Lisianthus - an elegant and unusually beautiful plant - appeared in our country relatively recently. Other names by which the lisianthus flower is known are eustoma, as well as "Irish" or "Japanese rose." Such qualities as a variety of varieties, shades and a long lifespan of lisianthus were highly appreciated by professional florists. Boutonnieres, flower wreaths and bracelets, a luxurious bouquet of eustoma brides - these accessories are at the peak of popularity today.
But amateur gardeners of Lisianthus will surely also like it. This article contains tips and tricks for gardeners planning to start growing lisianthus plants, photo flowers. How to grow an "Irish rose"?
Lisianthus feels rather well in the garden, and under indoor conditions this original plant can serve as a decoration for many years. What do you need to know for those who decided to grow lisianthus (see photo of flowers in the article)?
Growing Features
- Lysianthus flower can be perennial only if it is grown in room conditions. Eustoma lives in open ground for one year, dying in the fall not only in the regions of central Russia, but also in the south of the country.
- Irish roses require a uniform, nutritious, loose soil with a small sand content. A mixture of peat, sand and humus from wood bark is ideal. The substrate can be mixed independently or purchased ready-made slightly acidic primer for Saintpaulia. In the latter case, gardeners recommend growing eustoma on peat tablets.
- It is extremely important to use a suitable dressing for seeds - fertilizer with a high content of potassium and nitrogen.
- Irish rose is a photophilous plant. The flower grows best in a well-lit and ventilated room at temperatures up to 18 degrees. Hot direct sunlight eustome contraindicated.
- It is impossible to apply top dressing with a high phosphorus content for eustoma.
Ways to get shoots
Unlike roses, it is almost impossible to get a new plant from the cuttings. In order to grow a lisianthus flower, in the store or through special sites you need to buy a ready-made shoot or plant seeds.
It is enough to transplant ready-made seedlings of eustoma into a flower pot of a suitable size or plant it in the ground and provide care. Growing methods from the seeds of a delicate Irish rose for a garden or as a houseplant are slightly different. To begin, consider how to get a lysianthus flower from seeds, the cultivation of which is planned at home.
Growing from seeds at home
The first difficulty that you may encounter is very small eustoma seeds (about 10,000 seeds are contained in one gram of material). There is a little trick to uniformly sowing lisianthus: small seeds are mixed with a small amount of well-sifted, clean, dry sand. Often for the convenience of customers, lisianthus seeds are sold in a special “capsule” of nutrient material and fertilizer, 6-10 pieces per pack. Such seed has a high germination capacity and does not need additional fertilizing.
Lysianthus seeds begin to germinate in the second or third week of February. A ceramic pot with drainage holes is filled as follows:
- Drainage layer (regular expanded clay is suitable).
- Soil substrate. In this case, leave a distance of 1-2 cm from the edge of the pot to the ground for air circulation.
Seeds without a shell are sown, not sprinkled with soil on top, and sprayed with warm water. Seeds in the shell are placed in the topsoil at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. Top the pot should be covered with a transparent film or glass, be sure to leave slots for air. Condensation accumulating on the surface of the coating must be removed.
For the entire germination period, the air temperature in the room should be within 20-25 degrees. Watering the seeds is not required. Soil is occasionally sprayed with warm water to prevent the soil from drying out.
The first shoots of lisianthus appear in 10-15 days. After the appearance of the first shoots, the coating (glass or film) must be removed during the day so that the seedlings gradually adapt to the external conditions and the soil is saturated with oxygen.
Pick
Young plants dive on the 6-8th week. By this time, the flower will grow stronger, several pairs of leaves will appear. Shoots dive into small individual containers with peat substrate along with a lump of soil. If natural small seeds were used for sowing, it is better to dive plants in 4-6 pieces. Seedlings obtained from seeds in a “capsule” can be dived one at a time. Next, the pots are placed in a shaded cool room with an air temperature of not more than 18-20 degrees.
Care and watering
Young plants grown up to 10 cm in length are transplanted into separate flower pots with a diameter of 10-15 cm. The roots of lisianthus are too tender, in the future it is extremely undesirable to transplant the flower. Therefore, you must immediately pick up the pots of the right size.
For the same reason, lisianthus is transplanted exclusively by transshipment:
- Soil for planting is prepared in a flower pot. A hole is made in the center, corresponding in depth to the height of the dive container.
- Gently pressing on the container with the plant, the flower is taken out with the soil and placed in a flower pot. It is very important not to damage the root system.
- The earth around the plant is crushed a little to fix the eustoma in a pot.
After transplanting, eustoma flowers need to create comfortable conditions for growth. Plants should be placed in a well-ventilated area with an air temperature of 20-25 degrees during the day, 15-18 degrees at night. Water the flower once every few days, as soon as the soil dries up 5 cm in depth. Watering is carried out carefully, using a spray gun, without overfilling the plant and trying not to spray water on the leaves.
Do not forget about the right lighting. A luminous place near a window, protected from direct sunlight, is best for Lisianthus.
How to grow Irish rose seedlings for the garden?
In the summer, not only a room, but also flower beds in the garden can be decorated with blooming lisianthus. How to grow an Irish rose in open ground?
In order to grow lisianthus seedlings that are maximally adapted to street conditions, you will need a small greenhouse. A step-by-step procedure for germinating seedlings in a greenhouse is as follows:
- Sowing seeds produced in March - April.
- The greenhouse is placed in a place with good lighting, not exposed to direct sunlight.
- A layer of peat substrate about 2-3 cm, heated to 22-25 degrees, is introduced under the coating. Lysianthus seeds are planted on the surface of the soil. To moisten the soil, it is sometimes necessary to sprinkle water, but most often the earth remains damp throughout the germination period due to evaporation of moisture.
- For the period of germination, the seeds must be installed with additional illumination with a fluorescent lamp at least 10 hours a day.
- As the seedlings grow, weather permitting, the plants begin to adapt to the external environment. For this, the greenhouse is ventilated during the day through several openings-windows.
- It is recommended that crops be periodically treated with a solution of phytosporin - this will avoid infection with the "black leg".
- After 6 weeks, seedlings dive in the manner described above. Containers with young plants can be stored in the greenhouse.
When and how to plant seedlings in open ground?
Lysianthus is planted in open ground not earlier than the end of May, after the last frosts. The soil for flowers should be prepared: make wood humus and mineral fertilizers, thoroughly loosen. For transplantation, you should choose a sunny place in the garden, protected from the wind.
Lysianthus should be planted from the container into the ground along with the soil without damaging the root system. For the first time, 10-15 days, a small shelter is created for the plants. After the flowers have finally adapted, the protective cover can be removed.
Care for lisianthus in the garden
It is recommended to water lisianthus using a garden watering can, trying not to fall on the leaves. The irrigation rule is invariable: do not overdry and do not fill. Regular top dressing with mineral fertilizers containing trace elements is required, about once every three or four weeks. If necessary, weeding and loosening can be carried out, but being careful not to damage the roots of plants.
To prolong the life of lisianthus, a garden plant in the fall can be transplanted into a flower pot and transferred to a house. If you create the conditions described above for an Irish rose, the eustoma will remain for several years.
Of course, in addition to watering and comfortable conditions, lisianthus, like many other indoor plants, will need careful care. For an Irish rose, it is necessary to use top dressing at least once a month. You should also treat the plant in a timely manner, carry out treatment from pests. But this painstaking work will not be left without reward. The delicate and elegant flower of lisianthus will delight the owner for years, bringing comfort to the interior and serving as a decoration for the house.