Indoor Balsam is a flowering plant that is part of the Balsamic family. Homeland - the tropics and subtropics of Asia and Africa.
In common people they call an asterisk, a spark, Vanka wet.
Description of Balsam
The trunks are juicy, but brittle, the rhizome is kidney-shaped. The foliage is oval or heart-shaped, narrows at the very beginning, and approaching the petiole expands, there is a small spine at the edges. The color is dark green with a lilac shimmer.
The buds have five petals of different colors - from pale pink to red. Fruits are green, after ripening form a dry box.
Types of Balsamins
In room conditions, it will be possible to grow such varieties of light:
View | Description | Leaves | Flowers |
Waller | Reaches 50 cm. The trunk is juicy, erect. | Wide and oval, color - green, brown. | Plain or bicolor, small. Light pink. |
New Guinean | Perennial hybrid. Resistant to direct sunlight, allowed to grow in the apartment and garden. | Oval, green with yellowish veins. | Large, color - red, hot pink. |
Kandy | Recently bred variety with smooth and juicy trunks. Grows up to 50 cm. | Elongated, with pointed ends. The color is grassy. | Soft, velvety. High peduncle. |
Strawberries with cream | Terry variety. Compact plant, branched stems. | Oval. | Red-white, diameter up to 4 cm. |
Peters | Height to half a meter. | Bronze, elongated. | Saturated red, small. |
Orchidaceous | Juicy, but brittle trunk, dark pink. Resistant to spider mites. | Velvety, dark, pink and red streaks are present. | The shape resembles a shoe, white, have burgundy or yellowish blotches. |
Tom Thumb | Compact shrub, branched trunk. It is allowed to grow in an apartment and in open soil. | Elongated saturated color. | Large, terry, color light pink. |
Cutie | Bush with a height of up to 20 cm. | Oval. | Small, white. |
Salmon Chiffon | A plant with long and plentiful flowering. | Light green, heart-shaped. | Large, terry. Color salmon. |
Balsam (light): home care
When caring for balsam at home, you need to focus on the season of the year:
Factor | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
Location / Lighting | Flowers prefer partial shade, so they are placed on the east, southeast or west side of the house. | Increase daylight using fluorescent lamps. |
Temperature | + 18 ... +22 ° С. At higher rates, they increase air humidity. | + 10 ... +16 ° С. The plant is pushed away from the window to prevent it from freezing. |
Humidity | Level 65-70%. Perform systematic spraying. | Level - 60-65%. Placed away from heating appliances and sprayed from the spray gun. |
Watering | Once every 2-3 days. | Twice a week. |
Top dressing | Once every 14 days. Apply potassium phosphorus funds. | Fertilizers are not used. |
Transplanting into a new pot, primer for a twinkle
Balsam transplantation is performed 1-2 times a year. The best time is spring.
The procedure is carried out 14 days after the purchase of the plant, or at any time when it has been noticed that the root system peeks through the drainage holes or pests are found. The pot is selected 1.5-2 cm more than the old one.
A prerequisite for a transplant is laying a drainage layer consisting of stones, expanded clay and sand. Next, add 1.5-2 cm of earth.
The flower is placed in the center of the new pot, and the empty space is densely covered with soil. Abundantly watered and left in partial shade for 7-14 days.
The soil for transplantation is purchased in a store or made independently, for this, the following components are taken in the same amount:
- turf land;
- humus;
- perlite.
Breeding
A twinkle is a flower that is propagated by seeds and cuttings.
The first version of the planting material is used all year round, the main thing is to adhere to the germination plan:
- Seeds are kept for 10 minutes in a light solution of potassium permanganate.
- The soil is mixed from perlite and peat in a ratio of 1: 2.
- Planting material is buried by 7 cm and moisten the soil, cover the container with a film, creating conditions there at + 20 ... +25 ° С.
- The first sprouts appear after 8-10 days.
- The soil is occasionally ventilated.
- When the seedlings grow to 1.5-2 cm, they dive.
- After the emergence of one real leaf, the flowers are transplanted in separate pots.
This sequence must be fully respected, otherwise you can provoke the death of plants.
Cuttings are considered a more popular method of reproduction, since the process is simpler, and all species characteristics are fully preserved.
The procedure is performed according to the following plan:
- In the warm season, the top of the shoot is cut at a length of 7 cm. There are 2-3 internodes on each handle. The lower foliage is removed.
- The shoot is placed in a container of water and waiting for the formation of rhizomes.
- Soil is taken the same as with the seed propagation method.
- After the appearance of roots, cuttings are planted in different pots. From above they are covered with banks.
- After 14 days, rooting is observed, and after a few months, the shrub begins to bloom.
Experienced flower growers plant balsam shoots immediately in the soil, after treating the plants with the means to accelerate the formation of the root system (Kornevin).
The rules for the care of garden balsam in the open ground
Balsam cultivation in open soil is carried out on the east or west side of the garden. With high-quality lighting, Vanka wet blooms for a long time and abundantly. Shrubs planted in the shade have half as few buds.
Seedlings for open ground are grown in the house, but after the end of the frosts they are planted in the soil. Planting material is pre-tempered, daily taking out for several hours on the balcony or in the garden.
Wells for planting a flower create from each other at a distance of 25-30 cm. If the earth is not fertile, then humus, peat and sand are added to each hole in advance.
The seedlings are carefully removed from the pot, rearranged into a recess, covered with earth, watered, mulched. To get a wide bush, pinch the top of the plant.
Growing a little garden light, planting and care should be at the highest level. The plant is regularly watered, since a lack of moisture leads to folding, withering and shedding of foliage. Suitable time is in the evening, after sunset.
Once every 14 days, balsam is fed with complex fertilizer for flowering plants. Pay attention to the fact that the composition was potassium and nitrogen. Wilted buds are regularly removed.
How to stimulate a flowering twinkle
Blooming balsam may be absent due to such situations:
- large capacity - large pots provoke the growth of rhizomes, which is offset by a decrease in the number of ovaries;
- cramped vessel - the root system is rapidly increasing, the leaves are falling;
- temperature below +15 ° С - wintering has come, during this period the absence of buds is observed;
- excessive amounts of nitrogen - frequent top dressing provokes the appearance of greenery, but not flowers;
- low air humidity.
Taking into account all these factors and preventing their occurrence, you can enjoy long and abundant flowering.
Mistakes in care, diseases, pests of balsam
During growth, the light can be attacked by insects and diseases, which is often caused by errors in care:
Symptom (effect on foliage) | Cause | Elimination |
Yellowing. | Insufficient air humidity, waterlogging of the soil, rotting of the root system, excess fertilizer. | The plant is taken out of the pot and the rhizome is examined for rot. Correct the watering mode. |
Withering. | Low humidity, high temperature. | Sprayed, regularly watered, avoiding stagnation of water. |
Falling buds. | Dry air, excessive fertilizer, low temperatures, drying out of the soil, pests. | Move to a room with higher temperatures. Adjust the irrigation mode. Reduce the frequency of fertilizing. |
Twisting and falling. | High soil moisture in combination with low temperature. | Reduce the frequency of watering, increase the temperature in the room. |
Blanching. | Poor lighting, high nitrogen content in the ground. | The plant is moved to a brighter room or provide additional illumination. Change the fertilizer application mode. |
Fall, cessation of flowering. | Light deficiency in combination with low temperature. | Until the end of the flowering period, a temperature of +20 ° C is maintained in a room with balsam. |
It grows smaller, trunks are pulled. | Small capacity, lack of nutrients, poor lighting, high temperatures. | The plant is cut and moved to a more spacious container. Adjust the frequency of fertilizer application. They are transported to a well-lit room and provide a comfortable temperature. |
Yellow spotting and holes. | Cucumber mosaic. | The flower is isolated and burned. |
Annular spotting, cracking. Growth retardation. | Ring mosaic. | |
Thinning of the stem at the base, acquiring a brown hue. | Brown rot. | In the early stages of the disease, the flower is sprayed several times with Fitosporin. With severe damage, balsam is burned. |
Light spots on the outside, white plaque on the inside. | Downy mildew. | Remove the affected areas. The flower is treated with Allet. |
Black blotches. | Bacteriosis. | Cut the affected areas. Spray with any fungicides. |
Yellow dots warping. White web. | Spider mite. | It is treated with soapy water and placed under a warm shower. Increase the humidity in the room. Spray the flower with Actara or Actellic. |
Yellowing, warping. | Whitefly | The shrub is washed with warm water, apply Fufanon or Mospilan. |
The fight against these problems begins in the first stages, if this is not done, the plant dies.