Chestnut room - exotic on the windowsill

The natural habitats of the chestnut Castanospermum are the moist forests of the eastern coast of Australia, where the plant is called the Moreton shore chestnut or black beans.

Today, a chestnut room is bred, which is very prone to conditions of detention. The plant needs plenty of light, high temperatures throughout the year and not very dry air. On the windowsill, the southern variety of chestnut is grown, which is the only representative of the genus Castanospermum.

The plant belongs to the family of legumes and in natural conditions reaches a height of twenty meters. At home, the chestnut room has a more modest size and, unfortunately, does not bloom. There is no opportunity to admire the beautiful red-orange flowers of huge size, collected in long inflorescences, which stand out against the background of evergreen foliage for half a year. Flowering of chestnut begins in November, the length of the buds reaches four centimeters, pollination is carried out only by feathered and bats. In May, there is a ripening of pods, in which there are 3-5 beans. Each weighs about thirty grams.

Be that as it may, chestnut - a house plant is also beautiful and exotic. The plant requires special care. The room should maintain a temperature of at least 18 degrees, and the optimal - 23-24C. Castanospermum should be kept in the delicate penumbra, it does not tolerate direct sun, the rays of which leave on the leaves burns - scars. Water the plant followed by standing water at home temperature, which should not be present in excess in the pot.

In winter, leaves of chestnut must be sprinkled with warm, soft water. Do not put the plant close to the heating batteries. On hot summer days the chestnut room also needs to be sprayed more often, leaving the tree to dry away from the sun.

The soil for the flower must be loose and air-permeable. It is made from equal parts of leaf, compost, turf and large granular sand. In the substrate, you can also add lumps of clay, pieces of crushed coal and brick crumbs.

Since castanospermum is a plant with a developed root system, the vessel for embarkation will require deep and stable. To feed chestnut room begin in the early spring organic periodicity once a week and continue until late autumn.

Reproduction is made by beans, which are sold in flower centers. Before planting, seeds should be kept in warm water for a day, and then dropped into the ground. Germs appear at a temperature of 18 degrees.

So that the seeds do not perish, you can not plant them very deeply. Without access to air in the wet ground, they quickly rot.

To plant the plant you will need an average pot size, in which the future pet will live for a year. In the pot, it is necessary to pour in the seedlings, mixed in equal parts with perlite and peat. Beans should be put on the surface of the soil, do not forget to regularly wet it, and next to the seeds sprinkle crushed charcoal. It is required to watch that the seeds do not become moldy. If the chestnut is not wrinkled, does not become covered with mold and does not germinate, it is necessary to soak it in a solution of epin. It is necessary to have patience, as the process of appearance of sprouts can last for months.

If you managed to buy fresh beans, then indoor chestnut flowers should start running after two months. After the appearance of the first leaf, you need to start feeding. After the cotyledons give all the nutrients, they frown and fall off. This is a signal for the beginning of a transplantation of a young plant. While the "chestnut" does not disappear, the plant is not to be transplanted, otherwise it will die.