Hamerops

Hamerops is a fan palm, which is the only representative of its monotypic genus and belongs to the Palm family. In natural conditions, this palm tree can be observed in the northern part of the African continent and in the Mediterranean.

This large, beautiful and rather unpretentious plant is used for landscaping spacious rooms: foyers, halls, offices. But if there is enough space in your house, then the hamerops will feel great there too. In this article, we will talk about how to provide comfortable conditions for this large and effective plant.

Hamerops: description

Palm hamerops: photo

Under natural conditions, a hamerops palm grows up to six meters, but when growing a hamerops in a house, its growth is unlikely to exceed one and a half meters. But the plant will still need a lot of space, since the squat hamerops has several trunks that "fall apart" in different directions. On each trunk there is a fluffy cap of chamirops fan leaves, striking in their size (their average diameter is 40 cm) and painted either bright green or gray-green. Long cuttings have rather sharp thorns, so you need to be careful when caring for the plant.

In spring, the plant blooms, its bright yellow flowers are collected in dense paniculate inflorescences. If pollination occurred during the flowering period, then small berries appear in place of the flowers (according to some sources, they are edible, but this is a controversial issue).

Palm hamerops: home care

Hamerops squat: photo

Lighting. Palm Hamerops belongs to light-loving plants and will not mind direct sunlight, so it is recommended to place it near windows facing south. In addition to light, the palm tree needs fresh air, so the room must be regularly ventilated, but this should be done so as not to create a draft.

Air temperature and humidity. Palm hamerops feels great at normal room temperature + 20 ... + 25 degrees. If there is a temperature drop in the room, then the hamerops takes it quite steadily: it does not wither and does not shed leaves. But in winter, it is recommended to move the palm tree to a cooler place, with an air temperature of about +10 degrees - when the heating devices start working in the room and the air humidity decreases, the leaves of the chamirops begin to dry out. In winter, the plant needs a cool dormant period.

When growing an indoor hamerops squat, it is not required to install additional air humidifiers, but nevertheless, in the warm season, the plant must be regularly sprayed. In winter, it will be enough to wipe the chamirops leaves with a damp sponge or soft cloth - this will moisten them and help remove dust, while maintaining the decorative effect of the plant.

Watering mode. In the warm season, the plant requires abundant watering, but at the same time it is necessary to ensure that the earthen coma does not become overmoistened, and the water does not stagnate. During cool wintering, watering is reduced to a minimum. Hamerops is able to tolerate short-term drought. It is only necessary to water and spray the plant with water that has settled for several days.

Fertilizers. In spring, summer and autumn, fertilizing should be carried out twice a month, using special fertilizers for palm trees, such as BioMaster, Peter Peat, Power of Life and others. With the onset of winter, feeding is reduced to once every 1-1.5 months.

Transfer

Indoor hamerops: photo

Young squat hamerops are transplanted in the spring as they grow every two to three years.This process is very stressful for the plant, so you need to prepare well for it and carry it out as carefully as possible. The palm tree is transferred into a larger container without damaging the earthen lump, and the voids are filled with fresh soil. As a substrate, you can use a special soil for palm trees, for young plants, you can additionally add sand to the soil, since in natural conditions, hamerops grows on sandy or rocky soil. When transplanting, one should not forget about the drainage layer, the presence of which is a prerequisite for the comfort of the plant.

An adult large plant is transplanted only if absolutely necessary, but in the spring you can renew the top layer of the soil, acting very carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant.

Hamerops from seeds and other methods of propagation

For reproduction of hamerops, two methods are used: sowing seeds and root shoots.
When grown from chamerops seeds, you will not get a full-fledged palm tree very soon, it will take about six years. At high temperatures and constant moisture, chamerops seeds germinate from two to four months. The seedlings are looked after, like any other seedlings, when they get stronger, they are transplanted into separate containers.

Vegetative propagation is a faster way to get a lush tree. In the process of transplanting, the daughter root processes should be carefully separated and deposited in separate containers. Care for such seedlings is carried out in the same way as for adult plants.

Possible problems and solutions

Hamerops in the house: video

Sometimes on the hamerops, you can find harmful insects (scale insects, mealybugs, spider mites), especially if in the warm period you took the palm tree outside. In this case, you will need to wipe the leaves of the chamirops with soapy water to remove some of the pests, and then treat the palm tree with insecticides (Aktara, Akarin, Inta-vir and others).

Hamerops is resistant to disease, but, like most plants, it is unable to withstand various types of rot that appear due to overuse of watering. The roots of the plant begin to rot, and brown or brown spots appear on the leaves of the chamirops. If you find such symptoms, then all affected parts of the plant must be removed, and the soil should be shed with a fungicide solution. If possible, you should immediately transplant the plant, having previously treated it with a fungicide (Fundazol, Topaz, Kuprozan and others).