Features of caring for muscari in the open field
If the mouse hyacinth is provided with excellent conditions for existence, it will occupy a large area in one summer alone, expanding in all directions.
Location and lighting
Muscari grows well in sun or partial shade. Finding a place for a mouse hyacinth is not difficult - it blooms at a time when there is still no foliage on the trees and there are no other plants to obscure it.
It is better to plant viper onions next to later grasses and shrubs, which will cover yellowing and drying leaves.
ADVICE! Muscari, which can live in one area for a long time, should be placed next to perennials.
Air humidity
Mouse hyacinth does not impose moisture requirements, being content with what it has. During the period of its growth, there is a rather humid atmosphere, because the snow has just melted.
How to water properly?
While the muscari is in bloom, he is very fond of drinking. Therefore, it is recommended to moisten the soil more often, replenishing water reserves regularly. When flowering ends, and the leaves begin to change color and dry out, watering is gradually reduced to nothing. During rest, the viper bow does not need water at all. Even in extreme heat, you do not need to water the bulbs.
Fertilizing and fertilizing a flower
During planting and transplanting, organic fertilizers are applied to the soil - humus or compost. In the future, you need to feed the muscari only in the fall, preparing the plant for wintering. You can use only organic matter, the plant does not tolerate mineral substances at all.
ATTENTION! The approximate amount of fertilizers is 6 kg per 1 m´ of plantings.
Do I need to prune the plant?
Cleansing haircuts are carried out twice a year. After flowering, the old flower stalks are cut off, which are already drying up. If you want to get seeds, the peduncles are left until the planting material matures. In autumn, before leaving the plant to "hibernation", remove all the leaves, cutting them off with garden shears.
Pests and diseases
Fittonia can be affected by the following pests:
- shield. Insects drink the sap of the plant, which causes it to wilt and develop brown spots. They are visible on stems and leaves. Getting rid of them is not difficult. You need to wipe the affected areas with soapy water;
- mealybug. White lumps resembling dirty cotton wool are clearly visible on the leaves. A shower will help cure the flower, which will wash away the traces of parasites. Then the plant must be sprayed with soapy water with the addition of alcohol. Also, olive oil is dissolved in water and the leaves are treated. If the lesion is severe, chemicals must be used;
- spider mite. It appears when there is a lack of moisture, dry air is a prerequisite for insect damage. A cobweb woven by a small red insect is visible under the leaves, and whitish spots appear on the surface. It is recommended to process the flower with actellik. It is a broad-spectrum insecticide that is actively used by flower growers.
The appearance of a plant speaks of its condition. So, yellowish or brown leaf tips appear when the air is dry. Also, this condition is possible if the flower lacks nutrients. It is necessary to feed the plant with a special fertilizer. If the leaves are lethargic, although watering is timely, root rotting began. This is due to lack of drainage or excessive moisture in the soil.
Note! Leaves can wrinkle and curl, not only due to excessive dryness of the air. Perhaps the flower has been in the bright sun for a long time.
It is worth revising its position and providing diffused light.
Healthy plants
Fittonia is a popular plant. It is an ornamental flower that originated in the tropics and is accustomed to heat and high humidity conditions. If you create a similar climate in the apartment, the leaves of the plant will delight you with a bright pattern consisting of many intertwining lines. And timely pruning and transplanting will preserve its splendor and attractiveness.
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Planting muscari in the ground
When picking up bulbs in a store or nursery, buy only really healthy plants that are free of suspicious spots, dried parts and mold. Before planting them in the soil, decontaminate first in karbofos 2% concentration, then in 1% potassium permanganate. Keep in each solution for 20-35 minutes.
Planting methods
The traditional way of planting muscari is to plant dormant bulbs in cooked holes. A less effective method is planting already flowering plants.
Large bulbs are placed at a distance of 7-11 cm, deepening 8-9 cm down, and the interval between small ones should be about 2.5-4 cm, they should be buried less, keeping a distance of 3-5 cm.
Optimal planting time
As with other early flowering plants, the best planting time is autumn before severe cold weather. The deadline is the last days of October. Blooming muscari are planted in spring, immediately after purchase. It is recommended to plant the plants before the onset of heat to speed up acclimatization.
Plant soil
The viper bow can be planted in almost any soil. The only requirement for it is the absence of constant moisture and stagnant water, from which the bulbs will simply rot. To ensure good water permeability, river alluvial sand can be poured into the hole, which will serve as good drainage. The bottom should be laid with a layer of pebbles - brick fragments, pebbles, expanded clay.
Planting in autumn
Muscari can be planted even in cold October, without fear for the safety of the bulbs. He winters wonderfully in a new place, calmly surviving even severe frosts without any shelter except snow.
ADVICE! If a very cold winter is expected, you can make a humus or compost hat for your plants.
Basic description of the kit
As many mistakenly think of the plant, the mix is not the name of some unknown flower, but a modern novelty. This name means a whole set of flowers that can be planted in the same pots or placed in one pallet. Translated from English "Plant Mix" means "Mixture of plants."
Let's analyze in more detail how to carry out these processes correctly so that all flowers grow and feel good.
- Flower pots take no more than 10 cm and match them with the same color. This greatly improves the overall decorative appearance. The largest mix consists of 25 pots. In such an amount, the flowers resemble a small garden.
- Fittonia Mix is an example. This plant has about 10 species. This flower is a representative of the Acanthus. The multi-colored leaves of one plant, collected together, look very beautiful. There are even white leaves. At least 6 species are collected in one Mix. The result is a very effective floral arrangement.
- Often in mix compositions, Dracena is used, which is not a palm tree.
- They try to choose ornamental plants in such a way that they bring not only aesthetic pleasure, but also benefit. Cacti, ficuses, succulents and dracaena are recommended to be placed near the computer, and dieffenbachia and spathiphyllum saturate the surrounding air with oxygen.
- When in a flower shop next to the name Plant mix there are 2 numbers 25/8, this means: the first number is the diameter of the flowerpot, and the second is the height of the flower itself.
Fittonia care at home
Illumination
When grown indoors, fittonia must be provided with a large amount of bright light.However, a south-facing window sill is not suitable for her. If you are forced to place a flower on a southern windowsill, then place it a little deeper into the room to protect the foliage from direct sunlight. The culture grows well on an east or west orientation window. The bush can also be placed on the north window, but with too little lighting, the foliage loses its decorative effect. In the cold season, when the daylight hours are very short, it is recommended to supplement the flower, for this they use fluorescent lamps.
Temperature regime
In the summer, the bush needs to provide an air temperature of about 24 degrees, and in the winter months - about 20 degrees. Remember that if the room is cooler in the winter, then disease can strike Fittonia because of this. Protect it from drafts and sudden changes in air temperatures, as this can cause all the foliage to fly around. In the warm season, it should never be carried to the balcony or garden.
Watering
When growing fittonia, it should be remembered that the clod of earth in the container should not dry out in any case, as it sheds foliage because of this. And also make sure that no liquid stagnates in the substrate, as this leads to the appearance of rot on the root system. As a rule, watering is carried out immediately after the top layer of the substrate dries. And in winter, the soil mixture must be moistened a couple of days after its top layer dries. You can water the bush only with well-settled slightly warm water.
Spraying
Indoor fittonia must be systematically moistened from a sprayer, because due to excessively low air humidity, it can get sick or pests will settle on it. It is necessary to moisten the bush at least 1 time a day, and it is better to do it twice: in the evening and in the morning. In order to increase the humidity of the air, you can put an open vessel with water next to the flower, or pour moistened pebbles into the pan, and put a flower pot on it. However, make sure that the bottom of the container does not come into contact with the liquid. It should also be borne in mind that polishing the foliage can cause significant harm to the plant.
Fertilizer
Home-grown crops need to be fed all year round. However, remember that if the substrate contains too many nutrients, this will negatively affect the condition of the bush. In this regard, for feeding, you should take ½ part of the dosage recommended on the manufacturer's packaging. For this, complex mineral fertilizers are used. In winter, feeding is carried out 1 time in 30 days, and in the spring-autumn period - 1 time in 15 days.
Pruning
In order to improve the branching of the plant, it is necessary to regularly pinch the tops of the stems. As the plant grows, its lower part is exposed, which is why its decorative effect suffers. To rejuvenate the bush, it is pruned in the last days of March. However, it is impossible to cut off all the foliage at one time, since in this case the development of young shoots may become slower. In this regard, the bush is cut in several stages.
Fittonia transplant
The transplant is carried out systematically once a year in March or April. The transplanted bush can be rejuvenated at the same time, since over the years it can lose its decorative effect. For planting, choose a wide and low container. At its bottom, a good drainage layer is made from small pieces of brick or expanded clay. From above it is covered with soil mixture, for the preparation of which it is necessary to combine peat, sand, turf and coniferous soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 2.
Fittonia transplant.
Basic rules of care
The main criterion is to choose plants that need the same conditions. The room temperature should be +18 - 23 degrees in the summer, and in the winter - at least +15. A general rule of thumb is not to place the mix on the south side of the room so that direct sunlight does not fall.
Seat selection
All plants need sunlight. Otherwise, their growth and development will simply stop. They are usually divided into 3 groups:
- Flowers that love partial shade and soft diffused light (philodendrons, monstera, dracaena and dieffenbachia).
- Those in need of diffused light and a certain amount of sunlight, in the morning or evening hours (eucalyptus, cacti, wild rose, ficus).
- Those that constantly need sunlight (plumeria, passionflower, almost all types of cacti, citrus fruits).
If you put the mix in a place where there is no window or other source of sunlight, then additionally illuminate the plants with lamps.
Fertilizer
- The mix includes plants that are representatives of the same species. Therefore, you can and should feed the flowers on one schedule. The composition can include both mineral and organic fertilizers. It all depends on the specific type of plant.
- It is recommended to apply a small amount of top dressing every 14 days. Basically, they feed flower mixes in the spring and summer.
Watering
Since each type of flower can have a different watering regime. In order not to overflow the plants, you should wait until the first layer of soil dries out.
It is recommended not only to spray the flower leaves with a spray bottle with the rain method, but also to follow a moderate watering schedule. So, the flowers will receive the right amount of water. Some species require additional wiping of the leaves with a damp soft cloth.
In winter, when many ornamental plants enter a dormant period, the amount of moisture is reduced by about 2 times. In the spring, sap flow begins, as well as a period of active growth and flowering. Excessive moisture in plants in winter can cause putrefaction, since moisture evaporates much more slowly.
Diseases and pests
The difficulty may arise in the fact that if one plant gets sick, then others can become infected from it.
- If thrips, scale insects or some kind of rot are noticed in flowers, then all flowers in the mix should be treated with insecticides.
- It is necessary to regularly ventilate the room where the flowers are located, and carry out the processing with gloves.
- When aphids attack a plant, all flowers are infected, except for dwarf palms. In order to rid the flowers of adversity, it is necessary to make a special soap solution (1000 ml of water is required for 10 grams of soap). With this solution, it is necessary to wipe the sheet plates.
- The most resistant flowers are those with dense, glossy leaves that have a firm structure.
Problems, diseases and pests in the flower
Due to the fact that muscari grows and blooms in early spring, it practically does not suffer from diseases. Only a viral mosaic can attack him. In this case, the viper onion stops growing, throws out strongly narrowed leaves and a shortened peduncle. The leaves are "decorated" with a pattern of green hexagons. The carrier of the infection is aphids, no cure has yet been invented.
IMPORTANT! All plants affected by this disease must be eliminated immediately so as not to infect the rest.
Pests wake up later than muscari, so they are not able to do much harm to him. Unlike vole mice, which gnaw bulbs even in winter. Garlic planted nearby can scare off rodents.
Leaves, in the process of wilting, can spoil slugs if the muscari is constantly damp. They cannot cause serious harm to dying greenery.
The same cannot be said for aphids, which suck out the juice and thereby weaken the bulbs. They wither away and do not tolerate wintering well, they can freeze completely. At the first sign of an attack, the plants must be treated with insecticides. Decis, Intavir, Actellik, Khostakvik, Cypermethrin help against aphids.
Care features
Proper care of a herbaceous perennial will allow you to grow a healthy plant that will delight you with a chic appearance.
Illumination
Often, flower growers devoid of experience ask themselves how to care for Fittonia. To grow a perennial at home, you need to take care of a sufficient amount of lighting in the room where the pots are located. However, you should avoid direct sunlight on the green mass. Experienced florists recommend growing Fittonia on windowsills on the east or west side. Blinds should be hung on the windows to provide diffused light to the flowers.
Note! Lack of lighting leads to a loss of decorativeness of the leaf plates of the culture. In the winter months, it is advisable to provide additional illumination with fluorescent lamps.
Temperature regime
In the warm season, the temperature in the room in which the flower pots are kept should be in the range of 23-25 ° C. In the winter months, the temperature regime can be slightly reduced, but not fall below 19 ° C. Cool air provokes the development of various diseases, which can lead to the death of bushes. In order to avoid foliage falling, it is recommended to avoid drafts in the room and sudden changes in air temperature. Even in the summer, you should not take the pots with perennials outside the apartment.
Watering
A representative of the Acanthus family needs systematic soil moistening. When the soil dries out, the plant begins to shed its foliage intensively. However, do not flood the flowers, as the swampy land will cause root decay. Moistening is performed only during periods of drying of the topsoil. For irrigation, use settled water at room temperature.
Spraying
In addition to watering, Fittonia needs systematic spraying. If you ignore this recommendation, the moisture level will decrease, which will cause pests to appear on the plant.
It is advisable to spray every day before sunrise and after sunset. Experienced growers recommend placing vessels filled with water near the pots with plants, which will increase the level of humidity.
Amazing flowers
Fertilizer
Throughout the year, it is necessary to make top dressing. The amount of fertilizer should not exceed the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. Excessive amounts of micronutrients in the soil can cause irreparable damage to the bushes. Complex mineral fertilizers will be an ideal option for feeding Fittonia.
In winter, top dressing is applied once every 5-6 weeks. In the summer months, the frequency of feeding reaches 1 time in 14 days.
Important! It is worth systematically clearing the soil from weeds with your hands.
Pruning
In order to improve the branching of plants, it is recommended to regularly pinch the upper parts of the stems. As it grows, the lower part of the ornamental culture begins to bare.
Fittonia is a flower that gradually loses its decorative qualities. To rejuvenate the bushes, it is necessary to prune it at the end of the last week of March. It is necessary to carry out activities in two stages, so as not to harm the green space and not to slow down the rate of development of young shoots.
Features of winter care
Fittonia care is not easy. The flower is difficult to survive the winter, because at this time of the year the heating is turned on in the rooms, which greatly dries the air. But even the coolness can negatively affect the health of the plant and even lead to its death. The room temperature should not drop below 17 ° C according to the rules of care, and the pots should be placed away from the batteries. Vessels filled with water can be placed near containers with flowers.
Important! Proper care of the plant will not allow Fittonia to stop blooming or start to dry.
Transfer
Fittonia is recommended to be replanted in early spring. At the same time, pots are chosen that are wide, but not deep. The root system of the plant is located close to the surface, it does not require much space.Be sure to place drainage on the bottom of the container, expanded clay, small pebbles or broken brick will do. The main thing is to ensure the permeability of air and moisture.
Drainage
Fittonia is a fragile flower; it must be handled with care so as not to damage the stems and roots. When removing from the pot, it is recommended to use the transfer method, gently tapping on the container to help the earth move away from the walls. Loose soil should be moistened beforehand to make it viscous. When transplanting, it is worth examining the roots for damage and disease. If necessary, remove the part.
Important! The new pot should be a couple of centimeters larger than the previous one in diameter. After purchase, the plant requires an annual transplant until it reaches the age of five
Adult Fittonia in spring can only be pruned by rejuvenation. It is recommended to transplant such an instance once every two to three years.
Once purchased, the plant requires an annual transplant until it reaches the age of five. Adult Fittonia in spring can only be pruned by rejuvenation. It is recommended to transplant such an instance once every two to three years.
Fittonia transplant at home
After acquiring a small ornamental plant, he must be given a few days to acclimatize by quarantining. Further, fittonia is transplanted without fail.
A flowerpot for a ground cover tropicana is chosen low and wide. A bonsai bowl will do.
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You can buy potting soil at a flower shop or make your own:
- Ready substrate for violets or geraniums.
- Coniferous and sod land, sand, peat, which are taken in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1.
- An equal amount of humus, sand, peat, or 1 part of the indicated components and 3 parts of leafy earth.
Important! To maintain a consistently high level of moisture, sphagnum, vermiculite, hydrogel balls are added to the soil.
The transplant procedure involves the use of the transhipment method. It is carried out in several stages:
- Pour boiling water over the prepared pot for disinfection.
- Cover the bottom with a drainage layer (about ¼ of the height), previously calcined in the oven. Pebbles, broken brick, expanded clay will do.
- Pour in the substrate spilled with boiling water for disinfection.
- Carefully remove the culture from the purchased container. Shake off old soil lightly without exposing roots. Otherwise, the plant will be difficult and slow to take root.
- Place in a new container. Top up the sides with earth.
- Moisten the soil abundantly.
- Drain excess fluid from the pan.
- Place in a warm, bright place, protected from direct sunlight.
Note! In view of the intensive development, young flowers are transplanted annually, adults - every 2-3 years. The procedure is carried out in early spring
If you ignore it, the leaves will lose their decorative effect.
