Primrose flowers belong to the family Primrose. In nature, they can be found in Africa, Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. In spring, this flower is one of the first to appear from under the snow. In Greece, primrose has always been considered a medicinal plant. And the Germans in ancient times believed that primrose was the key. In Europe, this plant appeared in the 16th century. But especially love primrose flower in England. There are annual exhibitions of these primroses. This is an amazing sight to visit.
Description
The family of these flowers has about five hundred species. It is considered one of the most numerous among other primroses. The most comfortable primrose feels next to the water, near the banks of rivers and streams.
As for the description of appearance, then perhaps we should start with the leaves. Primrose has straight lanceolate leaves, which may differ in different species. Their shades range from grayish green to dark green. Flowers are most often solitary, located on stems without leaves. Inflorescences can be different, it all depends on the selected variety. The plant also has fruits - spherical or cylindrical polysperms. At home, primrose flower can be grown in the garden.
Sowing seeds
If you plan to sow primrose, then bury the boxes in advance. Due to the fact that the seeds of this plant quickly lose their germination, they need to be planted immediately after collection. Otherwise, young flowers do not need to wait.
However, seeds purchased at the store can be planted in a different way.
Landing is carried out at the beginning of February in a special substrate. You do not need to deepen the seeds, you just need to spread them on the surface. The composition of the soil should include:
- Two pieces of leafy earth.
- One piece of sand.
- One piece of turf land.
Seeds are laid out in such a way that no more than five seeds are located on one square centimeter. The container where the planting material was planted should be wrapped in dense polyethylene and sent to the freezer for three or four weeks. The temperature should not be above or below -10 degrees. This is a kind of stratification. After this time, the containers must be put in a bright place, but so that they do not fall into direct sunlight. After a while, the first shoots begin to appear. Make sure that the soil does not dry out.
Best seeds germinate at an air temperature of +18 degrees. When the first seedlings begin to appear, you need to open the film for a while so that they begin to harden. Two weeks later, young sprouts can be completely without shelter.
But that is not all there is to know about the primrose flower. How to care for him in order to provide the most comfortable conditions - later in the article.
Seedlings
In primrose flowers, planting and care require a long exposure. The fact is that seedlings grow very slowly. After planting, seeds can be transplanted into the open ground only after two years. All this time the flower of primrose care requires careful. First of all, it's a pick. As soon as you notice that the seedlings have begun to grow strongly, you need to thin them with tweezers. And, of course, do not let the soil dry out; regularly water it.
Flower lighting
Primrose (photo of flowers - later in the article) loves well-lit rooms. It’s just not possible for direct sunlight to fall on her delicate leaves. Therefore, the primrose flower feels good on the windows that look west or east, so that in especially hot hours the sun would be on the other side. You can also try to place the pot on the north side if the windows are large enough.
Temperature
For a primrose flower, home care also includes monitoring the temperature of the air in the room. This is due to the fact that the plant not only does not like the scorching sun, but also does not tolerate high air temperature. Therefore, the owner needs to ensure that in the room where the primrose grows, the temperature should not be above +20 degrees. And during the flowering period, the temperature must be reduced by another four degrees. This is necessary in order for the plant to please its bright flowering as long as possible.
Watering
In a primrose flower (photo - in the article) home care provides for special watering. It is necessary to ensure that the plant receives enough moisture. If the topsoil begins to dry out, you need to water a little every 2-3 days. Watering during flowering is a little more frequent. During this period, you do not need to wait a few days. You need to water the plant as soon as the top layer of soil begins to dry out. During this period, the plant spends a lot of energy on flowering, which means it needs more moisture.
Water needs to be prepared in advance. Choose a separate container in which you will defend water for each subsequent wetting. And be careful, the liquid should fall only under the root and in no case on the leaves. Otherwise, it may cause them to rot. If you are not sure of your caution, it is better to pour water into the pan or use the immersion method.
Indoor flower primrose in care does not require special procedures for moisturizing air or leaves. She is quite enough of the moisture that she receives with regular watering.
Top dressing
When growing a primrose flower in planting and care (plant photo - in the article), one must not forget about fertilizers, even if you are engaged in a houseplant. This should be done twice a year.
The first time is at the end of June. You will need organic fertilizers, for this you can use a solution of water and bird droppings. And the second time - in mid-August. The second second time you will need a 0.1% aqueous solution of ammonium nitrate.
Do not forget about pruning, although primrose does not have large shoots, this process should not be ignored. The main task of the flower grower is to cut away or pinch off the dead flower stalks in time, as they not only block the possibility of the development of the following flowers, but also take vitality from the plant. And, of course, any yellowed or dried leaves need to be removed immediately.
Transfer
Every year, when a plant stops blooming, it needs to be transplanted. To do this, you do not need too nutritious soil, this can be seen by the characteristics of the plant fertilizer. A mixture of components such as sand, turf and leafy land, and humus will be most suitable. Each component should be contained in the substrate in equal parts. There is another option for soil composition: three parts of compost and one part of peat and sand. If you decide to grow soft-leaved primrose, then it will need less acidic soil. For her, the composition will change a little:
- sand is one part;
- turf and coniferous land - in one piece;
- deciduous land - two parts.
Cuttings
In this way, those plants that have only one rosette are usually propagated. Prepare a small container and fill it with peat, and pour a layer of sand (2 cm) on top. From an adult plant, you need to separate the leaf, which will also have a petiole and one living kidney. The sheet plate itself is cut off by 1/2, but so that no torn edges are obtained. To do this, it is better to use well-sharpened scissors or a knife.
When planting the handle, make sure that it enters the ground at a slight angle, and the kidney must look up. You need to deepen the stalk by 1 cm. The containers where the stalks were planted should be taken to a bright room where the air temperature would not be lower or higher than 18 degrees. Make sure that the soil does not dry out too much; water regularly.
The rooting process will take a rather long time and only after 80-100 days they will be well fixed in the ground. After this time, you can safely plant the cuttings in new pots with an updated soil composition:
- 4 parts of deciduous land;
- 2 parts of humus;
- 1 part of sand.
By this time, at least three true leaves appear on healthy seedlings. And after six months, the flower of primrose, home care described above, will show you its first flowers.
Bush division
Division of the bush takes place only after flowering. When all the wilted flowers are removed, you need to put the pot in a shaded place and periodically moisten the soil so that even the topsoil does not begin to dry out. When after some time the stems begin to grow, adult bushes are divided into several parts. And after that they are planted in pre-prepared drawers, without deepening too much. Then you need to cover young bushes with glass and put in a well-lit place with warm air.
The task of the gardener is to ensure that the plants grow. This will be a signal that it is time to transplant them into separate pots. And after a month you can choose larger pots, with a diameter of 13 centimeters.
Remember to remove old leaves. Young bushes need fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.
After working with this plant, be sure to wash your hands well. Since quite often there are cases when, after contact with primrose leaves, various irritations appear on the skin of people. This is especially true for those who have an increased sensitivity of the skin. And so as not to take risks, you can simply secure your hands by wearing rubber gloves.
Diseases and Pests
Quite often, gardeners encounter such a problem as yellowing leaves. There are several reasons for this:
- The temperature in the room where the flower pot is located is too high.
- Too low humidity.
- Waterlogged soil can cause such an ailment.
- The gardener may overdo it with fertilizer.
- Use of fresh water.
To cure the plant as soon as possible, you need to analyze your own actions and root out the cause of the problem.
Another serious disease that bothers many gardeners is gray rot. Such a disease catches primrose in those cases when water gets on its leaves during irrigation or the humidity in the room in which the plant is located is too high. And also the owner should make sure that between the irrigations the top layer of the earth in the pot has time to dry out.
At high air temperatures during flowering, inflorescences may fade. To get rid of this, you need to slightly lower the temperature in the room, at least for the flowering period.
Dry air, insufficient watering, or high air temperatures can cause the plant to start dropping buds.
The main enemies of primrose among insects are aphids and spider mites. And the increased temperature increases the risk of their occurrence.
When growing primrose garden, it is recommended to treat the plant with Bordeaux liquid. It is not only a means to combat pests and diseases, but also a good way to prevent it. In the spring, domestic flowers can be treated with a one percent solution. But for this it is better to take them out into the open air or in a non-residential premises.
Primrose Properties
We presented the primrose flower, photos, care and growing rules, and now we need to recall its beneficial properties, which are quite a lot.
In the primrose - a large concentration of manganese. There are a lot of vitamins in the ground, and the roots contain a large amount of essential oil, saponins and glycosides. The leaves of primrose are often used in cooking as ingredients for various salads, prepare roasts and soups. Primrose is very useful in the spring, when the body is weakened and needs vitamins. This is due to the fact that this plant contains a lot of ascorbic acid and carotene. By the amount of the latter, by the way, primrose can even compete with carrots.
You can eat not only fresh parts of the flower, but also dried ones. They contain no less vitamins. You can prepare a decoction of the leaves and roots of primrose, such a folk remedy is especially effective for diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
Also, this plant is very effective as a diuretic. Doctors often recommend drinking various infusions for those who suffer from kidney and bladder diseases. It also applies to rheumatism as a good pain medication.
Those who suffer from insomnia, prone to nervous breakdowns, are recommended to use infusions from the leaves of primrose. They can also be drunk and gargled with tonsillitis and various diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
Tincture from the root of the primrose flower helps well with bruises and external hemorrhages.
As you can see, almost every part of the flower is a component of a particular drug. Moreover, it is not only about traditional medicine.
With caution, women should take such drugs in early pregnancy, and if possible it is better to completely abandon them.
Also, primrose is prohibited for individual intolerance to this component.
In any case, before use, you need to consult a doctor.