The decorative plant asparagus crescent (asparagus falcatus) is used for landscaping interiors of apartments, offices, public buildings and buildings. Creates lush green emerald green. Undemanding to growing conditions, rarely blooms. The design can be used as a solo element or background for flowering species. It is worth considering how to grow sickle asparagus at home in order to achieve maximum manifestation of its aesthetic qualities.
What does sickle asparagus look like, to which family it belongs
Sickle asparagus belongs to the Asparagus family, which has more than 200 varieties of herbaceous and shrub plants, including climbing and ground cover species. Origin from East and South Africa.
Asparagus in summer conditions
Twigs upright or slightly deflected, some twisted twigs. It forms small shoots-suckers. The stems are green, at the base they can acquire an anthocyanin (violet) hue. The height of the plant at home reaches 70-90 cm. The leaves are elongated, lanceolate, mostly straight at the ends of the shoots. Short leaves closer to the center of the bush may be slightly curved in the form of a sickle. Length from 4 to 12 cm, width 5-10 mm.
Crescent Shoots
Additional Information! Rhizome grows rapidly, filling the container. Compact tubers can form in the center. This indicates good growth and development.
Common varieties
In addition to the species of asparagus of falcatus, varieties are widely used:
- cirrus asparagus;
- asparagus Sprenger;
- Asparagus Meyer.
In open ground in a temperate zone, a variety of asparagus grows - medicinal asparagus.
Healing properties
Species contain the amino acid asparagine. In a vegetable crop, there are many vitamins and mineral salts. Asparagus officinalis extract is used for diseases of the kidneys, heart and blood vessels, diabetes mellitus, to reduce blood pressure. Infusions of roots and herbs are used for diseases of the kidneys and bladder, allergies, dysentery, epilepsy.
Important! No parts of the sickle-asparagus plant are consumed; only young shoots of asparagus officinalis are edible.
The history of the emergence of culture
Genus has been known to mankind for at least 2 thousand years. Due to the beauty and miniature nature of the leaves, the plants were noticed and actively propagated. In ancient Greece, asparagus shoots were woven into the wreaths of the bride and groom. In Egypt, asparagus shoots were first used as a vegetable. He came to Russia in the 17th century.
Features of home care
Asparagus falcatus originates from the warm and arid regions of Africa. Unpretentious, often change the place of growth should not be. It is worthwhile to analyze in more detail which conditions in the house are most suitable for the plant.
Temperature
The optimum temperature for the growth and development of sickle asparagus is 20-25 ℃ above zero. In the summer, in extreme heat, the container with the plant is taken out onto the balcony or loggia. In winter, it is permissible to lower the room temperature to 17-18 ℃.
Lighting
When exposed to direct sunlight, burns may appear on the leaves in the form of dark brown and brown spots with the death of tissues. It is best to keep the plant on the eastern or western windows, 15-20 cm away from the glass. It is permissible to keep it in floor pots in the depths of a bright room, at the height of cabinets or whatnots.
Asparagus crescent in the center of the room
Watering
In the summer, watering is carried out 2-3 times a week. In winter, it is permissible to water the flower 1 time in 7-10 days. The top layer of the substrate in the pot should always be slightly moist. If water stagnates in the sump, it should be removed to prevent decay of the root system.
Spraying
Spraying the leaves with clean water from the spray gun is practiced in dry rooms in the winter, as well as in extreme heat in the summer (to free from dust). When diseases and pests occur, spraying with fungicides and pesticides may be necessary.
On a note! For indoor flowers, neutral biological preparations should be chosen.
Humidity
Ground moisture is maintained at a moderate level. Waterlogging and too rare watering are equally harmful for the plant. Humidity in the room should be at least 25%. Too high air humidity contributes to the development of diseases. At low humidity, leaves may turn yellow and crumble.
Priming
Asparagus grows best on neutral or slightly acidic soils. For falcatus, soil containing in itself is suitable:
- garden land - 2 parts;
- humus - 2 parts;
- peat - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part.
As the aboveground and underground parts grow, the container is replaced with a larger one with a complete replacement of the soil.
Top dressing
Asparagus requires top dressing with mineral and organic substances. Mineral top dressing should be given in the spring with a full complex of substances. The mineral complex Nutrisol or Reasil with trace elements is suitable.
Fertilizing with organic substances is done 2-3 times in the summer and 1-2 times in the winter. Use Humate potassium or sodium in the form of a solution. Humus is on sale, which is gently mixed into the substrate several times a year.
Features of winter care during rest
Falcate does not require special care in winter. It is enough to lower the room temperature slightly and reduce watering to 1 time per week.
Note! Watering in winter is carried out with settled water at room temperature.
When and how it blooms
Asparagus specimens can be dioecious (male or female plant). Flowering is rare, observed 7-12 years after planting a bush in early summer. Flowering period 3-4 weeks. In the shade, asparagus practically does not develop. The flowers are numerous small, white, located in the axils of the leaves, collected in an inflorescence in the form of a loose brush. Stamens 6 or more, petals also 6 or more. Anthers are dark yellow. The fruit is a small berry, inedible. Seeds are rounded, covered with a dense black peel.
Flowering crescent asparagus
Changes in flowering care
During flowering, asparagus should be watered more often than usual. It is important not to change the place. If there is a risk of exposure to direct sunlight, it is better to create a slight shading with light paper.
Pruning
There is a shaping and thinning pruning of asparagus. The flower tolerates both species well. With thinning pruning, the method of completely cutting weak, diseased or accidentally broken off shoots is used. Held at any time of the year.
When forming pruning, cutting and shortening of shoots is used. They do it in spring or early summer. The shortening of the longest stems is performed 0.5-0.6 cm above the leaf.
How sickle asparagus breeds
The plant is propagated vegetatively or by seed. In the first method, the properties of the mother bush are completely transferred to the offspring. Generative propagation allows you to get a different variety or variety. Adult plants at home can reproduce by dividing the bush.
Seed germination
Seeds have a hard shell. Before sowing, they are soaked in water at room temperature for 12-20 hours. Sowing is carried out in soil with a large proportion of sand in the composition, they are embedded in the soil by 0.6-0.7 cm. The container is covered with a plastic bag and put away in a warm place.
Additional Information! Lighting during seed germination does not play a role.
Germination lasts 3-4 weeks. When the first shoots appear, the container is moved to a well-lit place, continue to water and loosen the soil. When the first leaves appear, they are transplanted into a pot with full soil.
Rooting cuttings
This method is easiest to propagate asparagus. To do this, make several cuts with a length of 12-15 cm 1 cm below the internode. The lower leaves on the cuttings are removed, after which the cuttings are placed in a glass of water at room temperature. Water in the tank is changed daily. Roots form in 10-14 days. Shoots with roots are planted in pots with a substrate.
Air lay
If the shoots are long, some of them can be slightly tilted and used to obtain layering. From different sides of the mother plant, pots with light sandy soil are placed. Rejected shoots are pinned with a bracket from a solid wire into pots so that the internodes are covered with a substrate. It is regularly moisturized. After 10-15 days, roots appear on the layers. They are cut off from the mother bush and planted in separate pots.
Transfer
For transplantation, containers with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm larger than the previous one are used. On average, a sickle-shaped asparagus bush at the age of 3-4 years needs a transplant every 7-8 months. For better drainage, a 3 cm expanded clay layer is poured onto the bottom of the new pot, then a substrate layer. A plant with a lump of earth is put into a new container, covered with a substrate, squeezed well, watered twice in the morning and in the evening.
An adult bush during transplantation can be divided into two or three lobes for reproduction. In this case, large pots should not be taken. The mother bush is divided into rhizomes - each new individual should receive a developed root section and several young shoots.
Possible problems in growing and disease
At low room temperature, high humidity of the substrate and air, asparagus can get powdery mildew. White plaque appears on the leaves. If no action is taken, the plant may die. It is necessary to spray with the drug Alirin B. The soil in the pot is watered with a solution of Fitosporin.
Powdery mildew is one of the problems of asparagus
Note! If the plant drops buds and leaves - among the possible causes may be a dry substrate, lack of phosphorus, potassium. If the leaves turn pale - there is a lack of nitrogen.
When the tips dry on the leaves - this is evidence of low humidity. It is recommended to use water spraying from a spray bottle. If the lower leaves of the asparagus fall, the plant lacks potassium.
It is not difficult to take care of sickle asparagus. According to omens, upon seeing a flowering asparagus, they make a wish that will come true.
