Freesia is related to kasatikovymi. Her homeland is South America. There are about 20 species of these decorative flowering plants.
But as a potted plant, hybrid freesia (Freesia hybrida) is grown. This plant is 50-60 cm tall, with narrow linear leaves 20 cm long and 2 cm wide. Potted freesia has an inflorescence on a long peduncle and carries about a dozen flowers. The shape of the flowers is funnel-shaped, 6 cm in diameter, very fragrant (reminiscent of the smell of lily of the valley), and their color is very different: all shades of red, yellow, white, lilac, purple.
To maintain a normal shape, the leaves of the plant need a garter to support, in another case, they will hang, break, and the bush will look unattractive.
In the article, we will talk about what care does freesia need at home. At the same time, we note right away that freesia is a rather capricious plant, therefore, before growing it, you should familiarize yourself with the list of requirements presented by it. Actually, here they are.
Freesia: growing a house. Essential Care Tips
Location, care and temperature. During the growing season, freesia at home should be kept in a temperature range of 20 to 25 degrees. When the plant fades, the dry flower stalk needs to be cut off, while the leaves fade and die. In the same period, it is necessary to reduce watering, because there comes a time of rest. It is only necessary to moisten the soil occasionally, and for a month or two, freesia at home continues to be kept in a dry and warm place, because just at that moment new bulbs begin to form. After this, the bulbs should be removed from the ground and stored until planting at a temperature of 15 degrees (only not in the cellars and in the refrigerator).
Lighting. Room freesia needs bright sunlight without shading.
Air humidity. The plant prefers moist air, needs regular spraying, especially on hot summer days (and shading is necessary after spraying freesia, otherwise it has a chance to get burns).
Watering. During flowering, freesia at home needs abundant watering, and when germinating bulbs, watering should already be moderate, but also regular. Since the bulbs can easily rot, excessive moisture and dampness in the pot should be avoided.
Fertilizers Freesia needs to be fertilized during periods of growth, the appearance of buds and its flowering. Fertilize the plant with mineral fertilizers every two weeks. Of the fertilizers for freesia, Kemira Suite is perfect. This plant is also very responsive to the introduction of phosphorus and potassium: per liter of water 2g and 3g, respectively. And in the first months, you can add nitrogen (2 grams per liter of water), or give freesia complex fertilizer. Only after flowering is complete, watering is also completed.
The soil. For room freesia, you can use a store soil mixture for bulbs or prepare it yourself, taking equal parts of leafy and humus soil, and adding a little sand. The bottom of the pot must necessarily have a drainage layer and drainage holes so that the bulb of the plant does not rot due to excess or stagnation of moisture. You can add a little bit of charcoal to the soil . Do not forget that freesia at home needs a very spacious pot.
Freesia transplant - every year, only after preliminary maintenance of the plant in a warm room. When replanting, corms are sorted out, leaving the best, small ones, and the woody ones are thrown out. The soil for transplanting: humus, leaf, peat land and sand or ready-made land for bulbs.
Reproduction. Freesia propagates by seeds or bulbs. Seeds should be sown in March or April in peaty loose soil, in which case flowering will occur in the fall, and seeds will sprout in the interval from 10 to 15 days. If bulbs are planted, it is necessary to do this in the middle of spring, digging them completely into the ground to a depth of about 5 cm. Freesia propagates very easily at home, daughter bulbs and seeds can be planted for a whole year. In this case, the main condition for leaving for intensive development, successful growth and flowering of freesia is a fairly large amount of light.
Growing freesia at home is a great solution! Although she is a little capricious in leaving, she is very pleased with her charm and aroma.