Eustoma: cultivation and care in the open field, description of varieties and reproduction

Eustoma is a beautiful flower from the Gentian family. The second name of the plant is lisianthus, and the people have come up with several more names for it, namely “Irish rose”, “Japanese rose” and “Texas bell”. In order to grow eustoma, you will have to make some efforts, but it's worth it.

Characterization and description of culture

Eustoma has a high decorative effect, therefore it is popular among gardeners and florists. The plant has strong but graceful stems. From the middle of the stem, it begins to branch, so one branch looks like a full-fledged bouquet, which can have up to 30 inflorescences.Lisianthus leaves with a bluish or grayish tint, matte.

Inflorescences come in a variety of shapes with a diameter of about 5-8 cm. The color is different: pink, purple, purple, blue, yellow and white. There are instances of one-color, two-color and with a contrasting border. Inflorescences are terry or simple. In a half-open position, the flower looks like a simple rose, and when fully opened, it looks like a double poppy.

The flowering period falls on the second half of July, continues until October.

In what regions is it recommended to plant a plant

In areas with excessive humidity, eustoma does not take root well. The southern regions are the most favorable for growing a flower. But in Siberia and the Urals, this flower is cultivated only in greenhouses and at room conditions.

Types of perennial eustoma

Eustoma is becoming quite popular and is increasingly found in gardening stores. These flowers are divided into two types.

Tall varieties

Tall representatives of Lisianthus grow from 50 cm to 1 m. They are most often grown in the country for cutting. They have a large number of inflorescences on one stem, which look perfect in bouquets and do not fade for a long time.

Several varieties of high eustomas:

• Echo Pink Pikoti. This is an early variety. The height of the stems reaches 70 cm. The inflorescences are quite large, terry with a white color and a pink frame.
• Flamenco. This variety starts flowering 2 weeks earlier than other representatives of the species. Inflorescences can be pale blue, pale yellow, pale pink, milky or almost white. Height 70 cm.
• Mariachi lime. The growth of this variety reaches 1 m. The flowers are super-double, 7 cm in diameter. The flowers resemble roses, have a light green color.

Short varieties:

• Loy alty. The flower has many simple inflorescences with white petals, which are arranged in a spiral. Grade height Fidelity - 20 cm.
• Mermaid. The variety has funnel-shaped flowers of lilac, pink or white. The leaves are gray, with a wax coating. Height is about 15 cm.
• Mystery. The flower has semi-double inflorescences with pale blue petals. Flowering is plentiful. Height - up to 20 cm.

Short or indoor

The undersized varieties of these flowers grow no taller than 30 cm. They are often planted in pots and grown on windowsills in winter and on balconies in summer. Room eustoma bushes are compact and highly decorative.

Necessary conditions for growing

In order to grow this rather whimsical flower, you need to know in what conditions it should be done.

Light and humidity

The first 2 months plants need bright ambient light. To do this, use lamps with daylight, since natural light is not enough. This is necessary so that the sprouts do not stretch.

Temperature conditions

The most favorable temperature for eustoma in the daytime is +20-25 degrees, and at night +15 degrees. In winter, if possible, plants are brought indoors and provide a temperature regime within + 10-12 degrees.

Required soil composition

The soil in which the plant will develop should have low acidity, not higher than 6.5-7.0, and be breathable. To deoxidize and improve the soil, ash, peat and sand are added. If the soil is chosen correctly, then Lisianthus can be grown as a perennial plant.

Use for sowing seeds and purchased substrate. Soil suitable for Saintpaulia.

How to plant eustoma in the garden

Planting a flower through seeds is the most common and simple.

Presowing seed treatment

Lisianthus seeds are very small, like dust. In this regard, the production, where the seeds are packaged, is treated with special substances. They form granules around the seeds. This not only makes sowing more convenient, but also helps the seeds to germinate, because the granule is made up of fertilizers and growth stimulants.

Choosing a suitable location

The flower should be planted in a place protected from wind and draft. In the selected area, the plant should not be under the scorching rays of the sun all day. It is better if the eustoma grows in diffused shade.

Timing and technology of sowing seeds

When choosing the time of sowing seed material, you need to take into account that the flowering period of lisianthus begins 15-20 weeks after the germination of the first shoots. Therefore, sowing begins in winter.

In order to sow seeds, you need to prepare a container, fill it with moist soil. To do this, mix peat and sand in equal proportions. Seeds are scattered over the soil, slightly deepening them into the ground. Top cover the container with a film or a sheet of glass. They are sent to a warm place where the air temperature will be at least +19 degrees.

Seedling care after sowing

The seed container should be in a bright place. If necessary, the soil is sprayed with water. After 2-3 weeks, the first shoots will appear. After the sprouts form the first 2 leaves, the number of waterings is reduced. Between irrigations, the soil should have time to dry out. Further watering is carried out only in the morning. After the flower has 4 leaves, they can be dived.

Important! Over-watering can cause blackleg disease.

Picking

Seedlings dive into separate containers with a diameter of about 5 cm. Do this carefully so as not to damage the tender and fragile sprouts. With something thin, carefully pry off the ground and, with a small lump, transfer the plant into a glass. Fill the remaining space with fertile soil and water the seedlings. And after 30 days, the grown plants are planted in open ground.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Seedlings are planted in flower beds towards the end of May. At this point, she should have 4 to 8 sheets. As soon as the flower is planted in the soil, it quickly begins to grow.

When planting lisianthus, gardeners follow these recommendations:

• best time of day to drop off is evening;
• when transplanting seedlings, they should be removed from the pot along with the ground and moved to the hole, filling with fertile soil;
• when planting eustoma in the soil, you can not bury it deeper than it grew in a pot;
• immediately after transplanting, each sprout is covered with a jar or a tall glass to protect it from a strong temperature jump.

How to properly care for a flower

In order to organize proper care for eustoma, you need to know the rules of watering, top dressing, transplanting and disease control.

Water and loosening

Watering is done with warm, settled water. The soil should be slightly dry before watering. Periodically loosen the soil to kill weeds and better penetrate oxygen into the soil.

Feeding

And they start feeding eustoma from the 10-14th day after planting in the ground. During vigorous growth, top dressing is carried out once every 2 weeks. They are also necessary during the budding period and during flowering itself.

For top dressing, all fertilizers that dissolve in water are used.

Garter

Tall specimens need a garter. The stem of the plant may not support the weight of numerous inflorescences and break or lean. At the first sign of lodging, a garter should be made. To do this, pegs are driven into the ground and, having tied a rope to them, wrap it around a bush. Instead of a garter, they also use decorative supports.

Transfer

The flower is rarely transplanted, as it has a very vulnerable root system. If, nevertheless, a transplant is necessary, then the plant is transferred to a new place with a large clod of earth in order to injure the roots of the flower as little as possible.

Disease prevention

For the preventive treatment of diseases, even at the stage of the first shoots, the plants are sprayed with a solution of "Fundazol" or "Ridomil". Further, throughout the entire development cycle, the flower will need to be treated with these preparations. For 1 liter of water, 1 tsp will be required. funds.

Most often a flower is affected by such diseases:

• black leg;
• powdery mildew;
• grey rot;
• fusarium wilt.

How to protect against parasites and pests

Lisianthus belongs to the Gentian family, so they have a bitter juice, and usually most pests bypass them. But if they still attacked the plants, they are destroyed with the help of insecticides, "Confidor", "Aktellik" or "Fitoverm" will do.

The plant can be damaged by such pests:

• aphid;
• mealy mites;
• greenhouse whitefly;
• slugs.

Shelter plants for the winter

It is best to move the eustoma into the house for the winter, transferring it to a large flowerpot. But if this is not possible, then the plants cover. A flower can endure such a wintering only in the southern regions, where winters are not so severe. In this regard, eustoma is often grown as an annual plant.

Methods of flower propagation

In order to propagate a plant, you need to know the possible options for this process.

Seeds

To propagate a plant with seeds, you must first collect them. The collection is carried out only from varietal specimens. It makes no sense to collect seeds from hybrids, because the qualities of the mother bush will not be transferred to the seedlings.

The collection is carried out carefully, because the seeds are very small, and only after the seed box is completely dry. The collected material is sown for seedlings. Sowing is carried out in winter.

Rhizome

These flowers do not propagate by dividing the roots. They have very sensitive root systems. If the root is damaged, the plant will die.

Cutting

It is also impossible to propagate eustoma with cuttings, since the cuttings do not take root in the soil.

What problems beginner gardeners often face

Beginner gardeners should know some of the nuances in growing these capricious but beautiful flowers:

1. When watering, you need to know that eustoma is sensitive to overflow. If the soil is poorly drained and moisture stagnates under the bush, the chance of flower death is high.
2. You can not plant lisianthus bushes near metal or brick fences and walls. In hot weather, this can cause burns to a tender plant. Metal and brick get very hot in the sun and, touching the plant, can damage it.
3. Do not plant flowers in drafts. In such places they wither and die.
4. Often, eustoma seeds germinate poorly, so only fresh material should be selected for sowing.
5. Don't move potted lisianthus frequently from one place to another. They do not respond well to sudden changes in temperature.
6. When sowing seeds for seedlings in winter, it is better to illuminate the seedlings. The desired period of receiving light is 12-14 hours a day.
7. Seedlings should not only be periodically watered, but ventilated. Gardeners do this once a day.

Growing eustoma, you need to follow all the rules of planting and caring for the plant. What may seem insignificant to a gardener can be fatal to a plant.

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