Bokarney( Nolina) bent

Beaucarnea recurvata

Family. Agave - Agavaceae

Homeland - Mexico, USA, states of Texas, California.

One of the most fashionable and prestigious species at present. According to the survey results, the bakarnee was recognized among other plants as the winner of the Millenium competition.

The exterior of the plant is a typical "bottle tree".The trunk is erect, widening downwards, forming an onion-like thickening. In natural conditions, the trunk reaches a height of 8-10 m, the base in diameter is up to 1 m. In greenhouse-room culture, the height of the plant is from 0.6 to 1.5 m. If you manage to keep a copy of the bokarney for several decades, it is possible thatshe will start branching. The trunk is scabrous, yellowish brown. In the thickening of the trunk, there is a reserve of water, because of it a bokarneyu is often called an elephant leg with a green tuft. On the top of the trunk there is a rosette of arcuate drooping narrow lanceolate-linear sharp, mechanically strong leaves. They reach a length of up to 2 m, because of them the bokarney has one more name - "horse tail".

Flowers are small greenish-white.

Courtship. For bokarneyi choose a solar location with some direct sunlight. In winter, it needs additional lighting, regardless of the rest period. In summer, room temperature is sufficient, but it can withstand up to 30-35 ° C, in winter - no more than 10 ° C, and during the relative dormancy( November-January) 3-5 ° C.Despite the fact that the birthplace of the bokarnea is the deserts and semi-deserts of Mexico, in the summer it needs a copious but rare watering. Between watering the soil must dry. In autumn and winter, watering a rare - once a month - only in order to prevent the drying of the substrate, since March, increase the amount of irrigation water, but not the frequency of irrigation. Especially dangerous in the winter is waterlogging to insure, you can arrange drip irrigation. Spraying bokarney does not require, but the leaves periodically need to wipe with a soft damp sponge. In summer, the plant can be planted in the garden or on the balcony.

For the cultivation of bokarneyi make up a mixture of garden( humus) soil and coarse sand with the addition of fine gravel. Feeding is very rarely performed once a month with a weak solution of mineral fertilizers or a very dilute( 1: 20) infusion of mullein, a good result is the use of diluted solution of fertilizers of the brand "Ideal".With excess nitrogen, the leaves lose their stiffness. Bokarnea grows well on hydroponics. She can not stand drafts. Young plants are transplanted annually, more adults once in 3-4 years, better in a wide, but not too deep capacity. The depth of planting should be constant all the time. To accelerate the formation of the tuberoid trunk, the plant is transplanted into a pot larger than the diameter of the stem.

If the cultivation conditions are not respected, the following changes are observed: in a too crockery the leaves become smaller, turn pale and easily bend when there is a lack of light and elevated temperature, in too dry rooms the tips of the leaves become brown.

Pests and diseases: scab, black mold.

Propagation by cuttings from old branched shoots, but since in the room conditions it practically does not branch, it is more likely to separate the offspring, which sometimes appear at the base of the trunk. Seed propagation is also possible.