| Life form | Shrub, ampel |
| Family | Piperaceae |
| Origin | Tropics of Central and South America, Brazil, Ecuador |
| Ease of cultivation | Lung |
| The size | Can reach a size of 20 cm, some species up to 50 cm in a pot. |
| Growth rate | Young plants grow 10-13 cm annually |
| Lifespan | Perennial |
| Temperature | In summer: preferably up to 75,2 ° F. In winter, the optimum temperature is 59-64,4 ° F, with a slight watering, the shriveled plant can withstand temperatures of up to + 50 ° F. Most species do not like sudden temperature fluctuations. |
| Humidity | The plant should be sprayed daily, put in a wet pebble. Although the plant is not as sensitive to moisture conditions, increasing its level will benefit the plant. |
| Lighting | Most species prefer moderate lighting and partial shade, direct sunlight makes the leaves of the plant sluggish and lifeless. The variegated forms need bright diffused light. |
| The soil | A fertile, well drained soil with a neutral reaction is suitable, similar to the substrate for senpolia. 2 parts garden soil, 2 parts of humus (leaf earth), 2 parts of humus, peat, 1part of coarse sand or perlite. Either one part of leaf, sod, humus, peat and sand. Always use a pot with a hole. |
| Watering | To water moderately soft water of a room temperature, in the summer to water 1 time in 10 days, in the winter 1 time in 2-3 weeks. Nevertheless, the soil in the pot should not dry out to a great depth, it can lead to wilting and falling leaves. |
| Fertilizer | From May to September 1 every 2 weeks with liquid fertilizer, use half the recommended dose. |
| Reproduction | The plant easily multiplies by dividing the bush during transplantation. The most commonly propagated by stem cuttings (from 2.5 cm in length) or leaf cuttings, which are rooted after root treatment in a mixture of peat and sand. The container is covered with glass or polyethylene.You can propagate seeds in the early spring at a temperature of 75,2-77 ° F, sowing them in mini-greenhouses in a mixture of peat and sand. After sowing the seeds should not be covered with soil. The container should be covered with glass and put in a dark place. When the seeds germinate, the mini-greenhouse can be transferred to light, but shade should be applied. A month after the emergence of shoots (when there are no less than 2 leaves), plants can be dived and transplanted. |
| Bloom | Bloom in the summer, form a long spikelet inflorescence, reminiscent of inflorescence of plantain. |
| Transfer | Transplanted annually in the spring, but pots should not be large and deep, because the root system of the plant is small. |
| Features of care | The plant likes to grow in the humid atmosphere of the kitchen. Plants do not like cold air. Pruning of compact species should be done only to remove damaged and diseased leaves. Small-leaved species are successfully used for “bottle gardens”. |
| Difficulties | It is affected by spider mites, thrips, scutes. Leaves wilt and fall off with insufficient watering. Leaves of the leaves and the base of the stems turn black with excessive watering. Sometimes, when overflowing on leaves, bubbling forms. In winter, leaves may fall from too low or from too high a temperature. The brown tips of the leaves are formed as a result of the action of a draft or low temperatures. The leaves become sluggish and faded in winter due to excessive watering. In summer, the leaves become flaccid, pale and wrinkled under excessive light. |
| Air cleaning | The plant’s tulip cleanses the air from formaldehyde and some other toxins and actively enriches the air with oxygen. |
| Toxicity | – |
