Each housewife knows many types of flowers, which are distinguished by their beauty or eccentricity. Many of them take up little space and can be grown on a windowsill. However, today we will discuss a giant that can outgrow human growth and take up a large amount of space. We talk about shrubs alandra, which will please you not only fancy buds, but also spectacular leaves.
Description
Before you talk about how to care for afendry at home, it is worth setting out a brief description of the plant. 
Flower refers to family Akantovye, is an evergreen shrub. The aboveground part has strong shoots and stem. The sheet plates are quite large, painted in a dark green glossy color.
Acanthus and Tunbergia, as well as aphelandra, belong to the Acanta family and grow mainly in the tropics.
Plants though are undersized however can achieve heights of 2 m therefore, it is worthwhile to allocate a large amount of space for a flowerpot and regularly cut so that the apander does not start to “prop up” the ceiling. 
Did you know? Apelandra leaves, depending on the subspecies, can be both glossy and spiky or matte.A plant is appreciated, of course, because of its buds. Peduncles collected in the "spikelets", which may also resemble small bumps. Most often, the flowers are painted in red, less often - in lilac color.
Aphelandra came to us from tropics of america therefore requires the creation of an appropriate microclimate.
In addition to afelandra, tropical indoor plants also include: creepers, alocasia, aglaonema, indoor grapes, tillandia, gloriosa, hypoestes, philodendron, dracaena and cordilina.
Growing conditions
Now let's talk about how to care for afelandra. We will discuss the basic requirements of a tropical shrub, and also note important points. 
Temperature
Temperature at home should not fall below 15 ° С in the cold season, and below 22 ° C - summer. You should not place the pot near the heaters, as the tropical climate provides for high humidity, and any heater dries it very much.
Lighting
Although low-growing shrubs in tropical forests receive a small amount of sunlight, special conditions should be created for afelandra: in summer, the plant is shaded from direct sunlight, to avoid burns, and in winter it moves to the brightest place without any shading. It should be remembered that if the plant lacks the duration of a sunny day, then it is imperative additional lighting with artificial light sources. 
Air humidity
As mentioned above, the shrub requires high humidity, so you need to constantly spray it with warm water, put it in a pan with moisture, and also put wet moss next to it.
Sometimes the above is not enough, and you have to put the plant in the semblance of an aquarium or install a special sprayer that constantly maintains high humidity.
Important! The high humidity required by the plant can be detrimental to the walls and ceiling of your house, causing the formation of mold fungi.
The soil
Under natural conditions, the flower grows in the substrate, which is a mixture of leaf and sod land. At home, it is best grown in soil mixture, which includes sand, humus, peat, turf and leaf land. The first 4 supplements are taken in equal amounts, and the leaf earth needs to be taken 4 times more, that is, the volume of the first 4 components must be equal to the volume of the leaf earth.
Such a substrate will have all the necessary elements, as well as good drainage properties. 
Did you know? The white streaks on the leaves of the shrub are mineral formations of calcium carbonate, which accumulate in the flower. If this substance is small, then the streaks will have a darker color.
Breeding
Aphelandra, in terms of reproduction, does not require anything impossible, since the flower can be propagated both with seeds and with a leaf plate.
Seeds. After collecting and sorting, the seeds are stored until the end of winter. In the last decade of February, the sowing material is sown in soil mixture (peat land and sand), and then covered with a film before germination. The temperature of the soil for germination should be within 25 ° C, so the substrate must first be heated. Before germination, the film must be removed once a day, so that oxygen gets into the soil, and also to moisten, if the substrate has dried. 
The first shoots will not appear soon only 15-30 days. As you grow, you need to maintain a high temperature, moisten the soil and the air near the plants. Repotting into single pots is needed when the plants start interfering with each other.
If you did everything right, then aphelandra will bloom in the first year of life.
Leaf plate. From the bush it is necessary to cut the apical leaf with a small part of the wood. Next, landing is done immediately, do not need to keep it in the water. It is necessary to plant so that the wood part is buried in the soil, and the leaf is above the substrate. Before planting should be treated with a root growth stimulator. The substrate is different in composition from that used for sowing seeds. Here we need 1 part leafy earth and 1 part vermiculite. 
After landing, the aphelandra is covered with a "cap" to create greenhouse conditions. As in the case of seeds, the shelter should be removed regularly to air the flower. Also do not forget to moisten the soil.
Care
Next, discuss the care afelandry. Our instructions will help you grow a healthy shrub that will delight you with beautiful buds.
Watering
Only soft water is used to moisten the soil. If the tap is very hard, then you need to use the rain boiled version. 
The substrate should always be minimally wet, otherwise the flower will be under stress. At the same time, regular watering is carried out from the beginning of spring until the end of autumn, in winter they keep the humidity, but the number of irrigations is significantly reduced.
Did you know? There are about 196 apelandra species, most of which are used as indoor plants.
Top dressing
Aphelandra very voracious, therefore, it quickly draws all nutrients from the substrate.
To the bush did not experience starvation, fertilizer should be applied regularly, every 2 weeks, throughout the year. It is enough to purchase a standard fertilizer for flowering plants, and use it as stated in the instructions. In addition to the purchased fertilizer, no other fertilizing is required. 
As for winter, in the cold season, you can add fertilizer once a month so that the plant does not leave the state of rest.
Pruning
Pruning is the main part of caring for the plant, since if it is not available, the apelander will take up half the room.
To control the size of the plant, you need annually at the end of winter to carry out a thorough pruning. To do this, use any convenient tool. 
Each shoot should be cut, leaving about 20 cm. Next, you need to increase the humidity or cover the cut shoots with cellophane.
Important! In the absence of pruning, the plant is drawn out and loses its beauty, so minimal pinching is obligatory.
Transfer
Aphelandra requires transplantation as it grows and develops, since the root system, unlike the aboveground part, cannot be trimmed. 
A transplant is performed annually, in early spring, as the plant further enters a phase of abundant growth, and may be injured in the process of transplanting to a new place.
In the form of a substrate, the same variant is used as when planting a plant. Old soil should be disposed of, as it may contain dangerous bacteria or fungi.
Diseases and pests
Since the plant requires constant high humidity, an aflandru is often affected by pests and fungal diseases, for which overmoistened environment is the best option.
You will have to fight with aphids and flaps. The spider mite prefers dry air, therefore it can appear only if the humidity becomes extremely low either near the plant itself or in the room where it grows.
Fight against aphids.
Used by liquid soap solution. At 0.5 liters of water, take about 2 spoons, mix thoroughly and spray the plant from a spray bottle. If this method does not help, then use insecticides. 
Fighting with the shield.
Do alcohol-soap solution. At 1 liter of warm water take 1 tbsp. l soap and 10 ml of alcohol (easier to measure it with a syringe). Mix the ingredients and spray all over the aerial parts of the plant. As in the case with aphids, if the method did not help, then shave the chemicals.
When appearing fungal diseases the plant is best sprayed with fungicides, and then transplanted into a new heat-treated substrate. 
Now you know what a scandra is, familiar with caring for a plant at home. The shrub is quite capricious, therefore, in case of non-observance of the required air humidity, it can shed the leaves. Also on the leaf plates may appear dark spots. Try to follow the instructions to preserve the beauty of the plant.
