Araucaria – care

Araucaria(Araucaria) is a coniferous evergreen plant that can be grown indoors in a pot. In its natural environment, Araucaria grows to the size of large coniferous trees (60 m), it can be found in the forests of the South. America, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. In apartments, it can be found as an ornamental Christmas tree, the height of which does not exceed 2 meters. Araucaria blooms, but in indoor growing conditions it is impossible to wait for inflorescences from the plant. Useful properties of Araucaria Araucaria, like other conifers, purifies the air. Araucaria improves the chemical composition of the air, so doctors order people with asthma to grow this plant.

Types of Araucaria

There are more than 18 varieties in Araucaria:

Araucaria heterophylla

The most popular species that we find in flower shops.

A tree in a shape resembling a pyramid, with soft needles up to 2 cm in length, which are densely arranged on hard branches.

Araucaria angustifolia or Araucaria brasiliana

It does not grow more than 3 meters in height indoors.

Araucaria columnaris

At first glance, it resembles a cypress. This species is common in countries with tropical and subtropical climates.

Araucaria araucana

It is a very large tree. It grows in humid forests with a tropical climate, because it is not found as a houseplant.

How to care for Araucaria at home

Caring for Araucaria is easy if you follow the requirements listed below:

Light brightness for araucaria

Lighting for araucaria needs quite bright, but not direct sunlight, in summer it is better to shade a houseplant. Indoor araucaria grows well in bright light, but it feels great in partial shade. Rotate the plant regularly to form an even crown. In summer, it is useful to take the araucaria outdoors in the light shade of trees. It is imperative to monitor the uniformity of the illumination of the crown, with a lack of light, some of the branches may turn yellow and lose needles, this should be avoided, since the crown will not recover and the plant may lose its decorative effect.

Watering and humidity

Use soft water for watering. From spring to autumn, Araucaria needs abundant watering, the soil should always be easily moistened. Autumn and winter in Araucaria are a dormant period, so you need to water much less, add as the top layer of the earth dries.

It is advisable to maintain high humidity. With insufficient humidity, the needles at the ends of the branches begin to dry out. Do not place plants close to heaters. Spray the plant 2 times a day, provided that the air temperature is more than 18 degrees C. Very frequent spraying is required during the heat, they will help the plant cope with high temperatures. If the air temperature is 15 degrees or below, it is not necessary to spray the plant.

Air temperature for Araucaria

A comfortable temperature for Araucaria in summer is 15-22 degrees C, and in winter 10-16 degrees C. Araucaria does not tolerate high temperatures, during the heat it is better to place the plant in an air-conditioned room or often spray the crown.

Soil for Araucaria

The soil for Araucaria should be slightly acidic. The substrate should include coniferous, deciduous, soddy soil, coarse sand, peat and compost (humus) in equal parts.

Top dressing of araucaria

Be sure to use special fertilizers for conifers, according to the instructions, but you need to slightly reduce the dosage. Only watered plants can be fed. It is necessary to feed indoor Christmas trees in the spring-summer period every 2 weeks, and in winter – 1 time in 30 days.

How to transplant Araucaria

The plant tolerates transplantation extremely hard, so try to transship araucaria as rarely as possible – once every 3-4 years. When transshipment, try not to damage the roots (transplantation with a complete replacement of the soil can lead to the death of the plant). Growing a plant in a small pot will inhibit the growth of araucaria.

Reproduction of auracaria

Araucaria is propagated by seeds and cuttings.

At home, it is very difficult to propagate araucaria, we advise you to buy an already rooted plant.

Features of propagation by cuttings

For cuttings, we take apical or intermediate stem cuttings. For some time, the cut cuttings are dried so that the resin hardens. Then you should carefully remove the resin from the bottom of the shoot, dip the bottom in a dry rooting agent and plant it up to the level of the branches in sterile soil (or peat tablet). Be sure to place the planted plant in a greenhouse with a temperature of about +25 degrees C. Roots grow in about 3-4 months.

How to prune Araucaria

It is not necessary to prune the araucaria. Pruning the top can lead to a loss of decorativeness of the plant. We cut only dried branches.

Pests

Araucaria is quite resistant to pests, but can be affected by mealybugs and specific pests of conifers. If you notice white clusters that look like pieces of cotton wool, take a brush (for glue), soak it in alcohol and carefully remove pests between the needles, treat the plant with an insecticide solution.

Errors in araucaria care

Помилки в догляді:
• Needles fall off – dry air or insufficient watering. Increase humidity and watering.
• Shoots turn yellow and dry – very dry air. Increase the humidity.
• The lower branches of the araucaria dry up – a root beetle may be affected. Treat the plant with an insecticide solution.
• The trunk is curved – uneven lighting. Turn the pot of araucaria more often.
• New shoots of araucaria grow thin – insufficient feeding.