Nerium - see Oleander

Oleander Is a shrub that belongs to the Kutrov family. This plant belongs to evergreen shrubs. The stems of this culture are brown in color, and the entire surface of the stems is covered with round lenticels. The plant has several stems. The leaf plates are about 15 cm long and 3 cm wide. They are located opposite each other, there may be several pieces in one bosom. The shape of the leaf is narrow, elongated, pointed at the end with an even edge. The petioles of the leaf plates are short, and the leaves also have a leathery surface to the touch.

This plant blooms in the summer in the first months. The flowers have 5 petals, which are distinguished by a very bright saturated color. The flowers themselves are also quite large, located at the tips of the branches. The shade of flowers can be different, but, as a rule, it is either pink or white. Sometimes it happens to see both yellow and even red inflorescences.

In the modern world of botany, there is a very large number of different species and varieties of this plant, which differ from each other both in the shape of flowers and in other parameters.

When oleander blooms, this phenomenon is very pleasant to observe, since the flowers are large, lush and bright. After the flowering period, fruits are formed, which contain a large number of seeds.

Description of the plant

The homeland of this plant is considered to be the territory stretching from Morocco to the eastern territory of southern China. Most of all, these plants love the subtropics. In nature, oleander grows very extensively in regions that have these climatic conditions, namely, these are sections of former rivers. Oleander is also cultivated in our country. The culture grows well in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, as well as along the entire Black Sea coast.

In those regions where the climate is more severe, this plant can be grown only as an indoor plant. The culture feels comfortable during drought, but is completely unstable to low temperatures. These plants love warmth, so a temperature of -10 degrees will no longer be comfortable and even destructive for him. The optimal conditions for plant growth are the Mediterranean climate.

All types and varieties of oleander are very beautiful and have a decorative function. It is for this purpose that they are grown in greenhouses and conservatories, indoors, as well as in greenhouses.

The most popular species grown among oleanders is common oleander. This plant is also grown by our gardeners who live on the Black Sea coast. In all other areas, oleander is also grown, however, already as a houseplant. The oleander flower has been cultivated for a very, very long time, since the 17th century. Its flowers differ both in terry and in completely different shades. The oleander has a good and quick adaptation, and the plant likes an indoor habitat, provided that it stands in a very bright, sunny place. They buy a plant in the form of small bushes, however, they have great vigor, and after a while they can grow even up to 2 meters.

Another name for the genus is nerium. It includes about 7 or 10 species of various plants. Translated from Greek, the word nerium means "wet" or "raw". The plant was named so because it is very demanding on moisture and likes to grow where groundwater is high to the surface. The name oleander was also invented for a reason.Translated from the Greek language, it consists of two words meaning the word "fragrant" and the name of the island where, according to ancient legends, Nereid could live. Therefore, it may be that the oleander was so named, in honor of the name of the ancient Greek heroine, since she was a sea nymph. Oleander also likes to grow near water.

Plant species

Common oleander, he is fragrant oleander. This plant grows in the wild almost throughout the Mediterranean. You can also find him in Algeria, Italy. In these countries, the plant also likes to live near rivers. This is one of the plants that has been cultivated for a very long time, dating back to the days of Ancient Greece. Since this plant is depicted in various images and frescoes.

The described culture is a fairly large evergreen bush that has a large number of erect branches. The plant reaches a length of about 4 meters, the leaves are located opposite each other or in several pieces at once. The petioles are short, and the length of the leaves is 15 cm. The width of the leaf plate is about 2-3 cm. The leaves have a leathery surface and a bright pronounced green tint. On the reverse side, the leaf plate is somewhat lighter. When the flowering period comes, common oleander looks amazing. It blooms very profusely, with large, lush inflorescences, which, in addition to a pleasant color, have a very pronounced pleasant smell. The shade of the petals of this plant is predominantly pink or red. The corolla is simple, the leaves are soldered near the center. The flowering period lasts all summer until mid-autumn. This plant is often cultivated, but at the same time the flowers here are much larger and have a double shape, as well as a variety of shades: like white, pink, yellow and salmon. Sometimes there are multi-colored petals.

In addition to this species, other varieties of oleander are also grown, which differ from each other.

Care rules

If you grow nerium at home and want the plant to show itself in all its glory, you need to provide it with bright sunlight. Also, the room should be constantly ventilated. The best place for landing will be the south side of the apartment. If there is not enough light for the oleander, leaves may fall off the plant. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to add artificial lighting in dark places using a phytolamp.

When summer comes on the street, the oleander will grow very well in the fresh air. A great place would be a terrace, plot or veranda. It should be placed in an open, sunlit place. It is important that the air in this place constantly circulates, and it is also necessary to control the absence of moisture on the plant during rains. If you grow oleander on the site, then you must also choose the south side of the garden.

If you grow oleander at home, and there is nowhere to move it in the summer, then you need to constantly open the windows and ventilate the apartment. In addition to the summer season, the oleander needs abundant lighting during the winter months. Since the sun shines a little in winter, it is also necessary to buy and create daylight using lamps. They can be placed directly above the plant, but the distance should be no closer than 60 cm. Thus, the oleander should be exposed to light for at least 8 hours. In the winter season, the room must also be ventilated, however, do not allow drafts to enter the plants. If you notice that leaves are falling off the oleander, this indicates a lack of light.

When you bought a plant that was grown in a dark room, you need to gradually give it more and more light for several hours a day, bringing it to the maximum.

Air temperature

If we are talking about the spring and summer seasons, especially the time when the oleander begins to bloom, you should create a comfortable temperature for it of about 25 degrees, be sure to ventilate the room. In the autumn, it is best to gradually reduce the temperature to 15 degrees. In winter, it can be reduced to mark 8. With the onset of spring, the temperature rises again to mark 15. If the temperature in the room where the oleander is grown is higher than the specified standards, then this room should be ventilated more often.

Watering rules

Since oleander is a moisture-loving plant, you should regularly and abundantly water the crop, waiting for the topsoil to dry completely. If the summer is hot, there is a lot of sun, then in addition to watering, you can also add water to the pan for a while. Or you can put containers of water next to the plant and constantly add fresh water to them. As soon as the temperature has become lower and the sun has ceased to shine constantly, it is necessary to drain the excess water immediately. During watering, use only warm, previously settled water, and it should not be hard. In autumn and winter, the plant needs to change the watering regime downward, and focus on the room temperature. Thus, the level of soil moisture should be controlled in order to prevent root rot. After the soil in the pot on top has dried, you should wait another 2-3 days, and then start watering. The complete drying of the earthen coma is also not allowed, as this will have an extremely negative effect on the plant.

In addition to watering, you can spray the aboveground part of the crop if it comes to the cold season. For these purposes, you also need to use warm and pre-settled water, since it is in the winter that heating devices work, which dry the air very strongly. Too dry air will be indicated by dry ends of the leaves. In the warm season, you do not need to spray nerium. It is best to place a container of water nearby. This will be enough to maintain optimum humidity.

Feeding

Like any houseplant, this crop needs fertilization, especially actively feeding the plant during the growth of green mass and the formation of flowers. Organic and mineral liquid solutions are perfect as fertilizers, it will be especially good if you alternate them. The optimal feeding frequency will be once every 2 weeks. A little more often. It is best to choose days for fertilization when the sun is shining, not so bright, and this must also be done at least 30 minutes after watering.

Bush formation

As described above, oleander blooms very beautifully. However, the quality of flowering is influenced by the care that is observed when growing the plant. The most important factor is pruning the bush. It must be produced after the plant has stopped blooming. After waiting for this period, more than half of all the stems should be cut off, since the inflorescences are formed precisely at the end of the annual stems. Do not worry, as the cut-off areas are growing very quickly and will grow back very soon. In addition, the trimmed parts can be used to grow new bushes. Those plants that bloom may also have additional shoots that need to be removed, since they take up a lot of the plant's nutrients and strength. If the plant cannot bloom in any way, then you are not shaping the bush well, and it is also possible that the oleander does not have enough water, sunlight or fertilizer.

Transfer

Oleander periodically needs to be transplanted into a container of a larger volume, after the root system has occupied the entire earthen lump. Late spring or early summer is best suited for transplanting. Usually, when it comes to a young plant, it is transplanted every year. But adult cultures need a more rare transplant - once every couple of years.

During transplantation, it is necessary to shorten the old root processes so that the total clod of earth becomes smaller, and the plant blooms more luxuriantly.If the oleander has become too large and it is no longer possible to transplant it, then you can simply replace the topsoil with a new one. When cutting off an old root system, it is imperative to use charcoal to process the cuts.

For a transplanted plant, you must first prepare a container by filling it with loamy soil with a neutral acid reaction. You can also use a mixture of soil, consisting of the above necessary components. You can also add some horn shavings. Do not forget about the organization of a thick drainage layer.

Reproduction

Oleander propagates both by seed and by cuttings or with the help of air layers.

Seed propagation is carried out quite rarely, because, firstly, the seeds have a short germination time and are used only if you have just collected them. In addition, the seeds sprout unevenly. Before sowing the seeds, they should be immersed in a manganese solution for about half an hour. Any fungicide can be used instead of manganese. After that, the seeds are also placed in a zircon solution. So, the mixture of soil into which the seeds will be sown should consist of vermiculite, charcoal and sand. After moistening the soil, sow oleander seeds and not bury them, but sprinkle them with a small layer of soil on top. The container with seeds should be placed in a warm room, where the air temperature will be more than 30 degrees.

Moreover, the first shoots can be seen in a week. If the room is not warm enough, the seeds will sprout worse, and may also rot. After the first shoots have appeared, it is necessary to add additional lighting, using special lamps. The humidity in the room where the seedlings are located should be high enough. The optimum temperature for seedlings will be about 18 degrees. The room where oleander is grown must be constantly ventilated. When two real leaves appear on the seedlings, it is necessary to take out the container with the seedlings gradually into the room, where they will already be grown, like an adult plant. With the subsequent regrowth of these leaf plates, seedlings can be planted in separate containers.

It is much easier to propagate a given plant using a vegetative method, since this way the characteristics of an adult plant are better preserved. Cutting propagation is usually carried out in the spring or autumn. Thus, the length of the cutting should be about 15 cm. The cuts are also processed with crushed charcoal, and the cutting itself dries up for several days. Then the planting material is placed in a moist substrate consisting of perlite, expanded clay, coal and sand. The surface of the substrate is covered with sand or you can replace the sand with charcoal. So you will also add protection against various rot. The rooting temperature of cuttings should be at least 18 degrees. They should also be in a sunlit place. It is necessary to control the moisture level of the soil where the cutting is rooted so that it does not rot. You can simply place the stalk in a glass of water and add more charcoal there to prevent rot. In order for the cutting to take root, it will take about one month. Further, it is already transplanted into a suitable soil, which contains all the necessary components. As a rule, this is peat, humus, sand and sod land. All should be mixed in equal parts.

There is another method called the air-lay breeding method. They should first be rooted by placing them in wet sand or a glass container with water. You can use a tube. Thus, the branch is pushed into the tube and its lower part is closed. It is necessary to ensure that water is constantly in the tube. Previously, an incision is made on the branch, which will be about 2 mm wide.Further, roots are formed on the layer, after which it is used as a separate independent plant, which is already placed in a separate pot with soil.

Pests and diseases

Of the common insect pests, oleander most often can be affected by the scabbard, spider mite, aphids and mealybugs. Fungal and bacterial diseases are usually isolated from diseases, and the plant can also be affected by oleander cancer.

Useful and harmful properties

Oleander belongs to poisonous plants, since poisonous sap is found in all its parts. Glycosides can harm the human body. Therefore, when growing, as well as when interacting with shrubs, you should follow your own precautions and use gloves. After you have pruned the bush or any other procedures near the oleander, you should definitely take a shower and wash your hands with soap and water. If oleander is grown where there are children and pets, extra care should be taken and it is best not to grow it at all. Plant sap is very toxic to birds as well. In addition, it is contraindicated to sleep near the oleander, especially during its flowering period, since the smell of flowers, despite the fact that it is pleasant, is toxic, as a result of which a person can get a headache. We need to remember this ourselves and tell the children.

Since poisonous juice is found in all parts plants, the fruits of oleander are also poisonous, so it is important to keep children away from them. When eating oleander fruits, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract can occur, symptoms of poisoning begin, cardiac activity is disrupted, and in the worst case, breathing can stop. Take extra care if you have wounds.

Despite the fact that the plant is poisonous, it has a number of healing properties. This plant is used both as a medicinal and is used during the manufacture of medicines that are used to treat blood diseases, as well as for heart disorders.

Conclusion

Oleander is a very beautiful plant that is used and grown for ornamental purposes. With proper care, oleander will bloom very beautifully over a long period with lush, bright, large flowers. Do not forget that oleander is poisonous, so you should be careful not to allow children to the plant.