Heliotrope flower - growing from seed
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Blooming heliotrope fascinates with its appearance, its delicate but persistent aroma is especially delightful. It is not for nothing that perfumers have long appreciated it, using it in the production of perfumes and other cosmetics. This plant can often be found in group and single plantings in plots and gardens.
Heliotrope: facts and legends
The historical homeland of the plant, which belongs to the Borage family, is South America. It was from there that this fragrant shrub spread to other continents. Under natural conditions (in the tropics and subtropics), heliotrope is a perennial shrub, therefore it grows safely in one place for many years. In the conditions of our much more severe climate, it is grown as an annual, since it cannot winter in the open field.
Heliotrope will become a worthy decoration of any site
Heliotrope is a plant that is also unusual for its ability to turn its inflorescences behind the sun during the day.
The people have long endowed heliotrope with special, sometimes magical properties: it is believed that the plant is able to drive away evil spirits and become the protection of the house from thieves. This fragrant shrub is associated with devotion and love, and its presence in the yard is able to establish relationships in the family, between loved ones and bring harmony and happiness to the house.
The fragrant shrub is used in folk medicine as an antihelminthic agent, as well as for kidney stones. And with the help of a plant, they remove warts and fight against lichen.
Heliotrope is not only a beautiful but also a very fragrant plant.
Appearance
Heliotrope is a shrub that grows, depending on the variety, from 20-25 cm to 50-60 cm. The flowers of the plant are small, collected in large thyroid inflorescences, have a pronounced persistent aroma resembling vanilla. Moreover, they begin to smell at a fairly large distance. The color of the flowers ranges from white and blue to dark blue and dark purple.
The leaves of the heliotrope also invariably attract attention: large, ovoid, of a characteristic dark green color, they are wavy or wrinkled, while covered with fine pubescence.
Popular types and varieties of heliotrope
Depending on the variety and, accordingly, the size of the shrub, it is customary to grow it either outdoors in group or single plantings, or in containers and hanging pots.
The most common plant varieties are listed below.
Sea breeze
This plant variety has bright purple flowers and an especially delicate and persistent aroma.
Marine (Marina)
A tree-like plant variety is characterized by a rather high growth (about 40-50 cm), and its inflorescences are quite large. This is a heliotrope, planting and caring for which does not differ much from caring for other varieties.The only thing to remember when planting heliotrope Marina on the site is that cultivation from seeds should be carried out in a warm, well-lit place, since sprouts will not appear in insufficient light.
Heliotrope Marina has bright purple inflorescences
European
It is an annual herb, the stem is straight, branching, pubescent. It reaches a height of 25 to 40 cm, the leaf is light, ovoid, small. The flowers are collected in spiral brushes at the top of the shoots, white in color, small seeds are in wrinkled egg-shaped nuts. European heliotrope is a flower, the cultivation of which should be carried out with the necessary precautions - to protect children and animals from contact with it, since it is poisonous (like pubescent heliotrope)
Odysseus
This variety is most often used for growing in flowerpots, they decorate balconies. And it can also become a decoration for a summer cottage in carpet flower beds, since heliotrope flowers of this variety are thrown out throughout the season, until the very frost, and very abundantly.
Breeding methods for heliotrope
The most convenient and therefore the most common breeding methods are seedlings and cuttings. Each of them has its own characteristics.
Reproduction using seedlings
Before planting seedlings, it should be remembered that heliotrope is a flower that will bloom 3.5-4 months after planting, so it is better to sow seeds in late winter or early spring. Also remember that seedlings grown from purchased seeds will give a much higher percentage of germination, and the seedlings themselves will develop amicably and evenly.
The seedling substrate should consist of peat with the addition of sand, but it must be steamed to eliminate possible pathogens. Seeds are sown in a pot with a prepared substrate and covered with polyethylene or glass. Moreover, you need to sow on slightly compacted soil, and only sprinkle on top with a thin layer of substrate.
Seedling pots should be kept in a warm place (about 20 ° C), and as soon as the first shoots begin to appear (after about 1-3 weeks), it is better to rearrange them on the window, but too bright lighting is not necessary.
Seedling pots should be covered with plastic
After a couple of leaves appear on the seedlings, they should be dived into separate small pots and watered immediately. After a couple of weeks, after the young plants adapt after the pick, it would be good to feed them. Usually, fertilizer for seedlings is used for this.
It will be possible to plant seedlings in open soil in late spring - early summer, when the soil has already warmed up enough and the threat of night frosts has passed.
The best germination is given by purchased seeds.
Propagation by cuttings
You can also grow heliotrope using cuttings. For this purpose, experienced flower growers dig up shrubs in the fall, transplant them into pots and grow them throughout the winter as houseplants. The seedlings need to be provided with warmth and sufficient light, so it is usually advised to use additional light sources. In this case, heliotrope flowers will delight until spring.
Sliced cuttings should be planted in peat cups and placed in mini greenhouses. It is necessary to care for the seedlings, as well as for the seedlings: water in a timely manner and, if necessary, supplement the lighting.
As soon as the roots begin to sprout through the holes of the cups, the young seedlings are carefully transplanted into pots with a large diameter. In order to get more lush plants and more inflorescences, they must be pinched.
Heliotrope grows well as a house plant
Heliotrope: planting and care in the open field
When grown outdoors, a number of conditions must be observed:
- A place. When choosing a site for planting, it should be remembered that the shrub needs a sunny color, therefore it is better to select open, well-lit areas, preferably without drafts.
- The soil. The main condition for the soil when planting a plant is that it is nutritious, preferably contains an abundance of humus and at the same time is loose enough in order to avoid unnecessary stagnation of moisture - heliotrope does not like this.
- Watering. Heliotrope is a shrub that needs watering when the top layer of the soil dries up, therefore, in the absence of rain for a long time, watering should be increased. And after the procedure, the soil is necessarily loosened and weeds are weeded. If there is not enough time for proper care, mulching the soil around the bushes will come to the rescue - this will significantly reduce the frequency of the necessary weeding, watering and loosening.
- Fertilizer. From the beginning of the active growing season until the moment when the heliotrope throws out its color, it must be fed a couple of times a month. Usually, a liquid complex fertilizer for flowering plants is used for this.
Mulching the soil will greatly facilitate the care of the plant
Potential diseases and pests and their control
In general, heliotrope is quite resistant to various diseases and pests, but sometimes it can be affected by aphids, whiteflies and spider mites. To combat them, the plant is treated with an insecticide, and sometimes re-treatment is required after a week. Experienced gardeners most often use Aktellik.
Among the diseases, rot and rust are dangerous for heliotrope.
Gray rot
Brownish spots, covered with gray fluff, begin to appear on the leaves, which eventually begin to turn black from the presence of pathogens on them. The affected parts of the plant should be immediately removed and burned, as this fungal disease can simply spread with the wind. After that, the remaining plant is treated with either copper sulfate or copper oxychloride.
In order to prevent this unpleasant disease, one should not allow thickening of the plantings and the formation of stagnant air, and also not be zealous with nitrogen fertilizers.
Heliotrope grown in the country will certainly become your pride
Rust
At the beginning of the growing season, in the spring, orange spot-pads appear on the leaves. In the absence of treatment, the branches begin to deform, and the leaves themselves wither. Treatment consists in the immediate destruction of the affected parts of the plant and treatment with a solution of Bordeaux liquid or colloidal sulfur.
The heliotrope color will not leave anyone indifferent, therefore, by planting this plant on your site, you can not only decorate the flower bed, but also get an incomparable fragrance for the whole summer - the plant will smell as soon as its inflorescences begin to bloom. In addition, this magical shrub will surely bring harmony and happiness to the house.
