Katarantus in the open ground: planting and care, photos of suitable varieties, methods of reproduction, and also what to do if the plant has not taken root?

Katarantus is not without reason considered one of the most beautiful garden plants. Bright, extraordinary flowering makes it the highlight of the garden. For this quality, landscape designers and florists give preference to flower.

Although the bush has tropical roots, it is undemanding in care. Despite the mild nature, the Catharanthus has its own preferences, which we will describe in more detail.

What are the varieties of the flower and their visual photographs. The nuances of planting plants and methods of reproduction. How to care after transplantation and what to do if the plant does not want to take root.

Varieties for planting and their photos

Katarantus is an evergreen tropical plant that has successfully taken root in our climate. An exotic shrub on the planet is quite common, but the island of Madagascar is considered the place of origin.

To date, breeders have bred many different varieties. Some are suitable for growing in a home environment. These species live excellently in warm houses, apartments and delight the long flowering of their owners. Others are annual plants, they are planted annually using the processes of the mother flower from last year or seedlings.

And the third ones are perennials specially bred for street gardening. Flowers in the warm season are on the street, and with the advent of autumn, winter indoors. It is these varieties that are less whimsical and tolerate all the vagaries of nature, with the exception of cold weather.

Among them the most popular is the view of Cooler. It is a tall shrub that grows up to 1.5 meters in height. Blooms profusely for six months. It has large and round flowers with a bright eye. This variety in turn includes subspecies.

You can learn more about varieties of Catharanthus from this article, but here we talked about pink Catharanthus.

Cascade

This is the only ampel variety among flowering species, the drooping shoots of which can reach a length of more than 1.5 meters. The colors are the most diverse.

Albus

Snow-white petals, yellowish middle. On leaves with pointed ends there is a white streak.

Grape

A distinctive feature of this variety is the purple color of the petals and the existing pink center.

Red

The name clearly matches the shade. A bright red hue looks spectacular against a background of dark green foliage.

First kiss

This variety is unique not only by its name, but also by a huge range of colors. The most unusual and therefore popular color of velvet petals is purple-blue.

How to plant?

Landing and caring for the quarantine is no big deal. Perennials are grown as a room flower, and for open space, annuals are often chosen enough to avoid wintering problems.

Of course, for a plant on the street to feel comfortable, fully develop, bloom for a long time, it needs to choose the ideal place for planting. First of all, it should be taken into account the fact that the tropical shrub is thermophilic. He does not like darkened corners and cold winds, and also a place under the scorching sun.

The best option for catharanthus is a warm, well-heated rays, a cozy area of the flowerbed, which is as much as possible protected from drafts and various elements of nature.

You can read more about planting and growing catharanthus here.

Is it possible in winter?

As already noted, cataractus prefers warmth and accordingly warm weather. For him, a temperature of + 10 ° C is critical, as a result, the plant may die. Therefore, a green shrub is planted in open ground, when the temperature outside the window reaches + 20 ° С, night frosts and sharp temperature drops pass. This time, approximately, the end of April - May.

All summer and the first month of autumn, the catharanthus blooms, and then it's time to winter. Tropical handsome man can not stay on the street, because he simply can not stand the harsh winter. Therefore, before the onset of frost, in the second half of October, cut the branches of a perennial, dig it directly with roots and a lump of earth, and place it in a large-diameter pot. Top should also be sprinkled with soil, in this form it is brought into a room with a temperature of + 15-17 ° C, but not lower. With the arrival of heat, the bush is again planted in the soil.

How to choose a place?

The choice of location for the future growth of a tropical plant should be approached with all seriousness, because the flowering duration and attractive appearance depend on this.

Katarantus is good at sunshine. The more light and warmer on the street, the more magnificent and brighter will bloom. But everything is good in moderation. Getting enough UV is just as bad as intense heat. therefore it is better to choose a place on a personal plot in partial shade. And if not, then you should build a shelter, an awning from a transparent film, which will save the plant from scorching light, as well as from the weather.

The shrub is not picky about the composition of the soil. However, it is important that it meets the following criteria: water and air permeability, friability, lightness, had a rich nutritional composition of macro and micronutrients. Also, be well-drained, non-acidic, so that moisture does not stagnate. The soil should not be tightly packed, so as not to be taken by a solid lump.

Important. Choose a site as far as possible from the occurrence of groundwater.

Land preparation

Before planting in open ground, the earth must first be dug up on the site, adding there:

peat and turf land;
peat;
humus;
expanded clay;
natural disintegrants, perlite or vermiculite;
coarse fractional sand;
several packages with ready-made substrate.

It is considered useful to use compost for the development and rapid growth of the root system.

Initially, a shallow hole is dug, in the form of the desired floral plot of land.
Next, we put on the bottom a thick drained layer consisting of expanded clay, broken brick, marble crumbling powder, pebbles, gravel, in general, which is at hand.
Sprinkle on top with dug up earth.

Breeding methods

Katarantus can be planted in open ground in the form of seedlings, cuttings or shrubs (read about the reproduction of Katarantus by seeds here). In this case, seedlings and cuttings are considered parts of annual plants, and the bush belongs to perennials. When choosing a breeding method, you should know the advantages of each type of planting material.

Seedlings:

can be grown at any time;
fast and uniform germination;
low cost of seeds;
for one landing, you can get up to a hundred copies at once;
No need for a flower transplant for the winter.

Cuttings:

the cuttings do not need material costs;
the procedure can be done even by an inexperienced grower;
the ability to get an exact copy of your favorite plant.

The positive aspects of the method of planting in open ground bush:

the plant is fully formed, has a beautiful appearance;
easily transfers adaptation to a new place;
acceleration of the flowering process.

There is an option - to land a multi-year catharanthus in containers, and thus decorate the terraces, verandas. Ampel varieties look beautiful in hanging flowerpots or in large flowerpots on stands. In this case, you do not need to transplant a flower for the winter.

Follow-up care

In the first time after transplantation, young individuals will need regular weeding. But when they grow up and get stronger, they will deal with the weeds on their own.
To moisten the catharanthus is soft, filtered or rain water. In hot weather, it is necessary to spray the plant or arrange a warm shower, preferably in the evening. Otherwise, drops of water can leave dark marks on the petals, burns.
Watering should be daily. With a lack of moisture, a tropical shrub immediately signals folded leaves. And after plentiful hydration, after 30 minutes, the unpleasant phenomena will disappear, the plant will restore shape.
Do not forget about top dressing. In the spring, it’s worth starting with complex mineral fertilizers. During flowering, potassium-phosphorus preparations can be used for abundant budding. The use of top dressing 1 time in 2-3 weeks. In the fall, food is worth removing. Foliar top dressing, with an aqueous solution of Epin-Extra, proved to be quite good.
As for organic fertilizers, you need to be careful with them. So, with an increase in dosage, the cataractus will certainly suffer damage in the form of yellow, burnt roots. This will lead to the death of the plant. Use safely wood ash dissolved in water.

More information on caring for quarantine can be found in this article.

If the plant has not taken root

When, after planting, the shrub cannot acclimatize in the open field for a long time, then it is better to bring it back to the house. Dig it out of the ground, shake off the roots. Plant in the correct soil, slightly moisten.

Perhaps the reason is an incorrectly picked variety that is not suitable for planting on a flower bed. Or not a comfortable enough place. In any case, you can try to resuscitate Catharanthus in the home. To optimize the temperature and humidity parameters in the room, regularly water and spray. But do not feed while the plant is sick.

Katarantus has not only an impressive appearance, but also useful properties. This plant is used in folk and traditional medicine, for the treatment of serious diseases, including oncology. But shrub juice has toxic substances. Therefore, when landing on a personal plot, it is important to choose a place inaccessible to children.