In South and Central America, there are about 170 species of the genus Ehmeya, which belongs to the family of bromeliads. The name of the ehmey comes from the Greek word aechme, which in translation means "tip of the peak", which most likely indicates sharp bracts. Ekhmeya grows in zones with sharp changes in temperature and a pronounced dry season.
Ehmeya is terrestrial plants and epiphytes, which easily form rooted vegetative shoots. Leaves of this genus have spines at the edges - this genus differs from other species of bromeliads.
The leaves of the ehmey are variegated or unicoloured, soft-leathery or hard, edged at the edges, in pronounced sockets-funnels. From the rosette, a sturdy flower spike is pulled out, which has an effective inflorescence head on its end. The plant has a short stem. The plant has a rich variety of forms of inflorescences, as well as individual flowers. All species of ehmey have a decorative element - bright, color-colored spiky bracts and leaves. The fruit of ehmeya is a berry. Blossoms rosette only once, so after flowering begins to die.
Some representatives of this genus are decorative beautiful plants that have become very popular in culture. The popularity was played by the fact that it's easy to care for ehmeys, which can not be said about many bromeliads.
Features of care.
Lighting. Ehmeyam need a lot of light, easily transfer the direct rays of the sun, but in the penumbra, too, can safely grow. The best place to grow is the windows facing south-east and south-west. At the windows facing to the south, in the summer it is required to make an easy shading from the sun rays. In the summer, the house plant of ehmeya is better not to contain indoors, but to carry out to the balcony, while the plant should gradually get used to the bright sunlight. Also, the gradual addiction will be required if the plant has just been purchased, for a long time was in the penumbra or was a few days of cloudy weather.
A shining ehmya is a species that needs to be shaded from the sun.
In species with leathery dense leaves, in particular in curved ehmeya, with high humidity of air and shade, the color of the leaves begins to change. They become green and less decorative. The plant ehmeya likes to have a lot of light and less humidity.
Temperature regime. In summer, the recommended temperature of the content is 20-27 degrees. In winter it is recommended to keep at 14-18 degrees. Low temperatures in winter stimulate the formation of peduncles. The plant has a rest period - it is either short-lived or nonexistent.
A brilliant ehmya, unlike other representatives of the same kind, should be kept in a room with a higher temperature. Differences in daytime and nighttime air temperature ehmeya transfer. The room where eshma is growing needs to be ventilated regularly. The sparking ehmya to stagnation of air is more enduring.
Watering. Watering in the summer season is required regularly, warm water, preferably soft. First, the water is poured into the rosettes of the leaves, then the substrate itself is watered. Accidental single drying of the substrate does not cause any appreciable harm to the plant, harmful long-term drying of the earth.
In autumn, this house plant should be watered less often, and in winter, and at all to reduce to a minimum, sometimes you need to spray the plant with warm water, but the funnel should be dry at the same time. Before the period of rest from the outlet should be poured water. Also, the water merges after flowering, there should be no water in the outlet, otherwise the plant will start to rot!
Air humidity. Ehmeys feel good at high humidity, but can carry dry air in the room. To maintain the humidity of the air, you can spray the plant with standing water, or you can put a pot of echmea on a tray in which there is a moist pebble. Water in the pan can reach the base of the pot.
Top dressing. Feed the plant every two weeks with liquid complex fertilizers. In winter, fertilizing takes place every six weeks.
Bloom. Everyone knows that citrus fruits and ripe apples emit ethylene gas, which encourages bromeliads to form flowers. Therefore, it is advisable to place in the transparent plastic bag ehmeyu and a few ripe apples, and tie it on top (only not very tightly) so hold the plant for 1-2 weeks. After such a "procedure", the ejmeya will blossom after 4 months.
Transfer. You can transplant ehmeyu every year. During the transplant, remove the discolored sockets. Suitable substrate for transplantation: fibro-peat and deciduous land (taken in 2 parts), sand (1 part taken). For ehmeya well humus earth (compost), mixed with deciduous land and chopped moss (taken in the same amount), with the addition of broken shards and sand is well suited.
Reproduction. A snake is a plant that reproduces offspring and seeds. A more acceptable way of reproduction is reproduction by offspring.
Scions of the mother plant are separated in March, because during this period the offspring easily form roots and are fairly leafy. Places of slices, as a rule, are sprinkled with charcoal powder, this will prevent the rotting of the plant. Suitable substrate for reproduction by offspring: fibrous-peat and deciduous land (2 parts each), sand (1 part). You can also use the composition of a single amount of humus, chopped sphagnum, leafy earth. In this composition, you need to add a bit of broken shards and sand.
Seeds need to be sown in peaty loose soil, or in sphagnum. Seedlings need a high temperature of about 22-25 degrees, in maintaining high humidity, in protection from the sun's rays, in sufficient watering. Three months later the seedlings give seedlings that are transplanted into an earth mixture mixed from the same parts of heath land and leaf land. After this, it is necessary to constantly maintain a temperature of about 20 degrees, but not below, spray and water. After one year, the plant is dived into the soil for adult specimens.
Precautionary measures.
The leaves of the striped ehmey are slightly poisonous, therefore skin inflammations are possible.
Difficulties that can be encountered.
Brown leaves. The cause can be cold temperature of the content, decay of the plant.
This species of plant aphids, root canker, shields is affected.