Nolina is a perennial plant with a strongly swollen bottle-shaped trunk. Its habitat is from Texas to the northern regions of Mexico. Nolina is also called “sidekorney”, “bottle tree”, “elephant leg” or “pony tail”. Previously, the genus belonged to the Agave family, but today it is classified as a representative of the Asparagus family. In the natural environment, unusual trees reach a height of 8 m. Indoor nolins are more compact and highly decorative. Moreover, they are quite unpretentious in care.
The appearance of the plant
Nolina is a succulent perennial with a lignified low trunk. The lower part of the trunk (caudex) is greatly swollen. It is intended for the accumulation of moisture, since plants in nature live in regions with a long period of drought. Above the caudex is one or more narrower trunks. The lignified parts of the plant are covered with a light brown or grayish cracking bark. Under the thin skin hides a juicy green flesh.
Leaves of nolina are located in the upper part of the trunk, so that it resembles a palm tree. Solid sheet plates are linear in shape. A hard surface with embossed longitudinal veins is painted dark green. The length of the leaves is 30-100 cm. Hats are woven from the leaves at home. They are characterized by high wear resistance. As they grow, the lower leaves dry out and die off, and new ones appear from above from the center of the outlet. This is a natural process that does not require additional care.
Under natural conditions, nolin produces flowers. Indoor plants do not bloom. Paniculate inflorescences rise above the main part of the foliage. They consist of small yellowish-white flowers with a strong pleasant aroma. After pollination, dry seed bunches with rounded flat seeds of brown color ripen.
Types of Nolina
The genus includes about 30 species of plants. In our country, only some of them are found in flower shops.
Nolina bent (recurvate). The most common variety with a heavily inflated trunk below. Such a bottle tree in the natural environment can reach 1 m in diameter. At the top of the thin trunk is a bunch of hard ribbon-like leaves. Most often, they grow in an arc, but can wriggle and twist. The surface of the foliage is painted dark green. The leaf length reaches 1 m, and the width is only 1-2 cm. In summer, a well-overgrown plant can produce creamy panicled inflorescences.
Nolin longifolia (longifolia). A low plant with a bottle trunk at the top is covered with many very narrow and long leaves. The dried lower leaves do not fall immediately, but form a lush straw skirt around the trunk, covered with a thick cork bark with deep cracks.
Nolina compressed (stricta). The plant trunk has a more squat, flattened shape. Young nolins of this species resemble a broad bulb with a bunch of long greens.
Nolina Lindemeira (lindheimerian). Pretty beautiful ornamental plant. Long thin shoots grow from the thickened caudex, over which a dense bundle of dark green twisty leaves blooms. Curly heaps can reach the earth itself, despite the fact that houseplants relatively quickly reach the height of human growth.
Breeding
Nolin can be propagated by seeds and lateral processes. Before planting, the seeds are soaked for a day in a growth stimulator, and then distributed on the surface of the sand-peat soil. They are pressed into the ground and lightly sprinkled with earth. The container is covered with a film and placed in a warm (about + 20 ° C) and well-lit place. Shoots appear within 10-15 days. It is very important to keep them in a well-lit room. Strong, similar to small onions, plants are carefully transplanted without diving into separate pots. Sometimes practice planting together 2-3 seedlings. In this case, they grow and intertwine with roots, forming the likeness of a single tree with three trunks.
Rooting cuttings is carried out quite rarely, since they almost never form. Sometimes sleeping kidneys wake up on the caudex. As a result, in addition to the main trunk, several lateral processes are formed. Such a process can be separated and rooted. Cut it with a sterile blade as close to the trunk as possible. Places of cuts on the cuttings and the mother plant are treated with crushed charcoal. The cuttings are rooted in a container with a mixture of sand, peat and vermiculite. Moisten the soil gently and cover with a cap. Keep the seedling in a well-lit room at a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° C. The roots appear quickly enough, as evidenced by young leaves. Rooted nolin is transplanted into a permanent pot and cover is removed.
Transplant Rules
Young nolins are transplanted annually; for older plants, one transplant is enough in 3-5 years. The root system of the plant is in the upper layers of the soil, so the pot should be selected shallow, but wide. You can not immediately take a much larger container, it should be 2-3 cm wider than the previous one.
The soil for bokarneya should have a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, light structure and good air permeability. The mixture can be composed of:
- river sand (2 parts);
- peat land (1 part);
- sheet land (1 part);
- leaf humus (1 part);
- turf land (2 parts).
Nolina prefers a dry transplant, that is, a week before and after the procedure, the plant is not watered. During transplantation, part of the old earthen coma should be removed and the roots examined for rot. Damaged areas are cut off. Drainage material is poured into the bottom of the pot, and the space between the roots and walls is filled with a compounded soil mixture. Caudex cannot be buried.
Home Care
It is not very difficult to take care of nolina, but compliance with certain rules is mandatory.
Lighting. Nolina needs a long daylight hours (12-14 hours) and bright lighting. At least a few hours a day, direct sunlight should fall on it. Even on the southern windowsill in the summer heat, no burns appear on the leaves. Plants can be exposed to fresh air, but you need to carefully protect them from drafts and sudden nighttime cooling.
Temperature. In the summer, nolin feels good at + 22 ... + 27 ° C. It can withstand even more intense heat. For winter, plants are provided with a dormant period. They are kept in a cool room with a temperature of + 12 ... + 14 ° C. If you can’t provide a cool wintering, you need to put the flower in the brightest room or use phytolamps.
Humidity. Nolina prefers normal or slightly elevated humidity. In a room with dry air, especially near heating appliances, the tips of the leaves may dry. Regular spraying and bathing under a warm shower will help to cope with the problem. Water for these procedures should be well purified, otherwise limescale will appear on the leaves.
Watering. Watering the scabbard should be moderate. The soil between watering should dry out half or more. Thanks to the fluid accumulated in the caudex, the plant can exist for up to a year without watering. In the fall, watering is significantly reduced. In winter, you can do without them at all, but only when the temperature drops to + 10 ... + 15 ° C. If the soil is regularly poured, the roots will suffer from rot and it will be very difficult to save even an adult plant.
Fertilizer. In spring and summer, nolina is fertilized twice a month with mineral complexes for succulents. Diluted fertilizer is poured into the soil at some distance from the trunk so that burns do not appear. It is noticed that with frequent watering and fertilizer, nolin foliage develops better. If you water the plant less often and limit feeding, caudex grows faster.
Possible difficulties
With proper care, nolin does not suffer from plant diseases. Its juice and stiff foliage perfectly protect the flower from parasites. Only in rare cases, infection with scabs, thrips and spider mites is possible. It is easy to get rid of parasites with the help of insecticides, regular bathing and rubbing the leaves.
Some care errors can be understood by the appearance of nolins. If the trunk is very extended, this indicates a lack of lighting. When the tips of the leaves dry out, you should do humidification of the air. During the winter, the trunk can dry out and become wrinkled. This is a natural process, in the spring the plant will accumulate moisture and swell again.
