If you want to grow something unusual and bright on the windowsill, you should definitely pay attention to the catharanthus. Growing from seeds and grafting are the main ways of propagating it. No one can accurately determine the homeland of a flower, because it is found in the tropics of the Old and New Worlds, as well as on the island of Madagascar, and therefore it is considered a "cosmopolitan."
For a long time, the cataractus was compared with a periwinkle, believing that it was his brother. Plants do have an external resemblance. In rainy tropics on the fringes of forests you can meet a catharanthus. Growing from seeds there goes by itself, so there are so many plants that they take it for weeds. Due to the fact that the flower grows in warm countries, it does not tolerate our frosts, therefore it is grown either in the open ground as an annual or as a room flower.
In flower shops, almost no adult catharanthus is found. Growing from seeds is the only way to get this beautiful plant. For starters, containers with light and nutritious soil are prepared. Then the seeds are processed with potassium permanganate and sown in the soil, they should not be buried, only slightly sprinkled with earth. The container is placed on the windowsill and covered with film or glass, the room temperature should be 25-30 ° C. Three weeks later, shoots appear.
Young seedlings grow very quickly, so by the summer you will have to dive repeatedly before planting them in open ground or in a separate pot for indoor cultivation. Cataractus from seeds sometimes grows arbitrarily. Even at room conditions, flowers often turn into fruits, from which seeds enter the soil. Young seedlings need to be planted from an adult plant.
Katarantus grows very quickly, so over the summer it needs to be transplanted several times in pots of different sizes. Transplantation is only good for him, increases the flowering. When the roots completely cover the earthen lump, the catharanthus ceases to grow. Growing from seeds involves constant transplanting of seedlings with a gradual increase in the diameter of the pot. If this is not done, then the lower leaves will turn yellow and fall, the appearance of the flower will deteriorate.
Katarantus belongs to photophilous plants, but it must be hidden from direct sunlight. In summer, she feels great outdoors, but it needs to be hidden from precipitation. In the warm season, can withstand up to 30 ° C, and in winter it is kept at a temperature of 15 ° C. For better branching, young plants should be pinched, and in the summer, weekly fertilize.
There are several ways in which catharanthus propagates. Growing from seeds is the main one, and is suitable for those who do not have an adult plant. If there is an adult flower, then its shoots can be pruned, thereby updating it and getting cuttings that can be planted and get new plants. Katarantus is afraid of aphids and scale insects, so you need to monitor if pests have appeared on the leaves. After transplanting or pruning, you need to thoroughly wash your hands or work with gloves, because the plant is poisonous.