How to grow mimulus from seeds - the best rules and recommendations

A plant with an unusual and rare name "mimulus" is somewhat similar to a flower orchids - the same mysterious and unusual. They conquer literally at first sight with a delicate aroma, which is depleted not only by the flowers, but also by the leaves themselves. Mimulus will become a real decoration for your garden or balcony. A feature of the plant is its cultivation from seeds. We will talk about how to do it right below.

Content:

• Mimulus - characteristics and varieties
• Features in plant care
• Growing mimulus from seeds
• Flower Transplant Tips
• Diseases and pests: prevention and treatment

Mimulus - characteristics and varieties

This plant will be a real treasure for any garden, windowsill or balcony. It is able to withstand even the coldest temperatures, striking the imagination with its lush and multi-colored flowers in cold pores, when you really want warmth.

For its unusual shape, mimulus is also called a lipstick or monkey flower. In total, there are more than 150 plant species, both herbaceous and shrubby.

They can be short, creeping, erect, and can grow up to two meters.

Blooming flowers come in a wide variety of colors - from monochromatic to multi-colored, with or without splashes. After a long flowering there remains a small fruit - a charming box with a surprise. Inside it is a large number of small seed, having collected which you can breed a wonderful flower at home on your own, turning your garden or balcony into a real flower garden - colorful and extraordinary.

Today there are many varieties of plants that are mainly bred by crossing. The most popular are:

• Purple mimulus. This is an annual plant with a bright red color with a strong aroma, it is a short bush.
• Copper-red lip. Its feature is huge flowers
• Mimulus yellow
• Speckled lip
• Orange monkey flower
• Mimulus uncovered
• The lipstick is primitive. It differs from other varieties in its long and abundant flowering.
• Tiger mimulus

These beautiful plants will bloom abundantly for a long time and bring a sense of joy. Also among the varieties bred by English breeders are in demand:

• Bras Mankis
• Magic
• Calypso

Having grown such a miracle at home, you will not regret a bit; rather, on the contrary, you will want to replenish your collection with more and more new varieties.

Features in plant care

They are unpretentious in their care and the very process of caring for them is quite simple and does not take much time and effort on your part. The main thing is not to forget in time feed and cut the flowers. As for weeding and loosening, then this must be done if you have planted a flower in a flower bed, and only for erect varieties of Mimulus. The creeping ones can be weeded out only when they have just emerged from the ground - later they will spread along the ground, forming a green carpet with flowers.

Flower care tips:

1. You need to feed the flower throughout the season. bloomI, no matter where it grows - on the balcony in a pot or on open soil. To do this procedure, you need to dilute the mineral dressing in a bucket of water and add some water to the plant. You need to repeat it every twenty days.
2. If you notice that the mimulus has stopped blooming or is throwing out small buds, this is a signal of the need trimming... To do this, you need to cut the long stems and feed them. fertilizer complex nature purchased in the store. These actions are aimed at stimulating a new wave of flowering, which will be much more abundant than the previous ones.
3. Thus, you extend the flower stalks until the very frost. Remember to also cut off stems that are withered, withered, or damaged.
4. If you want beautiful flowers to delight you even in winter, just transplant the plant into a pot and transfer it to your house. Upon the arrival of autumn, cut off the mimulus bushes shortly, carefully dig them up and transplant them into a flowerpot of a suitable size, without damaging root system.
5. He winters well on the windowsills... It is enough just to water in time when you notice that the top layer of the earth has dried up. When spring comes, you can safely plant the flower back in the ground and enjoy it outside.

Growing mimulus from seeds

Since the plant multiplies with seed, then they can be bought in the store or collected after flowering on one's own. In order to grow a beautiful and strong plant from seeds, you need to adhere to some rules and recommendations:

• Sowing should be carried out at the end of the last winter month or at the beginning of April, when the soil has already been able to rest after an active summer. Monitor soil temperature. It must be at least 180.
• When replanting this miracle of nature in a pot, give preference to slightly acidic and well-moistened soil.
• For good growth seedlings it is necessary to plant it in a place perfectly illuminated by the sun.
• Once you have planted the seeds in the soil, cover the planting site on top with thin glass or loose film.
• Watering a young plant in the first months should be done carefully with a sprayer so as not to break the stems.

If you followed these recommendations, then the seeds will sprout on the fourth day. As soon as you notice the first leaves on the mimulus, and this will happen in one or two weeks, you can safely transplant the plant to a cooler place so that it is not attacked by gray rot.

When 4 leaves have already appeared - start doing pick young flowers using peat cups.

Do not forget to water the seedlings regularly and feed with a light solution using potassium fertilizer... Within two months, you can transplant Mimulus to the place that you think is most suitable for him.

Flower Transplant Tips

Transplant the flower needs to be in a place well lit by the sun. Make sure that the soil is loamy and contains a large amount of peat matter and humus. Before planting, dig in and moisten it. Plant seedlings need at a distance of 20 cm.

To plant a plant in a pot, prepare the soil in advance - mix humus, peat and leafy soil in a ratio of 3: 1: 2. Then it can be slightly diluted with sand turf.

Tips for enhanced flowering and fast growth:

1. Young bushes need to be pinched so that they become more lush.
2. Cut off dried flowers and stems regularly.
3. In the period between the flowering of mimulus, you need to cut the plant very shortly so that it grows more intensively and grows.
4. Make sure that the soil is constantly moistened, but not heavily flooded, so that the flower does not start to rot.
5. If you grow Mimulus in a pot, make sure that it is not cramped - as soon as the roots fill all the free space, transplant the flower into a larger pot.
6. If holes appear on the leaves, this is a signal that the plant is receiving too much water. Reduce your dose.
7. In the case when you will grow it from seeds, then pay attention - the first flowering will come at the end of May and will delight you until the frost.

Diseases and pests: prevention and treatment

The immediate plus of mimulus is resistance to various diseases and pests... However, some varieties may suffer. Low-growing and creeping plants can be attacked by aphids and whiteflies. To prevent this, you need to constantly inspect it. Once pests are found, use specially selected insecticides, they effectively fight and destroy insects. Also, young stems can hit the "black leg" and powdery mildew... Systemic fungicides will help get rid of them.

If there is unbearable heat on the street for a long time, gray rot can strike Mimulus. To prevent it from spreading to all plants, the diseased flower must be immediately destroyed. And when flooding, a slug and a snail can attack him.

As a preventive measure against pests and diseases, make sure not to overmoisten the soil and mulch the planting site with sawdust.

Thus, Mimulus is somewhat reminiscent of an exotic orchid - beautiful, colorful flowers, original shape and smell - will not leave anyone indifferent. Of course, you need to take into account that it will require special attention on your part. When caring for the plant, do not forget to burn it off, remove it in time weeds, watering and pest control. But unusual flowers will decorate your garden, flower bed or balcony until late autumn. And by transplanting it into a pot and placing it on the windowsill, it will not cease to delight you all winter, depleting the wonderful aroma and bringing a spring feeling into the house.