Dichondra is used in the garden as an alternative to lawn grass. In landscape design, it is popular for decorating an alpine hill; it is used as a background for other brightly flowering plants.
Dichondra Silver Waterfall: growing
A distinctive feature of the Silvery Falls dichondra plant is branched stems strewn with silver leaves. Most often grown in planters or pots, decorating balconies, loggias, verandas, garden corners.
Silver Waterfall
Features of growing from seeds
Creeping Dichondra propagates vegetatively and by seed. From seeds grown to produce simultaneously a large number of copies.
Dichondra ampel growing from seed at home
Growing from the seeds of dichondra creeping begins in January or February. Seedling containers are used wide and shallow, the seeds are laid to a depth of 5 mm.
Note! The air temperature in the room where the seeds germinate should be maintained at about 24 ° C. Please note that the plant likes moist air. Subject to all conditions, the first shoots appear in about a week.
When the true leaves are formed, the shoots dive, placing 2-3 copies in one pot. And when it gets warmer on the street, they can be taken out onto the balcony every day increasing the time spent outdoors, thus adapting the plant to the environment.
Dichondra grows slowly, the plant acquires decorative qualities after 3 months. That is why seeds should be sown in open ground as early as possible, since shoots will only grow stronger by autumn.
Dichondra: planting and care in the open ground
It all starts with choosing a place. The plant loves the sun, therefore both at home and on the plot it is planted on the south side. When planting dichondra in a glanders, between the shoots a distance of 35 cm is observed, at home in a cache-pot, a more compact landing is used.
Dichondra grown from seeds can grow on any soil, but more like drained loamy or peaty. When planting under the root, long-acting fertilizer can be applied.
The earthen lump should be moderately humid, with an excess of moisture, the roots rot, with a lack of moisture, the shoots dry out. To create the humidity that silver leaves love, they are sprayed daily. Humid air gives an increase in green mass up to 25%.
Note! Providing optimal growing conditions, the plant will live for about 6 years.
Planting seedlings in flower pots
Dichondra landed in a cache-pot in late May - early June, when the weather is warm. In colder climates, the transplant period is postponed to mid-June. A drainage layer is necessarily laid at the bottom of the pot or planter.
Growing and caring for dichondra is not complete without pruning. To give the shoots a shape and increase their density, a pinch is periodically done. In summer, such procedures are performed approximately every two weeks.
Remember: the minimum temperature in winter at which the plant can be grown is 10 ° C.
Dichondra Emerald Waterfall
The second known variety of dichondra is called "Emerald Waterfall". Cultivation of dichondra Emerald waterfall is made from seeds and cuttings.
The second name of the variety is green dichondra, which the plant received due to the yellow-green leaves. The length of each leaf is on average 3 cm, the shoots are short. In its homeland, New Zealand, dichondra grows like a weed, and in other countries it is widely used instead of a lawn cover. Variety Emerald Falls is less whimsical than Silver Falls and can grow in the shade.
Emerald waterfall
Dichondra: outdoor care
Landing in open ground is carried out in late May - early June, when the average daytime temperature is more than 20 ° C, and night temperature is more than 15 ° C. The hole is 3 cm deep; the roots and 1/3 of the shoot should fit in it.
How to plant dichondra in open ground:
- compliance with the distance between the flowers of 15 cm when growing dichondra as a groundcover flower;
- observing the distance between the flowers of 40 cm when alternating with other flowers;
- nearby should not be flowers with a powerful root system.
Note! In winter, the lawn remains green until the air temperature drops to -3 ° C.
Lush growth dressing
When growing dichondra, fertilizer is applied in the vegetative period, universal or nitrogen fertilizer is used. In winter, additional food is not required, in the spring and summer it is enough to make feeding 2 times a month. If the fertilizer has got on the leaves, they are washed with clean water to avoid burns.
Watering mode
Despite the fact that in the wild the plant actively grows in swamps, it is easier to grow a plant in arid conditions than in wet ones. For irrigation, settled warm water is used. Watering is necessary as necessary, constantly maintaining the soil slightly moistened. The frequency of watering is affected by climate, air temperature, shoot size, planting density, location.
Dichondra in the exterior
Wintering
For winter, it needs to be covered, because the plant dies at low temperatures. Liana is able to tolerate winter only in a mild climate, the root system is close to the surface, so it immediately responds to precipitation.
To protect the flower, the soil is covered with a layer of sawdust and foliage with a height of 7 cm, and the "lawn" can be covered with a layer of soil and covered with a film. This is done before freezing. The second option is to transfer the plant along with an earthen lump to the basement or greenhouse, where the temperature is kept within 11-15 ° C.
Pests and diseases
Dichondra is resistant to diseases and to all parasites, except for the nematode. Less commonly, white aphid or whitefly appears on the leaves. To cure the plant, the shoots are treated with an insecticide, and the affected leaves are removed.
Attention: plant immunity drops if you plant nearby petunia or other annual plants that are prone to frequent diseases.
Dichondra in the interior and on the site will always give a twist. The gardener can not worry about the plant, it requires a minimum of attention and time, it is easier to care for it than for many other flowers.
