Spathiphyllum is one of the indoor plants with great growth vigor. That is why even old specimens are recommended to be replanted annually. The culture does not pose any difficulties when caring for it at home, but it does impose certain requirements for cultivation, the violation of which leads to a halt in development. The reasons why spathiphyllum does not grow can be different, far from each other, including natural ones. Before deciding what to do, you need to understand everything and identify the source of the problem.
Period for active growth
Does this flower grow quickly? Like any living creature, this plant has a period of more active growth and times when its development slows down.
The winter months are a time when all processes in a flower freeze, so you should not expect active growth during this period.
Another thing is the onset of the warm season, when spathiphyllum begins its active growth and flowering. Although it is possible that your flower may release an arrow with a flower in the month of December. On average, spathiphyllum should produce 2-3 leaves per month.
How fast does spathiphyllum grow?
If during the growing season each rosette produces 2 leaves per month, and next year at least 1-2 new ones appear next to the plant transplanted in the spring, then everything is in order. It’s difficult to find another criterion for how quickly a woman’s happiness should grow.
There are many varieties of spathiphyllum, but no one has yet classified them. Lovers of indoor flowers conditionally divided them into three groups:
- tall - a mature bush reaches 1, and sometimes 1.5 m;
- medium – 40-70 cm;
- dwarf - the smallest, up to 30 cm high.
There is no clear boundary here; the remaining varieties are included in one group or another. Naturally, Angel Baby spathiphyllum, reaching a maximum of 25 cm, will never grow as quickly in height or width as the meter-long Sensation.
Dwarves do not develop slowly. Their growth corresponds to the size of the bush; if you take care and calculate the percentage, it differs little from giant varieties.
Why can a flower feel bad?
If the leaves of your flower remain small and nothing changes in its development, then we can say that the conditions are not suitable for it. What needs to be changed, and what does spathiphyllum like?
Lighting . At this point you need to find a middle ground. The flower does not like direct sunlight, but a completely shaded place will not suit it either. Choose a place for it on the northwest side.- Watering . Spathiphyllum is a tropical plant and has difficulty adapting to our dry climate. This flower must not only be watered on time, but also sprayed every day.
- Drainage . Along with its love for water, the flower does not tolerate stagnant moisture, so it needs good drainage.
- Feeding . In order for the flower not only to shoot an arrow with a flower, but also to fully grow and develop, it should be fed with the necessary minerals. Fertilizers with phosphorus and nitrogen will provide excellent nutrition for the plant.
- Pot . The right pot is very important. The fact is that the “Women's Happiness” flower first fills the pot with roots and only then gives energy to the growth of leaves, therefore, if you initially chose a too large pot, then until it is filled with roots, there will be no leaf growth.
- Diseases and pests . This is the reason why the plant may not only not grow, but even disappear altogether, so pay close attention to this moment and inspect your flower. We talked in detail about why spathiphyllum disappears and how to save it here.
Why has growth slowed or stopped?
The ideal living conditions for any plant are those natural to the area of its homeland. But the natural conditions of spathiphyllum are marshy, shaded areas. Therefore, they cannot be reproduced in full, but it is advisable to approximate them. For this:
- The light for it should come from the north-west sufficiently so that it is not shaded by other plants.
- Daily watering and misting will create sufficient moisture.
- Drainage is needed to prevent stagnation of water.
- Feeding with phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers is necessary.
- The container for spathiphyllum should allow the roots to fit. When choosing it, you should take into account that the leaves will not appear until the roots fill all the voids. The diameter of the pot should not be much larger than the diameter of the rhizome.
- You need slightly acidic soil, consisting of humus, sand, and bone meal in equal parts.
- Thickening should not be allowed.
The growth of the transplanted flower will slow down during the period of adaptation and root growth. If all the conditions for ensuring the life of the plant are met, but it does not grow, then the reason for this may be pests:
- Aphid . It is necessary to remove eggs from the underside of the leaf with a soap solution, treat with nicotine sulfate, and insecticides.
- Red spider mite . They get rid of it by wiping the leaves with a soap solution and the chemical preparation “Actellik”.
- Thrips. Mealybug . It can be removed with tobacco infusion, a solution of alcohol, water and dishwashing detergent. And also with the drugs “Ascoris”, “Actellik”.
The simultaneous use of both folk remedies and chemicals is effective.
What to do?
Another reason why a flower may not grow is the presence of pests and diseases in the plant. For these purposes, there are certain measures, after which the situation should change.
Folk remedies
If the spathiphyllum is infected by a mealybug, then there is a way out . Folk remedies will help get rid of this problem. You need to prepare a tincture from citrus peels. To carry out this event you need:
- prepare 100 g of dry crusts, pour 1 liter of water into them;
- keep the infusion in a dark, dry place for three days;
- Gently treat the affected areas of the flower with the infused liquid.
If a flower is infected by spider mites or aphids, people use onion peels:
- the infusion is made from 100 g of onion peel and 5 liters of water;
- Preheat the water to 40 degrees and pour in the husks;
- infused for 5 days;
- carefully filtered;
- mixed with a small amount of laundry soap;
- The resulting mixture is used to treat the affected areas of the spathiphyllum.
Chemical methods
In order to change the situation, if spathiphyllum does not grow, you need to clean the flower from the soil in which it grows.
Any replanting of this plant is best done in the spring.:
- carefully remove the flower from the pot;
- rinse the roots with running water;
- pour expanded clay (about 2-3 cm) onto the bottom of a clean pot;
- prepare new soil for the flower;
add organic fertilizers to the soil (liquid fertilizers are suitable, but without nitrogen), the fertilizer should contain potassium and phosphorus, this will provide the flower with the necessary substances;- place the flower root in the prepared soil and sprinkle;
- water with water and add fertilizer.
Perform the next watering after the top layer of soil has dried. After these activities, your flower should begin to actively grow. When transplanting, you need to follow a certain technique. It is also worth taking into account that each time the pot should be a little larger.
Species features
The homeland of exotics is America. In nature, it is a herbaceous perennial; it belongs to the Aroniaceae family. Selective varieties are grown at home, which have been bred since the middle of the last century. There are already several dozen of them. They have bright green, dense, glossy foliage. The leaves grow from a basal rosette, and the stems are very shortened or absent at all. The leaf blades are oval, with pointed tips, from 30 to 100 cm long. The root system is of a creeping type, shortened.
Exotic blooms from six to ten weeks. An inflorescence in the form of a cob is formed on the peduncle, covered with a bract of a bright white hue. At the end of flowering, the blanket turns green. In nature, the flower is odorless; selected varieties have a weak aroma.
The decorative bush is not only beautiful, it cleanses the air well from toxic substances: alcohol vapor, formaldehyde, benzene, acetone, etc. People believe that its presence prevents mold from developing.
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Prevention
Now your task is to ensure that all favorable conditions are created for the spathiphyllum. Monitor watering and do not forget to feed the plant. The plant must be replanted once a year, preferably in the spring.
The “Women's Happiness” flower is most susceptible to spider mites. Be especially careful if there are many other plants on your windowsill. It is enough to buy an ampoule with poison for spider mites at a flower shop and spray your greens.
This product is absolutely harmless to the plant, but has a detrimental effect on the pest.
In the process of growing spathiphyllum, flower growers often encounter problems such as:
- wilting of the plant, in particular its leaves;
- darkening of the leaves and the appearance of brown spots on them;
- yellowing of various parts of the plant and in particular its leaves;
- drooping leaves;
- drying out of the plant.
So why doesn't it bloom?
When a crop does not want to bloom, pay attention to the following points:
- The container size is too large. This culture prefers a “tight” pot, when the roots are located tightly and do not leave voids.
- Remove old faded inflorescences from the plant. Fresh ones form faster and will delight you with flowering for a long time.
- There is not enough or, on the contrary, a lot of moisture or feeding. Because of this, the foliage may dry out and become covered in spots.
Follow simple rules, and a flowering plant will be able to bring you joy for a long time.
Additional measures
Sometimes, in order for spathiphyllum to bloom, more stringent measures are required. For example, it is placed for a couple of weeks in a room with a low temperature, but not lower than +120. And then they put it in a well-lit place and feed it with mineral fertilizers. This shock therapy helps the plant bloom frequently and profusely.
Wilted leaves must be removed promptly. If the white cover of a flower withers and turns black, this means that it is simply fading. It's time to remove the peduncle. Such simple care will allow the plant to show off its green leaves and bloom on time. Sometimes the leaves of the plant need to be gently moved and lightly tugged.
Caring for plants is calming and brings a lot of positive emotions. And in gratitude for the comfortable conditions, they will bloom and delight with their green splendor.
