A Detailed Guide to the Benefits, Uses and Care of the Aircraft Plant
Today let's talk about a very special plant. Its appearance resembles the little wings of an airplane, making it very childlike and playful, and at the same time it is a rare natural medicinal herb. What we mentioned above is the aircraft plant, also known as the bat plant, a plant that mostly grows in open grasslands, roadsides and by the sea. In traditional Chinese medicine, its entire plant can be used as medicine, and it can be used for menstrual pain, bruises and injuries, rheumatic bone pain, venomous snake bites, carbuncles and sores, etc.
This aircraft plant, which has both medicinal value and a childlike appearance, is very easy to find on the flower market, and its care difficulty is very low, making it suitable for beginners to buy and play with. After buying it, it is recommended to choose a flower pot that is not too shallow for planting, because the aircraft plant likes to grow upright and send out growth downward, so it is best to ensure that the bottom has relatively large drainage holes. As for the soil, you can add some coarse coconut coir and perlite to the potting soil, mix them in a ratio of 5:3:2, and then you can also add some slow-release fertilizer to it, which is of great benefit to later growth.
As for watering, the aircraft plant likes moisture but does not like overly wet soil conditions. Therefore, before watering, you can touch the soil with your hand, and when you find it slightly dry, you should replenish the water. Generally speaking, in summer when the weather is hot, water once a day; in spring and autumn, water once every two days; in winter, watering once a week is enough. In addition, each time you water, it is best to pour it slowly in from the side of the flower pot, and remember not to pour it directly on the leaves, because this makes disease easy to occur.
As for placement, because it likes light but is also afraid of long periods of direct sunlight, it is recommended to place it about 2-3 m away from the window, so that it can absorb effective scattered light every day without harming the leaves. If later you find that its leaves become dry and whitish, you should pay attention and move it to a more shaded place.
Finally, regarding shape control and pruning, if you find that the aircraft plant is taller than half the height of the pot, you should properly cut off the overly long branches; otherwise, besides looking unattractive, it will also affect the plant with poor nutrition.