Chrysanthemum is a very beautiful and popular flower among gardeners. It can be grown not only in household plots, but also at home. Home chrysanthemum as a pot plant has a lot of species. The flower is adapted for indoor cultivation. It is about him that will be discussed in our article.
Home plant
With the advent of autumn, bright chrysanthemums are sold in all flower shops. But a beautiful bouquet can also be grown on your window if you like flowering plants. Chrysanthemum home is a perennial culture, so with the right content, it will delight you for many years. With the advent of spring, amateur gardeners are even transplanting their plants into home gardens.
Crop varieties
There are different types of chrysanthemums, among which there are varieties suitable for home cultivation. Any variety can be kept at home. However, many varieties are quite tall, and therefore they will not look very beautiful on the window. Therefore, for growing chrysanthemums at home, they useundersized species.
Chinese varieties are especially popular. Bushes can grow from 15 to 70 centimeters in height. Chinese varieties can have a wide variety of inflorescences. There are single flowers or whole caps of inflorescences.
There are not only plants of medium height, but also dwarf forms, for example, "minimum". Bushes of this variety grow in height no more than up to 15-20 centimeters. The ampelous form is very much appreciated among flower growers. This includes "white casad".
In addition to Chinese varieties, indoor types of chrysanthemums include undersized Korean varieties. Very beautiful during the flowering "orange jam". It belongs to a series of varieties "multiflora". These types of plants are incredibly beautiful due to spherical inflorescences. Korean varieties are grown even in household plots.
Indian varieties are also found in speci alty stores. In our climate, they are grown only indoors or on balconies. Such plants are used for planting in greenhouses.
Choosing a site for culture
Get lush greenery and abundant flowering at home is possible only with proper care. Chrysanthemums need to find the right place in which they will feel comfortable. The culture is sensitive to temperature and light. South windows are not very suitable for home chrysanthemum, because they are too hot. Direct sunlight causes too rapid flowering. But on the north side, the plant can generallydo not open the flowers. The best option is east or west windows.
Chrysanthemum at home blooms in autumn. The process is associated with a short period of daylight. However, similar conditions are observed in the spring, so plants often delight with flowers in the spring. In order to set up a chrysanthemum for flowering, you can put it in early spring on a veranda or glazed balcony.
Temperature conditions
Home chrysanthemum prefers coolness and short daylight hours. The maximum possible temperature is + 18 ˚С. But for blooming chrysanthemum, for better preservation of inflorescences, the optimal mode is +15 ˚С.
You can tell if the plant is too hot by the appearance of yellow foliage, the rapid end of the flowering period and the drying of the buds. More vulnerable are newly acquired plants that have not yet had time to adapt to your conditions.
Chrysanthemums need short daylight hours, about 8 hours. But at the same time, the plant belongs to light-loving crops. Therefore, you should not hide it in the shade. Chrysanthemum must be covered from direct sunlight.
In summer, the optimum temperature for the plant will be +22 ˚С. If the room is much hotter, then it is necessary to provide ventilation. Chrysanthemum is able to endure short-term cooling down to -3 ˚С.
Water the plants
Watering is an essential part of care. Chrysanthemum loves high humidity, so flower growers recommend regularly spraying it withsprayer. This will help create optimal conditions for keeping.
The plant needs regular watering. Do not allow the earthen coma to dry out, as this can cause the root system to dry out. Watering room chrysanthemum should be moderate. There should not be water in the pan. If it has accumulated after watering, then it is better to drain it. During periods of active growth, the plant should be watered up to two to three times a week to keep the soil moderately moist.
Chrysanthemum transplant
Planting chrysanthemums is one of the most important steps in caring for a crop. First you need to prepare the soil, you can buy it at the store. The soil should be very nutritious and at the same time perfectly pass moisture.
If you do not want to purchase a ready-made substrate, you can prepare it yourself. To do this, soil from the garden, humus, peat and sand are mixed (in a ratio of 4: 1: 4: 1).
Culture needs to be transplanted regularly. Young bushes are transplanted annually, and adults - once every two years. Planting chrysanthemums is carried out by transferring an earthen clod into a larger pot.
Ready-made substrates are good because they have all the necessary elements and they are completely safe for planting. Self-prepared soil may contain pests, so it must be treated for disinfection. For this, the soil is watered with boiling water. After its complete drying, the mass can be used for planting.
Reproduction
Inexperienced growers mistakenlyIt is believed that indoor chrysanthemums are annual plants, and therefore they are thrown away after flowering. Do not rush to say goodbye to your bush. With proper care, you can not only save it, but also multiply it. Culture reproduces in several ways. Very effective methods of dividing the bush and cuttings. They usually give excellent results. Chrysanthemum seeds are also propagated, but less often, since the process itself is more laborious and lengthy.
The easiest way is to divide the bush. You can use it in the spring, when the growing season begins. From one bush you can get five or six young shoots. To do this, the plant is removed from the pot and the shoots are carefully cut, which are planted in prepared containers with soil. Young shoots after transplantation are watered abundantly.
New chrysanthemum seedlings can be obtained by cuttings. Shoots are cut off from the existing bush, which are later rooted. There are two options here. Cut cuttings can be placed in a container with water, wait for the roots to appear, and only then plant young plants in pots.
The second method involves planting shoots immediately after the cut. In this case, the cuttings must be covered from above with a transparent jar or bag. Some time after rooting, young plants can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Get a flowering plant in the same year only after dividing the bush.
Choice of planting pots
What size chrysanthemum pot is the mostsuitable? It is necessary to select containers based on the dimensions of the crop variety. In addition, the fact that you are going to place cuttings in a pot is of no small importance. For undersized forms, small containers are purchased. So, for example, when planting one plant, it is enough to take a pot with a diameter of up to 9 centimeters, for three cuttings - 11 centimeters, for five - 14 centimeters.
If you place several chrysanthemums in one container, then they must be selected according to size, placing them along the edge. You should not initially take large pots, because in the future you still have to replant the bushes.
Growing from seeds
Growing chrysanthemums is also possible from seeds. In this way, annual and perennial varieties can be propagated.
However, chrysanthemum seeds are more often used by breeders to obtain indoor species. It is much easier and faster for ordinary flower growers to get young plants using cuttings or dividing the bush.
What ailments does the culture suffer from?
Not a single plant is immune from ailments and pests, including homemade chrysanthemums in a pot. Diseases, as a rule, arise due to violation of the rules of detention. The following pests and diseases pose a threat to chrysanthemums:
- Powdery mildew.
- Spider mite.
- Septoria.
- Gray rot.
Most often plants are affected by spider mites. Its appearance can be judged by the white cobweb on the foliage. Rubbing can be used as a pest control measure.green bushes with a cloth dipped in soapy water. In addition, chrysanthemums can be treated with Actellik and Pyrethrum.
If you notice a gray coating on the peduncles or leaves, then this indicates the appearance of powdery mildew. As a rule, it occurs due to high humidity. In this case, the plant must be moved to a drier room and treated with a fungicide.
Gray rot is manifested by the appearance of brown spots on the foliage. Fundazol treatment helps to cope with the disease.
Septoria causes brown spots with yellow edges to appear on the bushes. Affected plants are treated with foundationazole, reducing the amount of watering.
Feeding
Planting a plant in good soil allows the bushes to initially develop correctly. However, chrysanthemums quickly draw out all the useful substances from the ground, so they need to be fed regularly. Fertilization is an essential element of plant care. Chrysanthemums respond well to minerals. Untimely introduction of potassium and phosphorus can lead to later flowering. It is for this reason that it is desirable to apply complex fertilizers.
Mature bushes can be fertilized once every ten days during the growing season. Flower growers recommend using liquid organics. Top dressing is applied until the buds appear. Fertilizers are also good disease prevention.
Flowering and pruning
Chrysanthemums begin to bloom at a time when the day length is about 9 hours. As a rule, this happens in the fall. We have already mentioned that experienced gardeners also stimulate spring flowering.
During the budding period, the bushes do not require special care, apart from regular watering. But after the flowers wither, it's time to prune and further prepare the plant for wintering.
Experienced flower growers do not recommend leaving chrysanthemum for the winter in the apartment. You can only do this if you have nowhere else to put the pot. In winter, it is better to put the plant on a glazed balcony, in the basement or on the veranda. If you plan to keep the chrysanthemum in a cool place, then you need to make a good pruning of the bush, leaving only 10 centimeters from the ground part. The plant can be further kept at +5-8 ˚С. It is also necessary to drastically reduce the amount of watering. It is enough to moisten the soil only once a month. Chrysanthemum can be placed in the basement for the winter.
In the event that you leave the plant to winter in the room, then you should not carry out strong pruning. Only dry leaves and wilted flower stalks are removed. Watering remains the same.
During periods of active growth, the plant cannot be cut, because the bushes will need a lot of time and effort to form new shoots. You can adjust the shape of chrysanthemums quite a bit by removing dry foliage and dry twigs.
Recommendations from growers
Homemade chrysanthemums are not always attractive. Sometimes the bushes stretch too high, losing their beautiful shape. For the formation of a lush plant, it is recommendedcut and pinch it. This will painlessly give the bushes the desired look.
To prolong the flowering period, it is necessary to remove yellowed leaves and wilted flowers in time. During warm enough periods, chrysanthemums need to be taken outside, as they love fresh air and ventilation.
In the warm season, flower growers even plant potted crops in their backyards. And with the advent of cold weather, the plants are returned back to the house. This approach has its own benefits. In open ground, plants feel great, growing quickly and giving lush flowering. Sometimes, of course, chrysanthemums are difficult to adapt to room conditions after open ground. But this is due only to the fact that overgrown roots are injured during transplantation. They should be removed from the soil along with a clod of earth and placed in an appropriately sized pot. After transplanting, the lower leaves of the plant may turn yellow, which simply must be removed immediately. But the chrysanthemum cannot die.
In the southern regions, culture can generally be left on the site for the winter. To do this, the temperature should not fall below +5 ˚С. In other regions, you should not take risks, since the chrysanthemum quickly freezes out and is no longer reborn from the root.
The only drawback worth noting when keeping a plant on the site in the summer is an increased risk of bacterial diseases and pests. But regular treatments of bushes with fungicides help to avoid such troubles. In this case, the plants are the least susceptibleany ailments.
Instead of afterword
Homemade chrysanthemums in the West are perceived only as a living bouquet, which pleases the eye with flowering longer than usual. After withering, containers with bushes are simply thrown away, like ordinary cut flowers. But our flower growers are always very kind to any of their pets, trying to create all the conditions for even the most capricious representatives. Home chrysanthemums are completely non-capricious, they are classified as flowers that can be kept in an ordinary apartment or house. With minimal care, you can be sure to get a beautiful bright bloom, which is especially appreciated in the autumn, when nature is already fading. Large bright balls can become a real decoration of your home. We hope that our article will help you understand the basic principles of caring for and growing beautiful chrysanthemums, which can rightfully be called the most beautiful autumn flowers.
