Ctenanthe (Ctenanthe) belongs to the Marantov family. This is an evergreen perennial native to South America. Indoor contains 15 subspecies of the flower.
Description
The plant is valued for the beauty of leaf blades. The leaves are dark, dense, react to sunlight. Depending on the variety, they can be covered with silver, yellow, light green stripes. The rays originate in the center of the sheet and diverge towards the edge.
When nursing at home, the plant reaches a height of 90 cm, in the wild - 100-150 cm. Flowering rarely occurs. Inflorescences are in the form of pale spikelets and do not attract the attention of flower growers and decorators.
Due to the outward resemblance, the flower can be confused with other representatives of the arrowroot family. From the arrowroot and stroma, it is distinguished by the large length of the petioles and oval-elongated leaves, from calathea the form of inflorescences. But this is not particularly important, the conditions of their maintenance are similar.
Views for the home
You can purchase more than a dozen subspecies of ctenantas. The brightest varieties, as seen in the photo, are hybrids of the original varieties.
| View | Description |
| Oppenheim | The most hardy variety. The color is gray-green, the foliage is large and dense, the stripes are uneven. Variety hybrid - Tricolor. On the leaf plates are pale pink stripes. |
| Lubbers | Height up to 1.5 meters, saturated emerald color. It retains brightness well even when grown in shaded places. Hybrid - Goldney mosaics. It has dark foliage 20 cm long and 8 cm wide with yellow spots. |
| Cetose (setose) bristly | Stem 0.9-1 m, color dark green with purple and silver spots. With abundant watering, it develops rapidly. |
| Compressed | Large pale green leaves with thin veins. Withstands prolonged absence of ultraviolet and moisture. |
| Burle Marxi (the erroneous name is maxi) | Sheet plates are rectangular, thick and durable, gray-green in color. Height does not exceed 40 cm. Hybrid - Amagris. The main color is silver gray, light green streaks. |
Home Care
The kenantha comes from the tropics, so it quickly fades without enough moisture in the soil and air. The temperature regime also needs to be carefully monitored, since the flower does not tolerate frosts.
| Season | Temperature | Air humidity |
| Spring | +20 ... + 22 ° C | 80-90%. It is necessary to spray the plant up to 2 times a day, arrange a shower. |
| Summer and fall | + 20 ... + 26 ° C, overheating must not be allowed | 80-90%. In the heat, an air humidifier is required. If it is not, several large containers with water will do - a bucket, an aquarium. |
| Winter | + 18 ... + 20 ° C, not lower than + 15 ° C | 80-90%. 3 times a week spraying is necessary. It is forbidden to keep a flower near radiators. |
The ctenanta grows well next to other tropical plants: crystal anthurium, calathea. It should be located next to the window, but at the same time to shade.
Capacity, soil, planting
After the purchase, it is not recommended to immediately transplant the plant into a new container. It must be allowed to acclimatize within 2-4 weeks. If the bush was purchased in the autumn or winter, you will have to wait for February to start the transplant.
The ctenant should be planted in wide, flattened pots, since the root system of the flower is not developed. The soil mixture is made independently of the following components: sheet land, peat and sand (2: 1: 1). It is recommended to add some charcoal. Drainage is important: a thick layer of expanded clay or broken brick should be made at the bottom of the pot.
Watering
Permanent irrigation is required as soon as the top 1-2 cm of soil dries. In winter, you need to water the bush every 2-3 days, and in the summer heat you will have to do this 1-2 times a day. Neither overdry nor overmoistening of the soil should be allowed.
The irrigation fluid must settle. It is advisable to pass it through the filter and boil. The optimum water temperature for irrigation and spraying is +30 ° C. During watering, you must try to prevent large drops from falling onto the sheet plate.
Once a week, 1-2 drops of citric acid per 10 l should be added to the liquid, since the plant requires slightly acidic soil.
Top dressing
In spring and summer, the ctenant is fertilized every 2 weeks, and from the beginning of cold weather until the end of winter - every 5-6 weeks. As a top dressing, any composition intended for decorative and deciduous plants is used (the price starts from 120 r.). It should not have an excessive amount of nitrogen and calcium, these are elements poisonous to the flower.
Transfer
It is necessary to change the capacity every year if the plant has not yet reached the age of five, and once every 3 years if the flower is older. Transplantation is carried out in spring or summer.
The new pot should be 6 cm larger in diameter. As the soil, a substrate for azaleas or a soil mixture, indicated above, is used. Additionally, crushed moss-sphagnum is added. It should occupy 5% of the soil volume.
Reproduction of Ctenants
The plant can only be propagated by cuttings or division, since flowering is rare. The procedure is carried out in late spring or summer.
Cuttings
Cuttings should be cut from a flower from 7 to 10 cm long. The desired stems are apical, they are still in the process of growth. Each must have a minimum of 3 leaves. Cut branches are placed in water and covered with a plastic wrap or bag. After 5-7 days, after the appearance of the roots, the sprouts are seated.
Division
It is carried out when transplanting an adult. The bush is cleared of the earth and divided into several parts. The root system must not be damaged. Each part is placed in a separate container with peat and is irrigated abundantly. It is necessary to close the bush with a bag that does not allow moisture to pass in order to maintain greenhouse conditions. When new leaves appear on plants, you can transplant them into standard soil.
Difficulties in caring for the ctenant and overcoming them
| Appearance | Problem | Solutions |
| Slow growth, drooping stems. | Elevated air temperature. | Put the flower away from the battery, regularly ventilate the room. |
| Fall of healthy leaves. | Draft or low humidity. | Set the humidifier to at least 80%. Remove the pot from the window. |
| Faded leaves, spots and streaks disappear. | The abundance of ultraviolet light. | Shade or move the pot from the south window to any other. |
| Blackening stems. | Rotting associated with coolness and high humidity. | Transplant into new soil, increase air temperature. |
| Twisting sheet plates. | Lack of water. | Spray and water more often. |
| Fawn foliage. | Lack of minerals in the ground. | Use top dressing. |
Diseases, pests
Various pests can enter the ctenant from other plants. This applies not only to indoor flowers, but also to bouquets. To avoid infection, all new bushes should be set separately from long-acquired bushes, quarantined for 3-4 weeks.
| Disease | How to determine | Decision |
| Aphid | Insects of a green or black shade. Affect the back of the leaf plate of young shoots. |
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| Shield | The appearance of growths on the entire surface of the plant. Around the affected areas, the flower turns yellow. |
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| Mealybug | Spots similar to traces of flour. Yellowing of the leaves begins, the affected areas dry. |
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| Whitefly | Flying pests of white color. Take off if you disturb them, hitting a flower. |
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| Spider mite | Cobweb on stems, brown spots with a yellow halo on the back of the leaf plate. |
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| Root rot | The development of mold in the soil, the appearance of an unpleasant odor, the spread of brown and black spots on the lower part of the stems. |
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Mr. Summer resident informs: Ktenanta - family flower
There is a superstition that a ktenant brings happiness to the house, strengthens marital relations. According to a common belief, a flower located in the bedroom of partners makes the marriage more strong and durable.
If the representative of the arrowroot will grow up in the nursery, even the most restless child will get rid of insomnia and problems with attention. The plant is also necessary for older people, as it strengthens health and relieves stress.
