Snapdragon

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Snapdragon (Latin Antirrhinum) - flower culture; an annual or perennial plant of the Norichnikov family. Another name is antirrinum. In nature, snapdragon is found in Asia, America and the Mediterranean. Currently, about 50 species are known.

Characteristics of culture

Snapdragon is a flowering herbaceous or semi-shrub plant with straight branched stems 15-100 cm high. The stems are large, finely furrowed, green in color, forming pyramidal bushes. Leaves are lanceolate or oblong-oval. The lower leaves are opposite, the upper ones alternately.

The flowers are large enough, two-lipped, irregular in shape, collected in racemose inflorescences, there are simple and double forms, they can be white, pink, beige, dark brown, orange or yellow, bicolor varieties are also bred. Open or closed whisk. Long bloom, from June to October.

Growing conditions

Snapdragon is a light-loving plant, it prefers open areas with intense lighting, it stretches strongly in partial shade and does not bloom well. Soils for growing crops are desirable loose, breathable, moderately moist, fertile, loamy or sandy loam. Snapdragon favors mulch in the form of peat, sawdust or humus, due to which the flowering of plants is noticeably enhanced.

Reproduction and planting

Antirrinums are propagated by seeds and cuttings, although the second method has recently been used extremely rarely. Snapdragon is grown with seedlings. Sowing of seeds is carried out in March in special seedling boxes without embedding, since the seeds of the culture are unusually small. Crops are watered with a spray bottle, covered with plastic wrap or glass to create a humid microclimate and placed in a room with an air temperature of 23-25C.

Seedlings appear in 8-12 days. The picking of seedlings into separate containers is carried out one month after the emergence of seedlings. Young plants are planted in open ground in the second - third decades of May. The distance between plants should be 15-25 cm, depending on the variety. After the seedlings take root in a new place, they are fed with mineral fertilizers, after a couple of weeks, the feeding is repeated again.

Care

Caring for snapdragons consists in systematic watering, weeding, loosening the stem zone, feeding and combating pests and diseases. Watering is carried out regularly and moderately, especially during budding and in dry weather. The culture responds positively to fertilizing, before flowering, at least 2-3 additional fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers is performed.

To extend the flowering phase of plants, the faded inflorescences are removed. Antirrinum is susceptible to fungal and viral diseases, in particular gray mold, rust, downy mildew, etc. Among the pests, slugs, spider mites and aphids are most common. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to remove weeds and thin out in time.

Application

Snapdragon is a beautifully flowering and highly decorative crop that is actively used in horticulture.. Tall forms are great for creating flower beds, flower beds and mixborders. Medium-sized antirrinums will decorate the porch, patio, entrance to the gazebo or at home. They can be planted in garden containers. Low-growing varieties are ideal for curbs, they look good on lawns and lawns. Thanks to long flowering and a wide variety of varieties, delphinium will find its place in any garden. Even the most demanding gardener will not be able to ignore him.