Tigridia, cultivated and cared for in Europe since the end of the eighteenth century, was imported from Mexico.
The Aztec tribes believed that it helps prevent stomach pain and fever. The plant, which boasts the presence of 25 species, is a representative of the iris family. A tigridia bulb with a diameter of up to 30 millimeters, as a rule, consists of flakes of open shape in an amount of 2 to 6. An interesting feature of the vegetation of this flower was that at its final stage many new corms form. Their number depends on the number of scales. Tigridium flowers bloom one by one, in turn. The middle part of each of them is cup-shaped and covered with many dots of crimson color. Three huge petals give a particularly striking decorative look to the flower. In addition, the
stamens and pistils are distinguished by an openwork design. There are separate varieties of plants in which the tigridium flower in size reaches fifteen centimeters, while the petals receive a yellow, red or pink color. In most cases, up to 5 shoots with the same number of buds grow from one corm. The height of the cranked stem of this plant ranges from 35 to 65 cm.
Preparing a landing site
Since trigidia is considered a thermophilic crop, a place for planting should be selected well-lit by the sun. It is very important to choose the right soil for such a plant as tigridium, the cultivation and care of which is carried out on a personal plot. The soil should be loose, slightly alkaline and light. Before planting, it must be fed with the addition of humus or compost. Otherwise, the plant will grow very poorly.
Landing and care
Now you can begin to plant tigridium corms. Growing and caring for this plant begins only after the completion of all spring frosts. If young shoots fall under their action, then they may die, so the second half of May is considered the ideal time. Corms need to be planted at a distance of about 20 cm from each other to a depth of 10 cm. The process of initial development of this plant is very fast - in half a month sprouts will appear on the surface. As for irrigation, tigridia, cultivated and maintained on its own site, likes a moderate amount of water. Do not forget about the need for plant nutrition, which should be carried out during the first months of summer. It must be performed every few weeks, while alternating mineral complex fertilizers with organic ones. As practice shows, tigridia looks very nice together with conifers or ornamental shrubs, as well as on the background of lawn grass.
Winter preparations
The corms of the plant must be dug up before the first frost, in other words, until the first half of October. After that, the ground part is cut off, and the remaining part is dried for a month. Further, until the next landing, they must be stored in a dark, dry and cool place.