Achimenes - Species, Agricultural Technology And Pests - 2

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Ahimenes is a plant that delights the grower with long and beautiful flowering

The propagation of hybrid varieties of Achimenes by seeds is widespread. It is rather difficult to get the seeds of this flower at home, but you can try. The plant develops fruits, which remain green until the seeds are fully ripe. As a rule, after flowering, it takes at least 2-2.5 months for the seeds to ripen.

The fruits are removed when they are soft. In February-March, seeds are laid out on the surface of moist coarse sand or loose, nutritious substrate (sand + leafy earth in equal parts); you can only slightly press them against the substrate. The soil is slightly moistened, the container is covered with glass and placed in a dark place with a temperature of 22 … 15 ° C, periodically ventilated and moistened from the pallet. Seedlings appear in 15-20 days, they dive 2-3 times, each time increasing their feeding area. Then the seedlings are planted in pots, looked after as for adult plants.

Transplants

In the first ten days of February, rhizomes (tubers) of achimenes are transplanted into a fresh loose substrate. When transplanting, overgrown rhizomes can be divided. At the same time, they look so that each separated part has at least one shoot (eye), then they allow the slices to dry out and sprinkle them with crushed charcoal and planted in the substrate. Parts of the rhizome are slightly pressed into the substrate and a small layer of earth is poured on top. When transplanting, it is useful to process the tubers in a pink solution of potassium permanganate. I repeat that the root system of achimenes is small, superficial, so it is better to grow it in bowls or wide pots with a large layer of drainage. Achimenes should not be planted immediately in a large bowl; it is better to transfer it to a larger pot as it grows.

If the florist fed the plant relatively moderately during active development, then for successful flowering next year, it is advisable to transplant it in the spring into fresh nutrient soil.

Achimenes are fed a month after they have shoots or with the appearance of the first buds (and until the end of flowering). Top dressing is done every 2-3 weeks with a solution of complete mineral fertilizer, For example, plants respond well to a mixture of 1.5 g of nitrogen, 1 g of phosphorus and 0.5 g of potassium fertilizers (per 3 liters of water). But you should always remember: it is better to underfeed than to burn the root system with a concentrated mineral solution. Mineral feeding can be alternated with the use of an aqueous solution of organic fertilizer (for example, mullein - 1:15).

Dormant period of the plant

The main feature of Achimenes is its pronounced rest period (4-5 months), during which its entire aboveground part dies off. As a rule, in the second half of September - in October, the plant stops growing, stops forming new buds, flowering stops, and the leaf mass begins to turn brown and die off. With these signs, Ahimenes signals to its owner about the beginning of the dormant stage: it's time to stop watering. But it is important to prepare the plant for this period, gradually reducing watering until it stops completely. It is necessary to patiently wait for the complete natural drying of the ground mass, only after that dry shoots can be cut off or carefully removed by twisting them. If this pruning is carried out prematurely, then the nodules will not take all the nutrients from the stems and will not form normally. Nodules can be stored at room temperature (14 … 18 ° C) or below (at least 8 … 10 ° C) in old soil without removing it from the container, or in pots with dry sand (peat) in a dark, dry place.

During wintering, nodules in a container with old soil are not watered until the end of the dormant period, only rarely (once a month) a weak wetting of the top layer of earth in a pot is carried out or gently spilled along its walls. If the plant is about to overwinter for the first time, then it is still preferable to completely lack watering. It must be borne in mind that even a single excess watering can provoke a premature awakening of nodules. This phenomenon is extremely undesirable, since due to the shortened dormant period, short daylight hours and a lack of sunlight at this time, the sprouts are formed too weakened, and the flowering of young plants will slow down for some time. If, for some reason, Ahimenes comes out of a state of rest, he is provided with additional lighting. For this, fluorescent lamps are used,placing them above the plant at a height of 30-50 cm. If there is some delay in the emergence of sprouts, then it is possible to activate the development of nodules by a single pouring of hot (50 … 60 ° C) water.

Types of achimenes

In indoor floriculture, the most famous Achimenes are long-flowered (Achimenes longiflora DC) and large-flowered (Achimenes grandiflora DC), thanks to which breeders were able to create many modern indoor hybrids with a wide range of colors - white, yellow, bright red, blue and purple (while the throat flower differs in color - white or yellow, maybe with colored veins). Forms with double flowers have been created.

Achimenes long-flowered (native to Guatemala) - 30-35 cm high with pubescent, slightly colored leaves below (up to 8 cm long), with large, single axillary purple flowers. Blooms in April - October. Its most famous garden varieties are Chiapas (with large light purple flowers and wavy petals) and Juaregia (with large white flowers with a lilac speck at the top of the throat).

The Mexican Achimenes large-flowered differs from the previous species by the presence of a sac- like swelling at the base of the corolla tube. It is also twice as tall - up to 60-65 cm, with red-purple flowers (up to 5 cm in diameter) on stems hanging down. Blooms in April - August. Popular garden hybrids include "Little Beauty" (with small carmine pink flowers) and "Paul Arnold" (with bronze leaves and dark pink flowers).

Other types of achimenes are less known: Mexican Achimenes (flowering April-October) up to 40 cm high with pubescent shoots and leaves. The leaves are dark green, reddish below, red along the edge; flowers with a diameter of 4-5 cm, reddish-purple with a wide limb of the corolla; Akhimenes bright red blooms in July-August, it is up to 60 cm high with three whorled, oval, serrated leaves along the edge and bright red flowers (2.5 cm long, 1.5 in diameter); Ahimenes Ehrenberg (with large leaves and light lilac flowers); Achimenes erect, which, despite its name, is an ampelous plant (with bright red flowers on long, up to 45 cm, reddish stems). Widespread varieties of Achimenes hybrid: Schneewitschen - with white flowers, Yellow Beauty - with yellow flowers, Little Beauty, Pink Beauty, Rose - with pink flowers, Paul Arnold, Purple King - with purple flowers, Master Ingram - with red flowers, and Ambroise Verschaffelt has white flowers with purple veins … This species blooms from July to October.

Flower use

Achimenes is highly regarded by flower growers for their long flowering. Ampel forms are best placed in well-lit places (you can on the street under a canopy or the porch of a house): their thin stems look great in hanging baskets or pots. It is possible to form a bushy (in several stems) achimenes: in young shoots, the tops above the second pair of leaves are pinched. Plants are successfully placed in the landscaping of residential premises, used in the arrangement of vases with large plants, in compositions of low-growing plants of multi-colored varieties of achimenes. Sometimes its shoots are tied to supports.

Disease and pest control

On the foliage of achimenes, pests may appear - spider mites, whiteflies, aphids and thrips, especially if the plants were outdoors in summer. Therefore, before introducing street plants, you need to carefully examine them so as not to miss pests. At the first stage of the fight, you can try to treat the infected plant with plant solutions from onion husks or garlic cloves. The plant mass is poured with water for a day, then the foliage is filtered and sprayed finely, and the soil is shed. If this tool does not give a positive result, use agrovertin or fitoverm, observing certain safety measures when working with these drugs.