About cultivated species of Washington - on the page Washingtonia.
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The main conditions for the successful cultivation of Washington is an abundance of light and a cool winter rest. The most suitable conditions can be created in greenhouses or conservatories. When growing at home, it must be remembered that leaf stalks carry quite powerful thorns that can injure children or animals.
Illumination. It is best to place washingtonia on south-facing windows (southeast, south or southwest). In summer, it is necessary to provide good ventilation in the room so that the plants do not overheat through the glass in the midday sun, or slightly protect them in the middle of the day from the sun's rays. In the warm season, you can take these palm trees out into the open air (with gradual accustoming to sunlight) in a place protected from the wind. It is not recommended to place washingtonias in the back of the room, away from light. The leaves begin to quickly turn yellow, die off, the plant can completely die in a short time. Due to the lack of light, these palms cannot be recommended for office landscaping. In winter, you will definitely need additional lighting with artificial light, for this you can use phytolamps or household fluorescent lamps placed directly above the plant. For even crown growth, it is necessary to regularly rotate the washingtonia relative to the light source.
Temperature conditions. In the summer, it is advisable to maintain the temperature of the content within + 20 + 28 ° C, although Washingtonia can tolerate higher temperatures. During the heat, it is necessary to ensure good air exchange around the plant in order to avoid overheating of the leaves. In winter, it is necessary to lower the temperature of the content to + 5 + 10 ° C, the cool winter rest is due to the subtropical nature of these palms. Keeping it warm with a lack of light in winter will cause rapid depletion and death of the plant. The room where Washingtonia is located should have good ventilation all year round.
Watering. In the summer, Washingtonia is watered abundantly, but without stagnant water in the pot, waiting for the topsoil to dry out between waterings. In winter, with a cool content, watering is reduced to rare or very rare, but preventing the earthen coma from drying out. Washingtonia is very sensitive to waterlogging, especially in winter.
Soils and transplants. Washingtonia is grown in standard palm soil. For better drainage, it is advisable to add perlite to the ready-made mixtures. They are transplanted by careful transshipment, without injuring the roots - young plants annually, adults every few years, as the roots fill the pot. In adult specimens that grow in large volumes, the topsoil is changed to a fresh one every six months.
Top dressing carry out complex fertilizer for palms only in spring and summer.
Reproduction occurs only by sowing seeds. Even old seeds germinate. In warm conditions, seeds germinate for about 2 months, sometimes longer. In favorable conditions, seedlings grow quickly, after a year they already have 4-5 leaves. Juvenile leaves are whole, lanceolate, on about 5-7 leaves, the first whitish filaments appear along the edge of the leaf, and the division of the leaf into lobes begins with 8 leaves.
Pests and diseases... Washingtonia can be affected by mealybugs, scale insects, whiteflies, ticks.
About pest control measures - in the article Houseplant pests and control measures. When the root ball is waterlogged, these palms are easily exposed to root rot. Too dry air can dry out the tips of the leaves.
