Kermek (limonium, statice)

This culture has several synonyms, it is called statice, lemon, kermek. The plant is a member of the Pig family. According to various sources, in this genus, according to various estimates, there are from one hundred and sixty-six to three hundred and fifty varieties. In natural conditions, plants can be found in many countries. Even on the territory of the sands, limonium can be found. No wonder one of its names is translated as "persistent". In our country lemongrass most often referred to as kermek. In cultivated form, this plant has been grown since 1600.

General characteristics of limonium

This culture grows in the form of a semi-shrub, and also meets the form of a herbaceous perennial. The leaves of limonium are quite large, often located close to the root system and are grouped into a large rosette. The stems have dense pubescence, the height of the shoots varies from thirty to ninety centimeters. Stems grow straight, foliage is absent. The flowers are quite miniature, they are part of the spikelets. Spikelets, in turn, are grouped into inflorescences, which, as a rule, resemble a panicle in shape. The flowers themselves can have a wide variety of colors. The flowering of the statice occurs in July and lasts until the frost sets in. Seed germination limonium retains from four to five years.

This is not a very whimsical crop to care for, it may even resemble a weed in some way. At the same time, such a plant is very popular among gardeners not only for this reason. Limonium is almost never attacked by various harmful insects and diseases. In addition, limonium has a high degree of resistance to not the best growing conditions, the plant can easily tolerate dry weather and water shortages.

Limonium shows good results in almost any soil, it requires almost no maintenance. If there is no time, then feeding is not at all necessary.

At the same time, there are some factors that can negatively affect the growth and development of the plant. These include excessive waterlogging of the root system. Water should never stagnate in the soil. In addition, limonium should not be planted in strong shade, the lack of sunlight will also adversely affect your plantings. This plant is quite demanding for heat, so sub-zero temperatures are not acceptable. For this reason, in our winters, limonium is usually grown as an annual plant.

How to grow limonium by seed

It is very convenient to propagate this perennial using self-seeding. The plant blooms quite abundantly and magnificently, cut inflorescences can retain their pretty appearance for a long time. For this reason, the statice is very popular with florists. This culture is very beautifully capable of complementing a bouquet or composition.

Limonium seeds have a fairly thick coating. For this reason, before sowing in the ground, the seeds must be scarified. For this purpose, sandpaper you need to walk along the tips of the seeds. After this procedure, they must be soaked in a solution of the Epin preparation. You can also use wet sawdust for the same purposes; the seeds must be left in them for two to three days.

To obtain seedlings, seeds are planted in late February - early March.For this purpose, it is convenient to use containers for planting from peat or humus. They must contain loose soil. The soil should be slightly damp and disinfected. You need to sow one seed in one pot. A thin layer of soil is sprinkled on top. After that, the containers with crops are covered with glass and removed to a place where the temperature regime can vary from +16 to +21 degrees. If all the sowing rules were followed, then the sprouts can hatch in one and a half to two weeks. If you need the sprouts to appear even earlier, then you can install additional heating from below.

During the period of growing seedlings, it is imperative to periodically ventilate your crops. Once the plants have hatched, they need to be watered on a regular basis. When the soil is wet, it is a good idea to gently loosen the soil near the plants.

It is only necessary to dive seedlings into separate containers if small containers, cassettes or boxes were used before. The pick is carried out after the formation of two true leaves. You need to do this procedure on time, since the root system of limonium is developing rapidly. In addition, the rhizomes of the plant are quite large, and their shape is pivotal. Such a root goes deep underground.

Seedling plants must be hardened before planting. This procedure is carried out, as a rule, on the fifteenth of April. Daily planting needs to be moved to fresh air. The time that plants spend in open areas should increase gradually. Planting in open ground is done when the seedlings are already confidently on the street throughout the day.

How to plant limonium outdoors

When choosing a place to plant limonium, it is best to give it to a well-lit area. If there is too much shade at the site of the intended planting, then the plant will not grow and develop normally. It is not necessary to somehow protect this culture from the winds. The plant does not show any special requirements for the composition of the soil, but sandy soil or loam will be the best option for kermek. Do not forget that this plant does not tolerate moisture stagnation, so it is imperative to take care of the drainage layer. As for the acidity level of the earth, the soil should be slightly alkaline or neutral. Seedling plants are planted in an open area, as a rule, in June. If you do this in May, then there is a risk that recurrent night frosts will harm young plants.

Limonium is not very good at surviving the transplant process. Pits for planting need to be prepared in advance, the size depends on how voluminous the clod of earth and the root system are. They should fit easily into the hole.

When the wells are ready, the plastic pots are carefully cut. An earthen lump falls into the pits. When the plant is established, you need to sprinkle the rhizomes with soil. Plantings should be regularly watered with water with some salt content. Dissolve one tablespoon of salt in one bucket. How large the distance between the plants will be depends on which variety of the given crop you have chosen. Typically, the distance between plants varies from twenty-five to forty centimeters.

How to care for limonium

After the plant has been transferred to open ground conditions, further care is almost zero. This unpretentious plant will feel normal without additional manipulation. Watering should be done from time to time. In addition, you need to periodically loosen the soil near the flowers, and also remove weeds from the area where the plantings are located. When you see that the limonium foliage is losing its turgor, this is a sure sign that the plants need to be watered.If there is a lot of precipitation in the summer, then there is no need to water the limonium at all. However, you should not forget about periodic loosening of the soil. If summer, on the contrary, is characterized by prolonged droughts, then you need to water the statice about twice during the entire season. The water should be salted. Dissolve seven teaspoons of salt in a ten-liter bucket of water. Watering is carried out in the root zone. It is best to choose evening hours for this procedure. In this case, the water must settle for at least two days before this. The water should not be cold.

As for the introduction of dressings, this is not at all necessary. But if you grow in an area with soil that is not fertile, then it is better to add additional nutrients. The first top dressing is applied a week after the seedlings have been transferred to open field conditions. Further fertilization is carried out at intervals of fifteen to thirty days. It depends on how fertile the land was originally. It is best to use liquid dressings for these purposes, which contain a complex of mineral elements. There is no need to fertilize limonium in autumn.

If the summer was too rich in rains, or the watering of the plant was too frequent and abundant, then there is a risk that limonium "picks up" a disease of fungal origin. This rot is called botrytis. If you are faced with this problem, then you need to treat diseased plants with a solution of a fungicidal preparation. If you see white mold on the plants, then most likely limonium is sick with powdery mildew. To help plants cope with these ailments, treat with a preparation that contains sulfur.

Limonium does not often suffer from diseases and harmful insects, thanks to its strong immunity. Moreover, if you follow all the basic rules for care, then such problems should not appear.

The main task in growing this crop is the cultivation of seedlings. If the seedlings are strong enough, then the likelihood that there will be any difficulties in open field conditions is extremely low.

There are varieties of limonium that are not afraid of low temperatures, such plants can tolerate temperatures down to -30 degrees. But even such plants must be prepared for the winter period. After the bushes turn yellow and dry, the leaves and stems must be cut off near the ground. After that, the area where the root system of plants is located must be covered with leaf litter, straw, brushwood, needles. On top you need to lay a non-woven material that is intended for these purposes. This procedure will provide the necessary protection from frost, as well as from melted snow in the spring. So that the covering material is simply not blown away by the wind, it must be reliably pressed to the soil.

The inflorescences that have been pruned can be used to make Ikebana. If you have this in your plans, then it is best to prune the inflorescences before they wither. After cutting, they should be removed to a room where there is little light. From time to time, the inflorescences need to be turned over. It is most convenient to hang them in the attic. Inflorescences that are completely dry can delight the eye with their decorative appearance for more than one year.

Varieties, varieties of limonium

Thanks to the work of breeders, there are many varieties of limonium. Below we will tell you about the most popular ones.

Limonium Suvorov

Such a plant grows to a height of about sixty centimeters. The ears are quite elongated, the flowers have a lilac color with a pinkish tinge. There are specimens whose flowers are pink.

Limonium Gmelin

This plant is a perennial, tolerates low temperatures well in winter. In its height, such limonium reaches a maximum of fifty centimeters. The flowers are purple with a bluish tint.

Broad-leaved statice

The leaves are located in the root zone, they are large enough in size. Plant height ranges from sixty centimeters to seventy-five. The inflorescences have a spreading shape, resembling panicles in their appearance. The flowers are purple with a blue tint.

The most popular varieties of this variety include the following:

- Violetta - flowers have a beautiful deep purple color.

- Blue Cloud - flowers of a delicate lavender color.

Limonium Perez

This variety originated in the Canary Islands. In their height, the shoots reach a maximum of sixty centimeters. The inflorescences are large enough, they look very impressive. The flowers are purple in color. This variety is very popular in floristry.

Limonium Bonduelli

Such a plant was bred in the northern part of Africa. Limonium is a perennial that grows about ninety centimeters. Protrusions in the form of ridges on the stems are absent. Inflorescences are not densely arranged. The flowers are large enough, painted yellow or white. The cultivation of this variety began in 1859. There are no varieties of this variety. At the same time, the seeds of such limonium are often found in mixtures of flowers.

Limonium chinese

This variety is grown relatively recently. In the middle lane, such limonium is grown as an annual, although in fact the plant is perennial. The leaves of the plant are collected in a socket, which is located in the root zone. Peduncles are quite thin, there are many of them. In its height, the bush reaches from fifty centimeters to seventy. The inflorescences have an openwork structure, the flowers are not too large, their color is yellow. There are also perianths, which in their shape resemble a funnel. They are usually old or beige. The following varieties are more popular:

- Elegant. In its height, this variety reaches about seventy centimeters. The flowers are white with a beige tint.

- Confetti. The bush grows forty-five to fifty centimeters. Inflorescences are miniature, cream color with a white tint.

Limonium champlevé

This type of limonium appeared in Asia Minor, as well as in the Mediterranean. This plant is a herbaceous perennial. However, it is most often grown as an annual crop. Shoots grow about sixty centimeters. The leaves are oblong, rather thin, grouped in the zone of the root system. Peduncles grow straight, have branches at the top. In its diameter, the flower reaches no more than ten millimeters. The flowers are pubescent, the color is different: white, pink, purple with a bluish tinge. The corolla is colored in a light yellow tone. The cultivation of such lemongrass began in the 1600th year. A mixture of flowers can be purchased at garden stores. They are produced both in Russia and in foreign countries. The following are in great demand among flower lovers:

• Crimean Kermek. The flowers of such a mixture have a fairly large spread in terms of plant height. Height can vary from thirty centimeters to eighty. The inflorescences are pink, blue, purple or yellow.
• Mixed Hubrides. The bushes grow by about forty-five centimeters. Flowers are white, yellow, pink, blue, purple.
• Kermek Supreme. Such plants in their height reach no more than sixty centimeters. The colors are different.
• Fortress. Plant height from seventy to eighty centimeters. Flowers are white, pink, blue, blue, yellow.
• Petit Bouquet. The bushes are quite compact, reaching a height of about thirty centimeters. Such a plant forms quite a lot of inflorescences. Flowers of delicate shades: beige, white, blue, pale pink, lilac.
• Shamo.Such varieties grow by about seventy centimeters, the flowers have a varied color of the salmon palette.
• Compinidi. Plant height does not exceed fifty centimeters. The flowers are pink, blue and blue in color.

There are also varieties sold in garden stores that do not have many colors, but only one. For example:

• Blue River. The bush grows fifty centimeters. The flowers are very beautiful, sky blue in color.
• Iceberg. The plant reaches a height of no more than seventy-five centimeters. The flowers are white.
• Epricot. The plant grows, as a rule, sixty centimeters. Flowers are painted in salmon color with a pinkish tint.
• Nachtblau. A fairly tall plant relative to other varieties, it usually grows by ninety centimeters. The flowers are dark blue.
• Lavendel. The plant grows eighty centimeters tall. As you might guess from the name of the variety, the flowers have a color similar to lavender.
• Rosenschimer. The bush grows sixty centimeters. The flowers are very elegant, pink in color.