Acidantera: growing and care in the open field

Planting and leaving

It is possible to grow a two-color acidander only on thoroughly drained soil. If this condition is met, there are no special requirements for its composition. Experts recommend placing such plants on the sunny side. Otherwise, there is a great risk that the plant will not bloom. This is especially true if the area is characterized by a cold climate. Then it is advisable to plant the corms in the spring. Waiting for the ground to warm up (usually in March, under unfavorable conditions or in the north - in April). In the southern regions of our country, planting of Muriel gladiolus is possible in the fall. And the second option is preferable there, especially to the south of Volgodonsk. Seeds are planted at a depth of 0.1 m; there should be about 0.2 m between the seedlings.

Storage of bulbs before planting is possible only after careful sorting and rejection of bad specimens. The selected planting material is disinfected with fungicides. Otherwise, after some time, the planted plant will be affected by root rot. Keep the bulbs at 22 degrees for at least 14 days. Before planting, the planting material is treated with a growth accelerator for 2-4 hours, choosing a drug at its discretion.

For fragrant gladiolus, the quality of drainage is critical. It is very useful to choose a light fertile soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

Under different conditions, the plant will also develop, but it will be more difficult to grow it, and the result will be worse. Cultivation of gladiolus in partial shade is allowed. The depth of planting the bulb into the ground is 0.1 cm; it is recommended to put a small amount of river sand in the holes.

Freshly planted gladioli will have to be thoroughly watered. Sometimes the bulbs are germinated before planting. Thanks to this technique:

• culture becomes stronger and more enduring;
• earlier flowering is provided;
• the total duration of flowering increases;
• it will be possible to initially sort the copies by characteristics.

They usually try to germinate planting material in early March. To do this, use peat cups with a width of 0.15 m. The depth of the bookmark is 0.03-0.04 m. Most often, 1 onion is used for 1 tablet. But if the diameter is 0.15 m, you can put 3-5 bulbs at once. The tablets are placed in a warm, well-lit area. In the middle lane, additional lighting is highly recommended. It is necessary to grow and care for the seedlings of Muriel gladioli in the same way as for seedlings of other crops. Young seedlings are watered with a systematic drip method.

Fresh air is definitely needed, but there should be no drafts. The plant must be adapted to outdoor conditions in the last month before planting. As soon as stable heat comes, you can transplant gladioli directly into the ground. This should be done without affecting the root system. Even if it is not the most gentle, the risk of disrupting development is still great. Acidantera needs abundant, but not too powerful watering. Simply put, it needs a lot of moisture. But at the same time, excessive moisture is extremely dangerous.

During dry periods, sometimes you will have to water the gladiolus daily. Drying out of the trunk circle provokes rapid drying of the bulbs. Soon the plant will become weaker. Irrigation is reduced during flowering. This technique allows you to achieve greater brightness and contrast of flowers. Weed control should be as regular as possible. Because of them, many pests can spread. The land will have to be loosened without fail, otherwise even optimal watering will not prevent the soil from drying out. Mulching is justified.Thanks to it, weeds are eliminated and moisture in the soil is preserved, as well as an attractive design effect is achieved.

As mulch, you can use:

• rotted or crushed pine cones;
• tree bark;
• peat;
• medium-sized crushed stone;
• granite chips.

The exactingness of the gladiolus Muriel to feeding is not too great. When planting in fresh vegetable or garden soil with good nutritional properties, there is no need to add anything else. But if the soil is frankly poor, you will have to use fertilizers. The determination of the time between dressings is made at your own discretion. On relatively fertile land, the procedure is carried out monthly, and on scanty stony land, this is done once a decade.

The optimal dosage is indicated on the fertilizer packaging. Overfeeding leads to increased development of the green part of plants to the detriment of flowers. Cutting out empty inflorescences will help extend the flowering period. If early and wet autumn comes, gladioli should be dug up earlier than usual. You can refuse to dig up only in relatively warm regions.

Acitander: types of varieties

Acidantera belongs to the Iris family, the Kasatikov family. In nature, there are more than forty species of acidander, and we will consider the most famous of them.

1. Acidantera white - has a straight, strong stem. The flowers are pure white and very fragrant.
2. Acidantera tropical - tall plant (up to 130 cm). The inflorescence is bilateral, consists of 5-6 snow-white flowers, the petals of which are decorated with beautiful bright crimson strokes.

   Acidantera tropical

3. Acidantera Fourcada - differs in a relatively low and thin stem. Usually has 1-2 buds of purple-pinkish color. This species is used for breeding.
4. Cape acidantera is a plant with beautiful flowers: white with red-purple veins.
5. Acidantera bicolor is the most common species. Cultivated since 1886, it is often called the scented gladiolus. Originally from Ethiopia. Although its flowers are very reminiscent of gladiolus, they are not pressed against the stem, but are located on long pedicels collected in inflorescences. One peduncle can produce up to ten buds, but at the same time only three to five flowers with a very pleasant aroma open.

   Acidantera bicolor

The stalk of the acidantera is thin, long, up to one and a half meters high, but very strong and stable. Long narrow xiphoid erect leaves extend upward from the base of the stem. The flowers are large, 8-10 cm in diameter, star-shaped with wide petals, strongly pointed at the ends. It is a perennial plant with a bulbous root system. The noble beauty of fragrant gladiolus was appreciated by flower growers and is often used in landscape design to decorate park compositions.

Growing conditions acidantera

Indoor and garden acindantera grows successfully subject to keeping conditions.

Location selection

Since the flower is of African origin, it also requires solar placement. In the garden in a quiet, not windy place with good lighting. Houses - southern windows, but without direct rays, with mandatory backlighting in winter, the temperature is not less than +20 ° C. In the summer, it is good to take it out into the fresh air.

Soil selection

The soil is chosen slightly acidic or neutral. Well loosened soil with peat content. Drainage or planting in a high place is required, since the plant does not like stagnant water. At home, they use soil for flowers, and also use a composition of the following components: turf, sand and leaf humus (2: 1: 1).

Acidantera: planting and care in the open field and at home

1. Planting, growing and nursing outdoors and in a pot
2. Reproduction
3. Fight against possible pests and diseases
4. Note to the florist
5. Views
6. Video
7. Photo

Acidanthera is a member of the Iridaceae family, which is often called Iris.Plants of this genus in nature can be found in the southern regions of the African continent. There are many representatives in this genus, their number reaches 40 species, but only two varieties and their hybrid forms have found active use in floriculture. It prefers to grow in an open, sunny place, protected from gusts of wind.

This flower has its name in Latin due to the combination of two Greek words "acidos" or "anthos", which translate as "sharp" and "flower". The reason for this was the outlines of the perianth lobes, the apex of which has a sharpening.

All acidants that grow naturally are perennials and have a herbaceous form. They are somewhat similar in appearance to gladioli, therefore, even among the people they are called "fragrant gladiolus". The roots that form in her are of the corm type. Such a formation has a rounded shape and a milky white color. In diameter, the corm measures 5 cm. Its surface is covered with a compacted light brown shell, resembling a mesh. Acidantera stems are 1–2 meters in height, grow erect and are practically devoid of leaf blades. The few leaves (usually a pair of them) have a linear or narrow-xiphoid shape, which is also similar to gladiolus. Their color is rich dark green, the length reaches 60 cm.

All the decorativeness of the plant is concentrated in its flowers, the diameter of which is 5–9 cm in full disclosure. Their outlines are quite graceful, and there is also a delicate refined aroma that will resemble the flowering of daffodils. The corolla of the acidantera flower is distinguished by an elongated tube with a bend reaching 12 cm and lobes of almost the same size, the apex of which is characterized by a pointed. There are three pairs of petals. A spike-shaped inflorescence is collected from the buds. Usually 3–6 flowers are connected in it. Their color can include snow-white, pink, yellowish or light crimson tint. But at the base, it becomes especially saturated, and dark crimson, dark purple almost to black prevail there. The outer part of the petal, on the contrary, is whitish.

At the same time, the acidantera opens 2-3 buds, which makes the flowering seem very abundant. The flowering process occurs in the second half of the summer period or the beginning of autumn, but if you plant the bulbs in early March, then you can admire the flowers a little earlier. Flowering stretches for almost a month. After flowering, fruits ripen, which have the shape of an elongated capsule.

In the open ground, it is customary to grow acidantera in rockeries or rock gardens, plant it in mixborders and rabatki, and also use it as group flower plantations. Often the plant is grown at home, planted in a pot. They are used for cutting, since flower stalks can stand in a vase for a long time without fading.

General rules for growing

"Fragrant gladiolus" is able to decorate and transform any garden area. The plant can be used to create expositions in landscape design, as well as make original bouquets. It is not difficult to grow a fragrant flower, such a task can be done even by a novice gardener.

There are some nuances worth paying attention to.

Timing

Planting acidantera bulbs outdoors will directly depend on the climate. Do not forget that the birthplace of the plant Africa is a country with a tropical climate, so the flower needs sun and warmth. If these conditions are not met, it will wither away.

It is advisable to plant a heat-loving garden plant in the ground with good heating of the earth. In regions with a mild climate, this may be April; in more severe conditions, planting is carried out at the end of May. If the spring is cool and long, experienced growers recommend planting the bulbs in a pot or greenhouse in April.In this case, the corms are planted to a depth of 50 mm in the loosened soil (it is allowed to use soil for indoor plants).

The pot must be removed to a greenhouse or placed on a windowsill (you need to choose a sunny area). At the end of May, the grown plant must be planted in open ground.

Seat selection

For active growth and flowering of acidants, the plant needs sunlight. Therefore, when choosing a planting area in a personal plot or in a garden, you should give preference to an area under the bright sun. At the same time, shadows from trees, shrubs, building structures and other structures should not fall on the flower bed.

If the "scented gladiolus" is used as a houseplant, it is important to place it on a windowsill on the south side. In this case, you need to avoid direct sunlight on the flower.

In winter and autumn, when there is not enough light, it is recommended to use phytolamps. These are sources of additional "soft" lighting for light-loving crops. The room acidander should be protected from drafts and low temperatures (thermometer readings should not fall below +20 degrees Celsius). In the summer, you can take the flower pot out to the balcony - there, in the heat, the most favorable conditions will be created for the southern plant.

Soil preparation

If acidander is planned to be planted in open ground in the spring, the soil should be prepared in advance in the fall. A tropical flower "loves" slightly acidic soil, it is allowed to plant bulbs in neutral soil. The flower will grow vigorously and bloom profusely in fertile and deeply dug soil.

Digging up the soil in the fall, you should fertilize it with minerals (for example, compost or wood ash is suitable for these purposes)

It is important not to forget about mulching. For these purposes, hay or straw is used.

To make the earth "softer and more airy", gardeners often add sand to it. In the spring, before planting, the soil is re-dug up with mineral fertilizers (to a depth of no more than 25 cm).

If you plan to use a tropical flower as a houseplant, you can prepare a substrate to fill the pot. It should consist of turf, sand and leaf humus, taken in a ratio of 2: 1: 1, respectively.

Landing scheme

It is recommended to buy acidantera bulbs in the spring in garden stores. The purchased material for planting should be carefully examined - it should not be overdried, without external signs of the disease. The optimum diameter of the corms is 2.5 cm. Before planting purchased bulbs, they need to be prepared. To do this, they get over, cleaned of dry shells. After that, they are kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

The optimum planting depth of the bulbs is 10 cm. In such a depression, they will not die in the event of an unexpected drop in temperature at night. Corms are planted in groups (8-30 pieces, depending on the size of the beds or flower beds) at a distance of 10-20 cm from each other.When planting, one should be guided by the rule - the larger the planting materials, the more distance from each other they should be located ...

It should be noted that for growing acidanters in boxes, the planting scheme should also be followed. In this case, each bulb is placed at a distance of 20 cm from each other. For indoor growing, a 15 cm high pot is suitable. It should contain from 3 to 8 bulbs.

Acidantera - growing and care in the open field

It is impossible to call fragrant gladiolus a demanding plant, but there are certain recommendations regarding care:

Temperature. Good development can be achieved when the average air temperature is + 17-23 ° C. The culture does not tolerate frost, because it freezes out.

Lighting.Planting and caring for fragrant gladiolus should be carried out in sunny areas, since in the shade the flowering will not be so abundant and bright.

Watering. For a plant, regular watering is important and moisturizing is carried out twice a week. If it is too hot in summer and the soil dries out a lot, then the frequency of irrigation can be increased.

It is important to avoid stagnant water so that the bulbs do not rot.

Top dressing. For fragrant gladiolus, acidants need frequent feeding, especially during flowering and active growth.

Use mineral supplements for flowering crops. They are applied twice a week, and organic fertilizers are also useful.

Reproduction. The flower can be propagated by babies, seeds and corms. It is better to sow seeds in a greenhouse in winter, and after a few days you can see the first shoots. When they grow up, they make a pick, and then they are transplanted into open ground.

Diseases and pests. Fragrant gladiolus acidantera is affected by rot, which is evidenced by large spots. To avoid this problem, the bulbs should be treated with fungicides before planting. Snails and thrips can attack a flower, and you need to deal with them with special means.

How to prepare an acidander for planting?

Pre-planting in pots helps to prepare the fragrant gladiolus for transplanting into open ground. Germination of acidantera bulbs is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Take small pots, 13-15 cm in diameter. Pour a substrate into them, for example, you can use soil designed for orchids.
2. Place the bulbs at a depth of 3-4 cm, and sprinkle with soil on top. One container should not contain more than three onions.
3. Place the containers in a well-lit place and watch the soil moisten. In April, when it is already warm, the pots are taken out to the loggia or to the greenhouse for hardening.

How and when to plant acidander?

After frosts are no longer terrible, in most cases it is May, you can transfer plants to open ground. To do this, follow this scheme:

Acidantera bulbs should be planted in a well-lit place or partial shade is suitable

Fragrant gladiolus can grow on any soil.
The holes should be 8-12 cm deep, so it is important to focus on the size of a particular seedling. There should be a minimum distance of 12 cm between the plants, but for large bulbs you need to retreat more.
First, moisten the seat and pour some river sand into the holes.

Spread the bulbs in them and sprinkle with earth, and then water them abundantly.

Acidantera - when to dig it out and how to store it?

After the onset of cold weather before frost, the tubers should be dug up together with the leaves. For storage, acidants carry out the following manipulations in winter:

1. Cut off the stem so that about 2 cm remains. Remove the soil and roots from the tubers, and then separate the children.
2. Leave the tubers in a warm place for a month so that the temperature is around 20 ° C. Then carefully remove the scales, the remnants of roots and leaves.
3. Wrap each onion in a paper towel and send them in a paper bag, which should have ventilation holes. Keep it in a dry and warm place where the temperature does not drop below 15 ° C. When the time comes to plant them again, you will need to first move them to a warm place for two weeks, where the temperature is about 22 ° C.

Acidantera - wintering in the ground

In autumn, it is worth taking care of the plant so that next year it also pleases with its flowering and aroma. Inexperienced gardeners are interested in whether it is necessary to dig acidander for the winter, and so, this is not done only if there is no severe frost in winter. The plants are pruned, leaving only a few centimeters of the stem, and then covered with foliage or straw mulch. If the winters are cold, then be sure to dig up the bulbs and keep them warm.

Origin and varieties of acidantera

Native to southern Africa, Acidantera is ideal for growing in a tropical, humid climate. Forms elongated leaves up to 2 m high, produces a tubular stem, at the end of which there is a spike-shaped inflorescence with 2-3 simultaneously blooming flowers. The flower of the acidantera is milky or creamy, fragrant, very graceful with dense petals and a burgundy spot in the middle. The root system is represented by bulbs 2.5 cm in diameter.

For cultivation, hybrid varieties are used, which are obtained by crossing wild acidantera with gladiolus.

The flower is thermophilic, therefore it is used for growing in the open field of the southern regions. In cold regions, acidander should be planted in a greenhouse or grown on a windowsill at home.

In nature, there are more than 40 species. Acidantera two-color (bicolor) is most widespread in garden plots. The history of cultivation of hybrids begins at the end of the 19th century. Acidantera bicolor is cultivated as an annual plant - before the frost the bulbs are dug up, and they are planted again in the spring.

The main types of acidantera:

• two-color (bicolor);
• short tubular;
• tropical;
• white;
• Cape;
• Fourcade;
• Muriel;
• cereal;
• few-flowered;
• pink and white;
• broad-leaved;
• tubular.

Acidantera bicolor for breeders is of great interest, since some species are poorly studied, and there is a huge amount of material to create new varieties. Popular varieties for growing from seed are:

• Fragrant tobacco 578;
• Chanel;
• Nymph-535;
• White;
• Fragrant Etude 563 and others.

Botanical description

Acidantera is a herbaceous perennial plant with a rhizome in the form of an oblong corm with an average diameter of 5 cm. The flower comes from the iris family, but it is often called "fragrant gladiolus", Abyssinian gladiolus or Ethiopian gladiolus. These two plants have some similarities in appearance, however, the petals of the acidantera inflorescences are pointed. During flowering, they are fragrant, emitting a sweet aroma.

Homeland of "fragrant gladiolus" Africa. The herbaceous plant loves warm tropical climates, but with proper care can thrive in “cold” regions. Acidantera reaches a length of about 1 meter, longer specimens are less common. On a powerful stem, leaves with a dark green color are linearly arranged. They have smooth edges and a shiny surface. Most of the leaves are concentrated at the base of the stem.

At the top of the base are flowers enclosed in spike-shaped inflorescences. Different types and varieties of plants can have different colors. Flowers can be white, yellow, variegated, pink and others. The opened bud reaches an average of 10 cm in diameter.

In height, the stem of acidantera can reach one and a half meters. The stem of the flower is long, thin, but very firm and strong. From the base upwards along the stem of the plant, thin, xiphoid leaves stretch. The flowers of the acidantera are very large, up to 10 cm in diameter, and have the shape of a star. The flower petals are wide, very sharply pointed at the ends.

This perennial plant has a bulbous root system. The flower is widely used in landscape design when decorating flower beds in personal plots and in parks. The plant looks very exotic, and requires troublesome, constant care. In our gardens, you can most often find two-colored acidander, which is grown by our gardeners as an annual plant.

Rules for care and cultivation in the garden

Now we will tell you how to care for acidantera so that it blooms for a long time and pleases with its delicate and fragrant flowers.

Watering

Watering fragrant gladiolus should only be done with warm water. If it is cold, the flower will get sick and begin to lag behind in development. The soil should be moistened during the entire growing season. Watering frequency depends on the weather.General recommendations are as follows - as soon as the top layer of the earth has become dry, it means that the flowers need to be watered.

Top dressing

The acidander should be fed twice:

1. The first time - after the emergence of sprouts. At this time, it is better to water the plant abundantly with infusion of chicken manure (0.5 l per 10 l of water) or mullein (1 l per 10 l of water), since during the period of active growth it needs a lot of nitrogen.
2. The second time is during the budding period or at the very beginning of flowering. To do this, use either complex mineral fertilizers for flowering plants, or superphosphate and potassium salt (25 and 15 g of fertilizers per bucket of water, respectively).

Sometimes gardeners feed acidander towards the end of flowering or immediately after flowering to help her recover faster and prepare for winter. At this time, you can use the same fertilizers as in the second feeding.

Loosening, mulching

The top layer of the soil should be constantly loose, but loosening is dangerous for plants, as during it you can easily damage the roots and bulbs. Therefore, it is advisable to mulch the soil with hay, straw, weeds or other mulch.

Pinching, pinching, pruning

The plant does not need to form a bush. However, you should cut off the inflorescences immediately after the last flower fades. This provokes the growth of new peduncles and prolongs the flowering period.

Transfer

Acidantera are usually not left to winter in the ground, so they transplant it annually, and it does not matter - to the same place, or to another (provided that the site is not infected). If you live in a region with a warm winter, and you leave flowers in the open field, then they should be replanted as the number of daughter bulbs increases.

When there are too many of them, the bushes become sickly and smaller, the diameter and decorative qualities of the flowers decrease. The optimal frequency of transplantation in this case is once every 4-5 years.

If you live in a region with a warm winter, and you leave flowers in the open field, then replant them as the number of daughter bulbs increases. When there are too many of them, the bushes become sickly and smaller, the diameter and decorative qualities of the flowers decrease. The optimal frequency of transplantation in this case is once every 4-5 years.

Common types with photos

In nature, there are about 40 varieties of acidants. However, not all of them can adapt to the climatic conditions of Russia. Nevertheless, there are species that thrive on domestic garden plots.

Tropical

This herbaceous crop grows up to 1.3 m in height. The leaf plates are ribbed, painted predominantly white with crimson dots. The inflorescences of the tropical variety are double-sided and consist of 5-6 flowers.

White

The white variety, also called White, is native to Africa. The stem of the white acidander has practically no foliage. Inflorescences are snow-white and very fragrant.

Cereal

The cereal-leaved acidantera is one of the varieties of gladiolus. The characteristic feature of this species is the thin and long leaves, which in their shape resemble the foliage of cereals. The flowers are usually two-colored - white-purple.

Small-flowered

The small-flowered variety is a culture with graceful buds. Each bush has only two inflorescences, which determines the name of the plant. The culture is small, fragile, with thin leaves. White flowers have characteristic scarlet stripes.

Cape

The variety is also called Ixia paniculata. This plant is especially appreciated by gardeners for the fact that instead of characteristic spots on the flowers, there are streaks of purple color.

Fourcade

This variety is considered rare. Flowers form on long stems one or two at a time. The color of the buds is pale pink with lilac streaks.

Acidantera care

Like planting, caring for an acidander is straightforward.The flowerbed needs to be watered, loosened the soil, remove weeds, mulch the ground in order to avoid too rapid evaporation of moisture. To maintain landscape design in the form of acidander decor, from time to time you need to get rid of wilted flowers.

Acidantera tubers. How to plant and care for vibrant and healthy flowers?

Watering

The acindantera should be watered regularly. Overdrying and stagnant moisture can lead to root rot. During flowering, watering is reduced, but make sure that the land on the site always remains moist. Drops during irrigation should not fall on leaves and flowers, otherwise burns may appear, and the water will wash away the fungicides.

Mulching the earth

The soil of acidants must be mulched. Mulch limits the germination of weeds, reduces moisture evaporation, prevents overheating of the topsoil and the formation of crust. To do this, use: peat, humus, cut grass, straw, hay and sawdust (they reduce the growth of bulbs, therefore, when using them, it is recommended to increase the application of nitrogen fertilizers by 20-25%). If necessary, add sand, drainage.

Fertilizer for acidants

Acidantera responds well to the introduction of mineral complexes.
Fertilize the soil several times during the growing period:

1. During planting, add organic matter to the soil.
2. During the growing period - nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
3. During the formation of buds - a potassium-phosphorus complex.

Bloom

Flowering acidants.

Flowering lasts for a month. When a plant loses its ability to blossom, it is advisable to remove the peduncle in order to eliminate the process of seed germination, so that the plant does not lose its ability to degenerate. Up to 7-10 buds bloom on one peduncle with an unusually delicate scent similar to narcissus and lilacs.