How to understand that we have a plant suffering from waterlogging? Leaf drop is one of the symptoms. In a number of plants, such as citrus fruits, they fall off in the literal sense - they darken and fall off. In others, for example, in aroids (aglaonema, dieffenbachia) or arrowroot, they darken, but still stay on the stems for a long time. In plants that form rosettes of leaves or pseudo rosettes (yucca, dracaena), the leaves do not darken immediately, but first become discolored, becoming pale yellow. But in other cases, the characteristic difference between leaves that die from waterlogging is the darkening of the leaf. The leaf does not just turn yellow, it just darkens, the color becomes from a healthy juicy green dirty swamp shade, gradually turning into brown. If waterlogging was preceded by overdrying, then the leaf first turns yellow, then the petiole of the leaf and the leaf itself darken.

Decayed roots exfoliate, the top layer of the root becomes dirty gray, peels off if you run your fingers, a thin hard core remains. These roots all died from waterlogging.

And these are healthy living roots - green, yellowish or whitish, in some plants of succulent Brown.

Sudden or gradual falling of leaves, blackening of shoots, damp, sour earth ...

The trunk still seems alive, green, but the roots have rotted, the plant can no longer be saved.

When the plant does not have enough water, the leaves always turn yellow, while the leaf tissues may lose elasticity, droop, or remain dry. After watering, the turgor is restored, the leaves become elastic again. If there is insufficient nutrition, then interveinal chlorosis may appear, the leaves do not droop, continue to grow, but become smaller. When waterlogged, the leaves may lose their elasticity, wilt, but after watering, the elasticity is not restored, and the darkening of the leaves, on the contrary, increases. Sometimes the leaves can fall off even without darkening - still green. But leaf fall can also occur from watering. cold water. Ideally, the temperature of the water for irrigation should be 2-3°C higher than the temperature in the room, but not lower than 22°C. Cold water is not absorbed by the roots, causes the suction roots to die from hypothermia, and, as a result, the leaves fall off.

As for the hardness of the water, it cannot be the cause of the sudden fall of the leaves and the death of the plant. If you water the plants with hard water, even the most capricious, sensitive to excess salts, the plants will not begin to massively lose leaves. All the damage manifests itself gradually: at first, chlorosis spots appear, the tips or edges of the leaves turn brown, one or two leaves turn yellow, new leaves grow small and the plant looks oppressed, but the leaves do not fall off.

In case of massive leaf fall, when the leaves fall off not one after another, but dozens at once, the reasons may be the following: sudden hypothermia (for example, when transporting home), watering with concentrated fertilizer (burning the roots), severe drying, and only hygrophytes and mesohygrophytes fly around in large numbers (and there are few of them), and waterlogging. Naturally, the first two reasons can be easily calculated, and it is also possible to distinguish overdrying from waterlogging, but for this the plant must be removed from the pot. Feeling the soil with your finger at a depth is not always possible (for example, the roots have grown strongly), and only by taking the plant out of the pot can you determine whether the earth is wet inside the root ball.

Some flower growers pull to the last, not wanting to take out the plant and inspect the roots. They are either selflessly sure that there was no waterlogging, or they are afraid that an unscheduled transplant will damage the plant. But if there is even the slightest suspicion of waterlogging, there is no need to doubt - take out and inspect the roots. Sometimes the root system of plants grows in this way: at the top the roots are not thick, the soil dries easily between them, and in the lower part of the pot the roots twist a dense ring, the interlacing of the roots makes it difficult to dry and in the lower part of the pot the soil dries for a very long time. This is especially aggravated by the fact that the holes at the bottom of the pot are small, clogged with pebbles or grains of earth.

On mandarin, the result of waterlogging and acidification of the earth. Chlorosis is a lack of various trace elements.

Such a deplorable state is the result of hypothermia of the root system: watering with cold water or the plant is left with damp earth on a cold balcony, on the street.

There is also a deplorable symptom, characteristic of the strongest prolonged waterlogging - darkening, blackening and withering of the tops of the shoots. If a similar picture occurred, then the matter is already very much running, it is often simply impossible to save the plant. If the tops of all shoots are rotten (yellowed or darkened), there is nothing to save. A similar picture is possible only with strong hypothermia of the roots, and never occurs when overdrying. When overdrying, wilting begins with old leaves, from the lower shoots, the trunk is exposed from below. When waterlogged, the leaves wither in any part of the crown, but more often from above, from the tops of the shoots.

And of course, any softening of the stems or leaves of plants with fleshy parts of the body, and these are yuccas, dracaenas, dieffenbachia, any succulents (fatties, adeniums, etc.), cacti - a sure sign of excess moisture.

Another symptom that is not entirely true and does not always indicate a specific plant, but still makes you think - the presence of fungal mosquitoes. If a swarm of midges flies up from the pot, it means that you watered the flowers too abundantly, perhaps it was once or twice, or perhaps it became a habit of watering excessively. Unlike mosquitoes, podura (colembolas) are white or dirty gray insects, about 1-2 mm, jumping on the surface of the earth in a pot - a sure sign that the flower is poured more than once.

Measures to save flooded plants

When you nevertheless established that the plant was flooded, you need to urgently take action. If you established the fact of waterlogging after you took the plant out of the pot, then you have to transplant. If the fact of waterlogging was determined by indirect signs (leaf fall, damp earth to the touch), then the need for a transplant depends on the severity of the situation.

• If the plant has lost one or two leaves, or one branch has faded in a mighty crown, and the soil in the pot is light enough, then you can not replant the plant, but only loosen the soil. After watering, especially plentiful, the soil spreads, and after drying, a dense crust forms on its surface. If this crust is not destroyed, then the roots suffer from a lack of air. If seed plantings are watered, then seedlings may not come to the surface of the earth and die from hypoxia.
• If there are small drainage holes in the pot, you can expand them or increase their number without removing the plant from the pot, using a knife heated on the stove.
• Personally, I never try to just loosen the earth, it is not very reliable and justified in cases where the flooded plant is in a very large pot, transplanting is difficult, or when the plant is transferred from a cold room to a warm one, and the very increase in temperature will accelerate the drying of the earth.
• In all other cases better plant transplant.

Signs of a bay in orchids - phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow, they are sluggish, wrinkled. The bark dries for a very long time, from constant contact with a damp surface, the roots rot.

Rotten roots must be cut off. In some cases, the new pot will have to pick up a smaller size than it was.

So, you take the plant out of the pot, and you need to determine the condition of the earth and the roots. Is the earth still damp and how much? Count when you last watered, how much it dried. Sometimes a person is convinced that the earth has been dry for a long time, say, a week has passed after watering, and upon examination it turns out that the earth inside the pot is still very damp. Then try to remember what the weather was like, how it happened that the soil did not have time to dry out! It is important to at least try to analyze in order to prevent this, or to calculate which plants could still be flooded. For some people, bays happen systematically over and over again. This suggests that it is necessary to radically revise the care system: perhaps change the soil in pots to a more structured, loose one, increase drainage holes, add more drainage to the bottom of the pot; water with less water; rearrange the plants in a warmer room or water less often when the ground dries out more. Sometimes you need to literally slap yourself on the hands so that you don’t rise with a watering can over the plant ahead of time ...

Examine the roots. The rotten ones are immediately visible - they delaminate, if you grab the spine with two fingers and pull, the skin slides off it - it is brown or dark gray, under it there is a bundle of vessels similar to a wire, a hard rod. If such a stratification has occurred, the root is rotten. Healthy roots do not delaminate, if you run your fingers over the surface, the top layer will not be removed. In some cases, the roots do not exfoliate, the fleshy juicy roots rot completely, and this is also immediately visible - they are dark, dirty gray or brown, sometimes softened. often define healthy roots and rotten can be in contrast to their appearance, some are light, white, light brown, others are dark, not only on the outside, but also on a break or breakage.

There are times when rotten roots break off easily and, when the plant is taken out of the pot, fall off along with the ground. If you did not find definitely rotten roots, but the earth and root ball are damp, you need to dry them. To do this, we wet the measles lump in any hygroscopic material: in a pile of old newspapers, in a roll of toilet paper. You can even put a plant with an open root system (without a pot) to dry for several hours.

Having found rotten roots, you need to cut them off, no matter how many there are. This is a source of infection, there is nothing to regret here. We cut everything down to healthy tissue. If the roots are fleshy, juicy, watery, then it is advisable to sprinkle the cut points with charcoal (wood, birch) or sulfur powder (sold in pet stores). If neither is available, interpret an activated charcoal tablet. If there are very few roots left, much less than it was, you need to transplant the plant into a smaller pot.

I have already said that in itself a too spacious pot, not filled with roots, does not contribute to the rapid growth of plants, and in some cases even harms. In a spacious pot, the plant is easier to fill with light. And even if watered carefully, the plant tends to build up the root system, master a large surface of the earth, and only then enhances the growth of the ground part.

Substrate for aroid, bromeliad and other plants. Instead of a pot, a basket, substrate: earth, coconut fiber, coconut substrate, wine cork, pine bark and moss (its very smallness). The rotting anthurium, transplanted into this mixture, bloomed in a month, and releases the third bud.

If you tend to water the plants, then use clay pots to plant the plants. But there is one important point: the inside of the pot should not be glazed. If the walls of a clay pot are glazed on the inside, it is no better than a plastic one.

So, you need to pick up a pot under the root ball remaining after removing the rot. In this case, the rule will be effective: better smaller pot than more. It's okay if the pot is small, healthy roots will grow, notify you with their appearance from the drainage holes, and you just transfer the plant to a larger pot and that's it. During the growing season, plants can be transplanted at any time and more than once. Most plants, if they get sick after transplantation, stop growing, then this is most often due to improper care after transplantation, and not from root injuries.

After transplantation, plants should not be placed in the sun, even the most light-loving ones, they should be under shade for a week. You can not water the plants on the same day, especially those resuscitated from overflow - these are generally watered for the first time after 2-3 days. You can not fertilize transplanted plants for 1-1.5 months. And when transplanting patients (including flooded ones), dry fertilizers (neither manure, nor litter, nor granular fertilizers) can be added. Do not seal the transplanted plant in a plastic bag. This very package sometimes becomes a real evil. The fact is that transplanted plants, deprived of watering, must be placed in conditions of high humidity in the first days. And many tend to put the plant in a bag and tie it tight. In this case, the importance, of course, increases. But the supply of oxygen is reduced. As we remember, the plant breathes with both roots and leaves, if the plant has been flooded, it especially needs fresh air, and if pathogenic microorganisms developed on it - various spots of fungal or bacterial origin, then it just needs fresh air!

Here you can do this: place the plant in a transparent bag, straighten its edges, but do not tie it. If the weather is very hot, then you can spray 1-2 times a day, if the plants do not tolerate water on the leaves, then simply place the pot on a wide pan with water on an inverted saucer.

If the plant has rotten tops, the ends of the shoots, they must be cut to healthy tissues. If possible, at the same time cut the plant - cut off healthy branches for rooting in order to be able to save at least something if the bay has already led to irreversible consequences. Sometimes it happens that the roots rot completely, but some of the shoots are still vigorous until they fade (this is temporary) and cuttings can still be cut from them. In some cases, when the roots rot, toxins (the aforementioned swamp gases, products of bacteria and fungi) enter the vascular system of plants and cut cuttings, even healthy-looking ones do not take root, they are already doomed ...

After transplantation, the flooded plant can be sprayed with growth stimulants (epin or amulet), only at night (most stimulants decompose in the light). If there are dark spots on the leaves, rotten tops of the shoots, then it is advisable to spray the plant with a fungicide, or add the fungicide to the water for irrigation. From fungicides suitable: Fundazol, Maxim, Hom, Oksikhom (and other copper-containing preparations). 3-4 days after transplanting into fresh, dry soil, the plant can be watered with a solution of zircon.

If a plant with a wide rosette of leaves turned out to be flooded, in the form of a funnel, like in bromeliads, then it is necessary to dry the bases of the leaves. To do this, you first need to turn the plant upside down with leaves. When the water drains, pour 2-3 tablets of crushed activated carbon into the outlet. After 3-5 minutes, gently remove it with a soft fluffy brush. Many bromeliads rot when watered through a rosette of leaves in winter. Read carefully the recommendations for growing a particular plant, and especially care in the winter.

Another important point: after flooding, the soil in the pot turns sour: the roots of the plants continue to emit carbon dioxide, the renewal of humus slows down, and humic acids accumulate, which increases the acidity of the soil, many nutrients turn into a form that is indigestible by plants. For example, iron goes into its oxidized form (F3+), which causes a rusty-brown crust to form on the surface of the earth. Oxidized iron is not absorbed, as a result, the plant shows all the signs of its deficiency - severe chlorosis. This is especially noticeable on fruit plants: there are signs of deficiency of calcium, iron, nitrogen. At this stage, some flower growers do not pay attention to the condition of the soil, and are in a hurry to treat the effect, not the cause. As a result, the plant continues to suffer, turn yellow. At times it gets better (for example, after spraying with Ferovit), and after fertilizing the soil, it gets even worse.

In such a situation, the only way out is complete replacement earth. And if you are in a hurry to fertilize, then it is advisable to rinse the roots during transplantation under a stream of warm water. Then dry, remove the rotten ones, sprinkle with charcoal and plant in fresh, dry soil.

If a white or red salt crust forms on the surface of the earth, this is a signal: the earth dries for a long time! Such a salt crust must be removed, the top layer of the earth must be replaced with a fresh one.

The heat and drought hit us unusually early this year. It's only May, and the weather is quite July. And just like in the height of summer, plants need water. Usually in the spring we have rains - not uncommon, and the nights are cold, with dew, so we have to think about watering much later.

Although, to be honest, I didn’t really think about it: everything is intuitive. And then I decided to figure it out how to properly water a garden: how much water each vegetable needs; how to determine if a plant is suffering from thirst; how often to water the beds, and so on. It turned out that I decided not in vain: I learned a lot of interesting things for myself. I will share - maybe it will be useful for you.

Watering for cabbage

Cabbage is perhaps the largest water drink of all vegetable crops. When she ties heads, the watering rate is at least 30 liters per 1 sq.m. If cabbage suffers from thirst, it is instantly attacked by pests - cruciferous flea and cabbage fly. A pinkish-gray bloom may appear on the leaves of the plant.

Cabbage, it turns out, needs to be watered in different ways, depending on the weather: if it is hot and dry, sprinkler is used, and in cool weather it is watered under the root. In this case, the soil should get wet to a depth of at least 40 cm.

Late varieties of cabbage are recommended to be watered daily, and early ones - every 2-3 days, preventing the soil from drying out. If, after a drought, you decide to water the plants abundantly, or if it suddenly rains, this will only lead to the fact that the heads of cabbage will crack.

water for tomatoes

The fact that the plant wants to drink is signaled by its leaves: during drought, they become smaller, take vertical position, are twisted. The formed ovaries may also fall off, and if the fruits are already pouring, they slowly grow and ripen, often top rot appears on them.

Tomatoes need to be watered at the root - sprinkling is permissible only in very hot and dry weather. Excess moisture in the air can cause disease. For this culture recommend morning watering. When the first flowers appear, they are watered once a week, and then every 10-12 days, spending 30 liters of water per 1 sq.m.

How to water cucumbers

Cucumber loves water, so you need to water it often. Although he turned out to be a rather contradictory nature 🙂 Judge for yourself:

• before flowering cucumbers can be watered no more than once a week (and not even watered at all if it rains) - so that the plants develop a strong root system;
• when did the flowers appear, it is necessary to water every 3-4 days, or even daily (if it is hot);
• preferred for cucumbers sprinkler irrigation- their foliage actively evaporates moisture; but if you find spots on the leaves that indicate a plant disease, sprinkling should be excluded and watered only in grooves laid along a row of plants;
• should be watered in warm weather after noon, but until 17.00, and if the nights are cold, it is recommended morning watering.

The soil under the cucumbers after watering should be moist to a depth of at least 40 cm; under adult plants, for this you will have to pour about 20-30 liters of water per 1 sq.m.

Drizzle eggplant and peppers

Thirsty eggplants and peppers stop growing and do not bloom. To avoid such a misfortune, every 7-10 days they need to be watered, spending 15-30 liters of water per 1 sq.m(depending on weather conditions).

Water the plants under the root or in the furrows laid along the row. In the heat, morning or evening irrigation can be used, and if the temperature drops below +15 degrees, watering should be completely excluded - otherwise there is a risk of plants being affected by gray rot.

How much water do carrots and beets need

Carrot seeds should be in moist soil until the first shoots appear. Often, gardeners use a film: it does not allow moisture to evaporate, and you can water the carrot bed much less often. With the advent of seedlings, the film must be removed, and then every 10 days the plantings should be watered abundantly using a watering can with a fine strainer. Stop watering 3 weeks before harvest. Water consumption - 30 l per 1 sq.m.

If there is not enough water, carrots can form a rough, ugly root crop, or even throw out the flower spike. The fact that the plant suffers from thirst, you can guess from the slightly twisted and darkened leaves.

But beets do not require such worries - you can water it much less often. For the whole season, beet crops are enough to be watered 4-5 times (of course, if there is no intense heat, and it rains periodically). Water consumption is the same as for carrots, and watering is recommended in the early morning or evening, in the grooves along the plants.

But overdrying beets is also not worth it: from drought, it, like carrots, can go on to form flower stalks instead of forming a root crop. And if it forms, it will come out tough and tasteless. Beets indicate a lack of watering by the brown-purple color of the foliage, which, moreover, becomes noticeably smaller during drought.

When to water onions and garlic

The yellowing tips of the pen remind: it's time to water. But if the weather is rainy, these crops make do with natural moisture; in dry and hot weather, you will have to go out to the garden with a watering can or hose every 5-6 days.

When about a month remains before harvesting, watering should be stopped altogether: from excess moisture, the bulbs ripen worse, and then they are poorly stored in winter. Plants need the most water when the bulbs are poured - the norm at this time is 30-35 liters per 1 sq.m. In the spring, while the root system is being formed and foliage is growing, use no more than 30 liters per 1 sq.m.

How to water zucchini and pumpkin

These crops do not need water too often, but in large quantities:

• zucchini- once a month, 20 liters per plant;
• pumpkin- before hilling 1 time in the amount of 7-8 liters per plant; then they do not water for about a month, after which every 10 days they pour 10 liters under each bush, stopping watering completely a month before harvesting.

Watering should only be under the root; pour water very carefully so as not to expose the root system. Choose for " water procedures» Morning or evening hours: the risk of burns is too high during the day.

Do potatoes need to be watered?

To be honest, I never watered potatoes, until this spring. I read, of course, that he also needs watering, but he grew well without it. And then I was afraid that in the dry hot earth the tubers would simply be baked instead of germinating. In general, it is recommended to water potatoes once a week, according to 20-30 liters of water per 1 sq.m landings. If, after watering, the soil is slightly dried, loosened and mulched with humus or peat, then you can do it once a month.

Do you often have to water the garden or does the weather take over part of the work? And how do you water - by the rules or by intuition? 🙂

Source: www.7dach.ru

Plants are so varied appearance, structure, origin, that it is impossible to offer mathematically precise recipes regarding the frequency and volume of watering.

Some plants cannot tolerate lack of water and will wilt or dry out as soon as the substrate dries out. If the leaves have drooped, it is often difficult for the plant to return to normal. Such plants must be grown in a substrate that retains water well, based on lowland peat. But there are also species that prefer more rare watering. These are most cacti and succulents, and all plants with dense hard leaves or forming a hard, thick trunk.

Observation and good knowledge of plants allows you to water at the ideal moment and give the plant the optimal amount of water. During the growth period (from mid-March to the end of September), plants need the most frequent and plentiful watering. As a rule, at this time they water 2 times more often and 3-4 times more than during the period of vegetative dormancy (from mid-October to the end of February). During transitional periods, the frequency of watering depends on the air temperature.

Watering tree plants. At normal temperatures (18-22°C in the house), plants that form a hard stem, as well as species with dense leaves, are watered on average every 5-7 days during the growth period and every 10-12 days during the dormant period (in winter). Water should fall on the surface of the earthen coma.

Watering herbaceous plants. Stemless plants, plants forming rosettes or a bush of flexible and thin stems, as well as all plants resembling grass, are watered on average 2 times a week during the growing season and 1 time per week in winter. It is best to use the method of immersing the pot in water.

Watering orchids. Forms with pseudobulbs or stems resembling reeds are watered on average once a week throughout the year and only during the flowering period - every 3-4 days. Orchids with thin stems or forming rosettes are watered 2 times a week during the growth period and 1 time per week in winter. Use non-calcareous water, do not wet the core of the plant, and pour excess water from the pan.

Watering cacti and succulents. During the growth period, water every 6-10 days depending on the air temperature and no more than 1 time in 15-20 days in winter. If the temperature is low, do not water at all. For example, lithops can survive in a pot for about a year without a single drop of water if the room temperature is below 16°C.

Watering bromeliads. Water pineapple, echmea, gusmania, etc. with lime water on average once a week throughout the year. During growth, leave water in the center of the leafy rosette.

Insufficient watering . When a plant no longer finds the water it needs to sustain life in the soil, it begins to use the reserves. Plants with fleshy stems or fleshy leaves, like cacti and succulents, can tolerate drought for several months. And plants with thin and fragile stems, with large thin and flexible leaves, begin to experience the effects of drought more quickly. When cells lose some of their fluid, they lose firmness and tissues shrink or sag. This is the most important sign that the plant is thirsty. In most cases, it is enough to thoroughly wet the earthen ball for the plant to come back to life. But remember that wilting weakens the plant, prevents it from normal development. You must intervene in time, but do not flood the plant, but only give it what it needs.

Slow drying of the earth in pots indicates a diseased condition or poor growth of the plant. If the plant turned out to be flooded, then it is necessary to loosen the surface of the earth, or remove the top layer of earth to the roots and cover it with fresh earth. If the earth in the pot is sour, then you need to transplant the plant into a new earth, after washing its roots and removing rotten areas from them.

If you flooded the plant so much that the pot smelled of mold, try changing the substrate. Remove the plant from the pot, squeeze the earthen ball to squeeze out the water, and remove as much of the wet substrate as possible. Transplant the plant into a new substrate, slightly damp. Do not water the plant for at least 15 days.

If the spots have spread not only to the leaves, but also to the petioles and core of the plant, then, unfortunately, it can no longer be saved and you will have to purchase another plant.

source

Irrigation for plants is of exceptional importance, as well as drinking water for humans. Without enough water to dilute the necessary nutrients in the soil, plants not only wither, but also starve. Water is necessary for all physiological processes: photosynthesis, the movement of organic compounds formed as a result of photosynthesis, as well as for the absorption of minerals in the form of soil solutions.

Watering is one of the most important measures to ensure the viability of plants. The task of irrigation should be solved in conjunction with the problem of achieving optimal soil water permeability. The plant can rot from surface waterlogging, while simultaneously experiencing an acute moisture deficit. To increase the permeability of heavy soils (soils for planting), sand, compost, and peat should be added to them. Usually in modern mixtures there are no such problems - everything is balanced.

Irrigation water must be neutral acid-base balance and a minimum amount of toxic impurities(chlorine, fluorine, heavy metals, etc.). The ideal option is natural rain, purified, spring or distilled (then using fertilizers) water. Tap water is moderately suitable for irrigation only after settling for a day and stabilizing the acid-base balance. cleaning activated carbon removes chlorine and fluorine, but retains calcium and heavy metal salts. You can use filters or purchased water.

The main rule for watering plants: Water only when the soil in the pot is dry. Constant excess moisture is harmful - it leads to disruption of normal air exchange in the soil. The root system needs a constant supply of oxygen. With its lack and with an excess of moisture, the roots gradually die off, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. This means that the plant is flooded. It is necessary to reduce watering, and in some cases, in order to save the plant, you need to cut it off and try to root the cuttings from it, after holding them in water. With strict observance of the main rule, it should be taken into account that watering plants of different groups and species has its own characteristics.

The need of plants for water is determined by their specific features: the structure of above-ground organs, the capacity of the root system, etc. For example, plants with succulent, fleshy leaves (such as agave, aloe, etc.) need less water than plants with large leaves, which sometimes need to be watered twice a day. For bulbous plants, excess moisture is harmful. It is best to water them by directing the stream of water not at the bulb, but closer to the walls of the pot, or water from a pan.

There are plants that are very sensitive to lack of moisture, such as araucaria. When its branches begin to hang down, then no amount of watering will help. Araucaria must be constantly monitored and, in addition to watering, spray the plant as often as possible, and several times a day.

There are a number of important requirements for irrigation water. Here are the main ones: purity of water, low content of salts and minerals, complete absence of toxic impurities and foreign inclusions, neutral or slightly acidic acid reaction. For irrigation, in most cases, tap water from the public water supply network, well water (outside the city), water from a well, water from a nearby reservoir (that is, river or lake) and rainwater are used. Naturally, each type of water has its own characteristics and characteristics, which indicate the degree of its suitability for irrigation.

Tap water goes through filtration and various stages of purification, what makes it drinkable is known to all. Also, this water is suitable for irrigation, although it is worth noting that the content of minerals in it is quite low and, depending on the season, the chlorine content can increase significantly.

Well water or well water on the contrary, it is distinguished by a high content of salts and minerals, because, passing through the soil, it washes out valuable microelements, which is a positive property for water. But still, the content of mineral substances in water should not be overestimated, since then it will become unsuitable for watering plants.

water from the pond, perhaps the least suitable type of irrigation water, mainly due to the high risk of containing toxic waste, decay products, chemical substances, bacteria, foreign inclusions and other dangerous impurities.

Rainwater much softer than tap water, it has an almost neutral acid reaction, and in addition, it has a rather high content of dissolved oxygen. Thanks to all these characteristics, rainwater can be considered very valuable for plants, and there is a very definite sense in collecting it. However, it should be borne in mind that in conditions of extremely polluted environment rainwater inevitably gets harmful chemical compounds, heavy metals, lime dust (which hardens water), combustion products of liquid and solid fuel in the form of soot and droplets of an oily liquid, which greatly reduces the value of rainwater.

To reduce the degree of contamination of rainwater, and therefore the risk associated with it, a number of rules must be observed when collecting it. Since rainwater collection tanks are in the vast majority of cases installed under downspouts and gutters, before entering the barrel, the water flows down the roof, washing away dust, chemicals, soot and other “unfavorable” substances that have settled on it. The water of the first precipitation after a long period of drought is especially heavily polluted, because the amount of dirt accumulated on the roofs is especially high. Therefore, it is not recommended to collect rainwater if there has been no precipitation for a long time before. When the rain takes on a strong and lingering character, you can refuse the volume of water that falls in the first half hour, this time is enough to wash off the main dust containing harmful impurities from the roof. In order to be able to regulate the flow of water into the barrel, a valve can be installed in the water collector, by closing which you will direct water from the downpipe to the ground when its collection in the container is undesirable for one reason or another.

Leaf drooping, loss of turgor by leaves and shoots.

In plants with soft, tender leaves (Vanka wet), they become lethargic and fall. In plants with hard, leathery leaves (ficus, laurel, myrtle oleander, etc.), they dry out and crumble (first of all, old leaves fall off).

Flowers and buds fall off or quickly wither.

Leaf drooping, there are soft spots with signs of rot.

Curled, yellowed and withered leaves, the tips of the leaves are brown.

Both old and young leaves fall off.

Eat Golden Rule watering plants - it is better to water less, but more often than less often and in large quantities. It should be noted that the wilting of the leaves is not always associated with a lack of water. This can happen under the influence sun rays, the first clear day a field of long cloudy weather.

Plants are watered immediately after the earthen clod dries. Such watering is required by most tropical plants with thin delicate leaves, as well as some plants with leathery leaves (for example, lemon, ficus, gardenia, ivy, coffee). Both of them suffer greatly from overdrying: the leaves turn yellow and crumble, or wither and fall, not restoring their former position. All plants need abundant watering during the flowering and growth period: even with a slight dryness, young shoots, buds and flowers may suffer.

Plants are not watered immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two, that is, they are slightly dried. This is how plants with fleshy or heavily pubescent stems and leaves, with thick roots and rhizomes (palm trees, dracaena) and also with water-bearing tubers on the roots (asparagus) and bulbs are watered. For some species, light drying is a prerequisite during the dormant period, as it stimulates the laying and ripening of flower buds.

Excessive watering (signs).

Before an over-moisturized plant begins to wilt, it will likely look weak. The plant on the left was watered excessively, the same plant on the right received a normal amount of water.

Plants are left dry for several days, weeks, months. This applies to succulents (cacti, aloe), as well as to deciduous tuberous and bulbous plants that have a dormant period.

Most plants are watered abundantly in summer, moderately in winter. The main watering is best done in the morning. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it soaks the entire earthen ball well and goes to the saucer. If air bubbles are visible on the surface of the soil, watering is repeated until there are none. Watering a little every day is not recommended, since in this case the water will wet only the top layer of the earth, and the roots located at the bottom of the pot will dry out.

Usually, plants are watered from above so that the excess of calcium, magnesium and other salts contained in the water, which adversely affects the root system, is absorbed. top layer soil with fewer roots. Sometimes, fearing the appearance of spots on the leaves or the rotting of tubers when water gets on them, the plants are watered from below, pouring water into the saucer. This should not be done. Spots on the leaves can be avoided if you use warm water, because the spots are formed as a result of a large difference in the temperature of the leaves heated in the sun and cold water. Water from a saucer or planter is drained after watering so that the roots do not rot. This is especially important to do in autumn and winter.

If the water during irrigation does not seep into the saucer, but stagnates on the surface, you need to check if the drainage hole is clogged. Sometimes, on the contrary, the water flows very quickly onto the saucer. This means that the soil is very dry, water flows down the walls of the pot, not having time to wet it. Such plants need to be watered very well, putting them in a basin of tepid water so that it completely covers the pot, and sprinkle with warm water. When air bubbles stop appearing on the surface of the soil, the pots are removed from the water.

Plants need to be watered room temperature(18-24°C) or slightly warmer. At low temperatures, the root system is inactive, therefore, too warm water cannot be used in winter, so as not to cause premature plant growth. In summer, plants are watered with warmer water (up to 30-32 ° C). The hotter the room, the warmer the water used for watering and spraying plants should be. Watering with cold water, especially in a warm room, can cause leaf drop.

Water for irrigation should be soft, slightly acidic, free from calcium and magnesium salts. It is not recommended to use rain and melt water in industrial areas, as it may have an alkaline reaction and contain impurities harmful to plants. More often, for irrigation, you have to use tap water containing chlorine, calcium and magnesium salts, which adversely affect plants. The high content of calcium salts in water leads to the fact that the most important nutrients found in the soil (phosphorus, iron, manganese, aluminum, boron, etc.) pass into compounds that are inaccessible to plants.

A few words about how to ensure the watering of plants during the holidays. Before leaving for a few days, put the plants in a basin filled with water 1/3 of the height of the pot. If you are going to be away for more long time(3-4 weeks), fill the containers with peat or earth to a height of 15-20 cm, dig in the plants, after watering them well, and moisten again. Plants should be placed in a lit place, but not in the sun. There is another way to water. A vessel with water is placed above the plants, from which a woolen or cotton cord is lowered into each pot, which conducts water well. A pot with a plant can be placed above a container of water. In this case, the second end of the cord is inserted into the drainage hole.

In summer, in dry, hot or windy weather, bonsai are usually watered twice a day (early morning or evening). If the weather is not very dry and hot, then once a day. In winter or in cold, wet weather, the tree is less active and evaporation from the soil surface is slower. Therefore, water once a day if the soil is not frozen and the temperature is positive.

Deciduous types of bonsai need more water in summer than evergreen, coniferous, with specialized leaves that retain moisture better. In winter, on the contrary, deciduous ones consume less water than conifers, which continue, albeit slowly, to grow. Pines relatively painlessly endure the lack of water in the soil, while large-leaved deciduous, especially in hot weather, need abundant and frequent watering.

It is more convenient to water by immersing the container in a vessel with water so that the water covers the surface of the soil. At the same time, the soil lump is not washed away and the soil is impregnated more evenly and completely. Whereas when watering from above, if the top layer dries out, watering is difficult, since water can roll off without wetting the soil. Do not keep the container in a vessel with water for a long time, as the root system may be damaged. Only some plants (for example, swamp cypress) do not suffer from prolonged exposure to water and waterlogging of the soil.

For irrigation, you can use water from reservoirs, rain or tap water. Tap water contains too much calcium and chloride. It must be kept for a day at room temperature so that the chlorides evaporate.

Irrigation water should not be too cold or hot.

In addition to moistening the soil in the container, it is recommended to periodically spray the crown of the plant with water. This technique not only cleans the leaves of the plant from dust, but also moisturizes the air, which is especially important to do as often as possible to maintain the moss cover in the container. However, waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed with frequent spraying. It is not recommended to spray the plant in bright and hot sun.

One of the most important conditions for the successful cultivation of orchids is the quality of water. Water for plants is not only a source of food and drink at the same time, but also the ability to regulate its temperature.

In nature, plants use rainwater, which is an ultra-weak acid solution. But, unfortunately, it is not a secret for anyone that in cities, far from harmless liquid is pouring from the sky.

For orchids (and for other indoor plants) it is recommended to use soft or moderately hard water. Measuring water hardness is not a simple procedure, so let's take it as an axiom that in St. Petersburg and the Baltics the water is soft, in Moscow it is moderately hard, in Kiev it is very hard. The faster the scale builds up in your kettle, the harder the water.

The easiest way to reduce the hardness of water is to boil it.- in which part of the calcium salts precipitates. Oxalic acid reduces hardness well (you can buy it in chemical reagent stores, sometimes in flower shops, for example, I saw it in the House of Violets on Nagatinskaya Street). It is done like this: Add about 1/8 teaspoon of acid (it is in powder) to a 5-liter canister of cold tap water. We defend the water during the day in an open container, it is even better to cut off the very top part of the canister in order to enlarge the neck. Water must be defended necessarily open due to the fact that during the chemical reaction of the binding of calcium salts, volatile chlorine compounds are formed, which must evaporate. After a day, an insoluble precipitate of calcium salts falls to the bottom of the canister. The resulting water must be carefully, trying not to shake the sediment, drain into a clean bowl. Just in case, I never pour out the water to the end - I leave about half a liter somewhere so that sediment does not get in. The canister should be transparent - it is more convenient to monitor the sediment. In my practice, if water with acid has been settled for more than 2 days, the sediment ceases to stir up and drain clean water safely.

Another way is to immerse a bag of high-moor peat in a bucket of water overnight - the water is also acidified.

If you water plants with distilled water, then remember that it is completely desalted. Therefore, distilled water must either be mixed with ordinary settled water, or special fertilizers must be dissolved in it.

Iron water is even more dangerous for orchids than hard water. Such water, when settling, becomes cloudy and has a noticeable taste of rust.

An equally important condition for the suitability of water is its acidity. Acidic water - pH less than 5 and is very rare. Alkaline water is easy to acidify with ordinary lemon. If your water shows a pH above 7 (you can measure it either with pH meters or litmus paper - sold in chemical reagent stores), then by dripping lemon juice you lower the pH value to 6, and measure how many drops you need for what volume water flowing from your tap.

Properly prepared water is useful to saturate with oxygen before watering.- for this, you just need to pour it in a thin stream from one container to another. The water temperature should be room temperature or slightly higher. Phalaenopsis, for example, prefer warm water.

The easiest way is to either use filtered water or water your plants (including bonsai and orchids) with store-bought water. An option is to buy special oxygen water, which is good for both humans and animals and plants, an example of such water is oxygen royal water, which is sold here.

It is best to water the plants only with soft rain, river or pond water. Hard water (including well water) containing various salts should be avoided. Aroids, azaleas, orchids, ferns, and camellias are especially resistant to hard water. Well tolerate watering with hard water, those plants that grow on calcareous soils.

Keep in mind that rainwater can be polluted by industrial emissions if you live in an industrial area or not far from it.

Chlorinated water from the water supply is defended for at least a day, so that the chlorine has time to evaporate.

The water temperature should be at least at least room temperature. This rule is especially important when watering tropical plants. Cacti are recommended to be watered with warmer water. Watering plants with cold water can cause root rot, bud drop, and even plant death. On the contrary, watering plants with warm water in a cold room is also undesirable, because. this will cause the plant to grow prematurely.

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Houseplants need regular water intake just like all living things on our planet. Deficiency or vice versa - excess moisture in a flower pot with a substrate can lead to wilting of the flower, yellowing or spots on the leaves, drying and falling of the leaves, damage by pests or diseases. Before you purchase a plant and place it on a window sill floor stand or on a shelf shelf among other species in your collection, be sure to ask what variety it belongs to and find information about the features. home care- including about how to properly water new 'green pet'.

Some houseplant lovers even consult lunar calendar to select the most suitable dates for watering. In this article, we will tell you how to properly organize watering houseplants at home. Helpful Hints, photo and video materials will be especially useful for beginner flower growers who are just beginning to be interested in the rules for caring for indoor plants.

Below you will find practical advice to help you properly water most popular houseplants. We will look at issues such as the choice of dishes for watering flowers, what water to water the flowers, the frequency of watering, signs of lack of moisture, watering methods, how to water orchids and other indoor plants during your vacation.

♦ WARE FOR WATERING INDOOR FLOWERS:

watering can with a long spout. Practical inventory - a long spout can easily be directed through a dense crown, under the lower leaves or directly under the root rosette, so as not to drip water on the delicate leaves of the flower. Very convenient equipment for watering plants in a phytowall or in phytomodules ( vertical gardening);

flask. A special device with an elongated tip and a spherical container for water. Such inventory can be of great help when you need to leave for a long time. It is enough to fill the container with water and stick the nose of the flask into the soil, which will gradually be saturated with moisture as it dries;

sprayer for spraying (sprayer). By spraying with water from a spray bottle, additional moisture can be provided through the upper parts of the plant. This method will help you preserve the decorative qualities of the plant in the heat of summer or during the heating season, when the humidity level in the room is very low;

tray with water. A great way to additionally moisten the soil in a pot if the air in the room is too dry. Desirable flower pot put not directly into the water, but on wet expanded clay or on pebbles in a pan.

- in the photo: irrigation equipment

♦ WATER FOR IRRIGATION OF INDOOR FLOWERS:

rain, river, pond water. Some flower growers prefer to water indoor plants with melt and rain water. Flowers respond well to watering with soft water from natural sources. But it is necessary to disinfect the water, add a few pieces of charcoal;

tap water. Most residents of megacities water their flowers with tap water. But it is important to remember that chlorinated tap water with sparingly soluble calcium salts is very hard. Be sure to defend this water for at least 24 hours (or better - several days) before watering the flowers, and pour the rest from the very bottom. Water the plants with room temperature or lukewarm water.

- in the photo: signs of lack and excess of water

♦ FREQUENCY OF WATERING INDOOR FLOWERS:

❂ the frequency of watering depends on various factors: the type of plant, the age and size of the plant, the microclimate in the room, the time of year (dormant or growing season), and the material from which the pot is made (ceramic, plastic, glass);

❂ Most houseplants like regular and even watering to keep the substrate moderately moist. If the period of abundant soil moisture is abruptly replaced by a period of insufficient moisture, then the flower begins to wither and may die;

❂ in winter period in many indoor plants, the processes of growth and development slow down (or stop altogether). The need for dissolved water nutrients significantly reduced and the plant should be watered much less often (or not watered at all). And in the spring-summer period, with an increase in the duration of sunlight and an increase in temperature, the frequency of watering increases to 1-3 times a week;

❂ plants with large and wide leaves are watered more often (Benjamin and rubber ficus, Andre anthurium, spathiphyllum, home begonia, gloxinia synningia, jasmine gardenia, gerbera, balsam, sheffler, dieffenbachia). Bulbous species should be watered moderately and less frequently, since waterlogging can lead to rotting of the root system (hippeastrum, clivia, amaryllis, calla zantedeschia, oxalis oxalis, hyacinths, eucharis Amazon lily). Most types of potted orchids (phalaenopsis, dendrobium nobile) are watered no more than once a week in winter and no more than twice a week in summer. Eat indoor views that easily tolerate long breaks between watering (succulent species - Crassula Money tree, aloe vera or agave, triangular spurge, zygocactus Decembrist, as well as species such as Kalanchoe Blossfeld, chlorophytum, ' mother-in-law's tongue’ or sansevieria);

❂ ceramic (clay) pots have a good porous structure, circulation and evaporation of moisture is more active. But plastic pots hold water well in the substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to water a flower placed in a ceramic pot more often than in a plastic one.

- in the photo: rare, moderate and abundant watering

♦ WAYS OF WATERING INDOOR PLANTS:

❀ top watering. For watering a flower from above, it is advisable to use special dishes with a long spout (watering can, flask). It is advisable to direct the spout closer to the stem so that water does not fall on the leaves. If the plant has a developed leaf rosette, try to direct the stream of water under it so that the water does not stagnate. Water the plant evenly, in small portions, so that the water does not stagnate on the top layer of soil. Pour out all the water flowing into the pan. This is a universal way to water indoor species. The disadvantage of this method is that they are quickly washed out. useful material substrate sludge. Therefore, do not forget to feed the plants on time.

❀ bottom watering. Some types of ornamental deciduous plants lose their attractiveness if drops of water fall on the leaves (yellowish or black spots appear, the leaf blade is deformed). Therefore, the pan is filled with water for irrigation. Within 30-40 minutes, the substrate is moistened to the top layer and all excess water must be drained from the pan. The disadvantage of this method is that mineral salts are not washed out on the contrary - they linger in the soil for a long time. If a lime crust has appeared on the surface of the soil, then carefully remove it along with the top layer, adding a fresh substrate.

❀ immersion of the pot in water. Very good method moistening, allowing the soil to be completely saturated with water. Lower the flower pot into a container of water so that water does not flow into the substrate through the edges of the pot. Water will quickly soak all layers of the substrate through the drainage holes. Then place the pot on a wire rack so that any excess water flows down freely. It is not advisable to use this method of moistening during the flowering period of the plant, when moving the pot can cause the buds and petals to fall off.

- tables with factors affecting the abundance and frequency of irrigation

♦ WATERING HOUSE PLANTS DURING HOLIDAYS:

√ vacation up to two weeks.

- we moisten the soil abundantly by immersing each pot in water;

- it is advisable to thin out the leaf crown and cut the buds flowering plants;

- plant pots on racks and stands compactly placed closer to each other (this will increase the level of humidity around the plants);

- Immerse the pots in wide pallets with wet expanded clay (so that the water level is a couple of centimeters below the top layer of expanded clay). Wet sphagnum moss can be placed between the pots.

√ vacation up to three weeks.

- follow all the steps above;

- take plastic bottles of 0.5 l and make holes in the screw caps. After filling the bottles with water, place them in expanded clay between the pots, immersing them with tightly screwed lids with holes down. As the expanded clay dries, water will seep drop by drop from the bottle;

- in each flower pot, immerse a special flask for watering (see above) with the spout down.

√ vacation up to one month.

- on sale there are special pallets for automatic watering. The system consists of inner and outer pallets, capillary mat. The outer tray is filled with water. The inner one is installed from above and is covered with a capillary rug. This rug gradually absorbs moisture and gives it to the plants placed on it;

- instead of a flask for irrigation, it is best to install ceramic cones in each pot with thin hoses immersed in a container of water.

- in the photo: a ceramic cone with a hose for irrigation

♦ USEFUL TIPS FOR BEGINNER FLOWERS:

☛ rare and whimsical plants, it is advisable to water settled mineral water(not carbonated) room temperature;

☛ if the substrate in the pot, together with the earthy clod, is completely dry, then lower the pot into a container with warm, settled water to the edge of the pot and place it on a wire rack after ten minutes so that all excess water drains;

☛ after watering, be sure to drain all the water flowing into the pan so that the roots of the houseplant do not rot;

☛ sometimes (3-4 times) during the growing season it is useful to water the flower with warm settled water (not salty!), In which potatoes were boiled before. Starch helps to strengthen the root system and plant development;

☛ if the plant during the flowering period began to actively fall off the buds that have not yet opened, then it is likely that the soil is not sufficiently or not regularly moistened (against the background of a low level of humidity in the room);

☛ try to water the flowers so that the drops do not remain on the surface of the stems and leaves. Drops of water dry out and leave ugly stains, and also contribute to the appearance of burns. Yellow spots and burns reduce the decorative value of the plant;

☛ Some indoor species require abundant watering during the growing season. These plants include many species with leathery leaves (ficus ‘Robusta’ and white ‘De Gantel’, lemon tree, wax ivy hoya), as well as tropical varieties with bright and thin delicate leaves (petunia, calathea, arrowroot, croton);

☛ plants with small fleshy leaves that are in a dormant period, located in a cool room with high humidity, grown in plastic or glass containers, are watered less often;

☛ if the tap water contains too much lime, it is advisable to pass it through a special filter in order to use soft water for irrigation;

☛ never use cold water for irrigation, as this can lead to the gradual death of peripheral roots, the appearance of viral and fungal diseases;

☛ The most ideal time for watering most indoor species is early morning (with sunrise);

☛ on hot summer days and during heating, it is necessary to spray the plants with a spray bottle. Next to the plants, you can put a container with water for additional humidification.

♦ HOW TO WATER AN ORCHID AT HOME:

❶ You can water orchids only with warm, settled soft water. It is advisable to water rare collectible and whimsical indoor orchid species with diluted distilled water. Mix settled water of medium hardness with distilled water in a ratio of 1:1. And mix too hard water with distilled water in a ratio of 1: 2;

❷ if the orchid is without bulbs, then water it after the substrate is completely dry, and the lower leaves begin to lose turgor and wrinkle. If the orchid is with bulbs, then water the flower after the bulbs begin to wrinkle a little;

❸ During flowering, most popular domestic varieties (phalaenopsis, dendrobium nobile) are watered very moderately 2-3 times a week. Make sure that water never stagnates in the pot around the roots and flows freely from the drainage holes;

❹ The best way watering orchids in the summer - soaking the pot in warm settled water for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to make sure that the water drains completely from the holes in the bottom of the pot after soaking;

❺ how often to water an orchid at home. Complete drying of the soil is much safer for the root system than overflow. Most species can be watered at a frequency, which is defined as follows: once the substrate is completely dry, the next day in the morning you can water the flower moderately. But do not forget that the frequency of watering also depends on the following factors: the type of orchid, the growing season or dormant period, the humidity and temperature in the room, the composition of the soil, the pot (the volume of what material it consists of).

How to properly moisten the soil in a pot (for example, indoor begonia):

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• ✓ A plant with flaming leaves
• ✓ Poinsettia - varieties
• ✓ Poinsettia care
• ✓ Poinsettia: right choice plants
• ✓ In bloom in a new place
• ✓ Poinsettia - peace and relaxation
• ✓ Poinsettia transplant into a new pot
• ✓ Poinsettia from a cutting
• ✓ Solving care problems
• ✓ Growing poinsettia - personal experience, advice and feedback

The scientific name of the poinsettia is euphorbia pulcherima, which means "the most beautiful spurge". But we know this flower, really the most beautiful of euphorbias, under a different name - poinsettia. Such a sonorous and solemn name entered our language thanks to Joel Robert Poinsett, a politician and diplomat who served in Mexico.

This outstanding man was an enthusiastic botanist, a passionate plant hunter. Service in Mexico provided him with a wide field of activity, in search of new plants, he traveled all over the country. In the winter of 1828, near Mexico City, he was struck by the bright flowering of an unfamiliar shrub and sent samples of the plant that fascinated him home to South Carolina, where he had plantations and a collection of plants in a greenhouse. After leaving the government post, he devoted himself entirely to his passion, engaging in the introduction and propagation of plants, sharing them with friends, sending them to botanical gardens.

Poinsett made a successful career, became a congressman, but his name was glorified not by his professional activity, but, as we would say today, by a hobby. His name was given to a beautiful plant, and by decision of Congress

December 12, since 1851, when the diplomat passed away, has been celebrated as National Poinsettia Day.

Here it is necessary to name one more name - Paul Ekke. Coming from a poor family of German immigrants, in which children helped their parents by selling bouquets of wild flowers, he turned out to be a brilliant marketer and entrepreneur. This man made the poinsettia extremely popular in America, it was he who turned the poinsettia into a symbol of Christmas. On a December afternoon back in 1906, extravagant bouquets were exhibited in the windows of the famous Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, highly appreciated by the discerning public, and the name Christmas Star has stuck to the plant since then.

Scientists had to work hard to turn a poinsettia bush into a pot plant

At first, poinsettia was grown in open ground, but Ecke's breeders managed to achieve the seemingly impossible: turn a tall wild shrub into a pot plant that is convenient for transportation. The secret of technology was kept secret for a long time, until the 90s of the last century, the company remained a monopolist, ranking second in the world in terms of sales profits - after Dutch tulips.

The tradition of decorating houses, churches, shops, offices with poinsettia for Christmas was adopted by many European countries: Spain, Germany, France, Holland, and in Canada and Mexico, as well as in the USA, Poinsettia Day is celebrated. In almost every country where she is popular, she also has her own, popular name: in Mexico she is the "flower of the holy night", in Chile and Peru - the "crown of the Andes", in Egypt - the "daughter of the consul" (in honor of Ambassador Poinsette ), in Turkey it is the "Ataturk flower".

Poinsettia is not only decorative, but also useful in the home, due to the fact that it releases biologically active substances that have an antimicrobial effect. So, it reduces the number of streptococci by 50-60%.

At home, in Southern Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, this evergreen tropical shrub 1.5-3 m high forms real thickets in semi-shaded and fairly humid places. Its stems are slender, thin, the branches are straight, bare, branching is weak. Leaves on long petioles are large, 10-12 cm long, saturated green color. They are pubescent and smooth, carved in various ways, but more often oval, with a pointed top. In some new varieties, the shape of the leaves resembles oak.

See also: Poinsettia flower - how to care

In late autumn - early winter, small discreet greenish-yellow flowers appear on the poinsettia, collected as if in handfuls. They produce nectar that attracts birds. But poinsettias are valued not at all for flowering, its main advantage (and very bright!) Is the apical leaves, called bracts, which develop along with the inflorescence and frame it with a decorative rosette. In shape and size, they are the same as the rest of the leaves, their bright red color is an adaptation for pollination, it is needed to attract birds. The flowering period lasts about 2 months; when it ends, the bracts turn pale and fall off.

Among the Aztecs, the poinsettia, which they called quetlachochitl, was considered magical plant used in religious rituals. The Indians believed that warriors who laid down their heads in battle gain immortality, and descend to the ground to drink nectar from poinsettia flowers. They had a legend about a goddess whose heart broke from unhappy love. Drops of blood, falling to the ground, turned into flowers that looked like stars.

Nearly half of the potted poinsettias sold are traditionally red. This color is represented by countless combinations of shades: fiery red Cortez Fire, Peterstar and Red Diamond, bright red with dark veins Jester Red, seemingly velvety variety Olympia, bright scarlet Sonora Fire and rich scarlet Freedom and Galaxy, rose red with white strokes of Sonora, dark red Freedom Coral and Max Red, almost crimson Annette Hett Divo.

The range of pinks is no less rich: Freedom Pink pale pink, miniature bright pink Pink El, Pink Ribbon cream pink, Cortez Pink salmon pink.

Particularly attractive are hybrids of unusual marble color, for example, low, only 30 cm, Cortez Cream, Monet Twilight with spots and stripes of varying intensity, Da Vinci with touches of pink, brighter than the main color. Jester Pink has green-edged bracts, while Marblestar and Silverstar Marble have white-edged bracts.

Not flowering, but the color of the apical leaves decorates the poinsettia

White poinsettias are very elegant: Akkes White, Freedom White, compact Silverstar White, White Star, which has shades of green. Regina is creamy white with green veins, Cortez White is ivory, and Sonora White is also white veined.

Original motley poinsettias: lilac with white strokes Jingle Bells Sonora and pink-violet with carved white edges of Strawberry and Cream.

Another direction of selection is the creation of bracts of an unusual shape. Now they are very narrow or very wide, wavy, with carved edges. Poinsettias, called "winter roses" (Winter Rose), are in fashion, in which the leaves are rounded, and large bracts are wrapped in a bud like the petals of old English roses. They are bred by English breeders. They are very similar to the Harlequin Red variety with corrugated terry bracts, but its leaves are pointed. The most popular terry variety is Carousel Pink, pale pink with green veins.

• TEMPERATURE. Smooth, without jumps. Optimal during the growing season 20-24 degrees. The lower temperature limit is 14 degrees (when it drops to 10 degrees, the roots die off), the upper limit is -27 degrees.
• LIGHTING. During flowering and active growth, bright, but scattered, with shading from direct sun. Only bright windows, northern ones are not suitable.
• WATERING. Regular. It does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, but does not like overdrying, after which it recovers with difficulty. Water at room temperature, settled. Hard water is recommended to be filtered or boiled.
• HUMIDITY. Optimal 60-70%, dry air is highly undesirable. Humidity is increased by everyone possible ways: spray the air around the plants with a spray bottle, place the pots on pallets with wet expanded clay, use humidifiers.
• THE SOIL. Nutritious, loose, well permeable to water and air. Acidity 5.8-6.6 pH.
• FEEDING. Liquid mineral fertilizers, including macro - and microelements (molybdenum and iron are especially needed), such a concentration as indicated in the instructions. With constant watering with soft water, fertilizing with calcium nitrate (1.5 g per 1 liter of water) is useful to raise the calcium content.

Often in European countries poinsettia is treated like a bouquet of flowers: if it loses its appearance, it is thrown away. They believe that it is easier to buy a new plant than to care for an old one. Meanwhile, if, knowing the development cycles of poinsettia and some of its features, create for her right conditions, she will delight the bright stars of the bracts next year.

You need to take your time choosing poinsettia in the store, because the product must be first-class, brought by a trustworthy supplier. It depends on the quality of delivery and the content of the plant in the store whether it will please with long flowering or bring disappointment. Because these factors, which we usually do not think about and which may seem not so important, determine the poinsettia, mistakes cannot be corrected in the future by the most careful care. So we can say that the store also needs to be chosen, sales and markdown fairs are not suitable here.

So we are in the store. We bypass plants that are too close to the street door or in a draft. “In tight quarters - but not offended” - this saying for poinsettia is not

Applies. Those specimens that do not stand close to each other, but separately, in the open and do not have packaging, feel much better. If the protective packaging (it is intended exclusively for transportation) was not removed in time, and the flowers were waiting for their buyer for a long time, they could easily be flooded during watering. For the same reason, we will pass by plants waiting for their new owners in beautiful paper or cellophane.

In the store, you must carefully pack the purchased poinsettia. With hypothermia, it will be impossible to bring her back to life.

The condition of the substrate will also tell you how carefully the sellers treat the plants. Check if it is too dry or wet. Bush, do not be shy, twist in your hands. It should be short-stemmed, lush, thick and even on all sides, and not one-sided. If the lower part of the stem is very bare, then the conditions of detention have already been violated and the poinsettia has lost some of the leaves.

To make sure that there are no pests and diseases, we carefully examine the leaves. They should look healthy, be a rich green color, not have any spots. Sluggish, drooping leaves in damp soil may indicate the onset of root rot. It is helpful to look at the underside of the leaves to make sure there are no whiteflies or aphids lurking there.

It is best to buy poinsettia at the end of autumn, and not just before the winter holidays - at this time the choice is already sufficient. And if you manage to buy a plant that is just about to bloom, there will be plenty of time to enjoy its magnificent appearance. Therefore, pay attention to the flowers, they should still be in buds. If yellow pollen has opened and is visible, it is difficult to say how long the bright color of the bracts will last.

The poinsettia brought home must be treated with all the attention in order to understand how it feels in the new conditions. While acclimatization lasts, a bright place and a temperature of 20-22 degrees suit her. As soon as our sissy gets used to it, we determine it on the sunniest window. Lighting is required bright, but diffused.

It should be warm on the window, if the window sill is concrete, cold, some kind of stand or gasket is needed, all windows with slotted frames will have to be insulated. At the same time, she will not approve of the neighborhood with a hot battery or heater, so we move it away from heat sources.

In general, it is not recommended to often drag poinsettia from one place to another. During flowering, a temperature of 18 to 24 degrees is suitable for her. At 18 degrees, flowering lasts longer, at more high temperature flowering is shorter, but the bracts themselves will be larger, although not as bright. The air needs to be sufficiently moist.

Until the bracts acquire the color characteristic of the variety, watering is regular and moderate. To understand if it’s time to water our beauty, you just need to feel the substrate in the pot: if it feels wet, particles of soil remain on the skin of your finger, then it’s too early, if it’s dry in the pot, it’s time. During flowering, watering is plentiful, but it is important not to leave unabsorbed water in the pan, after half an hour - an hour it must be drained so that the roots do not get wet. Feeding the purchased plant is usually not required, it has enough nutrients in the substrate.

It happens that a healthy plant with unopened flowers is acquired. His bracts are just beginning to color, but they do it too slowly, remaining small and rather pale. Most likely, the poinsettia lacks light and nutrition. To make it quickly turn into a bright bouquet, you can arrange additional illumination for it and feed it with fertilizer for indoor plants with a high content of phosphorus and potassium.

In February, the poinsettia begins to gradually shed its beautiful colored leaves. At this time, slowly reduce watering and finish spraying.

By reducing watering, we are pushing the plant to prepare for a dormant period and mimic the processes that occur in its natural habitat.

The dormant period of the poinsettia is pronounced, losing leaves, it quickly loses its beauty and turns into an unpresentable bush with bare stems. She rests for approximately 1.5 months, from February-March to March-April.

Poinsettia should not be placed next to vases filled with fruit. Ripe apples, pears, melons, bananas emit ethylene, which is detrimental to flowers.

As soon as the main part of the leaves is dropped, it is necessary to shorten the branches. How much to cut the bush depends on your desire and its height. Usually they are shortened by 1/3 or 1/2 of the height, and on the remaining "stump" there should be 3-5 knots (they remain in place of fallen leaves and are clearly visible). Weak shoots should be removed altogether. Slices are sprinkled with crushed charcoal.

The rest time of poinsettia is best spent in a cool room at a temperature of 18-19 degrees and in dim lighting. If this is unattainable, let there be any place in a moderately warm room, the main thing is that it be dry.

Watering during the rest is scarce, only so that the substrate does not dry out, you can simply sprinkle the earth in a pot.

In March-April, the plant wakes up, new shoots start growing. Usually there are too many of them, all of them are not needed, so the weak ones are removed again and the 5-6 strongest are left. As soon as they grow by 10-15 cm, they are pinched, leaving 3-4 leaves on each. This stimulates the appearance of new branches, the poinsettia begins to actively bush. So the plant is formed until August and as a result a dense compact bush is obtained. This month, pruning is completed, because it's time to lay flower buds.

In spring and summer, poinsettias are cared for in the same way as other indoor flowers. As soon as active growth begins, it is again placed on the sunniest windowsill, protected from direct sun, so that it does not overheat, and burns do not appear on the leaves. But if the bright lighting of the poinsettia welcomes, then the heat is not, the temperature should not rise above 27 degrees, even with good air circulation.

Water at first very carefully, little by little. Gradually, watering is increased, leading to abundant, so that the earthen ball is well saturated with water. Never let it dry out between waterings. Of course, it will not be possible to bring the humidity of the air closer to the state of a tropical forest saturated with moisture, but frequent spraying will somehow help to survive the heat. Starting from the time of growth of new shoots, 2-3 times a month the flower is fed with complex mineral fertilizer(for flowering plants).

In mid-September, the volume of watering and top dressing is gradually reduced, while maintaining good daylight and a temperature of at least 18 degrees. Those who lived on the balcony in the summer, most likely, will have to be moved into the house, determined to a well-lit place, and as soon as the central heating is turned on, humidify the air.

In order for the poinsettias to form buds and color the bracts, you need a short daylight hours and a long night lasting 14-15 hours. To do this, from the beginning of October, they arrange a “dark one” for her, covering it in the evening with some kind of opaque material - a black plastic bag, a tight bag, or take it to the pantry, put it in the closet. If the shading is incomplete and light falls on the poinsettia, for example from a street lamp, then spots will appear on the bracts. They keep it under a night cap for about 2 months, but during the day they put it on the brightest window sill. Slowly water and feed. In early December, the buds become visible, and the bracts begin to color. Now you can no longer hide the poinsettia at night. From mid-December, feeding is stopped, care again becomes the same as when buying.

In the summer, poinsettia feels great in the fresh air. As soon as constant warm weather is established, send it to the balcony or veranda, picking up a place where it will not suffer from rain and strong wind. But it must be borne in mind that even on a glazed balcony, with a strong cold snap, the overseas beauty will be uncomfortable.

Poinsettia is transplanted every few years, as needed, without a reason it is better not to disturb it. In April-May, they transfer to a slightly more spacious pot. Its diameter should be 1-1.5 cm larger than the root ball. The fact is that the root system of the poinsettia is small, it will not be able to immediately develop a lot of new soil, as a result, after watering, the earth will remain too wet for a long time, which is fraught with rotting of the roots.

So, the root system is carefully examined, the damaged roots are cut off. If all goes well, the poinsettia is transferred to a new pot, trying to keep the earthen ball, pour fresh soil.

You can buy universal ready soil for flowering plants and add coarse river sand to it. It is easy to prepare the substrate yourself by mixing humus, peat, leafy and soddy soil, and sand in equal proportions. If all of the listed components are not available, the composition can be changed by including, for example, only peat, leaf (turf) soil and sand (perlite) (2: 1: 1). Or compost, peat, sand (2:1:1).

At the bottom, a drainage layer up to 3 cm is arranged from expanded clay or brick crumbs. A little complex fertilizers are added to the soil mixture, preferably long-acting granular ones. If fertilizers are not applied, then approximately 3-4 weeks after transplantation, careful feeding begins, first with a very weak solution. For 7-10 days, while the poinsettia is recovering from stress, they are kept in partial shade, watered well, sprayed in the heat.

In nature, poinsettia is propagated by seeds, and at home - only by rooting cuttings. They are cut from shoots growing in spring or early summer. To get more of them, cut the poinsettia after flowering, leaving 10-12 cm in height and 3-6 strong buds, transferred to a place with diffused light. Watered, fed every 2-3 weeks, using half of the dose recommended in the instructions.

As soon as the dormant buds begin to grow, the temperature is raised to 25 degrees. Shoots are allowed to grow only when they have 6-7 leaves, cuttings are cut, each having 5-6 well-developed buds (nodes).

The stalk must be prepared for planting for rooting. First, an oblique cut is made 2 cm below the last knot. Then the stalk is washed for 10 minutes in warm water (35-40 degrees) to wash off the milky juice. When it stops flowing, cut again, making a cut now directly under the lower node. Wet with a napkin, sprinkle with crushed wood or activated pharmaceutical charcoal, or simply dry well in the air. For better rooting, you can powder the sections with root.

The cuttings are planted in small containers with a diameter of 6-7 cm to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. It is convenient to use transparent disposable plastic cups for planting. They are the right size, and you will see when the roots appear in them. Planted in a moist loose substrate. Usually it is peat and sand, taken in equal proportions. The soil for succulents is also suitable, to which the same amount of sand is added.

At first, the cuttings are loosely covered with plastic wrap, the humidity at this time is high, up to 90%. The place is selected warm, with a temperature of 24-25 degrees and with diffused light. The cuttings are not watered, but only regularly sprayed on the soil, but, attention (!), if the house is hot and dry, it will dry out very quickly - due to the small volume. After 3-4 weeks, strong roots will appear, after which the temperature is reduced to a level of 18-20 degrees. Usually about half of the cuttings take root, and even more when using root formers.

As soon as active growth begins, approximately 2 weeks after rooting, the plant begins to feed little by little. In order for the poinsettia to bush better, pinch the shoots over the 5-6th leaf and regularly continue this work, forming a rounded dense compact bush. If desired, you can give the poinsettia the shape of a tree on a long "leg". So that the flower does not grow one-sided, it is regularly rotated 90 degrees.

The grown bushes are transplanted into slightly larger containers by transshipment, using a mixture for adult plants. If the poinsettia deems your cares worthy of it, it will bloom the next year.

If the poinsettia does not like something, it always reacts in the same way: sheds > leaves. This can happen when the soil is too wet or too dry, when standing for a long time in a draft or in a too cool place, being in a too hot and dry room, with a lack of e-light or watering with cold water.

The poinsettia is quite resistant to diseases. In winter, hypothermia of an earthen clod on a cold windowsill with abundant watering leads to the occurrence of root rot. With this fungal disease, the lower leaves lose their elasticity, turn yellow, become stained, and fall off. Until the disease has gone too far, an urgent transplant is needed, followed by a 2-3-fold treatment of plants and soil with foundationazole (2 g per 1 liter of water) after 3-5 days.

In extreme cases, shoots left after spring and summer pruning can be used for propagation, although they are usually shorter than necessary, have few internodes.

Gray rot disease is possible at low air temperatures and excessive watering. Especially often it affects the poinsettia during the staining of the bracts, appearing as a gray coating on the leaves and lower branches. All affected parts of the plant are removed. If the damage is significant, treatment with foundationazole or fungicides such as Topsin-M, Ridomil is also recommended.

When the air is too dry, a red spider mite sometimes settles on the poinsettia. It is difficult to see this mobile pest, it is only 0.1-0.4 mm in size and lives on the underside of the leaves. You can find out about the appearance of settlers by yellowish spots on the leaves and a thin white cobweb. However, it is usually noticed when the pests have already bred. The leaves become dull, dry and fall off.

Salvation of the plant begins with washing with hot (up to 50 degrees) soapy water (20 g of "green soap" or 20 g laundry soap per 1 liter of water), especially carefully passing with a soapy sponge along the underside of the leaves. Then the earth is covered with a film and the plant is washed well in the shower. Usually 2-3 treatments are enough. Of the insecticides, Neoron is the most effective (1 ml per 1 liter of water), Actellik, Akarin, Fitoverm are also suitable. To avoid trouble in the future, you need to monitor the humidity of the air, trying to prevent excessive dryness.

Shchitovka is another enemy of indoor plants. Outwardly, it looks like a small, 2-4 mm in size, dense plaque, firmly seated on a leaf or shoot. Its body is covered with an oval wax shield of grayish-white or yellow color. The scale insect and its larvae also feed on plant sap, inhibiting their growth and development.

To rid the plant of such a dangerous inhabitant, you first need to carefully scrape off the plaques by hand, and then wash the entire bush with warm soapy water or wipe it with a cotton swab dipped in vodka or infusions of onions, garlic, hot peppers or tobacco. Of the preparations, Actellik (2 ml per 1 liter of water) or other insecticides (Aktara, Rogor, Fitoverm) are used.

On the petioles of the stem, and in case of severe infection on the leaves, you can sometimes see something that looks like tiny pieces of cotton wool. This is a mealybug - a sedentary insect 2-4 mm long. Worms and their larvae not only suck out the juice, but also inject toxic substances, as a result of which the plant loses leaves and weakens.

All pests visible to the eye must be removed with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, or wipe the leaves with a soapy damp sponge. In severe infestations, the same insecticides are used as against scale insects.

One of the most common pests is the wing squirrel, small white flying insects that look like tiny moths. The main harm to the plant is caused by larvae that spoil the leaves, but adults are not harmless, being carriers of viral diseases. Against the whitefly, actara, kinmiks, fitoverm are used, if necessary, then stronger insecticides - talstar, confidor. They can be alternated with the biological product verticillin.

Poinsettia, a beautiful winter-flowering houseplant, was given to me by my son before the army. It was at the beginning of December. Then I promised myself that I would definitely keep the gift, although I did not particularly hope, believing that after flowering it would wither - and we would part with it.

Lewal so that the lump is completely wetted, but water does not accumulate in the pan. She protected the poinsettia from drafts and hot air from the batteries. From a cold draft, as well as from too cold or hot content, from drying out and excessive watering, the leaves fall off and the apical bud withers. Even the touch of the leaves to the cold window glass detrimental to the plant. Poinsettia is very vulnerable - at the first sign of discomfort, it easily drops flowers.

As you know, all the beauty of poin-settia is in brightly colored (white, pink, yellow, spotted - for every taste!) Bracts surrounding nondescript flowers. My poinsettia was dyed crimson red.

This compact branchy plant no more than 50 cm high blooms in December and looks elegant up to six months. In winter, poinsettia loves good lighting, in summer - partial shade.

So that the daylight hours were no more than 10 hours, from September she covered her with a dark paper bag and kept it that way for two months. Only under this condition does it bloom for the New Year or Christmas, thereby confirming its second name - the Christmas star. Short daylight hours and complete darkness on a long night are the necessary conditions for coloring the bracts and blooming poinsettia on time. Best temperature regime– + 14…+18‘С. Once I forgot to monitor the light regime and did not cover the plant, but it still bloomed in early April.

After flowering, poinsettia sheds bracts. I cut the tops of the shoots by 1/3 of the length, and the plant itself was transplanted by transshipment into a larger pot, adding more earth.

When new shoots grew, some of them were removed, leaving 4-5 of the strongest. Cut cuttings were used for propagation. First of all, I immersed them in warm water for half an hour so that the milky juice came out (another name for poinsettia is

However, the "asterisk" captivated me with its beauty so much that, having gained experience from flower growers, I kept the plant and now enjoy its flowering every year. And how delighted my son was when, returning three years later from the army, he saw the same flower, only grown up and even more beautiful!

To save the poinsettia, I had to work hard. First, I immediately put the plant in a well-lit place, protected from the midday sun. Regularly sprayed it and moderately beautiful spurge). Then I made a new cut under the kidney with a blade, removed the extra leaves and dipped it again in warm water for 10 minutes. I planted the cuttings in cups with sterile soil consisting of peat and sand, first moistening the tip, and then dipping it in a growth stimulator like Kornevin. Shed the soil before planting. I planted it to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, pressing the stalk with my fingers and covering it with a bag.

As soon as I noticed that the top began to grow, I removed the bag (after about a month and a half). All this time she watered the seedlings with a pink solution of potassium permanganate and ventilated.

When the plants got stronger, I pinched in the hope that the bushes would be more lush.

I have not tried to root in water, but I know that this method also exists. By any means, the rooting percentage is about 50/50, so for insurance every year I plant all the cut cuttings.

Keep in mind that the milky juice of the poinsettia is poisonous, so be careful to wear rubber gloves when caring for the plant. And one more thing: find a place for her that is inaccessible to children and animals.

✓ The Aztecs were the first to appreciate the poinsettia. They used its red bracts as a natural dye for cosmetics and fabrics, and the white juice of the "Christmas star" to treat fevers.

• If the poinsettia dropped leaves at an inopportune time, look for the cause in the conditions of detention
• Any soil for flowering indoor plants will suit her.
• In the summer, poinsettia feels great in the fresh air. As soon as constant warm weather is established, send it to the balcony or veranda, choosing a place where it will not suffer from rain and strong winds. But it must be borne in mind that even on a glazed balcony, with a strong cold snap, the overseas beauty will be uncomfortable.
• It happens that the poinsettia does not come to life after a dormant period. The reason for this may be excessively abundant watering or, conversely, overdrying of the earthen coma, as well as too low a temperature.
• When exposed to direct sunlight, the color of the bracts turns pale and is not restored.

The plant is respectfully and reverently treated in Europe.

The Spaniards, for example, consider the poinsettia to be the flower of the holy night, bringing wealth and good fortune to their homes. At winter flower fairs, it is presented with exquisite and elegant varieties.

There are few plants that bloom in the darkest months of the year. One of these is the most beautiful euphorbia, or poinsettia. Throughout the winter, the beauty serves as a magnificent element of decor. When flowering is over, the plant is pruned, stimulating branching.

New plants can be grown from cut stems.

I breed poinsettias in April. I root cuttings 10-15 cm long in a mixture of sand, peat and fine expanded clay. In May, I plant 1-2 pieces. into pots with a diameter of 5-7 cm into a mixture of leaf, sod, humus soil and sand (2: 2: 4: 1) and put in the street

Teplichka. In June, I transplant into pots with a diameter of 9 cm. In July, I pinch young plants. With the advent of lateral shoots, I transplant the poinsettia once again into flowerpots with a diameter of 12 cm and tie it to a peg (if necessary). All this time, I evenly water the plants and feed them with a complete mineral fertilizer; optimum temperature during the growth period - + 20-25 degrees. At the end of August, I transfer from the greenhouse to the windowsill and control the light regime, since the poinsettia is a short-day plant.

Poinsettia blooms from December to February. During flowering, the temperature is reduced to + 16-18 degrees. - so the bracts are colored most intensively. After the end of flowering (February-March), the "Christmas star" begins a period of short rest. I transfer it to a dark place, if possible in a cool place (optimally + 12-15 degrees). I periodically slightly moisten the earthen ball. In April, I cut the plants by 1/3, transfer them to a fresh substrate and put them in a well-lit place.

Poinsettia is called the "Christmas star" for its bright bracts: collected at the ends of the shoots into "stars", they are painted just in time for Christmas.

Garden and cottage › Indoor plants and flowers › The most beautiful poinsettia (photo) - how to care

The basis of the composition whole pieces bark. If the bark has crumbled, the mixture for orchids is unsuitable: a lot of moisture is consumed for the plant, the air will not pass well.

Before planting, the orchid bark is pre-soaked in order to better absorb moisture during watering of the transplanted plant.

It is impossible to transplant an orchid during flowering. Experienced flower growers consider the spring period to be the most favorable.

Orchids behave differently, each capricious in its own way. New and already known hybrid varieties removed for maximum ease of care. But there are rules common to all orchids, which must be strictly followed.

• Sensitive to drafts;
• They cannot stand the hot, blinding sun.

They prefer a bright place, but not in direct sunlight, otherwise they will get burned, then the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. In winter, blooming orchids are placed closer to the light, additionally illuminated with phytolamps. During this period of the year, life stops in most plants, the period of laying new shoots begins.

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Watering - necessary condition for plant life. Growing without watering is impossible for any plant, they all need water. Many people water their plants "how it goes", on occasion, but do not wonder how flowers should be watered. But in order for the plants to always look beautiful, so that watering brings maximum benefit to them, you need to know some rules for watering houseplants. So,

Water for watering plants can be ordinary tap water, but settled for at least a day. In order for the chlorine to evaporate, it is necessary to defend the water in an open container. Soft water for irrigation is best. Tap water is mostly hard. Even harder water from wells, it is not at all suitable for watering indoor plants.

How to soften such water for irrigation? It is enough to boil it for 3-5 minutes. When boiling, most of the harmful salts precipitate, and the water becomes soft.

It is undesirable to water the plants with distilled water, because. it does not contain mineral salts necessary for plants. The exceptions are azaleas, gardenias, ferns, camellias, orchids and some predator plants, for which watering with distilled water is even desirable, because. they need to be watered only with soft water.

It is better not to use water from pump rooms and from cylinders for watering domestic plants, because. its composition is not known to you, and such water can harm the plant.

Since most tap water is alkaline, it must be neutralized. If this is not done, the soil becomes alkaline over time, as a result of which the root system of plants suffers. In order to neutralize the alkaline reaction of the aquatic environment, it must be slightly acidified. To do this, just add food-grade citric acid to the water for irrigation at the rate of 1 teaspoon of citric acid per 5 liters of water. citric acid add to warm water just before watering.

2. What temperature should the water be for irrigation?

Watering home plants with cold water is unacceptable, because. when watering with such water, the vessels of the root system of plants narrow, and as a result, moisture and nutrition are poorly supplied to their upper part, the root gradually dies off and the plant may die. Watering flowering plants with cold water can cause flowers and ovaries to fall off.

Cold water can and should be watered for plants that are in a dormant period. This prevents premature vegetation and plant depletion. For watering plants that have stopped growing for the period of winter dormancy, they use water that is colder than the air temperature in the room, sometimes even water with snow.

In all other cases, the optimum water temperature for watering domestic plants is + 30-34 ° C, so the water needs to be slightly heated, even in summer. Watering with such water favorably affects the growth and development of plants.

The plant needs to be watered throughout the entire volume of the flowerpot in small portions so that the soil is saturated with water from top to bottom. You need to water until water appears in the pan. In this case, you can be sure that both the upper and lower parts of the root system will receive a sufficient amount of moisture. After 30 - 40 minutes, the water is removed from the pan. During this time, the root system of the plant will have time to absorb the moisture that it did not have time to absorb during watering. It is impossible to leave water for a longer time, otherwise you can provoke rotting of the root system. If the flowerpot is large and cannot be lifted, you can remove water from the pan with a syringe, sponge, or moisture-absorbing wipes.

How many times to water home plants is a question that requires individual approach. The frequency of watering depends on the type of plant, the volume of the flowerpot, the composition of the soil, the activity of the root system and weather conditions. On cloudy and cool days, plants are watered less often than on clear and sunny days; with dry and warm indoor air, plants need to be watered more abundantly than with humid and colder air; plants in the lungs loose soil, require more frequent watering than those growing in dense, heavy soil.

How to calculate watering? The best guideline for deciding on watering is the drying of an earthen coma. The signal for the need for watering is the drying of the topsoil by 1.5 - 2 cm. Succulent plants are watered after the earthen clod dries to a depth of 3 - 10 cm (the larger the container, the deeper the soil should dry out).

But what if there is no way to water the plants in a timely manner (for example, during the holidays)? How to leave flowers without watering? Can they handle this stress? To learn how to properly organize watering during a vacation or business trip, read here.

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None of the conditions for growing houseplants require as much attention as watering. Need to control it all year round. It is in this area that novice houseplant lovers make the most mistakes. They either flood the plants with water, believing that in this way they will make them happy, or they completely forget that it needs water. As a result, the plant receives either too much water or too little; both can simply destroy him.

It may seem that all plants need to be moistened a certain number of times each week. However, it is not. Each plant has its own requirements for watering - it depends on the size of the plants, the size of the pot, the time of year, temperature and light, soil quality and the need for moisture inherent in a particular species. For example, on cloudy days the plant needs less moisture, but on sunny days it needs more water. During the warm summer months, plants need abundant watering, and in cool weather they need less water. Even under stable conditions, a constant amount of water is not a guarantee of success, because the plant grows in size and, accordingly, the amount of water it needs increases.

Water more often and more abundantly:

✓ plants in clay pots;

✓ plants with large or thin leaves;

✓ plants with thin stems;

✓ plants in the period of active growth;

✓ plants with strong root system;

✓ plants with hanging stems;

✓ in the warm season and at high temperature in the room;

Less moisture require:

✓ plants in plastic pots;

✓ plants with thick leaves with a wax coating;

✓ plants devoid of leaves;

✓ plants with thick stems;

✓ plants at rest;

✓ newly transplanted plants;

✓ plants with poorly developed root system;

✓ weak and depleted plants;

✓ at low air temperature in the room;

✓ on cloudy days or in low light;

✓ at high air humidity;

✓ when there is no air movement in the room.

For example, orchids from the genus Dendrobium are watered no more than once a week.

The experience of many lovers of indoor floriculture has developed an exact criterion: it is time to water the plant when the earth mixture in the pot becomes dry. The only problem is that the mixture, which seems dry on top, remains wet in the middle of the pot. You water thinking the ground is practically dry. In fact, you oversaturate it with water from the middle of the pot to the very bottom, which is no less harmful to plants than drying out the soil. How to understand in what condition an earthen lump is: wet, dry or almost dry? Sometimes this can be determined "by eye" and "by ear".

The color of the earth mixture depends on whether it is wet or dry. A wet mixture is dark brown, while a dry or nearly dry mixture becomes pale brown and dull. One common technique, therefore, is to water the plants when the earth mixture begins to turn pale. However, the estimate "by eye" is not always reliable. When the mixture is dry on most of the surface of the pot, it may be wet at the bottom. However, for small pots, it can be assumed that if the soil mixture is dry on the surface, it is quite dry throughout the pot. You can determine whether or not to water the plants by simply tapping the pot with your finger. If the earth in a flower pot is dry, the sound will be sonorous, but if it is wet, it will be deaf.

The easiest way to tell if a plant needs watering is to test the soil in the pot with your finger or a wooden stick. Dip your finger into the soil mixture up to the first or second joint. If the soil feels wet, no watering is required. If dry, then there is clearly not enough water in the soil. This technique is a reliable indicator of soil moisture in the entire pot, and can be used for potted plants 20-25 cm high. Avoid checking the moisture content of the mixture with your fingers several times at a time. So you can damage the roots of a small and delicate plant and thereby do more harm than good to it. Check soil moisture with your fingers at the outer edge of the pot rather than at the base of the plant.

You can tell if a plant needs watering by simply lifting the pot. It is clear that a freshly watered potting mix weighs more than a dry one. Plants in plastic containers grown in standard potting mixes weigh about twice as much after watering as dry ones. This is, of course, a rough estimate. The difference in weight depends on the type of pot, the potting mix and the material the pot is made from. However, even plants in clay pots with a heavy potting mix are noticeably lighter when the soil dries out. Applying the "weighing" method takes some practice. Elevate the plant a few times between waterings to feel the difference in weight between wet and dry pots. Then after a while you can easily tell the difference between a lighter pot when the plant needs watering and a heavier pot when it doesn't need watering.

Watering plants in large containers - more than 30 cm high - has always been a problem for indoor plant enthusiasts. Plants growing in deep pots or tubs are constantly in danger of waterlogging. Fortunately, reliable and harmless devices have been developed for determining soil moisture in large containers. On sale you can find various indicators of soil moisture. These instruments measure the amount of water at a certain depth. Insert the indicator plug into the soil about 2/3 of the way. The arrow on the scale will indicate "wet", "dry" or somewhere in between. Water only when the indicator indicates that the soil is dry. Keep in mind that an old, worn out meter gives unreliable readings, so it should be replaced with a new one about once a year. However, even a new meter may give an inaccurate estimate if the soil mixture contains a lot of mineral salts. They can accumulate if you have been watering your plants with hard water for several years. In this case, an inaccurate meter reading indicates that your plants need to replace the old potting mix with a fresh one.

In addition to the standard meter, a sonic moisture meter is available for sale, it indicates when the plant needs watering by ringing, whistling or other sound signal. The sound meter is arranged in the same way as the standard one, but instead of a scale, a sound transmitter is located at the other end. It costs about the same as the standard one. It makes sense to buy one such meter and keep it in a pot with a plant that usually dries out faster than others. When the indicator beeps, it's time to check the rest of the plants using traditional methods.

Each type of plant needs its own watering regimen. This information can be gleaned from the description of the content of a particular plant. Distinguish watering plentiful, moderate and rare. Abundant watering is done immediately after the earthen clod dries. Abundant watering is required for most tropical plants with thin leaves. With moderate watering, the plants are watered not immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two. Moderate watering is required, in particular, for plants with pubescent leaves and stems (African violet, peperomia, etc.) and thick roots and rhizomes (dracaena). With rare watering, the plants are left dry for several days, weeks or even months. This applies to cacti and succulents, as well as plants in their dormant period.

A strict watering regimen for each plant is not easy to maintain, especially if you have a lot of plants. Ideally, you should regularly check the condition of the plant and water it as soon as it is needed. This method brings the best results, because in this case there is an alternation of wet and almost dry soil conditions. Check each plant every 3-4 days using one of the methods described above and water only those plants that currently need it. Recommendations in this matter can only be general.

It is better to water the plants more often and little by little than less often and more abundantly. The main watering is best done in the morning. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it well moistens the entire earthen lump and glass in the pan.

Regular violations of the watering regime affect the appearance of most plants.

The lack of water can be noticed by the following signs:

Leaves and shoots become lethargic;

In plants with hard, leathery leaves, the leaves dry and fall off;

Flowers and buds fall off or quickly wither.

With excess water:

The leaves show signs of rot;

The plant is clearly slower growing;

Mold appears on buds and flowers;

The tips of the leaves turn brown;

Both old and young leaves fall off.

When the potting mix dries out to the point of becoming almost crispy, a curious phenomenon is observed - the potting mix refuses to accept water. No matter how much water you pour, the earth becomes slightly damp only on the surface. This happens because the very dry soil moves away from the walls of the pot and cracks form between the walls and the earthen clod. When you water overdried soil from above, the water flows through these cracks to the bottom and pours into the pan through the drainage hole. The earth ball will remain dry. Therefore, when the earth is too dry, it is useless to water it from above. What to do? Water the leaves and stems of the plant from the shower. Fill a bowl or other container with water at room temperature and completely immerse the plant pot in it, carefully pressing down the pot with a weight (stone or brick) so that it is completely immersed in water. Then add a few drops (no more!) of liquid detergent to the water - this will help reduce the water-repellent properties of overdried soil. After about an hour, remove the plant pot and let the excess water drain. If the plant has revived (not all plants recover after overdrying), it will soon become juicy again. Keep in mind - even when the earthen clod takes its original size, some distance between it and the walls of the pot will remain. Fill this gap with potting mix.

If excess water has accumulated in the pot, it is no less dangerous for the plant than drought. However, in this case, not all is lost. Tap the edge of the pot on a hard surface and remove the pot from the earthen clod. Usually an earthen ball is pierced with roots and retains the shape of a pot. Remove damaged roots and wrap an earthen ball with a rag or old kitchen towel- it will absorb excess water from an earthen coma. You may need to change your towel several times.

Then wrap the earth ball in absorbent paper and leave it in it until dry, but do not overdry. When the earth ball is dry, plant the plant in a clean pot with fresh earth mixture.

As a rule, flower pots are sold with a pallet. The pallet is absolutely necessary - excess water flows into it. As a pallet, you can also use saucers or bowls of a suitable size from any material. It is only important that the diameter of the pallet is not less than the upper diameter of the pot. After watering, it is necessary to drain excess water from the pan.

Drainage is a French word. It means the artificial or natural removal of excess fluid, usually from the soil. In indoor floriculture, drainage is used so that water does not stagnate in a pot. Ceramic shards, gravel, pebbles or large expanded clay are suitable for drainage.

A large shard is placed on the drain hole with the convex side up, or a handful of smaller shards, then a layer of coarse-grained sand is poured and the plant itself is planted on top of this. Since there are not always shards at hand, it is easier to arrange drainage from expanded clay.

If the pot has a hole for water to drain, then 1 cm of large expanded clay should be placed on the bottom. If there is no hole, then the height of the expanded clay layer should be at least 3-5 cm. In general, it should be about a quarter of the height of the container.

Although traditionally plants are watered from a watering can, there is another way - watering from below. With this method, the so-called capillary effect is triggered - there is a movement of water from more humid layers to drier ones. When the soil is almost dry, place the pot in a tray of water and the moisture will begin to flow through the soil and the roots of the plant.

When pouring from below, you simply fill the tray with water. If the water drains quickly from the pan, add a little more. After about an hour, all the soil will be damp and its surface will be shiny with moisture. When the plant has sucked up all the water it needs, pour out the rest of the water from the pan. Watering from below is preferable for plants with pubescent leaves or with a lush rosette of leaves.

Plants that you water from below are better able to meet their moisture needs. However, at the same time, you will have to change the soil mixture with them more often, since excess mineral salts will accumulate in the soil faster.

Watering from above seems to be a more "natural" way of watering, since in nature plants get their moisture from rain. On the other hand, it is not the source of moisture that is important for the plant, but the result - moist soil. Therefore, it is not so important whether you water from above or below. When watering from above, make sure that water does not fall on the leaves. Many plants have very tender leaves and stems that are stained by water drops. In addition, water droplets on light focus the light like lenses, and even dense and leathery leaves can be burned. Therefore, when watering from above, be sure to lift the leaves or move them to the side so that water only falls on the soil.

Plants in hanging pots often hang quite high, and watering them causes certain difficulties. For convenience, you can buy a special watering can, which will greatly facilitate the watering of such plants. It consists of plastic bottle with a long tube that bends at the end. There is such a watering can is quite inexpensive.

Plants are preferably watered with soft water, i.e. water with a low salt content. If the water in your area is soft, then tap water is fine for irrigation. Hardy plant species can be watered directly from the tap, but this should not be abused: there are not so many such plants. It is better that the water settles for about a day. During this time, bubbles of gases, especially chlorine and fluorine, will come out of it. Fluoride is very harmful to indoor plants. For irrigation, you can also use rainwater, melted snow and well water.

Hard water contains a lot of soluble calcium and magnesium salts. It is very harmful to plants. The surface of the roots of plants is covered with skin, which works as a kind of filter.

It lets in and keeps only what the plants need inside. When watering with hard water, the filter “clogs” - remember the scale on the walls of the kettle! As a result, the roots begin to absorb water and nutrients poorly. The plant is starving. In such a situation, an increase in watering only leads to rotting of the roots and death of the plant. A sign indicating hard water is a yellowish-white coating on the surface of the soil, on the walls of the pot, and sometimes on the stems of the plant.

To soften hard water, wood ash is added to it at the rate of 3 g (1/2 teaspoon) per liter of water. You can also add acetic or oxalic acid to the water. This must be done very carefully, checking the pH until the desired value is set (5.5-6.5).

Filtered hard water, i.e. water that has passed through a demineralizer or osmotic filtration system, will not harm your plants. To soften hard water, special cartridges for filters and tablets are produced - water softeners (the so-called pH tablets). If for some reason the described methods of softening hard water are not available to you, you can water the plants, especially tender ones, with boiled water.

Water for irrigation should be at room temperature. It is even better to take water warmer by 2-3 ° C. Don't neglect this rule. Remember that by pouring cold water on heat-loving tropical plants, you can damage their roots and leaves.

Yes, there are such ways. Firstly, this is the so-called self-watering pot. Secondly, the cultivation of plants in a hydroponic system. In both cases, watering will require your attention once every 1 - 2 months, and in between, the plants will be provided with water automatically. In addition, there are substrates, such as hydrogels and granulates, which are able to retain water in the soil for a long time and give it to plants as needed.

Iris (Iris) - a huge genus that unites the most various plants, which have an "iris" type of flower. At the same time, the biology of these plants is so diverse that it is difficult to suspect close relatives in them.

Of course, every plant lover has seen - familiar flowers, often grown in gardens and decorating cities.
In this article, I would like to introduce flower growers to much less commonly grown groups of irises - Juno, Iridodiktyum, Regelio-cyclus. These species differ in their biology from rhizomatous irises.
These are spring flowering plants, many of which bloom exceptionally early.
And since they are mountain plants, well-drained soil is the main condition for their successful cultivation.

Juno (Juno)

Juno (Juno)- a group of spring-flowering irises with a very peculiar biology. Juno has a remarkable form of flowers, in which the upper lobes of the perianth are reduced and laid down.

The vast majority of junos grows in Central Asia, rising from the foothills to the glaciers of the Tien Shan.
Many of the junos were described by pioneer explorers of the flora of these places hundreds of years ago. However, up to the present time, discoveries in this reserve of Juno are possible (and happen).

The peculiar exotic beauty of junos immediately attracted the attention of plant lovers. Cultivation attempts have never stopped since their discovery. And yet most of the junos did not become common garden plants. However, several species are constantly grown by nurseries and can be classified as plants that grow well in temperate climates.

Juno hybridization was started by the famous florist Thomas Hog, who created three hybrids at the end of the 19th century. This is where the selection stopped, although there are opportunities for its continuation.

Growing junos is akin to collecting jewelry - experienced flower growers who are not indifferent to these plants are fond of this.
There is now a resurgence of interest in Juno due to impressive finds made during Central Asian expeditions (sponsored by the Gothenburg Botanical Gardens).

Juno bulbs have perennial roots - at their base are buds that give life to replacement bulbs.
In all operations with junos, one should try not to break off their roots.

In horticulture, the following types and forms of junos are found:

- Iris (Juno) aucheri - originally from Yu.V. Turkey. beautiful view, long and successfully grown in Europe, but somewhat demanding on heat. Therefore, there are years when it may not bloom in the open field.

In the photo: Iris aucheri BLUE STAR; Iris aucheri PURPLE STAR; Iris bucharica

- Iris (Juno) bucharica hort. - its origin is unknown. It has been cultivated for a very long time. It differs from natural forms in the two-tone color of the flowers. One of the most unpretentious representatives of junos, it breeds well vegetatively and grows successfully even without annual digging.

- Iris (Juno) cycloglossa- this species was found relatively recently (in 1972) in Afghanistan. The most peculiar of all junos, it grows well in Lithuania. It has a branching leafless peduncle. Almost flat flower with very large limb lobes. It reproduces vegetatively, usually producing 2 daughter bulbs.

- Iris (Juno) graeberiana - the origin of the species is unknown. Two forms are cultivated, in which the structure and color of the flowers are somewhat different. More common form with a white spot on the limbs of the lower petals of the flower. The rarer form is yellow spot on bends. I did not observe seed setting in both varieties. Perhaps these are interspecific natural hybrids. They are one of the few tall junos that grow well in our open field. Blooms profusely and annually.

- Iris (Juno) NEW ARGUMENT – my hybrid. The name of the variety was not accidental. Its appearance confirmed the assumption that the famous Van Tubergen hybrid Iris WARLSIND is most likely the result of an accidental pollination of I. warleyensis with pollen from I. bucharica hort, and not from I. aucheri (as previously thought). The hybrid is sterile, grows well and multiplies.

In the photo: Iris hyb. NEW ARGUMENT; Iris magnifica ALBA

- Iris (Juno) magnifica ALBA - white-flowered form of the species J. magnifica - endemic to the Zeravshan Mountains. The tallest of all Juno, in good conditions reaching almost a meter in height. The flowers are large, 7 - 9 pieces, bloom sequentially. The bulb has numerous, thick rhizomes that make digging up a chore (however, you don't have to dig them up every year). This variety is one of the few that does well in the garden and is relatively undemanding. As a rule, the mother bulb produces two daughters annually. It sets seeds well, but seedlings do not always repeat the color of their parents and may have flowers with a bluish tinge.

- Iris (Juno) BLUE MYSTERY- obtained as a seedling of I. willmottena. However, the plants were unusually large for this species and sterile, which clearly indicated their hybrid origin. From their appearance, it can be assumed that the parent pair was: I. willmottiana and I. magnifica. Yet this is nothing more than an assumption, which is why the hybrid is called "BLUE MYSTERY". The most beautiful juno, perfectly growing and breeding in our climate.

- Iris (Juno) kuschakewiczii - this is the case when miniaturization does not detract from the merits. A real small section diamond comes from the North-Western spurs of the Tien Shan. The plant is the rarest in culture and difficult. Of course, it will "disappear" in plantings of tall species, but on and in it is irresistible.

- Iris (Juno) nicolai - the species is widespread in the Tien Shan mountains. The earliest of the Juno. It blooms after the snow melts, almost without leaves, they appear later. A huge impression is made by her large flower of a pretentious form, growing directly from the soil that is still covered with snow in some places. Plants from different populations of the species differ in flower color. The species is not frost-resistant enough for our climate; plantings of juno must be insulated with peat.

- Iris (Juno) orchioides - has a wide range in the mountains of Central Asia. Plants from different regions differ in height and color of flowers. Pretty high shape with bright yellow flowers received by me from the Alma-Ata Botanical Garden. Grows well in open ground. thermophilic; blooms better if the previous summer was warm.

- Iris (Juno) SINDPERS- the famous Van Tubergen hybrid. The plant is short, but its flowers are huge, beautifully shaped and very fragrant. Heat-loving, does not like cool rainy summers, should be planted in a sunny place. If it is possible to grow a plant in a cold greenhouse, then you will fully enjoy its enchanting flowering.

- Iris (Juno) SHOCKING BLUE- selected from seedlings of I. willmotteana. Its flowers are similar to the BLUE MYSTERY variety, but their color is more saturated. Sterile.

- Iris (Juno) vicaria- the species is widely distributed in the mountains of Central Asia. The flowers are predominantly light, almost white in color. Rarely are populations with more or less purple petals. Unpretentious, grows well and multiplies.

- Iris (Juno) warleyensis- one of the most beautiful junos, growing in the western spurs of the Tien Shan (Zerafshan Range, Kugitang Range). Plants from different natural populations differ in stem height from 15 to 40 cm. It grows well in open ground. However, abundant flowering is difficult to achieve, especially if the previous summer was cold. Good results are obtained if the bulbs are not dug up, but after the completion of the growing season, cover the area from rain with glass or other transparent material. You can also, after digging, put the bulbs in dry sand and warm them in the greenhouse. The species was used by Van Tubergen to create the WARLSIND hybrid. Despite repeated introductions, it is still rare in culture.

- Iris (Juno) WARLSIND is Van Tubergen's tallest hybrid, as is now recognized by I. warleyensis and I. bucharica hort. It grows well in our climate, blooms annually, develops well and propagates vegetatively.

Iridodictiums IRIDODICTYUM

Iridodictium (Iridodictyum)- group of graceful bulbous irises blooming in early spring. Interesting faceted hollow leaves of iridodictiums growing vertically. A plant has exactly as many leaves as bulbs subsequently form. According to the structure of the leaves, only a few species (Central Asian), which have grooved leaves, are an exception in the group.

In the photo: reticulated irises (Iris reticulata)

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Quite rare footage of a water sparrow - a dipper was made by Igor Mavrin, an employee of the Sokhondinsky Reserve, who works at the Bukukun cordon. And these photographs are unique in that this bird is a rare guest in our area.

Dipper , or common dipper (cinclus cinclus) - bird order of passeriformes. She is also called water thrush or water sparrow. Bird small size, plumagehas a dark brown, thick. It lives along the banks of fast transparent rivers and streams.

Eats aquatic insects and crustaceans, which the dipper collects in shallow water, between stones and under water. The main feature is the ability to swim and dive well even in cold water. Raising its wings, deftly maneuvering in the flow of water, the bird, as it were, “runs” along the bottom. Dipper can stay under water for up to 50 seconds, running up to 20 meters during this time. She is a very alert and sensitive bird.

"Recently I I met a rare bird for our places - a dipper. Its rarity is evidenced by the fact that for 28 years that I live in Zabaykalye, saw her for the second time- commented the author of unique pictures, Igor Mavrin, - and most importantly, I managed to take several photos of this feathered guest.

Ivan Sergeevich Sokolov - Mikitov, a Russian travel writer, wrote very interestingly about this amazing bird at one time: “You need to be a skilled observer of nature in order to see a wonderful dipper. If you have to visit deserted forests or mountainous places, look and listen carefully. On a clear and fast stream or river, perhaps you will be lucky enough to see a dipper!”

Drought is a long period with insufficient rainfall, which is most dangerous for plants at high temperatures and low humidity. It is necessary to help plants survive in this difficult time, otherwise, due to lack of moisture, their development stops.

The first sign of dehydration in a plant is lost turgor, sluggish leaves and buds. If the plant does not make up for the loss of water at this stage, then its leaves and buds will then begin to turn yellow, dry and fall off; soon the process will spread to the entire aerial part of the plant. As long as the root receives at least a small amount of moisture from the ground, the plant can still be reanimated in most cases. Drying out of the root system means the death of the plant.

It may seem ridiculous that living in the UK, you can complain about the long absence of rainfall, because old Britain is known for its rainy climate. However, the South East of England, where we live, is probably the driest place in the country - droughts happen quite often here. In the winters of 2004-2006 there was a lack of rain that broke all records since 1933!

According to information BBC Weather, since November 2004 we have only received 72% of the average rainfall. By the beginning of July 2006, there had been a drought for about three weeks: virtually no rain at air temperatures above 30 degrees during the day and 15-17 at night. It will be possible to fully assess the damage from the drought only next year, if it affects the flowering of azaleas and rhododendrons, which just at this time lay the buds of next year.

A dry start to the 2006 season inspired the design of the 2006 Chelsea Competition Gardens with drought-related themes. An interesting element in African garden (GardenAfrica): the beds are arranged in a spiral under a slope. When watering, water flows from top to bottom along the boundary and collects in the center of the spiral, where the most moisture-loving plants are located.

A garden that is not afraid of drought

Of course, the negative impact of drought on plants as a whole is determined by several factors: the duration of the drought, the air temperature and wind strength during this period, the possibility of access to water and the availability of the necessary human resources. However, if you keep in mind the possibility of drought even during the strategic planning of the garden and plantings, then you can initially take measures that will help the plants survive in the drought, and save labor and time for the owners.

> Try to sow and plant new plants in the spring or fall when there is sufficient rainfall and the plants are easy to root and establish. On the other hand, it should be remembered that, in general, plants in containers are more vulnerable to drought than plants in open ground. Therefore, if a new plant from the garden center somehow needs to be transplanted into the garden, I would transplant it in the summer in the heat, making sure to provide regular abundant watering and protection from direct sunlight at first.

> When planting and transplanting plants, dig a deeper hole in the soil and be sure to add leaf humus or garden compost to it, which improve the structure and composition of the soil, allow moisture to freely penetrate to the roots and retain it there for a long time.

> Use special water-retaining granules or gel, which are abundantly saturated with water during watering, and then gradually release this water to the roots. These funds should be mixed with the ground when planting or transplanting plants. They are especially important for plants in containers.

> Be sure to use mulch on flower borders, around shrubs and trees, and on the surface of plant pots and baskets. Mulch should be laid out in the spring - after warm weather sets in, and the earth warms up and is saturated with moisture. As mulching materials, you can use chopped tree bark, sawdust, shavings, needles, gravel, the same garden compost or special synthetic garden material. The choice of mulch depends on the type of plant (for example, bark, sawdust and needles acidify the soil, so they are well laid out under hydrangeas, rhododendrons, camellias, heathers and other acidophiles). Plant mulching allows moisture to seep into the soil during rains or irrigation, but makes it harder for it to evaporate and also inhibits weed growth.

> Remove weeds in a timely manner, which will compete fiercely with “cultivated” plants during a drought. Weeds are easier to remove when they are just emerging from the ground.

> Plant neighboring plants closely, leaving only the space necessary for root development between them. Close-to-close leaves of plants reduce evaporation of moisture and drying out of the soil

> If you, like me, live in a region with frequent droughts, then consider this when placing plants in the sunny and shady areas of the garden. Give preference to drought-resistant plants. Often such plants have silvery foliage, needles or thick leaves. Ornamental drought-resistant plants include: chistets, wormwood, eryngium, lavender, santolina, cistus, poppy, spurge, yarrow, iris, echinacea, acanthus, bergenia, etc.
Do not need watering, for example, meadow flowers, succulents and ornamental grasses, aromatic plants, pumpkin, corn.

Watering plants in drought conditions

The ideal time for regular, scheduled watering is a calm late evening when the heat subsided, a cool night lies ahead, and moisture evaporation is minimal. Let's allow watering in the early morning, before the onset of heat. However, if the plant looks dehydrated on a hot day, it should be watered immediately, avoiding water on the leaves to avoid sunburn.
If you use an automatic watering system, don't forget to reset the timer according to changing weather conditions - then the plants will get large quantity moisture they need during the dry season.

In hot weather, plants in containers should be watered twice a day: in the early morning and late evening. Set the pots in deep trays or in planters that can hold at least a little water. If you are not able to provide regular watering for container plants, then it is better to rearrange them in the shade.
Plants in greenhouses and greenhouses can suffer from overheating during the heat, because the temperature indoors behind glass rises much higher than outdoors. Remember to open the doors and windows of the greenhouse through and through on hot days and use fans (if any).
Use sprinklers for daily watering of young grass crops or freshly laid turf. Place an open glass bowl in the sprayer's range and stop watering when it fills with water to a level of 13 mm (a smaller amount will not do any good, and more will be wasted).

How to save water and effort

Due to lack of rain and dangerously low reserves drinking water, during a drought, we introduced an official ban on watering private gardens with tap water from hoses. In theory, at this stage, we have no restrictions on the use of tap water for irrigation (although they may arise later, if the drought continues and water supplies disappear, then more stringent rules will come into force). However, in practice, the need to use a watering can instead of a hose in itself imposes these restrictions, because the time and effort required to water the garden increase many times over. Then you have to make a very tough choice: which plants need to be watered today, otherwise they can be almost completely dehydrated until tomorrow.

If you have similar or some other restrictions, and watering plentifully, qualitatively does not work, you may need a few simple methods that I use to save water, labor and time:

> Before watering your plants, determine your priorities and stick to them clearly. Watering is vital for seedlings just planted in open ground young plants, plants in containers (especially small ones), plants in greenhouses, fresh grass crops, freshly laid turf rolls and moisture-loving plants (eg shore or marsh plants). These plants will die without water.

In second place may be plants that will not bloom with a lack of water, or fruit crops that will not be able to successfully bear fruit without watering (or any other plants, depending on your goals).

Watering is more necessary for plants on light, sandy soils, which dry out faster than heavy, clay soils.

> Abundant and rare watering is preferable to stingy and frequent. The fact is that a small amount of water penetrates only into the upper layer of the soil, contributing to the development of weak, highly located roots, which are the first to suffer from drying out of the soil or frost. Developing a strong and deep root system that can support the plant in harsh weather conditions requires water to penetrate deep into the soil around the plant. The correct depth of soil moisture during irrigation is about 60 cm.

> If you are planning to purchase and use an irrigation system in your garden, then invest in a modern drip or jet system (instead of a traditional sprinkler system). The water delivered by such systems appears at the right time (late in the evening or even when you are not at home) thanks to a timer on the tap, gets exactly as intended to the roots of plants and is absorbed to the last drop without being spent on watering neighboring weeds.

> Before watering, loosen the soil around the plant and make a small hole so that the plant is in the middle of the depression. All water after watering will remain in this hole and, as it is absorbed, it will get to the roots of the plant, and will not spread over dry soil. In autumn, with the arrival of rains, you can spud the plant, leveling the hole with the level of the ground to prevent stagnant water at the roots. The rest of the time, if possible, try not to disturb the soil during the drought period: any loosening contributes to additional evaporation of moisture from the soil.

> Remove the shower head from the watering can (or hose) and water the plant to the very root - then all the water will get to its intended purpose, and will not spread around the plant.

> To water the plants in containers, I use a large wide container filled with water, in which I alternately place pots and hanging baskets for a while. Thus, all the soil in the container gets wet through, and the plants receive a large amount of moisture. It is also an excellent way to urgently resuscitate already affected plants with a dry earthy clod, for which ordinary watering is completely useless. This method of moisturizing is not harmful even in the hottest hours, because water does not fall on the leaves of plants.

From time to time, water from the container can be poured under some kind of shrub, because it has accumulated a significant amount of nutrients from the soil of container plants.

> Look for opportunities to use so-called “recycled” water (leftover from laundry, cleaning, dishwashing or showering) for irrigation ornamental plants, trees and shrubs. To do this, you may need to change your home's drain system. The recycled water, along with the remains of household detergents, contains a lot of phosphates, which your plants will enjoy as a good fertilizer.

Remember that water from the dishwasher and washing machine Allow plants to cool to room temperature before watering. Preferably use environmentally friendly, biodegradable detergents. Water with residues of bleach, bleach, disinfectants and other strong chemicals should not be used to water plants.

> Purchase and install special barrels in the garden to collect rainwater. Such barrels are directly connected to a pipe into which water enters from gutters located along the perimeter of the roof of a house or greenhouse. The barrels are mounted on an elevation so that you can substitute a watering can under the opening tap (or attach a hose to it). You can use the water accumulated in the barrels to water the plants as needed.

Lavender English (England)
COUNTRY LIVING (Countryside Living.net)

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Among other species in your collection, be sure to ask what variety it belongs to and find information about the features of home care - including how how to properly water new "green pet".

Below you will find practical guidelines to help you properly water most popular types of houseplants. We will look at issues such as the choice of dishes for watering flowers, what water to water the flowers, the frequency of watering, signs of lack of moisture, watering methods, how to water orchids and other indoor plants during your vacation.

♦ WARE FOR WATERING INDOOR FLOWERS:

watering can with a long spout. Practical equipment - a long spout can be easily directed through a dense crown, under the lower leaves or directly under the root rosette, so as not to drip water on the delicate leaves of the flower. Very convenient equipment for watering plants in a phytowall or in phytomodules (vertical gardening);

flask. A special device with an elongated tip and a spherical container for water. Such inventory can be of great help when you need to leave for a long time. It is enough to fill the container with water and stick the nose of the flask into the soil, which will gradually be saturated with moisture as it dries;

sprayer for spraying (sprayer). By spraying with water from a spray bottle, additional moisture can be provided through the upper parts of the plant. This method will help you preserve the decorative qualities of the plant in the heat of summer or during the heating season, when the humidity level in the room is very low;

tray with water. A great way to additionally moisten the soil in a pot if the air in the room is too dry. It is advisable to place the flower pot not directly in the water, but on wet expanded clay or on pebbles in the pan.

♦ WATER FOR IRRIGATION OF INDOOR FLOWERS:

rain, river, pond water. Some flower growers prefer to water indoor plants with melt and rain water. Flowers respond well to watering with soft water from natural sources. But it is necessary to disinfect the water, add a few pieces of charcoal;

tap water. Most residents of megacities water their flowers with tap water. But it is important to remember that chlorinated tap water with sparingly soluble calcium salts is very hard. Be sure to defend this water for at least 24 hours (or better - several days) before watering the flowers, and pour the rest from the very bottom. Water the plants with room temperature or lukewarm water.

- in the photo: signs of lack and excess of water

♦ FREQUENCY OF WATERING INDOOR FLOWERS:

❂ Most houseplants like regular and even watering to keep the substrate moderately moist. If the period of abundant soil moisture is abruptly replaced by a period of insufficient moisture, then the flower begins to wither and may die;

❂ in winter, many indoor plants slow down the growth and development processes (or stop altogether). The need for water with dissolved nutrients is significantly reduced and the plant needs to be watered much less often (or not at all). And in the spring-summer period, with an increase in the duration of sunlight and an increase in temperature, the frequency of watering increases to 1-3 times a week;

❂ plants with large and wide leaves are watered more often (Benjamin and rubber ficus, Andre anthurium, spathiphyllum, home begonia, gloxinia synningia, jasmine gardenia, gerbera, balsam, sheffler, dieffenbachia). Bulbous species should be watered moderately and less frequently, since waterlogging can lead to rotting of the root system (hippeastrum, clivia, amaryllis, calla zantedeschia, oxalis oxalis, hyacinths, eucharis Amazon lily). Most types of potted orchids (phalaenopsis, dendrobium nobile) are watered no more than once a week in winter and no more than twice a week in summer. There are indoor species that easily tolerate long breaks between waterings (succulent species - Crassula Money tree, aloe vera or agave, triangular spurge, zygocactus Decembrist, as well as species such as Kalanchoe Blossfeld, chlorophytum, "mother-in-law's tongue" or sansevieria);

❂ ceramic (clay) pots have a good porous structure, circulation and evaporation of moisture is more active. But plastic pots hold water well in the substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to water a flower placed in a ceramic pot more often than in a plastic one.

In the photo: rare, moderate and abundant watering

♦ WAYS OF WATERING INDOOR PLANTS:

❀ top watering. For watering a flower from above, it is advisable to use special dishes with a long spout (watering can, flask). It is advisable to direct the spout closer to the stem so that water does not fall on the leaves. If the plant has a developed leaf rosette, try to direct the stream of water under it so that the water does not stagnate. Water the plant evenly, in small portions, so that the water does not stagnate on the top layer of soil. Pour out all the water flowing into the pan. This is a universal way to water indoor species. The disadvantage of this method is that useful substances of the substrate sludge are quickly washed out. Therefore, do not forget to feed the plants on time.

❀ bottom watering. Some types of ornamental deciduous plants lose their attractiveness if drops of water fall on the leaves (yellowish or black spots appear, the leaf blade is deformed). Therefore, the pan is filled with water for irrigation. Within 30-40 minutes, the substrate is moistened to the top layer and all excess water must be drained from the pan. The disadvantage of this method is that mineral salts are not washed out on the contrary - they linger in the soil for a long time. If a lime crust has appeared on the surface of the soil, then carefully remove it along with the top layer, adding a fresh substrate.

❀ immersion of the pot in water. A very good method of wetting, allowing the soil to be completely saturated with water. Lower the flower pot into a container of water so that water does not flow into the substrate through the edges of the pot. Water will quickly soak all layers of the substrate through the drainage holes. Then place the pot on a wire rack so that any excess water flows down freely. It is not advisable to use this method of moistening during the flowering period of the plant, when moving the pot can cause the buds and petals to fall off.

- tables with factors affecting the abundance and frequency of irrigation

♦ WATERING HOUSE PLANTS DURING HOLIDAYS:

√ vacation up to two weeks.

We moisten the soil abundantly by immersing each pot in water;

☛ plants with small fleshy leaves that are in a dormant period, located in a cool room with high humidity, grown in plastic or glass containers, are watered less often;

☛ if the tap water contains too much lime, it is advisable to pass it through a special filter in order to use soft water for irrigation;

☛ never use cold water for irrigation, as this can lead to the gradual death of peripheral roots, the appearance of viral and fungal diseases;

☛ The most ideal time for watering most indoor species is early morning (with sunrise);

☛ on hot summer days and during heating, it is necessary to spray the plants with a spray bottle. Next to the plants, you can put a container with water for additional humidification.

♦ HOW TO WATER AN ORCHID AT HOME:

❶ You can water orchids only with warm, settled soft water. It is advisable to water rare collectible and whimsical indoor orchid species with diluted distilled water. Mix settled water of medium hardness with distilled water in a ratio of 1:1. And mix too hard water with distilled water in a ratio of 1: 2;

❷ if the orchid is without bulbs, then water it after the substrate is completely dry, and the lower leaves begin to lose turgor and wrinkle. If the orchid is with bulbs, then water the flower after the bulbs begin to wrinkle a little;

❸ During flowering, most popular domestic varieties (phalaenopsis, dendrobium nobile) are watered very moderately 2-3 times a week. Make sure that water never stagnates in the pot around the roots and flows freely from the drainage holes;

❹ The best way to water an orchid in the summer is to soak the pot in warm, settled water for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to make sure that the water drains completely from the holes in the bottom of the pot after soaking;

❺ how often to water an orchid at home. Complete drying of the soil is much safer for the root system than overflow. Most species can be watered at a frequency, which is defined as follows: once the substrate is completely dry, the next day in the morning you can water the flower moderately. But do not forget that the frequency of watering also depends on the following factors: the type of orchid, the growing season or dormant period, the humidity and temperature in the room, the composition of the soil, the pot (the volume of what material it consists of).

♦ VIDEO:

How to properly moisten the soil in a pot (for example, indoor begonia):
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