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The cultivation of salpiglossis, a spectacular, lushly flowering herb native to South America, is becoming more and more popular every year in home gardens. This is not surprising: the large corollas of the pipe-tongue, which in appearance resemble both a bell and a petunia, look bright and unusual due to the original color of the petals with a fine mesh pattern, creating the effect of a pearlescent iridescence. In decorative culture, only one type of plant is used, but a significant number of varieties and hybrids have been bred on its basis. They differ in color and size of flowers, the height of the plant bush, the degree of branching of the shoots.
You can grow salpiglossis by seedling method, or sow seeds directly into open ground. This plant is not capricious, it does not require too complicated and troublesome care. But the bright, exotic beauty of the pipe-tongue will surely make him a real pearl of any, even the richest and most exquisite garden collection.
General description of salpiglossis
The genus Salpiglossis belongs to the Solanaceae family and unites about 20 species of herbaceous flowering plants. Among them, there are both perennials and those whose life cycle lasts only 1 or 2 seasons.
In horticulture, the only type of salpiglossis is used - notched
In the wild, salpiglossis can be found in the mountains of Argentina, Chile and Peru. It was introduced into culture relatively recently - at the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States.
The root system of mixed salpiglossis. It has a well-defined main root and developed adventitious. The stems of the plant are thin, vertical, most often branched, although there are also single straight lines. Their height varies widely from 15 to 100 cm. The surface of the shoots of the plant is evenly covered with glandular villi, which may seem sticky to the touch.
The oblong-elongated leaves of salpiglossis, depending on the species, can have a solid, serrated or pinnate edge. They are located in the next order. The leaf blades of the plant in the root and central part of the stem are equipped with petioles, in the upper part they are sessile.
Salpiglossis flowers are single, located at the tops of the shoots. They appear in early summer and decorate the plant until the first October frost. The flowers are very large (4-6 cm in diameter), bright, very decorative. The corolla of the plant is funnel-shaped and consists of 5 lobes with a delicate, velvety surface. The color of salpiglossis flowers is very diverse. It can be white, yellow, red of any shade, lilac, purple, dark blue.On the inner surface of the petals there is a thin, clearly visible contrasting pattern of golden or dark veins, which makes the flowers of this plant especially attractive.
The color of salpiglossis flowers fascinates with a combination of shades, and the inner surface of the petals, thanks to the pattern of thin veins, shimmers in the light, like mother of pearl
The fruit of salpiglossis is a small oval capsule with two compartments. Inside it, at the end of flowering, small seeds ripen.
Types and varieties of salpiglossis with names and photos
In ornamental gardening, the only species of this plant is grown - annual salpiglossis notched (in Latin Salpiglossis sinuata). Within its framework, three varieties are distinguished: large-flowered, superbissima and low. Currently, all kinds of hybrid plant varieties are also very popular.
Salpiglossis notched large-flowered (var. grandiflora)
This type of salpiglossis is characterized by high (90-100 cm) bushes. The stems of the plant are highly branched and abound in large flowers.
The large-flowered species of salpiglossis has tall bushes and highly branching shoots.
Warning! Tall varieties of salpiglossis growing in an open area, without fail, need support. It will be enough to stick an ordinary peg into the ground, tying plant shoots to it with twine.
Salpiglossis notched Superbissima (var. Superbissima)
Stems of salpiglossis Superbissim have an average height (no more than 60 cm). Flowering shoots of this plant are single, branching is absent. The inflorescences are large, and the petals have characteristic corrugated edges. Salpiglossis Superbissim seeds are usually sold as a mixture. Flowers of various colors can be grown from one bag.
Shoots of salpiglossis Superbissim do not branch, and the petals of the plant show a slightly corrugated edge
Salpiglossis notched low (var.nanus)
The smallest variety of salpiglossis is notched (15 to 40 cm). Numerous thin stems of the plant branch densely. The flowers are smaller than the other two varieties, but a large number of flowers are tied. Lush and bright, but at the same time compact low salpiglossis bushes are ideal for decorating confined spaces - balconies, loggias, terraces - when growing plants in pots or containers.
Salpiglossis low is great for growing in containers and pots
Royale F1
Hybrid plant variety, noted and recommended by the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain. Combines compact salpiglossis bushes (40-60 cm in height) with abundant branching shoots and large flowers.
The plant Royale Yellow (Royal Yellow) is distinguished by sunny yellow inflorescences
The velvety petals of Royale Chocolate are unique for their wine-burgundy color
Royale Purple Bicolor flowers shimmer with purple and gold
Corolla color Royale Red Bicolor (Royal Red Bicolor) is distinguished by a harmonious combination of red and gold
Kew Blue F1
Hybrid of low salpiglossis from 30 to 45 cm tall. The corollas of the plant are painted in rich indigo, and their central area is in a darker, blue-violet color. A thin mesh of gold veins on the petals is almost invisible, but in the light it contributes to the manifestation of "mother-of-pearl" overflows. This hybrid is very often grown in conservatories and greenhouses.
Kew Blue pleases the eye with pearlescent tints of blue-violet color
Casino Mix F1
This salpiglossis reaches 45-60 cm in height. The flowers of the plant are painted in all sorts of combinations of tones and shades: purple with gold, orange-ocher, dark red with pink, pale lilac with burgundy. The Casino Mix hybrid is often used for border decoration or pot and container growing. Adult plants are recommended to organize additional support.
A whole palette of colors can be obtained from a bag of seeds from Casino Mix
Bolero
The height of the bushes of this hybrid variety reaches 40-60 cm. The stems of the plant are highly branched.The flowers are relatively small (6-7 cm). The colors of its corollas combine a variety of shades of red, yellow, and purple. Salpiglossis Bolero grows well in the sun and in light partial shade.
A medium-sized bright Bolero will be an excellent decoration for borders and paths
Ali Baba
A hybrid of Russian selection. Tall (70-80 cm), well-branched salpiglossis with large flowers of bright, saturated colors and contrasting, clearly visible veins. The plant looks great when cut. It is recommended to pinch the tops of the flowering shoots of the Ali Baba variety for their better branching.
Russian large-flowered hybrid of salpiglossis Ali Baba looks great in bouquets
Application in landscape design
The possibilities of using salpiglossis in landscape design are truly inexhaustible. The examples below are just some of the ways you can use this spectacular, brightly flowering plant to decorate your backyard:
- group monoplants, which combine salpiglossis of various varieties;
- a color accent in multi-level compositions with a gentle background of silvery cinnamon, Schmidt's wormwood, cypress santolina;
- decoration of borders and paths;
- bright, variegated flower beds in combination with annual plants: petunias, salvia, nasturtium, marigolds;
- planting next to coniferous shrubs and trees that can emphasize the brightness and exotic beauty of salpiglossis;
- various compositions with other flowering plants: chrysanthemums, daylilies.
Low-growing varieties of salpiglossis perfectly show themselves as a pot culture, decorating balconies, terraces, winter gardens.
When cut, these plants look wonderful in bouquets and stay fresh for a long time.
Breeding features
Salpiglossis is propagated by seeds. In southern regions with a warm and mild climate, they usually practice subwinter or spring sowing of this plant directly into the ground. In areas with more severe weather conditions, salpiglossis seedlings are pre-grown. Fortified seedlings of plants are planted in an open area with the onset of stable heat.
Growing a salpiglossis flower from seeds
The optimal time for sowing salpiglossis seeds for seedlings is the end of March or mid-April.
For this, it is best to prepare wide, shallow containers (containers or plastic trays) with sufficient drainage holes in the bottom. You can use individual cups or small pots, in this case, subsequently, the salpiglossis seedlings will not need to dive. Peat tablets are also a good solution for the seeds of this plant.
It is convenient to immediately sow salpiglossis seeds on seedlings in individual containers in order to subsequently avoid diving.
The soil for growing salpiglossis seedlings must meet the following requirements:
- loose, light;
- nutritious;
- neutral or slightly acidic.
You can buy a potting mix suitable for this plant, but it is not at all difficult to prepare it yourself. You will need to mix:
- 2 parts of sod land;
- 1 part river sand;
- 0.5 parts of wood ash.
Sowing seeds of salpiglossis is done as follows:
- A small layer of drainage (expanded clay, small pebbles, foam crumbs) is poured at the bottom of the containers.
- Top containers are filled with soil.
- Moderately moisturize it by sprinkling with warm water from a spray bottle.
- Plant seeds are evenly spread over the surface of the soil. If individual containers are selected for sowing salpiglossis, then 2-3 pieces should be placed in each of them.
- Deepening of seeds is not allowed. They are only slightly pressed against the surface of the ground.
- Crops are sprayed from a spray bottle.
- Cover the containers with transparent film or glass and place in a warm, moderately lit place.
Immediately after sowing, the container with seeds will need to be covered with foil, placed on a window in a warm room and shaded by placing a sheet of white paper on top of the "greenhouse"
Seedling care
The basic rules for caring for salpiglossis seedlings from the moment of sowing seeds to planting young plants in the ground are as follows:
- Providing a moderate amount of ambient light. When placing a "greenhouse" with salpiglossis seedlings on a sunny windowsill, at first you will need to cover it on top with a sheet of white paper. 15-20 days after the emergence of seedlings, the plants begin to illuminate them with a phytolamp, bringing the daylight hours to 12-14 hours.
- Maintaining a consistently warm temperature. The optimal mode is about + 20 ° С.
- Regular moistening of the soil with settled water at room temperature. It is produced as needed, making sure that the substrate at the plant roots does not dry out. In order to avoid the accumulation of excess moisture, salpiglossis seedlings should be watered with caution, ideally by spraying the soil with a spray bottle.
- Daily airing of crops. The film cover should be removed for 10-15 minutes from the first days of plant life, at the same time removing condensate droplets that have accumulated on its inner side. A couple of weeks after the seeds of salpiglossis germinate, their time in the fresh air outside the "greenhouse" is gradually increased. Subsequently, the shelter is removed completely.
- The picking of plant seedlings is done after the appearance of the first pair of true leaves in them. Salpiglossis bushes are carefully transferred one at a time into individual containers along with a lump of earth on the roots. If cups or pots were used when sowing seeds, then it is not required to dive the seedlings. It will be enough to carefully remove weak plants, leaving one of the most developed and strongest in each container.
- Gently pinching the tops will help the salpiglossis bushes branch out better. After picking the seedlings and before transferring them to a permanent place in the open ground, this procedure is performed 2-3 times.
- It is highly desirable to install a support for each plant after picking. This will help the thin stems not break under the weight of the developing leaves.
Transfer to the ground
Planting of salpiglossis seedlings in open ground is carried out from mid-May. A prerequisite is the absence of return frosts and a stable warm air temperature at about + 10 ° С.
In mid or late May, seedlings can be transplanted into open ground
A couple of weeks before the planned transplant, you should prepare the site. This is done according to the same rules that are relevant before sowing plant seeds directly into open ground. On the eve of planting seedlings, the ground needs to be dug up again.
Seedlings of salpiglossis are moved into holes prepared in the ground, by transferring plants together with a lump of earth on the roots, observing a step of 25-30 cm. They are watered with a small amount of water, they organize supports for the stems and mulch the soil at the roots with grass compost.
Planting salpiglossis seeds in the ground
If the climate permits, you can not bother growing seedlings, but sow the seeds of the pipe-tongue directly into the soil on the garden bed. This method is undoubtedly simpler, but it is worth remembering that the flowering of salpiglossis in this case will come later - in the second half of summer.
Timing
The seeds of this plant are usually planted outdoors in late April or early May. Sometimes winter sowing is practiced, in October, but it is not very common. It often happens that the seeds of a tropical beauty do not germinate after the winter cold.
Site selection and soil preparation
The site where salpiglossis is to grow should be selected according to the following criteria:
- well lit by the sun;
- protected from drafts and strong gusts of wind;
- with light, fertile, well-drained soil.
It is desirable that the bed is located on a small hill.
10-15 days before sowing salpiglossis seeds, the soil in the garden bed is qualitatively dug to the depth of the shovel bayonet with the addition of complex mineral fertilizer. If the soil is too acidic, add dolomite flour or ash. Heavy, clayey, poor soils are diluted with sand, peat, humus.
Landing algorithm
It is advisable to sow salpiglossis seeds in open ground on a sunny day when neither fog nor rain is expected.
The process goes like this:
- In the prepared area, grooves are laid about 2-2.5 cm in depth, or holes for individual planting, keeping a distance of 25-30 cm between them.
- Evenly spread the seeds of the plant in them, without deepening them.
- Sprinkle on top with a thin layer of soil.
- Water abundantly.
In a warm mild climate, you can sow seeds in a seedless way - directly into the open ground
If all conditions are met, the sprouts will appear in 14-20 days. If they have sprung up too thickly, they will need to be thinned out, leaving the strongest and strongest specimens in the ground. It is necessary that the distance between the plants is 25-30 cm.
Outdoor growing rules
Outdoor salpiglossis is easy to care for. The set of measures described below will help maintain the health and beautiful flowering of the plant.
Watering and feeding schedule
Watering salpiglossis outdoors should be regular. It is advisable to use settled water at room temperature for the procedure. It is necessary to ensure that the soil under the salpiglossis bushes does not dry out, as it does not tolerate a lack of moisture well. At the same time, excessive moisture and stagnation of water in the soil are also dangerous: they can cause the development of root rot in the plant.
In the spring and fall, it is enough to water the salpiglossis a couple of times a week. In hot summer, the frequency of procedures should be increased up to 1 time per day, and in the evenings the plants should be sprayed additionally.
Salpiglossis responds well to feeding. The recommended frequency of fertilizing the soil is twice a month. It is advisable to alternate organic compounds with mineral ones. The introduction of the latter is especially important at the stage of active flowering of the plant, in June-July, as it has a positive effect on its duration and beauty.
Loosening and mulching
Loosening of the soil under salpiglossis is carried out every time after watering or heavy rain. It is necessary to perform the procedure very carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant. The loosening depth should not exceed a few centimeters.
After the soil dries slightly, it is recommended to mulch it. This will help to better retain moisture at the roots of the plant, and will also inhibit the growth of weeds. Natural materials are best suited as mulch for salpiglossis: sawdust, peat, chopped straw. Its layer should not be thick - 1 cm is enough.
Formation of bushes
Pinching the central shoots of the plant will help maintain the beautiful shape of the salpiglossis bush. This procedure promotes their better branching and the appearance of a large number of flower buds. For the first time, pinching of salpiglossis is performed at the seedling stage, and when sowing in open ground - when the height of young plants reaches 10 cm. Then the procedure is repeated several times during the season.
Pinching the central shoots will help form a beautifully branched and abundantly flowering bush.
Care rules during the flowering period
During the flowering period, which lasts 3-4 months, care for salpiglossis in the open field is complemented by the regular removal of faded buds.This will help the plant not waste nutrients, directing them to drying buds. It is also necessary to promptly remove diseased and rotten twigs and leaves, which will help preserve the beautiful decorative appearance of the bush.
In addition, during this period, it is important to adhere to the regime of watering and feeding the plant with special care, regularly weed out the weeds near the salpiglossis plantings and, if necessary, provide support for its shoots.
Wintering
In cold climates, salpiglossis is grown as an annual plant.
In regions with milder and warmer weather conditions, you can try to give him the opportunity to winter indoors. To do this, with the onset of autumn, the salpiglossis bush is transplanted into a deep pot with a drainage layer at the bottom, filled with light loose soil. The wintering plant is placed on the west or southwest window of the apartment, providing it with a moderate amount of diffused light. The temperature regime in the room should be maintained at + 18-20 ° С. If the room is warmer, it is necessary to regularly ventilate it, while making sure that there are no drafts.
Diseases and pests
Salpiglossis is a plant that is resistant to most diseases and pests. Among the problems that can harm his health, first of all, the following:
- Fungal diseases. First of all, it is the root rot of the plant, less often - late blight, powdery mildew, fusarium. Most often they appear on salpiglossis in a hot, but rainy season, or in case of a violation of the irrigation regime, when there is swampiness of the soil and stagnation of water at the roots. The rotting of the underground part of the plant is accompanied by a cessation of growth, rapid yellowing and wilting of foliage, and blackening of the stems. To cope with fungi will help pruning and destruction of diseased plant organs (with severe root damage - disposal of the entire bush), the use of chemical fungicides containing copper - such as Ridomil, Skor, Topaz, Bordeaux liquid. It is necessary to correct mistakes made when watering salpiglossis.
Fungal diseases, in particular root rot, can occur on the plant due to excess moisture in the soil
- Aphid. Colonies of these rapidly multiplying parasites settle in the axils of the leaves of salpiglossis, then move to the buds, actively feeding on the juices of the plant. The bushes are weakening, the foliage turns yellow and curls, which is why the decorativeness of the flower garden suffers significantly. To combat aphids on salpiglossis, folk methods are used (spraying plants with soapy water, decoctions of citrus peels, garlic, tobacco leaves, onion husks) and chemical preparations (Decis, Fitoverm).
Aphids feed on plant juices, which can significantly slow down their growth and development.
Conclusion
Cultivation of salpiglossis in a personal plot is not very difficult. If the choice was made in favor of the seedling method, you will have to work a little, caring for the seedlings growing up in the mini-greenhouse on the window. But with the onset of a warm spring, it will be possible to plant grown salpiglossis bushes on the garden bed, without fear that they will not rise or freeze. It is even easier to sow seeds directly into open ground. However, this option is only suitable for regions with a mild warm climate. In any case, it is worth growing salpiglossis in your own garden, because having appeared in culture relatively recently, it has already managed to rightfully win love and recognition among those who prefer plants that bloom for a long time, luxuriantly and brightly. A rich selection of varieties and hybrids of salpiglossis makes it possible to show imagination without restrictions, creating colorful flower beds and compositions on the site.
