Tetrastigma

Tetrastigma: description and characteristics

Tetrastigma: photo

In today's article we will tell you about an amazing plant, about tetrastigma. This culture belongs to the Vinogradovs. There are more than 100 species in the genus; in its natural habitat, tetrastigma is found on different continents. However, in indoor conditions, this plant is very often grown as a home grape. Therefore, in your apartment, you can easily grow this beautiful liana. The foliage of the tetrastigmus is quite large, the shape is lobed. In its natural habitat, this plant is found, as we noted earlier, on different continents. Moreover, it is important to note that in natural conditions it grows very intensively. Shoots reach tens of meters in length. Flowers are not particularly appreciated, indoor plants are grown in order to decorate your home with exotic vines. It is best, however, to shorten the shoots to one meter or 2-3 meters. Tetrastigma recovers very quickly, therefore, under favorable growing conditions, these vines can increase in length by almost 1 m per year.

Tetrastigma: home care

It's easy to care for this culture. Therefore, even a novice florist will be able to grow a whole greenhouse from tetrastigma at home. Lianas are considered unpretentious, however, certain agrotechnical rules will still need to be observed. This culture is considered light-loving, so it is better to leave the pots with plants on the windowsills. But remember, despite the photophilousness, sunlight should be diffused. Direct sunlight should not fall on the foliage, otherwise the plant may get burned. If we talk about the temperature regime, then this plant is also referred to as thermophilic. The air temperature should not be below + 23 degrees. However, this only applies to the spring-summer season. In winter, it is better to keep the plant cool, but here there are also limitations, the temperature in the room should not drop below + 12 degrees. If the temperature is too low, the foliage from the plants may fall off. It is also believed that this culture does not like drafts, so choose the right place where it is better to put the pot. The humidity in the room should not be very high, usually if you are comfortable in the living room, then the plant will be just as good. However, once every 6-7 days, it is still recommended to spray the foliage from a spray bottle, so you will knock down dust from the leaf plates, as well as moisten the shoots. However, this is done only when the room is warm; during a cool winter, it is not recommended to spray the leaves. If we talk about the watering regime, then here you need to adhere to the following rule: the earthen lump in the pot should not dry out. It is best to water the plant in spring and summer about 2 times every 6-7 days. But during wintering, the watering regime will need to be adjusted, it is best to water the plants during this period only once every 2 weeks. The soil in the pot should remain a little moist, but do not overdo it with watering, in winter, an excess of moisture negatively affects the development of this culture. In order to plant tetrastigma indoor grapes, you will need to pour loose soil into the pot, it must be enriched with nutrients. If we talk about the level of acidity, then the soil should be either slightly acidic or neutral. You can completely prepare the soil mixture yourself.To do this, you will need to mix garden, sod and deciduous soil, add a little fertilizer there, put drainage on the bottom of the container, make a hole in the pot, pour the soil mixture into the container. Now you can plant. It is recommended to feed this culture quite often, it is done especially intensively in summer and spring. Top dressing is usually applied to the soil once every 2 weeks. If the indoor grape Tetrastigma develops very intensively, then it will be necessary to feed the culture more often, experienced growers apply fertilizer to the pot once a week. At the same time, it is important to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers, the ready-made mixture can easily be bought in an agricultural store.

Tetrastigma: transplant and pruning

Tetrastigma: photo

It is believed that at first, tetrastigma vines grow very intensively, so plants will need to be transplanted, imagine, more than once a year. But mature bushes will need to be replanted less often, usually once every few years. It is believed that the tetrastigma plant tolerates this procedure well, however, you should always choose a new pot so that it is several times larger than the old one, when you transplant an adult bush into a real tub, quite large and voluminous, then you should not transplant the plant in the future. necessary. In order for the tetrastigma indoor grapes to intensively grow and develop, just periodically change the top layer of the earth, and also add fresh top dressing to the soil. But pruning shoots is not recommended at all. But if you want to form a crown, then be calm, this plant normally tolerates this procedure. However, experienced flower growers recommend pruning the vines when the bush reaches the desired size, this is done in order to restrain its development in the future. As you remember, in its natural habitat this bush is capable of reaching tens of meters in length, you must admit that even the most avid florist does not want to turn his apartment into a jungle. That is why the bushes are recommended to be cut. However, it is undesirable to touch the young foliage with your hands, and even more so to cut it off. Otherwise, the shoots may disappear altogether. It is recommended to install supports near mature bushes, but it is undesirable to do this in advance.

Indoor grapes tetrastigma: reproduction

Most often, the tetrastigma vine is propagated by cuttings, this is quite easy and simple to do. In order to select the desired shoot, use the top of the shoot. Each cutting must have a pair of leaves, as well as an active bud. From below, it is recommended to treat the stalk with a growth stimulant so that the root system develops more intensively. In order for the cuttings to take root, they will need to be placed in a specially prepared soil mixture with the addition of peat and sand. You can simply put the cuttings in water, and in this way the root system will be formed. In order for the shoots to take root faster, cover the container with cuttings with glass or film on top. This is done in order to create a favorable microclimate. When the shoots take root, they can be planted in separate containers. The soil mixture should be the same as for the plant transplant. It is recommended to add a little bitterness and deciduous soil to the garden soil. Usually the cuttings take root fairly quickly.

Pests and diseases

Tetrastigma plant: photo

The tetrastigma flower is considered a fairly resistant crop. Therefore, pests and diseases are not terrible for this plant. But if you take care of the house plant in the wrong way, then you may well have various difficulties and problems. The air humidity in the room must be at an average level. If the humidity is low, then spider mites may well appear on the bush.As you know, these harmful insects drink juice from the foliage, which means that over time, shoots and leaves die without moisture and nutrients. If you notice thin cobwebs and a powdery coating on the leaf plates, then this indicates the appearance of these insects. However, very often an ordinary shower helps to cope with these pests. At the same time, the water must be warm, but if this does not help, then you can treat the foliage and shoots of the plant with insecticides. Usually after such "chemistry" all insects disappear. Another pest that often settles on the plant is the worm. If you notice that a whitish bloom has appeared on the foliage, then this indicates the appearance of this insect. Wipe the leaves with a slightly damp cloth, removing this plaque, after which it is advisable to spray the plants with insecticides, you can also use folk methods, for example, treat the foliage with a tincture of garlic. If you violate the rules of agricultural technology, then this crop may have other problems. If you notice that the stems have begun to stretch, then this indicates poor lighting in the room. But if the light, on the contrary, is too bright, then because of this, very often yellow spots begin to form on the grape leaves. This symptom also often signals that you are using fairly hard water for irrigation. If the plant is exposed to low temperatures, then black spots may form on the foliage and shoots.

Varieties

This culture, of course, has its own varieties, with which we will now introduce you.

• And the first one is Voigne. In middle latitudes, the Vuanye tetrastigma vine is very often grown. The vines of this variety are large, when the plant becomes completely adult, the shoots become very tough. Vuagnier's tetrastigma is also considered evergreen. The foliage has a large shape, and the leaves themselves are dark green, slightly lowered at the base. If you grow Vuagnier tetrastigma liana in indoor conditions, the plant will not bloom, however, sometimes small buds form at the tips of the shoots, but their appearance is not very attractive.

Liana tetrastigma Vuagnier: video about the variety

• Lanceolate tetrastigma is a less common variety of this culture. Florists do not grow it so often. The foliage of these plants is rather massive, dark green. Otherwise, tetrastigma has a completely ordinary appearance; it differs little from other varieties of this culture.

Tetrastigma: photo

• And the last type of tetrastigma is obovate. The tops of the leaf blades of this culture are oval, obtuse. The foliage is fixed on the shoots with the sharp side. This plant has a beautiful appearance, so growers also love to grow this unusual variety.

In fact, there are other varieties of the tetrastigma flower, so if you wish, you can always get acquainted with the characteristics of other varieties. And we have already told you how to grow indoor tetrastigma grapes in your apartment.