Passionflower

Passionflower has a synonym and is called the "cavalier's star". This culture is a prominent representative of the Passionflower family, which includes, according to various estimates, from four hundred to five hundred varieties. In the natural environment, passionflower can be found in tropical climates, for example, in Brazil, Peru, in Asian countries, as well as in the Mediterranean and Australia.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

Passionflower: a description of the indoor flower

Passionflower is a herbaceous plant, but there are varieties that are evergreen climbing shrubs. According to the life span, there are varieties that are grown as annuals, and there are also perennials. Shoots become lignified with age. Passionflower leaves have a fairly simple shape, painted in a dark green tone. The pedicels are elongated, very spectacular flowers are attached to them, which resemble a star in shape. In its diameter, such a flower is about ten centimeters. Each flower contains five petals. Sepals are present in the same amount. Bracts are quite large in size. In the central part there is an ovary, which has three stigmas. There are five stamens along the perimeter of the ovaries. The anthers are quite large. Most of the varieties of passionflower have a very bright aroma, but at the same time wilting occurs quite quickly. Passionflower usually blooms from July to October. After flowering is over, fruits are formed, which are edible in many varieties. The fruit reaches about five to six centimeters in length. This culture is not too whimsical to care for, but is growing quite actively. For these reasons, passionflower is in great demand among flower lovers. Such a flower is often grown in ampelous form.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

Passionflower: home care

The Passionflower plant is quite demanding in terms of a lot of light. For this reason, the plant pot is best placed on the south window. In summer, it is recommended to take the container with a flower outside. A poorly ventilated room is unacceptable for passionflower. But at the same time, you need to ventilate the room carefully, because for such a culture, a through wind, as well as sharp temperature drops, are destructive.

The room where the Passionflower indoor flower is grown should not be too hot. In summer, the room should not be higher than thirty degrees. The winter period is a dormant period, so the temperature should be significantly reduced and kept in the range from +10 to +14 degrees.

Watering Passiflora should be carried out on a regular basis, the soil should not dry out. Water should also not stagnate; moisture that accumulates in the pan must be drained without fail.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

As for the humidity of the environment, it should be at a high level. To this end, every day it is necessary to spray the leaves with a spray bottle. This is usually done in the evening. When the weather is hot in summer, then you need to douse the plant with a warm shower, once every seven days. This must be done carefully, as the stems of the plant are very fragile.

The passionflower needs to be pruned every year. So the flower will grow more actively. Branches will form better.In the spring, it is necessary to trim the shoots of the last year by one third, which are secondary. The fact is that flowers form only on young stems. In the summer, you need to remove the growth that forms near the bush. After flowering, it is necessary to remove too elongated shoots, as well as those stems that are secondary. Those shoots that remain are cut to three quarters of the length. Pruning is done when the plant is at least three years old.

Top dressing is applied starting in February and ending in September. This is done regularly twice every thirty days. For this purpose, it is necessary to use both organic fertilizers and complete mineral complexes. It is better to use them one by one. It is worth noting that the plant is fertilized only in moist soil. Fertilizers should be applied on the leaf once every one and a half months. This procedure is done between April and September. If your plant is sick, then feeding is not worth it. In addition, do not feed passionflower during the dormant period, as well as after the plant has been moved to another unusual place.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

In order for the Passionflower plant to grow and develop normally, as well as bloom for a long time and magnificently, it is imperative to provide normal conditions during dormancy. For this purpose, the container with a flower is moved to a bright place where it is cool enough. A warmed veranda is good for this. At this time, additional supplementary lighting, fertilizers, and watering are not required. It is necessary to water the plant periodically, but rarely and in small quantities. If a few leaves have flown off, this is not scary, this is a natural process. If it is not possible to move the plant to a cool room, then leave it in the same place, while the care should be the same as at normal times. In this case, the leaves will acquire a yellow color and begin to fly around. You do not need to be afraid of this, since this is a common occurrence for such a situation.

In order for the plant to feel safe and comfortable, it is necessary to establish a support for the stems. The direction of the shoots you choose is what you need. This procedure should be carried out on time, since the stems grow quite intensively and quickly acquire a lignified structure. At the same time, a large number of foliage and flowers give a tangible load for the plant, thus making the stems completely motionless.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

Young Passiflora needs a transplant every year. As for adults, they are transplanted once every two to three years. The transplant is carried out in early spring. Before this procedure, it is imperative to remove all the stems of the last year. The pot for this plant should not be too large, so the plant will bloom better. If a container is used too large, then the plant will only grow greens. The soil should include sand, leafy soil, peat, turf soil. The proportions are kept equal. Transfer of Passiflora is carried out by transshipment. Care must be taken to preserve the clod of earth as much as possible.

As for harmful insects that can add problems in terms of caring for a plant, the main ones include spider mites, aphids, and whiteflies. In addition, a mealybug can cause a lot of inconvenience. All of the above insects can be defeated with Aktar, Aktelik or Fitoverm. The exception is the mealybug; against such an insect it is better to use drugs such as Arrivo, Imperatov or Inta-Vir.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

Passionflower can sometimes be attacked by various diseases. The plant can "pick up" scab, any spot, fusarium, late blight. Also, this culture can be affected by root rot, yellow mosaic. Unfortunately, diseased plants are almost impossible to treat.For this reason, experienced growers are advised to get rid of the infected plant along with the pot in which it grows. This is necessary so that infections do not move to other plants that are in the neighborhood.

This plant has beneficial properties for the human body. Moreover, this fact has been known for a long time. For example, the Inca people made tea with this plant. It was a powerful sedative. After drinking this tea, the person slept better and calmer. In addition to its sedative properties, passionflower is able to relieve pain, helps to fight spasms, inflammation, and seizures. Passionflower improves brain function and male strength. Means containing passionflower are recommended for people with excessive nervous tension, as well as for neuroses. Preparations based on this plant have no side effects. Such funds can be used by people at almost any age.

Passionflower reproduces successfully using cuttings, as well as by seed.

If you chose to propagate passionflower using seeds, then keep in mind the fact that the germination of the planting material is highly dependent on its age. If you sow fresh seeds, then the percentage that they will sprout is close to thirty. If you took seeds from last year for sowing, then the probability of germination is reduced to one or two percent.

Sowing of passionflower seeds is carried out in the last days of February - early March. The seeds are covered with a rather dense shell. For this reason, before planting, they must be scarified without fail. For this purpose, it is best to use sandpaper, which damages the surface of the seeds. After this procedure, the seed must be poured with warm water for a couple of days. Those seeds that remain on the surface of the water can be thrown away, they will not sprout.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

When sowing Passiflora seeds, they do not need to be buried in the ground. It is enough just to spread it out on top of the ground and press slightly. In order for the long-awaited sprouts to appear, you need to maintain one hundred percent humidity in the room. For this purpose, crops must be covered with polyethylene or glass and removed to a room with a large amount of scattered light. The temperature regime should be maintained in the range from +20 to +25 degrees. After the plants have hatched, the covering material must be removed. For further growth and development, young plants require additional lighting. Daylight hours should be at least twelve hours. After the real leaves are formed, it's time to start picking the plants. When transplanting, care must be taken, a clod of earth must be left as complete as possible. It is not necessary to deepen the plant. As a rule, the first shoots appear in a month or two after the sowing was carried out. The flowering of a plant that was grown by the seed method will come at least eight years later.

As for cuttings, the cuttings are harvested in the spring, the shoots should be used sufficiently young. Each cutting should have at least two pairs of leaves, as well as a growing point. A pair of leaf plates that are at the bottom are retracted. In the place where the cut was made, it is necessary to carry out processing with a root growth stimulator. There should be a good drainage layer in the planting container at the bottom. Above is placed chernozem and sod soil. In a one-to-one ratio. Use a pencil to punch holes that extend all the way to the bottom of the pot or container. Prepared cuttings must be inserted into these grooves. In this case, the leaves should be above the surface of the ground, they should lie on it.

After that, you need to moisten the soil and create greenhouse conditions. To do this, you can use polyethylene, which covers the plantings.Every day, you need to remove the shelter for at least five minutes to circulate fresh air. The soil should always be moistened, the temperature should be approximately +21 degrees. The polyethylene can be removed after three weeks. When the cuttings are strong enough, they need to be transplanted into permanent containers. You can also root cuttings in a container filled with water. It will not be superfluous if you add small amounts of charcoal to the water. The root system will begin to form in one and a half to two months. At the same time, the water should not change.

Passiflora species

Edible passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

This variety is the most popular among flower lovers. In its natural habitat, such a flower is found in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay. There it is called granadilla. The flowers have a beautiful creamy whitish color. The fruit has a rounded shape that resembles an egg. In its length, the fruit grows, as a rule, by six to seven centimeters. The aroma emanating from the fruit has a very bright pleasant aroma. The fruits of this type are called passion fruit. It is good both for various cocktails, desserts, and in its pure form.

Blue passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

This Passionflower is also often used by flower growers for indoor cultivation. It is an evergreen plant that grows in the form vines... The stems have a lignified structure. When the plant is in bloom, very fragrant flowers form. They are located singly. The color is rather pale with a lilac or green color with a bluish tint. In diameter, such a flower reaches about ten centimeters. There are hybrids that are red or pink in color. After flowering, fruits are formed, they resemble an orange berry in shape. In length it reaches about seven centimeters. This species in natural conditions can be found in the south of Argentina, as well as in countries such as Peru, Brazil, Paraguay. This variety began to be cultivated in the 16th century.

The most delicate passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

This passionflower is also often called banana. In natural conditions, it can be found in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia. The flowers are quite large, reaching about twelve centimeters in diameter. The color is usually rather pale, with a pinkish tinge. The fruit has a fleshy texture and a very bright aroma. The fruits contain quite a lot of organic acids. Unlike other varieties of passion flower, this variety bears fruit quite well even in the first year. This culture tolerates low temperatures well. Able to withstand frosts up to a maximum of -2 degrees.

Laurel Passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

This plant was first discovered in Brazil. The leaf plates are similar in shape to bay leaves, but they are larger in size.

Incarnate passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

This variety is also called meat-red, and sometimes called apricot liana. In its length, it grows six to ten meters. Flowers of Passiflora of this species have different colors, most often purple flowers can be found. The fruits are edible with a pleasant sourness, their color is yellow with a lemon tint. This variety is used for medicinal purposes. For this, the leaves and stems are dried, and then tea is made on the basis of them. Such a remedy is indicated for people who suffer from insomnia and neuroses of various kinds.

Grace-like passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

This culture originated in Brazil. The plant is annual, the stems are cylindrical. The leaves are shaped like an egg, the surface texture is smooth. The cuts are not too deep. The berry includes a fairly large number of seeds.The berry has a beautiful salmon color. Flowers are arranged singly, white with a greenish tint in color.

Three-lane passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

The homeland of this species is Peru. The leaves have three lobes. There are three purple stripes on the surface of the leaf plates, which is why this name appeared. The inside of the leaves is purple in color with a reddish tint. The stems have a ribbed structure. Flowers are found in different variations: they are light green or pale yellowish. The diameter of the flower varies from three to five centimeters. The fruit is formed in the form of a blue-colored berry. The length of such a fruit is two to three centimeters. This culture has a rather bright aroma, somewhat reminiscent of lilacs.

Four-sided passionflower.

Passionflower: photo of a plant

Of all the plants in this group, this variety is the largest in size. The shoots of such a plant can grow fifteen meters! The leaf plate has the shape of an oval, painted in a deep green shade. The flowers of this variety are also quite large, their average diameter is fifteen centimeters. The fruits also have very outstanding dimensions, their length can be thirty centimeters. The inside of the fruit has a lot of juice, its taste is very pleasant and sweet. From above, the fruit is covered with a fairly dense skin. If you grow such passionflower at home, then, unfortunately, you will most likely not be able to wait for the fruits. It is preferable to grow such a plant in a greenhouse.

Indoor flower Passionflower: video about growing a plant