Dyschidia Russifolia - Ovata, Million Hearts, Singularis and Rusk-leaved

An exotic inhabitant of the tropics, dyschidia russifolia, resembles a green waterfall flowing along the walls of the flowerpot. It is still rarely seen in Russian homes and offices. There are a number of nuances in the growing process that you need to familiarize yourself with before purchasing a flower.

Botanical description

The Latin name for this unusual plant is Dischidia Ruscifolia. On the Internet forums of flower growers, this name is often written "dishidia". However, in the botanical encyclopedia it is customary to use the "dyschidia" variant. "Russifolia" is translated as "ruskusolistnaya". The leaves of this guest from the tropics resemble ruscus leaves, hence the second part of the name.

Dyschidia in the greenhouse

In the wild, the flower is common in the Australian, Indian and Polynesian rainforests. Epiphyte grows on other plants, while not parasitizing them. It is also a succulent that accumulates water in the leaves. Belongs to the subfamily Lastovnevye (Vatochnikovye), which is part of the Kutrovye family.

For your information! It is related to hoya, stapelia, syrian cottonwood, tylophora, etc. At present, the dyschidia species has 116 varieties recognized by botanists.

Dyschidia is an ampelous plant, its branches should hang from the pot. The ideal option is a hanging planter.

The bloom is not very decorative, but regular.

An interesting visitor from tropical forests and two types of leaves. In natural nature, not only ordinary leaves resembling a heart, but also special jugs are formed on dyschidia. The sheet plate folds up in an interesting way, forming a container. Such a jug is of practical value for a flower. Roots grow inside such leaf plates. During the rain, water accumulates in the jug, which nourishes the entire plant. Pieces of wood, leaves and even dead insects also get there. All this forms its own nutrient substrate, which only benefits the epiphyte.

Note!For the shape of the leaves, the plant received the nickname dyschidia a million hearts.

Dyschidia with two types of leaves

Care features

Dyschidia care at home requires painstaking, observing a special temperature regime.

Temperature

Hoya lacunosa - types of Eskimo ilver and Royal flush

Dischidia is a thermophilic flower. The room where it grows should not be colder than 18 ° C. Temperature maximum - 30 ° С. The ideal range is 22-25 ° C.

Lighting

Illumination should be good. In this case, the light should not be direct. Delicate leaves are susceptible to burns when exposed to sunlight.

Important! Northern window sills without artificial lighting are contraindicated. On southern ones, you can put them only if it is possible to slightly shade the glass. Rooms on the east or west side of the house work well.

Watering

Watering is required in moderation, but the soil should not completely dry out. In summer, watered weekly when the topsoil dries up. In winter, watering is reduced to once a month.

Water is taken:

filtered;
boiled;
defended for at least 3 days;
rain;
from the melted snow.

Important!Hard tap water, not prepared in the above way, can destroy the succulent.

Spraying

Spraying from a spray bottle is carried out regularly with the same soft water as for irrigation. In summer and during the heating season, you need to spray at least once a day.

Humidity

The higher it is, the better. The minimum is 40%. Provided in the following ways:

using an automatic humidifier;
placing pots with dischidia on a pallet covered with pebbles, expanded clay, etc.
frequent spraying.

Note!To control the degree of air humidity, you can purchase and install special sensors. But an ordinary weather station will do a good job of determining the level of humidity.

Priming

The soil should be breathable and well saturated with water. Heavy clay soil will not work. You can purchase your potting potting mix at a botanical store. A mixture for orchids is suitable. Experienced growers can independently prepare the substrate for planting dyschidia. It should include:

peat moss (sphagnum) - one part;
peat - three parts;
sheet soil - two parts.
some river sand and charcoal.

Important! The drainage layer at the bottom of the planter should not be less than 2 cm, this will ensure the outflow of excess water.

Top dressing

For feeding, fertilizers are chosen for succulents or decorative deciduous plants. Fertilize no more than once a month during the active growing season. They alternate soil (watering) and foliar (spraying) top dressing.

Transfer

Russifolia does not like change. It is worth replanting it only in the following cases:

when bought in store soil, not suitable for the constant growth of a flower;
when the planter is damaged;
when the root system has become too cramped in the pot;
with depletion of the soil (every two years);
if there are problems with the soil, parasites, etc.

A planned transplant is always carried out in the spring, so the dyschidia will grow faster. The planter should not be flush with the roots. But you should not choose too spacious either.

Before transplanting, the pots are washed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Note! You can use a hollowed-out piece of a tree trunk as a flowerpot for this plant.

Russifolia on the trunk

When it blooms

This epiphyte does not have a strictly defined flowering time. Flowers can appear from early spring to late autumn. Sometimes even in winter, but this is rare. Flowering occurs once a year. At the same time, the plant looks very impressive: the green waterfall is covered with small white stars, exuding a sweetish aroma. Some varieties have flowers in different shades of scarlet and pink. Flowers are single or collected in small inflorescences.

Dischidia flowers

How does it multiply

This flower can propagate both by cuttings and by seeds.

Seeds

Many varieties of this flower are simply propagated by seeds. After flowering, an oblong seed capsule is formed. The seeds are very small, they fly apart easily, so there should be no drafts.

Sow into a substrate collected from a peat mixture with sand. The soil must be well moistened. The seeds are sown so that the sprouts have room to grow. Top it off with a thin layer of peat. The box with seedlings is covered with foil or glass.

For germination of dyschidia seeds, good lighting and a temperature of at least 22 ° C are needed. Until sprouts appear, the container can stand in direct sunlight. When germinating, the box is removed in partial shade. The sprouts are transplanted into separate pots when two full-fledged sheets appear on them.

Everything takes about 3 months.

Important! Seedlings are aired daily for half an hour.

Cuttings

To do this, use the tops of young shoots from 8 to 10 cm long. The cut is made with a sharp knife at an angle of 45 °. The cut is immediately dipped in crushed charcoal. To stimulate root formation, special preparations are used:

heteroauxin;
cornerost;
root;
super root;
will root;
succinic acid;
zircon (also improves seed germination).

Then the cut branches at an angle of 45 ° are planted in a well-moistened peat-sandy substrate. Cover with a glass jar or plastic bottle. Every day for half an hour they are ventilated. The soil should not dry out. Rooting will take place in a month and a half.

Note! The cut shoot can also be rooted in water. To do this, take a container made of dark but transparent glass. The water is changed daily.

Possible problems

The following problems may arise when growing Ruskus-leaved dyschidia:

sunburn in direct sunlight. The affected leaves are removed, the pot is transferred to another room;
decay of roots with excessive watering. An urgent transplant is required. Old soil and rotten roots are removed. The remaining roots are washed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate before planting in a new pot;
leaf fall occurs when there is a lack of moisture. It is worth increasing the humidity in the room and watering more often.

Pests

This succulent plant suffers from two types of pests:

mealybugs infect all parts of the plant, sucking out nutrients from them. A white bloom resembling cotton wool remains on the flower. The parasites themselves are also well distinguishable;
spider mite. A characteristic feature is a cobweb on the back of the sheet. The ticks themselves are also distinguishable, although they do not exceed 1 mm in size.

When these pests appear, the plant is treated with an insecticide.

Common varieties

The following varieties of culture are popular among florists.

Ovate (Ovata)

Dischidia Ovata has pinkish-green stems with oval, egg-shaped leaves. The leaf plate is dark green waxy with white veins. The flowers are white, red and pink.

Dischidia Ovat also has the above-described water collection jugs.

Caring for Ovate dyschidia at home does not differ from what is described above.

Dyschidia Ovata with red, pink and white flowers

Nummularia

Leaves and stems are green. Dischidia Nummularia has a coin-shaped plate. The Latin word "nummus" just means "coin". The flowers are white, they are collected in small clusters.

Variety Nummularia - the most common variety in apartments

Ruskusolistnaya (russifolia variegata)

Has a variegated color. The leaf blade itself is green and the edges are white. Sometimes the leaves are completely white. The flowers are light pink or white and smell good.

Russifolia variegata, when it blooms it smells amazing

Scallop

The leaves are light green oval with embossed veins. There are numerous aerial roots. Once a year, the florist will be delighted with bright cherry flowers.

Scallop variety with cherry flowers

Apple Leaf

Dyschidia Apple Leaf has emerald green large apple-shaped leaves. The flowers are white.

Apple-leaved cultivar with white flowers

Vidalia

The Vidalia variety has light cherry flowers. The leaves are pale green oval with a pointed tip.

Vidalia is not much different from other varieties

Hirsuta

This variety has bright green shaggy leaves. Their shape is rounded with a pointed tip. Hirsut's dischidia flowers are deep pink.

Hirsuta with pink flowers

Raffleza

Dischidia Rafflesiana is the largest variety. Shoots reach several meters. The leaves are emerald green and oval. The flowers are yellow.

Raffleza pleases the eye with very large inflorescences

Singularis

Dyschidia Singularis is a plant with large light green rounded leaves. The flowers of Dischidia Singularis are white and clustered in inflorescences.

Singularis variety with white inflorescences

Dyschidia pleases flower growers with a variety of varieties. But regardless of the variety chosen, it is necessary to provide the proper conditions for the growth of this flower. Therefore, it is more suitable for experienced flower growers.