Bacopa Monnier is a beautiful plant, with a straight or creeping stem, with a white or pink tint of inflorescences. The care is unpretentious. In addition to excellent external characteristics, bacopa has medicinal properties, which makes it possible to use it in traditional medicine. The plant is widely used in aquarium, planted in a cache-pot.
Bacopa: what is it and what does a flower look like
Bacopa Monnieri is a small-leaved grass. The leaves and inflorescences are amorphous, small. The number of petals is up to 5. Pale green leaves have an oval, spoon-shaped shape and a glossy surface. The length of the stem is from 20 to 40 cm. The flowers of the crop are white or pink.
Bacopa pleases the eye with delicate, elegant flowering
Outside the flowering period, the branches look rather faded and unattractive, but the appearance of the grass changes radically when a lot of small neat flowers appear on it.
Temperature
Bacopa Monieri is not picky about ambient temperature. She feels comfortable at high and low temperatures, withstanding frosts up to 50 ° C. But in winter, grass grown in flower pots must be transferred to a warm room.
Attention! If grass grows in an aquarium, the water temperature should be in the range of 22-25 ° C.
In the underwater world of the aquarium, the bacopa looks especially attractive
Lighting
To bakopa bloomed profusely and for a long time, she needs sunlight. If the flowerpot with grass will be in the shade or partial shade, this will positively affect its growth and color of the leaves. Without sunshine, there will be no flowering.
Watering
Bacopa Monniera loves water, it needs to be abundantly and regularly watered. In summer, watering should be daily, in winter its frequency decreases to 2-3 times a week. After watering, a slight loosening of the soil is mandatory. Weeds are removed from the soil.
Spraying
To maintain the desired level of humidity, the leaves of the plant need to be sprayed several times a day with water.
Humidity
The soil should always be kept in a slightly moistened state, but the water should not stagnate.
Attention! If the earth is dry, it is forbidden to fill the flower. Watering resumes gradually, starting with a small volume of water. Along the way, the frequency of spraying per day increases.
Without bacopa flowers, it looks rustic
Top dressing
You need to fertilize the grass in spring and summer, alternating the use of mineral and organic fertilizers. Only young plants are fed. Frequency - 1.5-2 times a week.
Mineral fertilizers are nitrogen fertilizers, and those containing magnesium and manganese. These components contribute to abundant flowering and enhance the immunity of the flower. From organic fertilizers use solutions of bird droppings or mullein.
Important! When applying top dressing, it is impossible that they fall on the leaves. Otherwise, the plant will get burns.
Transfer
The bacopa is transplanted after transplanting seedlings, on which several full leaves have formed, or, if necessary, changing the pot. In this case, the grass is carefully scooped out of the old pot. Around the roots, it is important to keep a lump of old land so that the flower quickly adapts to a new place.
Rest period
Flower growth slows down from late October to early March.
When blooms
With proper care, the bacopa blooms from March to October.
Blooming bacopa - decoration for balconies, loggias and gazebos
Additional Information! Conditions for growing bacopa in an aquarium: pH level - from 5.5 to 9.0, hardness - from 2 to 30, lighting - high or medium.
Pruning
To maintain the decorative characteristics of the plant, regular pruning is needed. Remove the longest shoots. When pruning, the lower branches are removed, which have become stiff. Because of them, the abundance and duration of flowering are reduced. Suitable time for pruning is autumn.
How to breed
Bacopa propagation is carried out by seeds, cuttings and by the method of air bends.
Seed germination
Planting seeds produced in March. Procedure:
- Fill the container with nutritious soil, pour plenty of water.
- Deepen the seeds no more than 1 cm, sprinkle with earth on top, lightly tamp.
- Cover the box with plastic wrap or glass. Put in a warm place, with a temperature of at least 20 ° C.
The first seedlings will sprout in 3 weeks. When 3-4 full leaves are formed on seedlings, bushes can be planted in separate pots.
Attention! Before use, the nutrient mixture must be disinfected in the oven for 4 hours.
Rooting cuttings
For the winter, the bacopa is brought into the house and placed in a warm room with ample sunlight. Such conditions will awaken the flower, it will begin to let out new shoots. When they are a little young, they can be cut and used for cuttings. In this case, shoots are selected on which there are at least 2 buds. The optimal length of the handle is 10 cm. The buds on the shoot should be located so that one of them can be deepened into the ground.
Cut cuttings are placed in water with the addition of a growth stimulator for 2-3 hours. Lower leaves must be removed. For rooting, 2 methods are used:
- Cuttings are left in a container of water, which must be changed regularly. As soon as the roots appear, the shoot can be planted in the ground.
- The stalk is buried in a fertile and light substrate to the growth line. Only the tip remains on the surface. On top of the stalk you need to cover with a plastic bottle or glass jar.
Attention! Young bushes should be watered regularly. It is important to start the formation of shoots in a timely manner so that the flower has a beautiful shape.
Propagation by cuttings is the most popular, easy method.
Air lay
This simple method allows you to quickly and easily get a new bush. Procedure:
- Near the container with the mother bush put a box with nutrient ground.
- Bend one shoot from an adult flower to the ground in an adjacent container, press down into the ground, fix with a bracket.
- After a while, remove the layer of earth, see if the roots appeared. If they have formed, the shoot can be separated from the mother bush.
Instead of fertile soil, you can use sphagnum moss, in which the shoot is horizontally placed. Until the root system appears, the flower should be in a warm room with high humidity.
Diseases and problems
Bacopa has good immunity and is resistant to various diseases, if properly looked after. The only dangerous disease that can lead to the death of a flower is gray rot. It arises due to the excessive bay of the bush with water. If the disease is at an early stage, it can be cured by transplanting a bush and arranging watering. In the advanced case, the bush will have to be destroyed.
Common varieties
In addition to Bacopa Monier, there is still a variety called "Undersized" or Monier of the second type. There is no data on its origin. In nature, the flower does not occur, because is artificially bred. The plant is used to design aquariums.
Medicinal properties and contraindications
You need to know that Bacopa Monnieri is not only a beautiful flower for growing in a cache-pot and aquarium, but also a medicinal herb. It is beneficial in the treatment of many diseases. The composition of the plant includes such beneficial substances:
- Apigenin - has a choleretic and antispasmodic effect.
- Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant that has a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effect.
- Glucoside beta-sitosterol - reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive system.
- Sterol - is an adaptogen that contributes to the best and fastest adaptation of the body to new conditions.
- Luteolin is a flavonoid that has a choleretic, antitumor, antiallergic and immunomodulatory effect.
- Hersaponin is a sedative that increases the contractile strength of the cardiac myocardium.
Bacopa is used to make medicine
The healing properties of bacopa:
- Normalizes the digestive system.
- It neutralizes the negative effects of alcohol.
- Restores the functioning of the pancreas.
- Aligns the hormonal background.
- Stimulates the process of collagen production, thereby improving the appearance of the skin.
- Returns the tone and elasticity of the walls of blood vessels.
- Accelerates metabolic processes.
- Improves the functioning of the nervous system.
Bacopa, whose properties are used in the treatment of diseases, is contraindicated in some cases. Funds with it can not be taken:
- people under the age of 18;
- pregnant
- during breastfeeding;
- with bradycardia.
Attention! Bacopa-based products are not allowed to be combined with sedative medicines and drugs that are used to lower high blood pressure, with estrogen substitutes.
Bacopa Monnier is an amazing plant with a pleasant flowering that can be grown in an aquarium, creating a wonderful underwater world, and in a cache-pot, decorating balconies, terraces and gazebos. It’s not difficult to take care of the bacopa, you just need to adhere to some rules.
