Tahitian gardenia, or the flower of the tiare tree, is one of nature's most flawless plants. Tiare - flowers of the eponymous shrub that grows on the islands of Polynesia. Incredibly delicate, fragile, snow-white flowers - the world-famous symbol of the island of Tahiti.
The aroma of Tahitian gardenia is hard to describe, its smell is unique and flawless. This is the perfect fragrance of nature - soft and multifaceted, refined and indescribably beautiful. In a word, the tiare flower is flawless! To prove the beauty of Tahitian Gardenia, the photo is presented below.
A few facts
Indigenous inhabitants of the island of Tahiti have a special culture of attitude to this wonderful plant. It is customary to use it as a decoration, and quite informative. If a girl fastens the flower-absolute of Tahitian Gardenia (tiara) behind her right ear, it means that she is free from any obligations and is ready for a new relationship, an engaged or married woman fastens a gardenia behind her left ear. There is another variation of wearing a tiare - on both sides. This suggests that the person is married, but will not be against new adventures. Suchmen also wear jewelry, only the flower must be unopened, that is, a bud.
Tahitian gardenia in perfumery
Of course, this flower is widely used in the creation of perfumes, in aromatherapy and medicine. Tiare perfume has a wonderful sensual sound that captivates from the first moments of acquaintance.
Essential oil derived from Tahitian gardenia is a very expensive product. The cost is due to the fact that only a few inflorescences grow on a low tree per year, which are collected by hand unopened. Tiare flowers are also used to make the Monoi de Tahiti care product: they are immersed in refined coconut oil, which, after a certain time, draws in their sweet and sophisticated aroma.
Gardenia at home
This gentle beauty is very thermophilic and fastidious, which is explained by her southern origin. That is why any drafts, cold and dry environment, sharp temperature fluctuations are categorically contraindicated for her.
At home, low bushes with dark green decorative leaves up to 50 cm high are bred. Tahitian gardenia blooms from mid-summer to October, the flowerpot at this time is like a bride, which is decorated with velvet snow-white flowers. They can be single or collected in small inflorescences. The fragrance of tiare at home is very gentle, amazing. It is reminiscent of the intoxicating scent of jasmine - a little intoxicating, but at the same time sophisticated.
How to care for a tiare flower?
It should immediately be noted that the Tahitian gardenia is incredibly fastidious in care, any factor affects the growth and maturation of the bush. A bad attitude towards him is reflected immediately.
- Temperature regime. In spring and summer, the temperature in the room should be about 23 degrees, in winter - 17-18. Regime change and drafts have a devastating effect on the blossoming beauty. If you put a bush in the heating season to the battery, then the kidneys will not form.
- Lighting. Gardenia needs a lot of light, but direct sunlight is unacceptable, they can destroy it. The best option is a window sill on the east or west side.
Gardenia primer
Gardia has a fibrous rhizome with many small roots, which feels best in loose soil. When preparing a mixture for a flowerpot, it is necessary to add sand with peat and soddy soil to it in equal proportions. The soil for the plant should be acidic or slightly acidic. To improve the finished store composition, you can add sphagnum or perlite.
How to water?
The mixture in the flowerpot should always be kept moist, but without stagnant water. It is necessary to carry out systematic spraying, as the Tahitian gardenia prefers top irrigation with uniform wetting of the soil. For irrigation use boiled or rain water at room temperature. In winter, the irrigation system should be changed to a smallerside, but do not allow the soil to dry out. For acidification, lemon juice is used, a few drops of it are taken per liter of water. It is necessary to acidify the soil every third watering.
Gardenia transplant
The young bush should be transplanted annually, and adults with good care - in the third year. The Tahitian gardenia is transplanted into a brand new pot with a drainage layer, if necessary, you can add new soil. In no case should the rhizome be cut off, so the plant should be taken out with extreme caution. After planting, irrigation is carried out with water with a stimulant.
Fertilizers
To stimulate gardenia growth and flowering, a variety of acidic fertilizers should be used, including a combination of micronutrients recommended for azaleas and other plants. Once a week, the flowerpot is sprayed with a composition of mineral fertilizers in a small concentration. In winter, gardenia prefers care using potassium sulfate and iron chelates, these elements should be supplied to the plant by top spraying.
Diseases
There are various gardenia diseases:
- Flying leaves from a bush. Most often this is caused by a temperature failure, poor lighting, and dampness.
- Foliage darkening. The plant can turn black from overdried or, conversely, overly moistened soil.
- Yellowing of leaves. Signals the need to reduce the amount of watering or the presence of a draft.
All these signs can also indicate an excess insoil lime and chlorine, lack of nitrogen fertilizers or insufficient lighting.
Reproduction of gardenia
You can propagate indoor gardenia in different ways:
- Shanks.
- Seeds.
Growing a gardenia flower from seeds is a rather troublesome task, requiring a lot of time, and the result is not always pleasing. Gardenia does not grow from old seeds that have lost their germination. How to prepare seeds?
- Before planting, they are soaked in stimulants from a mixture of "Zircon" and aloe juice.
- It is advisable to sprinkle the seeds on top with a layer of soil (about 0.5 cm).
- Next, carefully water the soil and cover the pot with foil to create greenhouse conditions.
- The container is ventilated periodically for several hours.
Sprouts appear in about a month.
Propagation by cuttings
The process of propagation by cuttings is as follows:
- After the end of flowering, the plant must be cut, shortening the shoots by 2/3. From the resulting almost lignified cuttings, the length of which is 10 cm, gardenia is grown independently.
- The soil for the plant is prepared from a mixture of sand and peat in equal proportions.
- The shoots must be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate, then planted in a pot and covered with foil, thus creating a small greenhouse.
To accelerate the appearance of roots before planting, the tips of the cuttings should be dipped in the solution"Heteroauxin" or "Epin".
Caring for a plant at home consists of watering, airing and maintaining a temperature regime of about 25 degrees.
Winter for gardenia
"Hibernation" in gardenia lasts about a month and a half. At this time, you should stop feeding and reduce the amount of watering, while the lighting should be the same. During the dormant period, drafts and hypothermia of the roots should be excluded.
The temperature regime in the room where gardenia winters should be about +17 degrees. These are ideal conditions for the formation of flower buds.
