2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Torenia (lat. Torenia) - a herbaceous flowering plant from the Lindernievye family (previously this plant was referred to the Norichnikovye family).
Description
Torenia is an incredibly attractive herbaceous ampelous annual plant that boasts amazingly beautiful and unusual flowers. The height of this plant usually ranges from ten to fifty centimeters. And simple leaves of torenia can be both oval and pointed, with a "quilted" pattern of veins and with fancy jagged edges.
The diameter of the tubular flowers of torenia reaches an average of two and a half centimeters. Each flower is equipped with a spectacular (purple, pink or crimson) lower lip and a bright yellow or white speck. All flowers are located in the leaf axils, either one or two.
In total, this genus unites about thirty species.
Where grows
Torenia is most common in Southeast Asia and Africa - she just loves the conditions of the tropics!
Usage
The trumpet will look great in fancy hanging containers or tall flowerpots. And in order to achieve the greatest decorativeness, it makes sense to plant several seedlings in each container at the same time, maintaining a distance of ten centimeters between them.
In the culture of torenia, it is widely used in a wide variety of interior arrangements, in winter gardens, as well as for decorating flower beds and flower beds.
Growing and caring
Torenia will feel best in the garden in tubs, as well as on open balconies or on window sills (it is especially good to place this beauty on the window sills of southern windows). Slightly shaded areas are also well suited for its placement. And in order for it not to cease to delight with the most stable flowering, it needs to provide abundant watering (while avoiding excessive waterlogging of the soil) and good diffused lighting. An overabundance of sunlight directly falling on the torus can easily lead to her death, in addition, temperatures that are too low for her are also destructive - the thermometer should not drop below sixteen degrees at all! As for the soil, a mixture of turf and leafy soil, combined with sand and humus in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 1, will be the ideal soil for planting torenia. In any case, the soils should be fertile, well-drained and light enough, and their acidity should ideally be neutral. Adherence to agricultural techniques will not be superfluous.
You will be pleased with torching and periodic spraying, especially if carried out in the morning. Also, about once a week (as a last resort - every couple of weeks) it is recommended to feed it with calcium-containing mineral fertilizers.
Since the stems of torenia tend to stretch very quickly, in order to enhance their branching, their tips should be regularly pinched, while substituting reliable supports under the stems.
If the leaves of torenia began to turn red, this indicates that the air temperature has dropped to a critical point for it, and if they began to curl, dry and fall off, most likely, we can talk about a sunburn.
The beauty of torenia is propagated by surface sowing in pots - as a rule, this is done in early spring. In general, the sowing of seeds for seedlings can be safely done in the period from February to May, but this plant should be planted in open ground not earlier than June - toasting does not tolerate even minor frosts at all!
As for diseases and pests, torenia can be affected by powdery mildew, aphids and spider mites.
