Probably every amateur gardener seeks to create beauty and comfort in his personal plot. In this case, a variety of flowers come to the rescue. By creating original flower arrangements or alpine slides, you can turn the site into a real work of art. For these purposes, gardeners most often use familiar plants that grow well in our climate. But if you want something unusual and original, you can plant Ixia in your garden.
Plant characteristic
Homeland of this exotic flower - South Africa, but it is increasingly seen in Russian gardens. Ixia is distinguished by thin, erect stems and reaches a height of 50 cm.Very beautiful flowers in the form of a bell are collected in a spike-shaped inflorescence and can be red, white, yellow and pink... The plant begins to bloom profusely in late July or early August, but this does not last long - about four weeks, then the leaves begin to dry.
Flowers close at night or in cloudy weather. The sap of this plant is highly sticky, which was previously used for catching birds, and a rather strong aroma can attract bees and butterflies.
The abundant flowering of ixia depends on proper care, which is as follows:
- enough sunlight;
- frequent watering;
- regular removal of dried petals;
- fertilizer-rich soil;
- the optimum air temperature is 18–20 degrees;
- loosening and drainage of soil.
Preparing the landing site
Since Ixia is a southern plant, it likes good lighting and sufficient moisture. Given these points, it is necessary to choose the right place for her in the garden for planting... Despite the fact that she loves moisture, the site should be chosen with good drainage so that there is no stagnation of water.
A place for planting ixia in the garden should be prepared in advance. To do this, the soil is thoroughly dug up, fertilized with rotted manure or humus, if necessary, sand is added to make it friable. You can also add:
- wood ash - 300 g;
- superphosphate - 70 g;
- magnesium - 20 g.
Too heavy soil is not for Ixia. Its flowering directly depends on the growing conditions, which is why river sand is added to very heavy soil (1 bucket per 1 m2 of land).
Ixia planting in open ground
This exotic flower does not like frost very much, so gardeners of central Russia have found the best way out. In autumn, the corms are dug up and carefully peeledtaking care not to harm the root buds. After that, they are washed in a solution of potassium permanganate and put into storage in a room that is well ventilated, with a temperature of 8-10 degrees.
In the spring, after the final establishment of warm weather, Ixia is planted in open ground. This is done as follows:
- they dig a piece of land in the garden on which the cultivation of an exotic flower will take place;
- cleans the earth from lumps, weeds, loosen it;
- a mixture of humus, peat and sand is introduced into the soil;
- make pits 5–7 cm deep, which should be 20 cm apart from each other;
- planting corms and fill the holes with soil.
After planting the flower, cover the soil with a mulch layer 2-3 cm and do not water it until the first shoots appear.
In the southern regions of Russia, ixia tubers are planted both in spring and autumn. In the latter case, the planting holes are deepened by 8 or 10 cm... From above they are mulched with a layer of river sand of 8 cm.With the help of such a kind of insulation, Ixia tubers survive the winter well, and in the spring the mulch is removed.
Growing and caring for ixia
Although this plant is considered resistant and little susceptible to various pests, it is best to play it safe. Many summer residents plant a flower every year in a new place. Proper planting in fertile soil in a sunny location will ensure not only full growth, but also abundant flowering. In the future, caring for an exotic plant will not take much effort.
Watering
Plant care implies proper watering. As already mentioned, after planting, the plant is not watered for several weeks. They do it, as soon as the first shoots appear, gradually increasing the intensity of watering. During the budding period and during flowering, the flower must be watered as much as possible using special complex preparations that make the flowering more abundant.
When growing ixia, you should know that it prefers humid air, therefore it is recommended to spray it from a sprayer in hot and dry weather.
Top dressing
Ixia should be fed with mineral fertilizers, alternating with organic ones. In specialized stores, there is a large selection of dressings made specifically for such an exotic flower.
Besides, caring for such a plant provides for the timely removal of faded inflorescencesso that there is an opportunity to form a new one. After the flowering period, watering is reduced to a minimum, and in some cases completely stopped.
When growing Ixia in the garden, this flower may begin to fade the leaves, which occurs due to insufficient moisture. It is imperative to ensure that the soil is moistened every day. But do not forget that excess moisture contributes to the appearance of mold on the bulbs. To prevent this, drainage is created before planting, and the bulbs are treated with a fungicide.
Growing and nursing indoors
Ixia can also be grown indoors. But in this case, caring for the plant will be more laborious. To ensure abundant flowering, it is necessary create artificial lighting and keep the room at a lower temperature... First, it should not exceed +5 degrees, then - not more than +13 degrees. It becomes clear that the cultivation and care of the plant in this case is carried out in a cold greenhouse or winter garden, but not in indoor conditions.
The planting of bulbs for forcing takes place in December-January, and already in May you can enjoy the abundant flowering. Ixia care takes place in the same way as for planted in open ground.
The dug up bulbs must also be cared for properly so that they survive until next year. For this, their dried, processed in potassium permanganate, and then dried againand then wrapped in newspaper and stored in a cool place. You can use a refrigerator for this. Flowers for wintering are often transplanted into pots, which ensures their safety.
Here is such an exotic plant, the photo of which was presented in the article, you can grow in your garden in the open field. With proper care, you can achieve abundant flowering. In this case, ixia will wonderfully decorate the personal plot and give you an excellent mood.
