Fatsia japonica is an attractive houseplant native to southern Japan, Korea and Taiwan, where it grows in subtropical climates. For many decades, the plant has been widely cultivated indoors, it is one of the main types of tropical gardens and arboretums; Fatsia are willingly greening offices and used to decorate living quarters. In the open air, the plant reaches 3 m, and indoors it usually does not exceed 2 m in height. Large, deeply lobed leathery leaves often consist of eight lobes, which gave the name to the plant: "fatsi" is consonant with the Japanese "eight". Under optimal conditions, adult specimens can bloom, then dense umbellate inflorescences of small white flowers appear on the tops of the shoots, and the seeds that matured later can be used for reproduction, but without guaranteeing the preservation of varietal qualities.
Overall, it is a hardy and not very difficult plant to grow. Fatsia does not require a lot of light and grows quite well at home if given warm and humid conditions in summer and relative coolness and reduced watering in winter.
Light... Fatsia prefers bright diffused light or partial shade, its leaves are burned and discolored in full sun. Northern windows are suitable for green cultivars, and variegated varieties are more demanding on lighting, and to preserve their decorative effect, they should be placed in bright diffused light or the plant should be given several hours of morning sun. On the sunny side, the fatsia must be placed at a distance of 1-3 m from the window.
Fatsia grows well under artificial lighting, this allows you to put the pot with it in places without natural light in offices, daylight hours should be about 12 hours a day.
If the conditions do not allow to provide fatsia in the winter with a cool rest, be sure to compensate for the lack of light, move it to a more illuminated place (from the north to the south windows) or under illumination, a drop in illumination and too short daylight hours will negatively affect the plant in a warm room.
Temperature. As a subtropical plant, fatsia prefers to rest in cool conditions in winter, at a temperature of about +10 ... + 15 ° C, and in summer the optimum temperature for it will be + 16 ... + 22 ° C during the day and + 13 ... + 16 ° C at night. Fatsia loves fresh air and is not afraid of drafts; in the warm season, the plant can be placed in a garden or balcony, protecting it from direct sun and strong winds.
Watering... Water the plant after the topsoil has dried, before water begins to flow through the drainage holes. A few minutes after all the excess water has gone into the sump, drain it and never leave the pot in the water. Do not water the fatsia if the soil on top is still wet from the previous watering, but also do not allow the clod to completely dry out.
Be guided by the condition of the ground. In the spring and summer, when the fatsia is actively growing, water more often, and in winter, when resting in cool conditions, less often.
Read more in the article Watering rules for indoor plants.
Air humidity Fatsia prefers medium (40-50%). In winter, the plant may suffer from too dry air, the tips of its leaves will begin to dry out.
Fertilizer... Feed from spring to autumn with ready-made complex universal fertilizers for indoor plants (preferably mineral) with micronutrients in 1/2 dosage. It is advisable to divide the monthly dose by the approximate number of waterings per month and apply this small portion with each watering. For the winter, cancel all dressings.
Read more in the article Top dressing of indoor plants.
Soil and transplant. Any ready-made universal peat soil is suitable for fatsia, and to avoid waterlogging, mix perlite into the added substrate, about ¼ of the volume.
Before increasing the volume of the pot, make sure that the roots of the plant have mastered the previous ball well, otherwise postpone the transplant.
The best time for this is spring. Fatsia can be transplanted in the summer, and in the fall and winter, an increase in the volume of the soil can lead to root disease, therefore, during and on the eve of rest, the plant is not transplanted.
The transplant is carried out only by careful transshipment, without replacing the soil, into a pot 2 cm wider than the previous one. A little pre-prepared mixture of soil and perlite is poured into the bottom of the new pot, then the whole earthen lump of the plant is placed in the center. Sprinkle it on the sides with the same ready-made mixture, tamp it carefully, water it and add a little more soil. In order not to cause waterlogging, the transplant is carried out when it is time for watering.
- Soils and soil mixtures for indoor plants
- Transplanting indoor plants
Pruning and shaping. As it grows, the lower parts of the shoots begin to bare. To maintain a compact size and attractive appearance, fatsia requires regular spring pruning with age, shortening the shoots will simulate branching. The cut off tops can be used for breeding. However, young specimens do not need to be shaped several years after purchase.
Read more in the article Methods for the formation of indoor plants.
Bloom in indoor conditions, it rarely occurs, but this is a small loss, since the flowers of the Fatsia are not very expressive.
Reproduction... If the plant does bloom and seeds are formed, they can be used for propagation, but the specimens grown from the seeds may differ from the parent plant.
For the preservation of varietal qualities, vegetative propagation and rooting of cuttings are used. They are cut in the spring from the apical part of the plant about 10 cm long and rooted in perlite or a sterile substrate in a greenhouse according to the standard technique using root formation hormones (Kornevin et al.).
Read more in the article Cutting indoor plants at home.
Read also the article Possible problems when growing fatsia.
