Decorative palm trees have long been in demand among lovers of indoor plants. One of such evergreen specimens is Washington, niteniferous, or fan palm. The article will discuss the characteristics of the plant, about what conditions and care it needs.

What does it look like?

Washington's evergreen, ornamental palm tree hails from the subtropics of the southern United States and Mexico.

In home growing conditions, the plant does not exceed 2 meters in height. The trunk, thickened at the base, is covered with the remains of shrunken lower leaves. The foliage of Washington's shape resembles a fan with dissected lobes. Petioles at the plates are long and thick, and between the feathers of leaves there are fibrous processes of white color. The color of the leaves is gray-green.

Did you know? Washington is called «palm tree in a skirt». This is because when the lower leaves naturally dry out, they do not fly around, but sink onto the trunk with a lush, rustling skirt.

At home, flowering and fruiting are a rare occurrence. In the natural environment during flowering, an inflorescence-panicle of a snow-white or cream shade appears. A strong and pleasant aroma of flowers is noted. After flowering, edible black berries are formed.

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What conditions should be created at home?

All you need to know about a decorative palm tree is heat and moisture. Providing her with the necessary microclimate, you will enjoy the view of evergreen Washington for many years.

Accommodation

Too bright light and direct sunlight are undesirable for the plant, diffused light is recommended. Therefore, the western or eastern side of the room is suitable for its placement. For the young specimen, these are window sills, an adult tree is placed near the window.

In winter, the plant will need backlighting, since the duration of daylight hours should last up to 15 hours.

Temperature and humidity

Washingtonia is a heat-loving plant, but does not tolerate heat in room conditions. Optimum temperature of keeping:

• in summer - + 20 ... + 24 ° С;
• in winter - + 7 ... + 15 ° С.

At the same time, it is not recommended to allow sudden changes in temperature, drafts. Humidity is desirable 70–75%, the perimeter around the fan palm can be sprayed every day.

How to care at home?

Palm care is a simple procedure. In addition to watering and fertilizing, the plant needs fresh air, cleaning from dust (with a warm shower).

Watering

Water for irrigation should be defended, its temperature should not be lower than room temperature (+ 18 ... + 20 ° С). Winter watering should be moderate, just to prevent drying out of the soil coma. During dormancy, it is enough to water once a week.

In the summer, watered daily, but in small doses. The soil in the pot should be moist, not wet.If the air in the room is dry, near the flowerpot you can put a tray with a moist filler (moss, expanded clay).

Top dressing

In spring and winter, you do not need to fertilize the palm tree. The rest of the time, fertilizing with palm trees is carried out, for example, Agricola. The proportion of the solution is 4–5 g per 2 liters of water: watering the soil and spraying on the sheet in turn. The interval between procedures is 14 days.

Pruning

In the case of Washington, trimmed shrunken foliage is performed. In the natural cycle of development, the lower row of leaves dries out and hangs on the trunk, diminishing the decorativeness of the plant. Therefore, closer to the trunk, the petioles of the dried parts of the palm tree are carefully cut.

How to transplant?

The transplant, as well as landing, is carried out in the spring in late February - early March. The frequency of transplantation depends on the age of the specimen:

• up to 3 years - annually;
• 5-7 years - once every 3 years;
• 7-10 years - once every 5 years;
• 10-15 years - carry out the replacement of the upper soil layer, without transplantation.

The earthen mixture is prepared from the following ingredients:

• turf land - 2 parts;
• sheet land - 2 parts;
• humus - 2 parts;
• river sand - 1 part.

It is better to choose a palm pot for plastic, because the ceramics quickly heat up and absorb moisture. In size, height is more important than width. The shape of the pot does not play a role, and it is better to choose a lighter color so that it does not overheat. For each subsequent transplant, the volume of the container should be one third more than the previous one.

Video: How to transplant Washington

The transplant is carried out by the method of transshipment:

1. A plant with a moistened lump of soil is dumped out of the pot, tapping on the walls to make it easier to leave.
2. 3-5 cm of drainage layer (broken brick, expanded clay) is put into the new tank at the bottom and a hill of soil is poured.
3. A seedling is placed on the ground and, spreading the roots, they are covered with soil.
4. After moisturizing the soil and place the pot on a shaded place for 5-7 days for adaptation.

Important! For a fan palm, a large layer of drainage is important, since waterlogging of the root system is fraught with death of the tree.

How to propagate using seeds?

Palm seeds can be found in specialty stores. Before sowing, the material must be prepared: each seed is cut with a sharp knife and soaked for 5-7 days in clean water.

For seed germination, a soil mixture is prepared in a ratio of 3: 1: 1:

• sheet earth;
• coarse sand;
• peat.

Sowing is conveniently carried out in plastic food containers with a lid. Technology:

1. Grains are sown at a distance of about 2 cm from each other, to the same depth.
2. After sowing, the substrate is moistened and covered with a lid for a greenhouse effect.
3. The sowing container is placed in a warm place - + 25 ... + 28 ° C.
4. Open the lid daily for airing and moistening the soil.
5. After 2-3 months, seedlings appear, the lid is opened, the seedlings are placed in a place with bright but diffused lighting.
6. When 2 true leaves appear, they are transplanted into an individual container, the soil is selected as for an adult specimen.
7. Further care is like an adult bush.

Important! The transplantation of young bushes is best done by transshipment: the fragile root system is very fragile.

Growing difficulties

Difficulties with the development of a palm tree may arise as a result of a violation of its conditions or errors in care. The main problems and their solutions:

1. Leaf spotting. Reasons: dense soil, waterlogging, hypothermia. Treatment: correction of the microclimate and care, spraying with the fungicide "Bone Forte" (2 ml per 5 l of water).
2. Blackening of the tips or darkening of the sheet plate. Reason: lack of potash fertilizers and moisture. Treatment: to adjust feeding and watering, to apply air spraying around the plant.
3. Penicillosis - dark spots with a white coating. Reasons: sunburn, excess moisture, soil contaminated with fungi. Prevention: the soil must be decontaminated before planting. Treatment: introduce normalized watering, treat the plant with Vitaros fungicide (2 ml per 1 liter of water).
4. Root rot - the foliage dries up and fades, at the base of the trunk appears necrosis. The bush needs to be transplanted into a new disinfected soil after treatment with the Kuprozan preparation. At the palm, the affected leaves and root shoots are pruned. In a solution (4 g per 1 liter of water) place the plant for 15 minutes. Then powdered with powdered charcoal and placed in a pot.
5. Spider mite. The insect loves dry air, so you need to monitor the humidity regime and ventilation. You can fight the tick with the Agravertin preparation (2 ml per 1 liter of water).
6. Mealybug attacks at elevated temperatures against increased humidity of air and soil. Effective drug "Vertimek" (1 ml per 1 liter of water).
7. Thrips more often they get into the house with the wind when airing, they are brought in with a bouquet of flowers or with contaminated soil. Treatment: spraying with Aktara (4 g per 5 l of water).

Did you know? Nitrous Washington is not only an ornamental plant: flour is produced from its seeds, and rugs and kitchen utensils are weaved from fibers.

A plant with an evergreen fan of leaves will become a decoration and complement to the interior: in a house, apartment or office. All he needs is quality care and the right conditions.