it requires heavy watering, spraying, and in winter, watering is reduced.
- Indoor plant crescent-shaped asparagus has notches and hooks on the branches. Stems and needles are longer than other varieties. In the wild, the variety is found near trees, through which the stems rise up to a height of more than a meter. At home, the plant is tied up or grown in hanging pots. The variety is distinguished by endurance. Gradually, the flower grows a rhizome resembling a radish. Crescent asparagus blooms with white flowers with a pleasant aroma, after which small brown fruits form.
- Asparagus asparagus. The shoots are ovoid in shape. The leaves are thin, bright green, glossy. Indoors, the variety usually does not bloom, but when grown in open ground, it blooms, and then forms orange fruits with a pleasant orange aroma.
There are other varieties of asparagus: there are more than 300 of them. Almost all of them can be grown indoors.
Care Features
All types of indoor plants such as Ethiopian asparagus (Meyeri and other varieties) are not particularly demanding. When growing, the main thing is to follow a few simple rules, and the flower will become a real decoration of the room.
After acquiring any type of asparagus, it is advisable to immediately transplant the plant into a pot with nutrient soil. During this process, the root system must be inspected. In some cases, transplantation of purchased copies is not required. It is enough just to see how the plant behaves: if there are no yellowed leaves and they do not fall, then the flower is comfortable.
Soil requirements
Asparagus feels good in ordinary universal soil. However, the plant develops best in a mixture composed of sheet soil and sand in a 1: 1 ratio.
Lighting requirements
All species prefer bright, diffused light, without direct sunlight. Cirrus prefers shade.
Western and eastern windows are best suited for the plant. In the summer, it is recommended to take the flower to fresh air: place the pot on the balcony in the garden.
Temperature mode
Asparagus tolerates temperature extremes. In the spring-autumn period, the plant is kept at a temperature of 20-24 degrees. In winter, they provide him with a temperature of about 15 degrees, without drafts, rainfall.
Features of watering
All indoor plants are asparagus: Ethiopian sprengeri, asparagus, cirrus and others, prefer moist soil. Because of this, in the warm season, the flower is abundantly watered. Do not allow the soil to dry out. Asparagus needs constant spraying.
In the winter season, watering is reduced. But even in this case, the earthen coma should not be allowed to dry out, otherwise this will lead to the death of the rhizome. Spraying the plants during the heating season is carried out more often than in another period.
Bloom
Asparagus blooms in miniature bells. Dioecious flowers, most are in the axils of the leaves. The plant has the correct perianth.
The plant usually has a trihedral ovary and six stamens, shortened columns, three stigmas. Blooms in white, pale yellow, pale pink flowers. Flowers are located on the entire surface of the stem. When opened, they emit a pleasant aroma. After flowering, small fruits of red or brown hue are formed, and in some varieties - blue-black. Outwardly, the fruits are similar to a six-part berry, which contains seeds.
Asparagus blooms at the age of five. Younger plants do not bloom. When grown indoors, flowering can be seen in single specimens. Usually, to get seeds, gardeners take out pots on a balcony or plant asparagus in open ground.
Propagation Features
Asparagus is propagated by seeds, rhizomes, cuttings.
The simplest method of obtaining a new plant is propagation by rhizome. To obtain several copies, the overgrown root is divided and planted in different pots. A drainage layer is necessarily laid at the bottom of the tank. The root is placed in the center of the pot, sprinkled with soil, while the soil level should not be higher than the previous one.
A transplant of an indoor asparagus is carried out every two years. During this process, they make sure that the plant has enough space in the tank, otherwise it will die.
Propagation by cuttings is carried out in early spring. To do this, cut healthy processes, place them in wet sand. Seedlings are placed in a mini-greenhouse - rooting takes about a month. After this, the cuttings are moved to fertile soil. It can be done differently: put the stalk in water and wait for the moment when the roots appear. After this, the plant is transplanted into the ground.
Asparagus reproduces well by seed. You can collect them yourself or purchase your favorite variety in the store.
Sowing seeds is performed in a light, fertile soil, sprinkled with soil on top and covered with glass or placed in a mini-greenhouse. Tanks with crops are placed in a bright place. Periodically ventilate the crops by removing the glass. Sprouts appear after about a month. As soon as they reach a height of 8-10 cm, carry out the first pick.
Formation Features
Asparagus has an attractive appearance, and for a long time retains freshness in the cut. Because of the delicate greenery and lightness, stems are often used in the preparation of floral arrangements.
The plant is fast growing. So that they grow a beautiful ball, produce its formation. For this purpose, use a sharp knife or clippers. If the plant is grown for cooking, then the bushes are not formed. 2-3-year-old stems come from food. In other cases, the lashes are trimmed. It is worth considering that after trimming, the branches stop growing in length. After this procedure, the plant begins to grow new shoots from the root. Thus, you can create the most unusual, beautiful "Christmas" balls.
Growing difficulties
It is easy to look after all types of indoor plants of asparagus - bristle-shaped and other varieties. However, in rare cases, a flower can be damaged by pests: thrips, scale insects, aphids. Also, asparagus is often damaged by gray rot.
Scarab larvae live on shoots and on the upper side of leaves. Affected areas turn yellow, then die. The fight against this pest is carried out by treatment with soap or alcohol solutions. In case of severe infection, special preparations are used, such as Fufanon, etc.
If the plants are affected by rot or any other fungal infection, they are treated with special preparations, for example, Fitosporin, Bordeaux liquid, copper chloroxide.
Subject to the rules of care, the plant will delight with its beauty for many years. If asparagus will be grown in open ground, then periodic spraying with protective equipment against pests and fungal diseases should be carried out.