Choosing a perennial plant for a balcony and a garden violet hornedThe shape of the crown, leaves and inflorescences is very similar to the previous species, but it is easy to distinguish it by the contrasting pattern along the veins on the leaf plates and the light yellow color of the flowers. 
Aphelandra tetragona( Aphelandra tetragona) is distinguished by a rich green shade of foliage and large scarlet flowers located on the inflorescence in the form of peculiar combs.
Aphelandra coral or Panamanian( Aphelandra sinclairiana) grows in Honduras, Nicaragua, in wooded areas in Panama and Costa Rica. In nature, the shrub reaches a height of three meters, and differs from the above-described species by the shape of bracts and various shades of flowers, which can be pink, red, orange or lilac.
All apelanda species in the wild bloom during the summer months. At home, where there is no obvious change of seasons, flowering and plant development depends on the care and conditions created.
How to care for afelandra in order to achieve the most luxuriant and frequent flowering and to maintain the decorativeness of the bush longer?
Conditions for growing an aflandra in an
house If an aflandra appears on the window sill, the florist should be ready to pay maximum attention to the new pet. A resident of the tropics, where daily variations in temperature are insignificant, is accustomed to heat, light, and high humidity.
Afelandra in the home conditions feels well in the temperature range from 18 ° C at night to 27 ° C during the day. Cooling to 13 ° C after a few days will be felt by the appearance of brown spots on the foliage, and then the decay of the roots.
Shadow - not for afelandry. For this plant you need a bright enough, but not direct, but diffused light. It is up to the creation of suitable light conditions, how soon the owner will wait for the flowering of the South American guest.
- Staying in the bright sun leads to deformation of the leaf plates.
- The lack of light reduces the attractiveness of the bush, the leaves turn pale and shallow, the shoots quickly stretch out.
The lighting mode is important to maintain not only in the summer when it is easy to do, but also in the winter, which is more burdensome in conditions of cloudy weather and short daylight hours.
But this is not the only difficulty. In the cold season, caring for an aflandra at home causes difficulties at once for several reasons:
- maintaining an acceptable temperature;
- find a place where the plant will not be disturbed by drafts;
- creation of high humidity in the room where the plant pot is located.
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seedlings Humidity can be increased by any available means, for example, using a household humidifier, regular spraying of foliage with warm settled water or a water tank located next to an aflandry.
Watering and fertilizing afelandra
Afelandra does not tolerate dry soil or staying in an overly humid environment. Like most indoor plants, for this crop in the summer, especially with the active growth and flowering, it is necessary that the earth lump constantly retains moisture. With the onset of autumn, watering is reduced, so that during the time between them the top layer of soil dries out slightly.
But for a fast-growing culture, not only moisture is needed. The flower grower can not do without the monthly replenishment of nutrients that the flower picked up from the soil.
To maintain growth and blooming, apelandry at home conduct supplementary feeding with complex compositions containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in a ratio of 3: 1: 2.
Transplanting Plants
In order for a plant to be healthy and strong, it is not enough to know how to care for an afelandra, it must be replanted every year. Since even a large specimen with a ground is not required for an adult specimen, it is possible to regulate the growth of a room specimen with the help of transplantation, and also to push the plant to the formation of inflorescences.
When choosing a ready soil or making a soil mixture by hand, it is important to remember that the culture feels best in a substrate with an acidity from 5.5 to 6.5.When caring for afelandra, as in the photo, is true, the plant grows quickly and constantly gives new healthy foliage.
- If pH & lt;5.5, the leaves turn yellow, the formation of inflorescences and buds is disturbed.
- In alkaline soil and pH & gt;7.0 alandra slows down development and gradually perishes.
Read also: How to determine why daffodils do not bloom and achieve their flowering
To obtain a suitable soil can be mixed in equal shares:
- leafy ground;
- brown peat;
- washed sand.
Structuring the resulting mixture is easy if you add a little crushed charcoal into it, which also has an absorbent effect.
If the substrate is too dense, vermiculite is mixed into it. Peat moss will be useful in the soil mixture.
How to care for afelandra after flowering
When purchasing an afelandra, not all growers know the peculiarities of this plant and its care requirements in terms of indoor maintenance. Therefore, for many, it becomes a surprise when literally in a month, that is, after the withering of the inflorescences, the compact plant begins to change.
Nature takes its toll, and growth that is previously held back by flowering begins, the lower leaves fall quickly, the shoots become bare and lengthened. If you do not take action, even with proper care for afendra at home, it will bloom, but will turn into a real bush, as it was intended by nature.
Only regular pruning of plants will help to keep compactness and dimensions acceptable for an apartment. It is carried out at the end of winter or in early spring, cutting off most of the main stem and leaving several dormant buds in its lower part for further growth. This technique allows you to keep the afelandra in the form and even increase the number of formed inflorescences. And during the growing season the nipping of young shoots is useful to the culture.
Video about growing afandra at home
