Video about the cultivation of a speciesand balconies are transformed by the lush flowering of a wide variety of ornamental cultures. Pelargonium ampella, as in the photo, with spectacular falling shoots and consisting of a dozen flowers of inflorescences takes one of the first places among the plants used for gardening. Like other types of pelargonium, the ampelnaya or ivychelistochnuyu variety was first found in southern Africa, but the unpretentious and responsive care plant quickly gained the love of flower growers in all corners of the world.
Today, many spectacular varieties with a different shape and color of flowers, green and variegated leaves. All of them have common features:
- graceful, freely falling stems, reaching a length of 90 cm;
- smooth five-lobed leaves of characteristic shape, which gave the plant one of its names;
- located on elongated peduncles and collected in umbrella inflorescences simple or double flowers.
At the same time, the care of the ampelous pelargonium and the reproduction of the plants you like will not be difficult even for a grower who is just beginning to be interested in this species.
Pelargonium care at home
All varieties of Pelargonium, including ampelous varieties, like light, the lack of which can significantly reduce the flowering time and not appear in all its glory.
When grown at home, caring for pelargonium necessarily involves creating a long day for the plant:
- In summer, the pots are set on the brightest warm windows or planted in similar areas of the garden, but cover the days and hours from the scorching rays in especially frying.
- In winter, autumn and early spring, the necessary artificial lights.
In the summer months, it is comfortable to feel as in the photo, ampella pelargonium will be at a temperature of 20–25 ° C.On hotter days, the plants do not suffer too much; the main thing is to increase the watering and make sure that there are no sunburn marks on the foliage.
Read also: Aster seedlings - all the details of the process
In winter, pelargonium requires a long, up to three months, rest period, when for the bushes, without reducing illumination, they create temperature conditions within 10–15 ° C and reduce the intensity of irrigation. If you do not meet these conditions, the leaves on the pelargonium will turn yellow, and in the spring you can not wait for flowering.
A fast-growing culture requires a loose nutrient soil, in which moisture is well retained, but the roots did not suffer from rotting.
For planting of ampelous pelargoniums, you can use a mixture of equal parts of garden soil, cleared of coarse peat and sand, but an unpretentious plant also feels fine in ready-made soils for ornamental crops, which add a little sand or vermiculite.
In order to bloom ampella pelargonium, many gardeners try to limit the plant height by planting in a pot that is only a couple of centimeters in diameter larger than the size of the root system. On the need for transplantation plant signals completely entwined earth lump. In addition, the answer to the question: “Why does the leaves turn yellow in pelargonium?” Sometimes it becomes just the need to replace the pot.
A capacity of 10–12 cm in diameter is quite suitable for a medium-sized adult bush, while experts advise choosing pots made of porous ceramics that allow air to pass through and do not rot.
Ampoule varieties can be planted in one flowerpot or balcony box, which will only add decorativeness to plantings and give charm to a veranda, balcony or window sill.
Plant Formation
From February to March, flower growers nip pelargonium shoots. This procedure is designed:
- to form the crown of the plant;
- stimulate the growth of new shoots;
- rejuvenate the bush;
- laying the foundations for the next bloom.
Read also: If there are black spots on the leaves of a rose, what should I do?
It is at the end of winter, when the light day arrives, the formation of crowns gives the best results and is the most painless. When forming, it is necessary to take into account that the spectacular form of ampelous pelargonium is provided by long shoots of the lower tier.
While pinching:
- remove old shoots, leaving two or three lower buds;
- pinch young upper stems;
- removes all the shoots that grow from the upper sinuses of the existing stalks.
If regular pruning is done in early spring, then you should cut out weak shoots, for some reason, the yellowed leaves of pelargonium and faded peduncles constantly. This will not weaken the plant and retain its power to grow and bloom.
Top dressing of ampelous pelargonium for lush flowering
After the pruning, as well as during the active growing season, the plants are necessarily fed with liquid mineral and organic fertilizers. And here we must remember that the quality of flowering depends on the choice of the mixture.
Nitrogen stimulates the growth of greenery and shoots. Sometimes, complaining that for some reason the leaves turned yellow in pelargonium, or the flower refuses to form buds, the flower growers are to blame for the problem, overfeeding the plants with nitrogen.
"Diet" for the formation of lush inflorescences is potassium and phosphorus. In addition, a good help for the flowering of pelargonium - magnesium sulphate. It turns out that the substance containing magnesium and sulfur not only has a beneficial effect on the yield quality of garden crops, but also contributes to the formation of lush numerous inflorescences on all varieties of geranium.
Pelargonium fertilizers are applied from spring to the beginning of the wintering period, when the plants are rearranged to cool.
Reproduction using seeds
Flower growers are convinced that pelargonium grown from seeds is more resistant to diseases, better tempered and tolerates drafts and temperature changes. Sowing is carried out in the second half of winter, after having previously disinfected and moistened the soil on which the seeds are laid. After the seed is sprinkled with a thin layer of soil, the surface is once again gently moistened.
The best way to irrigate crops is to use a spray gun that does not give a powerful jet that buries the seeds.
Capacity with crops is covered with a film, from which condensate is removed daily until sprouts appear, and placed in a room where the temperature is maintained from 20 to 24 ° C.Young, obtained from pelargonium seeds dive on flocks of two true leaves, and further cultivation is carried out at a temperature of 16-18 ° C.Bushes are ready to “move” to a permanent place at the age of 1.5–2 months.
Read also: Spathiphyllum "female happiness" in a flowerpot
How does pelarkovy pelargonium
Despite the ease of care and reproduction of ampel pelargonium seeds, often use a different method - cuttings.
Reproduction by cuttings has an indisputable advantage - the daughter plants retain all the properties and appearance of the maternal pelargonium, which is extremely important in relation to varietal shrubs.
As the planting material used tops of young vertical shoots, 7–10 cm long and with two pairs of opened leaves. The best time for harvesting cuttings is the period from February to March, as well as the period from the second half of July to the end of August. In this case, the reproduction of ampelous pelargonium and care for plantings are the most simple and effective.
Cut the pieces of the stems left at room temperature for several hours, so that the cut treated with coal powder dries out, then the cuttings are planted in a wet peat-sand soil mixture, deepening 3 cm.
- temperature around 20–22 ° C;
- moderate soil moisture, so as not to cause rotting of the lower part of the stem.
After a month, young plants acquire their own roots and can be transplanted in a tank with a diameter of 8–10 cm. Further care for pelargonium at home is no different from what adult plants receive, and the young bushes will enter the spring season.
Video about the cultivation of species Pelargonium