Planting and transplanting
Landing
In the garden, Levisia is cultivated as a perennial plant, and it can be grown for more than ten years in one area without transplanting. If it is grown at home, then in winter the bush is in a heated room, and in the warm season it is transferred to the garden or to the balcony.
A suitable outdoor location should only be illuminated by direct sunlight for a few hours a day, and the foot of large stones or boulders, as well as slopes, are perfect. At home, it is recommended to put the bush on a window sill of either western or eastern orientation. From noon to evening, the plant needs diffused lighting.
Transfer
If you choose the most suitable site for growing this spectacular perennial, then it will not need a transplant for more than ten years. However, experts do not advise to transplant Levizia, even if necessary.
Crinum care at home
Illumination
Needs bright lighting, no shading. Growth accelerates with more intense lighting. At the end of the winter period, the flower is gradually taught to bright lighting, as burns may appear. It is recommended to place it on a south-facing window, while the leaves should not touch the window glass, as this can cause burns.
In summer, if possible, take the plant outside, while protecting the place from heavy rains. If grown in a room in the summer, frequent ventilation will be required. In autumn and winter, you need good lighting and regular ventilation. With poor lighting, the leaves below them rapidly fade, but the young ones still grow. Can be grown under artificial light with 16 hours of daylight.
Temperature regime
Such plants are divided into 2 groups:
- South African, native to the arid Cape (South Africa). Grown in cold greenhouses. In summer, it can be kept outdoors, while in subtropical areas it can stay outside for the winter, but light shelter will be required. In spring and summer, temperatures between 22 and 27 degrees are needed. In winter, they feel normal at 2-6 degrees.
- Originally from tropical areas. Grown in a warm greenhouse. In the summer you can move outside, but the place must be protected from gusts of wind. In spring and summer, it needs a temperature of 22-27 degrees. In winter, there is a dormant period. At this time, you need a coolness of 16 to 18 degrees (not less than 14 degrees).
How to water
During active growth, watering is abundant and warm water is used. Watering is necessary as soon as the topsoil dries up. When flowering is over, you need to water less, but the soil should always be moderately moist. In winter, during the dormant period, watering should be rare, and the flower itself should be rearranged in a cool room. Do not allow the soil to dry out, as the bulbs have a rather fleshy root system, which performs its function regardless of the season.
If you want flowering to come in winter, the dormant period must be postponed to the end of the summer and the beginning of the fall, while reducing watering. When the flower arrow begins to grow, you need to resume normal watering. To stimulate flowering, do not water the flower for 7-14 days.
Top dressing
Top dressing is carried out 2 times a month. To do this, use a liquid fertilizer for flowering indoor plants, while the dosage is used as recommended on the package. They begin to feed when young foliage appears, and stop when all the flowers wither.
Dormant period
A dormant period begins after the end of flowering.During this period, old foliage gradually fades, and new foliage replaces it. Krinum needs deep rest, but if it is not there, then flowering next year will not come. In springtime, re-flowering sometimes occurs, while it is quite easy to achieve it in the Crinum Moore species.
Earth mixture
To prepare the soil mixture, combine leaf and clay-sod soil, peat, humus, and sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 1: 1. It is recommended to add a small amount of charcoal to the mixture.
Transplant features
The transplant is carried out before the beginning of the period of intensive growth. Adult specimens are transplanted once every 2–4 years. When planting, the bulb should rise by a third above the soil surface. It is necessary to plant in large and deep containers, since this plant has a powerful root system. Carefully remove old soil along with damaged roots. At the bottom, make a good drainage layer of expanded clay.
Reproduction methods
You can propagate by bulbs or seeds.
You should not rush to separate the young bulbs, because thanks to them, the flowering will be more abundant. Separated babies bloom after 2–4 years (depending on their size). For planting, use a container with a diameter of 9 to 12 centimeters. After 12 months, it must be transplanted into larger pots, and after the same amount of time - in containers with a diameter of 15 to 17 centimeters. During growth, young specimens need more frequent feeding and watering. In large containers (19-24-28 centimeters) such a plant is from 3 to 4 years old, while it has a lot of baby bulbs, and abundant flowering is observed for 3-4 years.
Pests and diseases
A mealybug can settle in the leaf sinuses. Also, spider mites can cause harm to the krinum. When overflowing during the rest period, root rot appears.
What are they, candidum lilies?
The terms "candidum lily", "white lily" or "snow-white lily" have become synonyms for us long ago. They are interchanged and used, often forgetting that all modern Candidium lilies do not always bloom white, and that we are not always talking about a separate color scheme.
Today, two categories of plants are ranked as candidum lilies:
- The snow-white lily itself, or candidum, is a species plant with snow-white flowering (Lilium candidum).
This is one of the most ancient, perhaps the first species of lilies introduced into culture. The European name "lily of the Madonna" clearly indicates the appearance of the plant and its status. The flowering of a snow-white lily, indeed, can be considered a symbol of purity. And her appearance is largely preserved in all candidias.
- Varieties and hybrids from the selection of Candidium hybrids, which do not only come from the white lily (Candidum Hybrids).
To breed hybrid forms and varieties, in addition to the snow-white lily, other species of European lilies are also used. An example of the appearance of hybrid candidum is considered to be a hybrid under the name of a terracotta lily (Lilium x testaceum), obtained as a result of a complex crossing of a snow-white lily with a chalcedony lily (Lilium chalcedonicum).
This is a spectacular and large species of lilies with peduncles up to 120 cm tall, with lanceolate leaves and spotted stems. The brush contains up to 8 turbid flowers with an apricot shade of yellow-orange color and bright spots at the base of the perianth. This hybrid blooms only in the second half of July.
The saline form (var. Salonicae) of candidum lily with drooping flowers and dark stems does not lose its popularity. The class of candidum hybrids also includes white varieties that differ in the size and shape of the flowers, but do not clearly differ from the snow-white lily itself in flowering - Ina Weekes, dwarf variety White Elf, Ares, very high White Falcon, Zeus, Apollo, Lilac Weekes and dr.
These lilies are quite original in their development. Candida belongs to the category of own-rooted lilies.Yellowish-white, darkening in the light, large bulbs can eventually reach a diameter of 15 cm. The adventitious roots are perennial, sensitive to injury. When buying bulbs, they are guided precisely by their condition - weak damaged roots require preliminary rooting in a pot culture.
The scales are very large, immediately turn into leaves, the plant does not have stem roots, but a beautiful bundle-shaped wintering rosette of leaves is formed. In the development of candida, a period of dormancy is pronounced, which begins immediately after flowering.
The shoots that grow from the bulbs can stretch up to 2 m in height. They are not only green, but also purple and almost black. In the lower part, closer to the base of the peduncle, typical lanceolate leaves sit, only several times smaller than the basal ones. The latter are almost erect, and form a basal rosette. They grow in length up to 25 cm.
Snow-white lily, or Candidum (Lilium candidum). Ana carrapiso
Candidium lily bloom
The inflorescence is crowned with a brush, most often of the correct pyramid or cone shape. On each peduncle of Candidium lily, up to 30 flowers can bloom.
The hallmark of both the snow-white lily and all candidium hybrids is the elegance of the flowers. Tubular or broadly coronal, they are always distinguished by ideal symmetry and the classical shape of the rounded-wide or lanceolate perianth lobes elongated into a pointed tip.
The number of flowers on the stems often exceeds their resistance, but the beauty of each flower, even in such large cones of inflorescences, is perfectly visible. Golden, bright anthers seem to emphasize the purity of the lines of the flower, which is capable of 12 cm in diameter and length.
The flowering period of candidum is traditionally in July. It is one of the brightest summer lilies and blooms for up to one month.
After the end of flowering, Candida begins a dormant period with the complete withering away of the ground part. At this time, the plants are afraid of dampness. The growth of the rosette of leaves begins in early September and ends with a period of severe cold snaps, providing the plant with a winter-green rosette.
An absolute advantage of Candidium is its strong aroma. It is felt in the distance and envelops the corners of the garden with its fragrant cloud. For those who love the scent of lilies, the Candidium class is the best choice for decorating recreation areas.
The color scheme of Candida is traditionally associated with a snow-white color. But individual shapes and varieties offer a choice of different sizes, silhouettes and flower colors.
Candidum hybrid, terracotta lily (Lilium x testaceum). Fine art america
Types and varieties
There are about 10 shrub species in the Kalmia genus. The most popular of them will be listed below, those that can most often be found in gardens and summer cottages.
Many-leaved Kalmia ("bog laurel")
The plant is about 70 cm high and about 60 cm wide. The flowers are purple-pink, not growing in inflorescences, but singly. Bloom in mid-spring. Calmia multifoliate grows slowly. The stems of young plants are purple, as they grow, they turn gray, a solid trunk is formed in the center of the bush. Loves acidic swampy soil.
Narrow-leaved Kalmia
Wild shrub up to 1.5 m in height. Selection varieties are much smaller than wild ones - no more than 50 cm in height. At the end of the straight stems, lush flowers with a diameter of about 1 cm bloom, forming umbellate inflorescences. Blooms in June, flowering period is one month. The wild plant has pink flowers, and breeding varieties can combine two shades at once.
Calmia recumbent
A miniature plant that creeps along the ground. Leaves up to 15 mm long and up to 5 mm wide, juicy, with a thick skin. It blooms mainly in the second half of summer, a group of one inflorescence includes no more than 5-6 white or pink flowers.
"Elf"
A compact ornamental bush no more than 80 cm high. Large flowers make up a lush inflorescence.Blooms in late spring - early summer. The buds are bright pink. As they unfold, the flowers turn white with a pink edging and the same pattern in the center. It is characterized by frost resistance (it can withstand temperatures down to -30 ° C).
"Kipsake"
One of the most beautiful varieties of kalmias: one plant includes a group of lush inflorescences, each of which contains about 60 bowl-shaped flowers. The flowers are bright purple in the center and pale pink towards the edges. Blooms in late May. The height of one bush is from 50 to 160 cm.
"Beacon"
Large shrub with a height of 1.5 to 3 m with a spreading crown. It develops slowly: every year its height increases by no more than 3-4 cm. One inflorescence includes a group of about 70 flowers from white-pink to purple. Blooms from mid-May to mid-June. Prefers loose soil with high acidity. Resistant to frost.
Jens Delight
It is a sprawling bush that can grow up to 1 m in height. The inflorescences are lush with two-colored flowers - inside there is a burgundy ring, and the petals are painted white at the edges and in the middle. The diameter of one flower is up to 3 cm. It blooms at the end of May. Frost resistant.
"Tofka"
The most modern variety. Like other varieties, it develops extremely slowly: by the age of ten it can reach a height of no more than 1.5 m. The flowers are cup-shaped with burgundy blotches. Petals with rounded edges and corrugated texture. Feels great in partial shade, in a calm place on acidic fertile soil.
Growing escholzia from seeds
Sowing
Often, seeds are sown directly into open soil. Experienced gardeners recommend sowing escholzia before winter. The fact is that in the winter months the seeds will be able to undergo natural stratification, and in the spring powerful seedlings will appear, they will only need to be thinned out. It should also be taken into account that in plants sown in autumn, flowering begins earlier than in those whose sowing was carried out in spring. In the event that you decide to sow in the spring, in the fall the seeds must be placed on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator, where they will stay until April. Thus, they will be stratified and perfectly preserved.
For sowing, choose a well-lit area with sandy dry soil. Then it is necessary to make not very deep grooves in it, into which small seeds are sown, previously combined with sand. They should be shallowly embedded, and then the surface of the site is covered with a layer of peat, this will help to avoid the appearance of a crust on the surface of the soil, which will become a serious obstacle for delicate sprouts. If the sowing is done in the fall, then the site must be mulched with fallen leaves, while the layer must be thick enough.
Escholzia | sowing seeds for seedlings | Part 1
Seedling
Experienced gardeners recommend resorting to growing escholzia through seedlings. With this method of growing this plant, it should be remembered that it has a rod-like long root system, which is extremely easy to injure during a pick, in this regard, it is recommended to use peat tablets for sowing. To do this, the tablets must be placed in a plastic container into which water is poured. After the tablets have swollen, the remaining liquid must be poured out of the container. Only 1 seed should be sown in 1 tablet, using a wet toothpick for this. From above, the seeds are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil for seedlings. The tablets only need to be slightly moistened from the spray bottle. The container should be covered on top with a transparent film or glass. The first seedlings can be seen after half a month, after which the shelter is removed, and the container itself is placed in a well-lit and cool (no more than 20 degrees) place. It is very simple to care for the seedlings at this time: they need to be watered in a timely manner and fed with liquid mineral fertilizer for seedlings half a month after the plants sprout.The hardening of seedlings should be started 20 days before transplanting into open soil, for this it is transferred once a day to a cool room, where it must stay for several hours. If the escholzia is hardened, then after landing in the garden, it will be able to calmly endure a decrease in air temperature to minus 5 degrees.
Shrub almonds - care
Growing almonds in the garden
How to grow almonds? Planting and caring for decorative almonds is not difficult. You already know how to plant almonds, and care for almonds is carried out in the same way as for any other decorative tree or shrub: watering, loosening the soil, weeding, feeding, pruning, treatment from insects and pests.
Watering is carried out, preventing the soil from drying out in the near-stem circle, however, waterlogging of the soil threatens with decay of the root collar of the plant. It is enough to pour a bucket of water under a tree or almond bush once a week if the soil has dried out to a depth of 1.5–2 cm. After watering, it is convenient to loosen the soil to a depth of 5–7 cm around young plants and 8–10 cm around mature plants. Keep the trunk circle clean and remove weeds as soon as they appear.
Planting and caring for almond shrubs involves the introduction of dressings. In the spring, you can mulch the trunk circle not with peat, but with manure or mullein, and a little later each bush is fed with 10 g of urea and 20 g of ammonium nitrate, diluted in a bucket of water. In the fall, 20 g of potassium sulfate and double superphosphate are applied to each m² of the plot.
Almond pruning
Almonds in the garden need pruning. In the spring, before the start of sap flow, they carry out sanitary pruning of bushes, removing broken, frostbitten, diseased, dry and thickening shoots and branches. Sometimes one branch of almonds interferes with the growth of another - they are called competing. Leave to grow that branch, which is located more successfully, and the other is cut out. Formative pruning is carried out when the almond blossom ends. Almonds tolerate a haircut well, moreover: the removal of faded shoots stimulates abundant flowering next year.
After seven years of growth, it becomes necessary to remove aged branches. They will be replaced by root suckers appearing after three years of life of ornamental almonds.
How almonds bloom
According to some sources, the name of the plant comes from the ancient Greek word amygdalos, meaning "beautiful tree". This version is similar to the truth, because during flowering, ornamental almonds look amazing: almond flowers in white, red, purple or pink are located on the branches in such abundance that you cannot see the tree itself. Fans of painting are well aware of Vincent van Gogh's painting "Blooming Almond Branches", but a real gardener would prefer to admire this spectacle not in an Amsterdam gallery, but in his own garden.
In areas with a warm climate, flowering begins at the end of January and lasts until March. In the middle lane, almond blossom appears in late April or early May and lasts about 2 weeks
During this period, it is very important to organize regular watering of almonds, since from a lack of moisture, flowering can end ahead of schedule.
Pests and diseases of almonds
From diseases, almonds can suffer from clasterosporia, moniliosis, gray rot, scab and rust. Among the pests, spider mites, aphids, leaf rollers and almond seed-eaters are dangerous for him. You can read in detail about the symptoms of almond diseases and damage by pests in the article that we have already mentioned. Here, we briefly recall that you can get rid of fungal diseases by treating almonds with such fungicides as Topaz, Skor, Fundazol, Kuproksat, and insecticides Actellik, Calypso, Fufanon, Zolon cope with insects.
The spider mite is destroyed by treating the plant with Kleschevite, Akarin or Agravertin.
But it is much more important than the timely treatment of plants with chemicals, the implementation of agricultural techniques, and the understanding that planting and caring for an almond bush in accordance with the rules will preserve not only its health, but also the health of your entire garden.
Almonds in winter
It is necessary to prepare almonds for winter since summer: pinching the tops of almond shoots accelerates their lignification, which allows the plant to survive the winter safely without freezing. Young seedlings should be covered for the winter with straw, dry leaves or lutrasil to a height of 15 cm from the ground. Make sure that the root collar does not come out under a layer of snow. Adult plants hibernate normally without shelter, but even if frosts damage some of the shoots, almonds will recover rather quickly.
Almonds in the suburbs and in Moscow
For cultivation in the climatic conditions of Moscow and the Moscow region, such types of almonds as steppe almonds, or low, three-lobed almonds, Georgian almonds and Ledebour almonds are suitable. Plants of these species, even if slightly affected by frost during winter, can quickly recover their strength and delight you with lush flowering. Planting almonds and caring for them in the conditions of the Moscow region are no different from those described in our article.
Growing primrose from seeds
Sowing seeds
Seeds should be planted as soon as they are harvested. If this is not done, then the germination properties may disappear. Good seeds, with which there is no desire to take risks, should be introduced into the ground at the onset of the month of February. The boxes are placed in the ground and filled with a mixture of soils: 2 parts of sod soil, 1 of leaf and 1 of sand. The seeds are not planted deeply, but slightly pressing into the soil.
Lilac primrose flowers
It is worth placing them in such a way that 5 pieces are obtained per 1 centimeter. The box is tucked into a bag and placed on a freezer shelf for a month. Inside it, the temperature should be kept 10 degrees below zero and colder.
After the expiration date, the containers are moved to the windowsill. It is necessary to ensure that the sun does not fall on them strongly, and also ensure that during this time the soil is always in a slightly damp state. Growth is faster if the temperature fluctuates between 16 and 18 degrees above zero.
Important to remember! Not all varieties should be stratified in this way. For example, there is no need to temper fine-toothed and common primrose. ... The first shoots will not appear quickly
But as soon as they become noticeable, the packages will need to be gradually opened. So the seedlings will eventually get used to the air. After a couple of weeks, the cover is removed
The first shoots will not appear quickly. But as soon as they become noticeable, the packages will need to be gradually opened. So the seedlings will eventually get used to the air. After a couple of weeks, the cover is removed.
Seedling
When the moment comes that 2-3 leaves have formed, then you need to start a new stage of work - diving. Using tweezers, each seedling is transplanted when it is ripe for this. From time to time, you should check if the soil is moist. After a couple of years, they can be transplanted into an open area.
