Gelenium

Gelenium refers to both annuals and perennials. Belongs to the Asteraceae family. Includes about 32 varieties. In the conditions familiar to the plant, it can be found in the regions of North and Central America, most of it is found in the regions of Western America. How dignity does this amazing plant have? Until a certain time, the plant does not have any unusual appearance. And precisely from the end of summer, when the plant has finished its flowering, the plant shows its true appearance, bright color. The inflorescences-baskets have a golden color, which are able to change their color scheme, have a very elegant appearance, and are able to decorate the entire garden with their beauty.

Gelenium features

Gelenium photo

Gelenium has a very interesting feature. in the autumn, like flower stalks, the root system of plants begins to die off. But, the annual shoot is distinguished by the presence of underground buds, from which in the autumn period you can notice the appearance of roots and new rosettes, which consist of leaves. Next year, young peduncles appear from such outlets. The plant looks like several independent plants that are densely located to each other. They are distinguished by a straight shape in the shoots that are in the upper part of the plant, the length of the plant can reach up to 1.5 m. The shape of the leaf plate is lanceolate .. The inflorescence-basket can act as a single one, and also be part of a group of several inflorescences. Baskets are distinguished by the presence of marginal ligulate flowers with brown, red, purple, orange or yellow color, as well as central tubular - they are brown or yellow in color. the fruit looks like a pubescent achene, which has an oblong-cylindrical shape.

Gelenium seed cultivation

Unfortunately, the seeds of the plant do not differ in a high percentage of plant germination. This does not even affect whether they were collected recently or not. Of course, if you want to try your luck and try to grow a plant using seeds, then please. But still, it is best to reproduce a plant by dividing a bush or using leaf rosettes. In the autumn, the seeds are planted directly into open soil. It is possible to plant seeds in the soil in February-March, but then you will need to carry out a stratification procedure. For this, the seeds must be spread over the surface of the substrate. Later, the container with the substrate must be sent in a plastic bag. Then put in the refrigerator for 1-1.5 months. After that, the container needs to be taken out and put where it will be warm and artificial lighting installed. In order for the seedlings to appear, the temperature must be +18 +22 degrees. When you notice that 2-3 true leaves have appeared on the plant, you need to dive them.

Gelenium landing

When and how to land.

It is possible to plant seedlings in open soil only when the winter frosts will no longer be able to disturb them. This often occurs at the end of May - beginning of June. For good growth and development, it is better to choose a lighted area, but the plant can grow well with light shade. The soil should be light, but the main thing is that it contains a large amount of nutrients, with a good drainage system and neutral.Before planting a plant, it is necessary to loosen the soil by adding compost. It should also be borne in mind that the size of the planting pit should be made several times larger than the root system of the plant. before planting, the root system must be kept in water for several minutes. Seedlings must be planted to the same depth as they were grown in containers. It is necessary to maintain a distance of about 30-35 cm between the plants and between the rows. After you plant, the soil will need mulching with the help of peat or humus. It is possible to expect that the plant will begin to bloom only 2 years after the plant is planted. only species are suitable for cultivation using the seed method. for growing varietal varieties, the vegetative method is suitable. The thing is that when grown with seeds, the plant can lose the properties characteristic of the main plant.

Gelenium care

Despite the fact that caring for the plant is simple, several rules are required. The most important thing for a plant is the implementation of high-quality watering, because the plant does not tolerate moisture deficit well. In summer, the plant needs abundant watering, which will need to be done more often than usual. It is important to prevent stagnation of water, for this reason the soil must have good water permeability. It is important to loosen the soil in time and remove excess weeds. If you mulch the soil, it will be easier to care for the plant. During the season, the plant needs 3 feedings, both organic and mineral.

May. It is necessary to prepare a mixture including: water (10 l), potassium sulfate, urea and organic fertilizer Effekton - 1 tbsp each. in order to process 1 sq.m. you will need 3-4 liters of the finished mixture.

Flowering period. for 1 bucket of water, add 1 liter of liquid mullein and Agricola-fantasy and Agricola - 7 - 1 tablespoon each. in order to process 1 sq.m. you will need 2-3 liters of the finished mixture. The end of October. Potassium sulfate and superphosphate must be added to 1 bucket of water - 1 tbsp each. in order to process 1 sq.m. half a bucket of ready-made solution will be needed. At the beginning of budding, it will be necessary to spray with the help, which will serve to normalize the process of bud formation. To do this, dilute 10 g of the Bud special product in 1 bucket of water. In order to ensure the abundance of flowering, you need to constantly remove dry inflorescences. Also, to ensure that the bush is lush and branched, you can pinch the upper parts of the bush. It will be nice if you transplant the plant 1 time about every 2-3 years. By transplanting, you can immediately reproduce the plant by dividing the bush. Planting is best done in spring.

Diseases and insect pests

The plant has good immunity against various diseases and insect pests. it is rare to see the appearance of chrysanthemum nematodes, which can harm the flower bud and leaf plate. As a result, the plant will begin to acquire a brown color and dry out. Damaged areas should be removed and burned. For preventive purposes, it is possible to add ground sulfur or slaked lime to the soil. If the soil moisture level is at the optimal level, then you can protect your plant from many diseases.

After the end of flowering

We collect seeds.

Seeds must be collected until the rains begin in the autumn, otherwise the seeds will begin to rot. The fact that the seeds have become mature is indicated by darkened reed and black tubular flowers. However, it should be borne in mind that the purchase of seeds is best done only in special stores. the seeds that you collect will have a low germination rate, and they may also lose the characteristic properties inherent in the mother plant.

Getting ready for the winter period. Before the winter period, all shoots must be pruned almost to the soil itself, so that above its surface you can only see scraps, the height of which will be about 10-15 cm.After that, it is necessary to mulch the soil using sawdust and moss, add lutrasil on top to protect the plant from severe frosts and in case of a small amount of snow cover.

Gelenium: varieties and varieties of plants

although we said that there are about 32 varieties of plants, only 5 are subject to cultivation. Consider the most popular varieties.

Bigelow

This type of plant has earned the least popularity. Appeared in the West of North America. Straight shoots are capable of reaching a length of 0.8 m. The central leaf plate is characterized by the presence of a lanceolate shape. Baskets differ in diameter up to 6 cm. The middle (tubular) flowers are brown in color, reed flowers are yellow in color. Flowering occurs in June-July.

Spring

Straight shoots can be up to 1 m long. The whole leaf blade is lanceolate. the diameter of the inflorescences can be up to 7 cm. tubular flowers are brown in color, reed flowers are orange. The flowering period occurs in the second half of May and lasts about 1 month.

Gupesa

The plant can grow up to 0.9 m in height. The whole leaf blade has a lanceolate shape and a greenish-gray tint. Long peduncles are distinguished by the presence of single baskets, the diameter of which is 8-9 cm, and are distinguished by a yellow color. Flowering time is in June or July. Autumn. It is one of the most popular plant varieties. which is cultivated by a large number of gardeners and acts as a good basis for many other varieties. The height of powerful shoots can reach up to 1.6 m. The leaf plates are distinguished by their small size and are distinguished by the presence of a serrated edge. Baskets can have a diameter of 3-5 cm, which are part of inflorescences, which are thyroid in diameter, up to 30 cm in size. Reed flowers are yellow or reddish-yellow in color, tubular flowers are dark yellow. The flowering period is from July to September and lasts 2 months. Hybrid.

It is a modular variety that combines forms with different origins. But the basis is such a variety of Gelenium as Autumn. The most popular are:

Rubinzwerg

This is the most popular variety. The height of the plant can reach up to 0.7 m. The inflorescences have a ruby ​​color. The inflorescence period occurs at the end of July. Due to the similarity with Rosie Jam, these two varieties can be confused.

Cockade

The plant can grow up to 1.2 m in length.The inflorescences have a diameter of up to 4-5 cm, tubular flowers are distinguished by a brown-yellow color, reed flowers are brown-red with a yellow edge, closer to the center, the color becomes red. Flowering occurs in August, for 1.5 months.

Moerheim Beauty

It is also one of the most popular varieties. A feature of the plant is that, when blossoming, the plant can have a separate color: yellow, copper, red, golden, later brown-red. The plant can have different heights, depending on the soil in which it grows - 0.9-1.2 m. Flowering occurs in July-November.