Palm Hovea (Kentia)

Howea or Kentia is a beautiful palm tree that can be grown right in the house. She is famous for her unpretentiousness and endurance. Regardless of the interior of the room, she can find her place everywhere. With ficuses, a skirt and dracaena, they can become great neighbors and create a real tropical paradise in one of the corners of the house. Hovea looks very impressive as an independent decoration. It can be used to decorate a balcony, terrace, room or office. Wherever she is, everywhere she will be in place.

Hovea (Kentia): description of the domestic palm tree

Home palm Hovea: photo of the plant

In its natural habitat, the single-stemmed Hovea tree reaches fifteen meters in height. In this form, it grows on islands located in the Pacific Ocean. At home, its height does not exceed 2 meters. It grows like a lush bush and is in no hurry. The Hovea palm is not often transplanted, which allows it to maintain this species throughout its long life. The shape of the leaves is pinnate. They are dark green in color and have a slight bend.

Hovea (Kentia): home care

Lighting level:

In no case should this plant be in direct sunlight, as this will cause brown spots to appear on the leaves, followed by withering away. Diffused lighting will be the best option for the plant. A window to the west or east will do. The leaves will help to understand whether the plant has enough light. If there are from 4 to 6, then there is too little light, if from 9 to 12, then you can be sure that there is enough lighting. For uniform growth, once every 14 days, you need to turn the plant to the light on different sides, so that the young leaf looks inside the room with its tip.

Temperature range:

Hovea is a thermophilic plant. She will feel good at temperatures from +20 to +26 degrees. In the winter months, it can be reduced to +16 degrees. In summer, the palm tree will be better on the balcony or in the garden. The plant should be in a well-ventilated area without drafts. Please note that if the palm is at a temperature above its normal, then the leaves will begin to dry. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to spray with warm water from a spray bottle. If the thermometer falls below the minimum level, then the root system will begin to die off.

Watering:

Watering the hovea should be regular and moderate. The earthen coma should not be allowed to dry out, but there should be no stagnation of liquid either. During periods of heat, the soil should be kept only slightly moistened, and the water flowing into the sump should be poured out. During cold weather, watering should occur much less frequently, otherwise rot may begin to develop on the root system.

Watering can only be done with soft rain or melt water. Hard, chlorine-containing, which flows from the tap in our homes, must be allowed to stand for 48 hours before using it.

Humidity level:

The palm tree needs high humidity, 50% and higher, in the room where it grows. In the warm season, spraying should be carried out using a spray gun twice a day, if the plant grows in winter at the same room temperature as in summer, then spraying should be continued, but somewhat reduced. If in the summer the needles are in the garden or on the balcony, then you can arrange a bath for it, but covering the soil with a package so as not to let it get wet.You can remove dust from the leaves with a sponge or damp cloth, wiping them gently and holding the leaves. In winter, humidifiers will help to maintain the desired level of humidity. During this period, the palm tree should not be near the batteries.

How to prune:

Pruning leaves should be done after they are completely dry or broken.

Fertilization:

Throughout the growing season, which begins in May and ends in August, the plant requires additional feeding. For this, there are ready-made mixtures specifically for palm trees, you can also feed them with complex mineral fertilizers. All of them are applied during watering with a break of 14 days. Foliar dressing is carried out every 30 days, that is, spraying the leaves with special solutions. Infusions for the preparation of which use nettles and dandelions are well suited for the plant.

Hovea (Kentia): home transplant

Home palm Hovea: photo of the plant

April is the best month for a hovea transplant. Until the plant reaches three years of age, the transplant should be annual. In subsequent years, this event is held only when the roots become cramped. In adulthood, the plant needs an annual change of the top layer of the earth. It is necessary to transplant the plant into a container whose diameter will be no more than 3 centimeters larger than the previous one. If you plant in a larger pot, then the plant will be busy with the development of roots, and not the part that is above the surface. The bottom of the pot should be stable and massive, and inside there should be a drainage layer of 4 centimeters. For this, broken brick, pebbles or expanded clay are suitable.

The Hovei transplant should be carried out in a transshipment way, keeping a clod of earth on the roots. Having transplanted the plant, you need to pay attention that the stems go deep into the ground at the same level as before.

Hovea loves loose, light soil. Suitable soil can be purchased from a nursery or any specialty store. You can make an earthen mixture on your own using turf soil, foliage humus, humus, sand in proportions 4x2x1x1, you also need to add a small amount of charcoal there.

Hovea (Kentia): plant propagation

Indoor palm Hovea: home care

Seed propagation:

The seed propagation method for hovea is very good, since, unlike many other plants, it is very simple and fast.

You can buy seed from a store or nursery. Please note that it will only be valid for 6 months, which means you should not postpone planting for a long time.

Before planting, you need to place the seeds in warm water and leave there for a while.

Sowing should be carried out in small pots or seedling cassettes whose volume does not exceed 200 ml. Each container holds 1 seed. For the preparation of the earthen mixture, perlite, deciduous humus and vermiculite are used in equal proportions. The seed should go 3 centimeters deep into the ground. After the container, you need to cover it with polyethylene and put it where the lighting will be diffused, and the thermometer will stay at a level from +22 to +24 degrees.

Watering should be carried out when the soil dries up, and ventilated by lifting the film daily.

Seed germination begins after 8 months, and sometimes after a year. This can be understood by pointed thorns, which will begin to be seen above the surface.

The shelter can only be removed after they have grown to 4 centimeters.

As soon as the plant becomes strong and reaches 17 centimeters, by transferring it, it is necessary to send the pot where it will grow before transplanting.

You can use common containers for germinating seeds, and after hatching, replanting in pots. The main thing is that the soil is moist.If this option is chosen, then by transplanting them, do not let the seed break off from the plant, since it will depend on it to obtain the necessary nutrients over the next 2 years.

Home palm Hovea: photo of the plant

Reproduction of Hovea using lateral processes:

Transplanting an adult bush, you can separate the processes that form on the plant for further reproduction. To do this, take a sharp, clean knife and cut them off. Sections must be disinfected, both on the plant and on the daughters, using phytosporin for this. Then leave it for a while, letting it dry and plant it in a container with a previously prepared earthen mixture and special palm nutritious soil mixed with river sand.

In order for the shoots to take root better and faster, high humidity is required. This can be achieved by covering the container with polyethylene. Airing should be done every day. Watering, as in the case of the seed propagation method, is necessary after the top layer of the soil dries up. The temperature level should be from +22 to +24 degrees. After the appearance of young leaves, the film must be removed.

Possible difficulties in growing Hovea

The Hovea plant can develop pink rot, leaf blight, root and stem rot. To deal with them, you need to use fungicides. Processing is carried out according to the instructions in the instructions on the package.

Spider mites and mealybugs that can attack the plant must be fought with insecticides.

Difficulties may also arise, such as:

• The appearance of brown spots on the tips of the foliage. This happens if the wrong water is used for irrigation or the room is too hot.
• The appearance of elliptical brown spots on the leaf plates indicates that there is too much light;
• Drying of the tips on young leaves and yellowness on adults indicates a lack of water;
• Leaves drooping, dark and starting to rot, indicate an excessive amount of liquid;
• From mid-autumn to the end of winter, the palm tree does not grow. In this case, there is no reason for worry, during this period the plant enters the stage of vegetative rest.

Indoor Hovea: views

For home cultivation, two types of hovea are suitable:

• Howea belmoreana- on the sharp Lord Howe, from where this beauty comes from, it stretches up to 10 meters. The trunk is covered with rings, the widest at the bottom and narrower at the top. The length of the feathery leaves is about 40 centimeters, but there are also those that grow up to 60 centimeters.

• Howea forsteriana - The diameter of the trunk growing in natural conditions is the same. It has feathery, slightly curved leaves.

Conclusion:

The house palm tree Hovea naturally purifies the air at home, probably for this reason it is recommended to grow it where there is a large crowd of people, including in schools and kindergartens.

Chinese healers talk about powerful energy and positive emotions transmitted by Hovea, which contributes to increased efficiency.