Single leaf: this is how you care for the popular houseplant with white flowers

The single leaf (Spathiphyllum) is an elegant houseplant that brings color with little care, especially in shady spots. White flowers rise from the specimens and a long-lasting dark green leaf dress is a decorative contrast. Nevertheless, you should pay attention to some care details, which you can find at the plant expert.

care

The peace lily presents itself in a modern chic, which is particularly popular as a houseplant due to its robustness and easy care. You should still meet the few care requirements so that the noble-looking Spathiphyllum thrives healthily and vigorously and regularly gives you white flowers. The professional care instructions describe the correct procedure from implantation to Location, watering and fertilizing, up to the propagation and treatment of diseases as well Pest infestation.

Characteristics

• Name: Einblatt
• botanical name: Spathiphyllum
• Trivial names: peace lily, sheath leaf, leaf flag
• Family: Arum family (Araceae)
• Origin: tropical South America, Pacific regions such as the Philippines
• herbaceous, perennial houseplant
• long white flowers that last for weeks
• Flowering period: spring / summer
• Height: between 20 centimeters and 120 centimeters
• between 50 and 60 different types

Location

According to its original origin, the unicorn makes corresponding demands on its location. The special thing about it is that it is one of the few flowering specimens that can cope well in dark places. If you adhere to the following points regarding the location, the basis for magnificent growth has been created.

• high humidity
• bright location - tolerates partially shaded to shady places
• no direct sunlight (risk of burns)
• Ambient temperature between 15 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius

TIP: The colder the peace lily is, the slower it grows and the need for care is reduced to a minimum. It is in good hands in the cool bedroom, especially if you are going on vacation for a long time, for example.

Soil condition / substrate

In terms of earth, the vaginal leaf is just as frugal as in all other care points. However, you should only use quality soil, as you can find in a high quality substrate. Conventional, inexpensive potting soil tends to compact quickly. This leads to impermeability to water. Water builds up that can cause rot. In addition, the leaf flag generally does not like waterlogging and can react to this with brown leaves. The most suitable is a substrate with the following properties, to which you should also add a drainage.

• weakly acidic soil with pH between 5.0 and 6.0
• nutritious
• permeable to water
• sand and / or clay
• Perlite for improved water storage and soil aeration

TIP: Planting in hydroponics ensures optimal water storage. Here, however, only a third of the upper area is filled with the pellets and 2/3 of the substrate is retained so that a natural release of nutrients can take place.

plants

Planting and repotting

If you buy a single leaf, it is usually planted in a pot that is usually too small. In addition, inferior soil is often used here for cost reasons. It is advisable to repot the plant in higher quality substrate and in a suitably large flower pot after buying it. The pot should be chosen so large that there is at least three to four centimeters between the outermost plant stems and the edge of the pot. For most or most common types of single leaf, a pot with a diameter of 20 or 22 centimeters has usually reached its final size. The optimal planting and repotting time is in February / March. During these months the single leaf is already out of hibernation and is about to start growing.

When planting and transplanting, proceed as follows:

• Free roots of earth debris
• Fill the bottom of the pot with two centimeters of gravel, pottery shards or quartz sand (drainage)
• Fill in a few centimeters of substrate
• Planting depth: the upper root area must be covered with soil for around three to four centimeters
• Place the plant meticulously in the center and fill the substrate into the gaps
• Lightly press
• pour moderately

to water

According to its original tropical origin, the peace lily needs a lot of water and moisture. The soil shouldn't dry out. You can find out the optimal time to water with a thumb test. To do this, press your thumb into the top layer of soil. If it gives way less than an inch, it's time to pour. If the soil / substrate can be pushed in deeper, the moisture content is still sufficient and you should not water it.

When watering, it is important that you create a way to drain excess water. A drain hole in the pot is necessary for this. After watering you should check after a few minutes whether the water has run out of the pot and dry it if necessary. If the plant remains in a pool of water, you run the risk of root rot, which in the worst case can lead to the death of the single leaf. In addition, you should spray the leaves with water regularly and at least twice a week. The colder the Spathiphyllum is, the less water it needs.

Fertilize

How and with what you should fertilize depends primarily on what your arum plant is planted in. While a good substrate is usually already enriched with the most important substances such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, commercial expanded clay has no nutrients. Here you should use a long-term fertilizer in liquid form on a so-called ion exchange basis. This is well absorbed and the essential nutrients are evenly released to the plant. The fertilization rhythm should be about every three months.

If your single leaf is planted in a nutrient-rich substrate, you do not need to fertilize for the first six to eight weeks after planting or repotting. Then you can add a liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water and administer it every six to eight weeks. Pay attention to the manufacturer's recommended dose. A special bloom fertilizer is not required. In winter from October to the end of January you should not fertilize in principle. If you have propagated single leaves yourself by sowing, they will not be fertilized in the first year of life. Fertilization does not begin until the second year.

Cut

Usually it is not necessary to cut the Spathiphyllum, although it does not harm it.

Improved optics

Mostly the cutting of the optics applies. With increasing age and after experiencing drought, isolated leaves dry up. You should cut these off from early spring until autumn. The same applies to withered white flowers, which draw nutrients unnecessarily and should be separated. White flowers are cut directly at their shoot.

Size regulation

If the single sheet becomes too big for you, a division must be carried out. You cut the root ball into two or more root parts and shorten the roots by about a third. To reduce the size, simply cut off individual stems directly at their origin.

Health cut

In some cases it is necessary to cut the single leaf. This is the case when she is seriously ill and you want to keep her alive. You can read more about this under the heading "Diseases".

TIP: Always cut with gloves because the single leaf contains poisonous parts of the plant. These can cause symptoms of poisoning such as increased saliva production, difficulty swallowing, and gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and diarrhea.

In the winter

While the single leaf likes to be warm from spring to autumn, it should be kept at cooler temperatures in winter. In the cold season, nature has provided a hibernation for the leaf. She needs this time because the days are shorter and the biorhythm works differently. Here it slows down its metabolism slightly and hardly grows, although with really good care it can still form white flowers. In order for the vaginal leaf to survive the winter optimally, you should consider the following points.

• optimal temperature: 15 degrees Celsius
• Location: bright to partially shaded - under no circumstances near heating air
• Pour little water no more than once a week
• ensure high humidity
• avoid cold drafts
• Refrain from major temperature fluctuations
• from the end of January / beginning of February warmer again

Multiplication

Whether during a size reduction of an existing Spathiphyllum or as a targeted method, propagating the houseplant is always worthwhile. Experience shows that the most promising division is the division of the root, which is best done when repotting without a lot of additional effort.

Another variant of the propagation shows up with the sowing. You will need a little patience here until lush growth and white flowers appear. However, the seeds are rarely found in specialist shops and the seeds can be obtained from the single leaf itself, usually not crowned with success.

Root division

• Pot the houseplant
• Free the root of the earth
• Divide the root into two or more areas (each must have at least three leaves)
• Divide the root areas with a sharp knife
• Pot all rooted parts of the plant individually as usual
• Place unrooted parts of the plant in a transparent water container
• roots should have formed after about 10 days

sowing

• Press seeds into loose potting soil
• Planting depth: about 1.5 to 2 centimeters
• cover lightly with potting soil
• Pour moderately and keep moist continuously
• Avoid waterlogging
• ensure high humidity
• optimal ambient temperature: 25 degrees Celsius (temperature fluctuations hinder germination)
• Germination time: about 14 days
• Pricking: after growth of at least two leaves
• Plant in normal substrate when the young single leaf has reached a height of at least ten centimeters

Diseases

Diseases and pests

The single leaf is a very robust houseplant which, with optimal care, is often resistant to diseases. However, care errors can lead to diseases and the so-called leaf blotch disease spread.

Root rot

If you meant it too well with the watering of the single leaf and / or waterlogging has formed, root rot is often the result. You can recognize them by a musty smell that rises from the earth. Furthermore, the stability of the leaf stalks decreases, the plant "softens" and the stalks bend downwards. The leaves turn brown and dry up. Sometimes mold forms in the substrate.

You can treat root rot in the following ways:

• Repot the plant
• Free roots from soil
• Separate soft and moldy parts of the root at the highest point
• Shorten the entire root area by a third
• Let the plant dry for about 24 hours (do not expose it to special heat such as heating or a hair dryer)
• Plant the single leaf in fresh, dry substrate
• Spray the substrate lightly with water
• Only water again when the substrate is dry

Leaf spot disease

Leaf spot disease is a fungal infection that is one of the typical diseases of foliage. It comprises three different types of mushrooms, some of which result in different types of damage. Brown to black oblong or round spots on the leaves and spreading from the leaves to the stems are classic signs of leaf spot disease. In some cases, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.

Since the fungal infection can spread quickly and cause life-threatening damage, swift action is required. Immediately isolate the single leaf from other plants to prevent relocation. It is advisable to treat the houseplant with a fungicide from a specialist dealer. These are the most effective and provide quick relief. Fungicides are available from a wide variety of manufacturers, such as those listed below.

• COMPO Duaxo Universal Mushroom-free AF
• Ortiva mushroom-free
• Fungisan mushroom free

Pests

Occasionally, spider mites can settle on the houseplant. This mainly happens during the winter time, especially when the air humidity is insulated by heating air, because spider mites like dry air conditions.

The typical signs that suggest spider mite infestation include bright speckles on the Leaf tops, light green to creamy white leaf discoloration as well as leaf dryness and tender Web formations. You can fight the spider mites with high humidity by following the steps below.

• Take a vigorous shower of the single sheet in the shower
• Place wet in a translucent plastic bag and seal
• Let it rest for about three days
• Then remove the foil / bag
• if spider mites are still present, repeat the process

sorts

Spathiphyllum floribundum

• best known species with white flowers and light yellow cobs
• Leaf length about 20 centimeters

Spathiphyllum wallisii

• tall
• short flower head
• quickly greening petal

Spathiphyllum patinii

• Visually resembles the Floribundum, but flowers longer and leaves are more pointed

Spathiphyllum "Sweet Paco"

• Hybrid
• slight smell of vanilla
• has an air-freshening and air-cleaning effect

NOTE: Note that all single leaf species contain poisonous components. It is advisable not to place them where small children and pets can reach them.