Clove grass is a variety of flowers that grow in the wild. However, recently they have been increasingly used in landscape design, since they look great on almost any personal plot. Description of cloves of grass, planting and care for it, as well as methods of plant breeding - you can read about all this later in the article.
What does a flower look like
The grass has been known to people since time immemorial. Many, both historians and biologists, are convinced that this plant adorned the flower beds of most of the then noble people at least 2 thousand years ago.
In areas located in the middle latitudes, this wild carnation usually begins to bloom somewhere in the middle of June, and it lasts about 45 days. Usually, the grass sprouts at more than +15 ⁰C, and its seeds germinate under favorable conditions on the ninth or tenth day after sowing.
Clove grass is a perennial crop belonging to European plant species. Her life is limited to 4-6 years. This flower has the appearance of a bush and consists of several stems no more than 40 cm long. Leaves about 3 mm wide have a pale green hue. Each shoot has one inflorescence. Their color depends on the variety and has a fairly wide palette.
Due to this diversity, the plant has won a huge number of fans both among amateur gardeners and landscape designers. The main colors of wild cloves are purple and pale pink, however, varieties are more and more common, the inflorescences of which have several completely different shades at once.
How to grow cloves from seeds
It is worth noting that this method of breeding in flower growers is not very popular, as it has a number of disadvantages. Of course, this is much easier to work than with seedlings, but this can lead to unexpected results. For example, when sowing cloves, the grass sometimes grows with inflorescences of different shades. In addition, in too close proximity, it gives weak shoots, which often die due to insufficient nutrients, as well as due to weeds clogging them.
The soil should be prepared for sowing either in late April or early May. The first step is to disinfect the soil in order to get rid of various pests and fungal diseases. Sowing grass seeds is desirable in limited containers. These flowers love heat, so the temperature in the room in which they will be located should vary between +16 ... + 20 ⁰C for two weeks. Under such conditions, the seeds will sprout faster, and young plants will have time to grow stronger. They are planted in the ground only when at least four pairs of full leaves appear on the shoot.
Breeding with seedlings
This method is most suitable for grass (photo of cloves posted in this article). The vegetative method of its breeding is represented by three procedures: propagation by layering, cuttings and division of the bush. Next, consider a little more detail.
- Reproduction by layering. This technique is rarely used by flower growers due to the fact that in this case rather long stems are needed. First you need to make a small incision in the place where the lower internode is located. After this, the appendage must be twisted so that it starts to “look up”. Now the place of the cut needs to be covered with earth and slightly watered. When the roots appear on it, the process is carefully separated from the maternal shoot.
- Cuttings. For this operation, which is performed at the end of spring, you need to choose suitable shoots with a length of not more than 10 cm. Directly under the node, you need to make a small cut and break off the lower leaves. The shoots are placed in a pre-prepared substrate and provide increased humidity. This can be achieved by covering them with agrofibre or a plastic bag.
- Division of the bush. A similar method of breeding and planting cloves of grass is considered the most optimal and predictable. This became possible due to the fact that the plant, in fact, is a small bush, and if the division process is carried out at the end of March, then it will bloom in the same year.
Care
Clove grass is a wild-growing crop; therefore, it is initially an unpretentious plant. Timely top dressing with organic fertilizers and periodic watering will achieve excellent results in its cultivation and breeding. However, it must be remembered that the grass does not like excessive moisture. That is why you need to water the plant in a dosed manner, while avoiding stagnation of water.
If strong, powerful shoots have already formed on the grass, you can be sure that the bush has become frost-resistant. Now he can easily survive the cold, so even in the winter months it is not necessary to cover him with something.
Disease
In open ground, clove grass is susceptible to the effects of dampness. It is for this reason that the plant often suffers from various diseases. In addition, it does not like the soil to be too saturated with nitrogen, and, conversely, poor in potassium. This must be taken into account when choosing a place for planting grass. Based on this, this plant can not be fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
Wild cloves are most often affected by such diseases:
- Fusarium, which delays the development of both stems and flowers;
- alternariosis, contributing to the gradual death of the plant after brown spots appear on its leaves and stems;
- rust, which must be combated by removing diseased leaves and applying fungicide to the remaining affected parts of the plant;
- mottling, manifested in the form of spots and changes in the shape of the flowers themselves.
Pests and methods of dealing with them
Most often, bear and earwigs bother cloves with grass. They damage the shoots and roots of the plant. Earwigs are very easy to catch if spreading wet fresh grass on the boards. They will begin to hide under it from the scorching sun. Here are a few options for getting rid of the bear:
- in cold weather, special traps are set on these insects;
- pests can be destroyed if a saturated solution made from laundry soap is poured into their minks;
- if in the autumn they dig the earth, insects will appear on the surface, and since they do not like the cold, most of them will die;
- at a certain distance from the plants they dig a hole and fill it with manure (the bears will certainly gather there for the winter); in the spring they dig a hole and destroy insects.
Beneficial features
Wild cloves are not only beautiful and fragrant, but also belong to the category of medicinal plants. It contains a number of useful substances, such as vitamin C and carotene, flavonoids and coumarins, glycosides and saponins.
It is used in the following diseases and conditions:
- pain in the abdomen and chest;
- colon pathology;
- headaches and migraines;
- nausea, vomiting, and cramps;
- rheumatism and allergies;
- high pressure.
Collection and storage
The medicinal raw material of cloves is its ground surface. During the collection, which is carried out during the flowering period, flowers are cut together with leaves and stems no more than 10 cm long. They are dried under a canopy, after collecting the plants in a bunch. You can also spread them somewhere in the attic, but not with a very thick layer.
Dried raw materials must be removed in a dark, dry and cool place, folded in bags made of some natural fabric. Shelf life should not exceed two years.