This plant is loved by many flower lovers for its ease of care and impressive size. Indeed, zamioculcas, or the “dollar tree,” as it is also called, does not require much time and special knowledge from the owner. At the same time, the plant will decorate the living room in the house, the hotel reception or the reception area in the office with a spectacular appearance. Therefore, when the decorative look begins to change, it immediately catches the eye. In the article we will analyze how to properly care for the plant and what to do if the leaves turn yellow in Zamioculcus.
Plant description
The birthplace of the plant Zamioculcas (Zamioculcas) is the African country of Kenya. The climate of this region is characterized by a change in tropical showers and arid periods. The plant has adapted to accumulate moisture in order to survive during a drought. This can explain why the flower will not suffer much if not watered on time.
From a large thick root grow fleshy stems, covered with leaves with a waxy coating of dark green, almost emerald color. It is rarely possible to see a blossoming indoor dollar tree. A cream-colored ear with a future flower is located at the base of the leaves and is covered with a greenish blanket. It is barely noticeable, and Zamioculcus flowers are inconspicuous. The flower grows up to 1 meter in height.
Conditions of detention
The appearance of the plant depends on ensuring the correct conditions of detention. Often there is a situation when the leaves turn yellow and dry in Zamioculcas. So that the flower does not suffer this trouble, check whether the appropriate conditions are provided for it:
- Maintain temperature conditions from +20 to +25 ° C. This is the optimal range, but it can be wider. The main thing is to prevent cooling below +12 ° C in winter and ensure a rest mode (+16 ... +18 ° C).
- It is important to prevent sudden and frequent changes in temperature. This is one of the reasons why the leaves of Zamioculcus turn yellow .
- Humidity is not so important. Frequent spraying is also not needed. It is good to occasionally arrange a flower for a warm shower and remove dust with a damp cloth, acting carefully so as not to damage the plant.
- Illumination plays an important role. Direct rays of the sun adversely affect the decorative appearance of a flower that needs diffused light. The plant will adapt to the shade, but it will not grow so intensively.
- The place for the flower should be without drafts, which are very harmful to the plant and contribute to the development of diseases in which the leaves of Zamioculcas turn yellow.
General care rules
Zamioculcas, although it is considered unpretentious, it will not hurt to know some features of care. When choosing a soil, give preference to loose and light soils with neutral acidity. If in the soil mixture there will be mainly sand with good permeable qualities, watering the flower can be carried out more often.
Watering
When watering a flower, it is important not to allow excess moisture, but it is also impossible to bring to drying. But still, it’s better to underfill than overflow. In the first case, when watering is resumed, the flower will come to life and grow further, which cannot be said about the second option. When the roots rot, it will be difficult to save the plant. For irrigation, water that has been left at least 12 hours is suitable. Water must be poured out of the sump. The next watering should be done after the earth is completely dry. A flower in a large pot is watered less often than in a small pot. The amount of watering depends on the time of year. In warm time, water more often, and in cold - less often.
Top dressing
Zamioculcas at home is important to fertilize regularly. Universal fertilizers are suitable. The dose of drugs is halved - the dollar tree does not tolerate excess nutrients. The plant responds well to foliar spraying several times a month, alternating with watering. For top dressing, a solution of urea and complex fertilizer is used.
Why do leaves turn yellow and what to do?
Often, flower growers encounter a problem when the leaves turn yellow in Zamioculcus. Home care is simple to provide for the plant. The flower is undemanding to temperature and humidity, standard illumination. Then why, with the simple rules of care, the leaves turn yellow in Zamioculcas? Consider the main reasons:
- Excessive soil moisture in the pot leads to yellowing of the leaves. Zamioculcas is drought tolerant, in its natural habitat the plant for a long time does without moisture, spending the reserves accumulated in the trunk, roots and leaves. Abundant and frequent watering will lead to decay of the root system, and in appearance it will be reflected in the problem when the leaves turn yellow in the flower of Zamioculcus. Often this occurs in the cold season, when the plant is at a dormant stage.
- Violation of the feeding regimen is another reason for the yellowing of the aerial part. The introduction of more nutrients into the soil than a flower requires will lead to rot of the root system, and the leaves will turn light green.
- If the leaves of Zamioculcus turn yellow suddenly, the rules of illumination are most likely violated. Perhaps the plant is in direct sunlight, which causes burns to the leaves and the entire aerial part. If the flower stands on a window on the south side, you need to take care of shelter from the sun in the afternoon.
- Violation of the temperature regime is the fourth reason. The leaves of Zamioculcas turn yellow if the flower is on a draft or the temperature abruptly and often changes. We need average temperature indicators at all stages of development.
Not all flower growers know that there are natural causes when the leaves turn yellow in Zamioculcus, and that you do not need to do anything in this case. This is the physiological process of aging an adult plant. When more than 15 leaves grow on the stem, the old foliage turns yellow, dries and falls.
Why do leaves fade and dry?
We have already found out why the leaves of Zamioculcus turn yellow and what to do, but this is not the only nuisance that happens with the plant. Florists often encounter a problem when the leaves fade or dry. If only the lower foliage dries and falls, this indicates the physiological process of aging of the indoor flower. If the leaves fade and fall on the whole plant, the reason here is in the wrong watering or light. It is possible that damage to the plant by mechanical action.
If the wilting is accompanied by dark spots, it is possible to rot the roots of the zamioculcas, which appeared as a result of erroneously selected soil. And also for a tropical plant, the presence of a drainage layer is important. It will be wrong to grow a dollar tree in a hydrogel or use a substrate with pieces of polystyrene and sawdust.
Why is the stem changing?
The trunk of the plant must be resilient. The soft branches of the plant should make the grower pay attention to some aspects:
- It is necessary to check whether the flower is sufficiently lit, and if necessary, rearrange the pot in another place.
- If the roots of Zamioculcus are damaged, the trunk and the whole aerial part will be soft. A plant overflow often leads to this . In this case, a transplant is indispensable. They take out the plant, free the roots from the ground, remove damaged areas and dry well. Slices sprinkled with activated carbon, powdered. After that, the flower is planted in new soil with a large amount of coarse sand.
The slowdown or cessation of the growth and development of the aerial part is the result of improperly selected soil mixture or the size of the pot. Feeding the plant with fertilizers containing potassium, nitrogen and magnesium will help. If the plant is cramped, transplant it into a larger pot.
How to save zamioculcas?
A dollar tree is designed to bring prosperity to the house, but if it is sick, wilts or leaves turn yellow at Zamioculcas, it will be difficult to believe in the help of the plant in financial matters. If you find the listed symptoms, act immediately:
- Transplant the plant, cutting off rotten roots, if the cause is overflow or overfeeding. Treat the root system with a fungicide.
- If zamioculcas is dry, transplant, treating the roots with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- If pests are found, first wash the plant with a mild soapy solution, and then use special insect repellents.
Diseases and Pests
Excessive watering is the main cause of many problems with Zamioculcus. In this case, the root system rots, the plant nutrition is disturbed and, as a result, changes in appearance are observed. Normalization of the irrigation regime, and in advanced cases, transplantation will solve this problem.
As for pests, zamyokulkas often have scale insects, aphids and ticks:
- Scabies can be found on the aerial part in the form of dark tubercles. Adult individuals sit motionless in one place, and the larvae move along the plant. To remove insects, spraying with a solution of soap and tobacco is used, and adults are removed with a wet cotton swab.
- Aphid is a small insect of black, gray or green color. The juice of the flower serves as its nutrition, because of which the leaves curl up and dry. It lives on the inside of the sheet. It is recommended to treat aphids with ready-made store preparations or prepare a solution of sulfate with nicotine taken in a proportion of 1 g of nicotine per 1 liter of soapy water.
- Spider mite is a small red insect. Covers the underside of leaves with a spider web of white color. To destroy the leaves are sprayed with a weak infusion of tobacco or just water, apply systemic insecticides.
After any treatment, after a day, zamioculcas are washed well, covering the soil with a plastic film, and the treatment is repeated if necessary.
Breeding
The flower propagates only vegetatively. When receiving planting material, it is important to ensure that young children or pets do not eat any part of the plant that is poisonous. For propagation, leaves, cuttings are used, or they simply divide the root of an adult plant.
Select small leaves or part of the sheet. The place of cut is treated with chopped charcoal or activated carbon and allowed to dry for 6-9 hours. After that, the prepared leaf is planted in a soil mixture consisting of sand and vermiculite, or use special soil for succulents. The container is chosen small in size, and a drainage layer is necessarily poured onto the bottom.
For amateur gardeners, the option of reproduction using cuttings is suitable. To do this, cut off part of the stem slightly above ground level and cut into pieces so that on each handle there is a leaf with a kidney. Places of slices should dry for about an hour, then the stalk goes deeper into vermiculite and watered. The shoot will take root 2-4 weeks.
Subject to simple rules of care, a dollar tree will delight owners with a spectacular appearance for more than one year. Many people believe in the properties of a flower to attract wealth and prosperity to the house where it grows. The more magnificent the crown and the thicker the trunk, the more stable the financial situation of the family or company will be. And if a situation arises that the leaves turn yellow in Zamioculcas, our article will tell you what to do.