Ixia planting and care in the open field in the suburbs

The perennial ixia flower, exotic for our region, belongs to the Iris family. His homeland is South Africa, where the plant remains green all year round. In the gardens of northern latitudes, Ixia is grown in an annual culture. This is a good honey plant that will attract beneficial pollinating insects to the garden.

Description and photo

Ixia belongs to the corms. It reaches a height of 70 cm, the leaves are narrow, xiphoid, similar to gladiolus. Flowers of bright colors, up to 5 cm in diameter, are arranged in several pieces on a peduncle.

Flowering begins in May or mid-summer and lasts a little over a month. Ixia can be called a "sunny flower", since it opens flowers only on a fine sunny day, at night and in cloudy weather, they close.

Types and popular varieties

In nature, there are more than 20 species of ixia. Breeders have bred a number of beautiful and unpretentious varieties and hybrids of this plant.

Green-flowered is a graceful plant, up to 40 cm high, with medium-sized star-shaped flowers of light green or pale turquoise color, with a dark center. Flowering lasts 30 - 35 days, it falls in the middle of summer.

Hybrid - this group includes the most attractive varieties of Ixia. Bred plants with unusual for culture color of buds - blue and purple. Traditionally, the flowers are pink, yellow, white and orange. Popular varieties of hybrid ixia:

• Castor (red);
• Rose Imperial (pink);
• Blue Bird (blue and white);
• Hogard (cream);
• Giant (white).

Orange is a dwarf variety, not exceeding 20 cm in height. The miniature plant blooms profusely with orange flowers.

Red - the height of an adult plant is 40 - 50 cm. It blooms luxuriantly with bright red flowers.

Ixia mix is ​​a mixture of varieties with large inflorescences, colored in the entire palette of shades inherent in the culture. It dissolves in July.

Site selection and soil preparation

Ixia should only be planted in full sun. Even with a slight shade, the plant looks depressed, stretches and does not bloom well.

The soil needs fertile, loose. Cultivated loams with a fair share of sand in the composition are good for her. Before planting the corms, the site is well dug up, getting rid of the roots of the weeds. Rotted manure or compost is introduced into the ground, in a dose of 5 to 12 kg per 1 sq. meter, depending on the composition of the soil (on sandy poor lands, the compost rate is higher). For loams, it is necessary to add sand, up to a bucket per sq. meter, you can add fine gravel or crushed stone to improve drainage. From fertilizers, superphosphate is used at a dose of 30 g per 1 sq. m or complex flower fertilizer according to the instructions. Ixia responds positively to the introduction of wood ash, in the amount of 250 - 400 g per 1 square meter of area.

How to plant

The easiest way to plant the plant is with corms, which are similar in appearance to tulip bulbs. In the middle lane and the Moscow region, Ixia is planted only in the spring, since it does not tolerate frost at all.In southern regions, with warm winters, it can be planted before winter.

Healthy ixia bulbs are planted in a prepared bed when the soil warms up. Around April - May. The tubers are immersed in the ground to a depth of 5 - 7 cm, the distance between the plants depends on the height of the variety, and is 15 - 25 cm. The plantings are mulched with a small layer of humus (2 - 3 cm), do not watered. Seedlings will have to wait up to 3 weeks.

When planting bulbs in the south in the fall, a bed with ixia is mulched with a layer of sand 3-4 cm thick.

Care

Watering begins only when the first shoots appear. By the time the buds appear, watering should be almost daily. Complex fertilizers for flowering plants and flowering stimulants are added to the water, alternating with simple clean warm water. After flowering, watering is stopped, giving the bulbs the opportunity to ripen.

A resident of humid tropical regions, Ixia is demanding on air humidity. In the evening, to avoid the risk of burning the leaves, it is sprayed with warm, settled water.

Faded buds from peduncles must be removed in time.

Ixia is resistant to pests and diseases, and is rarely affected by them. Only in cool weather, with insufficient drainage of the soil, can it suffer from rot.

In the fall, before the onset of cold weather, the bulbs are dug up. They are separated from the children, the stems and roots are cut off. For the prevention of fungal diseases, before storage, the corms are kept for an hour in a raspberry solution of potassium permanganate or Maxim. After etching, the planting material is dried and stored. Store in a cool and dry place in cardboard boxes, sprinkled with shavings or wrapped in paper.

Babies grown on the mother's bulb are planted in a separate area in the spring. In autumn, they are dug up in the same way as adult tubers. The baby builds up enough mass to bloom, only by 3 years.

Forcing flowers

In order not to wait for summer, and to please yourself with the wonderful flowering of Ixia, when there is still snow outside the window, the flower is kicked out of the bulb in ordinary pots.

For this, the substrate from a mixture of humus, sand and peat is filled with a complete mineral fertilizer (Kemira, Agricola, Aelita flower). Pots need to be taken with a volume of 300 - 500 ml.

The bulb is planted to a depth of 5 cm, without watering, waiting for shoots. It is important to place young plants on the lightest window or to supplement the illumination with phytolamps, arranging daylight hours for at least 12 hours. It is important to spray them daily, as the air in our apartments is too dry for Ixia.

If you plant the bulbs in early January, in March you can already enjoy the wonderful delicate bloom of a tropical guest.

Role in garden design

A bright, low plant is successfully placed not only in mixborders and flower beds, but also in flowerpots and pots. Planted in flower pots, Ixia decorates balconies, terraces, patios. In case of bad weather, flower pots can always be removed indoors. Pelargonium, petunia and other bright annuals are often planted in a company with Ixia, playing on a variety of shades of color of plant buds.

Ixia is an exotic South African plant that amazes with its beauty and vibrant color palette. In order to dilute it on the site, you should know all the intricacies of planting and caring for ixia in the open field.

Choosing a landing site

Since Ixia belongs to the representatives of southern plants, accordingly, for its planting, it is necessary to select an illuminated area with sufficient moisture. Despite the high humidity, the soil must have good drainage, excluding stagnant water. Before planting a plant, the selected area is dug up and fertilized with humus, if a looser soil is created, sand is added. Heavy soil is by no means suitable as it has an adverse effect on growth and flowering. It is also advisable to fertilize it:

• 300g wood ash;
• 70 g superphosphate;
• 20 g magnesium.

To prevent the development of diseases, it is advisable to change the location of the flower on the site annually.

Ixia planting in open ground

The plant propagates with the help of bulbs. Before planting them, care should be taken to ensure that the bulbs are firm and not damaged in any way. Also, before planting, they should be well treated with a fungicide. Planting a flower is allowed both in the autumn and spring. However, if the soil freezes up to 18-20 cm, this process is prohibited. When Ixia is planted in open ground in spring, the soil is already warmed up, the plant quickly takes root and pleases with an abundance of color. Basic rules to consider when disembarking:

1. Planting is carried out at a temperature not lower than 10-12 degrees Celsius.
2. The depth of the planting hole should be 3-4 cm.
3. At the bottom, you need to put a small handful of sand.
4. The seedlings are placed in the soil at a distance of 6-8 cm.
5. Cover with composted soil.

Planting and caring for Ixia outdoors in Siberia is carried out taking into account the climate of the territory. Seedlings are placed in the ground for the most part in mid-May, but if the soil is warmed up sufficiently, you can plant earlier than the specified date. In this case, the plant is covered with polyethylene until the heat is completely established. Planting and caring for ixia in the soil of the Moscow region is carried out much earlier than in the northern regions of the country, due to warmer weather conditions.

Outdoor care for ixia

When planting Ixia in open ground, care should be carried out regularly, this will allow it to grow comfortably and delight with exuberant flowering. After its placement on the site, the plant is not moistened for 10-15 days, watering is carried out after the detection of sprouts.

You need to water the flower with warm water, since excessively cold water contributes to its death.

At the time of flowering, Ixia also needs to be watered and sprayed with flowers. The main thing when watering is not to overdo it, this can lead to a deterioration in the condition of the root system.

With proper care for Ixia in the open field, you need to resort to feeding, using organic and mineral fertilizers that are intended specifically for this flower.

For the appearance of new inflorescences on ixia, it is supposed to promptly remove dried inflorescences. After the flowers have faded, watering decreases and sometimes stops completely. When all the leaves dry on Ixia, the bulbs are dug out of the ground for winter storage, drying and treating them with potassium permanganate.

With proper planting and caring for Ixia in the open field, the flower will delight with its exotic beauty for a long time, and decorate summer cottages and flower beds.

Acquaintance with ixia - video

The herbaceous perennial plant Ixia is a member of the Iris family. According to information taken from various sources, there are from 40 to more than 60 different species in this genus. This plant comes from South Africa, namely, from the Cape region. The scientific name of this genus comes from the Greek word, which means "bird glue", meaning the sticky sap of the plant. Cultivation of this flower began in the 18th century. To date, the most widespread varieties are Ixia, which are hybrids, they have a common name - Ixia hybrid. At the same time, species ixia are becoming less popular every year.

Ixia features

Ixia is a bulbous plant, the height of which can vary from 0.15 to 0.7 m. The shoots are thin. Narrow linear long leaf plates are xiphoid and two-row. On the peduncle, about 10 wide-open flowers grow, reaching from 25 to 50 mm in diameter. The flowers include 6 petals of red, yellow, white or pink color, while closer to the middle, the color becomes more saturated and dark, for example: black, dark red or brown. Flowering is observed in the last spring weeks or the first - in the summer. At night, as well as in cloudy weather, the flowers of this plant do not open.The flowers have a not very strong, but rather pleasant smell, which is attractive to various insects, for example, to bees.

Ixia planting in open ground

What time to plant

If Ixia is grown in areas with sufficiently warm and mild climatic conditions, then its planting in open soil can be carried out in spring (from the last days of April to the first days of May) or in autumn (in November). Since the planting material of this plant dies at a temperature of less than minus 1-2 degrees, then in middle latitudes, as well as in colder regions, it is planted only in spring.

Each season for planting ixia, it is recommended to choose a new site, which serves as a good prevention against diseases and pests. A site should be chosen well-lit, located away from trees, and also protected from gusts of wind. Ixia grows best in fertile, neutral soil saturated with humus. For planting, those areas where there is stagnation of liquid are not suitable.

Landing rules

First you need to carefully prepare the site for planting. To do this, they dig it up with the introduction of compost, as well as leveling the surface. It is recommended to add sand to heavy soil.

Go through the planting material. It is recommended to plant only elastic and dense bulbs, and all dry, soft and moldy bulbs are subject to rejection. Make holes and cover their bottom with a layer of nutritious soil, while taking into account that the bulb is buried in the ground by 50–80 mm. When planting corms, a distance of 10–12 centimeters is observed between the holes, and when planting divins and children - from 8 to 10 centimeters. The planted plants do not need to be watered, but the surface of the site must be immediately covered with a layer of organic mulch, the thickness of which should be from 20 to 30 mm. In the current season, the first flowering can only be observed in those plants that have grown from the largest bulbs. The rest of the bushes will bloom only after 1-2 years.

Ixia care in the garden

It is not difficult to grow ixia in your garden, but this is only if you know some of the rules and features. For a plant to grow and develop correctly, it needs a lot of light, warmth and high humidity. In this regard, it is recommended to choose sunny areas for planting, and in order to increase the humidity of the air, it is necessary to moisten the bushes from a spray bottle in the evenings. When grown in a shaded area, the bushes grow less spectacular, so their peduncles become very thin and long, while the flowers lose their rich color.

You need to take care of this crop in the same way as for other garden plants. So, it needs to be watered, weeded, fed on time, removed wilted flowers, loosened the soil surface between the bushes, and also protected from pests and diseases, if necessary.

How to water and feed

It was already mentioned above that when the corms are planted in open soil, they do not need to be watered. This should be done only when shoots appear (after about 15–20 days). From this point on, the plants begin to be watered systematically. During bud formation and flowering, watering should be abundant and frequent. Water for irrigation should be used settled and warm, while it is recommended to dissolve in it agents that stimulate abundant and prolonged flowering.

For feeding, experts advise using mineral fertilizers for bulbous crops, but you can also take organic fertilizers. Ixia should be fed from the first summer weeks. After the bushes have faded, they cease to be watered and fed.

Reproduction of ixia

Around the maternal corms, babies gradually grow, which they use for reproduction.Before planting the bulbs, the children should be separated, while the break points should be treated with crushed coal. Then the children are planted in open soil. The first flowering of such plants can be seen only for 2-3 years.

Also, the plant can be propagated by dividing the bulb. It should be cut into several pieces using a very sharp knife. It should be noted that each section should have an eye and a piece of the bottom with the rudiments of the rhizome. Places of cuts at the delenki need to be treated with brilliant green, coal powder or wood ash, then they are immediately planted in open ground. Such plants often bloom already in the current season.

Wintering

When the plant fades, the corms do not need to be immediately removed from the soil, since they still need to accumulate the required amount of nutrients. As a rule, the bulbs are excavated in the last days of July. Corms should be dried in a shaded area with good ventilation. Then they are treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate and dried again. For storage, the corms should be placed in a box, which is removed in a cool and dry room. You can also store the bulbs on the vegetable shelf of the refrigerator. It was already mentioned above that it is necessary to plant Ixia in regions with a cold climate in the spring, and in warmer ones - in the fall. If desired, Ixia can be planted for distillation, in this case, in the winter months, it will become an excellent decoration for any room. In regions with very warm winters, Ixia is left in the open ground for the cold season, for this the yellowed and withered aboveground part must be removed, and the site is covered with a layer of mulch (straw, loose leaves, dry soil, sawdust or spruce branches).

Diseases and pests

Ixia has a very high resistance to pests and diseases. The only problems can begin if there is stagnation of moisture in the soil. Due to prolonged waterlogging of the soil, mold may appear on the corms. In this regard, when preparing a site for planting, this feature must be taken into account. If the soil is excessively heavy or clayey, then sand is added to it for digging.

Types and varieties of ixia with photos and names

The types of ixia that are cultivated by gardeners will be described below.

Green-flowered Ixia (Ixia viridiflora)

It is relatively difficult to find planting material for this type of ixia. The flat and small flowers are green in color, with a black-purple center.

Ixia spotted (Ixia maculata)

The bulb is rounded in diameter up to 30 mm. The height of the leafy stem is about 0.4 m. The basal leaf plates are narrow and lanceolate. The spike-shaped inflorescences include flowers that reach 40 mm in diameter and have a varied color with a dark center. The flowers are wide open during the daytime and close at night.

Chinese Ixia (Ixia chinensis)

This species, which is a Far Eastern one, is endangered. The rhizome of the bush is short, and the height of the stems can vary from 0.5 to 1.5 meters. In the lower part of the stems there are 5-8 pieces of xiphoid leaf plates, reaching half a meter in length and 40 millimeters in width. Branching, spreading panicle inflorescences consist of 12–20 wide-open flowers of yellow or brown-red color, on their surface there are dark purple specks, and in diameter they can reach about 70 millimeters. The flower opens in the first half of a sunny day, while the beginning of its wilting falls on 17 o'clock. Quite popular among gardeners is the decorative form of the type of flava with large flowers of a solid yellow color, a fan variety (there is an overlap of leaf plates on each other by 3/4 of the length) and a variety of purpurea (flowers are colored red-yellow).

Ixia hybrid (Ixia x hybrida)

The height of such a perennial plant is from 0.3 to 0.5 m. Narrow leaf plates are arranged in two rows. Peduncles are leafless. Spike-shaped or racemose inflorescences consist of 6-12 funnel-shaped flowers, they can be painted in different colors, but their middle is dark red or brown. Flowering occurs at the beginning of the spring period, and it lasts about 20 days. Cultivated since 1770 Popular varieties:

1. Blue Bird... The flowers are colored white and blue.
2. Castor... The color of the flowers is red.
3. Giant... Inflorescences are creamy white.
4. Earley Seprise... The flowers are red-carmine with white.
5. Hogarth... Inflorescences are cream colored.
6. Hollands Glory and Market... These varieties have yellow flowers.
7. Mabel... The color of the inflorescences is red-carmine.
8. Volcano... Inflorescences have a brick-red color.
9. Rose Imperial... The flowers are painted in a delicate pink color.

You can also buy the Ixia Mix variety, which includes plants of various colors.

Many gardeners are not only fond of growing various vegetable crops, but also like to plant colorful flowers at their dachas. In the design of your garden plot, planting ixia will perfectly help. Caring for this tropical plant is a lot of pleasure for gardeners.

In the southern regions of our country, Ixia takes root well in the open field. It has pointed petals and star-shaped flowers, the color of which depends on the perennial variety. Plant height reaches 70 centimeters. The perennial begins to bloom in late May - early June and continues to bloom for 4 weeks. During this period, an exquisite unobtrusive aroma spreads around. At night, the inflorescences sleep and close their buds, and in the morning they open again. Already in the first year after planting, the plant will delight with its splendor, if you follow all the rules for growing and caring for it.

There are many varieties of Ixia, here are some of them:

• green-flowered;
• hybrid;
• spotted;
• orange;
• one-brother;
• paniculate;
• multi-spikelet;
• early hymenocallis.

How to plant Ixia

Growing Ixia outdoors is much easier than growing indoors. In this case, she needs less care. Planting a plant can be carried out not only with a whole bulb, but also by dividing it into parts. In this case, the cut site is treated with ash.

In the southern regions of the country, this perennial can be planted before winter. It is recommended to plant a plant in the middle lane in the spring, because ixia may not withstand even the first frosts. When planting in winter, holes are dug to a depth of 8-10 centimeters and the top layer is mulched up to 8 centimeters. It can be removed in the spring. In order to plant Ixia before winter, it is better to use whole onions. If there is confidence that the plant will be able to withstand frosts, then it is better to plant it at the end of autumn so that it does not have time to sprout.

In the spring, Ixia is best planted in May. Only large tubers will bloom, and small ones will sprout for the next season. Fertile soil can be poured into the bottom of the hole before planting the bulb. The depth of the hole during planting is 5-8 centimeters. The distance between the pits is 10-20 centimeters. After planting, you need to mulch the soil a little. The plant should be watered only after a few weeks, when small shoots appear. After that, watering should be frequent and abundant.

To prevent the soil from drying out and the appearance of signs of rotting on the bulbs from an excess of moisture, drainage can be poured. Throughout the flowering time, it is necessary to do top dressing. After the flowering of Ixia is complete, the tubers are dug up and stored until the next planting. If Ixia is propagated not in whole tubers, but in parts, then you need to look so that in each cut section there is a bud with root primordia. Planting by dividing tubers is carried out only in the spring. Vulnerable delenki do not tolerate winter cold.It must be borne in mind that Ixia, propagated by the method of dividing the bulbs, can bloom only the next year.

Choosing a landing site

Ixia is a rather capricious ornamental plant that requires attention. It needs high humidity and good illumination. Planting Ixia in the shady part of the site will slow down its growth and development. With a lack of sunlight, the inflorescences can wither. An ideal place for her would be a place not shaded by garden trees and shrubs.

This flower is rarely affected by disease. But it is better to plant it from year to year in different places. For planting Ixia outdoors, a well-lit area and fertile dry soil are suitable. The landing site should be well prepared. To do this, it must be loosened and fertilized.

Advice

You can add a little sand to help the soil absorb and retain moisture better. With damp soil, ixia develops better.

In flower beds, tropical flowers can be beautifully arranged around the edges. Planting them this way will create a framing accent for the entire floral arrangement.

Storing the bulbs

After the ixia has faded and its leaves have dried, for the winter period, the bulbs can be gently dug out and dried without damaging the roots. Then they should be disinfected in a manganese solution and dried thoroughly again. For storage, they are wrapped in paper and placed in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, or stored in a well-ventilated place at a temperature of about 10 degrees.

It happens that some gardeners plant Ixia in a pot before winter to preserve the tubers until next spring. But then the flowers will begin to sprout and the plant will have no strength left for the formation of buds. If Ixia is grown in the southern zone, then the tubers can not be dug out, but simply insulated by covering the ground with autumn leaves or straw.

Plant care

Caring for Ixia is not a problem if planted correctly. This plant loves moisture very much. It is necessary to water it with warm water during flowering, and on the hottest days, you can simply spray the inflorescences.

Fertile and well-drained soils are well suited for the development of the tropical beauty of Ixia. Ixia care also includes feeding. It is important to saturate the entire planting site with fertilizers. For better growth, you can add superphosphate, humus, magnesium and sprinkle with ash.

Dried flowers and leaves can be simply removed, making room for new ones to appear. In the fall, the stems and flowers of ixia are cut off.

Planting, growing, caring for plants and creating flower beds is a whole art. Bright colors perfectly cheer up and make any vegetable garden cozy.

Ixia flowers are often used in wedding bouquets and can stand in a vase for a long time and exude a pleasant aroma. These adorable star plants can be easily grown in your garden and will delight every gardener with their colorful splendor every day.