Plumbago

Plumbago: description of the plant

Plumbago: photo

Plumbago (Pig - its second name) first appeared in South Africa. The plant can be found in a river valley, through shrub thickets, in a dry tropical forest, in the lower belt, in the foothills of the mountains. The soil for growing this plant must be heavy. To prepare a soil mixture, you will need a combination of leaf and sod land, peat, humus and sand. All ingredients are taken in proportions of 1: 2: 1: 1: 1. To grow a plant at home, it is used as an ampelous plant. in summer, it is allowed to plant in open soil plants of standard forms, or those that were grown as vines on trellises. In order to create a stem, the choice is made in favor of the strongest stem and tied to supports, which must be placed in an upright position (you can use a stick stuck in the ground). After that, the stem is trimmed to the length you need. Weak stems that remain to be cut. Within 3 years, maybe a little more, a crown will begin to grow in the upper part of such plants, which will be distinguished by the splendor and showiness of its appearance, which will include long hanging or outstretched stems. In the summer, they are decorated with inflorescences with bluish flowers. The Plumbago genus includes about 12 varieties, which include shrubs, shrubs, and perennial herbaceous plants. however, only 1 variety can be grown at home - plumbago (pig) ear-shaped. Plumbago auricular is a climbing, flowering shrub, has long and flexible stems that look like vines or twigs. The entire alternate foliage can be spatulate or reverse lanceolate, short petiolate or sessile. The base is wedge-shaped, and the apex is blunt. The surface of the shoots and the seamy side of the leaves have a layer of hairs that have a scaly shape. Where the leaves attach to the shoots, you can see 2 small stipules, kidney-shaped, which resemble ears. Flowering begins in early spring and continues until late summer. During this period of time, lush inflorescences that look like an umbrella, consisting of flowers with a snow-white or bluish color, begin to grow at the tips of the stems. The surface of the calyx has a layer of hairs that are glandular and sticky. The spine-petal corolla of a thin and long tube begins to turn rather abruptly into a five-membered spike-shaped limb. The plant can be attacked by scale insects or spider mites.

Plumbago: home care

Plumbago: video

Lighting. Plumbago flowers are a light lover, and the lighting should be bright enough.

Temperature. In the summer, as many gardeners with experience in growing this plant assure, the plant is best transferred to the open air, it can be a garden or even a balcony. In winter, the plant is best suited for a bright and cool room, in which the temperature regime will vary from +6 to +10 degrees.

Watering. When plumbago flowers show intensive growth, the plant should be watered abundantly enough. During the cool period, watering should be moderate.

Humidity level. The plumbago plant does not need to be sprayed, since the plumbago blue plant can tolerate low levels of humidity well.

We are engaged in a transplant. It is best to transplant the plant in the spring. but before doing it, the stems of the plant will need to be shortened.

We are engaged in plant propagation

Plumbago blue flower: photo

The plumbago plant is well suited to the propagation method by cuttings. cuttings are able to root in the sand pretty quickly, but you will need to take care of creating a bottom heating in advance. If you notice that the foliage has become a brownish hue, while the flowering has stopped, then this may indicate too scarce watering of the plumbago.