Agapanthus

Agapanthus: flower description

Agapanthus: photo of flowers

Agapanthus has South African roots and belongs to the lily family, in the area of ​​origin it grows quietly in the wild. Prefers shade from nearby trees, whose crown provides good protection from the scorching sun. The plant can otherwise be called the African lily, there are up to 10 varieties most suitable for growing at home.

Evergreen, herbaceous, bulbous, perennial plant. The Agapanthus plant looks very impressive against the background of familiar indoor flowers, exotic white or blue flowers add to the full picture, and the period of active flowering is beyond imagination - the last month of spring - until mid-autumn, it all depends on the selected plant variety.

Agapanthus shrub grows small in height, thick, fleshy rhizome, narrow, elongated leaves, about 60 cm in size, begin to taper towards the tip, gathered in a dense rosette at the root base. The peduncle itself is without leaf plates, rather elongated, up to 0.7 m, large in size, form a ball. Small flowers of Agapanthus form a false umbrella up to 20 centimeters in diameter. This umbrella contains a huge number of blue-violet flowers, in some cases the color scheme changes to pink shades. Each flower in a peduncle blooms in turn, and the peduncles themselves are formed one after another throughout the entire flowering period. The fruits formed after flowering are formed in boxes. The main part of the plant is grown in open space and reaches a gigantic height, but today varieties adapted for indoor use have been bred, respectively, their growth is miniature, only up to 50 cm.

Agapanthus: planting and care

Agapanthus: photo of flowers

Propagation of Agapanthus by seeds.

Immediately after the moment of flowering, the Agapanthus plant can be propagated by dividing the root system. But you should carefully divide, on each separated part, at least 2 growth points must remain. The place of the cut at the root must be dried and treated with wood charcoal. Do not abuse this method of reproduction, since the plant needs to get stronger, restore strength for further development, therefore, a decrease in flowering activity is possible.

Growing Agapanthus from seeds is a job for the more hardy, patient, since the process takes a long period. At the beginning of the spring season, Agapanthus seeds are sown in an open ground or indoor pot. But the temperature must be stable, not lower than +20 degrees. Freshly harvested Agapanthus seeds are capable of germinating as early as the 8th week. Perhaps even earlier, of course, it all depends on the growing conditions.

Correct potting soil composition.

For the Agapanthus flower, it is advisable to use soil of a special composition, rich in nutrient content, on a peat basis, a high-quality drainage system is necessarily created, and humus must be added to the soil composition. As a result, the soil should consist of 4 parts of turf, 5 parts of humus, 1 part of peat and sand. This is ideal. Although some gardeners grow the plant in a simpler soil composition. The most important point is quality drainage.

Temperature regime, features of home cultivation.

To grow these flowers, as they are heat-loving plants, an appropriate temperature is required. In summer, it is not less than +20 and not higher than +25 degrees.During winter dormancy, the plant is kept in cooler conditions, only up to +6 degrees, the room should be light. If the soil is dry, the flower is able to withstand a slight frost.

Agapanthus flower feels great when grown at home. But since the hybrid still comes from a wild variety, it is advisable to take it out into the open during the summer, but you need to create a temporary shelter from strong gusts of wind and heavy rains. Do not strain yourself when in winter the plant loses partially or completely the leaf cover. This is normal. Once again, we remind you that the plant should be moved to cool conditions for the winter.

Flowering Agapanthus.

Agapanthus is a capricious plant. Any violation of the rules for growing at home will lead to a violation of the flowering process, or even its complete elimination. Even if you fully follow all the care recommendations, the plant can actively bloom only 6-8 years after planting, and the flowering process itself is not an annual phenomenon. The duration of the onset of flowering is three summer months.

Watering, the need for lighting, feeding, spraying.

At the time of growth activity, the Agapanthus flower needs thorough hydration, it is imperative to maintain a high humidity. Watering is necessary abundant, regular, but do not overdo it with watering for future use, this will only harm the plant. Especially this moment occurs in the summer season. After the complete flowering-watering, sharply reduce, during the winter dormancy, water very rarely and with a small amount of water. What is good drainage for? It is during the summer period, when watering is frequent and abundant, that there is a danger of stagnant water, and this leads to the formation of decay of the root system. As a result, the plant does not survive this disease.

About the right lighting. Agapanthus flower prefers a lot of sunlight during the entire growing season; for this plant, even the sun's rays do not do much harm. On the contrary, even the direct sun is able to strengthen the stems, become more solid, strong, and the flowering process is longer and pleases with an abundant amount of beautiful flowers. There is a small problem, with the winter keeping of agapanthus, the stems are able to stretch very rapidly, become lethargic, and the leaves become pale in color. This situation occurs even with good lighting on the windowsill. Try to turn the pot over to the sun as often as possible.

Like any indoor culture, Agapanthus needs proper nutrition. How to do this and not harm the flower? Fertilize preferably with liquid solutions of the required composition, from the beginning of spring to active flowering, regularity of nutrition every 14 days. At the time of the active color, fertilizing is suspended. The nutrition of the plant for winter dormancy is completely stopped. Minerals and organics are perfect for fertilization. If everything is done correctly, the plant will be very grateful to you, and the flowering is beautiful, lush, the number of flowers exceeds the standards.

Does Agapanthus flower need spraying? Usually, in room conditions, the air is quite dry, but this flower perfectly tolerates such conditions. Only in hot summer, spray the plant a little to maintain its tone.

Does Agapanthus need a transplant? This is not necessary, since the plant blooms more luxuriantly and profusely in a crowded pot. It is not necessary to carry out such a procedure annually. But once every 3-5 years, you need to transplant. The plant just takes up the entire container. Take the pot a little larger than the size that it was, but not deep in shape. The process is recommended to be carried out by the transshipment method, as this is less likely to damage the roots. Good drainage must be laid on the bottom.

Diseases and pests

Agapanthus: photo of flowers

The Agapanthus flower has good immunity to various diseases and pest attacks. But still there is a possibility of defeat. The lover of this flower is the spider mite. He is not capable of inflicting much harm if assistance is provided in a timely manner. Even the best option would be preventive measures.

When there is a picture of slight yellowing of the leaves, this indicates that you overdid it with watering or did not do sufficient drainage during transplantation.

Agapanthus: the meaning of the flower

What is the meaning of Agapanthus? Such a flower will be a wonderful decoration for any window sill, terrace, balcony. But always remember to have adequate lighting.

To summarize: in order to achieve a constant neat appearance of the plant, it is necessary to collect outdated foliage in a timely manner, preferably before the formation of a new leaf cover. The container is recommended to be selected from a wooden material, for example, a small tub, barrel or box. Ceramic dishes have the ability to burst under strong pressure from rapidly growing roots. But the most important feature of Agapntus is the release of a special phytoncide substance into the airspace. It is this substance that helps in the fight against the virus and numerous infections.

Agapanthus: varieties and types

As mentioned above in the article, there are many varieties of Agapanthus. Some grow well in open space, but in a certain area with the necessary climate. Others are bred for indoor use only. But now we will list only those varieties that are grown directly in slides under room conditions.

Early agapanthus - natural habitat subtropical South African forests. Prefers rocky terrain. The plant is only perennial, the stem is slightly shortened, covered with scales. Not a tall bush, only up to 50 centimeters, elongated, belt-like leaves, are released from the core of a similar outlet, from the root base. Inflorescences of Agapanthus early form a kind of umbrella with up to 40 small flowers. The peduncle itself is very long, almost a meter, and at the end of it the peduncle develops. The color of the flowers varies from violet-blue to light blue tones. In some cases, just white;

Agapanthus early: photo of flowers

Umbrella Agapanthus - this species is found most often in relation to its relatives. A perennial, herbaceous plant, not very large, but forming relatively large inflorescences in the form of umbrellas. Leaves up to 45 cm high are painted in dark green tones. Umbrella Agapanthus prefers growing areas with sufficient lighting and excellent soil drainage. Welcomes good soil fertility;

Agapanthus African - a pioneer of its kind, derived from the countries of South Africa. The first mention of the plant can be seen in the annals for the 17th century. Hybrid plants were originally grown in Europe, grown in greenhouses in special containers. Agapanthus African flower grows 1000 meters above sea level. The soil is preferably acidic, and the terrain is rocky, sandy. The inflorescences seem to hang down, the color of which is predominantly blue. It is rare to find a subspecies with white flowers. The plant is evergreen, the leaves are elongated, up to 35 centimeters. Peduncles of African Agapanthus are located at the end of the shoot, quite majestic in length, grow almost 70 cm;

Agapanthus: photo of flowers

Agapanthus East - can be said to be the most majestic plant in relation to other varieties. The container for growing in room conditions of the Eastern Agapanthus must be selected with a spacious capacity.

Summary

Agapanthus flower: video

We emphasize some of the most useful recommendations for growing an Agapanthus flower

• The temperature regime for growing Agapanthus at home, in summer and spring, varies from +20 to +25 degrees. In winter, the temperature is cool not higher than +6 and not less than +4 degrees;
• Lighting for Agapanthus should be sufficient, necessarily sunlight, not lamp. In the very sun, you can shade a little;
• Observe regular watering in the required amount of water, especially during the period of active development. In winter, the soil should be dry. The plant tolerates dry air and there is no need for constant spraying;
• Nutrient soil with high-quality drainage4
• You can feed the Agapanthus flower with organics and minerals during the growing season, no more than 2 times a month;
• Reproduction of Agapanthus is mainly by dividing the bush during transplantation, in more rare cases, the seed method of reproduction is used, since the capacity is slightly cramped, since in such conditions the Agapanthus flower blooms more magnificently.