The genus Pilea unites more than 4 hundred species and is part of the Urticaceae family. Among the numerous species, you can meet both annuals and perennials, they are represented by herbaceous plants and dwarf shrubs. In nature, they are found in the tropical latitudes of the entire planet, except Australia.
Basics
Pilea is a hardy plant, reaching a height of 0.4 m and possessing decorative foliage. This plant is most often grown in winter gardens, warm flower beds, and display cases. Pilea Kadier differs from other species by its very rapid growth, which is of particular value for flower growers who use it when arranging compositions of various colors. Small unisexual flowers are most often collected in axillary racemes. The plant spreads its fruits in an extremely unusual way, which is similar in its mechanism to bailout. By the time of fruiting, sterile stamens (staminodes) grow strongly and only slightly support the fruit hanging over them. In a ripe fruit, the connection with the plant is greatly weakened. At this time, sterile stamens straighten and throw the fetus to a distance of up to one hundred meters.
Lighting
Pilea needs bright, but diffused light. Direct rays of the sun should not hit the bush. A western or eastern window sill is best suited for growing such a flower. If you decide to put it on the south window, then be sure to provide it with diffused light, or it can be removed deep into the room. In the summer, the plant can be moved outside, while for it you need to choose a place that will be reliably protected from the direct rays of the sun. Remember that in the cold season, the saw also needs a lot of light, but if it is too little, the color of the foliage of the bush may change, which will negatively affect its decorative effect.
Temperature
The flower grows best throughout the year at a temperature of about 25 degrees. In winter, the Cadier Pilea grows well at temperatures up to 15 degrees, and the Peperomia pilea grows well at 10 degrees. If you grow other species, then remember that the room where the bush is located should not be colder than 17 degrees. In winter, a draft can kill the plant.
Watering
In the spring-summer period, the substrate is moistened immediately after its top layer dries out. To do this, you need to use well-settled water. In the cold season, watering is carried out two days after the top layer of the soil mixture has dried. Pilea is one of those plants that tolerate overdrying of an earthen coma much easier than stagnant liquid in the substrate. Make sure that the substrate in the container is constantly slightly damp. With excessively abundant watering, the foliage can fade and fade, especially in the cold season.
Spraying
A room needs high air humidity, so you will have to monitor the humidity level in the room. It is highly undesirable to moisten foliage from a spray bottle, as this may cause it to lose its decorative effect. To increase the humidity, the flower pot must be placed on a pallet filled with moistened pebbles or expanded clay. However, make sure that the bottom of the container does not come into contact with the liquid. Instead, an open vessel filled with water can be placed near the flower.
Fertilizer
In the spring-summer period, flower feeding is carried out regularly 1 time in 7 days, and in the autumn and wintertime - 1 time in 4 weeks. To do this, use a complex mineral for indoor flowers, the concentration of the nutrient mixture should be the same as recommended by the manufacturer.
Pruning
When grown indoors, the plant grows rather quickly. Since young bushes are much more spectacular than old ones, pruning must be carried out annually, while the cut stems must be used as cuttings. To increase the splendor of the bush and in order to avoid exposing it, you should systematically pinch the stems.
Transplanting
The houseplant should be replanted every year. To do this, use humus soil of a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. So, you can take a soil mixture consisting of humus and sod soil, as well as sand and peat (they are taken in equal proportions). Since the flower has a superficial root system, a small pot must be used for transplanting. In order to avoid the stagnation of liquid in the substrate, it is imperative to make a good drainage layer at the bottom of the container. The plant can be grown hydroponically if desired.
Reproduction
You can propagate the plant through cuttings and the seed method. Some of the species of such a plant reproduce by seeds independently. If you decide to propagate it by cuttings, then this can be done at any time of the year. For rooting, cuttings are placed in a container with water or planted in the sand (loose substrate). After rooting, the cuttings are planted in a small pot filled with a soil mixture consisting of greenhouse and deciduous soil, and also sand (1: 1: 1).
If the plant is not properly looked after, such problems may arise:
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The foliage dries up and flies around. If the room is colder than 12 degrees or warmer than 27 degrees, then wrinkling, drying, and flying around of the leaf plates are observed. It can also happen due to overdrying of an earthen coma.
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Leaves wither. If liquid stagnates regularly in the substrate, this can cause the appearance of sluggish foliage, after a while, it will turn black and fly around, while the shoots will become soft.
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The leaves turn pale. Overly intense lighting can cause foliage to become faded, lethargic, and slightly transparent. At the same time, its edge dries and turns brown. Due to excessively poor lighting, the edge of the leaf plates will also brown and dry out, while they themselves lose their spectacular color, and young leaves grow small, the stems become elongated.
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Spots on the leaves. As a result of exposure of the bush to direct rays of the sun, sunburns that look like yellow spots can form on the foliage, and over time they become brown.
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Flies around the foliage. If only the lower leaf plates fly around, then this is quite normal and is associated with the aging of the plant. In this case, it is recommended to cut several cuttings from the bush and grow a young plant from them.
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Harmful insects. Thrips, mealybugs, spider mites, and scale insects can settle on Pilea.
