Growth conditions of air pineapple matters needing attention in the culture of air pineapple

Air pineapple is a very magical plant, can grow luxuriantly without soil, and can bloom bright flowers, and has a high ornamental value, so it has become a good choice for many people to cultivate indoor plants. Let's take a detailed look at the growth conditions of air pineapple and the matters needing attention in the cultivation of air pineapple.

The living habits of air pineapple

The air pineapple does not need to be planted in the soil or in the water. It is a special plant that can grow as long as it sprays water. It can absorb water vapor and nitrogen compounds from the air by the hairs of the leaves, and can live well without special care. But the growth is quite slow.

Growing environment: air pineapples grow in tropical and subtropical rain forests or arid mountains at altitudes of 100m-5000 m, attached to tree trunks, stones, or cliff crevices, and a few grow on cacti. The biggest difference between it and terrestrial plants is that its roots do not absorb water and nutrients, but only play the role of fixing plants and a small amount of air exchange. Nutrients and water are absorbed by silver-gray fluffy scales on the leaves and can hardly survive when planted in water or soil.

Most of the varieties of air pineapple are native to tropical or subtropical regions of Central and South America, and grow on flatlands or high mountains with an altitude of 1000 meters to 3000 meters above sea level. There is little drought and little rain, strong sunshine and great temperature changes, but they are moistened by fog all the year round. The unique ecological environment makes the air pineapple have unique habits. In the place of origin, most of these plants grow on cactus, stone walls, rotten wood, telephone poles, eaves, etc., so they do not need flowerpots and soil when growing. They can be hung up or glued to dead wood, walls or other shallow containers. If potted plants can use coarse gravel and pebbles as cultivation media, they can be used to fix plants.

Air pineapple is resistant to drought and strong light, and its root system is very underdeveloped. some varieties even have no roots, even if they have roots, they can only play the role of fixing plants, but can not absorb water and nutrients. So how does the air pineapple absorb water? After careful observation, we will find that there are many small white scales on the leaf surface, and most of these scales are shield-shaped, and the water in the air or Rain Water will be intercepted by the stomata in the depression and infiltrate into the plant through the gaps of parenchyma cells. Usually the stomata in these scales are semi-closed when the temperature is high and the air is relatively dry during the day to reduce water evaporation; when the temperature decreases and the air humidity increases at night, it is fully open to absorb water from the air.

Most of the air pineapple varieties grow in a dry environment, while a few prefer a humid environment. The leaves of the varieties growing in the rainforest climate or other more humid and shady areas have broad, green characteristics, and the flowers are larger, but the color of the flowers is more monotonous. They inhabit another plant or trunk in an epiphytic way, and over time, they gradually grow roots to fix the plant itself so that the next generation can be propagated by seeds or lateral buds. Varieties in dry areas have a completely different appearance. Its plants are small, with needles or hard leaves, and are usually clustered in clusters to reduce water evaporation. They rely on a large number of villous bodies on the leaf surface to absorb Rain Water, dew, fog and nutrients. Because they all survive by absorbing water from the air on the leaf surface, their bodies make many changes, including water storage tissue and complex water-absorbing hairs. Reduce the number of leaves, root degeneration, body shrinkage, increase the number of seeds and so on. Most of the more advanced air pineapples look gray because their leaves are covered with fluffy bodies to reflect light, avoid burns and prevent water evaporation. The more exposed to the sun, the denser the fluff.

The biggest difference between this kind of plants and ordinary plants is that they have no roots, and the water and nutrients they need are completely absorbed by leaf stomata. If they are planted in soil or water, they cannot survive. Flowers and leaves are very special, and leaves evolve into special forms. Including water storage tissue, leaf scaly, leaf number reduction, root degradation and so on. They are highly adaptable to adversity, they are resistant to drought, light, wind, shade, heat and cold; they do not need pots, soil and mosquito breeding; they are epiphytic plants on tree trunks, stone walls and even cacti.

The air pineapple is a drought-tolerant aerial species of the pineapple family, and it is a perennial epiphytic or aerial herb.

Cultivation method

The cultivation containers of air pineapple are mainly shells, stones, dead wood, fern boards, rattan baskets, etc., which can be tied with iron wire and rope, or can be pasted on the container with universal glue or thermal sol, or cultivated by hanging. Tie it up with copper wire or rope and hang it in the air.

Temperature

Air pineapple is native to the Central and South American plateaus. It can withstand a low temperature of 5 °C. the suitable growth temperature is 15 °C-25 °C. when it is higher than 25 degrees, it is necessary to strengthen ventilation and increase humidity.

Watering

Air pineapples can be sprayed with a spray can 2-3 times a week and once a day during the dry season. Spray water until the leaf surface is completely wet and pay attention to the center of the leaf not to accumulate water. If too much water is sprayed, the plant can be inverted to transfer the excess water.

Light

The varieties with gray leaves, more white scales and thicker hard need stronger light, while the varieties with greener leaves, fewer scales and softer scales are more shade-tolerant. When growing indoors, it should be placed in a place with bright light, if the light is not enough, it will cause the plant to grow thin.

Fertilizer application

In the artificial cultivation environment, Huabao or potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus urea and water can be sprayed 1000 times, once a week, or the plant can be immersed in 3000-5000 times fertilizer solution for 1-2 hours. Fertilization can be stopped in winter and flowering.

Matters needing attention

1. Strictly speaking, it is not necessary to maintain more than 5 degrees in winter, and it is no problem to get below 0 if the light is good during the day.

two。 I would also like to remind you that you must not plant it in a vat. Air pineapples need a lot of air flow. If the weather is too dry, just soak the plants in water for an hour or so, and then get rid of the water on the leaves. Also, when the leaves are wet, do not bask in the sun, the leaves will be damaged, all air pineapples are more resistant to drought, there will be no problem without water for a few days.

3. The varieties of silver leaves are more resistant to drought than others. Please reduce the watering frequency to avoid decay.

The air humidity requirements of most air pineapples are not as high as expected, and even in the producing area, the air humidity is not high when there is light during the day, but at night due to the temperature difference caused by cooling, water vapor condenses on the plant to form water, which is then absorbed by the leaves. As long as we master this characteristic, we can adjust the water supply according to different cultivation environments. generally speaking, empty Phoenix can supply water at night, and the specific amount depends on the environment and the state of the plant. this requires the growers to control flexibly according to the situation.

The resistance of air pineapple is very strong, and its resistance can reach its peak when it looks a little dry. The resistance of the seemingly tender plant is very low, and it is easy to get sick and rot as soon as the wind blows the grass. So in planting, let the plant dry a little better, so that it can maintain a healthy state.

The above is the introduction of this article, I believe you have a simple understanding after reading it, if necessary, you can continue to pay attention to the No. 1 home network for more information.

two。 I would also like to remind you that you must not plant it in a vat. Air pineapples need a lot of air flow. If the weather is too dry, just soak the plants in water for an hour or so, and then get rid of the water on the leaves. Also, when the leaves are wet, do not bask in the sun, the leaves will be damaged, all air pineapples are more resistant to drought, there will be no problem without water for a few days.

3. The varieties of silver leaves are more resistant to drought than others. Please reduce the watering frequency to avoid decay.

The air humidity requirements of most air pineapples are not as high as expected, and even in the producing area, the air humidity is not high when there is light during the day, but at night due to the temperature difference caused by cooling, water vapor condenses on the plant to form water, which is then absorbed by the leaves. As long as we master this characteristic, we can adjust the water supply according to different cultivation environments. generally speaking, empty Phoenix can supply water at night, and the specific amount depends on the environment and the state of the plant. this requires the growers to control flexibly according to the situation.

The resistance of air pineapple is very strong, and its resistance can reach its peak when it looks a little dry. The resistance of the seemingly tender plant is very low, and it is easy to get sick and rot as soon as the wind blows the grass. So in planting, let the plant dry a little better, so that it can maintain a healthy state.

The above is the introduction of this article, I believe you have a simple understanding after reading it, if necessary, you can continue to pay attention to the No. 1 home network for more information.