Mallow

Mallow has several names such as mallow, kalachik and stock-rose. This flower is a member of the Malvaceae family. This flower is often considered an annual herb, but there are also biennials and perennials. This genus currently includes about 30 different subspecies that can be seen growing in the wild. The Malva flower loves a temperate climate and has a chance to be seen growing in the wild in North America, North Africa, Asia and Europe. They began to grow mallow a long time ago, in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Even Hippocrates described the healing properties of this culture, and in the twenties of the 20th century, scientists found ecological plasticity and fairly good feeding qualities in this flower. Many artists actively used the buds of this culture, large in size, saturated pink color in their works, and poets with great pleasure mentioned them in their poems and verses.

Mallow: description and characteristics of the flower

Perennial mallow: photo of flowers

The most famous subspecies of this genus is considered to be forest mallow. Its stems can grow up to 1.2 meters, and they are both ascending and straight, recumbent. Young stems are superficially covered with small hairs that disappear over time, after which the shoots become leafless. The leaves of the flower are petiolate, on average 5 or seven lobed, or incised, have a heart-shaped or round shape. The leaves have a petiole, the surface of which is pubescent. Flowers are capable of having a circumference of up to 120 millimeters, and in their shape they look like a bell, and wide. The flower itself is covered with stripes of a purple hue. Flowers are located in the leaf axils, somewhere up to 5 flowers, although there are subspecies in which the inflorescences are racemose. Also, the flowers have a double or simple structure, and their shade ranges from snow-white to almost black, depending on the variety. The sepals of these flowers are endowed with an obovate shape, and they are also oblong and deeply elliptic. The root system is rather long and branched, has a fusiform shape. The fruit of the plant is a polysperm, in which the seeds have germinating qualities for three years. The flowering period begins in the very first days of the summer season and lasts until the end of summer. It is also worth noting that the Malva flower is endowed with quite good resistance to cold and heat, and this plant is also quite unpretentious in cultivation and care.

Varieties

This genus currently contains about 60 different types of flower crops, and the first of this genus is considered to be forest mallow, which grows as an annual flower crop. Considered perennials, mallows are varieties such as wrinkled, musky, hybrid and Sudanese. Although a number of gardeners are convinced that some of these species belong to the mallow genus. They argue that the Sudanese mallow, otherwise hibiscus, and wrinkled mallow, otherwise the stem-rose, needs to be placed in another genus of the mallow family. But it is worth noting that even with some differences, the care of these crops is the same.

• Forest mallow. In our country, this culture can often be found by the name kalachik. Although the plant is considered a biennial, it is grown as an annual. It can grow up to 120 cm in height, and on its petals there are veins of the darkest ebb than the color of the flower itself. The most common is the Zebrin variety.His flowers are endowed with pale pinkish flowers in color, and they are not quite small in size, and the veins on its petals have a dark scarlet hue. The Black Pearl variety is still not little known. It has large flowers with a diameter of about 70 millimeters and a dark purple color, and the veins on the petals have a black tint.
• Perennial musk mallow... Sometimes you can hear its second name - nutmeg. This crop can grow up to one meter. The flowers have a rich aroma and can grow to a diameter of about 5 centimeters, have a pure white or pinkish sepals. Of these, the famous and widespread varieties are the White Tower and the Pink Tower. The growth of bushes of these varieties can be approximately 70 cm, and the flowers are endowed with a bright pinkish and snow-white shade of petals. The flowering period of these varieties can last until the arrival of winter frosts.
• Sudanese mallow. This culture can also be called the Sudanese rose, or the hibiscus of Sabdariff. This culture is grown because of its fruits, they have been used for a very long time as components of many fruit drinks, and they are also endowed with healing qualities. The most common are the treelike mallow of the subdariffa Altissima and the shrub mallow of the subdariffa Sabdariffa.
• Mallow wrinkled... You can hear other names of this culture, such as alcea wrinkled, and also a stock-rose. Growing in the wild, this perennial can be two meters in height, and its flowers are thirty millimeters in circumference and are yellow in color. There are varietal varieties with flowers of a simple, semi-double or double structure, which in their external characteristics are similar to a peony flower. So, for example, a variety such as Chater's Double Strein has rather large flowers with a double structure, which have completely different shades, while a variety such as Single Mixed produces buds of a simple structure that are similar to hibiscus. It is also customary to distinguish varieties of this perennial flower by their size. So, for example, the Powder Puffs Mixed variety can grow up to two meters, but a variety such as Majorette Mixed is considered dwarf, which can grow only up to 72 cm, although this variety has large semi-double flowers in size.
• Perennial mallow hybrid... This perennial has several shoots, and this culture can grow up to two meters in height. Her flowers are not at all small in size and terry structure, and are also endowed with a white or pink shade of petals. The color period runs from the first month of the summer season to September. The most favorite and famous varieties are Powder Puffs, Gibbortello, Chaters Double.

It should be said that the varieties related to forest mallow are almost all annuals, and all the remaining varieties are considered perennial crops. Although with all this there are conditional and perennials among annual crops, annuals are also found among perennial crops.

Mallow: grown from seed

Perennial mallow: photo of flowers

If you have time and can wait for the mallow flower period until the next season, then sowing seeds in an open space can be done at the end of the very spring-early summer season. In this embodiment, flowers form only leaf rosettes before the arrival of the first cold weather, and the color period will occur only the next year. But if you prefer to see the flowering period exactly in the current year, then sowing seeds for seedlings must be done in the first month of the new year or in the second. The seedling method of growing is rather better than the seed method, because it is considered to be more reliable, even when planting biennials and perennials. Moreover, the sowing of seeds of annual flower crops is identical with the sowing of perennial flower crops, although they are planted at different times.Sowing of annual plants is done in the middle of winter, seedlings are planted in open space at the end of the spring season, and the flowering period begins in July. Sowing of biennial and perennial flower crops occurs in the month of May, and seedlings that have already grown up are planted in an open space only by the end of August and the beginning of autumn.

Mallow seedlings

If you purchased mallow seeds in a store, or they are not fresh, then before sowing, these seeds are prepared, for which they are immersed in warm water, about 45 degrees, for about half a day. As a result, the shell of mallow seeds, which is hard before, will become softer and you will see seedlings rather quickly. Mallow seeds have the ability to germinate for three years, and it has been proven that for the last year of the entire storage period, the germination of these seeds is much higher. Sowing of such seeds is required to be done in special containers of peat, since the roots of this plant are quite delicate and very often the transplanted plants die, because they cannot adapt. The best temperature regime for good germination of the seeds of this plant is considered to be 18-21 degrees. At this temperature, you will be able to notice the first seedlings in about half a month. If you sowed mallow seeds in a special container, then when the young plant has three true leaves, you should thin out the seedlings. The gap between the seedlings should be about two to three cm. If you wish, you can gently dive excess plants into peat containers. And already matured and grown seedlings need to undergo a hardening procedure. For this, the seedlings are exposed to the street for a while. From the end of spring to the beginning of summer, it is already allowed to plant young plants in an open space, but without getting them out of the peat containers.

Mallow: planting a flower

Perennial mallow: photo of flowers

The soil.

For a mallow flower, you need to choose an initially fairly well-lit place of growth, although in an area with partial shade, the flower will also grow, but with the least bright shade of flowers, and the shoots will be much lower. The soil should be well-drained, loamy, with a sufficient amount of humus. For planting, a place is selected that is located on a certain hill, because when the liquid stagnates in the ground, the roots of the given plant will begin to rot. The best place to grow is considered to be one that is protected from through and strong winds. It will be better to plant the mallow near the fence, in this case, the elongated stems of the crop can be tied to this fence. If there is a lack of micronutrients in the soil, top dressing is required. For this, the landing site is sprinkled with a layer of humus.

Features of landing in an open space.

Young annuals should be planted in an open area around the middle of the month of May. Moreover, it should be noted that two-year and perennial seedlings of this culture are planted in an open space at the end of the summer season and early autumn. Sowing seeds of biennial and perennial mallow is allowed to be done directly in open space. They do this in the spring season, from April to May, when there is no longer a frost. It is necessary to dig small and shallow holes in the ground, about three cm each, and then plant three seeds in each of them. The distance between the pits can be from 30 cm to half a meter, depending on varietal characteristics. The hole is filled with earth and slightly compacted, after which the hole is spilled with a small amount of liquid. If frosts are expected ahead, then the planting bed should be covered with special material to protect the seedlings from freezing. In warm weather, you will be able to notice the first shoots in half a month, approximately after sowing.Then, as on a young plant, 3 leaves will form, it is required to thin out. As a result, only one strongest and healthiest seedling remains in one hole.

Mallow: flower care

Growing a mallow flower is not difficult and difficult, because this flower is quite unpretentious. It should only be watered regularly, but only in moderation, especially when the weather is rather dry. The soil near the plant needs to be systematically loosened, and also to weed from weeds and remove flowers that have already wilted. Before the beginning of the budding period, experienced flower growers recommend feeding this plant with mineral fertilizers, which include a sufficient amount of nitrogen. Varieties that are distinguished by their large growth necessarily require a garter so that the plant stems are not injured from strong gusty winds. The best option would be to plant this flower near a fence, which can be used as a support, or put a rather high peg near each bush and tie the flower stalks to it. If you want this annual plant to grow in your garden as a perennial, then at the time when the flower fades, you need to remove absolutely all peduncles from its stems, but this must be done before the ovary of seeds.

Diseases and pests.

The most common pests that mallow can visit are slugs. They are fought with the help of special traps, for this it is necessary to put these several containers filled with beer on the area with flowers. In about a day, it will be possible to check such traps and remove these pests. This plant has a fairly high immunity to disease, but if the flower grows near a metal fence, then the culture can be infected with rust. You will easily notice this, since in this case, on the inside of the leaves of this plant, you can quite easily distinguish dark reddish spots. In this case, the infected leaves must be removed and disposed of by incineration. Very rarely, there are cases of infection of this flower with powdery mildew. To combat this ailment, a special fungicidal agent is used, or a colloidal sulfur solution.

Rules for leaving after a period of color.

After the period of mallow color has passed in the autumn season, it is required to cut the shoots of this culture to the level of the very surface of the soil. Together with this, the soil is enriched with micronutrients, for which a layer of mulch from humus and compost is poured onto its surface. For one square meter, you will use approximately three kilograms of mulch. Before winter time, this culture needs to be covered with dry foliage, straw or coniferous branches.

Healing properties of mallow

Malva: flower video

The Mallow flower has long been widely used in folk medical purposes, since it has a fairly large number of medicinal properties, which healers who live in different parts of our planet know a lot about. So, for example, an infusion made from flowers and leaves of this culture has long been used as a good remedy against various inflammatory processes in the stomach, as well as for disorders in the intestines. If you make the steaming of flowers or leaves of mallow, and then add to a bath with hot water, then taking such a bath helps to get rid of a tumor of the spleen. In general, mallow herb is included in almost all breast collections. A decoction can be made from the flowers, which is used for lotions and compresses for all sorts of skin diseases. They ideally relieve itching and quickly heal wounds. These flowers are also used in cosmetology, because they can help restore the epidermis, and they also have a preventive effect against rashes of a purulent nature.

Often, it is mallow flowers that are used in folk recipes, due to the much higher content of keratin, sugars and vitamin C than in the leaves. It should be noted that all these folk remedies have absolutely no side effects and contraindications. The Mallow flower is not only endowed with an enveloping, softening and restorative, but also a reparative, expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect.

Several hundred years ago, a holiday in honor of mallow appeared. It takes place in the month of May every year, in Kamigam (Kyoto temple), and the city itself hosts the Aoi Matsuri festival. For this festival, people dress up in bright clothes and parade through all the streets of the city, while singing and dancing.