Kutrov family. The birthplace of the tropics of South America (Brazil, Guiana, Guyana and Suriname). Naturalized in the coastal areas of northern Western Australia, as well as in China, Southeast USA (Florida). In Australia, Allamanda has taken root so well that it belongs to ecological weeds, an invasive plant has filled all the open areas in several national parks!
An exotic and rather rare flowering plant that loves greenhouse conditions: moist fresh air, warmth, space and light. On sale you can find the species Allamanda yellow (popularly laxative) Allamanda cathartica. This is a high rapidly growing vine, in 3-4 years, if not cut off, it can reach a height of 3 meters. Allamanda is grown not as an ampel plant, but as a shrub that needs support in the form of a lattice. By the way, among the people, among the local population of Brazil, Allamanda was called the Golden Pipe (the name came from the appearance of the flower) or the Golden Vine - the form of a flowering bush like climbing roses.
The old stems are predominantly woody and brownish, while the young twigs tend to be green and hairless. The stems and leaves contain milky juice and are poisonous!
The leaves are simple whorled - arranged in groups of three or four, on very short petioles (2-5 mm). In shape, obovate or somewhat elongated (oblong-lanceolate), with a pointed tip. In natural conditions, the leaves are 10-17 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, while growing the house in pots somewhat smaller, up to about 12-15 cm. In general, allamanda foliage is very decorative - shiny, leathery (without pubescence).
Allamanda yellow
Allamanda purpleThe most common species variations are:
- Allamanda cathartica var. grandiflora Allamanda yellow large-flowered - with light yellow, lemon flowers, about 10-12 cm in diameter, grouped in several pieces at the ends of shoots.
- Allamanda cathartica var. hendersonii Allamanda yellow Genderson - with red buds, which, blooming, turn into golden yellow flowers.
- Allamanda cathartica var. nobilis Allamanda noble - with reddish stems and long lanceolate leaves. The flowers are yellow with a white pharynx, up to 12 cm in diameter are very fragrant.
- Allamanda cathartica var. schottii Allamand Schott - with warty branches and pubescent stems. The flowers are yellow with thin brown stripes in the call, 4-6 cm long and about 4 cm in diameter.
No less decorative is the species of Allamanda purple Allamanda violacea - this liana is characterized by slow growth, a fairly compact bush size, wonderful for home cultivation. The leaves are oval, densely covered with hairs, 4 pieces are collected, on average about 10-12 cm long. The flowers are apical, single or 2-3, light purple or lavender.
Caring for Allamanda
Temperature: Allamanda is thermophilic. In summer, it prefers the usual temperature, for leaf growth and maintaining a decorative appearance - within 20-25 ° C, it suffocates from the high temperature indoors, the leaves turn yellow. In winter, the plant needs somewhat cooler conditions, it would be nice to find a place in the house where the temperature does not rise above 20 ° C, but not below 14 ° C.
Lighting: Allamanda is photophilous, in spring, summer and even more so in winter, she needs full sunlight. Moreover, in the warm season - at least 4 hours, and in winter, if you do not have southern windows, you may need to light up with daylight lamps.
Watering: Plentiful in the summer, the ground should not dry completely into dust, but should have time to dry in the upper half of the pot. From autumn to early spring, watering is more moderate, the land should have time to completely dry out for the next watering, stand for a dry day or two.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer (March to August) allamandu is fed every week with complex mineral fertilizer for ornamental flowering plants, diluted in half a dose.
Air humidity: Allamanda loves moist air, optimally in the range of 50-70%. In the wild, allamanda seeds spread with rainwater flows, and it grows more often along streams or in coastal areas. If the humidity of the hygrometer drops below 50%, start spraying in the morning and evening. If humidity is below 30% - turn on the humidifier or put the pot on a very wide tray with wet moss.
Flight connections
When buying a small young plant in spring, be sure to transplant it. In the future, watch how the plant grows, and if the roots appear from the drainage hole, you may need another transplant. Sometimes young plants have to be transplanted twice a summer. Also, the need arises when salinizing the soil, especially if a crust has already formed due to hard water. Allamanda does not tolerate latching, the soil reaction should be acidic (pH 5.6-6.0), and even strongly acidic (pH 5.1-5.5). If you want to buy soil in the store, choose the one that is intended for azaleas and conifers.
Planned transplantation in the spring, in February-March, we simultaneously prune shoots to stimulate flowering. The soil for allamanda should be nutritious and very porous: 2 part of the turf land, 1 part of the leaf land, 1 part of the humus, 1 part of the pine bark (or needles) and 2 part of the small gravel. Be sure to pour high drainage on the bottom! As you remember, Allamanda grows in nature along streams and roadsides, on the soil containing a large proportion of sand stones and other drainage (but not clay), so it is not afraid of heavy rains. At home, everything is not so - the roots are limited by the space of the pot, so the soil should be selected of such a structure that after watering it dries no longer than 4-5 days in warm weather.
Reproduction
Allamandu is propagated by seeds and semi-lignified cuttings cut in spring. Cuttings are rooted in a room greenhouse with soil heating; it is better to use pure vermiculite or peat in half with vermiculite as a substrate. Be sure to sterilize it. The condition for rooting is high humidity, moderate heat (not higher than 22 ° C) and light. If you fail to root cuttings, it may be too dark (or short daylight hours), hot and/or dry.
As for seed breeding, it is usually not difficult. It is better to soak the seeds for 2 days, if possible - to bubble. Sowing on moist substrate of peat and vermiculite in equal parts. It is convenient to use transparent plastic cans from cakes for sowing; they must be opened and ventilated twice a day. Germination temperature 24-25 ° C. Do not allow soil overdrying! Germination occurs in about 3-6 weeks. Plant in pots with a diameter of 8 cm, when the seedlings grow 6-7 cm in height.
A feature of allamande care is pruning shoots in the spring, during transplantation. This is necessary in order, firstly, to stimulate more lush flowering, and secondly, to give the bush a more compact size.
Growing problems
- If allamanda does not bloom or blooms poorly, then the reasons may be too warm and dry wintering, lack of lighting, lack of nutrients in the soil or overfeeding with nitrogenous fertilizers.
- The leaves curl, brown and fall - if the surrounding temperature is too low, especially with moist soil. I.e. if in winter below 12 ° C, and in summer below 18 ° C, you need to dry the soil very well.
- Shoots and leaves drooped - if this happened in summer, then due to overdrying of the earthen coma, in winter - it is more likely that it is too cold and humid.
- If the leaves turn yellow, inter-vein chlorosis appears - check the soil, remember that allamanda prefers acidic soils, measure acidity, replace the soil.
