It is easy and clear about milkweed breeding at home and outdoor cultivation

The diversity of milkweed species is difficult to imagine for an inexperienced look: more than 1,500 samples growing in different parts of our planet - from Africa to central Russia.

Trees, shrubs, annual and perennial grasses - for a detailed description of each, you will need more than one foot of paper and not one hour of time. Therefore, we will not delve into botanical research, but will talk about how the reproduction takes place, namely, how to get one of these specimens and to properly care for it in order to grow a healthy plant.

When to propagate a houseplant?

It depends on the right time of the year whether the plant will grow or die. When to plant seedlings, to grow from seeds, and also propagate in other ways? The months comfortable for growing milkweed are April, May, and the beginning of June.

What soil is needed?

If a person wants to decorate his house with a representative of the euphorbia genus, he should remember several important rules for choosing the soil.

1. In specialized stores for gardeners, you can buy ready-made soil mixture. It should be neutral soil for succulents or, alternatively, soil for cacti. At home, charcoal is added.
2. You can make the filler for the pot yourself by choosing one of two options:
   • mixed coarse sand with turf in equal parts;
   • two parts of sand and sheet soil with the addition of three parts of humus.
3. Both home-made and purchased mixture should be decontaminated before use. Annealing in the oven helps: for 20 minutes at 120 degrees.

   It is possible to carry out steaming: sand and the rest of the substrate are poured in layers in a pot poured with boiling water. Rising steam disinfects all components. Additionally, biological products are used (1-2 weeks after steaming).

Important! The drainage for the pot (or hole) is refreshed after each transplant. Expanded clay, fine pebbles, broken brick or finely crushed tiles are used. To better fix the roots on top, put a thin layer of spoiled tree bark and agroperlite.

How to propagate flowers at home?

Seeds

This method cannot be called convenient. The percentage of germination in such a planting is very small.

Where to get them and which ones?

Milkweed seeds have a limited shelf lifeTherefore, it is problematic to buy fresh seeds in the store. You can ask the local flower growers growing this plant a handful of fruits for planting. Healthy seeds are round, light brown, cone-shaped.

Landing

1. Pre-seeds are placed on stratification. To do this, they are buried in the sand and kept for 1-2 months in the refrigerator. The sand is constantly wetting.
2. Capacities for sowing are selected small (no more than 12 cm in height). Seeds are evenly, but not too tightly laid in moistened soil (2-3 mm), slightly sprinkled with soil or sand. It is best to plant one seed per container.
3. The main thing at this time is to maintain constant soil moisture. The containers are covered with cling film and placed in a warm place. Once a day, the film is removed for ventilation, and the soil is sprayed from the bullet machine. The temperature should be at least 18 degrees at night and 23-23 in the afternoon. The emergence of seedlings depends on the species, the approximate period is from 8 to 15 weeks.
4. When two or three leaves appear, the sprout is transplanted into a larger pot.

Experienced gardeners say the following: if you lightly rub the seeds with sandpaper before sowing, they will sprout in 1-2 weeks, since the hard shell is broken and it becomes easier for the sprout to get to the surface.

Seedling cultivation

Seeding for seedlings is carried out in April. The landing scheme is similar to the above, but has a couple of nuances:

• Loosening of the soil should be carried out regularly.
• After planting, it is advisable to saturate the soil with a nutrient solution with trace elements (Epina).

Cuttings

Cuttings propagate all types of indoor plants, except scaly and stone-loving. This is the most effective way, since an adult bush initially grows a large number of shoots. There are no cons.

How to choose and prepare cuttings?

Reference. The best time for grafting: May-June.

Young shoots or top fragments are suitable as planting material: the length of the cuttings with 4-5 leaves should be 10-15 cm. The material is cut with a sharp blade, thoroughly rinse off the milky juice, dipped in warm water for a couple of minutes, and then the cut places are dusted with activated charcoal. . Then leave for 2 days in a dry, warm place.

How to root?

How to plant a plant properly?

1. Cuttings are planted in pots with moistened soil.
2. They are watered with the preparations "Kornevin" or "Heteroauxin".
3. Rooting occurs in a month and a half.

Dividing the bush

Euphorbia takes root in this case always. But this method is the most stressful for the plant. It does not like to be often bothered. It will take several years to recover, and you should not expect lush flowering or increased growth from milkweed during this period.

When and how to choose a bush?

A suitable time is early spring or early June, when the buds begin to grow. The bush is selected visually healthy, with a developed root system and a magnificent crown.

Rooting

1. The selected instance is carefully pulled out of the pot and inspected. Decaying areas are removed.
2. The rhizome is divided into two or more parts (depending on size). It is necessary to try to do this without a knife, if it does not work out - the blade is necessarily sterilized, and the cut is washed and sprinkled with charcoal.
3. Branches are planted in prepared holes with soil and drainage, sprayed with water.

You can not divide the bush more often every 3-4 years, otherwise it will be depleted.

Important! Fresh milky juice of the plant is extremely toxic. A liquid that looks like milk (in fact, this is the second name), when it enters the human body, can cause a lot of troubles: when interacting with the mucosa, it causes redness and often blisters, contact with the eyes is fraught with conjunctivitis or even temporary blindness.

The ingestion of a large amount of juice through the mouth (which can happen to a small child who decides to try an unknown stalk) causes severe intestinal upset, including hallucinations and seizures. therefore work with the plant is possible only with glovesand children and animals should not be allowed to approach him at all. We talked in more detail about the dangerous properties of milkweed and whether it is worth having this plant at home, and here you can read about the useful and healing properties that this plant is also known for.

Photo

Next, you can see the photo of the home plant:

Features of outdoor cultivation

Seeds can be sown in autumn and spring. Autumn planting will be more viable, but spring will rise faster.

1. The seat is carefully mulched with humus or sawdust.
2. The third part of the hole is filled with drainage, a rotten tree bark is placed on top, then a seed or a stalk is dropped.
3. In the future, when the plant gains length, a support is surely dug in nearby.

A plot for growing is selected depending on the type of milkweed. Garden individuals live perfectly in sunny open places and bloom profusely there. For shaded areas, you should choose a scaly or long-legged spurge, blooming in any conditions. The shoots found in a secluded corner are dug up and planted in a permanent place.

Care

• Temperature. The temperature range for the spring-summer period should be in the range of 22-30 degrees. In winter, when the period of rest begins for milkweed, 12-16.
• Watering. The main thing is moderation! In winter, no more than once a month, in summer, even in extreme heat, 2-3 times. If the earthen lump does not completely dry out, the plant will develop a fungal disease. Water is exceptionally settled and warm.

  Note! Euphorbia do not spray! Excess dust is removed with a dry rag or a special whisk. Once every six months, it can be washed in the shower and must be thoroughly dried with a hairdryer.

• Lighting. This is one of the few plants that fearlessly withstands the brightest rays of the sun. The more light an euphorbia receives, the brighter its leaves become. A south or southeast window sill is the best corner for a flower. In preparation for winter, the owner should take care of the purchase of special ultraviolet lamps. On fine summer days it is useful to take out euphorbia on an open loggia or in the garden.
• Pruning. Pruning is carried out every 2-3 years if the plant has grown too much. A fragment of the apex is removed, and then it can be planted later.
• Top dressing. Before the procedure, the soil is properly moistened, and only after 3-4 hours do they make a nutrient mixture. Selects a universal complex fertilizer in liquid form. Top dressing is applied every two weeks in spring and summer; in winter, the plant is not worth disturbing.
• Pot. Due to the weakness of the root system for the first planting or transplantation of a small plant, the pot is selected wide and not deep. Material - clay, ceramics, plastic.

  Mandatory drainage holes to drain excess moisture. When the euphorbia reaches an impressive size, the transplant is carried out in a container 1.5-2 cm wider and heavier. It is advisable to use a garter.

You can read about the features of milkweed care at home and in the open ground here.

Conclusion

This plant will ideally fit into any interior: whether it is a city apartment, a strict office or a village house. It looks great both in a pot and in a flowerbed. Choose one or several types, and the riot of greenery, coupled with the brightness of colors will give not only satisfaction from your work, but also an unforgettable joy.

Watch the video: Growing Milkweed for Monarch Conservation (November 2024).