How to care for arrowroot at home? Diseases, pests, care errors

Photo of Maranta - indoor perennials with variegated leaves of the Marantaceae family, a spectacular decoration for any room. Among the variety of crops, there are those most beloved by gardeners. One such plant is arrowroot (“praying grass”). It is valued for its attractive appearance and unpretentiousness.

The homeland of arrowroot is the tropical rainforests of South America. The flower was named in honor of the outstanding Italian scientist Bartolomeo Maranta, who became famous for his treatises on botanical pharmacology and antidotes.

The plant is a bush of erect shoots on which there are broad oval leaves covered, depending on the variety, with spots or patterns of various shades. At night, the plates take a vertical position. The culture reaches 30-35 cm in height. At home, flowering does not always occur. The buds are small, the petals are white or light purple.

Each specimen produces 5-6 new leaves during the growing season. The plant can live for decades if it is given proper care and propagated every 3-4 years.

Arrowroot is visually very similar to calathea and stromanta.

Photo gallery

What to do if arrowroot leaves turn yellow and dry? Main diseases and pests

No matter how hard the gardener tries to keep his pets in comfortable conditions, sometimes it is not possible to avoid certain diseases that will spoil the appearance of the flower and can even lead to its death.

Basically, many diseases that affect indoor plants arise due to improper care, watering regime and unfavorable environment.

What kind of soil is needed?

Light, nutritious, breathable soil is considered suitable for arrowroot. The choice of ready-made store-bought mixtures is quite wide, but when purchasing, choose only those that were originally intended for arrowroot. This will be indicated on the packaging. Pay attention to the composition, which should contain leaf/turf soil, peat, humus and mineral complexes.

Among the disadvantages of the ready-made mixture, it can be noted that the substrate in its pure form still does not meet the requirements and requires additional additives - most often these are spruce needles, sphagnum and peat. Before planting, it is advisable to check the acidity of the substrate: the pH level should not exceed 6.0.

The soil needed for arrowroot is very easy to prepare yourself. The simplest option is a mixture of soil, peat and sand in proportions 3:2:1. Experienced gardeners advise, if possible, to add either sphagnum moss or crushed charcoal. The soil mixture should be quite loose. Pebbles, expanded clay, shards or coarse sand are suitable for drainage.

Transfer

The plant is replanted once every few years. Air permeability of the soil is an important condition for good growth. The pot is chosen to be wide, but not deep, because Maranta’s rhizome is small. An abundant drainage layer is a prerequisite for transplantation and subsequent comfortable substrate humidity.

If you recently purchased Maranta, it is not recommended to replant it immediately. The flower needs to be allowed to adapt to new conditions. This will take no more than three weeks. Then you can safely start transplanting. To do this, the plant is transferred with the original lump of earth into a new pot, into which soil is added. For active growth and the formation of new shoots, it is recommended to trim the leaves to the very base.

Reproduction

Can be propagated by cuttings or division. It is best to propagate by cuttings from May to the end of August. To do this, the best way is to cut the tops of new shoots with 2-3 healthy internodes.

Place them in water, and after 4-5 weeks, when the roots reach 3 cm in length, the plants can be planted in a shallow pot. After planting for rooting, provide the arrowroot with a greenhouse effect by covering the pot with film.

Propagation by division is best done in the spring when transplanting the plant into another pot or changing the soil. Sterilize the knife and cut the bush so that each part remains completely viable. To do this, leave part of the roots and a growing point for each division.

Before placing the separated parts in the pot, do not forget to sprinkle crushed coal on the cut roots of each.

In this case, the plant will also need a greenhouse effect, so water the seedlings and cover them with a plastic bag or film.

Temperature

For healthy growth, arrowroot will need a stable temperature. Standard room conditions will serve as well as possible. It is advisable that both winter and summer the thermometer column be in approximately the same position - 20-25 degrees. Sudden changes in temperature will have a bad effect on the plant. Drafts will completely ruin it.

Photo 1. Tricolor arrowroot leaves

Fertilizer and feeding

Arrowroot needs mineral and organic fertilizers; it reacts sharply to the slightest excess feeding. Experienced flower growers recommend diluting all fertilizers with 2 times the amount of water specified in the instructions.

Fertilizing is relevant during the period of active growth - from the beginning of spring to the beginning of autumn. Organic and mineral fertilizers must be alternated and the soil must be fertilized once every 2 weeks. Pokon, Bona Forte and Agricola formulations have received many positive reviews.

Ordinary ash has the properties of organic fertilizer. It can be used to flavor the soil either in dry form or in a solution of 1 tablespoon of ash with 1 liter of clean, settled water.

But the mixture must first be kept for 24 hours and only then the substrate must be watered.

Species diversity

It is quite difficult to say exactly where exactly the flower migrated to our latitudes. But it was definitely either the central parts of the American continent or western India. It was in these corners of the globe that variegated grass was first discovered.

Most often in domestic homes, white-veined arrowroot is found - in a variety of variations. Occasionally, on the window sills and in the winter gardens of professional flower growers, you can see comb arrowroot. But this is rather an exception to the rule. This variety is quite rare and is rarely found in our area. Other popular varieties of arrowroot are presented in the table.

Table - Domesticated varieties of arrowroot and their characteristics

Watering

For irrigation you will need clean soft water up to 5 °C above room temperature. In summer, the flower needs increased moisture, and it should be watered at least once every 48 hours. In this case, it is necessary to control the general level of humidity of the substrate so that the roots do not rot.

For additional moisture, initially place the arrowroot on a tray filled with gravel or expanded clay filled with water.

In winter, water the flower no more than 1-2 times a week, depending on the degree of dry air caused by the heating season.

How to organize watering during a long absence?

The lack of necessary moisture leads to rapid drying out of the arrowroot. If you are going on vacation, make sure in advance that the flower has access to a source of moisture. To do this, you can use 3 options:

1. Place wet sphagnum moss on the surface of the substrate. This will help retain moisture in the roots.
2. Place a layer of expanded clay, pebbles or sand in a drainage pan and fill everything with water. Place the arrowroot on top so that the bottom of the pot does not directly touch the water.
3. If possible, place the plant in a florarium.

Description of the plant

Arrowroot is a herbaceous perennial. The homeland of this plant is the swampy tropics of America. The name is associated with the name of the scientist B. Maranta.

In the wild, arrowroot is a small plant, about 20 cm in height, with straight or creeping shoots. The leaves, depending on the type, are lanceolate, round or oblong. Against a smooth background (its color can be different - from very light to dark green), spots and veins stand out clearly.

Spots and veins stand out brightly against the even background of arrowroot leaves.

Arrowroot is often confused with its relative Calathea. However, these plants have obvious differences. Calathea is taller (from 60 cm to 1 m), with long delicate leaves. They, unlike arrowroot leaves, are arranged on the petioles in two rows. In addition, arrowroot flowers are inconspicuous, while calathea flowers are spectacular and bright.

The leaves of arrowroot are so unusual and beautiful that this plant is bred precisely because of their decorative properties. The plant is unpretentious in care and adapts well to home or office conditions, in open and closed florariums.

The peculiarity of arrowroot is that when the plant feels good, it places the leaves horizontally, but under unfavorable conditions (especially in low light), the leaves fold and rise vertically. For this reason, the plant was nicknamed “praying grass.”

Diseases

There are no specific diseases unique to the arrowroot family. All problems are caused by simple carelessness of the owner or failure to comply with mandatory care conditions.

Any ailment of the arrowroot will be clearly demonstrated by its appearance. There is a high probability that growth will stop. All this is provoked by three main reasons: root rotting, insect damage and insufficient air humidity.

The fact that rotting has occurred in the root system can be recognized by wilted leaves in wet soil. Most likely, the flower suffers from low temperatures due to abundant watering or poor-quality soil. To eliminate the problem, it is necessary to dry the soil, eliminate the affected areas and establish a proper watering regime. In some cases, it makes sense to transplant the arrowroot into a new sterilized substrate.

Types of arrowroot

1. Tricolor (tricolor). This is a plant with dark green leaves edged with a paler color. There are light green streaks running down the center. The dark red veins become darker towards the edges. Tricolor arrowroot is the most unpretentious and widespread type of this plant.
2. White veined (Fascinator). The leaves are oval, reaching a length of 15 cm. Features: on the dark green leaves there is a silver stripe running down the center. Along with the tricolor, it is unpretentious.
3. Arrowroot two-color. Quite a rare species with dark green leaves, on which light specks are scattered.
4. Reed arrowroot. This plant can reach a height of 1 m. The leaves are oval, elongated, and have a gray tint.

Varieties in the photo

White vein has another name - Fascinator

Tricolor arrowroot is the most common type for home growing.

Reed arrowroot can grow up to 1 m

Two-color arrowroot is rare

Pests

There are two dangerous pests for arrowroot - scale insects and spider mites.

Shchitovka

A very small insect, up to 5 mm in size, with a waxy shield that completely covers its body. Appears on the flower if care is not accompanied by regular air humidification; it feeds on arrowroot juice.

Affected leaves can be easily identified by raised bumps or plaques of green, brown or yellow color on the outside or inside. If the arrowroot is infected quite recently, and the scale insect is not yet visible to the naked eye, it can be detected by the sticky secretion on the flower that it leaves.

Insect control is carried out using a soap solution and insecticides. Using a cotton swab dipped in soapy water, thoroughly wipe the leaves to remove adult insects.

The same can be done using Karbofos solution. After this, spray the flower with one of the following products: Aktara, Bankol, Mospilan, Actellik or their analogues. At the same time, do not forget to treat the surface on which the flower stands.

If the arrowroot is on the windowsill, even the nearest window glass must be treated.

Spider mite

Microscopic arthropod insect. Infected leaves are distinguished by small yellow dots, which subsequently merge into one large spot. The mite appears due to dry air; in some cases, the cause is called, on the contrary, excessive humidity. At the same time, the tick can be brought into the apartment already on the leaves of an infected arrowroot, in a purchased substrate, or in the soil from the street.

Get rid of the pest by wiping the leaves and stem with soapy water and acaricides. Among the most effective are Vertimek, Akarin, Neoron, Fitoverm and Actellik.

To prevent scale insects and spider mites, do not forget to systematically moisten the room where the flower is located. Do not place any purchased cut bouquets next to arrowroot. And keep all new purchased plants in a 3-week quarantine in another room.

Possible problems

If you do not care for the arrowroot correctly or do not provide it with suitable conditions, then problems may begin with it:

• The tips of the leaves dry out. If the air in the room is too dry, then the tops of the leaves turn brown and dry out, they even sometimes fall off. Also, due to low humidity, the growth of the bush may become slower.
• Rot has appeared . If in winter the plant is watered excessively or it is kept in the cold, then its shoots may lose turgor, and rot may also form on them.
• Spots on foliage . If a flower feels a lack of moisture, then spots form on its leaf plates, they begin to curl, and yellowing of the lower foliage is also observed.
• The bush becomes faded . The plant reacts extremely negatively to direct sunlight, which causes the leaves to lose their spectacular color and dry out.
• Harmful insects . The greatest danger to him is represented by spider mites.

Errors when leaving

Any deviation from the rules for maintaining arrowroot is immediately reflected in the condition of its leaves. They curl, dry out or turn yellow. The flower suffers from certain mistakes of novice gardeners, and the most common of them are:

• unacceptably dry air;
• insufficient soil moisture;
• too heavy, unsuitable soil;
• the flower is exposed to the negative influence of direct sunlight;
• the flower is in a draft;
• the air temperature has dropped below the permissible 17 °C;
• arrowroot is affected by insects in a neglected form.

Maranta will enliven and decorate any interior. If you don’t already have such a flower, you can purchase or order it from flower shops. The cost depends on the type of plant, region and place of sale, and ranges from 150 to 900 rubles.

Flowers

Beautiful arrowroots are welcome guests in our apartments. They are grown exclusively for their brightly colored leaves. Such amazingly beautiful, original and varied leaves will decorate any interior.

All arrowroot plants have a strict geometric pattern on their leaves, which is rare among the plant kingdom. The upper side of the sheet is always brighter, sparkles and shimmers or is glossy. Stripes and spots on the leaf can be light green, dark green, sometimes almost black. The color of the veins ranges from white to red and crimson. The pattern on the bottom of the leaves is weak or absent.

These exotic plants came to us from the humid tropics of America and Africa. The plants are evergreen, perennial herbaceous, low, rarely growing above 20 cm. The leaves are on short petioles and collected in a loose basal rosette. The rhizome is branched, on which thickenings (tubers) are formed.

The plant was named after the Venetian physician Bartalameo Maranti, who lived in the 18th century. He promoted his scientific works on the benefits of house plants. Considering that the pace of work and the rhythm of human life is very stressful. In addition, the interior of apartments negatively affects a person. It carries many hard right angles that put pressure on the psyche of a physically and mentally tired person, causing nervous stress and breakdowns. In this situation, the living world of tropical plants can come to the rescue. Their soft greenery, the pleasant outlines of the leaves, even the inconspicuous flowers, lull you to sleep. They influence a person as a strong psychological factor. With their life-affirming appearance, young and attractive leaves and even the entire color scheme are sometimes more powerful than works of art.

Beautiful plants distract from thoughts about diseases, thereby increasing the effectiveness of treatment. Reduce physical and mental fatigue, help relieve stress.

One of the brightest representatives of tropical plants are different types of arrowroot. However, arrowroot is considered a rather capricious plant, which specifically needs to create the necessary conditions for growing indoors. This is explained by the fact that it is a representative of a tropical rainforest, where there is no change of seasons, and therefore it does not have devices that protect its leaves from drying out. Therefore, it is rarely found among amateur gardeners. Basically, this is an office plant, which is a pity, since it can do a good service to people, calming them down and creating a unique coziness in the home.

Arrowroot is interesting not only for its brightly colored leaves; the plant keeps many secrets and many interesting things. If you enter a room late at night or early in the morning, you may not recognize it. In the evening, the arrowroot lifts its beautiful leaves upward and turns the leaf blade so that the upper side faces the inside of the bush, as if hiding the beauty. And sometimes the leaves also curl into a tube. In the morning, the leaves droop and unfurl, revealing painted patterns. For its ability to lift and fold its leaves at dusk, in England arrowroot is called a pilgrim plant or prayer plant. In fact, trying to stay in the rays of the setting sun as long as possible, the leaves stretch upward after the rays, like the hands of a suppliant in prayer.

And during the day, arrowroot leaves are real fidgets. They rotate during the day to better capture the sun's rays. They also turn in the direction of any other light source.

And so that the leaf blades can move intensively, at the base of each of them, when connected to the upper part of the petiole, there is a special thickening - a leaf cushion, which ensures all these movements. By the presence of a cushion in the upper part of the petiole, they are easily identified among other plants.

In addition, this plant is like a barometer, accurately determining rainy weather. A few hours before rain and thunderstorms, the leaves rise up.

Arrowroot flowers are not interesting. They are small, form loose inflorescences - spike-shaped thyrsus. The petals are usually white, bluish, or less often light lilac.

Air humidity and watering. The main thing in caring for arrowroot is increased air humidity, since the greatest danger for it is dry air in the apartment, especially in winter, when the central heating is turned on. Then its thin, delicate leaves have no chance of successfully overwintering in the dry atmosphere of the room. Due to insufficient air humidity, the tips of the leaves dry out and turn brown.

A good technique for increasing humidity is to place the plant pot on a tray filled with wet expanded clay. And in order to prevent the soil in the pot from drying out quickly, cover the root system with damp moss, which further increases the humidity around the plant.

Another method is to spray the leaves with lukewarm soft water several times a day.

Small fountains also increase indoor air humidity well, which has a positive effect on the growth of arrowroot.

Often, amateur flower growers keep tropical plants in their apartments in a florarium. The simplest type of florarium can be a glass flower vase in the form of a large, elegant glass with a volume of 5 liters. In such a florarium you can easily create the necessary air humidity. In a florarium, plants are placed in pots on a drainage layer, covering them with sand or gravel chips. Or you can pour a layer of soil onto the drainage into which the plants are planted. The design of a florarium depends on your imagination. Caring for plants here is different in that they are watered less.

Water the arrowroot in the summer abundantly and often, so that the soil above is constantly moist. In hot weather, the plant evaporates a lot of water. It is unacceptable to overdry the earthen clod, since the roots are not adapted to drought and die instantly. If there is insufficient watering, the leaves curl and become stained.

It is necessary to water only with soft, settled water at room temperature. But you should not allow excess water in the pot and stagnation. Excessive watering at low air temperatures leads to rotting of the stems. Therefore, in winter they water less often, after the top layer of soil has dried, especially in November and December. At this time, the plants have a short dormant period and they lose some of their leaves.

Lighting. Since arrowroot grows in nature under the forest canopy, it is shade-tolerant (but not shade-loving) and develops well only in diffused light. Bright sunlight is harmful to her. Do not leave the flowerpot on the windowsill without protection from direct sunlight during the spring and summer months.

The first sign of damage to a plant from direct sunlight is the leaf curling along the central vein. This can occur literally half an hour after being in the sun. If you immediately notice the leaves curling, move the plant to the shade and spray with warm water. It’s bad when most or all of the leaves have withered and dried out. This can happen even in one day of sun exposure. But don’t rush to throw away the plant. Check the condition of the root collar and roots, and try to restore the arrowroot. Its rhizomes have a significant supply of nutrients. You just need to cut off the wilted leaves and place the pot in a moderately lit place, cover it with a cut plastic bottle on top, and water it lightly. After a few weeks, dormant buds may awaken and new shoots will appear. During resuscitation, it is important not to aggravate drying out by excessive watering.

If the plant looks faded, faded and the size of young leaves has decreased, then this indicates an excess of light. An ideal place for arrowroot is on the windowsill of windows facing north. On eastern and western windows, shading is necessary; on southern windows, exposure is possible only in winter.

In conditions of lack of light, arrowroot leaves rise vertically, and in normal lighting they are located horizontally.

If the plant looks faded, loses the brightness of its colors, and the size of the leaf blades has decreased, then this also indicates an excess of light. The ideal option is to keep it on windows facing north; shading is required on eastern and western windows; southern windows are undesirable.

Sometimes the plant exhibits strange behavior, especially after abundant flowering; above-ground shoots may die completely. This does not mean that the plant was affected by physical factors such as bright sun, dry air or dry land, it relates to the physiology of the body - the plant decided to rest. After some time, new replacement shoots will appear from underground, albeit with constantly moist soil.

In winter (late November - December), it would be good to provide the arrowroot with artificial lighting for 14–16 hours. It is difficult for the plant to survive in winter due to the short daylight hours, since it is not used to storing nutrients for use. Therefore, many leaves die in winter. White-veined arrowroots are easily restored in spring. Other species suffer from leaf loss painfully and may die.

Temperature. Arrowroot is a heat-loving plant. Ideal conditions are 20-25 degrees all year round. In the summer, make sure that the walls of the pot do not overheat in the sun - overheating will kill the roots.

At a temperature of 14 degrees the plant is already cold and growth stops. In autumn and winter, leaves may dry out due to low temperatures. The temperature should not be allowed to drop below 12 degrees in winter. In the cold, the roots stop working and do not absorb water and nutrients. Also, the plant does not tolerate drafts and sudden temperature changes. Tender and thin leaves, not protected by a thick cuticle, quickly dry out in the wind.

Feeding. As soon as new leaves begin to grow in the spring, they begin to feed the plants every 2 weeks until the month of August. Maranta needs fertilizers that contain a higher percentage of nitrogen and potassium. You can use liquid complex fertilizer for indoor decorative foliage plants or complete mineral fertilizer (1 g per 1 liter). When fertilizing, you need to take half the dose recommended on the package, so as not to overfeed and spoil the soil. Any plant is more sensitive to an excess of fertilizers than to a lack of them. The ends of the leaves become yellow-brown, both with a lack of nutrition and with its excess.

In spring and early summer, between the application of mineral fertilizers, feed with organic fertilizers once a month. For example, mullein infusion.

To prepare mullein infusion in a 0.7 liter jar, pour 1 part of mullein by volume with 3 parts of settled water, without chlorine). Stir and leave in a dark and warm place for 3-7 days. To feed arrowroot, 1 part of the liquid infusion is diluted with 4–5 parts of water.

Soil and replanting. Any loose, moisture-intensive, nutritious, slightly acidic mixture is suitable for growing arrowroot. Add ¼ of coniferous soil and pieces of charcoal to the soil mixture. It is very good to put rotted manure on top of the drainage layer (1–1.5 tablespoons per 0.5–0.7 liter pot). But there should be no lime in the soil. For drainage, broken bricks, ceramic shards, foam chips, and washed coarse sand are used. The plant should be replanted every two years - in the spring in low, wide pots. If you water the soil 2-3 times a year with Baikal M1 solution, you can replant less frequently.

Arrowroot grows well in hydroponic culture, as well as on an ion exchange substrate, where it forms powerful large-leaved plants.

Reproduction. Propagated by dividing rhizomes in the spring during transplantation. The bush is divided into 2-3 parts and planted separately. Can be propagated by cuttings in spring and summer until September. A cutting 8–10 cm long, with one to three leaves, needs to be cut below the place where the leaf is attached and placed in water. Cuttings take less root in soil. For rooting, a temperature of 20–24 degrees is required.

Varieties of arrowroot. White veined (Maranta leuconeura). It is characterized by lodging shoots. But the white-veined variety of massange (Maranta leuconeura var. massangeana), the leaves of which have silvery veins on a black-green background, fully justifies its name.

The most common plant found in offices and among hobbyists is Kerkhoven's arrowroot . On the upper green side of the leaf, on both sides of the main vein, dark green, brown or almost black velvety spots of about 5–7 pairs stand out sharply. The underside of the leaf is gray-green. Color depends on age and lighting.

The cultivated form of tricolor arrowroot (Merythrophylla) has yellow zones on the top of the leaves on both sides of the central vein, and purple zones on the bottom side. The central and lateral veins themselves are bright red. The leaf has three distinct colors, which is why it got its name tricolor.

Occasionally, hobbyists encounter bicolor arrowroot (M.bicolor); it is distinguished by its straight, non-lodging shoots and the fact that there are no tubers on the rhizomes. Along the main vein of this species there is a gray-green uneven stripe, and along the edges there are velvety green spots. The bottom of the leaf is purple. There are varieties of it with even brighter and larger leaves.

In tropical areas, reed arrowroot (arundinacea) grows, which is of economic importance; starch is obtained from its tubers. It has no decorative value.

Arrowroot is a great plant for dark rooms such as hallways and bathrooms. When landscaping any rooms, arrowroot is useful in a florarium. A florarium in the form of a glass goblet (ball, rectangle) or a fountain plus arrowroot in a transparent vase with perlite will look good everywhere. They can be placed on furniture (low sideboard, coffee table, section) or a beautiful stand. The light source, in all cases, can be a table lamp or sconce with fluorescent (or energy-saving) lamps.

Arrowroot is a great plant for dark rooms such as hallways and bathrooms. In many modern houses, apartment windows have narrow sills and heating radiators on them, which is not suitable for flowers. Arrowroot is also useful when landscaping such rooms. To place pots of flowers, you can use furnishings (furniture), a low sideboard, a coffee table, a sectional, or a beautiful stand. A florarium in the form of a glass goblet (flower vase) or a fountain and a pot of arrowroot will look good everywhere. The light source in all cases is a table lamp or sconce with fluorescent light bulbs.

Externally, arrowroot is very similar to other representatives of the arrowroot family and is often incorrectly called even in stores. Arrowroot, unlike others (calathea, stromanthus, ctenanthus), has a short, weak, curved stem, which lies on the ground with age. Arrowroot leaves are oval-rounded and wavy along the edge.

Calathea grows short, underground shoots, thanks to which it quickly grows, filling the entire surface of the flowerpot. Leaves are basal on elongated petioles (15 cm).

Ctenanta forms basal rosettes of latent leaves (expanding towards the base). A vertical stem grows from the center of the rosette, on which 2–3 more rosettes of leaves are formed.

Stromantha differs from arrowroot in its larger size. It grows to a height of 50–60 cm and even up to 1 meter. Although in books they often say that this plant is compact and low-growing. This is not true, arrowroot is lower. In Stromantha, in most species, the leaves have a metallic-matte tint; they are narrowly oval, up to 30 cm long, and pointed at the top.

Pests. The tender leaves of arrowroot are a tasty morsel for many pests. However, pests are deterred by high humidity. But if the growing conditions are not met, the arrowroot is literally attacked by aphids, mealybugs and mites.

It is better to cut off leaves damaged by spider mites, as their appearance will not be restored. Plants affected by pests are treated 1-2 times with insecticide solutions or, if there are few pests, infusions of hot pepper, garlic, and a soap-vodka solution are used.

Before spraying, mealybugs must be removed from petioles and leaves using a match and cotton wool. Since insecticides have little effect on oviposition hidden under the shields. The plant affected by the scale insect is sprayed 2-3 times with an interval of 5-10 days.