Tradescantia garden: description of 15 species, planting and care in the open field and at home

Garden tradescantia is one of the best ornamental plants, which is actively used in various fields due to its abundant flowering for six months. This culture has long won the hearts of many gardeners with its unpretentiousness and sustainability. To grow tradescantia garden, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with and further follow the rules for planting and caring for the crop.

Description

Garden tradescantia is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the Commelinaceae family. It got its original name in honor of the gardener John Tradescant, who worked at the court of King Charles I of England, who ruled in the 17th century.The culture has an enviable duration of flowering before the onset of frost.

The perennial bush of garden tradescantia has a thickened fibrous root system, thin knotty shoots. Small-leaved shrub grows from 20 cm to 1 meter in height, characterized by spreading bright green leaves that lie on the soil.

Buds of small size, collected in umbrella inflorescences, have a delicate and attractive shape, as well as a variety of colors, namely purple, pink, blue, blue, white. The fruit is a thin-walled box, consisting of two halves, on which the seeds are located.

Application

Due to its extraordinary attractiveness, garden tradescantia is actively used to decorate a personal plot and decorate a room. Among other things, the plant is used in the medical industry, as it has healing powers.

Healing properties

Tradescantia garden has a number of useful properties and is used in the fight against diseases such as:

• boils;
• infectious diarrhea;
• angina;
• runny nose;
• flatulence;
• diabetes mellitus;
• periodontal disease.

Substances contained in tradescantia garden have antimicrobial, antiviral, wound healing, anti-inflammatory effects. In Asia and America, tradescantia is used to treat wounds.

Apartment decoration

Tradescantia home refers to ampelous species and is actively used to decorate houses and apartments. The place of localization of a houseplant should be selected in such a way that the flower has the opportunity to lower its stems.Hanging vases or planters are ideal. Pots can be placed on the surface of tall furniture or shelves.

Landscape design

Garden tradescantia allows you to make beautiful flower arrangements in landscape design. It has uncomplicated delicate buds that are brightly combined with many plants.

Excellent neighbors for tall varieties - hostas, brunners, anemones, swimsuits and astilbes, for low crops - cuffs, geraniums, gravilates, lungwort.

Varieties

In nature, there are a large number of the most diverse species of Tradescantia, each of which has its own botanical characteristics.

White-flowered

It got its name due to the characteristic white stripes on oval leaves and light umbrella inflorescences at the top of the pedicel.

Zebrina

Ampelous plant has a zebra-like color of leaves with a characteristic silvery sheen. Reaches 80 cm in height, rarely blooms, especially when grown indoors.

Prirechnaya

A capricious species of garden tradescantia with high decorative qualities. Egg-shaped leaves with a whitish pile and a pleasant color combination. Small buds vary in color from white to dark purple.

Spreader

The variety was popular earlier, but now many gardeners look at it with a touch of nostalgia. This is an ornamental deciduous crop that grows quickly and has a unique purple leaf color. In appearance, it is associated with plants typical of Mexico and Florida.

Blossfeld

A variety of tradescantia garden is easy to recognize by dense stems with a red tint. Leaves with a noticeable coarse pile are dark green on the upper side, and purple on the lower side.

Scaphoid

This type of garden tradescantia has no pubescence on the stem, fleshy boat-shaped leaves are small in size and have many purple dots on the surface.

Anderson

Upright bush, up to 80 cm high. The leaves are green in color with a purple tint. Inflorescences of various colors from white to bright purple.

Sillamontana

Tradescantia Sillamontana is also known as "hairy" or "hairy". The species belongs to succulents and is characterized by fleshy leaves of bright green color. Medium purple buds.

Myrtoleaf

Tradescantia with silver stripes against a dark green leaf, with a purple color from the bottom. The stem is thin, dyed purple.

Hairy

This variety is rarely seen. Its stems are straight, and small leaves are covered with thick hairs that form a fluffy coating. The flowers have a bright pink-lilac color.

Virgin

The most common among gardeners under the name - "street". An evergreen plant with a height of 30 to 80 cm, which is characterized by inflorescences of delicate pastel colors. The most famous variety in Russia, as it is cultivated in all its regions.

Weguelin

One of the most popular varieties due to its similarity to violet. It has bright blue flowers. In the process of growth, the bush grows strongly and reaches a height of 50 cm. The variety is resistant to frost, therefore it can bloom from the first decade of June until late autumn.

Charm blend

Perennial plant with a variety of shades: pink, white, blue, indigo, purple. It is sown in early March, actively grows on fertile soils, the variety is quite unpretentious in care.

Blush Bride

Different from other varieties in the presence of mother-of-pearl pink flowers and glossy bright leaves. A plant of low size, no more than 40 cm. Flowering period: June - the last decade of August.

Reo

Beautiful unpretentious plant, pleasing annual flowering. The rosette of leaves increases by at least 10-15 cm a year. The inflorescences are covered with a bract, which forms a kind of veil.

Outdoor cultivation

For many, it is a novelty that an ordinary indoor flower can be grown outdoors, since this luxurious perennial shrub is able to bloom for a long time and endure adverse conditions. To admire its flowering all summer, you need to know the features of growing tradescantia garden in the open field.

Choosing a seat

For breeding Tradescantia garden, it is necessary to select a shaded place. The plant prefers areas with high humidity. Ideally, a pond should be located near the place of growth. Sandstone is perfect for soil.

Soil preparation

The soil must be rid of weeds, loosen and apply organic fertilizers - vermicompost, peat or humus.

How to plant

Dig small holes in the prepared area, vertically place a seedling in them, straightening the root system. Fill with soil, leaving the root neck to rise 2-3 cm above the ground. Be sure to water tradescantia, mulch the area near the root with peat or humus. If the seedling was at home, it is recommended to cover it for several days with special material. When it takes root, the shelter must be removed.If the varieties are high, you should take care of a reliable support or garter.

Care

Despite its unpretentiousness, the plant needs proper care, timely feeding, regular watering, pruning and periodic transplants.

Irrigation

Irrigation should be given special attention, since Tradescantia garden is not indifferent to moisture, especially if it is located in the sun. Watering should be plentiful and regular.

With insufficient moisture and heat, the plant stops growing, stops flowering and may even die.

Feeding

Frequent fertilization can harm the growth and development of tradescantia garden. In order not to harm the culture, you need to follow the feeding schedule.

First

At the first stage, when the first shoots appear, apply a complex of mineral fertilizers.

Second

The next top dressing is carried out at the time of bud formation.

Others

This is enough for the active growth and development of the plant. If the planting was carried out in soil that is rich in clay, then in the coming years it is worth refraining from fertilizers altogether. The rest of the top dressing is carried out exclusively as needed.

Fertilizer

As a fertilizer, it is recommended to use a complex agent based on mineral fertilizers. You can alternate top dressing with organic matter.

Seasonal maintenance at home

During the cold season, garden tradescantia can be transplanted into pots and brought into the house, but in order to avoid addiction and severe stress due to temperature changes, it is better to leave it in the open ground, cutting it off and covering it with special material for the winter.

Planting and transplanting into new soil

At least once every 4 years, it is necessary to transplant bushes of garden tradescantia into another soil.

Soil preparation

Quality soil should contain mineral and organic matter.

Why a shallow pot is needed

The root system of Tradescantia garden grows proportionally, so a standard size pot is needed to transplant the plant. It should be a trapezoid container, the top of which is at least 3 cm larger than the bottom.

How to transplant

The plant needs to be dug a little, carefully pulled out of the soil, trying not to damage the root system. Then place in the selected container, sprinkle with soil mixture and water.

From store to new home

When buying Tradescantia, soil is required, which is also worth purchasing additionally. It is recommended to transplant into new soil every 2 years.

Care

It is with tradescantia that it is recommended to start your work in the garden. The plant needs additional care, although it is an undemanding crop.

Irrigation

Regular watering is the first requirement of a plant. Tradescantia garden does not tolerate drought.

Feeding

Feeding is optional, but during the growing season and budding it is better to feed the flower using complex fertilizers based on minerals and organics.

Flowering

At the end of the flowering period, it is recommended to remove flower stalks in a timely manner so that seedlings do not get into the soil, which can germinate next year and randomly thicken the bush.

Wintering

For the winter, it is necessary to cut off the ground part of the plant and mulch the soil with peat or humus. Otherwise, Tradescantia may not endure the winter period.

Cutting

Growing will produce long, bare stems that require pruning. It should be done in the spring. The resulting cut can be used as a cutting.

Pinching

The procedure is necessary in order to improve the appearance, give the plant volume. It can be done at any time. To do this, cut the longest stems to the very root, this will provoke the active growth of new young shoots.

If you ignore this agricultural technique, tradescantia will lose its decorative effect: shoots will become bare, leaves will dry.

Escape errors

Possible mistakes that beginner gardeners make include:

• overfeeding the plant with nitrogen-based fertilizers;
• closely spaced heaters;
• direct sunlight or, conversely, the localization of the plant in the shade;
• stagnant water.

Mistakes are accompanied by wilting or decay of tradescantia, its immediate death.

Diseases and pests

Garden tradescantia is resistant to diseases and is able to resist them even in the absence of proper care. But despite this, an ornamental plant can be affected by various pests that need to be fought with the help of special insecticides.

Spider mite

A small insect that is very hard to spot due to its small size and frequent localization on the reverse side of the leaf. It looks like a dark grain no more than 0.5 mm.

Aphid

An insect that is easy to spot due to the fact that they usually gather in groups and form a noticeable white coating. This pest is very insidious, as it can carry dangerous viruses.

Shield

The tiny insect looks like a flat aphid with a shell. Its invasion is signaled by small brown plaques that appear on the leaves and stems, which lead to blanching and leaf fall.

Slugs

Gastropods crawl and eat the leaves of tradescantia garden. They are hard to spot as they are nocturnal.

Methods of reproduction

There are three available ways to propagate tradescantia garden: cuttings, dividing the bush, seeds.

Shanks

The culture propagates by cuttings, for this you should pinch off the tops of the shoot, root them in water and send the formed plant to the soil in a few days.

Dividing the bush

This method involves digging up bushes, dividing them into several parts, and then planting them in new places.

Seeds

By the end of flowering, seeds can be found in the fruits of tradescantia garden. They must be collected, placed in a cotton or paper bag and stored in a dry, dark place. Sow in the spring. Garden tradescantia is a delicate and graceful plant that can thank for proper care with beautiful long flowering.

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