Plants are so varied in appearance, structure, origin that it is impossible to offer mathematically precise recipes regarding the frequency and amount of watering.

Some plants cannot tolerate lack of water and will wilt or dry out as soon as the substrate dries out. If the leaves have drooped, it is often difficult for the plant to return to normal. Such plants must be grown in a substrate that retains water well, based on lowland peat. But there are also species that prefer more rare watering. These are most cacti and succulents, and all plants with dense hard leaves or forming a hard, thick trunk.

Observation and good knowledge of plants allows you to water at the ideal moment and give the plant the optimal amount of water. During the growth period (from mid-March to the end of September), plants need the most frequent and plentiful watering. As a rule, at this time they water 2 times more often and 3-4 times more than during the period of vegetative dormancy (from mid-October to the end of February). During transitional periods, the frequency of watering depends on the air temperature.

Watering tree plants. At normal temperatures (18-22°C in the house), plants that form a hard stem, as well as species with dense leaves, are watered on average every 5-7 days during the growth period and every 10-12 days during the dormant period (in winter). Water should fall on the surface of the earthen coma.

Watering herbaceous plants. Stemless plants, plants forming rosettes or a bush of flexible and thin stems, as well as all plants resembling grass, are watered on average 2 times a week during the growing season and 1 time per week in winter. It is best to use the method of immersing the pot in water.

Watering orchids. Forms with pseudobulbs or stems resembling reeds are watered on average once a week throughout the year and only during the flowering period - every 3-4 days. Orchids with thin stems or forming rosettes are watered 2 times a week during the growth period and 1 time per week in winter. Use non-calcareous water, do not wet the core of the plant, and pour excess water from the pan.

Watering cacti and succulents. During the growth period, water every 6-10 days depending on the air temperature and no more than 1 time in 15-20 days in winter. If the temperature is low, do not water at all. For example, lithops can survive in a pot for about a year without a single drop of water if the room temperature is below 16°C.

Watering bromeliads. Water pineapple, echmea, gusmania, etc. with lime water on average once a week throughout the year. During growth, leave water in the center of the leafy rosette.

Insufficient watering . When a plant no longer finds the water it needs to sustain life in the soil, it begins to use the reserves. Plants with fleshy stems or fleshy leaves, like cacti and succulents, can tolerate drought for several months. And plants with thin and fragile stems, with large thin and flexible leaves, begin to experience the effects of drought more quickly. When cells lose some of their fluid, they lose firmness and tissues shrink or sag. This is the most important sign that the plant is thirsty. In most cases, it is enough to thoroughly wet the earthen ball for the plant to come back to life. But remember that wilting weakens the plant, prevents it from normal development. You must intervene in time, but do not flood the plant, but only give it what it needs.

Slow drying of the earth in pots indicates a diseased condition or poor growth of the plant. If the plant turned out to be flooded, then it is necessary to loosen the surface of the earth, or remove the top layer of earth to the roots and cover it with fresh earth. If the earth in the pot is sour, then you need to transplant the plant into a new earth, after washing its roots and removing rotten areas from them.

If you flooded the plant so much that the pot smelled of mold, try changing the substrate. Remove the plant from the pot, squeeze the earthen ball to squeeze out the water, and remove as much of the wet substrate as possible. Transplant the plant into a new substrate, slightly damp. Do not water the plant for at least 15 days.

If the spots have spread not only to the leaves, but also to the petioles and core of the plant, then, unfortunately, it can no longer be saved and you will have to purchase another plant.

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Irrigation for plants is of exceptional importance, as well as drinking water for humans. Without enough water to dilute the necessary nutrients in the soil, plants not only wither, but also starve. Water is necessary for all physiological processes: photosynthesis, the movement of organic compounds formed as a result of photosynthesis, as well as for the absorption of minerals in the form of soil solutions.

Watering is one of the most important measures to ensure the viability of plants. The task of irrigation should be solved in conjunction with the problem of achieving optimal soil water permeability. The plant can rot from surface waterlogging, while simultaneously experiencing an acute moisture deficit. To increase the permeability of heavy soils (soils for planting), sand, compost, and peat should be added to them. Usually in modern mixtures there are no such problems - everything is balanced.

Irrigation water must be neutral acid-base balance and a minimum amount of toxic impurities(chlorine, fluorine, heavy metals, etc.). The ideal option is natural rain, purified, spring or distilled (then using fertilizers) water. Tap water is moderately suitable for irrigation only after settling for a day and stabilizing the acid-base balance. Activated carbon cleaning removes chlorine and fluorine, but retains calcium and heavy metal salts. You can use filters or purchased water.

The main rule for watering plants: Water only when the soil in the pot is dry. Constant excess moisture is harmful - it leads to disruption of normal air exchange in the soil. The root system needs a constant supply of oxygen. With its lack and with an excess of moisture, the roots gradually die off, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. This means that the plant is flooded. It is necessary to reduce watering, and in some cases, in order to save the plant, you need to cut it off and try to root the cuttings from it, after holding them in water. With strict observance of the main rule, it should be taken into account that watering plants of different groups and species has its own characteristics.

The need of plants for water is determined by their specific features: the structure of above-ground organs, the capacity of the root system, etc. For example, plants with succulent, fleshy leaves (such as agave, aloe, etc.) need less water than plants with large leaves, which sometimes need to be watered twice a day. For bulbous plants, excess moisture is harmful. It is best to water them by directing the stream of water not at the bulb, but closer to the walls of the pot, or water from a pan.

There are plants that are very sensitive to lack of moisture, such as araucaria. When its branches begin to hang down, then no amount of watering will help. Araucaria must be constantly monitored and, in addition to watering, spray the plant as often as possible, and several times a day.

There are a number of important requirements for irrigation water. Here are the main ones: purity of water, low content of salts and minerals, complete absence of toxic impurities and foreign inclusions, neutral or slightly acidic acid reaction. For irrigation, in most cases, tap water from the public water supply network, well water (outside the city), water from a well, water from a nearby reservoir (that is, river or lake) and rainwater are used. Naturally, each type of water has its own characteristics and characteristics, which indicate the degree of its suitability for irrigation.

Tap water goes through filtration and various stages of purification, what makes it drinkable is known to all. Also, this water is suitable for irrigation, although it is worth noting that the content of minerals in it is quite low and, depending on the season, the chlorine content can increase significantly.

Well water or well water on the contrary, it is distinguished by a high content of salts and minerals, because, passing through the soil, it washes out valuable microelements, which is a positive property for water. But still, the content of mineral substances in water should not be overestimated, since then it will become unsuitable for watering plants.

water from the pond, perhaps the least suitable type of irrigation water, mainly because of the high risk of containing toxic waste, decay products, chemicals, bacteria, foreign inclusions and other dangerous impurities.

Rainwater much softer than tap water, it has an almost neutral acid reaction, and in addition, it has a rather high content of dissolved oxygen. Thanks to all these characteristics, rainwater can be considered very valuable for plants, and there is a very definite sense in collecting it. However, it should be taken into account that in extremely polluted environments, harmful chemical compounds, heavy metals, lime dust (which hardens water), products of combustion of liquid and solid fuels in the form of soot and droplets of oily liquid inevitably get into rainwater, which in significantly reduces the value of rainwater.

To reduce the degree of contamination of rainwater, and therefore the risk associated with it, a number of rules must be observed when collecting it. Since rainwater collection tanks are in the vast majority of cases installed under downspouts and gutters, before entering the barrel, the water flows down the roof, washing away dust, chemicals, soot and other “unfavorable” substances that have settled on it. The water of the first precipitation after a long period of drought is especially heavily polluted, because the amount of dirt accumulated on the roofs is especially high. Therefore, it is not recommended to collect rainwater if there has been no precipitation for a long time before. When the rain takes on a strong and lingering character, you can refuse the volume of water that falls in the first half hour, this time is enough to wash off the main dust containing harmful impurities from the roof. In order to be able to regulate the flow of water into the barrel, a valve can be installed in the water collector, by closing which you will direct water from the downpipe to the ground when its collection in the container is undesirable for one reason or another.

Leaf drooping, loss of turgor by leaves and shoots.

In plants with soft, tender leaves (Vanka wet), they become lethargic and fall. In plants with hard, leathery leaves (ficus, laurel, myrtle oleander, etc.), they dry out and crumble (first of all, old leaves fall off).

Flowers and buds fall off or quickly wither.

Leaf drooping, there are soft spots with signs of rot.

Curled, yellowed and withered leaves, the tips of the leaves are brown.

Both old and young leaves fall off.

There is a golden rule for watering plants - it is better to water less, but more often than less often and in large quantities. It should be noted that the wilting of the leaves is not always associated with a lack of water. This can happen under the influence of sunlight, on the first clear day after a long cloudy weather.

Plants are watered immediately after the earthen clod dries. Such watering is required by most tropical plants with thin delicate leaves, as well as some plants with leathery leaves (for example, lemon, ficus, gardenia, ivy, coffee). Both of them suffer greatly from overdrying: the leaves turn yellow and crumble, or wither and fall, not restoring their former position. All plants need abundant watering during the flowering and growth period: even with a slight dryness, young shoots, buds and flowers may suffer.

Plants are not watered immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two, that is, they are slightly dried. This is how plants with fleshy or heavily pubescent stems and leaves, with thick roots and rhizomes (palm trees, dracaena) and also with water-bearing tubers on the roots (asparagus) and bulbs are watered. For some species, light drying is a prerequisite during the dormant period, as it stimulates the laying and ripening of flower buds.

Excessive watering (signs).

Before an over-moisturized plant begins to wilt, it will likely look weak. The plant on the left was watered excessively, the same plant on the right received a normal amount of water.

Plants are left dry for several days, weeks, months. This applies to succulents (cacti, aloe), as well as to deciduous tuberous and bulbous plants that have a dormant period.

Most plants are watered abundantly in summer, moderately in winter. The main watering is best done in the morning. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it soaks the entire earthen ball well and goes to the saucer. If air bubbles are visible on the surface of the soil, watering is repeated until there are none. Watering a little every day is not recommended, since in this case the water will wet only the top layer of the earth, and the roots located at the bottom of the pot will dry out.

Usually, plants are watered from above, so that the excess of calcium, magnesium and other salts contained in the water, which negatively affects the root system, is absorbed by the upper soil layer, which has fewer roots. Sometimes, fearing the appearance of spots on the leaves or the rotting of tubers when water gets on them, the plants are watered from below, pouring water into the saucer. This should not be done. Spots on the leaves can be avoided if you use warm water, because the spots are formed as a result of a large difference in the temperature of the leaves heated in the sun and cold water. Water from a saucer or planter is drained after watering so that the roots do not rot. This is especially important to do in autumn and winter.

If the water during irrigation does not seep into the saucer, but stagnates on the surface, you need to check if the drainage hole is clogged. Sometimes, on the contrary, the water flows very quickly onto the saucer. This means that the soil is very dry, water flows down the walls of the pot, not having time to wet it. Such plants need to be watered very well, putting them in a basin of tepid water so that it completely covers the pot, and sprinkle with warm water. When air bubbles stop appearing on the surface of the soil, the pots are removed from the water.

Plants should be watered with water at room temperature (18-24 ° C) or a little warmer. At low temperatures, the root system is inactive, therefore, too warm water cannot be used in winter, so as not to cause premature plant growth. In summer, plants are watered with warmer water (up to 30-32 ° C). The hotter the room, the warmer the water used for watering and spraying plants should be. Watering with cold water, especially in a warm room, can cause leaf drop.

Water for irrigation should be soft, slightly acidic, free from calcium and magnesium salts. It is not recommended to use rain and melt water in industrial areas, as it may have an alkaline reaction and contain impurities harmful to plants. More often, for irrigation, you have to use tap water containing chlorine, calcium and magnesium salts, which adversely affect plants. The high content of calcium salts in water leads to the fact that the most important nutrients found in the soil (phosphorus, iron, manganese, aluminum, boron, etc.) pass into compounds that are inaccessible to plants.

A few words about how to ensure the watering of plants during the holidays. Before leaving for a few days, put the plants in a basin filled with water 1/3 of the height of the pot. If you are going to be absent for a longer time (3-4 weeks), fill the containers with peat or earth to a height of 15-20 cm, dig in the plants, after watering them well, and moisten them again. Plants should be placed in a lit place, but not in the sun. There is another way to water. A vessel with water is placed above the plants, from which a woolen or cotton cord is lowered into each pot, which conducts water well. A pot with a plant can be placed above a container of water. In this case, the second end of the cord is inserted into the drainage hole.

In summer, in dry, hot or windy weather, bonsai are usually watered twice a day (early morning or evening). If the weather is not very dry and hot, then once a day. In winter or in cold, wet weather, the tree is less active and evaporation from the soil surface is slower. Therefore, water once a day if the soil is not frozen and the temperature is positive.

Deciduous types of bonsai need more water in summer than evergreen, coniferous, with specialized leaves that retain moisture better. In winter, on the contrary, deciduous ones consume less water than conifers, which continue, albeit slowly, to grow. Pines relatively painlessly endure the lack of water in the soil, while large-leaved deciduous, especially in hot weather, need abundant and frequent watering.

It is more convenient to water by immersing the container in a vessel with water so that the water covers the surface of the soil. At the same time, the soil lump is not washed away and the soil is impregnated more evenly and completely. Whereas when watering from above, if the top layer dries out, watering is difficult, since water can roll off without wetting the soil. Do not keep the container in a vessel with water for a long time, as the root system may be damaged. Only some plants (for example, swamp cypress) do not suffer from prolonged exposure to water and waterlogging of the soil.

For irrigation, you can use water from reservoirs, rain or tap water. Tap water contains too much calcium and chloride. It must be kept for a day at room temperature so that the chlorides evaporate.

Irrigation water should not be too cold or hot.

In addition to moistening the soil in the container, it is recommended to periodically spray the crown of the plant with water. This technique not only cleans the leaves of the plant from dust, but also moisturizes the air, which is especially important to do as often as possible to maintain the moss cover in the container. However, waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed with frequent spraying. It is not recommended to spray the plant in bright and hot sun.

One of the most important conditions for the successful cultivation of orchids is the quality of water. Water for plants is not only a source of food and drink at the same time, but also the ability to regulate its temperature.

In nature, plants use rainwater, which is an ultra-weak acid solution. But, unfortunately, it is not a secret for anyone that in cities, far from harmless liquid is pouring from the sky.

For orchids (and for other indoor plants) it is recommended to use soft or moderately hard water. Measuring the hardness of water is not a simple procedure, so let's take it as an axiom that in St. Petersburg and the Baltics the water is soft, in Moscow it is moderately hard, in Kyiv it is very hard. The faster the scale builds up in your kettle, the harder the water.

The easiest way to reduce the hardness of water is to boil it.- in which part of the calcium salts precipitates. Oxalic acid reduces hardness well (you can buy it in chemical reagent stores, sometimes in flower shops, for example, I saw it in the House of Violets on Nagatinskaya Street). It is done like this: Add about 1/8 teaspoon of acid (it is in powder) to a 5-liter canister of cold tap water. We defend the water during the day in an open container, it is even better to cut off the very top part of the canister in order to enlarge the neck. Water must be defended necessarily open due to the fact that during the chemical reaction of the binding of calcium salts, volatile chlorine compounds are formed, which must evaporate. After a day, an insoluble precipitate of calcium salts falls to the bottom of the canister. The resulting water must be carefully, trying not to shake the sediment, drain into a clean bowl. Just in case, I never pour out the water to the end - I leave about half a liter somewhere so that sediment does not get in. The canister should be transparent - it is more convenient to monitor the sediment. In my practice, if water with acid has been settled for more than 2 days, the sediment ceases to stir up and drain clean water safely.

Another way is to immerse a bag of high-moor peat in a bucket of water overnight - the water is also acidified.

If you water plants with distilled water, then remember that it is completely desalted. Therefore, distilled water must either be mixed with ordinary settled water, or special fertilizers must be dissolved in it.

Iron water is even more dangerous for orchids than hard water. Such water, when settling, becomes cloudy and has a noticeable taste of rust.

An equally important condition for the suitability of water is its acidity. Acidic water - pH less than 5 and is very rare. Alkaline water is easy to acidify with ordinary lemon. If your water shows a pH above 7 (you can measure it either with pH meters or litmus paper - sold in chemical reagent stores), then by dripping lemon juice you lower the pH value to 6, and measure how many drops you need for what volume water flowing from your tap.

Properly prepared water is useful to saturate with oxygen before watering.- for this, you just need to pour it in a thin stream from one container to another. The water temperature should be room temperature or slightly higher. Phalaenopsis, for example, prefer warm water.

The easiest way is to either use filtered water or water your plants (including bonsai and orchids) with store-bought water. An option is to buy special oxygen water, which is good for both humans and animals and plants, an example of such water is oxygen royal water, which is sold here.

It is best to water the plants only with soft rain, river or pond water. Hard water (including well water) containing various salts should be avoided. Aroids, azaleas, orchids, ferns, and camellias are especially resistant to hard water. Well tolerate watering with hard water, those plants that grow on calcareous soils.

Keep in mind that rainwater can be polluted by industrial emissions if you live in an industrial area or not far from it.

Chlorinated water from the water supply is defended for at least a day, so that the chlorine has time to evaporate.

The water temperature should be at least at least room temperature. This rule is especially important when watering tropical plants. Cacti are recommended to be watered with warmer water. Watering plants with cold water can cause root rot, bud drop, and even plant death. On the contrary, watering plants with warm water in a cold room is also undesirable, because. this will cause the plant to grow prematurely.

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Houseplants need regular water intake just like all living things on our planet. Deficiency or vice versa - excess moisture in a flower pot with a substrate can lead to wilting of the flower, yellowing or spots on the leaves, drying and falling of the leaves, damage by pests or diseases. Before you purchase a plant and place it on a window sill floor stand or on a shelf shelf among other species in your collection, be sure to ask what variety it belongs to and find information about the features of home care - including how to properly water new 'green pet'.

Some houseplant enthusiasts even consult the lunar calendar to determine the best dates for watering. In this article, we will tell you how to properly organize watering houseplants at home. Useful tips, photo and video materials will be especially useful for beginner flower growers who are just beginning to be interested in the rules for caring for indoor plants.

Below you will find practical guidelines to help you properly water most popular types of houseplants. We will look at issues such as the choice of dishes for watering flowers, what water to water the flowers, the frequency of watering, signs of lack of moisture, watering methods, how to water orchids and other indoor plants during your vacation.

♦ WARE FOR WATERING INDOOR FLOWERS:

watering can with a long spout. Practical inventory - a long spout can easily be directed through a dense crown, under the lower leaves or directly under the root rosette, so as not to drip water on the delicate leaves of the flower. Very convenient equipment for watering plants in a phytowall or in phytomodules (vertical gardening);

flask. A special device with an elongated tip and a spherical container for water. Such inventory can be of great help when you need to leave for a long time. It is enough to fill the container with water and stick the nose of the flask into the soil, which will gradually be saturated with moisture as it dries;

sprayer for spraying (sprayer). By spraying with water from a spray bottle, additional moisture can be provided through the upper parts of the plant. This method will help you preserve the decorative qualities of the plant in the heat of summer or during the heating season, when the humidity level in the room is very low;

tray with water. A great way to additionally moisten the soil in a pot if the air in the room is too dry. It is advisable to place the flower pot not directly in the water, but on wet expanded clay or on pebbles in the pan.

- in the photo: irrigation equipment

♦ WATER FOR IRRIGATION OF INDOOR FLOWERS:

rain, river, pond water. Some flower growers prefer to water indoor plants with melt and rain water. Flowers respond well to watering with soft water from natural sources. But it is necessary to disinfect the water, add a few pieces of charcoal;

tap water. Most residents of megacities water their flowers with tap water. But it is important to remember that chlorinated tap water with sparingly soluble calcium salts is very hard. Be sure to defend this water for at least 24 hours (or better - several days) before watering the flowers, and pour the rest from the very bottom. Water the plants with room temperature or lukewarm water.

- in the photo: signs of lack and excess of water

♦ FREQUENCY OF WATERING INDOOR FLOWERS:

❂ the frequency of watering depends on various factors: the type of plant, the age and size of the plant, the microclimate in the room, the time of year (dormant or growing season), and the material from which the pot is made (ceramic, plastic, glass);

❂ Most houseplants like regular and even watering to keep the substrate moderately moist. If the period of abundant soil moisture is abruptly replaced by a period of insufficient moisture, then the flower begins to wither and may die;

❂ in winter, many indoor plants slow down the growth and development processes (or stop altogether). The need for water with dissolved nutrients is significantly reduced and the plant needs to be watered much less often (or not at all). And in the spring-summer period, with an increase in the duration of sunlight and an increase in temperature, the frequency of watering increases to 1-3 times a week;

❂ plants with large and wide leaves are watered more often (Benjamin and rubber ficus, Andre anthurium, spathiphyllum, home begonia, gloxinia synningia, jasmine gardenia, gerbera, balsam, sheffler, dieffenbachia). Bulbous species should be watered moderately and less frequently, since waterlogging can lead to rotting of the root system (hippeastrum, clivia, amaryllis, calla zantedeschia, oxalis oxalis, hyacinths, eucharis Amazon lily). Most types of potted orchids (phalaenopsis, dendrobium nobile) are watered no more than once a week in winter and no more than twice a week in summer. There are indoor species that easily tolerate long breaks between waterings (succulent species - Crassula Money tree, aloe vera or agave, triangular spurge, zygocactus Decembrist, as well as species such as Blossfeld's Kalanchoe, Chlorophytum, "Teschin's tongue" or sansevieria);

❂ ceramic (clay) pots have a good porous structure, circulation and evaporation of moisture is more active. But plastic pots hold water well in the substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to water a flower placed in a ceramic pot more often than in a plastic one.

- in the photo: rare, moderate and abundant watering

♦ WAYS OF WATERING INDOOR PLANTS:

❀ top watering. For watering a flower from above, it is advisable to use special dishes with a long spout (watering can, flask). It is advisable to direct the spout closer to the stem so that water does not fall on the leaves. If the plant has a developed leaf rosette, try to direct the stream of water under it so that the water does not stagnate. Water the plant evenly, in small portions, so that the water does not stagnate on the top layer of soil. Pour out all the water flowing into the pan. This is a universal way to water indoor species. The disadvantage of this method is that useful substances of the substrate sludge are quickly washed out. Therefore, do not forget to feed the plants on time.

❀ bottom watering. Some types of ornamental deciduous plants lose their attractiveness if drops of water fall on the leaves (yellowish or black spots appear, the leaf blade is deformed). Therefore, the pan is filled with water for irrigation. Within 30-40 minutes, the substrate is moistened to the top layer and all excess water must be drained from the pan. The disadvantage of this method is that mineral salts are not washed out on the contrary - they linger in the soil for a long time. If a lime crust has appeared on the surface of the soil, then carefully remove it along with the top layer, adding a fresh substrate.

❀ immersion of the pot in water. A very good method of wetting, allowing the soil to be completely saturated with water. Lower the flower pot into a container of water so that water does not flow into the substrate through the edges of the pot. Water will quickly soak all layers of the substrate through the drainage holes. Then place the pot on a wire rack so that any excess water flows down freely. It is not advisable to use this method of moistening during the flowering period of the plant, when moving the pot can cause the buds and petals to fall off.

- tables with factors affecting the abundance and frequency of irrigation

♦ WATERING HOUSE PLANTS DURING HOLIDAYS:

√ vacation up to two weeks.

- we moisten the soil abundantly by immersing each pot in water;

- it is desirable to thin out the leafy crown and cut off the buds of flowering plants;

- plant pots on racks and stands compactly placed closer to each other (this will increase the level of humidity around the plants);

- Immerse the pots in wide pallets with wet expanded clay (so that the water level is a couple of centimeters below the top layer of expanded clay). Wet sphagnum moss can be placed between the pots.

√ vacation up to three weeks.

- follow all the steps above;

- take plastic bottles of 0.5 l and make holes in the screw caps. After filling the bottles with water, place them in expanded clay between the pots, immersing them with tightly screwed lids with holes down. As the expanded clay dries, water will seep drop by drop from the bottle;

- in each flower pot, immerse a special flask for watering (see above) with the spout down.

√ vacation up to one month.

- on sale there are special pallets for automatic watering. The system consists of inner and outer pallets, capillary mat. The outer tray is filled with water. The inner one is installed from above and is covered with a capillary rug. This rug gradually absorbs moisture and gives it to the plants placed on it;

- instead of a flask for irrigation, it is best to install ceramic cones in each pot with thin hoses immersed in a container of water.

- in the photo: a ceramic cone with a hose for irrigation

♦ USEFUL TIPS FOR BEGINNER FLOWERS:

☛ Rare and whimsical plants should preferably be watered with settled mineral water (not carbonated) at room temperature;

☛ if the substrate in the pot, together with the earthy clod, is completely dry, then lower the pot into a container with warm, settled water to the edge of the pot and place it on a wire rack after ten minutes so that all excess water drains;

☛ after watering, be sure to drain all the water flowing into the pan so that the roots of the houseplant do not rot;

☛ sometimes (3-4 times) during the growing season it is useful to water the flower with warm settled water (not salty!), In which potatoes were boiled before. Starch helps to strengthen the root system and plant development;

☛ if the plant during the flowering period began to actively fall off the buds that have not yet opened, then it is likely that the soil is not sufficiently or not regularly moistened (against the background of a low level of humidity in the room);

☛ try to water the flowers so that the drops do not remain on the surface of the stems and leaves. Drops of water dry out and leave ugly stains, and also contribute to the appearance of burns. Yellow spots and burns reduce the decorative value of the plant;

☛ Some indoor species require abundant watering during the growing season. These plants include many species with leathery leaves (ficus ‘Robusta’ and white ‘De Gantel’, lemon tree, wax ivy hoya), as well as tropical varieties with bright and thin delicate leaves (petunia, calathea, arrowroot, croton);

☛ plants with small fleshy leaves that are in a dormant period, located in a cool room with high humidity, grown in plastic or glass containers, are watered less often;

☛ if the tap water contains too much lime, it is advisable to pass it through a special filter in order to use soft water for irrigation;

☛ never use cold water for irrigation, as this can lead to the gradual death of peripheral roots, the appearance of viral and fungal diseases;

☛ The most ideal time for watering most indoor species is early morning (with sunrise);

☛ on hot summer days and during heating, it is necessary to spray the plants with a spray bottle. Next to the plants, you can put a container with water for additional humidification.

♦ HOW TO WATER AN ORCHID AT HOME:

❶ You can water orchids only with warm, settled soft water. It is advisable to water rare collectible and whimsical indoor orchid species with diluted distilled water. Mix settled water of medium hardness with distilled water in a ratio of 1:1. And mix too hard water with distilled water in a ratio of 1: 2;

❷ if the orchid is without bulbs, then water it after the substrate is completely dry, and the lower leaves begin to lose turgor and wrinkle. If the orchid is with bulbs, then water the flower after the bulbs begin to wrinkle a little;

❸ During flowering, most popular domestic varieties (phalaenopsis, dendrobium nobile) are watered very moderately 2-3 times a week. Make sure that water never stagnates in the pot around the roots and flows freely from the drainage holes;

❹ The best way to water an orchid in the summer is to soak the pot in warm, settled water for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to make sure that the water drains completely from the holes in the bottom of the pot after soaking;

❺ how often to water an orchid at home. Complete drying of the soil is much safer for the root system than overflow. Most species can be watered at a frequency, which is defined as follows: once the substrate is completely dry, the next day in the morning you can water the flower moderately. But do not forget that the frequency of watering also depends on the following factors: the type of orchid, the growing season or dormant period, the humidity and temperature in the room, the composition of the soil, the pot (the volume of what material it consists of).

How to properly moisten the soil in a pot (for example, indoor begonia):

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• ✓ A plant with flaming leaves
• ✓ Poinsettia - varieties
• ✓ Poinsettia care
• ✓ Poinsettia: the right choice of plant
• ✓ In bloom in a new place
• ✓ Poinsettia - peace and relaxation
• ✓ Poinsettia transplant into a new pot
• ✓ Poinsettia from a cutting
• ✓ Solving care problems
• ✓ Growing poinsettia - personal experience, advice and feedback

The scientific name of the poinsettia is euphorbia pulcherima, which means "the most beautiful spurge". But we know this flower, really the most beautiful of euphorbias, under a different name - poinsettia. Such a sonorous and solemn name entered our language thanks to Joel Robert Poinsett, a politician and diplomat who served in Mexico.

This outstanding man was an enthusiastic botanist, a passionate plant hunter. Service in Mexico provided him with a wide field of activity, in search of new plants, he traveled all over the country. In the winter of 1828, near Mexico City, he was struck by the bright flowering of an unfamiliar shrub and sent samples of the plant that fascinated him home to South Carolina, where he had plantations and a collection of plants in a greenhouse. After leaving the government post, he devoted himself entirely to his passion, engaging in the introduction and propagation of plants, sharing them with friends, sending them to botanical gardens.

Poinsett made a successful career, became a congressman, but his name was glorified not by his professional activity, but, as we would say today, by a hobby. His name was given to a beautiful plant, and by decision of Congress

December 12, since 1851, when the diplomat passed away, has been celebrated as National Poinsettia Day.

Here it is necessary to name one more name - Paul Ecke. Coming from a poor family of German immigrants, in which children helped their parents by selling bouquets of wild flowers, he turned out to be a brilliant marketer and entrepreneur. This man made the poinsettia extremely popular in America, it was he who turned the poinsettia into a symbol of Christmas. On a December afternoon back in 1906, extravagant bouquets were exhibited in the windows of the famous Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, highly appreciated by the discerning public, and the name Christmas Star has stuck to the plant since then.

Scientists had to work hard to turn a poinsettia bush into a pot plant

At first, poinsettia was grown in open ground, but Ecke's breeders managed to achieve the seemingly impossible: turn a tall wild shrub into a pot plant that is convenient for transportation. The secret of technology was kept secret for a long time, until the 90s of the last century, the company remained a monopolist, ranking second in the world in terms of sales profits - after Dutch tulips.

The tradition of decorating houses, churches, shops, offices with poinsettia for Christmas was adopted by many European countries: Spain, Germany, France, Holland, and in Canada and Mexico, as well as in the USA, Poinsettia Day is celebrated. In almost every country where she is popular, she also has her own, popular name: in Mexico she is the "flower of the holy night", in Chile and Peru - the "crown of the Andes", in Egypt - the "daughter of the consul" (in honor of Ambassador Poinsette ), in Turkey it is the "Ataturk flower".

Poinsettia is not only decorative, but also useful in the home, due to the fact that it releases biologically active substances that have an antimicrobial effect. So, it reduces the number of streptococci by 50-60%.

At home, in Southern Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, this evergreen tropical shrub 1.5-3 m high forms real thickets in semi-shaded and fairly humid places. Its stems are slender, thin, the branches are straight, bare, branching is weak. Leaves on long petioles are large, 10-12 cm long, saturated green color. They are pubescent and smooth, carved in various ways, but more often oval, with a pointed top. In some new varieties, the shape of the leaves resembles oak.

See also: Poinsettia flower - how to care

In late autumn - early winter, small discreet greenish-yellow flowers appear on the poinsettia, collected as if in handfuls. They produce nectar that attracts birds. But poinsettias are valued not at all for flowering, its main advantage (and very bright!) Is the apical leaves, called bracts, which develop along with the inflorescence and frame it with a decorative rosette. In shape and size, they are the same as the rest of the leaves, their bright red color is an adaptation for pollination, it is needed to attract birds. The flowering period lasts about 2 months; when it ends, the bracts turn pale and fall off.

Among the Aztecs, poinsettia, called quetlahochitl by them, was considered a magical plant, used in religious rituals. The Indians believed that warriors who laid down their heads in battle gain immortality, and descend to the ground to drink nectar from poinsettia flowers. They had a legend about a goddess whose heart broke from unhappy love. Drops of blood, falling to the ground, turned into flowers that looked like stars.

Nearly half of the potted poinsettias sold are traditionally red. This color is represented by countless combinations of shades: fiery red Cortez Fire, Peterstar and Red Diamond, bright red with dark veins Jester Red, seemingly velvety variety Olympia, bright scarlet Sonora Fire and rich scarlet Freedom and Galaxy, rose red with white strokes of Sonora, dark red Freedom Coral and Max Red, almost crimson Annette Hett Divo.

The range of pinks is no less rich: Freedom Pink pale pink, miniature hot pink Pink El, Pink Ribbon cream pink, Cortez Pink salmon pink.

Particularly attractive are hybrids of unusual marble color, for example, low, only 30 cm, Cortez Cream, Monet Twilight with spots and stripes of varying intensity, Da Vinci with touches of pink, brighter than the main color. Jester Pink has green-edged bracts, while Marblestar and Silverstar Marble have white-edged bracts.

Not flowering, but the color of the apical leaves decorates the poinsettia

White poinsettias are very elegant: Akkes White, Freedom White, compact Silverstar White, White Star, which has shades of green. Regina is creamy white with green veins, Cortez White is ivory, and Sonora White is also white veined.

Original motley poinsettias: lilac with white strokes Jingle Bells Sonora and pink-violet with carved white edges of Strawberry and Cream.

Another direction of selection is the creation of bracts of an unusual shape. Now they are very narrow or very wide, wavy, with carved edges. Poinsettias, called "winter roses" (Winter Rose), are in fashion, in which the leaves are rounded, and large bracts are wrapped in a bud like the petals of old English roses. They are bred by English breeders. They are very similar to the Harlequin Red variety with corrugated terry bracts, but its leaves are pointed. The most popular terry variety is Carousel Pink, pale pink with green veins.

• TEMPERATURE. Smooth, without jumps. Optimal during the growing season 20-24 degrees. The lower temperature limit is 14 degrees (when it drops to 10 degrees, the roots die off), the upper limit is -27 degrees.
• LIGHTING. During flowering and active growth, bright, but scattered, with shading from direct sun. Only bright windows, northern ones are not suitable.
• WATERING. Regular. It does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, but does not like overdrying, after which it recovers with difficulty. Water at room temperature, settled. Hard water is recommended to be filtered or boiled.
• HUMIDITY. Optimal 60-70%, dry air is highly undesirable. Humidity is increased in all possible ways: they spray the air around the plants with a spray bottle, place the pots on pallets with wet expanded clay, and use humidifiers.
• THE SOIL. Nutritious, loose, well permeable to water and air. Acidity 5.8-6.6 pH.
• FEEDING. Liquid mineral fertilizers, including macro - and microelements (molybdenum and iron are especially needed), such a concentration as indicated in the instructions. With constant watering with soft water, fertilizing with calcium nitrate (1.5 g per 1 liter of water) is useful to raise the calcium content.

Often in European countries, poinsettia is treated like a bouquet of flowers: if it loses its appearance, it is thrown away. They believe that it is easier to buy a new plant than to care for an old one. Meanwhile, if, knowing the development cycles of the poinsettia and some of its features, create the necessary conditions for it, it will delight the bright stars of the bracts next year.

You need to take your time choosing poinsettia in the store, because the product must be first-class, brought by a trustworthy supplier. It depends on the quality of delivery and the content of the plant in the store whether it will please with long flowering or bring disappointment. Because these factors, which we usually do not think about and which may seem not so important, determine the poinsettia, mistakes cannot be corrected in the future by the most careful care. So we can say that the store also needs to be chosen, sales and markdown fairs are not suitable here.

So we are in the store. We bypass plants that are too close to the street door or in a draft. “In cramped quarters - but not offended” - this saying for poinsettia is not

Applies. Those specimens that do not stand close to each other, but separately, in the open and do not have packaging, feel much better. If the protective packaging (it is intended exclusively for transportation) was not removed in time, and the flowers were waiting for their buyer for a long time, they could easily be flooded during watering. For the same reason, we will pass by plants waiting for their new owners in beautiful paper or cellophane.

In the store, you must carefully pack the purchased poinsettia. With hypothermia, it will be impossible to bring her back to life.

The condition of the substrate will also tell you how carefully the sellers treat the plants. Check if it is too dry or wet. Bush, do not be shy, twist in your hands. It should be short-stemmed, lush, thick and even on all sides, and not one-sided. If the lower part of the stem is very bare, then the conditions of detention have already been violated and the poinsettia has lost some of the leaves.

To make sure that there are no pests and diseases, we carefully examine the leaves. They should look healthy, be a rich green color, not have any spots. Sluggish, drooping leaves in damp soil may indicate the onset of root rot. It is helpful to look at the underside of the leaves to make sure there are no whiteflies or aphids lurking there.

It is best to buy poinsettia at the end of autumn, and not just before the winter holidays - at this time the choice is already sufficient. And if you manage to buy a plant that is just about to bloom, there will be plenty of time to enjoy its magnificent appearance. Therefore, pay attention to the flowers, they should still be in buds. If yellow pollen has opened and is visible, it is difficult to say how long the bright color of the bracts will last.

The poinsettia brought home must be treated with all the attention in order to understand how it feels in the new conditions. While acclimatization lasts, a bright place and a temperature of 20-22 degrees suit her. As soon as our sissy gets used to it, we determine it on the sunniest window. Lighting is required bright, but diffused.

It should be warm on the window, if the window sill is concrete, cold, some kind of stand or gasket is needed, all windows with slotted frames will have to be insulated. At the same time, she will not approve of the neighborhood with a hot battery or heater, so we move it away from heat sources.

In general, it is not recommended to often drag poinsettia from one place to another. During flowering, a temperature of 18 to 24 degrees is suitable for her. At 18 degrees, flowering lasts longer, at higher temperatures, flowering is shorter, but the bracts themselves will be larger, although not as bright. The air needs to be sufficiently moist.

Until the bracts acquire the color characteristic of the variety, watering is regular and moderate. To understand if it’s time to water our beauty, you just need to feel the substrate in the pot: if it feels wet, particles of soil remain on the skin of your finger, then it’s too early, if it’s dry in the pot, it’s time. During flowering, watering is plentiful, but it is important not to leave unabsorbed water in the pan, after half an hour - an hour it must be drained so that the roots do not get wet. Feeding the purchased plant is usually not required, it has enough nutrients in the substrate.

It happens that a healthy plant with unopened flowers is acquired. His bracts are just beginning to color, but they do it too slowly, remaining small and rather pale. Most likely, the poinsettia lacks light and nutrition. To make it quickly turn into a bright bouquet, you can arrange additional illumination for it and feed it with fertilizer for indoor plants with a high content of phosphorus and potassium.

In February, the poinsettia begins to gradually shed its beautiful colored leaves. At this time, slowly reduce watering and finish spraying.

By reducing watering, we are pushing the plant to prepare for a dormant period and mimic the processes that occur in its natural habitat.

The dormant period of the poinsettia is pronounced, losing leaves, it quickly loses its beauty and turns into an unpresentable bush with bare stems. She rests for approximately 1.5 months, from February-March to March-April.

Poinsettia should not be placed next to vases filled with fruit. Ripe apples, pears, melons, bananas emit ethylene, which is detrimental to flowers.

As soon as the main part of the leaves is dropped, it is necessary to shorten the branches. How much to cut the bush depends on your desire and its height. Usually they are shortened by 1/3 or 1/2 of the height, and on the remaining "stump" there should be 3-5 knots (they remain in place of fallen leaves and are clearly visible). Weak shoots should be removed altogether. Slices are sprinkled with crushed charcoal.

The rest time of poinsettia is best spent in a cool room at a temperature of 18-19 degrees and in dim lighting. If this is unattainable, let there be any place in a moderately warm room, the main thing is that it be dry.

Watering during the rest is scarce, only so that the substrate does not dry out, you can simply sprinkle the earth in a pot.

In March-April, the plant wakes up, new shoots start growing. Usually there are too many of them, all of them are not needed, so the weak ones are removed again and the 5-6 strongest are left. As soon as they grow by 10-15 cm, they are pinched, leaving 3-4 leaves on each. This stimulates the appearance of new branches, the poinsettia begins to actively bush. So the plant is formed until August and as a result a dense compact bush is obtained. This month, pruning is completed, because it's time to lay flower buds.

In spring and summer, poinsettias are cared for in the same way as other indoor flowers. As soon as active growth begins, it is again placed on the sunniest windowsill, protected from direct sun, so that it does not overheat, and burns do not appear on the leaves. But if the bright lighting of the poinsettia welcomes, then the heat is not, the temperature should not rise above 27 degrees, even with good air circulation.

Water at first very carefully, little by little. Gradually, watering is increased, leading to abundant, so that the earthen ball is well saturated with water. Never let it dry out between waterings. Of course, it will not be possible to bring the humidity of the air closer to the state of a tropical forest saturated with moisture, but frequent spraying will somehow help to survive the heat. Starting from the time when new shoots grow, 2-3 times a month the flower is fed with complex mineral fertilizer (for flowering plants).

In mid-September, the volume of watering and top dressing is gradually reduced, while maintaining good daylight and a temperature of at least 18 degrees. Those who lived on the balcony in the summer, most likely, will have to be moved into the house, determined to a well-lit place, and as soon as the central heating is turned on, humidify the air.

In order for the poinsettias to form buds and color the bracts, you need a short daylight hours and a long night lasting 14-15 hours. To do this, from the beginning of October, they arrange a “dark one” for her, covering it in the evening with some kind of opaque material - a black plastic bag, a tight bag, or take it to the pantry, put it in the closet. If the shading is incomplete and light falls on the poinsettia, for example from a street lamp, then spots will appear on the bracts. They keep it under a night cap for about 2 months, but during the day they put it on the brightest window sill. Slowly water and feed. In early December, the buds become visible, and the bracts begin to color. Now you can no longer hide the poinsettia at night. From mid-December, feeding is stopped, care again becomes the same as when buying.

In the summer, poinsettia feels great in the fresh air. As soon as constant warm weather is established, send it to the balcony or veranda, choosing a place where it will not suffer from rain and strong winds. But it must be borne in mind that even on a glazed balcony, with a strong cold snap, the overseas beauty will be uncomfortable.

Poinsettia is transplanted every few years, as needed, without a reason it is better not to disturb it. In April-May, they transfer to a slightly more spacious pot. Its diameter should be 1-1.5 cm larger than the root ball. The fact is that the root system of the poinsettia is small, it will not be able to immediately develop a lot of new soil, as a result, after watering, the earth will remain too wet for a long time, which is fraught with rotting of the roots.

So, the root system is carefully examined, the damaged roots are cut off. If all goes well, the poinsettia is transferred to a new pot, trying to keep the earthen ball, pour fresh soil.

You can buy a universal ready-made soil for flowering plants and add coarse river sand to it. It is easy to prepare the substrate yourself by mixing humus, peat, leafy and soddy soil, and sand in equal proportions. If all of the listed components are not available, the composition can be changed by including, for example, only peat, leaf (turf) soil and sand (perlite) (2: 1: 1). Or compost, peat, sand (2:1:1).

At the bottom, a drainage layer up to 3 cm is arranged from expanded clay or brick crumbs. A little complex fertilizers are added to the soil mixture, preferably long-acting granular ones. If fertilizers are not applied, then approximately 3-4 weeks after transplantation, careful feeding begins, first with a very weak solution. For 7-10 days, while the poinsettia is recovering from stress, they are kept in partial shade, watered well, sprayed in the heat.

In nature, poinsettia is propagated by seeds, and at home - only by rooting cuttings. They are cut from shoots growing in spring or early summer. To get more of them, cut the poinsettia after flowering, leaving 10-12 cm in height and 3-6 strong buds, transferred to a place with diffused light. Watered, fed every 2-3 weeks, using half of the dose recommended in the instructions.

As soon as the dormant buds begin to grow, the temperature is raised to 25 degrees. Shoots are allowed to grow only when they have 6-7 leaves, cuttings are cut, each having 5-6 well-developed buds (nodes).

The stalk must be prepared for planting for rooting. First, an oblique cut is made 2 cm below the last knot. Then the stalk is washed for 10 minutes in warm water (35-40 degrees) to wash off the milky juice. When it stops flowing, cut again, making a cut now directly under the lower node. Wet with a napkin, sprinkle with crushed wood or activated pharmaceutical charcoal, or simply dry well in the air. For better rooting, you can powder the sections with root.

The cuttings are planted in small containers with a diameter of 6-7 cm to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. It is convenient to use transparent disposable plastic cups for planting. They are the right size, and you will see when the roots appear in them. Planted in a moist loose substrate. Usually it is peat and sand, taken in equal proportions. The soil for succulents is also suitable, to which the same amount of sand is added.

At first, the cuttings are loosely covered with plastic wrap, the humidity at this time is high, up to 90%. The place is selected warm, with a temperature of 24-25 degrees and with diffused light. The cuttings are not watered, but only regularly sprayed on the soil, but, attention (!), if the house is hot and dry, it will dry out very quickly - due to the small volume. After 3-4 weeks, strong roots will appear, after which the temperature is reduced to a level of 18-20 degrees. Usually about half of the cuttings take root, and even more when using root formers.

As soon as active growth begins, approximately 2 weeks after rooting, the plant begins to feed little by little. In order for the poinsettia to bush better, pinch the shoots over the 5-6th leaf and regularly continue this work, forming a rounded dense compact bush. If desired, you can give the poinsettia the shape of a tree on a long "leg". So that the flower does not grow one-sided, it is regularly rotated 90 degrees.

The grown bushes are transplanted into slightly larger containers by transshipment, using a mixture for adult plants. If the poinsettia deems your cares worthy of it, it will bloom the next year.

If the poinsettia does not like something, it always reacts in the same way: sheds > leaves. This can happen when the soil is too wet or too dry, when standing for a long time in a draft or in a too cool place, being in a too hot and dry room, with a lack of e-light or watering with cold water.

The poinsettia is quite resistant to diseases. In winter, hypothermia of an earthen clod on a cold windowsill with abundant watering leads to the occurrence of root rot. With this fungal disease, the lower leaves lose their elasticity, turn yellow, become stained, and fall off. Until the disease has gone too far, an urgent transplant is needed, followed by a 2-3-fold treatment of plants and soil with foundationazole (2 g per 1 liter of water) after 3-5 days.

In extreme cases, shoots left after spring and summer pruning can be used for propagation, although they are usually shorter than necessary, have few internodes.

Gray rot disease is possible at low air temperatures and excessive watering. Especially often it affects the poinsettia during the staining of the bracts, appearing as a gray coating on the leaves and lower branches. All affected parts of the plant are removed. If the damage is significant, treatment with foundationazole or fungicides such as Topsin-M, Ridomil is also recommended.

When the air is too dry, a red spider mite sometimes settles on the poinsettia. It is difficult to see this mobile pest, it is only 0.1-0.4 mm in size and lives on the underside of the leaves. You can find out about the appearance of settlers by yellowish spots on the leaves and a thin white cobweb. However, it is usually noticed when the pests have already bred. The leaves become dull, dry and fall off.

Salvation of the plant begins with washing with hot (up to 50 degrees) soapy water (20 g of "green soap" or 20 g of laundry soap per 1 liter of water), especially carefully passing a soapy sponge along the underside of the leaves. Then the earth is covered with a film and the plant is washed well in the shower. Usually 2-3 treatments are enough. Of the insecticides, Neoron is the most effective (1 ml per 1 liter of water), Actellik, Akarin, Fitoverm are also suitable. To avoid trouble in the future, you need to monitor the humidity of the air, trying to prevent excessive dryness.

Shchitovka is another enemy of indoor plants. Outwardly, it looks like a small, 2-4 mm in size, dense plaque, firmly seated on a leaf or shoot. Its body is covered with an oval grayish-white or yellow wax shield. The scale insect and its larvae also feed on plant sap, inhibiting their growth and development.

To rid the plant of such a dangerous inhabitant, you first need to carefully scrape off the plaques by hand, and then wash the entire bush with warm soapy water or wipe it with a cotton swab dipped in vodka or infusions of onions, garlic, hot peppers or tobacco. Of the preparations, Actellik (2 ml per 1 liter of water) or other insecticides (Aktara, Rogor, Fitoverm) are used.

On the petioles of the stem, and in case of severe infection on the leaves, you can sometimes see something that looks like tiny pieces of cotton wool. This is a mealybug - a sedentary insect 2-4 mm long. Worms and their larvae not only suck out the juice, but also inject toxic substances, as a result of which the plant loses leaves and weakens.

All pests visible to the eye must be removed with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, or wipe the leaves with a soapy damp sponge. In severe infestations, the same insecticides are used as against scale insects.

One of the most common pests is the wing squirrel, small white flying insects that look like tiny moths. The main harm to the plant is caused by larvae that spoil the leaves, but adults are not harmless, being carriers of viral diseases. Against the whitefly, actara, kinmiks, fitoverm are used, if necessary, then stronger insecticides - talstar, confidor. They can be alternated with the biological product verticillin.

Poinsettia, a beautiful winter-flowering houseplant, was given to me by my son before the army. It was at the beginning of December. Then I promised myself that I would definitely keep the gift, although I did not particularly hope, believing that after flowering it would wither - and we would part with it.

Lewal so that the lump is completely wetted, but water does not accumulate in the pan. She protected the poinsettia from drafts and hot air from the batteries. From a cold draft, as well as from too cold or hot content, from overdrying and excessive watering, the leaves fall off and the apical bud withers. Even the touch of the leaves on the cold window pane is detrimental to the plant. Poinsettia is very vulnerable - at the first sign of discomfort, it easily drops flowers.

As you know, all the beauty of poin-settia is in brightly colored (white, pink, yellow, spotted - for every taste!) Bracts surrounding nondescript flowers. My poinsettia was dyed crimson red.

This compact branchy plant no more than 50 cm high blooms in December and looks elegant up to six months. In winter, poinsettia loves good lighting, in summer - partial shade.

So that the daylight hours were no more than 10 hours, from September she covered her with a dark paper bag and kept it that way for two months. Only under this condition does it bloom for the New Year or Christmas, thereby confirming its second name - the Christmas star. Short daylight hours and complete darkness on a long night are the necessary conditions for coloring the bracts and blooming poinsettia on time. The best temperature regime is + 14 ... + 18'C. Once I forgot to monitor the light regime and did not cover the plant, but it still bloomed in early April.

After flowering, poinsettia sheds bracts. I cut the tops of the shoots by 1/3 of the length, and the plant itself was transplanted by transshipment into a larger pot, adding more earth.

When new shoots grew, some of them were removed, leaving 4-5 of the strongest. Cut cuttings were used for propagation. First of all, I immersed them in warm water for half an hour so that the milky juice came out (another name for poinsettia is

However, the "asterisk" captivated me with its beauty so much that, having gained experience from flower growers, I kept the plant and now enjoy its flowering every year. And how delighted my son was when, returning three years later from the army, he saw the same flower, only grown up and even more beautiful!

To save the poinsettia, I had to work hard. First, I immediately put the plant in a well-lit place, protected from the midday sun. Regularly sprayed it and moderately beautiful spurge). Then I made a new cut under the kidney with a blade, removed the extra leaves and dipped it again in warm water for 10 minutes. I planted the cuttings in cups with sterile soil consisting of peat and sand, first moistening the tip, and then dipping it in a growth stimulator like Kornevin. Shed the soil before planting. I planted it to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, pressing the stalk with my fingers and covering it with a bag.

As soon as I noticed that the top began to grow, I removed the bag (after about a month and a half). All this time she watered the seedlings with a pink solution of potassium permanganate and ventilated.

When the plants got stronger, I pinched in the hope that the bushes would be more lush.

I have not tried to root in water, but I know that this method also exists. By any means, the percentage of rooting is about 50/50, so for insurance every year I plant all the cut cuttings.

Keep in mind that the milky juice of the poinsettia is poisonous, so be careful to wear rubber gloves when caring for the plant. And one more thing: find a place for her that is inaccessible to children and animals.

✓ The Aztecs were the first to appreciate the poinsettia. They used its red bracts as a natural dye for cosmetics and fabrics, and the white juice of the "Christmas star" to treat fevers.

• If the poinsettia dropped leaves at an inopportune time, look for the cause in the conditions of detention
• Any soil for flowering indoor plants will suit her.
• In the summer, poinsettia feels great in the fresh air. As soon as constant warm weather is established, send it to the balcony or veranda, choosing a place where it will not suffer from rain and strong winds. But it must be borne in mind that even on a glazed balcony, with a strong cold snap, the overseas beauty will be uncomfortable.
• It happens that the poinsettia does not come to life after a dormant period. The reason for this may be excessively abundant watering or, conversely, overdrying of the earthen coma, as well as too low a temperature.
• When exposed to direct sunlight, the color of the bracts turns pale and is not restored.

The plant is respectfully and reverently treated in Europe.

The Spaniards, for example, consider the poinsettia to be the flower of the holy night, bringing wealth and good fortune to their homes. At winter flower fairs, it is presented with exquisite and elegant varieties.

There are few plants that bloom in the darkest months of the year. One of these is the most beautiful euphorbia, or poinsettia. Throughout the winter, the beauty serves as a magnificent element of decor. When flowering is over, the plant is pruned, stimulating branching.

New plants can be grown from cut stems.

I breed poinsettias in April. I root cuttings 10-15 cm long in a mixture of sand, peat and fine expanded clay. In May, I plant 1-2 pieces. into pots with a diameter of 5-7 cm into a mixture of leaf, sod, humus soil and sand (2: 2: 4: 1) and put in the street

Teplichka. In June, I transplant into pots with a diameter of 9 cm. In July, I pinch young plants. With the advent of lateral shoots, I transplant the poinsettia once again into flowerpots with a diameter of 12 cm and tie it to a peg (if necessary). All this time, I evenly water the plants and feed them with a complete mineral fertilizer; the optimum temperature during the growth period is + 20-25 degrees. At the end of August, I transfer from the greenhouse to the windowsill and control the light regime, since the poinsettia is a short-day plant.

Poinsettia blooms from December to February. During flowering, the temperature is reduced to + 16-18 degrees. - so the bracts are colored most intensively. After the end of flowering (February-March), the "Christmas star" begins a period of short rest. I transfer it to a dark place, if possible in a cool place (optimally + 12-15 degrees). I periodically slightly moisten the earthen ball. In April, I cut the plants by 1/3, transfer them to a fresh substrate and put them in a well-lit place.

Poinsettia is called the "Christmas star" for its bright bracts: collected at the ends of the shoots into "stars", they are painted just in time for Christmas.

Garden and cottage › Indoor plants and flowers › The most beautiful poinsettia (photo) - how to care

The basis of the composition is whole pieces of bark. If the bark has crumbled, the mixture for orchids is unsuitable: a lot of moisture is consumed for the plant, the air will not pass well.

Before planting, the orchid bark is pre-soaked in order to better absorb moisture during watering of the transplanted plant.

It is impossible to transplant an orchid during flowering. Experienced flower growers consider the spring period to be the most favorable.

Orchids behave differently, each capricious in its own way. New and well-known hybrid varieties are bred with maximum ease of care in mind. But there are rules common to all orchids, which must be strictly followed.

• Sensitive to drafts;
• They cannot stand the hot, blinding sun.

They prefer a bright place, but not in direct sunlight, otherwise they will get burned, then the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. In winter, blooming orchids are placed closer to the light, additionally illuminated with phytolamps. During this period of the year, life stops in most plants, the period of laying new shoots begins.

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Watering is a necessary condition for plant life. Growing without watering is impossible for any plant, they all need water. Many people water their plants "how it goes", on occasion, but do not wonder how flowers should be watered. But in order for the plants to always look beautiful, so that watering brings maximum benefit to them, you need to know some rules for watering houseplants. So,

Water for watering plants can be ordinary tap water, but settled for at least a day. In order for the chlorine to evaporate, it is necessary to defend the water in an open container. Soft water for irrigation is best. Tap water is mostly hard. Even harder water from wells, it is not at all suitable for watering indoor plants.

How to soften such water for irrigation? It is enough to boil it for 3-5 minutes. When boiling, most of the harmful salts precipitate, and the water becomes soft.

It is undesirable to water the plants with distilled water, because. it does not contain mineral salts necessary for plants. The exceptions are azaleas, gardenias, ferns, camellias, orchids and some predator plants, for which watering with distilled water is even desirable, because. they need to be watered only with soft water.

It is better not to use water from pump rooms and from cylinders for watering domestic plants, because. its composition is not known to you, and such water can harm the plant.

Since most tap water is alkaline, it must be neutralized. If this is not done, the soil becomes alkaline over time, as a result of which the root system of plants suffers. In order to neutralize the alkaline reaction of the aquatic environment, it must be slightly acidified. To do this, just add food-grade citric acid to the water for irrigation at the rate of 1 teaspoon of citric acid per 5 liters of water. Citric acid is added to warm water just before watering.

2. What temperature should the water be for irrigation?

Watering home plants with cold water is unacceptable, because. when watering with such water, the vessels of the root system of plants narrow, and as a result, moisture and nutrition are poorly supplied to their upper part, the root gradually dies off and the plant may die. Watering flowering plants with cold water can cause flowers and ovaries to fall off.

Cold water can and should be watered for plants that are in a dormant period. This prevents premature vegetation and plant depletion. For watering plants that have stopped growing for the period of winter dormancy, they use water that is colder than the air temperature in the room, sometimes even water with snow.

In all other cases, the optimum water temperature for watering domestic plants is + 30-34 ° C, so the water needs to be slightly heated, even in summer. Watering with such water favorably affects the growth and development of plants.

The plant needs to be watered throughout the entire volume of the flowerpot in small portions so that the soil is saturated with water from top to bottom. You need to water until water appears in the pan. In this case, you can be sure that both the upper and lower parts of the root system will receive a sufficient amount of moisture. After 30 - 40 minutes, the water is removed from the pan. During this time, the root system of the plant will have time to absorb the moisture that it did not have time to absorb during watering. It is impossible to leave water for a longer time, otherwise you can provoke rotting of the root system. If the flowerpot is large and cannot be lifted, you can remove water from the pan with a syringe, sponge, or moisture-absorbing wipes.

How many times to water home plants is a matter that requires an individual approach. The frequency of watering depends on the type of plant, the volume of the flowerpot, the composition of the soil, the activity of the root system and weather conditions. On cloudy and cool days, plants are watered less often than on clear and sunny days; with dry and warm indoor air, plants need to be watered more abundantly than with humid and colder air; plants in light and loose soil require more frequent watering than those growing in dense, heavy soil.

How to calculate watering? The best guideline for deciding on watering is the drying of an earthen coma. The signal for the need for watering is the drying of the topsoil by 1.5 - 2 cm. Succulent plants are watered after the earthen clod dries to a depth of 3 - 10 cm (the larger the container, the deeper the soil should dry out).

But what if there is no way to water the plants in a timely manner (for example, during the holidays)? How to leave flowers without watering? Can they handle this stress? To learn how to properly organize watering during a vacation or business trip, read here.

source

None of the conditions for growing houseplants require as much attention as watering. It must be controlled throughout the year. It is in this area that novice houseplant lovers make the most mistakes. They either flood the plants with water, believing that in this way they will make them happy, or they completely forget that it needs water. As a result, the plant receives either too much water or too little; both can simply destroy him.

It may seem that all plants need to be moistened a certain number of times each week. However, it is not. Each plant has its own requirements for watering - it depends on the size of the plants, the size of the pot, the time of year, temperature and light, soil quality and the need for moisture inherent in a particular species. For example, on cloudy days the plant needs less moisture, but on sunny days it needs more water. During the warm summer months, plants need abundant watering, and in cool weather they need less water. Even under stable conditions, a constant amount of water is not a guarantee of success, because the plant grows in size and, accordingly, the amount of water it needs increases.

Water more often and more abundantly:

✓ plants in clay pots;

✓ plants with large or thin leaves;

✓ plants with thin stems;

✓ plants in the period of active growth;

✓ plants with strong root system;

✓ plants with hanging stems;

✓ in the warm season and at high temperature in the room;

Less moisture require:

✓ plants in plastic pots;

✓ plants with thick leaves with a wax coating;

✓ plants devoid of leaves;

✓ plants with thick stems;

✓ plants at rest;

✓ newly transplanted plants;

✓ plants with poorly developed root system;

✓ weak and depleted plants;

✓ at low air temperature in the room;

✓ on cloudy days or in low light;

✓ at high air humidity;

✓ when there is no air movement in the room.

For example, orchids from the genus Dendrobium are watered no more than once a week.

The experience of many lovers of indoor floriculture has developed an exact criterion: it is time to water the plant when the earth mixture in the pot becomes dry. The only problem is that the mixture, which seems dry on top, remains wet in the middle of the pot. You water thinking the ground is practically dry. In fact, you oversaturate it with water from the middle of the pot to the very bottom, which is no less harmful to plants than drying out the soil. How to understand in what condition an earthen lump is: wet, dry or almost dry? Sometimes this can be determined "by eye" and "by ear".

The color of the earth mixture depends on whether it is wet or dry. A wet mixture is dark brown, while a dry or nearly dry mixture becomes pale brown and dull. One common technique, therefore, is to water the plants when the earth mixture begins to turn pale. However, the estimate "by eye" is not always reliable. When the mixture is dry on most of the surface of the pot, it may be wet at the bottom. However, for small pots, it can be assumed that if the soil mixture is dry on the surface, it is quite dry throughout the pot. You can determine whether or not to water the plants by simply tapping the pot with your finger. If the earth in a flower pot is dry, the sound will be sonorous, but if it is wet, it will be deaf.

The easiest way to tell if a plant needs watering is to test the soil in the pot with your finger or a wooden stick. Dip your finger into the soil mixture up to the first or second joint. If the soil feels wet, no watering is required. If dry, then there is clearly not enough water in the soil. This technique is a reliable indicator of soil moisture in the entire pot, and can be used for potted plants 20-25 cm high. Avoid checking the moisture content of the mixture with your fingers several times at a time. So you can damage the roots of a small and delicate plant and thereby do more harm than good to it. Check soil moisture with your fingers at the outer edge of the pot rather than at the base of the plant.

You can tell if a plant needs watering by simply lifting the pot. It is clear that a freshly watered potting mix weighs more than a dry one. Plants in plastic containers grown in standard potting mixes weigh about twice as much after watering as dry ones. This is, of course, a rough estimate. The difference in weight depends on the type of pot, the potting mix and the material the pot is made of. However, even plants in clay pots with a heavy potting mix are noticeably lighter when the soil dries out. Applying the "weighing" method takes some practice. Elevate the plant a few times between waterings to feel the difference in weight between wet and dry pots. Then after a while you can easily tell the difference between a lighter pot when the plant needs watering and a heavier pot when it doesn't need watering.

Watering plants in large containers - more than 30 cm high - has always been a problem for indoor plant enthusiasts. Plants growing in deep pots or tubs are constantly in danger of waterlogging. Fortunately, reliable and harmless devices have been developed for determining soil moisture in large containers. On sale you can find various indicators of soil moisture. These instruments measure the amount of water at a certain depth. Insert the indicator plug into the soil about 2/3 of the way. The arrow on the scale will indicate "wet", "dry" or somewhere in between. Water only when the indicator indicates that the soil is dry. Keep in mind that an old, worn out meter gives unreliable readings, so it should be replaced with a new one about once a year. However, even a new meter may give an inaccurate estimate if the soil mixture contains a lot of mineral salts. They can accumulate if you have been watering your plants with hard water for several years. In this case, an inaccurate meter reading indicates that your plants need to replace the old potting mix with a fresh one.

In addition to the standard meter, a sonic moisture meter is available for sale, it indicates when the plant needs watering by ringing, whistling or other sound signal. The sound meter is arranged in the same way as the standard one, but instead of a scale, a sound transmitter is located at the other end. It costs about the same as the standard one. It makes sense to buy one such meter and keep it in a pot with a plant that usually dries out faster than others. When the indicator beeps, it's time to check the rest of the plants using traditional methods.

Each type of plant needs its own watering regimen. This information can be gleaned from the description of the content of a particular plant. Distinguish watering plentiful, moderate and rare. Abundant watering is done immediately after the earthen clod dries. Abundant watering is required for most tropical plants with thin leaves. With moderate watering, the plants are watered not immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two. Moderate watering is required, in particular, for plants with pubescent leaves and stems (African violet, peperomia, etc.) and thick roots and rhizomes (dracaena). With rare watering, the plants are left dry for several days, weeks or even months. This applies to cacti and succulents, as well as plants in their dormant period.

A strict watering regimen for each plant is not easy to maintain, especially if you have a lot of plants. Ideally, you should regularly check the condition of the plant and water it as soon as it is needed. This method brings the best results, because in this case there is an alternation of wet and almost dry soil conditions. Check each plant every 3-4 days using one of the methods described above and water only those plants that currently need it. Recommendations in this matter can only be general.

It is better to water the plants more often and little by little than less often and more abundantly. The main watering is best done in the morning. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it well moistens the entire earthen lump and glass in the pan.

Regular violations of the watering regime affect the appearance of most plants.

The lack of water can be noticed by the following signs:

Leaves and shoots become lethargic;

In plants with hard, leathery leaves, the leaves dry and fall off;

Flowers and buds fall off or quickly wither.

With excess water:

The leaves show signs of rot;

The plant is clearly slower growing;

Mold appears on buds and flowers;

The tips of the leaves turn brown;

Both old and young leaves fall off.

When the potting mix dries out to the point of becoming almost crispy, a curious phenomenon is observed - the potting mix refuses to accept water. No matter how much water you pour, the earth becomes slightly damp only on the surface. This happens because the very dry soil moves away from the walls of the pot and cracks form between the walls and the earthen clod. When you water overdried soil from above, the water flows through these cracks to the bottom and pours into the pan through the drainage hole. The earth ball will remain dry. Therefore, when the earth is too dry, it is useless to water it from above. What to do? Water the leaves and stems of the plant from the shower. Fill a bowl or other container with water at room temperature and completely immerse the plant pot in it, carefully pressing down the pot with a weight (stone or brick) so that it is completely immersed in water. Then add a few drops (no more!) of liquid detergent to the water - this will help reduce the water-repellent properties of overdried soil. After about an hour, remove the plant pot and let the excess water drain. If the plant has revived (not all plants recover after overdrying), it will soon become juicy again. Keep in mind - even when the earthen clod takes its original size, some distance between it and the walls of the pot will remain. Fill this gap with potting mix.

If excess water has accumulated in the pot, it is no less dangerous for the plant than drought. However, in this case, not all is lost. Tap the edge of the pot on a hard surface and remove the pot from the earthen clod. Usually an earthen ball is pierced with roots and retains the shape of a pot. Remove the damaged roots and wrap the earthen ball with a rag or an old kitchen towel - it will absorb excess water from the earthen ball. You may need to change your towel several times.

Then wrap the earth ball in absorbent paper and leave it in it until dry, but do not overdry. When the earth ball is dry, plant the plant in a clean pot with fresh earth mixture.

As a rule, flower pots are sold with a pallet. The pallet is absolutely necessary - excess water flows into it. As a pallet, you can also use saucers or bowls of a suitable size from any material. It is only important that the diameter of the pallet is not less than the upper diameter of the pot. After watering, it is necessary to drain excess water from the pan.

Drainage is a French word. It means the artificial or natural removal of excess fluid, usually from the soil. In indoor floriculture, drainage is used so that water does not stagnate in a pot. Ceramic shards, gravel, pebbles or large expanded clay are suitable for drainage.

A large shard is placed on the drain hole with the convex side up, or a handful of smaller shards, then a layer of coarse-grained sand is poured and the plant itself is planted on top of this. Since there are not always shards at hand, it is easier to arrange drainage from expanded clay.

If the pot has a hole for water to drain, then 1 cm of large expanded clay should be placed on the bottom. If there is no hole, then the height of the expanded clay layer should be at least 3-5 cm. In general, it should be about a quarter of the height of the container.

Although traditionally plants are watered from a watering can, there is another way - watering from below. With this method, the so-called capillary effect is triggered - there is a movement of water from more humid layers to drier ones. When the soil is almost dry, place the pot in a tray of water and the moisture will begin to flow through the soil and the roots of the plant.

When pouring from below, you simply fill the tray with water. If the water drains quickly from the pan, add a little more. After about an hour, all the soil will be damp and its surface will be shiny with moisture. When the plant has sucked up all the water it needs, pour out the rest of the water from the pan. Watering from below is preferable for plants with pubescent leaves or with a lush rosette of leaves.

Plants that you water from below are better able to meet their moisture needs. However, at the same time, you will have to change the soil mixture with them more often, since excess mineral salts will accumulate in the soil faster.

Watering from above seems to be a more "natural" way of watering, since in nature plants get their moisture from rain. On the other hand, it is not the source of moisture that is important for the plant, but the result - moist soil. Therefore, it is not so important whether you water from above or below. When watering from above, make sure that water does not fall on the leaves. Many plants have very tender leaves and stems that are stained by water drops. In addition, water droplets on light focus the light like lenses, and even dense and leathery leaves can be burned. Therefore, when watering from above, be sure to lift the leaves or move them to the side so that water only falls on the soil.

Plants in hanging pots often hang quite high, and watering them causes certain difficulties. For convenience, you can buy a special watering can, which will greatly facilitate the watering of such plants. It consists of a plastic bottle with a long tube that bends at the end. There is such a watering can is quite inexpensive.

Plants are preferably watered with soft water, i.e. water with a low salt content. If the water in your area is soft, then tap water is fine for irrigation. Hardy plant species can be watered directly from the tap, but this should not be abused: there are not so many such plants. It is better that the water settles for about a day. During this time, bubbles of gases, especially chlorine and fluorine, will come out of it. Fluoride is very harmful to indoor plants. For irrigation, you can also use rainwater, melted snow and well water.

Hard water contains a lot of soluble calcium and magnesium salts. It is very harmful to plants. The surface of the roots of plants is covered with skin, which works as a kind of filter.

It lets in and keeps only what the plants need inside. When watering with hard water, the filter “clogs” - remember the scale on the walls of the kettle! As a result, the roots begin to absorb water and nutrients poorly. The plant is starving. In such a situation, an increase in watering only leads to rotting of the roots and death of the plant. A sign indicating hard water is a yellowish-white coating on the surface of the soil, on the walls of the pot, and sometimes on the stems of the plant.

To soften hard water, wood ash is added to it at the rate of 3 g (1/2 teaspoon) per liter of water. You can also add acetic or oxalic acid to the water. This must be done very carefully, checking the pH until the desired value is set (5.5-6.5).

Filtered hard water, i.e. water that has passed through a demineralizer or osmotic filtration system, will not harm your plants. To soften hard water, special cartridges for filters and tablets are produced - water softeners (the so-called pH tablets). If for some reason the described methods of softening hard water are not available to you, you can water the plants, especially tender ones, with boiled water.

Water for irrigation should be at room temperature. It is even better to take water warmer by 2-3 ° C. Don't neglect this rule. Remember that by pouring cold water on heat-loving tropical plants, you can damage their roots and leaves.

Yes, there are such ways. Firstly, this is the so-called self-watering pot. Secondly, the cultivation of plants in a hydroponic system. In both cases, watering will require your attention once every 1 - 2 months, and in between, the plants will be provided with water automatically. In addition, there are substrates, such as hydrogels and granules, which are able to retain water in the soil for a long time and give it to plants as needed.

None of the conditions for growing houseplants require as much attention as watering. It must be controlled throughout the year. It is in this area that novice houseplant lovers make the most mistakes. They either flood the plants with water, believing that in this way they will make them happy, or they completely forget that it needs water. As a result, the plant receives either too much water or too little; both can simply destroy him.

What determines the need for water in plants?

It may seem that all plants need to be moistened a certain number of times each week. However, it is not. Each plant has its own requirements for watering - it depends on the size of the plants, the size of the pot, the time of year, temperature and light, soil quality and the need for moisture inherent in a particular species. For example, on cloudy days the plant needs less moisture, but on sunny days it needs more water. During the warm summer months, plants need abundant watering, and in cool weather they need less water. Even under stable conditions, a constant amount of water is not a guarantee of success, because the plant grows in size and, accordingly, the amount of water it needs increases.

Water more often and more abundantly:

✓ plants in clay pots;

✓ plants with large or thin leaves;

✓ plants with thin stems;

✓ plants in the period of active growth;

✓ plants with strong root system;

✓ flowering plants;

✓ plants with hanging stems;

✓ in the warm season and at high temperature in the room;

✓ in bright light;

✓ with dry air;

✓ with open windows.

Less moisture require:

✓ plants in plastic pots;

✓ plants with thick leaves with a wax coating;

✓ plants devoid of leaves;

✓ plants with thick stems;

✓ plants at rest;

✓ newly transplanted plants;

✓ plants with poorly developed root system;

✓ weak and depleted plants;

✓ at low air temperature in the room;

✓ on cloudy days or in low light;

✓ at high air humidity;

✓ when there is no air movement in the room.

For example, orchids from the genus Dendrobium are watered no more than once a week.

How can you tell if a plant needs watering?

The experience of many lovers of indoor floriculture has developed an exact criterion: it is time to water the plant when the earth mixture in the pot becomes dry. The only problem is that the mixture, which seems dry on top, remains wet in the middle of the pot. You water thinking the ground is practically dry. In fact, you oversaturate it with water from the middle of the pot to the very bottom, which is no less harmful to plants than drying out the soil. How to understand in what condition an earthen lump is: wet, dry or almost dry? Sometimes this can be determined "by eye" and "by ear".

The color of the earth mixture depends on whether it is wet or dry. A wet mixture is dark brown, while a dry or nearly dry mixture becomes pale brown and dull. One common technique, therefore, is to water the plants when the earth mixture begins to turn pale. However, the estimate "by eye" is not always reliable. When the mixture is dry on most of the surface of the pot, it may be wet at the bottom. However, for small pots, it can be assumed that if the soil mixture is dry on the surface, it is quite dry throughout the pot. You can determine whether or not to water the plants by simply tapping the pot with your finger. If the earth in the flower pot is dry, the sound will be sonorous, but if it is wet, it will be deaf.

The easiest way to tell if a plant needs watering is to test the soil in the pot with your finger or a wooden stick. Dip your finger into the soil mixture up to the first or second joint. If the soil feels wet, no watering is required. If dry, then there is clearly not enough water in the soil. This technique is a reliable indicator of soil moisture in the entire pot, and can be used for potted plants 20-25 cm high. Avoid checking the moisture content of the mixture with your fingers several times at a time. So you can damage the roots of a small and delicate plant and thereby do more harm than good to it. Check soil moisture with your fingers at the outer edge of the pot rather than at the base of the plant.

You can tell if a plant needs watering by simply lifting the pot. It is clear that a freshly watered potting mix weighs more than a dry one. Plants in plastic containers grown in standard potting mixes weigh about twice as much after watering as dry ones. This is, of course, a rough estimate. The difference in weight depends on the type of pot, the potting mix and the material the pot is made of. However, even plants in clay pots with a heavy potting mix are noticeably lighter when the soil dries out. Applying the "weighing" method takes some practice. Elevate the plant a few times between waterings to feel the difference in weight between wet and dry pots. Then after a while you can easily tell the difference between a lighter pot when the plant needs watering and a heavier pot when it doesn't need watering.

How do soil moisture indicators work?

Watering plants in large containers - more than 30 cm tall - has always been a challenge for indoor plant enthusiasts. Plants growing in deep pots or tubs are constantly in danger of waterlogging. Fortunately, reliable and harmless devices have been developed for determining soil moisture in large containers. On sale you can find various indicators of soil moisture. These instruments measure the amount of water at a certain depth. Insert the indicator plug into the soil about 2/3 of the way. The arrow on the scale will indicate "wet", "dry" or somewhere in between. Water only when the indicator indicates that the soil is dry. Keep in mind that an old, worn-out meter gives unreliable readings, so it should be replaced with a new one about once a year. However, even a new meter may give an inaccurate estimate if the soil mixture contains a lot of mineral salts. They can accumulate if you have been watering your plants with hard water for several years. In this case, an inaccurate meter reading indicates that your plants need to replace the old potting mix with a fresh one.

In addition to the standard meter, a sonic moisture meter is available for sale, it indicates when the plant needs watering by ringing, whistling or other sound signal. The sound meter is arranged in the same way as the standard one, but instead of a scale, a sound transmitter is located at the other end. It costs about the same as the standard one. It makes sense to buy one such meter and keep it in a pot with a plant that usually dries out faster than others. When the indicator beeps, it's time to check the rest of the plants using traditional methods.

What is a watering schedule?

Each type of plant needs its own watering regimen. This information can be gleaned from the description of the content of a particular plant. Distinguish watering plentiful, moderate and rare. Abundant watering is done immediately after the earthen clod dries. Abundant watering is required for most tropical plants with thin leaves. With moderate watering, the plants are watered not immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two. Moderate watering is required, in particular, for plants with pubescent leaves and stems (African violet, peperomia, etc.) and thick roots and rhizomes (dracaena). With rare watering, the plants are left dry for several days, weeks or even months. This applies to cacti and succulents, as well as plants in their dormant period.

How to set watering mode?

A strict watering regimen for each plant is not easy to maintain, especially if you have a lot of plants. Ideally, you should regularly check the condition of the plant and water it as soon as it is needed. This method brings the best results, because in this case there is an alternation of wet and almost dry soil conditions. Check each plant every 3-4 days using one of the methods described above and water only those plants that currently need it. Recommendations in this matter can only be general.

It is better to water the plants more often and little by little than less often and more abundantly. The main watering is best done in the first half of the day. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it well moistens the entire earthen lump and glass in the pan.

What are the signs of water shortage?

Regular violations of the watering regime affect the appearance of most plants.

The lack of water can be noticed by the following signs:

The leaves are drooping;

Leaves and shoots become lethargic;

In plants with hard, leathery leaves, the leaves dry and fall off;

What are the consequences of overwatering?

With excess water:

The leaves show signs of rot;

The plant is clearly slower growing;

Mold appears on buds and flowers;

The tips of the leaves turn brown;

How to save an overdried plant?

When the potting mix dries out so much that it becomes almost crispy, a curious phenomenon is observed - the potting mix refuses to accept water. No matter how much water you pour, the earth becomes slightly damp only on the surface. This happens because the very dry soil moves away from the walls of the pot and cracks form between the walls and the earthen clod. When you water overdried soil from above, the water flows through these cracks to the bottom and pours into the pan through the drainage hole. The earth ball will remain dry. Therefore, when the earth is too dry, it is useless to water it from above. What to do? Water the leaves and stems of the plant from the shower. Fill a bowl or other container with water at room temperature and completely immerse the plant pot in it, carefully pressing down the pot with a weight (stone or brick) so that it is completely immersed in water. Then add a few drops (no more!) of liquid detergent to the water - this will help reduce the water-repellent properties of overdried soil. After about an hour, remove the plant pot and let the excess water drain. If the plant has revived (not all plants recover after overdrying), it will soon become juicy again. Please note - even when the earthen ball takes its original size, some distance between it and the walls of the pot will remain. Fill this gap with potting mix.

How to save a flooded plant?

If excess water has accumulated in the pot, it is no less dangerous for the plant than drought. However, in this case, not all is lost. Tap the edge of the pot on a hard surface and remove the pot from the earthen clod. Usually an earthen ball is pierced with roots and retains the shape of a pot. Remove the damaged roots and wrap the earthen ball with a rag or an old kitchen towel - it will absorb excess water from the earthen ball. You may need to change your towel several times.

Then wrap the earth ball in absorbent paper and leave it in it until dry, but do not overdry. When the earth ball is dry, plant the plant in a clean pot with fresh earth mixture.

What should be the pallet size?

As a rule, flower pots are sold with a pallet. The pallet is absolutely necessary - excess water flows into it. As a pallet, you can also use saucers or bowls of a suitable size from any material. It is only important that the diameter of the pallet is not less than the upper diameter of the pot. After watering, it is necessary to drain excess water from the pan.

What is drainage?

Drainage is a French word. It means the artificial or natural removal of excess fluid, usually from the soil. In indoor floriculture, drainage is used so that water does not stagnate in a pot. Ceramic shards, gravel, pebbles or large expanded clay are suitable for drainage.

A large shard is placed on the drain hole with the convex side up, or a handful of smaller shards, then a layer of coarse-grained sand is poured and the plant itself is planted on top of this. Since there are not always shards at hand, it is easier to arrange drainage from expanded clay.

If the pot has a hole for water to drain, then 1 cm of large expanded clay should be placed on the bottom. If there is no hole, then the height of the expanded clay layer should be at least 3-5 cm. In general, it should be about a quarter of the height of the container.

How is bottom watering done?

Although traditionally plants are watered from a watering can, there is another way - watering from below. With this method, the so-called capillary effect is triggered - there is a movement of water from more humid layers to drier ones. When the soil is almost dry, place the pot in a tray of water and the moisture will begin to flow through the soil and the roots of the plant.

When pouring from below, you simply fill the tray with water. If the water drains quickly from the pan, add a little more. After about an hour, all the soil will be damp and its surface will be shiny with moisture. When the plant has sucked up all the water it needs, pour out the rest of the water from the pan. Watering from below is preferable for plants with pubescent leaves or with a lush rosette of leaves.

Plants that you water from below are better able to meet their moisture needs. However, at the same time, you will have to change the soil mixture with them more often, since excess mineral salts will accumulate in the soil faster.

What is the best way to water plants?

Watering from above seems to be a more "natural" way of watering, since in nature plants get their moisture from rain. On the other hand, it is not the source of moisture that is important for the plant, but the result - moist soil. Therefore, it is not so important whether you water from above or below. When watering from above, make sure that water does not fall on the leaves. Many plants have very tender leaves and stems that are stained by water drops. In addition, water droplets on light focus the light like lenses, and even dense and leathery leaves can be burned. Therefore, when watering from above, be sure to lift the leaves or move them to the side so that water only falls on the soil.

How to water plants in hanging pots?

Plants in hanging pots often hang quite high, and watering them causes certain difficulties. For convenience, you can buy a special watering can, which will greatly facilitate the watering of such plants. It consists of a plastic bottle with a long tube that bends at the end. There is such a watering can is quite inexpensive.

What kind of water to water indoor plants?

Plants are preferably watered with soft water, i.e. water with a low salt content. If the water in your area is soft, then tap water is fine for irrigation. Hardy plant species can be watered directly from the tap, but this should not be abused: there are not so many such plants. It is better that the water settles for about a day. During this time, bubbles of gases, especially chlorine and fluorine, will come out of it. Fluoride is very harmful to indoor plants. For irrigation, you can also use rainwater, melted snow and well water.

What is "hard water"?

Hard water contains a lot of soluble calcium and magnesium salts. It is very harmful to plants. The surface of the roots of plants is covered with skin, which works as a kind of filter.

It lets in and keeps only what the plants need inside. When watering with hard water, the filter “clogs” - remember the scale on the walls of the kettle! As a result, the roots begin to absorb water and nutrients poorly. The plant is starving. In such a situation, an increase in watering only leads to rotting of the roots and death of the plant. A sign indicating hard water is a yellowish-white coating on the surface of the soil, on the walls of the pot, and sometimes on the stems of the plant.

How to soften hard water?

To soften hard water, wood ash is added to it at the rate of 3 g (1/2 teaspoon) per liter of water. You can also add acetic or oxalic acid to the water. This must be done very carefully, checking the pH until the desired value is set (5.5-6.5).

Filtered hard water, i.e. water that has passed through a demineralizer or osmotic filtration system, will not harm your plants. To soften hard water, special filter cartridges and water softener tablets (the so-called pH tablets) are produced. If for some reason the described methods of softening hard water are not available to you, you can water the plants, especially tender ones, with boiled water.

What should be the water temperature for irrigation?

Water for irrigation should be at room temperature. It is even better to take water warmer by 2-3 ° C. Don't neglect this rule. Remember that by pouring cold water on heat-loving tropical plants, you can damage their roots and leaves.

Are there ways to self-regulate soil moisture?

Yes, there are such ways. Firstly, this is the so-called self-watering pot. Secondly, the cultivation of plants in a hydroponic system. In both cases, watering will require your attention once every 1 - 2 months, and in between the plants will be provided with water automatically. In addition, there are substrates, such as hydrogels and granules, which are able to retain water in the soil for a long time and give it to plants as needed.

Watering is a necessary condition for plant life. Growing without watering is impossible for any plant, they all need water. Many people water their plants "how it goes", on occasion, but do not wonder how flowers should be watered. But in order for the plants to always look beautiful, so that watering brings maximum benefit to them, you need to know some rules for watering houseplants. So,

1. What water to water indoor flowers?

Water for watering plants can be ordinary tap water, but settled for at least a day. In order for the chlorine to evaporate, it is necessary to defend the water in an open container. Soft water for irrigation is best. Tap water is mostly hard. Even harder water from wells, it is not at all suitable for watering indoor plants.

How to soften such water for irrigation? It is enough to boil it for 3-5 minutes. When boiling, most of the harmful salts precipitate, and the water becomes soft.

It is undesirable to water the plants with distilled water, because. it does not contain mineral salts necessary for plants. The exceptions are azaleas, gardenias, ferns, camellias, orchids and some predator plants, for which watering with distilled water is even desirable, because. they need to be watered only with soft water.

It is better not to use water from pump rooms and from cylinders for watering domestic plants, because. its composition is not known to you, and such water can harm the plant.

Since most tap water is alkaline, it must be neutralized. If this is not done, the soil becomes alkaline over time, as a result of which the root system of plants suffers. In order to neutralize the alkaline reaction of the aquatic environment, it must be slightly acidified. To do this, just add food-grade citric acid to the water for irrigation at the rate of 1 teaspoon of citric acid per 5 liters of water. Citric acid is added to warm water just before watering.

2. What temperature should the water be for irrigation?

Watering home plants with cold water is unacceptable, because. when watering with such water, the vessels of the root system of plants narrow, and as a result, moisture and nutrition are poorly supplied to their upper part, the root gradually dies off and the plant may die. Watering flowering plants with cold water can cause flowers and ovaries to fall off.

Cold water can and should be watered for plants that are in a dormant period. This prevents premature vegetation and plant depletion. For watering plants that have stopped growing for the period of winter dormancy, they use water that is colder than the air temperature in the room, sometimes even water with snow.

In all other cases, the optimum water temperature for watering domestic plants is + 30-34 ° C, so the water needs to be slightly heated, even in summer. Watering with such water favorably affects the growth and development of plants.

3. What is the water consumption for watering plants?

The plant needs to be watered throughout the entire volume of the flowerpot in small portions so that the soil is saturated with water from top to bottom. You need to water until water appears in the pan. In this case, you can be sure that both the upper and lower parts of the root system will receive a sufficient amount of moisture. After 30 - 40 minutes, the water is removed from the pan. During this time, the root system of the plant will have time to absorb the moisture that it did not have time to absorb during watering. It is impossible to leave water for a longer time, otherwise you can provoke rotting of the root system. If the flowerpot is large and cannot be lifted, you can remove water from the pan with a syringe, sponge, or moisture-absorbing wipes.

4. When is the next watering?

How many times to water home plants is a matter that requires an individual approach. The frequency of watering depends on the type of plant, the volume of the flowerpot, the composition of the soil, the activity of the root system and weather conditions. On cloudy and cool days, plants are watered less often than on clear and sunny days; with dry and warm indoor air, plants need to be watered more abundantly than with humid and colder air; plants in light and loose soil require more frequent watering than those growing in dense, heavy soil.

How to calculate watering? The best guideline for deciding on watering is the drying of an earthen coma. The signal for the need for watering is the drying of the topsoil by 1.5 - 2 cm. Succulent plants are watered after the earthen clod dries to a depth of 3 - 10 cm (the larger the container, the deeper the soil should dry out).

But what if there is no way to water the plants in a timely manner (for example, during the holidays)? How to leave flowers without watering? Can they handle this stress? Read about how to properly organize watering during a vacation or business trip.

Hebe is an exotic plant that is often grown in greenhouses and winter gardens. In the southern regions, it is cultivated as an ordinary garden flower grown in the open field.

What does a hebe flower look like?

The flower attracts attention with leathery shiny leaves. Inflorescences in shape resemble heather in an enlarged size. The length of the inflorescences reaches 10 cm, while they brighten as they bloom. Plants bloom profusely from May to July.

The shades of hebe flowers are different

Description of species:

• Boxwood. container culture. The leaves are similar to boxwood leaves. The maximum height is 50 cm. The inflorescences are white, with a slightly pinkish tint.
• Cypress. Small leaves of green or bronze color resemble needles. Low-growing variety (up to 30 cm).
• Rakayenskaya. Tall species - up to 1 m. The leaves are small, oblong. Unpretentious, tolerates transplant without problems. Frost resistant.
• Thick-leaved. Includes low and medium sized varieties. container culture. The leaves are thick and fleshy. The flowers are white.

In warm regions, they are grown as perennials.

Planting a hebe flower and caring for it

These shrubs are picky about the composition of the soil, they can grow well even on poor soils. Negatively, they apply only to heavy clay soil. But still, for young plants, before planting, it is advisable to prepare a good loose substrate from sand, peat, turf and leafy soil.

The plant prefers bright light. But in order for the flower not to suffer due to the abundance of sunlight, at first it must be shaded. Hebe blooms weakly in the shade. These plants love moisture, so watering should be plentiful, the earth should not dry out. In hot weather, it is advisable to spray the bushes regularly. During the period of intensive growth, the shrub needs to be fed with complex fertilizers.

In the spring, you can carry out anti-aging pruning, remove stem cuttings and increase watering.

Irrigation for plants is of exceptional importance, as well as drinking water for humans. Without enough water to dilute the necessary nutrients in the soil, plants not only wither, but also starve. Water is necessary for all physiological processes: photosynthesis, the movement of organic compounds formed as a result of photosynthesis, as well as for the absorption of minerals in the form of soil solutions.

Watering is one of the most important measures to ensure the viability of plants. The task of irrigation should be solved in conjunction with the problem of achieving optimal soil water permeability. The plant can rot from surface waterlogging, while simultaneously experiencing an acute moisture deficit. To increase the permeability of heavy soils (soils for planting), sand, compost, and peat should be added to them. Usually in modern mixtures there are no such problems - everything is balanced.

Irrigation water must be neutral acid-base balance and a minimum amount of toxic impurities(chlorine, fluorine, heavy metals, etc.). The ideal option is natural rain, purified, spring or distilled (then using fertilizers) water. Tap water is moderately suitable for irrigation only after settling for a day and stabilizing the acid-base balance. Activated carbon cleaning removes chlorine and fluorine, but retains calcium and heavy metal salts. You can use filters or purchased water.

The main rule for watering plants: Water only when the soil in the pot is dry. Constant excess moisture is harmful - it leads to disruption of normal air exchange in the soil. The root system needs a constant supply of oxygen. With its lack and with an excess of moisture, the roots gradually die off, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. This means that the plant is flooded. It is necessary to reduce watering, and in some cases, in order to save the plant, you need to cut it off and try to root the cuttings from it, after holding them in water. With strict observance of the main rule, it should be taken into account that watering plants of different groups and species has its own characteristics.

The need of plants for water is determined by their specific features: the structure of above-ground organs, the capacity of the root system, etc. For example, plants with succulent, fleshy leaves (such as agave, aloe, etc.) need less water than plants with large leaves, which sometimes need to be watered twice a day. For bulbous plants, excess moisture is harmful. It is best to water them by directing the stream of water not at the bulb, but closer to the walls of the pot, or water from a pan.

There are plants that are very sensitive to lack of moisture, such as araucaria. When its branches begin to hang down, then no amount of watering will help. Araucaria must be monitored constantly and, in addition to watering, spray the plant - as often as possible, and several times a day.

There are a number of important requirements for irrigation water. Here are the main ones: purity of water, low content of salts and minerals, complete absence of toxic impurities and foreign inclusions, neutral or slightly acidic acid reaction. For irrigation, in most cases, tap water from the public water supply network, well water (outside the city), water from a well, water from a nearby reservoir (that is, river or lake) and rainwater are used. Naturally, each type of water has its own characteristics and characteristics, which indicate the degree of its suitability for irrigation.

Tap water goes through filtration and various stages of purification, what makes it drinkable is known to all. Also, this water is suitable for irrigation, although it is worth noting that the content of minerals in it is quite low and, depending on the season, the chlorine content can increase significantly.

Well water or well water on the contrary, it is distinguished by a high content of salts and minerals, because, passing through the soil, it washes out valuable microelements, which is a positive property for water. But still, the content of mineral substances in water should not be overestimated, since then it will become unsuitable for watering plants.

water from the pond, perhaps the least suitable type of irrigation water, mainly because of the high risk of containing toxic waste, decay products, chemicals, bacteria, foreign inclusions and other dangerous impurities.

Rainwater much softer than tap water, it has an almost neutral acid reaction, and in addition, it has a rather high content of dissolved oxygen. Thanks to all these characteristics, rainwater can be considered very valuable for plants, and there is a very definite sense in collecting it. However, it should be taken into account that in extremely polluted environments, harmful chemical compounds, heavy metals, lime dust (which hardens water), products of combustion of liquid and solid fuels in the form of soot and droplets of oily liquid inevitably get into rainwater, which in significantly reduces the value of rainwater.

To reduce the degree of contamination of rainwater, and therefore the risk associated with it, a number of rules must be observed when collecting it. Since rainwater collection tanks are in the vast majority of cases installed under downspouts and gutters, before entering the barrel, the water flows down the roof, washing away dust, chemicals, soot and other “unfavorable” substances that have settled on it. The water of the first precipitation after a long period of drought is especially heavily polluted, because the amount of dirt accumulated on the roofs is especially high. Therefore, it is not recommended to collect rainwater if there has been no precipitation for a long time before. When the rain takes on a strong and lingering character, you can refuse the volume of water that falls in the first half hour, this time is enough to wash off the main dust containing harmful impurities from the roof. In order to be able to regulate the flow of water into the barrel, a valve can be installed in the water collector, by closing which you will direct water from the downpipe to the ground when its collection in the container is undesirable for one reason or another.

Signs of lack of water

Leaf drooping, loss of turgor by leaves and shoots.

In plants with soft, tender leaves (Vanka wet), they become lethargic and fall. In plants with hard, leathery leaves (ficus, laurel, myrtle oleander, etc.), they dry out and crumble (first of all, old leaves fall off).

Flowers and buds fall off or quickly wither.

Signs of excess water

Leaf drooping, there are soft spots with signs of rot.

Growth retardation

Curled, yellowed and withered leaves, the tips of the leaves are brown.

Both old and young leaves fall off.

Mold on flowers.

There is a golden rule for watering plants - it is better to water less, but more often than less often and in large quantities. It should be noted that the wilting of the leaves is not always associated with a lack of water. This can happen under the influence of sunlight, on the first clear day after a long cloudy weather.

Watering is conditionally divided depending on the characteristics of plants into the following types:

Mandatory watering.

Plants are watered immediately after the earthen clod dries. Such watering is required by most tropical plants with thin delicate leaves, as well as some plants with leathery leaves (for example, lemon, ficus, gardenia, ivy, coffee). Both of them suffer greatly from overdrying: the leaves turn yellow and crumble, or wither and fall, not restoring their former position. All plants need abundant watering during the flowering and growth period: even with a slight dryness, young shoots, buds and flowers may suffer.

Moderate watering.

Plants are not watered immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two, that is, they are slightly dried. This is how plants with fleshy or heavily pubescent stems and leaves, with thick roots and rhizomes (palm trees, dracaena) and also with water-bearing tubers on the roots (asparagus) and bulbs are watered. For some species, light drying is a prerequisite during the dormant period, as it stimulates the laying and maturation of flower buds.

Excessive watering (signs).

Before an over-moisturized plant begins to wilt, it will likely look weak. The plant on the left was watered excessively, the same plant on the right received a normal amount of water.

Rare watering.

Plants are left dry for several days, weeks, months. This applies to succulents (cacti, aloe), as well as to deciduous tuberous and bulbous plants that have a dormant period.

Most plants are watered abundantly in summer, moderately in winter. The main watering is best done in the morning. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it soaks the entire earthen ball well and goes to the saucer. If air bubbles are visible on the surface of the soil, watering is repeated until there are none. Watering a little every day is not recommended, since in this case the water will wet only the top layer of the earth, and the roots located at the bottom of the pot will dry out.

Usually, plants are watered from above, so that the excess of calcium, magnesium and other salts contained in the water, which negatively affects the root system, is absorbed by the upper soil layer, which has fewer roots. Sometimes, fearing the appearance of spots on the leaves or the rotting of tubers when water gets on them, the plants are watered from below, pouring water into the saucer. This should not be done. Spots on the leaves can be avoided if you use warm water, because the spots are formed as a result of a large difference in the temperature of the leaves heated in the sun and cold water. Water from a saucer or planter is drained after watering so that the roots do not rot. This is especially important to do in autumn and winter.

If the water during irrigation does not seep into the saucer, but stagnates on the surface, you need to check if the drainage hole is clogged. Sometimes, on the contrary, the water flows very quickly onto the saucer. This means that the soil is very dry, water flows down the walls of the pot, not having time to wet it. Such plants need to be watered very well, putting them in a basin of tepid water so that it completely covers the pot, and sprinkle with warm water. When air bubbles stop appearing on the surface of the soil, the pots are removed from the water.

Plants should be watered with water at room temperature (18-24 ° C) or a little warmer. At low temperatures, the root system is inactive, therefore, too warm water cannot be used in winter, so as not to cause premature plant growth. In summer, plants are watered with warmer water (up to 30-32 ° C). The hotter the room, the warmer the water used for watering and spraying plants should be. Watering with cold water, especially in a warm room, can cause leaf drop.

Water for irrigation should be soft, slightly acidic, free from calcium and magnesium salts. It is not recommended to use rain and melt water in industrial areas, as it may have an alkaline reaction and contain impurities harmful to plants. More often, for irrigation, you have to use tap water containing chlorine, calcium and magnesium salts, which adversely affect plants. The high content of calcium salts in water leads to the fact that the most important nutrients found in the soil (phosphorus, iron, manganese, aluminum, boron, etc.) pass into compounds that are inaccessible to plants.

A few words about how to ensure the watering of plants during the holidays. Before leaving for a few days, put the plants in a basin filled with water 1/3 of the height of the pot. If you are going to be absent for a longer time (3-4 weeks), fill the containers with peat or earth to a height of 15-20 cm, dig in the plants, after watering them well, and moisten them again. Plants should be placed in a lit place, but not in the sun. There is another way to water. A vessel with water is placed above the plants, from which a woolen or cotton cord is lowered into each pot, which conducts water well. A pot with a plant can be placed above a container of water. In this case, the second end of the cord is inserted into the drainage hole.

watering bonsai

In summer, in dry, hot or windy weather, bonsai are usually watered twice a day (early morning or evening). If the weather is not very dry and hot, then once a day. In winter or in cold, wet weather, the tree is less active and evaporation from the soil surface is slower. Therefore, water once a day if the soil is not frozen and the temperature is positive.

Deciduous types of bonsai need more water in summer than evergreen, coniferous, with specialized leaves that retain moisture better. In winter, on the contrary, deciduous ones consume less water than conifers, which continue, albeit slowly, to grow. Pines relatively painlessly endure the lack of water in the soil, while large-leaved deciduous, especially in hot weather, need abundant and frequent watering.

It is more convenient to water by immersing the container in a vessel with water so that the water covers the surface of the soil. At the same time, the soil lump is not washed away and the soil is impregnated more evenly and completely. Whereas when watering from above, if the top layer dries out, watering is difficult, since water can roll off without wetting the soil. Do not keep the container in a vessel with water for a long time, as the root system may be damaged. Only some plants (for example, swamp cypress) do not suffer from prolonged exposure to water and waterlogging of the soil.

For irrigation, you can use water from reservoirs, rain or tap water. Tap water contains too much calcium and chloride. It must be kept for a day at room temperature so that the chlorides evaporate.

Irrigation water should not be too cold or hot.

In addition to moistening the soil in the container, it is recommended to periodically spray the crown of the plant with water. This technique not only cleans the leaves of the plant from dust, but also moisturizes the air, which is especially important to do as often as possible to maintain the moss cover in the container. However, waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed with frequent spraying. It is not recommended to spray the plant in bright and hot sun.

Watering orchids

One of the most important conditions for the successful cultivation of orchids is the quality of water. Water for plants is not only a source of food and drink at the same time, but also the ability to regulate its temperature.

In nature, plants use rainwater, which is an ultra-weak acid solution. But, unfortunately, it is not a secret for anyone that in cities, far from harmless liquid is pouring from the sky.

For orchids (and for other indoor plants) it is recommended to use soft or moderately hard water. Measuring the hardness of water is not a simple procedure, so let's take it as an axiom that in St. Petersburg and the Baltics the water is soft, in Moscow it is moderately hard, in Kyiv it is very hard. The faster the scale builds up in your kettle, the harder the water.

The easiest way to reduce the hardness of water is to boil it.- in which part of the calcium salts precipitates. Oxalic acid reduces hardness well (you can buy it in chemical reagent stores, sometimes in flower shops, for example, I saw it in the House of Violets on Nagatinskaya Street). It is done like this: Add about 1/8 teaspoon of acid (it is in powder) to a 5-liter canister of cold tap water. We defend the water during the day in an open container, it is even better to cut off the very top part of the canister in order to enlarge the neck. Water must be defended necessarily open due to the fact that during the chemical reaction of the binding of calcium salts, volatile chlorine compounds are formed, which must evaporate. After a day, an insoluble precipitate of calcium salts falls to the bottom of the canister. The resulting water must be carefully, trying not to shake the sediment, drain into a clean bowl. Just in case, I never pour out the water to the end - I leave about half a liter somewhere so that sediment does not get in. The canister should be transparent - it is more convenient to monitor the sediment. In my practice, if water with acid has been settled for more than 2 days, the sediment ceases to stir up and drain clean water safely.

Another way is to immerse a bag of high-moor peat in a bucket of water overnight - the water is also acidified.

If you water plants with distilled water, then remember that it is completely desalted. Therefore, distilled water must either be mixed with ordinary settled water, or special fertilizers should be dissolved in it.

Iron water is even more dangerous for orchids than hard water. Such water, when settling, becomes cloudy and has a noticeable taste of rust.

An equally important condition for the suitability of water is its acidity. Acidic water - pH less than 5 and is very rare. Alkaline water is easy to acidify with ordinary lemon. If your water shows a pH above 7 (you can measure it either with pH meters or litmus paper - sold in chemical reagent stores), then by dripping lemon juice you lower the pH value to 6, and measure how many drops you need for what volume water flowing from your tap.

Properly prepared water is useful to saturate with oxygen before watering.- for this, you just need to pour it in a thin stream from one container to another. The water temperature should be room temperature or slightly higher. Phalaenopsis, for example, prefer warm water.

The easiest way is to either use filtered water or water your plants (including bonsai and orchids) with store-bought water. An option is to buy special oxygen water, which is good for both humans and animals and plants, an example of such water is.

Watering rules

It is best to water the plants only with soft rain, river or pond water. Hard water (including well water) containing various salts should be avoided. Aroids, azaleas, orchids, ferns, and camellias are especially resistant to hard water. Well tolerate watering with hard water, those plants that grow on calcareous soils.

Keep in mind that rainwater can be polluted by industrial emissions if you live in an industrial area or not far from it.

Chlorinated water from the water supply is defended for at least a day, so that the chlorine has time to evaporate.

The water temperature should be at least at least room temperature. This rule is especially important when watering tropical plants. Cacti are recommended to be watered with warmer water. Watering plants with cold water can cause root rot, bud drop, and even plant death. On the contrary, watering plants with warm water in a cold room is also undesirable, because. this will cause the plant to grow prematurely.

Successful floriculture is only possible if you learn how to water your plants on time and in the right amount, and this is not easy.

The task of proper watering is to give each plant exactly the amount of water it needs in given conditions.

When buying a new plant, beginner flower growers often ask: “how many times a week does it need to be watered?”.

It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Watering depends on the size of the room and temperature, the size of the pot and the material from which it is made, the composition of the soil, the condition of the root system, the period of growth or dormancy.
If the same plant in the summer on the balcony at a temperature of 25 ° C requires daily watering, and in a room at the same temperature it is necessary to water it only once every 3 days. In winter, the same plant at a temperature of 16 ° C is watered once a week.

Let's try to understand this issue in more detail.

Plant water needs

Plant tissues consist of 80% or more water; with a lack of moisture, many life processes get lost. Usually the roots constantly supply water to the aerial part of the plant, and the leaves evaporate it. If the plant is dry and hot, more water evaporates, so the plant is protected from wilting and sunburn. If there is insufficient watering and the land is dry, there will be nothing to evaporate, there comes a point when the plants begin to wither and may die.

If the plant is tropical and accustomed to constantly moist soil, then it does not have the "habit" to store water. There are, of course, exceptions, for example, Epiphytes have reservoirs for water - funnels of closed leaves or thick succulent leaves and roots.

If the plant belongs to climatic zones where rainy seasons are replaced by dry ones, they are able to adapt by accumulating water in stems, leaves, rhizomes.

Some plants, resisting drying out, shed their leaves during the dry season or simply close the stomata on the leaves, which are additionally protected by dense pubescence, dense skin, wax coating, etc. Plants of deserts and semi-deserts are especially not critical to the lack of moisture. They accumulate water in leaves, stems, or even changed leaves for thorns, at the same time defending themselves from thirsty animals.

Definition by appearance

The appearance of the plant tells us how often it needs to be watered and how much moisture the soil in the pot should be.

Plants with heavily dissected leaves orlarge light and thin leaves, as well as thin, tender roots, do not approve of the complete drying of the substrate. But waterlogging is also dangerous for these species. roots do not receive oxygen for respiration. At home, the roots of plants are in loose soils from rotting branches, leaves and other organic materials.

If the leaves, stems or roots of tropical or subtropical plants are succulent and thickened, they are adapted to the lack of moisture and do not need constant moisture. Such plants are watered after the top of the substrate dries. Succulent plants from arid habitats are watered in summer only after the earthen coma has completely dried. In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum or stops altogether.

The most "convenient" for beginner flower growers are those pets that, with a lack of moisture, lower the leaves, but after watering they immediately restore the elasticity of the shoots. Hibiscus takes less than an hour to do this. But there are plants that do not forgive the complete drying of the substrate and die. These include ferns, fuchsias, azaleas, gardenias, conifers. The latter can have a decent appearance for a long time, despite the dried roots, especially in a cool room, and then turn yellow and crumble.

Waterlogging

Excessive watering is much more likely than other owner mistakes to shorten the life of plants. This is "helped" by the use of purely peat soils, which have a very high moisture capacity,

Often watered still wet soil. Meanwhile, in room culture, there is only one plant that likes it, though only in heat. Cyperus can be placed in a pot with water or in a pool, because they grow in their homeland along the banks of rivers like our cattail. Most indoor plants, being in waterlogged soil, cease to grow normally, putrefactive diseases of the roots develop, and brown spots appear on the leaves. From the roots, the disease quickly passes through the vessels to the shoots, and the plant quickly dies.

Watering rules

Only practice will help to understand the rules of watering. First you need to focus on the weight of the pot, if you salted the plant yourself and know what is used as drainage and what is the composition of the soil. It is easier to learn to distinguish the earth of different moisture content. Even very experienced flower growers, not trusting their eyes, try the earth to the touch so as not to water it once again.

With occasional poor watering, the soil contains very little moisture and looks completely dry on the surface a couple of days after watering. At the same time, at the bottom of the pot, the earth is usually slightly moistened.

Moderate watering is recommended for most indoor plants. It is adjusted so that the soil is constantly slightly moist throughout the depth of the container. Wet surface looks only immediately after watering. But there should be no water in the pan, and if water remains half an hour after watering, it is drained. If after a day or two the surface of the earth has dried up, this does not always mean that it is time for watering.

If you stick a thin, dry splinter almost to the bottom, you can see wet soil particles adhering to it. water. of course, it is still early, but the surface of the substrate can be sprayed. In order for the soil in the pot to dry out evenly, you can cover its surface with a layer of moss, use clay pots or high drainage. A lot also depends on the shape of the pot. The soil dries faster and more evenly in wide, low containers, and in narrow conical and tall pots, the top of the earth can be completely dry, while the soil at the bottom is still waterlogged.

Therefore, plants that are afraid of waterlogging, such as alocasia, are more suitable for low containers, and for conifers, a low bowl is a big risk.

Abundant watering is recommended for few plants, and mostly in summer. A well-hydrated pound has absorbed maximum water. This happens when a vessel with a plant is placed in a container of water and left until completely saturated. As a rule, only in this way it is possible to burn plants in which, for one reason or another, the soil protrudes as a mound above the surface of the pot, for example, in trees grown using the bonsai technique. If planted incorrectly, water can flow down the walls of the container during irrigation and go into the pan, although the earthen clod remains almost dry. The plant withers, although it is often watered.

It is enough to put it "on the underfloor", as air will begin to come out of the dried earthen clod. To evenly moisten the soil, it is necessary to compact it well near the walls of the pot when planting.

There are a few more rules regarding watering.

The higher the air temperature, the more water the plants need. The larger the pot, the less often the plant planted in it is watered. In clay pots, the earth dries out faster than in plastic ones.

Water quality

What should be the quality of oxen for irrigation?

Of course, it should not be rusty and not too hard, without chlorine, not cold. There is an easy way to determine how much calcium is in your tap water. When spraying plants with elastic dark green, glossy leaves, too hard water leaves noticeable whitish spots. Less rigid leaves stains, and soft leaves practically no traces. In most cases, plants require very little calcium salts, their excess settles on the roots, on the walls of the pot, on expanded clay drainage, protrudes on the surface of the substrate and eventually leads to root diseases.

There are several ways to soften water for irrigation. It is best to use a special filter, but you can dilute hard water with boiled or distilled water. It is impossible to water the plants only with water poured from the tap due to the presence of chlorine and other substances used for disinfection in it. In addition, it is always colder than necessary. When settling, chlorine evaporates, calcium salts concentrate at the bottom; and its temperature rises to room temperature.

It remains to carefully pour half of the settled water into the watering can, add a little boiling water so that the temperature is several degrees higher than room temperature, and you can start watering. It is even easier to use hot water that has cooled to the desired temperature for irrigation, which, as a rule, does not contain excess salts calcium and chlorine. Sometimes the water for irrigation has to be slightly acidified with lemon juice or citric acid if the substrate becomes alkalized and the plants show chlorosis.

"Indoor and garden plants" No. 48 (148)

Olga Gorbatova
Labor in nature "Teaching children to water indoor plants" (younger group)

Program tasks:

Learn children practical skills watering

introduce children with the structure of the labor process

Cultivate an attitude towards plants as to living beings, to cultivate the desire to regret plant effectively help him

vocabulary work:

Plant, watering can, pot with a pallet, stem, leaves, root, water, wet earth, beautiful, healthy.

Equipment:

Models labor process, apron, oilcloth, watering can, flower in a pot with a tray

Aprons, oilcloths, water cans, flowers in pots with a pallet

preliminary work:

Watching plant(acquaintance with the features of appearance, structure, observation of plant in favorable and unfavorable conditions (lack of moisture, observation of the labor of a teacher to water the plants of a corner of nature(acquaintance with the model labor process)

OD move

Organization children:

Children stand at tables arranged with the letter P

Introduction

Children, Mishka came to us and brought a flower with him.

The bear greets the children.

Guys, let's ask Mishka why he is so sad, not funny?

Bear says he is sad because his favorite the plant was so beautiful, as in the picture (shows the model, you have now become like this (shows plant) . Mishka says he doesn't know what happened to him, he's sorry plant That's why he's sad.

And you feel sorry for Mishkino plant? (yeah, sorry)

Let's take pity on Mishka, say kind words to him, don't cry Mishka, we will help you, and you will be cheerful, joyful again.

Children, why Mishkino the plant became?What did he forget to do?

Let's hear what he's asking plant.

The plant asks to have it watered and then it will get better.

Guys, Mishka says he can't water now probably his the plant will die.

Children, can we help Mishka? (Can)

How? (we can teach him water the plant)

goal setting:

Let's teach Mishka the right way water the plant

Children, we want plant how did you feel? (Good)

To become what? (speaks with children; to plant it felt good to have the leaves pointing up, for the stalk to look up, for the ground to be moist). In order not to forget about it, put a picture (model - plant in good condition)

Which plant now? (survey in progress plants: condition of leaves, stem, ground). In order not to forget what plant now, put a picture (model - plant in poor condition). plant need to help soon. To do this, you need to choose the right tools.

Children, Mishka says that he knows what to do.

Look, he brought a watering can. Look, the watering can has a handle so that we can hold the watering can, the watering can has a spout, water pours out of the spout, there is a hole, water is poured into the watering can into this hole.

Children, what is missing in Mishka's watering can? (water)

What kind of watering can you take? In order not to forget that you need to take a watering can with water, put a picture (model - means labor: watering can)

Now what are we going to do?

Children, Mishka says that he remembered how water and wants to show us (Mishka holds a watering can with one hand, pours water on the leaves, under the root, wants to pour all the water from the watering can at once).

Bear, you are wrong. watering the plant. You can not pour water under the root and on the leaves, and immediately pour out all the water from the watering can. The plant may die.

Look, children, how will I be water the plant. Before starting work, I will put on an apron so as not to wet or stain my clothes. The flower is in a pot with a pallet on an oilcloth. I take a watering can with water, I put the spout of the watering can to the edge of the pot, pour water slowly, gradually until water appears on the pan.

In order not to forget that the plant needs to be watered put a picture(model labor actions) .

Children, what will become plant if we water it right? ( plant will be in good condition, the stem will be even, the drooping sluggish leaves will also rise, they will be even, elastic.)

Let's put a picture so we don't forget (model - plant in good condition)

Anchoring

Before starting work, what will we do? (put on an apron)

How are we going to hold the watering can? (nose at the edge of the pot)

How much water will we pour? (until water appears on the pan)

What will become plant after watering? (plant will be in good condition)

Independent work

Bear, yours we helped the plant now it will get better.

Some the plants in our group need help too, water them so that they do not become like in the picture (showing the model - plant in poor condition)

Children, do you want to help?

Then you need to find plants who are thirsty. Like the picture (Model Shown) plants in poor condition)

The bear, together with the teacher, is watching child labor I ask clarifying questions. When difficulties I come to help children.

I remind the children that it is time to finish work and that they need to put the workplace in order.

Didactic game "Where did the Bear hide?"

Didactic task: specify the name of acquaintances plants

game rule: Find Bear

game action: finding a playable character and naming plants behind which he hid

Children, soon our plants will become as beautiful, healthy as in the picture (showing the model - plant in good condition)

They will feel good. We did two good deeds today: helped plants and taught Mishka to water his plant.

The bear says thank you to all of you, now it plant will feel good. He is very happy about it. Now Mishka has learned water the plant, and will always take care of it so that it is in good condition and pleases with its beauty.

Children, are you glad you helped? plants? (emotionally share joy children)

For any houseplant, the correctness or incorrectness of care is almost always associated with the quality of watering. The ability to find a balance, to approach the process of soil moisture reasonably, not to go to extremes and “listen” to the plants is the main rule of correct watering. But not the only one. After all, finding a middle ground between scarce and excessive watering is not at all easy. The basic rules for watering indoor plants will help you avoid major mistakes with this important procedure. Let's get to know them better.

1. Quality watering starts with water quality

Houseplants should not be watered with water with unverified characteristics, especially tap water, not settled, cold or hot. The water temperature must match the air temperature in the room. It is necessary to defend it before watering for at least 2-3 days.

The ideal option is melted, rain (subject to a favorable environmental situation) or filtered "drinking" water. It is better not to water indoor plants with boiled water (with rare exceptions), and mineralization is generally strictly prohibited. Some plants may need distilled water.

2. Watering should be carried out only when they are needed.

Checking the degree of drying of the substrate and controlling the rate of moisture consumption by the plant at different stages of development will help to avoid gross mistakes with watering. Whatever the standard recommendations, you need to judge the need for watering only by the soil.

Before taking on a watering can, it is worth checking whether the plant needs watering:

• Check the moisture content of the top layer of the substrate (surface and at a depth of 1 to 2 cm, lightly rubbing the earth between your fingers;
• Compare whether the pot has become lighter (the weight of the pot before and after watering is significantly different).

3. No watering for everyone at once!

Setting aside a specific day/days of the week for watering and watering all the plants at the same time indiscriminately is the biggest mistake. It's definitely more convenient that way. But indoor plants are all different, and it is also worth watering them at different times.

Indoor plants can be grouped according to the degree of moisture-loving (hygrophilous, moderately moisture-loving or drought-resistant) and even by origin (desert, subtropical, tropical). But it's best to check individual variety and species recommendations and draw up a schedule for each plant.

A good strategy is to keep simple records or spreadsheets, or use pot tags and tags with information about:

• with what frequency and abundance it is necessary to water the plant at different stages of development;
• how much water can be left in the trays;
• what should be the water.

Always highlight with special "markers" plants that are watered through pallets, by wicking, by pouring water into leaf funnels or by immersion.

Indoor plants can be grouped according to the degree of moisture-loving (hygrophilous, moderately moisture-loving or drought-resistant). © uhc

4. Extremes are unacceptable

Drought and waterlogging are two poles in determining improper watering. Both are considered invalid. The substrate for any houseplant should not be wet in the upper 2-3 cm for longer than a few minutes after watering.

Even for moisture-loving species, the top layer of the substrate should be allowed to dry until the next watering. And for plants that are drought-resistant and require minimal watering, it is not worth bringing the matter to the complete drying of the substrate at the bottom of the pot (except for bulbous and tuberous plants that winter in complete dryness, and cacti that can withstand dryness).

Emergencies, including departures, happen to all flower growers. But if regular care is careless, allow constant overflows or underfill plants, then you should not expect health and beauty from them.

In watering indoor plants, one rule always works: not topping up a little is always better than overdoing it with the amount of water.

5. Frequency and Abundance of Watering Are Equally Important

Watering is frequent (daily or every other day), medium or moderately frequent (every 2-3 days) and rare (no more than once a week). But in addition to frequency, the quality of soil wetting is also important for all indoor plants.

How much the substrate will be saturated with water - the abundance of irrigation - is determined by a few upper centimeters of soil. Abundant or generous watering immediately makes the soil very wet, after a couple of minutes - damp, and only after a while - wet.

With standard moderate watering, the soil is not damp: after sputum, it should become evenly moist in a couple of minutes. And light waterings are those in which the soil with a little damp immediately becomes wet.

Determine the degree of humidity tactilely:

• wet soil “drips”, when the substrate is compressed, drops of water appear;
• damp soil is easily crumpled and sticky;
• wet rolls, wrinkles, but does not stick to the hand;
• dry - crumbles when squeezed.

Any watering is considered correct only when the amount of water allows the entire earthen ball to be wetted evenly, to the lowest layers - so that a little water stands out from the drainage holes not immediately, but some time after watering.

Draining too quickly or no water in the sump, signaling water tightness or the substrate's inability to retain water, is equally undesirable.

For high-quality watering, it is better to divide the water into several passes and observe the impregnation of the earthen clod, giving the water a chance not to pour out immediately, but to be evenly distributed.

For watering, it is advisable to use convenient watering cans with scattering nozzles specially designed for indoor plants. © loveproperty

6. Scattering and being careful is the best watering strategy.

It is impossible to water in one place with a strong jet of water, which compacts and erodes the substrate. For watering, it is advisable to use convenient watering cans with scattering nozzles specially designed for indoor plants. You need to direct the water along the perimeter of the pot, low, avoiding the formation of pits, slowly, without "puddles" and accumulation of water above the soil.

Particular attention should be paid to accuracy: not all houseplants are sensitive to getting wet, but none will thank you for its decorative effect when watered carelessly. Water should not be directed to the trunks and under the roots, to the root collars and growth points, to soak and splash the leaves.

With signs of soil compaction, crusting, poor soaking of the substrate, you should immediately take care of loosening. In case of severe contamination or mold, change the topsoil.

7. Watering should not be done in the middle of the day.

Indoor plants are best watered in the early morning or evening during the warm season and only in the early morning during cold seasons. Watering can not be carried out under direct sun, at the height of the day.

8. Water should not stagnate in pans

Even for plants that require immersion or drip irrigation, the amount of time water should be left in an external container should be limited. With classic top watering, any remaining water in the pans should be drained after 5-8 minutes.

Even 10 minutes of water stagnation in the lower part of the substrate and oversaturation of drainage with water can lead to the onset of negative processes for rot-sensitive species.

9. Correction of watering at the slightest change

Watering rarely manages to be carried out with an established frequency. If the weather is hot, heating works harder, air humidity drops, the plant is actively developing, watering needs to be increased. But not in abundance, but in frequency, compensating for all factors.

It should always be remembered that numerous other factors influence the irrigation schedule:

• pot size (the larger the container, the less often watering should be);
• pot materials (plants in ceramic containers are watered more abundantly);
• leaf size and density;
• location in the room and frequency of ventilation;
• air humidity level;
• the degree of filling of the substrate with roots;
• drafts, etc.

The simplest and most affordable flasks for automatic watering will reduce watering efforts to a minimum. © Any Phone Case lawn-drippers

10. Using smart assistants

Today, both budget and elite systems have been developed for indoor plants to avoid difficulties with watering. The simplest and most affordable indicators, self-watering flasks, double-walled containers, hydroponic installations will reduce watering efforts to a minimum.

Even a simple moisture level indicator will eliminate the need to constantly check the soil by touch. And if there are difficulties with determining whether the plant needs watering or it is better to wait, be sure to get such smart helpers.