Agapanthus is a perennial herb. It was first discovered in the mountains of South Africa. Scientists could not attribute it to a specific family, since it has the signs of Onions, Liliaceae and Amaryllis at the same time. Therefore, he became the founder of the Agapantov family.
Classification
African Agapanthus reaches 70 cm in height. The plant has oblong grooved leaves of a dark green shade, 30-40 cm long, 2-3 cm wide. The flower itself is bright blue, therefore it is also known as "Agapanthus Blue". It blooms from mid-June to the end of July, after which seeds appear.
Agapanthus, Agapanthus family
Eastern agapanthus is white, it is also an early agapanthus. It has a spherical shape due to the large number of flowers of a white-blue hue, reaching up to 100. Plant height - 70 cm.
Oriental White Agapanthus
Bell-shaped agapanthus is a miniature plant suitable for indoor cultivation. The length of its leaves usually does not exceed 10-15 cm. The petals themselves bloom from July to August, painted in a delicate blue-violet color.
Agapanthus bell
It is interesting: The flower is also called the Abyssinian beauty, it is considered a symbol of abundance and good luck.
Agapantus: planting and care in the open ground
Like any flower, agapanthus requires special care and planting.
- Location
When choosing a location, it is important to consider direct sunlight, because the lack of lighting will make the flower fragile. Growing in a well-lit place will allow him to become stronger, to bloom the plant will be more plentiful and more beautiful.
- Watering
You need to moisten the flower regularly, but carefully. Too much water can damage it or cause illness.
- Top dressing
To achieve a truly amazing flowering, you need to use mineral and organic fertilizers, alternating them. During flowering, it is advisable to feed the flower with complex fertilizers.
- Wintering
In most regions of Russia, the flower of the Abyssinian beauty does not winter. Before the first frost arrives, the owners dig it up, plant it in small containers, in which good drainage is organized.
Next, the plant is brought into the house and stored until spring exclusively in a dark room at an average temperature of 10-15 ° C. During storage, the flower also needs to be taken care of - sometimes moisten the soil so that the rhizome does not dry out.
Landing Features
In order for the Abyssinian beauty to show her best qualities, a number of conditions of detention must be observed:
- the plant will be more comfortable in an atmosphere with high humidity;
- the use of soft water will protect against ugly stains;
- the optimum air temperature in the summer is 20-28 ° C, in the winter - 10 ... 12 ° C;
- transplantation at least once every 3 years.
For reference: a beautiful flower can also be grown as a pot culture, but you will have to carefully monitor the conditions of detention.
Breeding methods
There are several types of plant propagation.
Agapanthus propagation by seed
Seeds
Growing by seeds involves the preliminary breeding of seedlings, because the flower is not planted in open ground. Sowing is best done in March-April.
Filling a small container with sand-peat mixture, you need to sow the seeds and sprinkle a layer of soil on top. Next, you need to spray everything with soft water from the spray gun and cover with polyethylene to create the effect of a greenhouse.
It is important to give fresh air to the soil every day, removing the coating for half an hour. When the first sprouts go, you need to continue moderate watering, and with the appearance of the first leaves - transplant into pots.
Before planting in open ground, the flower must get used to new conditions. To do this, you can take the plant outside for at least 20 minutes, gradually increasing the amount of time to 24 hours.
Blooming African Agapanthus
Bush division
For propagation by division, it is necessary to dig up the plant, capturing as many roots as possible.
After that, divide it into parts with 1-3 root sockets. After spraying them with water, wrap in cloth. Hold agapanthus in this form for several days. Then plant in the ground and produce minimal watering. When the plant takes root, restore the previous moisture regime.
Reproduction also exists by separating the shoots from an adult plant.
Important! This method is dangerous because, due to careless separation, both the mother and daughter flowers may suffer.
To summarize, we can identify the main criteria for successful cultivation of agapanthus plants at home: bright sunlight, moderate but frequent watering and replanting 2-3 times in 5 years.
