(Photo from wikipedia.org)
Among the apartment plants, the Pachira is one of the most popular and diffused, thanks to its broad beak and the ease of cultivation. It is therefore a very easy plant to find in nurseries at different times of its growth.
Main features
The Pachira genus has some species of plants originating in the rainforests of Central America and Brazil. The most
commonly used as a plant is Pachira aquatica, particularly appreciated for its large evergreen palm trees, bright green color and glossy surface. In places
of origin this is a real tree, with a large covering, which can exceed 20 meters in height. If grown in a vase and in an environment other than tropical tends to not exceed
2-3 meters in height. In the apartment it is easy to find even smaller specimens, in a sense miniaturized by the fact that the roots are contained in vessels not excessively
large.
Coltivate the Pachira
As we said, Pachira is
widespread in the apartment as it is fairly easy to cultivate; perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that it is a
plant that well tolerates cultivation conditions that are not entirely ideal. In the rainforest there is a very different climatic condition than the one
available in the apartment.
The main thing to keep in mind is the environmental moisture, almost absent in the house during the long and hot summer days, but also in winter when the heating system is active.
To have a plant always beautiful and lush it is advisable to water it regularly, however, to keep the soil always wet: before watering it is advisable to check, if it is still wet, you should
refer to the supply of water at least one day; in
winter, the watering will be minimal, even once a week, while in the summer it will be much more frequent. The most important thing is to vaporize the leaves often, using distilled
water to avoid spilling it with limestone. In very hot and dry apartments,
it may be advisable to use a cold humidifier. In the summertime the plant moves outdoors,
so it enjoys the outside climate; this plant can not withstand temperatures
below 5 ° C, so it is advisable to grow it in an apartment or in a heated greenhouse during the winter. The ideal
location for the Pachira is a home area where you can enjoy good lighting while avoiding direct sunlight, which could ruin the leaves.
Parasites and illnesses
The main issues related to Pachira depend on cultivation conditions. Plants that enjoy a perfect
climate can, at times, flourish even if grown in an apartment. The flowers are great and spectacular, but they are hard to see in the apartment plants. Among the main parasites we find the cochineal and the mites, which tend to develop in very dry environments; they become fatigued with special insecticides or
acaricides. excessive watering over time can lead to the formation of radical rot, which can also lead to the death of the plant. A supply of
fertilizer for flat plants, at least once every 15 days, provides the plant with all the mineral elements it needs, thus avoiding the occurrence of deficiencies. To have a
healthy Pachira it is also appropriate to replace the pot once every two years, placing it in a slightly larger container.
Curiosity
The very young Pachira plants have a malleable and fickle stem, which stretches for several tens of centimeters. This led
to the habit of placing at least 3-4 specimens in the same vessel, then intermingling the barrels between them, to form a single trunk of the shape of a braid. It is a
particularly decorative way of cultivating these plants, which does not ruin them in any way. To keep the braid, as time goes by, push the new grows to the correct
positioning, continuing to grow the weave in height.
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