Heliotrope: how to grow a flower?
Heliotrope - a flower of the Borage family, which came to us from South America. There it is grown as a perennial shrub. Prized for its beautiful flowers and strong vanilla aroma. It got its name from the words "sun" and "turn", which means "turns after the sun."
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Features of the structure of the flower
Heliotrope - a low shrub up to 60 cm high with pointed lanceolate leaves on short petioles. They are darker at the top than at the bottom. Foxes have a pronounced central vein, from which thinner ones extend in both directions. The leaves are twisted in the shape of a boat, their surface is velvety.
Heliotrope is distinguished by beautiful tubular flowers of blue, white or purple, collected in inflorescences.
The peduncle is straight, long. The heliotrope, which grows outside, has flowers that follow the sun all day. Breeders have created many varieties of heliotrope with different flowering periods. You can pick them up so that the bushes bloom from mid-summer until the first frost. Heliotrope refers to plants, the complexity of the care and cultivation of which is estimated as medium. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to get seedlings from small seeds and plant them in pots. Plants in this phase require constant attention.
Types of heliotrope:
- European Heliotrope is a perennial shrub up to 40 cm high. The leaves are green-yellow. The flower is distinguished by the presence of curls located in the axils of the upper leaves. During the flowering period, they become more luxuriant and thicker. Flowers with a white corolla.
- Heliotrope Thyroid is a tall bush, reaching 1.2 m. The flowers are blue and blue, large, up to 10 cm in length. Differs in long flowering from early summer to frost.
- Heliotrope Kurassavsky (homeland America) is a low shrub, up to 60 cm wide, grows 1.2 m wide. White tubular flowers with a blue tint are located on a thick peduncle. Each has 5 petals.
- The oval heliotrope (originally from Australia) reaches 1 cm in height. The stem is branched, covered with small (up to 3 cm) leaves. The flowers are white and purple, blooming from mid-spring to autumn.
Reproduction
Heliotrope is a thermophilic plant. He is afraid of frost and dies when the temperature drops. Therefore, in our latitudes, it is grown as an annual plant. Hybrid varieties can be grown as a houseplant. In the spring, after the establishment of warm weather, it is better to put it outside or plant it in a flower bed. In autumn, bring it back into the room.
Heliotrope is a very light-loving plant. This is due to its origin. A flower pot is installed in the room on the south or southwest windows.
Heliotrope propagates by seeds and cuttings.
Propagation using seeds:
- Seeds of heliotrope are propagated in the case when it is not possible to get cuttings of the plant. To get heliotrope from seeds, in February they are sown in loose soil, consisting of peat and sand in equal proportions. If there is no peat, use ordinary garden soil.
- The heliotrope seeds are very small. Therefore, you can not sprinkle them with soil, but pour from a spray bottle and cover with glass or transparent film. The room temperature should not fall below 20 ° C. The glass is removed every day to ventilate the crops. Water when the need arises. But you can't fill it.
- The sprouts appear on the soil surface after 10 days.After the seedlings have several real leaves, and they themselves reach 8 cm, they are pinched and transplanted into pots or peat tablets... After the threat of night frosts has passed, they are planted in flower beds.
Propagation of heliotrope by cuttings is an old and well-proven method. Cuttings are harvested from the end of January. This is necessary so that the plant has time to go through all the phases of growth and bloom in time. They are planted in soil consisting of peat humus. Germinate well in peat pellets. Cover with banks or use another type of cover. Ventilate regularly so that the cuttings do not rot. Water, keep the soil moist. It is convenient to plant in a tablet because it is easy to see the roots that begin to break through its mesh.
After the stalk grows, it is transplanted into a separate dish, a glass or a peat-baked pot with a diameter of 7 cm.It is installed in a room with a temperature of 18-20 ° C in the brightest place. It is advisable to light up the plants. A plant with formed roots and crown is planted in a pot or flower bed. It is better to do it by transshipment method. Pinch the top to make it more magnificent.
Landing
On the flowerbed, it is better to choose a place for heliotrope that is sunny, but with light shading during the hottest hours. Leaves may burn from direct sunlight. But if it is planted in the shade, then its stems will elongate, and the flowers will be pale and ugly. Before planting seedlings heliotrope is fertilized with humus or applied mineral fertilizers... The soil on the site should be loose, it is good to let water through. Before planting, you can add humus to the holes or compost.
Young heliotrope bushes are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
Bushes that have wintered in the house need more area. It makes sense to plant flowers with yellow, white, red flowers next to heliotrope. It can be pelargonium, rudbeckia... And the plant itself is best planted where you can enjoy its aroma. In order to expand the growing area of heliotrope, it can be planted in pots and placed on the veranda.
Some bushes, the strongest, can be planted in the ground along with a large pot. Then it will be easier to preserve the mother bush in the fall. A drainage layer is placed on the bottom of the pot. It can be made from broken brick, gravel, expanded clay. You can take the soil purchased for flowers, or prepare it yourself. Mix garden soil, sand, clay (to retain moisture).
Care
Flower care tips:
- Heliotrope does not require increased care. But he will not tolerate the drying out of the earthy coma. Therefore, you need to ensure that the soil near the bush always remains moist.
- In order for the plant to bloom profusely, heliotrope needs regular feeding. They are brought in once every two weeks. Use organic and mineral fertilizers for decorative flowers like "Ideal" or "Kemira Lux". They accelerate the growth and development of plants, make flowers brighter and larger. Before and after fertilization, the bush is watered.
- A bush that is actively growing and developing needs to periodically adjust the crown. To do this, pinch it.
- Closer to the time of the onset of the first frost, the bush is dug up, transplanted into a pot and transferred to a room where it continues to bloom.
- In winter and especially in autumn, the bushes need to be highlighted, bringing the length of daylight hours to 10 hours. For this, a fluorescent lamp is used. The temperature range for winter maintenance is from 15 to 18 ° C. The minimum temperature at which the heliotrope does not disappear is 5 ° C. The number of watering is reduced, but they make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry out.
- Diseases and pests. The leaves and stems of heliotrope can be affected by spider mites, aphids, whitefly. Treatment is carried out with Fitoverm and other insecticides.To destroy aphids, wipe the affected areas with a solution of laundry soap. Then washed off with water. The fall of leaves testifies to the defeat of a spider mite. To get rid of the pest, they create uncomfortable conditions for it - they spray the leaves with water several times a day. It doesn't have to be tough. Heliotrope can be affected by fungal diseases. This is evidenced by the formation of brown spots on the leaves.
Using
The use of heliotrope is very peculiar. Its leaves are used to combat dark forces. Some believe that the plant is able to protect the home from the penetration of thieves. It is widely believed that in a house where heliotrope is grown, relations between spouses are significantly improved. Now this flower is becoming more and more popular. Many of those who managed to grow it at home become its fans and distributors.
Used heliotrope to achieve real results. It is used as a flavoring agent in the manufacture of medicines. Due to its pleasant and strong smell, extracts from the plant are added to perfumery products.
More information can be found in the video: