Mirabilis: planting and care in the open field, 20 best varieties, cultivation and propagation

Mirabilis is a flowering plant that is most often found in South America. However, flower growers can grow this flower anywhere in the world. Before you drop him off, you need to figure out the planting and care of mirabilis.

Description and features

Mirabilis, or beauty of the night, is a perennial plant often planted in gardens and flower beds. Such flowers have a tuberous root system. Flower bushes are distinguished by a rounded shape, they grow up to 70-90 centimeters. Flowers can be painted in yellowish, purple, crimson and red shades.

Views

There are six common Mirabilis varieties that are often grown by growers.

Yalapa

This is a popular look that is suitable for decorating large flower beds. The advantages of Yalapa include the following:

• colorful petals;
• unpretentious care;
• abundant flowering.

Such a flower is planted in early April, so that in the summer you can enjoy the flowering of mirabilis.

Multicolor

Perennial herbaceous seedling that grows up to eighty centimeters. A multi-flowered plant has powerful erect stems, which are covered with ovoid leaves. At the end of spring, inflorescences with a diameter of 4-7 cm are formed on the mirabilis bushes.

Round-leaved

Compact shrub that grows well even in small pots. The height of the round-leaved flower does not exceed thirty centimeters. The leaves of such mirabilis are oval in shape, their length is 7-8 cm. In the upper part of the seedlings, flowers are formed that bloom in the evening.

Blood Red

This is a plant with fragrant reddish flowers that open only in the evening after three hours. Mirabilis shrub is medium-sized, its height is 85 cm. The stems of the blood-red seedling are branched and at the same time erect.

Bright Red

This is a broad, leafy flower bush with thick stems and a perfectly smooth surface. With proper care, the seedling grows up to ninety centimeters. The leaves of the plant are oval in shape, painted green. Flowering seedling begins in June.

Purple

This is a medium-sized variety of mirabilis that can be planted both outdoors and indoors. The main difference from other types of flower seedlings is the bright purple color of the petals. Flowers bloom in late spring and June.

Popular varieties

There are several popular plant varieties that are most often planted in flower beds.

Iolanta

A low compact spherical bush that grows up to fifty centimeters. Iolanta has multi-colored flowers, on the petals of which you can see colored strokes and stripes. Mirabilis starts flowering in mid-July and continues until October.

Red Lollipop

Wide and rounded shrub for planting and growing outdoors. The main stem of the Red Candy grows up to 80-95 cm. The leaves of the variety are green in color and oval in shape. The diameter of each flower is 6-8 centimeters.

Elvira

A round, medium-sized shrub whose erect stems grow up to 70 cm in height. Leaf plates are oval, have a sharp and oblong tip. The inflorescences of such mirabilis are not very large, they have wavy red petals with a purple tint.

T Time Red

This is a hardy variety that can handle nighttime drops in temperature. Ti Time Red shrubs are distinguished by dense foliage and an oval shape. The variety has powerful and tall stems that do not need a garter. Tea Time Red blooms in summer.

Ti Time Fomula Mixche

Globular bush 0.8 meters high. On its stems in the spring, oblong-shaped leaves are formed. Their surface is painted in a darkish green color. Inflorescences form in early May and bloom for two and a half weeks.

Marbles

These are unique flowers with two-tone petals. Bushes of the Marbles variety are considered tall, since the height of the main stem is 80-85 centimeters. The stems are painted red, their surface is woody and durable. Marbles blooms in spring and summer.

Serenade

Serenade is considered a common variety of Mirabilis, which is grown to decorate flower beds. The petals of this variety can be painted in lilac, yellow, red and white. Serenade's advantages include resistance to frost and known fungal pathologies.

Marble

This is a flower with brightly colored petals, on the surface of which there are thin darkish veins. The marble variety is classified as a medium-sized variety of mirabilis. Its flowering begins on the twentieth of July and ends in August.

Mathis

To decorate gardens and lawns, many plant Mathis. The main distinguishing feature of this variety is the rich color palette of flowers. They can be painted in bright pink, red, crimson, yellowish and even lilac.

Dragon

When decorating rabatok and flower beds, you can plant a Drakosh flower. This is a low-growing variety that can grow up to forty centimeters in open ground. The Dragon's flowers are medium in size, their diameter does not exceed 5-6 cm. They bloom in the evening, after 15-16 hours.

Cavalier

This is one of the most common Mirabilis varieties. Cavalier buds are simultaneously painted in two colors - yellow and orange. The plant blooms, like many other varieties, in the summer. Flowers open only in the evening, after sunset.

White Lollipop

Medium-sized seedling, the height of which when grown outdoors is 65-70 centimeters. The White Candy has branched and powerful shoots with oval greenish foliage. At the end of spring, flowers with a diameter of 6-7 cm appear on the mirabilis bushes. They begin to bloom on June 10-20.

Yellow lollipop

This is a flowering shrub with branched shoots, on which there are many elongated leaves. The yellow lollipop got its name because of the color of the petals, which have a golden hue. Mirabilis flower buds open in the evening and close in the early morning.

Purple Lollipop

This is one of the tallest varieties, in which bushes grow up to a meter. The stems of the Purple Candy are thick and have a smooth surface. The leaves are oval, with a green surface. The petals of the flower are wavy, painted purple.

Grapefruit Champagne

This variety has rounded elongated bushes about sixty-five centimeters high. Grapefruit Champagne has a woody stem with erect side shoots. The flowers are reddish, emit a pleasant smell when flowering.

How to grow seedlings

Before planting Mirabilis in open ground, you need to grow strong seedlings.

Preparation of planting material

So that the seedlings do not get sick, it is necessary to prepare the seed in advance for planting. First, the seeds must be soaked for half an hour in a liquid of manganese. Then the mirabilis seeds are dried and soaked for a day in warm water.

How to prepare the container and soil

You can grow flower seedlings in three containers.

Planting box

Some flower growers grow seedlings in special boxes. They are half filled with soil mixture, which consists of compost, sand and earth. In such a plant mixture, seedlings will germinate many times faster.

Pots or cassettes

For growing low compact varieties use cassettes or pots. The containers are completely filled with soil mixture. In this case, the soil must be compacted so that it is located 5-8 millimeters below the side of the container.

Peat tablets

Peat tablets are popular among flower growers. They are filled with warm water so that the size of the container increases slightly. The tablets are then filled with fertilized soil.

Timing

People who are going to grow mirabilis seedlings should determine in advance the timing of planting seeds. Experienced flower growers advise doing this in early April, so that after 20-30 days the seedlings can be transplanted.

Sowing

After preparing the containers and seed, you can start planting. Flower seeds should be planted in shallow holes with a depth of 5-8 millimeters. Planted seeds are sprinkled with soil and watered with water.

Temperature conditions

Growing Mirabilis, you will have to carefully monitor the temperature. The most suitable temperature is 18-20 degrees. However, some strains can tolerate lower values.

Illumination

This is a light-loving flower that needs to be grown in well-lit areas. Therefore, lamps will have to be installed near the containers with seedlings.

Thinning

In order for the seedlings of Mirabilis to grow better, you will have to thin them out. It is recommended to remove the most weakened seedlings that may die after transplanting to the street.

Irrigation

Mirabilis is classified as a plant that can cope with drought without any problems. Therefore, it is not necessary to water the planted seedlings too often. Enough to do this three times a week. For watering, it is better to use a liquid heated to room temperature.

Feeding

Various fertilizers are used to feed mirabilis.

Calcium nitrate - "Buyskie Fertilizers"

Many flower growers use nitrogen-calcium supplements to feed seedlings. They dissolve in water in a ratio of one to three. This fertilizer is suitable not only for flowers, but also for many vegetable crops.

BioThrive Grow+BioThrive Bloom Fertilizer Kit

To saturate the soil with nutrients, you can use BioThrive complex top dressing. Regular use of such feed mixtures strengthens the root system of plants, promotes their growth and further flowering.

Humistar

This is a biological fertilizer that is often used when growing Mirabilis seedlings. This top dressing should be used in the summer, before the flowering of seedlings.

Cytovit

To stimulate the development and flowering of seedlings, the mineral feed mixture "Cytovit" is used. It contains biological additives that Mirabilis needs. "Tsitovit" is used 2-3 times per season.

Powder Feeding Calcium

This is a powdered fertilizer that is used to enrich the soil with calcium. Before use, the powder is dissolved in water, after which the prepared mixture is poured under the root of mirabilis seedlings.

Dive

When mirabilis seedlings begin to grow, they dive. A separate pot is prepared for each flower. The containers are completely filled with soil mixture, after which seedlings are planted in them.

Hardening

Hardening of seedlings is carried out in the second half of May, when the temperature rises to 15-17 degrees. The seedlings are taken out daily and brought indoors after sunset.

How to plant in open ground

There are several recommendations that will help you transplant seedlings correctly.

Timing

It is necessary to decide in advance on the timing of planting a flower. Experts do not advise transplanting mirabilis seedlings too early. Therefore, it is transplanted to a new place at the end of May, after warming.

Choosing a seat

In order for Mirabilis to bloom better, it must be planted in the most suitable place. It is necessary to plant it in a sunny bed, which is not shaded throughout the day. Also, the selected site should be well protected from the wind.

Ground requirements

The plant is very demanding on the soil. You can not plant it in areas with too acidic soil. Dry soils with a good level of loosening are considered ideal.

Plant pattern

Before planting mirabilis, holes are made on the site with a depth of 8-10 centimeters. The distance between them should be 25-35 cm. No more than one seedling is planted in each hole.

Care

Mirabilis, like other flowers, must be properly cared for.

Irrigation

Despite the fact that the Mirabilis flower copes with drought, it still needs to be watered. This is done every four days. For each bush, 2-3 liters of heated water are consumed. In summer, the plant will have to be watered more often due to drought.

Loosening and weeding

Weeding and loosening the soil should be done regularly. Experts recommend loosening the soil after prolonged rains and watering, after which a crust may form on the surface. Weed removal is done every 3-4 weeks.

Feeding

For normal growth, the plant needs nutrients. During the season, each bush is fed four times. Organic and mineral compounds are used as top dressing for mirabilis.

Cutting

Pruning the flower is optional, as it will grow well without it. However, if dry twigs appear on the stem, they can be carefully cut with scissors.

Preparing for winter

Before the start of winter, flower tubers will have to be dug out of the ground and placed in containers filled with peat and sand. Tubers are periodically moistened and stored until spring. When it gets warmer, they are replanted in the old place.

Pests and diseases

Sometimes Mirabilis suffers from dangerous diseases that need to be treated in time.

Root rot

This is a dangerous disease that causes the plant's root system to rot. It is impossible to cure root rot, and therefore infected bushes will have to be burned. To prevent the occurrence of the disease, it is necessary to observe crop rotation.

Rust

Due to rust, a reddish spot appears on the surface of the sheets. To get rid of rust, you need to remove all the affected leaves and treat the Mirabilis seedlings with a fungicide.

Spotting

With the development of such an ailment, the foliage of mirabilis becomes covered with brown spots. If you do not get rid of the disease in a timely manner, infected seedlings will die. To eliminate spotting, drugs are used that contain mancozeb.

Reproduction

There are three ways to propagate mirabilis.

Seeds

The easiest way to propagate a flower is seeds. To do this, in the summer, ripe seeds are collected from adult bushes, which can be planted in the garden in the spring.

Cutting

Sometimes seedlings are propagated using cuttings. Before planting, they are kept in a peat mixture for rooting for several weeks, after which they are transplanted into the garden.

Tuber

Some flower growers propagate mirabili with tubers. They are carefully dug out of the ground at the end of summer and stored in a cool room until spring. Tubers should be planted in late April or early May.

After flowering

After flowering, the tubers of the plant are dug up. Then their shoots are cut off, after which the tubers are wrapped in paper and transferred to a box for further storage.

Growing errors

Common mistakes include the following:

• wrong choice of seat and growing a flower in the shade;
• waterlogged soil;
• irregular fertilization;
• use of cramped containers when growing seedlings.

Landscape use

Flower growers recommend using tall mirabilis in landscape design. They must be combined with cloves, petunias, yarrow and daisies.

Useful properties

Anti-inflammatory drugs are prepared from the tubers of the flower. You can also prepare solutions from mirabilis foliage that help get rid of abscesses and boils. For better wound healing, use the juice squeezed from the stems of the flower.

Conclusion

To decorate flower beds and summer cottages, some people use mirabilis. Before planting this plant, you need to understand the most famous varieties and recommendations for growing them.

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