Bulbous plants are always elegant and unusually spectacular, but their flowering period is usually short. Most representatives of this group open in the spring. Flaring up with fireworks of colors for a week or two, they fall asleep until next year, and their ground part dies.
The elegant beauty of the acidantra behaves in a completely different way. Planting and caring for it have features, as it blooms closer to autumn. In August and September, a charming acidanthera will decorate your garden with large fragrant flowers similar to stars, and throughout the summer it will delight you with lush green leaves. In the article we will introduce you to how to grow this plant in the open ground and at home.
General information
Acidanthera, the landing and care of which we will consider in this article, arrived in Europe from hot African countries. In nature, it is still found in Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Malawi.
The name Acidantera bicolor (two-tone) she wore until 2010. Now, according to the classification system APG, this flower is a representative of the Iris family and the genus Shpazhnikov and is called the gladiolus Muriel. If you see on sale bulbs or seeds of such a plant, know that this is the acidantra.
Landing and caring for it does not cause difficulties. So feel free to buy this plant. You will not be disappointed.
Botanical Description
Acidanthera is assigned to the family of Shpazhnikov due to its leaves. They have a saber shape (flat, long, not very wide, pointed at the end). The leaf blade is saturated green, has a pronounced longitudinal groove. The length of the sheet can reach 60-80 cm.
The root system of the plant is formed by corms. Therefore, the basic rules for planting Acidanthera bicolor and caring for it are in many ways similar to those developed for other bulbs.
This plant is appreciated for its spectacular flowers. Their aroma is similar to that possessed by daffodils, only more subtle. Acidanthera throws up strong erect pedicels up to 1 m high. Large flowers bloom up to 8 cm in diameter. The corolla consists of 6 pointed petals - 3 larger external and 3 internal. Their color is snow-white, but closer to the center on each there is a contrasting dark cherry, purple or dark raspberry spot.
Where to plant
Planting acidants in the open ground and caring for it should be based on the fact that this beauty came from places with a hot climate. Therefore, she needs to find a sunny spot in the garden.
In the shadow of the acidanthera practically does not bloom, although it does not die. She will also be comfortable in light partial shade, but the sun's rays should warm her at least 2-3 hours a day.
Acidanthera flower, planting and care of which is considered in our article, is not picky about the soil. Slightly acidic and neutral soils are excellent for him. It is important that they are light and breathable. If your soil is clayey, add a little peat and sand to it, mix thoroughly and plant onion roots in such a mixture.
He loves the water of the acidanthera, but with its excess it hurts and begins to wither. To avoid this, before planting corms, drainage is necessary in the ground. For this, a layer (from 10 to 20 cm) of small gravel or screenings is laid on the flower bed, and the earth is already poured on top. Where it rains frequently, drainage needs to be made more thorough.
Landing time
The climatic and weather conditions of the area also depend on the timing of planting acidaceans in the open ground and caring for it throughout the entire growing season. In most regions of Russia, this plant is planted in flowerbeds in the spring, when warm days are established, and the earth warms up to a depth of 10 cm or more. For each region, these terms are different.
If you live in a climatic zone where the summer is very short, planting and care of acidants should only be carried out in a greenhouse or in a house.
If the temperature in your climate zone does not drop below -5 ° C, you can plant acidacea in open ground in the fall. In this case, the plant itself will determine when it will start growing in spring. But even in these regions, a piece of land with planted corms needs to be covered with mulch (a layer of at least 15 cm) or spruce branches when the air temperature drops to zero.
Landing process
They begin by carefully sorting the corms of the plant, since during the winter they may appear mold or other damage. To kill germs, planting material must be lowered into a potassium permanganate solution for 15-20 minutes, and then dried a little.
Then they dig a flowerbed, the earth is raked by a rake. For each bulb, pits are made, with a depth of up to 10 cm. It is recommended to maintain a distance between them of 15-20 cm, since the acidantra forms a rather magnificent bunch of leaves. Bulbs are placed in the pits, they are covered with earth, watered.
Here, in principle, is the entire landing of the acidaceans of two-tone. And looking after her is just as simple. Consider what it will be.
How to care for a flower grown in open field
All that is required of you is to water your "African" on time. Acidanthera does not like when the soil dries up, so you have to make sure that this does not happen. However, stagnation of moisture for it is also fatal. Therefore, it can not be flooded heavily.
In addition to these simple manipulations, you will have to break through the weeds and pick off the flowers that have wilted. To bloom more magnificent, it is recommended to feed the acidifier with complex fertilizers once a month, according to the instructions attached to them.
In the fall, when its leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out, you need to dig up Kleinelukovici, dry them for several hours in the shade, and examine for damage. Patients will have to be thrown away, and healthy should be put in a cardboard box filled with a substrate and stored until spring. Sawdust, moss sphagnum, foam balls will do. Some growers in the fall transplant corms into pots of earth and place them in a room on a windowsill.
Vegetative propagation
Acidanthera propagates vegetatively and by seed. The first method is most preferable, since it is less trouble, and the flowering of a young plant can be seen next year.
In the fall, when you dig onions, you will see many children on them. Leave everything to winter as it is, and in the spring, before planting, separate them. Children need to be landed in a separate box, at least 15 cm high, filled with loose fertile soil. They are buried in the soil by 4-5 cm and watered. The box is placed in a warm, sunny place. Here the bulbs will grow, gain strength, and next spring they can be planted on a flower bed. An adult corm in diameter can reach 4-5 cm. Its life span is up to 6 years.
Seed propagation
Acidanthera flowers are very fragrant and attractive to pollinating insects. Planting and caring for the plant, carried out according to the above rules, help to get fruits in the fall. They are seed boxes. And so that they ripen, you do not need to pick flowers that begin to fade.
It is not difficult to grow acidantra from seeds, but it is troublesome, and flowering with this method of reproduction will have to wait 3-4 years.
In winter (preferably in January) you need to prepare a container for germinating seeds. It is thoroughly washed and filled with soil calcined in the oven, which includes garden soil, vermiculite, sand, peat. All components are taken in equal proportions. The soil must be moistened with a spray gun, made a match with small grooves and sow seeds in them. From above they can be lightly sprinkled with the same soil. Stratification of seed is not required. It is advisable to cover the container with glass or polyethylene and put on a sunny warm window sill.
During seed germination, the soil must be kept moist. Usually shoots appear together. When you see 2 real leaves on the sprouts, you need to make a pick, placing each plant in a separate pot. In summer, young acidants can be planted on a flower bed, but you can not rush and grow them in pots until next spring.
Use in landscape design
Acidanthera always attracts glances, as it looks very impressive. It is advisable to plant it in company with flowers that are shorter, for example, with begonia or with alissum. It also looks great against the background of ground cover plants.
Acidantera is able to create a bright accent in rockeries, alpine hills. It can be planted near the gazebo or porch of the house. It will be appropriate everywhere. The main thing is not to place it next to lush tall flowers.
Window sill cultivation
The rules for planting acidants at home and caring for it are practically no different from those recommended for growing a flower in open ground.
You need to purchase a wide pot with a height of at least 15 cm. There should be drainage holes on its bottom. Inside, the pot should be disinfected with boiling water, and a layer of drainage should be laid on the bottom, for example, small pebbles previously calcined in the oven. Next, the tank is filled with soil, the pH of which is 6-7, and the composition includes humus, sand, turf land, peat. All components are taken in equal quantities. Soil must also be placed in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Corms are planted in a few pieces (the amount depends on the diameter of the pot). The distance between them must be maintained at about 4-5 cm. They are buried in the ground by 4-6 cm and watered. The pot is placed on a sunny windowsill. The temperature here should not fall below +20 ° C. In summer, home acidanthera can be put on the balcony. The soil in the pot should be slightly moist at all times. You need to feed the plant with complex mineral fertilizers.
Varieties
Recall that recently, the flower we are describing is called the gladiolus Muriel (or Muriel). We studied the planting of acidicans and caring for it and now we will tell you what varieties of this beautiful flower exist.
- Acidantera is tropical. This is a very spectacular plant with white flowers, on the petals of which there are pink-raspberry circles. On one peduncle, up to 10 flowers can bloom simultaneously.
- Tender two-tone white looks gentle. Planting and caring for her are the same as for her cousin with a dark spot on the petals. From the name you can understand that the acidites of White have pure white petals, without circles, spots or strokes. This is the most fragrant variety.
- Acidanthera is malignant. It differs from others in narrower and longer leaves. The flowers of the representatives of the variety are pale pink. Each petal has dark crimson longitudinal stripes.
- Acidanthera is short tubular. In the flowers of this variety, the petals are not pointed, but rounded, pale pink or lilac. Each has bright longitudinal stripes and a spectacular raspberry stain.
Diseases and Pests
Acidanthera can only suffer from improper care. If the plants are heavily flooded with water, corms may begin to rot. In this case, they will have to be thrown away, but children, if the disease has not affected them, can be saved. As a prophylaxis against rot of corms, they must be treated with fungicide before laying them for storage and before planting.
Acidanthera is also affected by powdery mildew and rust. These are fungal diseases. If a white or bright orange coating is found on the leaves of the plant, it is urgent to treat the flower with a Bordeaux mixture.
Of the pests, acidants are often attacked by snails and slugs. You need to collect them manually.
Sometimes you can see on the leaves of the plant thrips (small black insects, whose body size is up to 2 mm). In this case, a single treatment with insecticides, such as Komfiboy, Imidor, Tanrek and their analogues, is required.
Aphids also love to parasitize on acidicer. To combat this insect, there are many folk methods. The most effective are spraying plants with a soap solution or kefir diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2.