Lantana Montevideo

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

Lantana montevideyskaya (lat. Lantana montevidensis) - a representative of the genus Lantana of the Verbenaceae family. Quite an exotic species, rarely found on sale. India, Colombia, Mexico are considered to be their homeland. Today, the plant is cultivated not only in the subtropics, but also in European countries. It can also be captured on the personal backyard plots of Russians who pay tribute to the exotic.

Characteristics of culture

Montevideo lantana is represented by annual plants with creeping shoots topped with small green petioled leaves. The inflorescences, in turn, are lilac, pink or purple. Also known are varieties with snow-white and yellowish inflorescences. Montevideo lantana belongs to the ampelous species. She is planted in garden containers and hanging baskets, decorating gazebos, porches, balconies. A distinctive feature of the species is abundant flowering throughout the summer. Despite all its exoticism, Montevideo lantana is unpretentious, therefore it deserves the attention of lazy gardeners.

Growing features

Montevideo Lantana is warm and sun-loving by nature. It is recommended to plant it in sunny areas, protected from cold northerly winds. You should not place a beauty in the lowlands, especially where a lot of precipitation accumulates. In such a place, she will quickly fall ill and die. It is advisable to choose soils nutritious, moist, light, loose. Lantana does not tolerate heavy, damp, waterlogged and saline soils.

Montevideo lantana is propagated in two ways: seed and cuttings. The second method is most relevant among gardeners and florists. Sowing is carried out in the winter months in seedling boxes, which are filled with a nutrient substrate. The optimum growing temperature is 20C. Under favorable conditions and regular watering, lanthanum gives the first shoots after one and a half to two weeks. A pick in individual pots is carried out when young plants reach a height of 10-12 cm.

Cuttings, in turn, are carried out no earlier than March. For this purpose, choose plants that have overwintered in a greenhouse. Cuttings are cut from the tops of shoots 8-10 cm long, they are planted in a moist substrate and provide good care. The first 2-3 weeks the air temperature should be at least 20C, then it is necessary to place the material in a room with a temperature of 12-15C. In the process, the plants are pinched.

Subtleties of care

Caring for your culture is very easy. It is enough to systematically irrigate, avoiding waterlogging, removing faded inflorescences to prolong the decorative effect and prevent fruiting. It is important to remember that the fruits of Montevideo lantana are poisonous, so it is very important to remove wilted flowers in houses where there are small children. Do not forget about top dressing. Plants should be fed with complex mineral fertilizer once every 2-3 weeks. If the soil is nutritious and contains enough nutrients, you can reduce feeding to once every 4-5 weeks.

For the winter, lantana can be brought indoors, while the temperature should vary from 6 to 10C. Watering in cold weather should be reduced, but the earthen coma should not be allowed to dry out. If the conditions are neglected, the plant will shed its foliage. With the onset of heat, the shoots are shortened by a third, and when the threat of night frosts has passed, they are taken out into the garden.

Like many exotic plants, Montevideo lantana is prone to disease and pest infestation. Especially often it is attacked by whiteflies, spider mites and aphids. To combat them, it is advisable to use insecticides. They will quickly deal with the misfortune and the plant will delight you with colorful flowering for a long time.