Single leaf houseplant: everything about care and maintenance

Simple and elegant: the single leaf or sheath leaf is a houseplant that is particularly useful in modern houses. Here you can read what demands the tropical plant places on its home and what needs to be taken into account when it comes to location and care.

Table of contents Table of contents one sheet: Modern houseplant

• The single sheet keeps the air clean
• Dark green meets creamy white
• Houseplant tolerant of shade
• Hydroponics or permeable potting soil
• Don't forget to pour!
• Fertilize one sheet
• Repot the spathiphyllum regularly
• Multiply one sheet yourself
• Additional care tips
• Fight pests on the single leaf
• Varied varieties of the leaf

Table of contents Table of contents one sheet: Modern houseplant

• The single sheet keeps the air clean
• Dark green meets creamy white
• Houseplant tolerant of shade
• Hydroponics or permeable potting soil
• Don't forget to pour!
• Fertilize one sheet
• Repot the spathiphyllum regularly
• Multiply one sheet yourself
• Additional care tips
• Fight pests on the single leaf
• Varied varieties of the leaf

The single leaf or sheath leaf (Spathiphyllum wallisii) has been cultivated in Europe since the end of the 19th century. Native to South America, mainly Colombia and Venezuela, it came to us across the Atlantic at that time - and was immediately received with enthusiasm. Whether in an elegant salon or a modern urban loft: the single sheet sets the right accents.

The single sheet keeps the air clean

In addition, it has been proven for some years that the single leaf works like a kind of natural air filter in closed rooms. Spathiphyllum has been proven to filter pollutants from the air and thus improve the indoor climate. This not only has positive effects on our health, but also on our mood and mood. The only downside: botanically, the single leaf belongs to the family of the arum family, that is, it is slightly toxic in all parts of the plant.

Dark green meets creamy white

The beauty of the leaf is due to the successful contrast that the slender dark green leaves form to the creamy white flower heads. Strictly speaking, these calyxes are not the flowers of the houseplant: From a botanical point of view, only the yellowish piston in the middle is a flower, the elegantly curved white bract is actually a colored leaf. The botanist calls it bract or spathe. Either way, the flowering period of the leaf lasts from June to September, but it is not uncommon for the houseplants to bloom throughout the winter. At certain times of the day, which vary depending on the location and plant, the flowers of the leaf exude a pleasant fragrance that is reminiscent of vanilla.

Photo: iStock / serezniy

Houseplant tolerant of shade

Even if your house does not have the best lighting conditions: there is always a place for the insert. Spathiphyllum thrives even better when it is in a partially shaded spot, for example a north window. Direct sun burns the leaves and often prevents blooming. However, the vagina leaf only feels really good in relatively high humidity and warm temperatures between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius. If you can, you should put the plant in the bathroom. In winter it can be a bit cooler, but even then the temperatures should not drop below 18 degrees Celsius.

Hydroponics or permeable potting soil

We recommend normal, humus-rich potting soil from specialist retailers as a substrate for the single leaf. However, it should also be mixed with a little clay granulate and sand: this increases the permeability and keeps the substrate permanently loose. If this is too expensive, keep the houseplant in hydroponic. It proves to be even easier to care for and also shines here thanks to its long service life.

The flowering period of the leaf lasts from June to September, but sometimes the houseplants bloom throughout the winter.

Photo: Pflanzenfreude.de

Don't forget to pour

When caring for the leaf, it is important never to let the plant's rootstock dry out completely. Even in winter, the soil in the pot should always be slightly damp. Watering is done regularly, but not too abundantly. The best way to do this is to give the vaginal leaf irrigating water at room temperature. In the case of dry indoor air, such as is quickly generated by heating in winter, the houseplant should also be sprayed over.

Fertilize one sheet

In summer, i.e. during the flowering period, the single leaf is supplied with some liquid flowering plant fertilizer every week. Pay attention to a low dosage: The houseplant reacts quickly to over-fertilization with brown leaf tips. In winter, one fertilizer application per month is sufficient - from around October to January, the single leaf is in idle mode anyway.

Repot the spathiphyllum regularly

A new pot is due approximately every one to two years. Repotting is possible from spring to summer. You recognize the right time less by the fact that the roots of the house plant no longer find a place, but rather by the brown leaf tips, which the one-leaf suddenly develops despite good care. In addition, the leaves often lose their rich, dark green hue. Both are clear indications that the substrate is leached out. Depending on the variety, the single leaf is between 30 and 80 centimeters high. Since the plant grows upright but also expansive, a tall pot is recommended, over which the leaves can hang nicely in a picturesque way. If they touch the ground, the tips of the leaves often turn brown.

Multiply one sheet yourself

While repotting, you can also multiply the single sheet yourself. To do this, lift the houseplant out of its pot and free it from the old soil as much as possible. Then the rhizome is divided into several parts with a sharp and (ideally) sterile knife. It is important that each section has at least two or three leaves. Plant the new leaves in their own pot, each for yourself, and continue cultivating as usual.

You can easily multiply the single sheet while repotting.

Photo: Pflanzenfreude.de

Additional care tips

No cut is necessary to maintain the appealing look of the leaf, but wilted leaves and flowers should still be removed. Cut them off at the bottom of each stem. Inflorescences that are already completely dry can simply be pulled up out of their bracts.

Fight pests on the single leaf

Mealybugs or aphids can also occasionally occur. Check your vaginal leaf regularly for an infestation, especially in winter - otherwise the pests will quickly spread to other houseplants. You can recognize mealybugs by the fine, white webs that can form on the entire plant. Remedies in both cases are home remedies (for example a lukewarm mixture of potash soap, water and spirit) with which you spray the affected areas, or pesticides from the garden center.

Varied varieties of the leaf

Some interesting varieties and breeds are commercially available from Spathiphyllum wallisii. They differ from the classic single sheet in size or foliage and are all optimized for the room culture. For example, 'Gemini' has decoratively patterned leaves, 'Chopin' remains compact and small forever, while 'Sweet Paco' exudes a particularly pleasant vanilla scent. 'Mauna Loa' is known to form particularly large inflorescences.

Violetta Hoffmann editors haus.de