For those who love to grow indoor plants in their apartment, the primrose has long been in the forefront among the many favorites. They choose it because it is quite simple to care for it, while the plant boasts a variety of flowers in shape and color. The height of indoor primrose can be up to 25 cm or more.
What is a plant?
Primrose have a fibrous root system. Its leaves reach a diameter of 7 cm and have a rosette type. The plant flowers twice a year. It pleases our eyes in winter and spring. The plant can be either annual or perennial. Home care and growing primrose in an apartment are suitable for annual species. Most often, Chinese primrose, obkonika, akaulis, mix are grown indoors.
Interesting fact: these plants belong to the primrose family. They include more than one thousand plants. In naturethe flower can be found in Asian countries, Europe, North America and China. She loves to grow in temperate latitudes.
Primula akaulis: home care for this plant consists in the correct transplantation, abundant watering and fertilizer at the time of flowering. It propagates by seeds. Sowing is carried out in February. In a container, on dense moistened soil, seeds are sown and covered with earth with a layer of two millimeters. Next, the container is covered with transparent glass and sent to the refrigerator (temperature from + 5 to + 7 degrees). Seedlings will sprout in one or two months, and after the appearance of two or three leaves they dive.
Primula mix: home care for her is carried out in the same way as with akaulis. The temperature in the room should be above +15 degrees. Lighting is good, but do not have direct sunlight. Choose a pot for planting not deep, but wide.
Obconica primrose: home care is no different from caring for other primroses. Recommendations for growing these plants will be given in detail below.
What are the main varieties?
Home care for primrose is different from those plants that grow in the garden. Outdoor flowers are more resistant to cold. Indoor plants require more care.
Before you say whether it is possible to plant a homemade primrose on the street, you need to figure out what varieties this flower is. After all, there are such hybrids that can be grown not only on the windowsill, but also in the garden.
The mosta common plant of this species is the soft indoor primrose. Its inflorescences are represented by 10-20 flowers, the leaves are light green in color, such a plant grows up to 30 cm high. The following varieties of soft primrose are distinguished:
- The Snow Queen: her flowers are white.
- Mars is purple blossoms.
- White pearls: white flowers with pearl overflows.
- Juliet mixed: This cultivar has double flowers that range from pastel to lilac.
- Enchantment: The flowers are bright blue.
Inflorescences of large sizes have a back-conical primrose. It belongs to the Chinese family. This plant reaches a height of up to 20 cm. This is a perennial species. A plant can please the eye with proper care throughout the year.
The most popular variety of this primrose is Twilly Touch Me. It is characterized by the fact that it blooms with lavender, lilac and purple flowers. Allergy sufferers should be aware that this variety may cause an allergic reaction.
The stemless primrose belongs to the hybrid species. This variety can be grown both indoors and outdoors. Abundant flowering petunia pleases us from April to mid-summer. It has many varieties among the popular ones are the following:
- Sphinx F1 neon Rose: Vibrant crimson flowers.
- Sphinx Apricot: Inflorescence color bright orange fading to red.
- Eclipse Violet with Rim: very pretty lilac buds with gold trim.
In addition to the above varieties, you can find Chinese primrose (its flowers are pink, red and white in color, while they are slightly wavy at the edges) and Kew primrose with small yellow small flowers.
Primrose: planting and care at home
In order for the plant to feel great, bloom and not get sick, you need to know how to properly care for it. There are several highlights for his care at home.
Primrose needs:
- the right choice of place to grow;
- abundant watering;
- good lighting;
- comfortable temperature;
- fertilizing.
If you take care of the flower, adhering to all the rules, then the little beauty will decorate the apartment and delight the eye with beautiful flowering.
Is your plant light and comfortable enough?
This flower just loves the warmth and light of the sun. But it must be remembered that the rays should not be straight, as this negatively affects the leaves of the plant. It is best to grow primrose on the windowsill on the east and west sides. In this case, the sun will illuminate the flower, but fall on it in small quantities.
Home care for primrose implies compliance with the temperature regime. The temperature in the room should depend on the season. If it is spring or autumn, then you should adhere to temperatures from +18 to +20 degrees Celsius. In winter the temperature can be a littlebelow - from +16 to +18 degrees. During flowering - from +16 to +20 degrees.
If the light and air temperature are favorable for the primrose, then it will bloom much more abundantly and for a longer time. Signs of poor lighting can be yellowed lower leaves of the plant. Also, this effect can be from too warm air in the room. Admire the primrose in this photo. Home care for her is carried out according to all requirements, so the beauty blooms profusely and pleases the eye.
What kind of soil does the plant prefer?
As a substrate, you must use a purchased already prepared product. But the soil can be prepared independently at home. To do this, you need to take in equal proportions leafy soil, peat and sand. During planting, do not forget to use drainage. This is necessary so that the roots of the flower do not rot.
Primrose: home care after purchase
Plants love top dressing in the form of a weak mineral solution with trace elements. It is best to apply fertilizer during the formation of flowers. Feeding time is once every two weeks. If you feed the primrose with fertilizers before flowering, you can only get abundant foliage. During the dormant period, the plant also does not need to be fertilized.
Many housewives who breed this plant on their windowsill, of course, are wondering how to properly water a flower. Remember that during abundant flowering, the plant needs good watering. It is necessary that the earth does not dry out,but you should not overfill either, this can lead to rotting of the roots.
Water for watering should be warm at room temperature, do not water the plants with tap water, it is necessary that it settles. When watering, make sure that water only gets on the soil, if it floods the leaves and flowers of the plant, they will begin to rot.
Correct primrose transplant
Home care Primrose in a pot requires a large number of peduncles to form. In order for the plant to bloom profusely and multiply, the primrose must be constantly replanted. Young plants need to be transplanted once a year, adult varieties can be transplanted once every few years. In order for the transplant to proceed correctly, the following rules must be used:
- The container in which you transplant the primrose should be slightly larger than the previous pot.
- Substrate and drainage must be purchased from a specialized store or prepared by yourself for this plant.
- The rosette you are transplanting should be on the surface of the soil.
- The old earth must not be mixed with the new, it must be completely replaced.
During transplantation, carefully monitor the root system, it is very fragile and prone to injury. Transplanting is best done in the first autumn month. At the same time, until next year, periodically update the top layer of the substrate.
How does a plant reproduce?
There are several ways to propagate a flower. Either by seeds or by dividing the bush. Both methods are not time consuming and are quite simple.
Seed propagation
In order to get seeds from a plant, it must be artificially pollinated. For sowing, shallow small containers are used in which seeds are sown. Landing is carried out in the summer. It is advisable, after the seeds are placed in the ground, to cover the container with transparent glass or plastic wrap. After that, the containers are placed in a room with a temperature of +16 to +17 degrees Celsius. If you did everything right, then shoots will appear in 2 weeks.
Propagation by bushes
Primula is propagated by dividing the bush during transplantation. To do this, new young rosettes are separated from an adult plant and each of them is planted in new containers. In this case, in order for the flower to grow, it is necessary to transplant it with the substrate in which it grew.
What is the use of indoor primrose?
This plant is famous for some useful properties. It is used to treat a variety of diseases. The flower contains carotenoids, phenol glycoside and ascorbic acid. Primrose root system contains saponin. This substance is known as a means to maintain immunity, protect the liver and fight cholesterol. Also, the roots of the plant are used in essential oils. Dry flowers insist in boiling water and use this tincture for colds, headaches and beriberi.
What diseases and pests can be encountered when growing primrose?
Despite the fact that the flower is very hardy, it is still subject to some diseases and pest attacks. It is the common primrose that most often falls ill with the following diseases:
- Powdery mildew. It is characterized by the appearance of white or yellow plaque on the leaves. The disease can occur against the background of waterlogging. If the primrose is severely affected by the disease, then it is removed, if the leaves can be saved, then they are treated with copper oxychloride.
- Ramulariasis. In this case, a white coating is located on the underside of the sheet, and its upper part is covered with yellow spots. In this case, the flower is treated with a variety of copper-based preparations, including copper oxychloride.
- Grey rot. This disease extends not only to leaves, but also to inflorescences. They begin to rot due to the characteristic gray coating that has formed on them. The disease occurs due to severe waterlogging of the substrate or due to the content of a large amount of nitrogen in it. Severely affected primroses are removed, and the rest are treated with copper oxychloride.
If the plant is affected by caterpillars and mites, then it can be treated with a soap solution prepared on the basis of gray soap. If it does not help, you can use drugs such as Akarin, Fitoverm and others.
Plants that bloom in the house for more than one year
During home care, perennial primrose requires proper watering, lighting and temperature maintenance. The ideal place for a flower to stay is a window sill on the east or west side of the apartment. The temperature should be from +12 to +15 degrees Celsius. Regular watering is required. Fertilize perennial flowers during bud formation and flowering. Perennial plants can be transplanted outdoors in the garden.
Do not forget to monitor the humidity and temperature in the room, fertilize the plant during flowering and it will delight you for many years.
