Kutrov family. Homeland - tropical rainforests, mainly about. Madagascar: seven species are endemic to Madagascar, and in total only 8 species of this flowering plant are common in nature, the only species comes from India and Sri Lanka. In culture, the species Cataranthus pink or periwinkle pink Catharanthus roseus gained fame.
- This is a small perennial shrub, growing on average up to 60 cm in height. It has erect branched stems with oppositely arranged leaves of oblong-lanceolate shape, dark green in color, with a light central vein, up to 7 cm long. The flowers are simple, with five petals, pink, lilac or white, similar in appearance to the flowers of balsamine or "Vanka-wet." Under favorable conditions, cataranthus can bloom from May to the end of September. For centuries, Cataranthus Pink has been naturalized in Italy, Asia, Australia, the warm states of the United States, Central America, and many oceanic islands.
Among the various varieties of Cataranthus rosea there are plants of a wide variety of colors: purple, bard, blackberry color, scarlet, pink with pestilence, white with pink, etc. In addition, the varieties differ in the size of the bush, some larger, some more compact about 35 cm in height and 30 cm in width.
How to grow Cataranthus
Temperature: Cataranthus is thermophilic, the optimal temperature for growth in summer is about 25-27 ° С, in winter, with a natural decrease in lighting, coolness of about 15-18 ° С is required. It does not tolerate hypothermia of the root system, but in an insulated pot with dry soil it can safely stand on a glazed balcony up to + 4-5 ° С. periwinkle loves fresh air, does not tolerate placement in an unventilated or stuffy room, for example, in the kitchen.
Lighting: for a cataranthus you need a very bright sunny place, direct sun for at least 4-5 hours a day, mainly in the morning or evening. It grows well on the southeast and west windows. In late winter and spring, spring should be gradually accustomed to the bright sun so that the plant does not get burns. If the plant stands in a warm room in winter, there should be a lot of light and in sufficient quantities, if you do not have a south window, then it is worth installing daylight lamps next to the colors.
Watering: in the warm season (at temperatures above 22-24 ° C) is quite plentiful, the soil should not dry out into dust. However, avoid excessive dampness, dry the upper part of the soil by about a third - Periwinkle does not tolerate boggy soil.
Fertilizer: with the formation of flowers and new leaves, cataranthus is fed with special fertilizer for ornamental flowering plants, adding it to water for watering. Top dressing about 3 times a month, it is desirable to use fertilizer with the same proportion of macronutrients, for example, the ratio of NPK 10-10-10. At the beginning of growth in the spring, for the growth of the green mass of the bush, you can add 1-2 fertilizers with a sufficient dose of nitrogen (fertilizers for deciduous plants) to the soil when transplanting humus land or a month after transplanting. Do not forget about the need of plants in minerals, it is better to choose a fertilizer with a full set of trace elements: boron, copper, molybdenum, manganese, zinc, iron.
Humidity: Cataranthus loves very humid air. It is necessary to conduct regular spraying if the hygrometer is below 50%, if below 30% you need to put the pot on a tray with wet pebbles, expanded clay or moss-sphagnum.
Transplant: Annually in the spring. The soil should be loose and have a slightly acidic reaction; when choosing soil in the store, use the one intended for planting rhododendrons (azaleas) or conifers. You can compose the soil yourself from the 1 part of the turf, the 1 part of the leaf, the 1 part of the humus, the 1 part of the pine bark and the 1 part of the small gravel. It is important that the soil is nutritious and very porous - it gets wet easily, the earthen lump is wetted evenly, and not in places. It's bad if the water after watering instantly flows along the walls in a saucer! To improve the structure of the soil, we add pine bark and gravel, but do not forget about the drainage to the bottom of the pot - about 2-3 cm. The cataranthus is not transplanted into too spacious pots.
Reproduction: Cataranthus is propagated by seed, semi-lignified or green cuttings.
Seed cataranthus
Use fresh seeds, for example, there are Gavrish seeds called Pink periwinkle on sale. Soak them before planting for 3-4 hours in room temperature water. A mixture of peat (universal peat soil) and vermiculite (perlite) in equal parts is suitable for sowing cataranthus seeds. Pour the soil into a wide and deep enough bowl moisturize, and sterilize in the microwave for 2 minutes. Seeds germinate at a temperature of 22-25 ° C, in moderately moist soil, in the dark. Therefore, the seeds need to be sprinkled with soil about 1-2 mm of earth. You do not need to specially make furrows and bury, you can spread the seeds on the surface, and sprinkle a pinch of soil on top (how to salt food ).
Crops need to be covered with film, and put on a warm windowsill. Seedlings will appear within a week. It is very important that there is enough light from the moment of germination. If sowing in spring, a light windowsill is enough, but if you want to sow cataranthus (pink periwinkle) in late summer, autumn or winter, prepare lamps for additional light, otherwise the seedlings may stretch out.
After the emergence of seedlings, wait for the development of two pairs of real leaves - they differ from cotyledons in shape, and you can start picking cataranthus in separate pots about 8-9 cm in diameter. It cannot be said that pink cataranthus grows very quickly and intensively; it can take about 1.5-2 months before a dive. All this time, it is desirable to maintain high humidity. While the seeds are just germinating, you will cover them with a film and ventilate two to three times a day, shaking off the condensate. When the seedlings begin to grow up, the film (or glass) will need to be removed, and the plate put in a transparent bag. Tie the bag and open it also for airing, after about 2-3 weeks from the appearance of seedlings, you need to accustom them to lower humidity - untie the bag and leave it open, straighten the edges up. After picking, you do not need to put the pots in a bag.
If you want to sow a lot of pink periwinkle seeds, then it is more expedient to sow in special cassettes for seedlings, several seeds per cassette, and remove unnecessary ones after germination.
