This spectacular decorative plant began to please amateur gardeners not so long ago. For the first time, dichondra was presented at the exhibition "Flowers 2004". There, the plant won the hearts of spectators and judges, gaining second place. The name can be translated from Greek as "a pair of grains." So the flower was nicknamed because of the appearance of the fruit.
Dichondra is represented by ten species. Belongs to the Vyankov family. In the wild, found in the tropics and subtropics. It prefers moist forests and marshlands of East Asia, Australia, America.
Dichondra in the garden
Care Features
This plant grows well in urban apartments. But it can equally well be grown in open ground, thereby decorating your garden plot. Bindweed is unpretentious and undemanding to care for. It grows rapidly and is practically not a fan, for which we are loved by many flower growers and landscape designers. The owner is required to regularly water, spray and determine the correct planting location or position of the flower container.
Temperature
Dichondra ampelous prefers a temperature of 18-25 ℃ above zero. But it is able to survive, and grow in colder or hotter conditions.
Important! The readings of the thermometer below the +10 отмет mark adversely affect the flower, as well as large temperature differences.
Land border design
Lighting
This representative of bindweed is not capricious regarding lighting. It grows with equal success in the shade and in the sun. But still, if the primary goal is a decorative function, then grow dichondra Silver Falls is located on a more sunny area. Under the influence of sunlight, the liana becomes more powerful, branched, and the color of the leaves acquires saturation and depth. To a greater extent this applies to varieties with silver leaves. Since this shade can only be preserved in plants planted on the sunny side of the site.
Watering
The plant calmly refers to a short drought, but gratefully accepts regular watering, delighting the owner with a lush crown and large leaves. Watering is optimal at pre-sunset time. This will help to avoid possible burns on the surface of the sheet. In hot summer conditions, watering should be carried out every day. If the temperature does not rise above +20 ℃, then watering is permissible in a day or two. Dichondra flower does not like cold water. From hypothermia of the root system, the flower may die.
Spraying
In case of hot weather, the plant needs spraying on the leaf. As well as watering, the procedure is carried out in the evening in order to avoid burns to the bush.
A sufficient supply of moisture to the plant ensures its decorativeness.
Humidity
Despite the fact that the creeping dichondra tolerates drought, it loves good moist soil and air. If in the area where the bush grows, water is located close to the surface, then the plant itself will provide itself with moisture in an adequate measure, although watering in this case is also necessary, but less often - once every seven days. When groundwater is located far from the root system, watering must be carried out with special care, otherwise the sheet will be faded.
Priming
Dichondra loves loamy soils. It is better if they are drainage and balanced in acid-base indicators. The plant does not feel well on acidified soil.
Top dressing
Responsive to fertilizer application. The first feeding should be after the appearance of the first leaf. The next time will come a couple of days before transplanting to a permanent place. After that, potassium and nitrogen compounds are added every two to three weeks. If simple rules are followed, the plant will be lush and fast-growing.
Pot
When growing dichondra at home in a pot, it should be noted that a plant needs sufficient volume for full growth. In a small container, the decorative effect will not be fully noticeable.
Properly selected pot is of great importance for the plant
Features of winter care. Winter hardiness
Wintering the bindweed must be provided indoors. If the climate is mild and large frosts are not expected, then it is enough to cover the plant for a period of cold weather. The room does not have to be warm, just the lack of subzero temperature is enough.
Note! If dichondra grew in open ground, then stalks should be trimmed first. Thus, only the root along with a lump of earth is brought into the house.
Coolness and darkness immerse the bindweed in hibernation. With the onset of spring, children can be found at the root, they should be carefully separated from the adult plants and planted on the site. During the winter, the plant does not need to be fed, and you can water it once every two weeks.
Transfer
Transplant the plant to a permanent place in the evening. During the night, the root system adapts to new conditions, which will increase the survival rate of the bush.
Before landing, you need to form holes at a distance of 10 cm from each other. Peat mixture is placed at the bottom of each hole. And only after that, with care, in order not to damage the delicate roots, a bush is planted. The hole is filled up with earth and is well watered with warm, defended water.
Planting dichondra seedlings
Features of outdoor care
Dichondra ampel planting and care, cultivation - practically do not cause problems. Special attention should be paid to preventive measures. For example, to avoid the appearance of insects on the bushes you need:
- limit watering in sufficiently moist soil, cool climate, as well as densely planted areas;
- eliminate mulching;
- apply only manual weeding, as you can damage the closely located root system;
- to plant plants on nitrogen-poor lands.
When blooms
This representative of bindweed is not a flowering plant. But, despite this, it pleases the eye with its decorative effect.
Decorative view of the dichondra
Pruning
To give the bush a formal and splendor, it must be pinched. This is done after the formation of the eighth sheet. In addition, for the same purpose, it is advisable to cut the stems every two weeks.
How to breed
Dichondra is not only grown from seeds, although this method is very popular among gardeners. In addition, you can propagate the plant by the cuttings or rooting layering.
Dichondra ampelous seed cultivation
Plant seeds are sown in the ground in early February. Before planting, the material should be soaked for a day in water, or in a solution of a growth stimulator, which will quickly wake up and start all the necessary processes in a small seed. Seeds are placed in a mixture of soil and peat to a depth of half a centimeter. It is more convenient to use small pots, planting 2-3 seeds. Then the container is closed with a film or glass.
Additional Information! Do not forget about the ventilation of containers. Providing good lighting and an air temperature of about +23 ℃, you can grow a strong plant.
Often ampel dichondra is grown from seeds not in pots, but in special peat tablets. This solution has also worked well and is often a more convenient way to plant dichondra seeds. Such tablets already have the proper amount of nutrients, which provides plants with greater germination. Moreover, further transplantation of the grown dichondra seedlings into the soil is less traumatic for its root system.
Only one seed is placed in one tablet. But no matter how the dichondra is planted and cared for, seedlings will appear in 7-8 days. Seedling growth is very slow. The film and glass can be removed when the seedling grows a little.
Planting dichondra in separate containers
The soil under the shelter should be regularly ventilated, loosened and watered. The young plant does not tolerate direct sunlight, like dusk. After the fourth leaf appears in the young plant, it is time for a pick. If the plant is assigned a place in a hanging planter, then it is advisable to immediately transplant it to a permanent place. When the plant grows in the garden, the sprout is temporarily transplanted into a large container. In open ground planted only if the weather is warm.
Planting and care of dichondra in the open ground requires regular necessary manipulations and a beautiful bush will delight the owner throughout the entire vegetative period.
Important! Landing on the site in the middle lane is carried out two months after planting the seeds. Often the planting time of the grown shoot moves to mid-June, as, for example, in Siberia.
Dichondra: propagation by cuttings
In the process of pruning vines, cuttings remain. This is an excellent planting material. By placing them in water and waiting for the roots to appear, you can plant cuttings. First they are placed in containers under the film. During this period, the plant needs sufficient illumination, an air temperature of 20-25 ℃ above zero, regular watering and ventilation.
After a short time, the trimmed stem will take root and grow. After that, he is planted in a permanent place.
Dichondra propagation by layering
This method is the simplest and does not require any special skills from the grower. To propagate the plant by layering, you need to tilt the stem to the surface of the earth and fix it in this position, regularly watering it. After the root system appears at the place of contact with the soil, the daughter plant is cut off from the mother.
Possible problems
Dichondra is undemanding to care. Unpretentious plant copes with difficulties. It is recommended to regularly spray stems with special formulations during the growing season. This manipulation is justified in relation to pest control. Fleas and nematodes can cause significant damage to the bush, and the fight against them will require more effort and time than prevention.
Worth to know! The introduction of lime-cannon into the ground proved to be quite good. For the same purpose, before planting in the garden, the plants are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate.
Common varieties
In Russia, two of the ten available varieties are common.
Emerald Falls (Emerald Falls)
The Dichondra variety Emerald Waterfall is different in that it needs much more moisture for proper cultivation. The leaves of the plant are saturated green. Feels great in partial shade, while the lack of light practically does not affect the color of the leaves. As a rule, this species is chosen when there is a good cover for the soil. At the same time, the ampoule emerald waterfall looks spectacular in hanging planters, thereby justifying its name.
Emerald waterfall in composition with flowering plants
Silver Falls
This species has leaves with a beautiful silver tint. The stems of Silver Falls dichondra are long, the plant needs sunlight to provide a silver color. Drought is persistent. Resistant to pests and adverse weather conditions.
As a rule, dichondra silvery waterfall is grown in containers and flower pots. Hanging silver branches look unusual and are a decoration of the design of any garden.
Dichondra silver waterfall growing in a container
Dichondra in landscape design and as an ampel plant for decorating facades
Often grown as an annual. In southern countries and in the historical homeland, it has been growing for several years and is a perennial. In Australia, it is considered a decorative weed that performs a sanitary role. Usually, dichondra is planted in hanging containers.
A green or silver waterfall forms quite easily. Subsequently, you only need to monitor the shape of the "beard" regularly cutting it. Silver plant is found in independent plantings, as well as in compositions with other flowers.
Waterfall Beard Formation
Variety Repens is often used to form a green cover on the site. Moreover, if the land of the garden has differences in height, then this is beneficial. In this case, the dichondra carpet looks more spectacular. Liana looks beautiful on flower beds with gelichrism and in the design of balconies of houses in combination with flowering plants.
