Fir-trees and pines appear in the houses for the New Year holidays. But there is a tree that can grow in an apartment all year round - Araucaria. This beautiful coniferous tree will decorate and refresh any room.
Botanical description
Araucaria is an evergreen coniferous tree with flat needles of bright green color. The branches grow in circular whorls almost perpendicular to the trunk, which gives the crown a pyramidal shape.
The tree has hard branches and soft leaves, needles. Seeds are eaten, and furniture is made from wood. In nature, trees grow to 50-60 m, some specimens reach 90 m.
There are about 20 species of Araucaria. Mostly they can be found in the southern hemisphere: in South America, Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. But they can grow in the Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, where they are grown for decorative purposes.
The only species that feels good, not only in the open air, but also indoors, is Araucaria variegated. She came to us from Norfolk Island, which is located in the Pacific Ocean.
Under natural conditions, it grows up to 60 m, and in a flower pot - only 1.5 m. This room tree looks nice and smells of pine needles. 
Did you know? Araucaria needle leaves secrete phytoncides that purify the air from bacteria and germs.
Conditions
Araucaria (pictured) is an unpretentious plant, but it needs special care if it grows at home. It is difficult to grow in a warm, well-heated room. A cooler room is suitable for this purpose: a veranda, a glazed loggia, a greenhouse or a winter garden.
Temperature and humidity
- A room tree loves coolness and does not like heat, especially in winter. In summer, she is comfortable at room temperature. And in winter, she needs to provide a "rest" at a temperature of 10-12 ° C. If the room is warmer than 15 ° C, the plant can get sick.
- In a warm room, spruce should be sprayed, preferably 2-3 times a day and only with cold water. To increase the humidity, some put a pot with moist expanded clay, but not on the expanded clay itself.
Important! If the room is ventilated in winter, then the tree should not be left in a draft. Also, do not put it near the battery.
Lighting
For normal growth Araucaria need a bright diffused light. To branches grow symmetrically, once a week the pot must be rotated 90 °. Ideal room, which is lit from two sides.
A fluorescent lamp suspended directly above the Christmas tree can also be a good option. In the summer, it is advisable to take it to the air, but put it in the shade, for example, in the courtyard or on a covered balcony.
The soil
Normal soil for indoor flowers should be diluted by half with a peat-containing substrate with an acidic reaction. For this purpose, you can take the land for rhododendrons. Substrate composition: turf, leaf and peat soil and sand in the ratio 1: 2: 2: 1.
Another option: coniferous soil (1: 1: 1: 1: 0.5) can be added to the mixture of these components. 
How to care for a plant
In order for a house tree to feel good in a flower pot, constant and proper care is necessary, otherwise araucaria can get sick.
You will probably be interested to learn more about such coniferous plants as blue spruce, Canadian spruce, thuja, fir, larch, juniper, cedar, yew, cypress.
Watering
Drying the earthen coma is detrimental to the room spruce, so it must be constantly watered. In the summer, this should be done often, immediately after the drying of the coma. In winter, watered no more than once every 2-3 days.
Hard water is not suitable for irrigation, rain, boiled or settled water is suitable. Do not allow the water in the pot to stand.
Fertilizer
Araucaria should be fertilized in spring and summer (vegetative period) in 2-3 weeks. You can take a complex mineral fertilizer, but the dosage should be half less than for other plants. You need to choose a fertilizer with the least amount of calcium, because the tree does not like it.
Transfer
A room tree is difficult to tolerate the transplant, so you need to transplant it only when necessary: when the root is braided all over. This can be done in March, April or summer. The pot needs a wide, quarter-filled drain. 
Tree growth depends on the size of the pot. If you need to keep growth, then for transplanting take the same capacity. It is necessary to replant carefully so as not to damage the root.
Important! Araucaria is friendly with soil fungi, their symbiosis is useful for both parties. Therefore, when transplanting it is not necessary to clean the root from the ground.
Reproduction characteristics of araucaria
Although Araucaria is an exotic tree, its reproduction is possible at home. There are two breeding methods available:
- Fresh the seeds (immediately after harvest) must be sown in the soil, which consists of peat, sheet, sod land and sand, or in a mixture of peat land, sand and some charcoal. Sprinkle, cover with a sphagnum pot and leave at a temperature of 18-20 ° C. From time to time you need to moisturize. The first shoots may appear in 2 weeks, the last - in 2 months. When the first needles appear, you need to dive.
- Cuttings planted in the first half of spring. The source material may be the top of an adult tree over 10 years old, which must be carefully cut 3-4 cm below the whorl. The stalk must be dried during the day, cleaned of resin and sprinkled with charcoal cut. It can also be treated with heteroauxin, which stimulates root formation. Planted cuttings should be one by one in wet sand or a wet mixture of peat and sand (1: 1). From above they are covered with something transparent: with a bottle, jar or glass. You can plant them in a heated greenhouse, then rooting will be faster. In the warmth of the roots appear in 2 months, and at low temperatures - in 4-5 months. Planted in a pot with soil for an adult plant is needed when the whole person is covered with roots.
Important! Side cuttings can also take root, but they will grow a tree of irregular shape. Therefore, it is not necessary to take them for breeding..
Pest and disease protection
- Meadowworms and aphids pose a threat to room spruce. To get rid of them, you need to take a soft brush, wet it in soapy water and clean the branches and stem of the plant. Then you need to spray it with a solution of green soap. The procedure is repeated 3 times with an interval of 7 days. You can treat affected areas with alcohol. If pest damage is strong, special preparations are needed.
- Sick plant due to improper care. For example, dry air, high temperature, and overdrying of an earthy coma lead to the fact that the leaves turn yellow and fall off. And because of poor lighting, the stem is pulled out, and the leaves turn pale. To improve a tree, you need to return the correct conditions for its maintenance.
- Tree branches have fallen - this is the result of excessive heat or dried coma. The plant will not be able to cope with this symptom, even if it is put in a cool place and renewed abundant watering. To save him, some take the following actions: moisten the earth bed, tie it up with a plastic bag, turn the tree over and hang it up several days up.
Important! The top of araucaria is the point of its growth. We must be careful not to damage it. If it breaks off, the tree will stop growing, and the branches will develop unevenly, which will spoil the shape of the crown.
Araucaria variegated, like any other indoor plant, needs care and attention, wherever it grows: in an apartment, office or conservatory.
