Cleoma flower - description and features of crop care

In gardens and parks, you can see the cleoma flower. It is a beautifully flowering plant of the Cleomov family that can be annual or biennial. In the wild, the plant is found almost everywhere where the climate is warm enough. This genus includes 70 species. Unusual cluster blooms make glue attractive to gardeners. In addition, the plant blooms all summer without interruption and has a peculiar smell.

Features of cleoma

The peduncle is large enough with a powerful root system and branched shoots. The height of the bush reaches one and a half meters. The inner side of the bushes is protected by a small thorny edge. Depending on the species, the leaves are simple and divided into several linear segments. The apical plates are much smaller and always solid.

Blooming cleoma

Carpal inflorescences consist of individual flowers of a dark red, pink, yellow or white hue. The stamens are long enough. The seed fruit is shaped like a long pod. The specific smell that cleoma flowers have is not always pleasant to gardeners, but in the open air it is not so strong. It is needed to attract insects that pollinate the plant.

Glue classification

A fairly unpretentious peduncle, with a one-year or two-year period of development. A cycle of two years is only possible in warm regions. In the future, cleoma, planting and care in the open field, which is within the power of even inexperienced gardeners, is propagated by seeds.

All types of shrubs are divided by botanists into two main groups:

• Cleome Hassleriana;
• prickly cleoma (Cleome Spinosa)

Both species have a thorny edge. They differ only in the color of the flower. Many varieties of different sizes and colors were bred from them.

Varieties that are very popular with gardeners

Thanks to breeders, many plant varieties have appeared in the world, differing from each other not only in appearance, but also in the way of care, as well as the flowering period. It is better for beginners to choose unpretentious specimens that are easy to plant. These include:

• Cherry Queen. With lilac and purple flowers. You can grow the plant in a pot or in open ground.
• Cleoma A splash of champagne. Has a pearl and pink color.
• Hellen Campbell, delighting with snow-white peduncles. It is called white cleoma.
• Rozakenigin with a delicate peach color.
• Pink Queen and Rose Queen, reflecting all shades of pink.
• Golden Sparkler, pleasing with yellow flowers on a low bush.
• Giant Pink Kewsen. The flowers are large with a pink tint.
• Sparkler Lavender. Painted in a pale purple shade.
• Violet Queen with deep purple flowers.

Planted cleoma in the garden looks great together with scented tobacco and other plants. It is tall, which is why it is often used to create hedges.

Growing features

In order for the seedlings to be healthy and resistant to diseases, the preparation of the soil and seed material should be done at the end of February.First of all, you need to know how cleoma is grown from seeds, when to plant this plant.

Soil preparation and landing sites

Seeds are planted in planting containers or peat pots with loose nutrient soil. The substrate can be bought at the store or prepared with equal shares of humus, sand and turf. Seed material before planting is soaked in special formulations for protection and faster germination. The distribution over the surface must be uniform. Sprinkle them on top with a small layer of soil.

Under favorable conditions, cleoma seedlings will hatch within 10-14 days after planting. Next, the containers are placed in a lighted place. If this is not the case, additional lighting is done.

Growing seedlings

The nuances of growing seedlings

For the normal development of the shoots, they need to be watered regularly so that the soil is moist. Another rule that must be observed in order to grow glue is watering young seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It will kill spores of fungi and viruses and protect plantings.

After the appearance of the second pair of true leaves, a pick of plants occurs. They do it carefully. After a couple of weeks, the flowers are fed with complex mineral fertilizers.

The cleoma plant is planted in open ground when the threat of frost has passed. It is pre-hardened. You can sow seeds directly into the ground in late May or late autumn. The depth of the grooves in this case is 15 mm, and the distance between the rows is 35 mm.

Sowing seeds in the garden

The instruction for planting seeds in open ground in spring is as follows:

• Soak in a stimulating preparation (zircon, epin and others).
• Dig up the site, make a bed and grooves in it. The depth of the ditch is about two millimeters. The distance between them is 25-30 cm.
• Spread the seeds evenly over the surface and sprinkle with a layer of soil. Put covering material on top.
• After emergence, it is harvested.
• When the first leaves appear on the plants, they need to be thinned out, leaving at a distance of 50-70 cm from each other.

Flower care

Gardeners are very fond of such a plant as cleoma, the cultivation of which does not require much time and effort. The main thing is to choose the right place, water it in a timely manner and treat it from pests. This will allow you to admire how cleoma blooms for the whole summer. Watering can be done once a week, but abundantly.

Watering plants

Top dressing of bushes

Top dressing is carried out 2 times a month by sub-root introduction. The open part of the roots should be mulched, and the root circle itself should be systematically loosened and cleaned of weeds.

The amount and volume of fertilizing applied should correspond to the needs of the plants for a certain period of time. Initially, these are mixtures containing a complex of useful substances, including nitrogen. During the formation of the first buds, potassium and magnesium supplements are used for flowering crops.

The frequency of top dressing is two weeks or a little more, depending on the condition of the plants. For weakened bushes, top dressing is applied in a smaller dose. Otherwise, mineral supplements will simply kill the shoots. Sometimes it is enough just to sprinkle the leaves with a weak solution of this composition.

Care features

If you take care of the flower in this way, then it will thank you with a lush and long flowering. Cleoma bushes are prone to overgrowth, and sometimes break under their own weight. To prevent this, it is recommended to drive pegs along the edges of the flower bed and pull strong threads around the perimeter, which will serve as support for the plant. Cleoma is an annual plant, so in autumn the bushes should be uprooted and disposed of.Previously, you can collect the seeds of the plant and leave them for sowing for the next season - open the ripe pods, pour the seeds into a paper bag and store them in a dark, cool place.

Cleoma after flowering

Cleoma is a perennial flower and propagates exclusively by seeds. Experienced gardeners collect ripe seeds from bushes to sow them in spring or winter. The maturity of the seed is determined by external data (shape and brown color). Selected seed pods are covered with gauze bags so that they do not spill onto the ground.

Seed collection

At the onset of frost, the upper part of the shoots is cut off and burned. When planting seeds in autumn in November, a garden bed is prepared, which is covered with spruce branches.

Reasons for non-germination of seeds

After the formation of seed pods occurs as the plant fades. The size of the seeds does not exceed 0.5 cm. The reasons for the poor germination of seeds can be their immaturity and mistakes in plant care. You can increase the percentage of germination with the help of special preparations that stimulate the process. In them, the seed is soaked before planting. Stress can also help, which triples the seeds by a sharp change in temperature. The containers are first kept in a warm room for several hours, and then taken out into the cold or placed in the refrigerator. This speeds up the germination process.

Dangerous diseases and pests

The unusual scent of cleoma effectively protects the flower from pests. The disease can be the result of errors in care and watering, high soil moisture at the location of the flower bed.

Root system damage

Of the pests, the most dangerous is aphids, which can lead to the death of plantings. The description of the signs is as follows:

• the formation of a sticky layer on the leaves;
• ugly yellow spots;
• curling the edges.

You can eliminate the ailment with the help of special preparations or a solution of ordinary laundry soap. The following signs indicate the root rot that has appeared on the shoots:

• wilting of the plant;
• the appearance of brown spots on the leaves;
• slow growth.

If the problem is too serious, you will have to completely pull out the plantings in the affected area, and then treat the land with special chemicals.