How to grow flowers

All of us are starting to do anything for the first time ever. Someone, before starting to grow flowers, asks how difficult it is, where to start, where to get it, how to root, etc. But most lovers "get sick" of houseplants suddenly, seeing a beautiful flower or fruiting tree, or having received it as a gift. And when the plant is already at home, a lot of questions arise, most of which relate to general growing issues.

Let's try to understand them again and systematize them.

Names of indoor flowers

We bring a purchase or a gift home, admire and think where to put? We are looking for a place where the plant would look spectacular, where it should be comfortable. There are a great many indoor plants, all of them belong to various families and species. Without going deep into botanical concepts, taxonomy (classification of flowering plants), we still have to know something about our plant.

The plant has, first of all, a botanical name. Usually, a self-respecting flower growing and supply firm attaches a plastic card to each pot or sticks a paper label where the species and variety of the plant should be indicated.

For example, Botanical name: Dracaena marginata Tricolor. Dracaena's first word Dracaena is the name of the entire dracena genus. Marginata marginata is the name of the species, Tricolor tricolor is the name of the variety.

But, unfortunately, plant suppliers often do not bother to compile such information cards, but stick a piece of paper, or write on a box with flowers: "Plant collection" or "Plant mix." This is generally about nothing, not the name of the species, not the genus - just plants. Usually with such tags they sell gerberas, hyacinths, etc. plants grown in huge quantities for the holiday on March 8. Therefore, if the store said that the mix variety - do not believe it, mix is literally "mixture." If you have just such a stranger, then the first step is to establish his name. The easiest way to do this is by opening a topic in the Plant Definition forum and attaching a high-quality photo.

If you cut a stalk, or brought a twig of an unknown plant from abroad, then you need to do the same - take a picture and place it in the topic on the forum, you will definitely be helped to identify it.

What do we need it for? To understand what conditions your green friend needs. You can, of course, find out by trial and error, but there is a share of risk. For example, capricious gardenias often die after purchase, from waterlogging, and some plants need special conditions: a cool dormant period with limited watering (myrtle, cicas). Therefore, if you have determined the species name of your plant, then after reading the information about it, you will have an idea of ​ ​ what conditions it needs to create for it to grow and bloom.

Transplanting a purchased flower

One of the first questions that arises with the acquisition of a new flower is whether it is necessary to transplant, when, and in what. Usually you need to transplant. Firstly, transportation pots (in which they sell) are not entirely aesthetic (but it cannot be said that they are impractical), secondly, the land in pots is usually 100% peat, and plants need more specific soils (one more nutritious, the other more loose, permeable, the third more moisture-intensive), thirdly, usually in such pots everything is filled with roots and the plant is cramped.

A healthy lush-looking plant can be transplanted almost on the day of purchase, if the conditions in the apartment do not differ much from the store ones. For example, in the OB, in the flower departments - it is very cool, and transferring a plant to a room - it is stressful for him, if we also disturb his roots, he can react by dropping leaves. Therefore, such a plant must be put on acclimatization - in other words, put in one place and let it get used to the temperature, light and watering for 2 weeks. During this time, you just need to observe. In addition, a pest or fungus may appear on the plant, and observation will allow this to detect and treat the plant.

Some growers immediately treat new flowers with insecticide and fungicide for prevention, especially if they purchase the plant in dubious places. This practice is quite justified, indeed, in pots may be, for example, the larvae of a mushroom mosquito - not the worst pest, but very unpleasant.

Fungal infections can also be fatal to flowers in some cases, especially if the plant has been watered too much in the store. For example, many orchids are susceptible to fungal infections, sometimes it is enough just to dry the substrate properly in a pot, and in other cases it is necessary to treat with fundazole.

So, if the plant is healthy, carefully transported (not damaged or frozen) - you can immediately transplant, if you doubt the health of the plant, or the conditions in which it was, wait a week - two.

What to transplant the plant into. The appearance of the pot is a matter of taste. Which pot - plastic or clay - is the same. Pay attention to the following: it is desirable that the pan at the pot is not very small (so that excess water does not flow out), and there are good drainage holes at the bottom. Clay pots have a difference - some are glazed from the inside, others are not. Those that are covered, in fact, do not differ from plastic ones - they do not absorb some of the water, like those that are not covered with glaze. So, the frequency of watering will differ.

Pot size is very important. Some plants do not like too spacious pots (zamioculcas, many other succulents, they are not cramped, even if the roots filled the whole pot), and some need spacious pots and a supply of nutrients (for example, palm trees). But there is no need to select a pot with a large margin, with excessive humidity (and this can happen by accident, if after watering the plant on the balcony, it gets colder), the earth turns sour, "does not breathe" and the roots rot.

Leaf stains

After the transplant question is determined, the following often arises: "what is it on the leaves"? Spots, sick?

There are many reasons for the appearance of spots, you need to consider each specific case, having a "medical history" before your eyes (how often the plant is watered, when transplanted, what was fed) and clear photos, questions can be asked on the forum. The most likely causes: frostbite of the plant during transportation home, sunburn, waterlogging of the earth, overfilling with fertilizers or lack of nutrition, mechanical damage, chemical burn (for example, from spraying with zircon).

It happens that due to a change in the watering mode (the store watered with a different frequency), changes in the leaves occur on the plant. If you water more than required, too often, or the ground does not dry out for a long time, stains may appear on the plants. Moreover, it is often difficult to distinguish from what they are: overfilling or waterlogging. In both cases, they may be dry, brown, with or without yellowness. In order not to guess, you need to touch the soil, digging it deeper in the pot. Sometimes the ground on top is damp, and inside it is wet, if you get the plant out of the pot, the roots have partially rotted.

Therefore, if spots appear on the flower, first of all, make sure that you do not water too often. It must also be said that the vast majority of plants, even those from the humid tropics, tolerate overdrying more easily in indoor conditions than overflow. For example, ficuses, orchids, dracens, anthuriums, gardenias, etc.

Another reason for the appearance of spots, as well as chlorosis, wrinkling and twisting of leaves - overfilling with fertilizers. Sometimes, amateur flower growers with increased zeal "take care" of the flowers, feeding immediately after transplantation (when the supply of nutrients has not yet been used up), spraying with various stimulants, both in winter and summer. And an excess of chemical elements in the soil is as harmful as a lack of them.

Place for flowers

Where to put flowers so that they are light. The concept of "stands in a bright place" is very abstract, everyone interprets as they like. In recommendations for caring for a plant, there are usually three options for attitude to light:

There are very few plants belonging to the first group, most need direct sunlight, in the morning, evening or throughout the day, but usually with the exception of the hottest midday hours - this is from 11 to 16 on the southern and southwestern windowsill.

Bright scattered light is a stream of sunlight pouring through a transparent material - through a tulle curtain, mesh, veil, and even through the openwork foliage of nearby trees. The denser the tulle on the windows, the less light it transmits and the closer the plants need to be placed to the window. Very good scattered light near the solar window gives organza - a thin transparent material, if it is light in color, sheds enough so that the plant does not get burns next to it and at the same time creates not too strong shading so that the shoots of the plant are pulled out from lack of light.

The veil and organza with a printed pattern, as well as the usual tulle - much denser fabrics, hide the light significantly, and the plants behind such a curtain will be dark in autumn and winter, and especially photophilous in summer by the south window.

If the recommendations for plant care say "bright diffused light" - this means that such a flower can be placed on the eastern windowsill, on the north, north-west, sometimes southeast, if they are not shaded from the street. If you have 1-2 floors and trees outside the windows, then it will be dark on the northern, northeastern and northwestern windowsills.

If you have unshaded windows facing south, southwest, you can only put very light-loving ones on such windowsills, for example, cacti, some other succulents, not all plants will stand on the western windowsill either. The eastern windows differ from the western ones not in the intensity of the sun's rays, but in temperature! On the eastern window it is much cooler, from the night the temperature is just beginning to rise. In the west, the sun comes when the daytime temperature is maximum, and this combination on the southern and western windows - heat and sun, just cannot stand most indoor plants.

So, when choosing a place for a new plant in the house, take into account, first of all, its photophilicity and your capabilities. If natural light is not enough, organize additional light, fortunately, incandescent lamps remained in the last century, and LED lamps and daylight lamps are quite available.

Those who buy indoor flowers in order to decorate them not with a windowsill, but a room, especially, must take care of additional lighting. Only a healthy beautiful plant with an appearance characteristic of its species can decorate, and not an elongated specimen with liquid leaves.

In addition, in conditions of short daylight hours from October (in cloudy weather from September) to the end of February, plants in rooms and on the northern windowsills (or any others shaded from the street) are illuminated additionally for 8-10 hours, usually in the morning and evening (for example, from 6 to 9 hours and from 18 to 23 hours). In this case, the illumination should be at least 1000 lux. It is necessary to focus on the need of various plants for illumination: for shade-tolerant plants 1500 lux, and for flowering plants and cacti - at least 5000 lux, for good growth about 8000 lux.

But the need for light also depends on the temperature in the room, if it is cool in winter, about 12-14 ° C (it could be said cold, but rooms where 8-10 ° C are considered cold for flowers), then plants can more easily tolerate the lack of light, because all life processes are slowed down and a period of rest ensues.

What

land to plant

Another common question is which land to take for planting flowers and which one to choose from those sold in the store. If you buy, then so far the most popular with good reviews are "Terra vita," "Fasco." See the article "Soil for plants."

But these are universal soils, containing mainly peat (horse and lowland in different proportions) and some sand. For some plants, especially large ones, long-livers, with a strong root system, peat land is too light and poorly nutritious, nutrients are quickly consumed from it, and the plant begins to starve. Therefore, for such plants (palm trees, old ficuses, oranges, lemons, strelitzia, diffenbachia, etc.), turf land must be added to the ground. Sod land in its pure form is usually not sold in the store, it may be part of some soils, for example, Auriki Gardens for bonsai. And you can prepare it in a meadow by cutting off a layer of turf. It must be sifted from scraps of meadow grass roots.

For some plants, loose, nutritious and light earth is needed, then leafy earth, or leaf humus, can become the main component. It is recruited under deciduous trees, usually birch and linden trees. Last year's leaves are raked and the top layer of the earth is removed. Such land is especially well suited to many ferns, marant, bromeliad, and is added to the substrate for many other plants.

In addition to turf, leaf earth and peat, other components are added to the substrate for indoor plants - moss, vermiculite (perlite), bark, zeolite granules, fine expanded clay, charcoal, coconut fiber (or chips) and river sand. Sphagnum moss is added to increase soil moisture retention. If the plant is prone to rot, does not tolerate waterlogging, then it is simply dangerous to add moss, but coconut chips are perfect (they do not rot). And sphagnum moss can be added without fear only to marant, some aroid and ferns - plants that naturally grow in the lower tier of the rainforest.

Zeolite crumb and vermiculite help well when planting rooted cuttings. The fact is that cuttings rooted in water form roots that differ from the roots formed in the ground. They are completely covered with water-trapping hairs, literally white and fluffy in appearance. Sometimes, when planting such cuttings in the ground, they freeze in growth and even die. This may be due to either excessive watering of the handle (the earth turns sour, the roots rot) or vice versa, drying out (when the hairs on the roots instantly dry out). In order for the cuttings to adapt to the change of habitat, when transplanted into a pot, a hole is made in the ground, the roots of the cuttings are placed and vermiculite or zeolite crumbs are covered. They maintain a moist environment around the roots, but do not stick together and prevent the roots from rotting. Gradually, the stalk grows and grows new roots already in the ground.