Medinilla - home care, photo

Medinilla (Medinilla) - evergreen beautiful flowering shrub from the family Melastomovye. Some of the 100 known species grow as creepers. The plant is distributed in the jungle of Asia and Africa, on the island of Madagascar. The homeland of Medinilla is the Philippines. In Europe, the medinilla was first planted in the greenhouse of the Englishman Mr. Veich in the middle of the XIX century. A perennial shrub develops at an average rate. Being the largest epiphytic plant, in natural conditions it sometimes grows to 1.5 m.

Home medinilla is shorter, from 0, 7 to 1, 2 m, but otherwise resembles a wild cousin. Growing medinilla is not easy, but all the more interesting is the task facing the grower. The plant will thank him for taking care of the original long flowering. From late April to mid-July, it will be possible to admire large cyst-shaped inflorescences similar to lilacs.

Useful properties of medinilla

According to astrobiologists, the contemplation of a flowering medinilla calms, relieves stress and heals mental suffering. A large plant has powerful energy, helps to replenish the supply of mental strength. Caring for an unusual flower that is difficult to grow at home, you can forget about your suffering. Medinilla harmonizes the environment in the surrounding space, balances the energy flows of family members.

Basic rules for home care

To see how medinilla blooms beautifully at home, she needs to create not just good, but ideal conditions:

It is necessary to take into account the features of growing medinilla in order to grow a beautiful and healthy plant. It is crucial to create a warm and humid atmosphere (some growers grow medinilla in the florarium or shop window). From late autumn to late winter, the flower is kept at a lower temperature so that new buds are established. In the spring carry out pruning. When flowering ends, the branches on which the flowers grew, cut and reduce watering.

Medinilla Care at Home

The medinilla flower at home adapts with great difficulty. Far from everyone succeeds in growing a real tropical miracle in an ordinary apartment: the plant is too capricious. But you can make friends with medinilla if you really want to and create optimal conditions for it.

Flowering medinilla

Tropical plants have a non-standard appearance. The flowering of the medinilla is an unusual and memorable phenomenon. If the plant care was organized correctly throughout the growing season, the first inflorescences appear in March. Numerous tiny flowers begin to bloom in April and bloom until mid-July. Home medinilla combines star-shaped flowers into drooping inflorescences resembling clusters of lilacs.

They are hugged tightly by large triangular bracts, arranged in 2 rows around the brush. Pink, white or red inflorescences hanging on a flexible elongated peduncle look especially delicate against the background of leathery dense leaves. During flowering, the flowerpot with the plant can not be rearranged and turned on the windowsill with the other side to the light.

Temperature mode

Medinilla will delight in full bloom in time if the temperature regime is observed during care. In summer, the plant is comfortable at + 21 - 25 ° C, with a further increase in temperature, it loses its decorativeness, the leaves become smaller. To alleviate the condition of the plant, you can increase the humidity.

In summer, the medinilla can grow on the balcony, it uses fresh air. But a delicate plant must be protected from drafts and sudden changes in temperature. In autumn, the temperature is gradually lowered. In winter, the flower is kept at + 17 ° C. A cool wintering is the guarantee of a bright and long flowering medinilla.

Spraying

Medinilla He likes to be in a room with high, about 75%, air humidity. In such conditions, pests do not attack it, heat is more easily tolerated. Frequent - up to 3 times a day - spraying with lukewarm water helps moisturize the air.

Spraying the medinilla, they try not to get on the flowers: droplets of water leave unpleasant stains on the petals.

You should often wipe the surface of the leaves with a damp cloth, use a humidifier. A container with a flower is placed on a pallet with wet pebbles. Medinilla can be grown in a double pot: a flowerpot with a flower is placed in a larger flowerpot, sphagnum is laid in layers between their walls and constantly moisturized.

Medinilla Lighting

To luxuriously bloomed and have a healthy medinilla, home care prescribes to choose the right lighting for it. RAsthenia prefers diffused bright light. A sufficient amount will receive it on windows facing west or east.

On the southern windows you have to shade the flower from direct exposure to the sun. If you place the medinilla on the north window, in the fall and winter you will need additional illumination. The location in the northern part of the apartment has a bad effect on the flowering and general condition of the plant, it is better to avoid it.

Watering the Medinilla

Throughout the growing season, watering is important for the plant. The procedure is extremely responsible. It is watered when the soil surface dries, preventing either overmoistening or drying out.

From spring to autumn watered abundantly. Rarely watered in winter, 1 time in 10-14 days. To preserve moisture for a long time, the soil is mulched with a coconut substrate or sphagnum. Watered only with lingering tepid water.

Priming

Soil - the environment from which the roots of the plant receive food and moisture. If it is picked up incorrectly, the flower may die. Medinilla prefers a nutritious loose substrate. You can buy ready-made soil mixture for epiphytic plants.

Experienced gardeners prepare the soil for the medinilla on their own, taking 1 part perlite and peat on 2 parts of humus and deciduous land.

To soil was loose, add crumb brick or vermiculite to it. Improve the substrate with charcoal and chopped moss. A thick layer of expanded clay is placed at the bottom of the container so that the water does not stagnate.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

To maintain decorativeness at a high level, fertilizing and fertilizing plants is used. The beautifully flowering medinilla at home needs to be applied with liquid mineral fertilizer from the end of March to the beginning of August once every 14 days.

Fertilizer is diluted in half and applied after watering. In summer 1 to 2 times, you can use organic fertilizers in diluted form. In winter, medinilla is not fed.

Transfer

Perennials periodically need replanting. The procedure stimulates the development of the flower. Young bushes are replanted every spring, mature - every 2, 5 years. It is important not to damage the roots of the plant and not to deepen the growth point, otherwise the medinilla will stop growing. Rotten roots are carefully removed. To reduce the stress that medinilla inevitably experiences during transplantation, the method of transshipment from one pot to another is used.

The root system of the plant is poorly developed, therefore, a shallow, but fairly wide pot is chosen for transplantation. In order for the inflorescences to fall beautifully, a flowerpot with a flower is placed on a stand or in a hanging basket.

Trimming Medinilla

After flowering is complete, the best time comes for transshipment of the medinilla and putting the appearance in order. Pruning is the best procedure to give the crown a neat appearance. Dry inflorescences are removed along with peduncles, elongated branches. Shorten the shoots.

Sliced ​​cuttings are used for propagation. After trimming, the compact bush begins a new life. After a few days, it can be fed with mineral fertilizer.

Rest period

Medinilla should rest well in order to regain her strength after the enchanting flowering and prepare for the new season. The plant dormancy period falls at the end of October - February. At this time, the flower is placed in a cool place.

In coolness, the medinilla will relax and be able to form new kidneys. The brightness of lighting during wintering is not reduced; rarely watered, preventing complete drying out of the soil. Fertilizing during dormancy is not carried out.

Medinilla Reproduction

At home, the reproduction of medinilla can be carried out by seeds or semi-lignified cuttings.

Propagation of medinilla by cuttings

Propagation by cuttings is carried out from mid-January to mid-May. Shanks having 3 buds are buried by 1.5 cm in wet sand. Cover with a film and keep at high humidity and + 25 ° C. Shelter is removed to ventilate and water the seedling. A month later, when the cuttings take root, they are planted in separate pots. During growth, you need to pinch the top 1 time so that the plant branches.

Growing medinilla from seeds

Reproduction by seeds is carried out in mid-February - early March. Fresh seeds are sown in a moistened peat-sand mixture. Cover with a film and place in a warm place. The film is removed to moisten the soil and ventilate the seedlings. In late spring, when 2 to 3 leaves appear on the plants, they are transplanted. Medinilla grown from seeds blooms at the age of 5.

Reproduction of medinilla at home is difficult, especially if you try to get a new plant from seeds. Most often, a vegetative variant of reproduction is used.

Diseases and Pests

Medinilla is a capricious plant, sometimes the grower does not immediately manage to find contact with him. Diseases may appear, and pests often infect the flower. There are changes in its appearance:

• leaves medinillas dry out - in summer - moisture deficiency with dry air; in winter - excess moisture at low temperature; (in winter - rearrange in a warm place, adjust watering; in summer - water, spray, install on a pallet with wet expanded clay);
• light spots on the leaves medinillas - too bright lighting (shade);
• buds and flowers fall - rearrangement of a flower from place to place; exposure to draft (fix a certain place to the flower, protected from draft);
• does not bloom - there was no dormant period in winter (arrange a cold wintering each year);
• brown spots appear on the leaves - Scalp affection (remove insects with a damp sponge, apply an insecticide);
• medinilla discards buds and leaves - rearrangement from place to place, low air humidity (do not rearrange the plant; wipe the leaves, spray, put on a pallet with moist expanded clay);
• brown or black spots on the shoots - Botritis fungus (remove the damaged shoot, put the plant in a well-lit ventilated place; protect the cutoff area from moisture);
• leaves twist and fade - low air humidity (spray, wipe leaves, put a flower on a pallet with wet expanded clay);
• black wet spots on leaves and stems - gray rot (the affected fragments are removed, the flower is treated with fungicide, the soil is replaced).

Medinilla is affected by aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects. Insecticides are used against insects.

Types of Medinilla Home

Of the 100 representatives of the genus common in the natural environment, only a few species of medinillas have taken root in room conditions. 2 species are especially popular.

Medinilla Magnificent / Medinilla magnifica

A majestic plant, justifying the name. Powerful bush with large inflorescences. Shoots tetrahedral, pubescent in internodes. Large leathery leaves (0.35 m) attached to shoots without stalks. On the oval leaf plates, light veins are clearly visible. Tiny (10 mm) flowers are collected in lush drooping inflorescences. Long (up to 0.5 m) inflorescences and bracts are painted in pearl pink or coral tones. Flowering lasts 2.5 months.

Streaky Medinilla / Medinilla venosa (M. Venosus, M. farinose hort.)

Shoots are cylindrical with dense pubescence. Large (up to 0, 2 m) leaves are attached to the shoots with short petioles. Leaf plates have an oval shape and pronounced veins. A few drooping inflorescences consist of a small number of small flowers of a nude hue.

Medinilla is a majestic plant with large leaves and grandiose lilac-shaped inflorescences. She wins hearts at first sight, only until she rushes to settle in the room: too dry air and little light for a tropical plant. But those who create ideal conditions for her will be proud of the unique exotics on the windowsill.

Watch the video: Growing the Rare Red Medinilla Medinilla miniata (April 2024).