Oleander And His Poisonous Enchantment

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

Despite the high toxicity that oleander bites, this plant has many fans, and they are not afraid to grow a flower in their homes. The shrub is famous for its unusually beautiful flowering, which lasts during the spring and summer months. But in order for the oleander to continue to delight with its appearance, after its buds have faded, it is necessary to prune. And this must be done extremely carefully, using gloves and goggles, since all parts of it are poisonous, and drops of juice that enter the body cause serious health problems

The toxic beauty of oleander

In the wild, oleander is found in southern Europe and North Africa. Its thickets adorn the Italian and Greek coasts. In their appearance, they resemble our young weeping willow, with the difference that the oleander branches do not hang down, but stretch upward.

In addition, the oleander stands out for its original flowering. The buds are collected in lush inflorescences on a strong annual shoot and dissolve the petals of white, yellow, coral, pale pink, pale lilac petals. Depending on the variety, the corolla can be simple and consist of five petals. There are forms with double flowers. The plant has a pleasant aroma, but it is better not to keep it in the room where residents spend their leisure time or go to bed.

Pruning oleander

Depending on the climate and the length of the warm summer weather in your area, the flowering period can last from early spring to mid-fall. The flowering density of the bush depends on its pruning. After flowering, the branches of the plant must be shortened at least half. This technique stimulates the formation of young annual shoots, densely covered with new buds.

By the way, problems with flowering can arise not only in the absence of annual pruning. Factors that will serve as an obstacle to the formation of buds are poor lighting, lack of nutrients in the substrate, irregular watering.

Reproduction of oleander at home

The branches that have been cut from the bush can be used as planting material for flower propagation. Rooting medium can be either wet sand or a bottle of water. When immersing the cutting in water, several pieces of charcoal should be thrown at the bottom of the bottle so that the water does not deteriorate, since the neck will need to be plugged with cotton wool, cloth or plasticine. The container with cuttings is left in a sunny place.

The roots will form in about a month. After that, they can be planted in pots with a nutritious substrate. Young plants are given a place in a warm corner of your home.

It is also possible to propagate oleander with air layers. To do this, a bark ring with a width of about 3 mm is removed on a selected branch at the place of formation of future roots. This area is immersed in wet sand or a special cylindrical vessel with water is put on, without separating the twig from the mother plant. You can separate the seedling from the bush only when it is ready to consume the nutrients in the pot through its own roots.

Features of oleander care

In winter, it is recommended to keep this subtropical exotic in a well-lit room at a temperature of about + 8 … + 10 ° С. Watering is carried out in moderation, otherwise the earth will turn sour, and from this the roots will be affected by rot. Under favorable conditions in winter, oleander does not shed its leaves.

With the arrival of spring, young plants are annually transplanted into a fresh nutrient substrate. Old oleanders will need such a procedure every three years. In this case, the roots are sanitized. Sections are processed with crushed charcoal. All manipulations with oleander are performed in protective gloves, and after that they must wash their hands with soap and water in order to protect themselves and loved ones from its poisonous juice.