Mother-in-Law’s Tongue – Home Things

Known to all as “mother-in-law’s tongue” (although sometimes sansevieria is also referred to with this name), epiphyllum and the flowering cactus par excellence. Native to the rainforests of Mexico and Argentina, in summer produces intensely colored flowers, fragrant and beautiful. It is a very popular plant because long-livedOf easy cultivationpreferably in potAnd lush growth (more in width than in height) with upright stems, without thorns, which in the terminal part bend outwards becoming decumbent. The plant likes alight exposure but not the direct sun and it goes watered regularly with variable frequency between the hot and cold seasons. Not requiring pruning and being rather disease resistant, mother-in-law’s tongue requires rather modest maintenance. Just pay attention to placementsince the plant doesn’t like the cold intense nor the frosts.

As for the appearance of the plant, the leaves (these are actually processed drums) of epiphyllum I am fleshy but thin, ribbon-like, with toothed margin and difficult to break. It’s right through cutting of leaves that mother-in-law’s tongue can be reproduced, to then be transplanted into a specific soil for cactaceae and fertilized once a month with a fertilizer low in nitrogen.

Mother-in-law’s tongue is a plant epiphytic: to survive it must necessarily develop on other plants, through which it feeds.

Flowering

Flowering of mother-in-law’s tongue occurs between April and July. THE flowersOf dark pink color (but not only) with numerous stamens between white and yellow, they are large and are characterized by elongated and thin petals which give them almost a starry shape.

Playback

Mother-in-law’s tongue reproduces with ease for cutting, placing a stem inside a mix of sand and peat. It will take a couple of weeks for the new plant to take root.

Seeds

The tiny mother-in-law’s tongue seeds are rarely used for breeding because they would take too long to germinate.

Information and curiosities

When purchasing mother-in-law’s tongue, as with all other succulents, it is best to evaluate the texture of the tissues (which must be strong and elastic, never wrinkled) and theabsence of scarsas well as yellow and black spots or areas of gelatinous consistency.

The particular and somewhat funny nickname of the plant derives from its remarkable growth capacity, according to tradition proportional to the amount of slander that mothers-in-law reserve for their sons-in-law.

Cultivation

Mother-in-law’s tongue is tended to be cultivated in pot (preferably in a terracotta model of about 20 centimeters in height) but it can also grow in open ground in the mild climate areas of the Mediterranean area.

Placement

The location of the plant it essentially depends on the climate of the region it belongs to: since mother-in-law’s tongue resists heat well, it can be left outside during the summer (or in the case of mild winters). During the winter, if it is particularly harsh, it is better to shelter it indoors.

Fertilization

To fertilize mother-in-law’s tongue, use a specific product for succulent plants rich in phosphorus and potassium once a monthbut poor in nitrogen (which would promote the rapid growth of young, water-rich and not very consistent tissues).

Exposure

Mother-in-law’s tongue needs full but indirect light (it can also be placed in full sun but without wetting the leaves or sheltered from the rain because it is easy for the leaves to suffer burns).

Watering

When mother-in-law’s tongue is outdoors, in summer, water once a week. In winter, indoors, water sparingly every three weeks or only when the first signs of dehydration appear.

Pruning

Mother-in-law’s tongue does not need pruning. Simply eliminate the dry or damaged parts to prevent them from becoming a vehicle for parasitic diseases.

Transplant

Both in the case of transplanting and repotting (to be carried out every 2 years at the end of flowering) of mother-in-law’s tongue, use a specific soil for cactaceaeor mix flower potting soil, sand and peat in equal parts.

Seasonal location

Spring Summer: the ideal temperature for the development of mother-in-law’s tongue is included between 10 and 20°C (but it can also withstand extremely high temperatures), so in the hottest seasons it can be left outside without problems.
Autumn winter: when the temperature drops below 5°C the plant must be brought indoors because it suffers in the presence of excessively harsh climates.

Illness and treatments

Mother-in-law’s tongue is a rustic and resistant plant, but can be attacked by cochineal. In this case, you need to eliminate the parasites with alcohol and cottonrepeating the treatment every 5 days until the infestation disappears. As a greater precaution, it is advisable to remove the first layer of soil because it may contain other parasites that could settle on the plant again.