English name:
Cheese Plant

Origin:
Central America

Minimum temperature:
10 degrees Celsius

Description:
The cheese plant is one of the most famous house plant. Only few people grow the plant from a seed, although it is an interesting process to witness. Not only because it is nice to see a whole plant develop from the beginning, but also because the seedlings grow towards the dark instead of light until they find something to climb up. In nature this is a tree and in the living room it is often a wall or other plant. Originally, the cheese plant grows in the rain forests of Central America as an epiphyte in trees. There, the plant climbs along tree branches to a size of up to 9 meters, with aerial roots reaching the bottom for the absorption of nutrients. The young leaves have no holes yet, but older leaves get a beautiful pattern. It is not entirely clear why holes appear in the leaves, but scientific research in 2013 cites the light absorption as the reason. With holes, a larger surface can be reached with the same amount of tissue (and therefore energy). And with a larger area, there is a greater chance of catching a sunbeam in a dark rainforest. Other explanations are resistance to strong winds (a hurricane, for example), that water can reach the roots more easily, or that insects do not lay eggs on leaves which appear to be affected. 
The cheese plant is therefore a plant which prefers shade and cannot withstand direct sunlight. The plant can flower with white flowers followed by fruits that take about a year to ripen. When unripe they are poisonous, but ripe fruits are yellow and resemble pineapple in texture and taste. It is an easy plant to take car of. It is important to let the soil dry out between watering, and spraying the leaves and aerial roots with water is also good for growth.

Sowing description:
Seeds have a short viability, so sow them soon after receiving them. This can be done without pre-treatment in sowing and cutting soil. Keep the soil constantly slightly moist and the temperature above 20 degrees Celsius. Germination usually takes a few weeks.

Sowing time:
Year round

Difficult:
Easy