Can dichondra be grown at home?

Dichondra is a great plant for decorating flower beds or for creating green walls, cascades, arches, curtains, screens. Cascades of emerald or silvery green leafy shoots resemble a waterfall in shape.

It is widely used in the design of gazebos, terraces, verandas. She looks most expressive in hanging pots. Some growers replace lawn grass with it - dichondra grows excellently in partial shade, hiding unsightly bare areas among the trees, quickly forming a dense covering between the stones of the decorative path.

Description of dichondra

Ampel dichondra silvery waterfall growing from seeds photo

Dichondra (Dichondra) is a representative of the genus of herbaceous evergreen perennials of the Bindweed family, a relative of which is the well-known morning glory. The name is inspired by Greek words, which in translation mean “two grains”, hinting at the similarity of the dichondra fruit with a two-chamber capsule. In natural conditions, it lives in the humid tropics of Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, America.

The root system of the plant is superficial, the height of the shoots is not more than 15 cm, and the length of creeping and creeping shoots reaches 1.5, and sometimes - 8 m. The stems are branched and quickly rooted with the help of roots formed in internodes. Round coin-shaped leaves cover the shoots abundantly. Leaves with silky pubescence are silvery or bright green - it depends on the variety. Unsightly flowers bloom from mid-May to August.

About 10 varieties are known, but the most famous are two varieties of dichondra: "Emerald Falls" and "Silver Falls". With proper care, it very quickly gains green mass - in a month, you can compose an imitation of a waterfall or stream in a backyard from several bushes.

How to care for dichondra outdoors

Lighting and soil

Dichondra care is not burdensome and is available to any florist. Dichondra loves a lot of light - it is located in sunny areas, it is tolerant of partial shade. With a lack of lighting, the silvery foliage becomes greenish, the twigs stretch out, and the leaves become smaller. It grows on almost any soil, but develops better on well-drained loam.

Watering

Dichondra is a representative of the marsh flora - the humidity of the surrounding atmosphere is of extraordinary importance for it. The mass of leaf stalks increases the more the more often you spray your plant.

But excess moisture in the soil can be destructive, as well as drying out the substrate. When the fluid stagnates, the surface roots rot.Water often and little by little, avoiding stagnant water.

Once every two weeks, you can feed the plant with a solution of liquid fertilizers, this stimulates the formation of new shoots and leaves.

All operations related to watering and feeding are best carried out in the evening or in cloudy weather, since it is impossible to avoid moisture getting on the leaves. This should be avoided so as not to cause burns.

Dichondra groundcover

Dichondra creeping like a ground cover photo

If you are planting a plant as a ground cover, do not forget, as the lashes grow, little by little sprinkle them with earth in several places. Such care allows long shoots to root: the plant grows more strongly, giving additional offspring, the leaves become larger, evenly filling the allotted area.

Dichondra ampelous

Pruning allows you to form a lush crown or give a variety of shapes to the flowing shoots. In addition, the plant is radically sheared in preparation for the winter season, as well as before the onset of the warm season. The resulting cuttings can be used to rejuvenate the planting material.

Dichondra as a houseplant Care and transplantation of dichondra in an apartment

Dichondra silvery waterfall growing at home photo

The flower is often grown as a houseplant. Caring for a beauty is simple: timely regular watering (without excess) and sufficient lighting. The air temperature in the room is quite comfortable for the plant, you should not allow a decrease of less than 10 ° C. There are no special requirements for air humidity. The plant responds well to feeding in the spring-summer period with a frequency of 1-2 times a month. Complex fertilizers are used for ornamental deciduous plants according to the manufacturer's instructions. The soil for planting becomes nutritious, with a slightly acidic reaction.

It perfectly tolerates the neighborhood with other colors, which is used to draw up spectacular compositions. Dichondra is usually planted along the edge of a volumetric pot, creating a cascading waterfall of leaves, shading decorative flowering plants.

Over time, the place for the dichondra becomes small, it becomes necessary to transplant into a more spacious container. The flower is transplanted, if necessary, by the transshipment method - when the roots are tightly braided with an earthen lump in a pot. The signal for this operation is the appearance of roots from the drainage holes of the flowerpot. To do this, select more voluminous dishes, on the bottom of which expanded clay is laid, sprinkling it on top with a small layer of soil.

The roots that protrude from the drainage holes are trimmed. With one hand, they take the top of the pot, turn it over in such a way that the container is at the top. With the other hand, the flowerpot is removed from the plant like a hat from the head. Then they gently turn the roots into a new dish, pouring fresh soil into the space between the walls of the pot and the roots.

If it is not possible to keep adult plants in an apartment, then many growers grow dichondra as an annual, so in the fall they cuttings, rooting lashes, thereby rejuvenating the flower. Such landings take up very little space, and it is much easier to care for them.

Dichondra bushes do not lose their attractiveness for 6 years or more with proper, timely care.
In Australia and New Zealand, the plant is considered a malicious weed, ruthlessly exterminated by farmers and gardeners, but Europeans recognized dichondra as one of the best plants for vertical compositions.

Growing dichondra from seeds for seedlings at home

Dichondra growing from seeds at home photo

The most affordable method, if it is impossible to purchase a ready-made plant, is to grow a flower from seeds. Sowing for seedlings is carried out from the end of January to mid-February. The sooner you do this, the faster the dichondra will gain vegetative mass in the first season.

For guaranteed germination, you can pre-treat the seeds with a growth stimulant, for example, epin. Agave juice is also suitable for soaking (squeeze a few drops from a leaf and add water) or a solution of hydrogen peroxide (1 tablespoon per 200 ml of liquid). It is enough to hold the seeds for about an hour in any of the solutions.

If you have purchased granulated seeds, then they are sown dry. A loose substrate is suitable for sowing. It is better to immediately place the seeds in 2-3 pots to a depth of no more than a centimeter. Crops are covered with glass, foil or placed in a plastic bag. They begin to germinate in a week. At first they grow very slowly. To prevent the sprouts from stretching, keep them closer to the light - you can organize additional illumination with fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps.

If the seedlings are stretched out, they can be saved by carefully adding loose soil between the plants, pouring from a spoon with a toothpick. So the thin legs will not break and the seedlings will not fall, and over time the trunks will become more powerful.

When 2-3 true leaves are formed, dichondra seedlings can be transplanted one plant at a time into cups, or several at once, into hanging pots. Before planting seedlings in open ground or taking out the flowerpots to the balcony, be sure to temper the dichondra. In the first season, seedlings do not develop actively enough, and do not have time to build up a lush vegetative mass.

The video will tell you about growing dichondra from seeds:

Propagation of dichondra by cuttings

Cuttings take root well in a moist, loose substrate - sand mixed with peat. The best time for cuttings is the end of February. It is better to immediately place them in two or three pots, and cover with a glass jar, which is removed after the appearance of new buds. Thus, you will already have a ready-made flowerpot, you just have to take care of it like an adult plant. You can plant the cuttings one at a time in rooting pots or several in a container, so that later, with the arrival of warm days, they can be planted on flower beds.

When growing dichondra as a ground cover plant, some of the cut branches can be sprinkled with earth - after a few days, root rudiments will appear in this place. Soon, you will receive copies ready for independent living.

How to propagate dichondra by layering

Any dichondra lash can be rooted by sprinkling it with earth. After a week or two, rooting takes place and new shoots appear in the place of the powder. After a month, you can carefully cut off a new plant, dig it up by the roots and transplant it to a new place.

How to keep silver dichondra in winter

Where winters are cold, dichondra is grown as an annual plant, but it may well hibernate in a cool room. Before wintering, too long shoots are cut off. All concern comes down to periodic watering and rare top dressing. If possible, it is better to place a pot with a flower on the entrance window or on a heated loggia - there is enough light there, and the temperature is optimal. If the dichondra has to be kept in the room, then after turning on the central heating, the leaves should be sprayed with water several times a day. But most of all, it suffers from a lack of lighting - take care of organizing the backlight with special lamps.

You can try to keep the dichondra in the basement. To do this, cut off all the shoots, carefully dig out the rhizome, transfer it to the basement with a lump of earth, and cover it with wet peat. In the spring, new stems with sprouts are formed on such a plant. They can be used for grafting, and the bush itself is planted again in the flowerbed.

Pests and diseases

Dichondra is resistant to various diseases and pests. Being a weed by nature, it perfectly copes with all kinds of adversity.

Dichondra in landscape design and as an ampelous plant for decorating facades

Dichondra in ampelous composition with other flowers photo

Growing dichondra in landscape design and indoor floriculture is mainly used for vertical decoration of exteriors and interiors. It is planted in hanging baskets and flowerpots with the ability to grow and fall like waterfalls of picturesque shoots. It is often used for background landscaping, incomparably shading colorful compositions with its foliage. They even create original sculptures from it. A frame is made of wire, and a dichondra braids it, resulting in an incomparable creation.

Among all ampelous plants, the beauty dichondra is the most extraordinary and attractive. Cascades of emerald or silvery-green leafy shoots resemble a waterfall in shape, which is reflected in the name. Dichondra is widely used in the design of gazebos, terraces, balconies, but it looks most impressive in separate groups in hanging pots. The plant reproduces better by layering and cuttings, but if desired, it is not difficult to grow it from seeds.

Dichondra flowers

Description and types

Dichondra belongs to bindweed - a family of perennial evergreen herbaceous vines. It was brought from tropical latitudes, where it took a fancy to wet marshlands and forests. In the wild, the plant is found most often in eastern Asia, northern America and Australia. Curly stems reach 1.5 m in length, and the surface roots that develop in internodes take root very quickly and easily, thanks to which dichondra is also used as a ground cover crop. The leaves on the vines are small, kidney-shaped or round, slightly pubescent. It is the leaves that give the plant a decorative look, since its flowers are small, inconspicuous, pale yellow in color.

Dichondra repens

There are 10 known varieties of dichondra, but only two are cultivated for decorative purposes - Dichondra argentea and Dichondra repens (creeping). The first species is more light-loving and drought-resistant, easier to grow, looks great in hanging containers. The second type of plant is picky about moisture, develops well in partial shade, is grown in containers and as a ground cover crop. The most popular varieties of dichondra are Emerald Falls and Silver Falls.

Dichondra argentea

The "Emerald Falls" has small round leaves of rich green color. In Australia and New Zealand, it is a well-known weed that is ruthlessly eradicated by homeowners. But on the European continent, it is recognized as one of the best plants for ampel design. Most often, this variety is grown in hanging pots, decorating walls, balconies, arches and other architectural forms, and some gardeners replace lawn grass with it. This variety grows well in partial shade and can cover unsightly empty areas between trees, spreading out in a thick emerald-colored carpet.

Dichondra on the lawn

"Silver Falls" is distinguished by the color of the leaves and longer stems. This variety does not tolerate shading well; with a lack of light, its decorative properties are reduced. It is less demanding on moisture, it recovers well after a short drying out of an earthen coma in a pot.

Dichondra for decorating a waterfall

Dichondra in a garden interior

The most advantageous dichondra "Emerald Falls" looks on elevated flower beds and in hanging containers that allow vines to hang freely and form characteristic compositions in the form of a waterfall. The plant is also great for group plantings, in which it usually acts as a background for flowering crops.

Dichondra goes well with bright colors

The most common combinations are:

• dichondra and ampelous begonia;
• dichondra and lobelia;
• dichondra and ampelous petunia;

  Dichondra combined with bright petunia

• dichondra and fuchsia.

Dichondra in composition

Some hang pots with a plant under the eaves of the roof, then the emerald waterfalls stand out beautifully against the background of the white walls. Creeping shoots along garden paths and around flower beds also look very good, especially when combined with contrasting crops such as bright red salvia or sunny marigolds.

Flower arrangement using dichondra

Growing by seeds

When propagated by seeds, dichondra is grown by a seedling method.

Dichondra Seed Packets

Seedlings grow very slowly, and in order to admire the emerald cascades of shoots in summer, it is necessary to sow seeds in winter. In mid-latitudes, the optimal time for this is mid-January - early February; for the northern regions, sowing dates are postponed to mid-February - early March. Seeds do not require pre-sowing treatment, and therefore you can immediately start the main process.

Conditions for growing dichondra

Step 1. For sowing, you need small containers no more than 5 cm high.

Micro greenhouse for seedlings

A drainage layer of expanded clay or fine gravel is laid in them, then filled with a soil substrate. The substrate is spilled with any available growth stimulant, for example, "Epin" or "Zircon". You can also use a humate solution.

Epin

Step 2... Seeds are evenly scattered over the surface of the substrate, lightly pressed. You can sprinkle them with a layer of earth no more than 5 mm, but this is not necessary, the seeds germinate so well.

Step 3... The containers are covered with polyethylene or glass and placed on the windowsill so as to exclude direct sunlight.

For germination of dichondra seeds, a temperature is required within the range of 18-25 degrees Celsius, therefore, boxes cannot be placed in a cold room. On the 7-8th day, the first shoots should appear, and mass shoots appear approximately 10-14 days after sowing.

Sprouted seeds

The hatched seedlings need more air, which means that the film should be removed from the boxes. During this period, the seedlings are very sensitive to temperature changes, and even small drafts can destroy the seedlings. On cloudy days, backlighting is imperative, because with a lack of lighting, the plants will begin to stretch unnecessarily.

Dichondra shoots

Watering is carried out using a spray bottle and only as needed. Despite the fact that dichondra loves moisture, excess water is destructive for small seedlings. The seedlings should be thinned out after the first two true leaves appear. All weak sprouts are discarded, leaving a distance between the remaining about 2-3 cm. After that, it remains only to maintain the optimal temperature in the room and moisten the soil in a timely manner.

For a very long time, the plants will be thin and weak in appearance, but by mid-May they will noticeably grow up. As a rule, the maximum decorative effect of dichondra appears 100 days after seed germination, but only under favorable conditions. When side shoots are formed and the plant gets stronger, you can plant it in a flower bed or in hanging baskets. The soil in the flowerbed is loosened well, holes are made for each plant separately, leaving gaps of 25-30 cm between them. The soil around the bush does not need to be strongly compacted so as not to damage the roots, it is enough to spill abundantly with water after planting and sprinkle with mulch.

When transplanting into pots, it should be borne in mind that to create a lush crown, 4-5 seedlings must be planted in a pot with a diameter of 10 cm. If the amount is reduced, it will not be possible to form a waterfall from the vines, and if you plant more, the roots will not have enough space and nutrients.

Recommendations for diving and forming a dense bush

In open ground, seeds are sown to create a lawn, but only in warm regions, where the winter temperature does not drop below minus 3.5 degrees.The sowing process is very simple: the selected area is loosened, moistened, and then the seeds are evenly scattered. The seed consumption is 10 g per square meter. Then the soil is rolled up, watered again, and kept moist until shoots appear. Sowing can be done throughout the season - from April to October. The grown dichondra seedlings are fed with nitrogen liquid fertilizers. Such a lawn is highly decorative and resistant to trampling, it tolerates shading well.

Plant care

Dichondra "Emerald Falls" is quite undemanding to care for, and therefore it is not at all difficult to take care of it.

Pruning	To form a beautiful bush, special efforts are not required, because the plant itself creates a neat crown with densely hanging stems. Periodically, the upper lashes are shortened to emphasize the "waterfall" shape, damaged shoots that are knocked out of the total mass are removed. After wintering, pruning is done without fail, leaving shoots up to 8-10 cm long. This promotes the formation of new lashes in the sinuses of the leaves.
Top dressing	They are fed twice a month with special compositions for decorative deciduous crops. The last feeding is carried out at the beginning of September, subject to wintering in a cool room. If dichondra is transferred to an apartment for the winter, the bushes are fed once a month with minimal doses. In order for the foliage to be thick and have a rich color, nitrogen and potassium should prevail in fertilizers.
Watering	The plant loves moisture, but does not tolerate stagnant water, therefore, when planting, it is important to have good drainage. In addition to root watering, it is necessary to spray the leaves 2-3 times a week, in dry periods - daily

Of all the varieties of dichondra, "Emerald Falls" is the most resistant to disease, and is extremely rarely damaged by garden pests, especially if it grows separately from other crops. Proper watering, loosening, removal of weeds and dry lashes, as well as adherence to the recommended doses of fertilizers is the key to the health and normal development of the bush.

Wintering dichondra

In our latitudes, dichondra is grown more often as an annual, because the plant does not tolerate frost. But if you have the opportunity to provide the necessary conditions in the apartment, "Emerald Waterfall" will delight the eye even in the cold season. A pot with a plant is brought into the house somewhere in mid-October, before the onset of stable cold weather. Too long lashes are cut off, abundantly moisten the earth, put the container on a raised place. Dichondra looks very beautiful in openwork forged flowerpots. Winter care is reduced to periodic watering and feeding once a month. After turning on the central heating, the leaves should be sprayed with water every day.

Growing dichondra at home

If it is not planned to keep dichondra in the house, before the onset of cold weather, all shoots are cut off, the rhizome is carefully dug up and, together with a lump of earth, transferred to the basement. To prevent the roots from drying out over the winter, they are covered with wet peat or sprinkled with a thick layer of sand. In the spring, new stems with root shoots will begin to form on the mother plant. They are carefully separated and planted in separate pots or beds around the beginning of May. The main root is also transplanted into open ground or a hanging basket, be sure to feed it. Such plants begin to branch much faster, and within a month they form a lush crown.

Pest and disease control

Propagation by layering and cuttings

In summer, dichondra bushes are easily propagated by layering. To do this, the soil is well loosened around the plant, a strong long shoot is chosen and added dropwise in several places, spilling it with a root formation stimulator. To preserve moisture, it is advisable to cover the layers with a film or non-woven material. Very soon sprouts with the same varietal characteristics will appear.When 4 true leaves have developed, the plants are transplanted.

Another option is propagation by cuttings. In September, several well-developed stems are cut from the main bush and cuttings with 3-4 internodes are cut from them. Cuttings are planted in individual pots with a nutrient substrate, watered abundantly, covered with foil or cut bottles. With the onset of cold weather, pots with cuttings are brought into the house, the soil moisture is constantly maintained.

Photo of dichondra

Video - Dichondra emerald waterfall: growing from seeds

More recently, a spectacular, decorative leafy ampelous plant called dichondra creeping or silvery (Dichondra argentea, Dichondra repens).

The first time she was seen by a large number of flower growers at the International Exhibition "Flowers 2004". Then this plant received a silver medal. This plant, of which there are about 10 species, is related to the bindweed family. In the wild, it can be found in subtropical and tropical rainforests, as well as swamps in Australia, East Asia and America.

This ampelous plant is not capricious and undemanding to care for. The dichondra has thin lashes, the length of which can reach 2 meters (and in places with a mild climate and a long summer period, they grow up to 6 meters). These shoots, on which there are many very small leaves of a rich green or silver color, can travel along the surface of the earth or hang down, waddling over the edge of the pot. Its flowers do not represent any special decorative value.

This flower has been recognized as one of the best decorative leafy plants that can decorate hanging baskets or pots. It is popular with phytodesigners, as its unusually spectacular leaves serve as an excellent backdrop for other flowering plants.

Also, in the winter garden, using dichondra, it is quite possible to create the effect of a waterfall, a running stream or a lake. The branches falling down, touching the surface of the ground, take root. The flower then grows like a groundcover.

This plant looks incredible in the garden in the shade of trees and other shaded areas where simple lawn grasses do not grow. Dichondra is also often sown in the patio, where it grows between the slabs of the footpaths.

For growing at home, most often 2 types of this plant are used, namely:

Silver Falls

The leaves are silvery and the shoots are very long.

Emerald Falls

The green leaves are rounded, and this plant also has a branched stem.

Dichondra care at home

Illumination

Dichondra with green leaves can grow well both in sunny and shaded places. Moreover, in the shade, larger leaves grow in her. A plant with silvery leaves prefers sunny places, but feels good in partial shade.

Temperature regime

For normal growth and development, such a flower needs a temperature in the range of 18 to 25 degrees. For dichondra, it is undesirable for the temperature to be less than 10 degrees.

Humidity

It can grow in any humidity. But it should be borne in mind that in high humidity the plant feels much better. Good for humidification from a sprayer.

How to water

Since this plant prefers wet places in the wild, it should be watered systematically. However, this simply requires a good drainage layer in the pot. It was noted that when grown as a ground cover plant, dichondra died in places where there was stagnant water. But she has resistance to drying out of an earthen coma. Apparently, excess moisture does harm to it when combined with rather cool nights.

Top dressing

Top dressing is carried out 2 times a month during the period of intensive growth with conventional fertilizers. During the winter in the apartment, fertilizer should not be applied to the soil.

Pruning

In order for the crown to be thicker, the plant needs systematic pruning. During the transfer of dichondra to the room for the winter, long shoots must be cut off.

Earth

There are no special requirements for the soil. The acidity alone should be pH 6.6-8.

Reproduction methods

For propagation, stem cuttings and seeds are used. Sowing of purchased seeds is carried out in January or February in a small container, which is then covered with glass. Placed in a warm place (22-24 degrees), and also maintain high humidity. After 7 days, green shoots will appear (regardless of the species). These plants are distinguished by slow growth. So, they acquire a more or less spectacular appearance by 3–3.5 months.

It is easier to propagate such a plant with stem cuttings. The cuttings remaining after pruning are easily rooted in the greenhouse. It is also recommended to spread the growing twig over the surface of the moistened substrate and press it down in several places. After the roots are formed in these places, the shoot is divided. For successful rooting, you need to maintain a fairly high temperature (22-24 degrees).

If desired, it is recommended to cut off an adult dichondra and transfer it to an apartment for the winter. Grow up at this time, she won't. With the beginning of spring, young stems form in the plant, which are perfect for cuttings, for example, if you want to plant such a flower in a hanging basket or flowerpot.

Pests and diseases

Resistant to various diseases and pests.

Video review