“Do you want me to get you a star from heaven?” “No, honey, I’ll grow it myself. Wash, better, dishes. ” Yes, such a dialogue may well take place if she is in love not only with a sweet, but also with a magnificent, depending on the climate, indoor or garden plant - passionflower. "And why the" star "?" - you ask. Because the passion flower for the shape of its flower is called the "cavalier star." There are over four hundred wild and hybrid species of this plant, but all of them are united by one thing - an amazing star-like flower, which varies in color and size. Passiflora blooming is truly a reward for efforts, since, having seen her flower once, it is already impossible to forget. The magnificent passionflower liana, growing from the seed of which is not difficult, grows in different parts of the globe. But it grows only in the tropics or subtropics. In indoor floriculture, only a few dozen species of passionflower are used.
Well, how to grow a "star"
A round or oval fruit in place of the flower is left after flowering with pollinated passiflora. The seeds in it ripen gradually. Before planting, they must be soaked so that they swell and sprout faster. Soil for vegetative propagation does not need to be taken too oily. It should consist of at least a third of the loam and twenty percent of the sand. For the remaining half, you can use purchased soil based on peat.
Growing a tropical plant of passionflower requires at a sufficiently high temperature - from 20º to 25º. Seeds do not need to be buried too much in the ground, a sufficient depth is 2-4 cm. The soil must not be allowed to dry, therefore it is necessary to cover the container with the buds of the future "star" with polyethylene or glass. About once a week the greenhouse needs to be aired. No matter how much you want to see the flowering of a plant such as passionflower, growing from a seed can take a fairly long period. Up to 12 months, seeds can “sit” in the ground without movement. When the sprouts hatch, you need to watch them.
If within 2 days the embryonic leaves do not open, they must be opened so that they do not stick together. The covering material can be removed when the sprouts reach a centimeter. But to accustom newborn “stars” to “harsh reality” is necessary gradually. First open them for 2-3 hours, then for half a day. If everything is normal, and the kids feel good, you can remove the covering material at all. Pickling seedlings must be carried out in the phase of the appearance of the first pair of adult leaves. Sprouts do not need to be deepened too much, but roots should not be left open.
For a plant such as passionflower, growing from seed is a very lengthy method when it comes to flowering. In order for the liana to bloom, it must first “grow up”. Plants grown from seeds bloom for 3-5 years. Moreover, they immediately need a decent volume of the pot so that the plant regains strength and does not drink all the moisture in the ground too quickly. Overdry of an earthen coma can lead to a delay in the development of the root system and, accordingly, to the removal in time of the flowering period.
The optimal volume of the pot for passionflower is up to 2 liters. In a larger volume, the “star” will not bloom until the roots occupy the entire volume of the pot. And this may not happen soon.
For lovers of passionflower plants, seed cultivation can only be recommended for commercial reproduction. A more reliable method of reproduction, which guarantees the early appearance of flowers, is the rooting of a segment of the stem. It is better if it is the tip, but the middle segment with two pairs of leaves can be rooted in water. The “star” obtained in this way will bloom in two years.