Nettle With Gorgeous Leaves. Mothers

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

It is expensive to buy seeds every year. It takes a lot of time to reproduce a favorite variety. I would like to extend the life of the existing varieties. The problem is easily solved by preserving the original material

Preservation of mother liquors

Summer ends quickly. It is a pity to part with the beloved specimens. The question arises: "How to keep the bushes until next season?"

Digging up an adult plant from a flower bed, transplanting into pots does not always end well for several reasons:

1. Pests move into the house with the mother plant. They actively reproduce in a warm, dry room, destroy the "owner", all neighboring flowers on the windowsill.

2. Large difference in temperature, humidity between the autumn weather, the street (cold, damp) and the house (dry, hot) dry the leaves.

3. Reduced lighting, reduced daylight hours. Without additional lamps, plants lose their "outfit" or turn pale, losing their attractiveness.

4. Morning light frosts have time to weaken the bushes and damage the stems.

5. The huge size of adult specimens takes up a lot of space on windowsills.

Early removal of the mother plants from the flower bed during the season will disrupt the beauty of the composition, create bald spots.

If you do not have a winter garden or greenhouse with certain growing conditions, then you should not waste time and energy on preserving old bushes.

The best option:

• cut fresh growths at the end of summer;

• to treat pests, diseases with drugs;

• withstand 2 weeks in quarantine (separate from indoor flowers);

• root in water or soil;

• take care of the whole winter, forming the crown;

• cut the cuttings closer to spring;

• to raise young growth.

It will turn out cheaply, without any problems, to prepare planting material for yourself for the new season.

Home care

Plants left at home for the summer require increased attention:

1. Abundant watering with soft (boiled) water as the soil dries up.

2. Daily spraying of the crown.

3. Maintaining the temperature at 10-12 degrees if possible.

4. On the southern windows, light shading is required at noon from the scorching rays.

5. Once or twice a month top dressing with fertilizer for indoor flowers.

6. Pinching of the growth point to increase tillering, prevention of pulling shoots.

7. Supplementary lighting in the evening, morning hours with diode lamps.

8. Removal of dried leaves.

Coleus of the second year of life, even with good care, stretches, becomes less tidy. The brightness of the colors is lost. Experienced hobbyists recommend that plants be renewed annually by cuttings.

Place in the flower garden

Coleus is suitable for decorating borders along paths, along the edge of a complex mixborder, decorating ridges. Plain or variegated leaves set off other flowers in the flower bed well.

Skillfully selected varieties create geometric or complex patterns in English-style gardens. To begin with, distribute the colors on paper. Then the project is transferred to nature.

Coleus will become good neighbors using the contrast method:

• Low-growing light marigolds, pansies, geykhera, echinacea, variegated brunners, alyssum, against the background of the leader's dark foliage;

• Dark-leaved begonias, geraniums, geychera, ayuga, rejuvenated, lobelia, dark viola colors, with light "nettles";

• A complex range of many shades will suit several options for neighbors at once.

Monochrome plantings of different varieties perfectly emphasize the carpet pattern of the flower bed.

There are ampel varieties of dwarf coleus with a height of 30 cm. The stem hangs down in a cascade, the leaves are elongated red. They are used in hanging pots by several hybrids in a mixture or along with low-growing periwinkles, ampel geraniums, moneta loosestrife, dyschidia or other types of hanging greens.

There are many options for using Coleus. He has long been loved by landscape designers and ordinary flower growers. Unpretentiousness in reproduction makes it an indispensable crop for landscaping large areas. Friendship with Coleus lasts for many years.