Eustoma is a delicate flower on tall, slender stems from the Gentian family. Both America, Africa and islands in the Caribbean are its homeland. Beautiful flowers can be found today in flowerbeds and in bouquet compositions, however, florists still have little experience with growing and not all secrets are revealed. And this is not surprising, because until the 90s of the last century, almost no flower was found in culture. Eustoma can be found under other names: lisianthus, "tulip gentian", "Texas bell", "Japanese rose", "Irish rose." Exquisite flowers fascinate at first sight, and in a greenhouse they can be preserved throughout the year.
Plant description
Eustoma is a biennial or perennial herb that is grown in temperate gardens as an annual. The flower has a branched, but thin and sensitive rhizome without tubers and bulbs. Vertical stems branched mainly in the upper part. They are quite tall and grow to 1-1.2 m in height. The surface of the sprouts is smooth, dark green. In places of nodes there are thickenings.
Short-leaved, almost sessile leaves grow oppositely. They have an oval or ovoid shape with a narrowed base and a pointed end. The lateral surface is solid, and the surface is leathery. The foliage is dark green with a bluish waxy coating.
The upper part of the stem forks many times and forms panicle inflorescence. Each flower has a fairly long peduncle. In total, up to 35 buds can be on a plant at a time, which open in turn, only a few pieces. Bell-shaped corollas with free petals can have a simple or terry shape. Their diameter reaches 5-8 cm. Wide soft petals with wavy edges are painted in purple, white, blue, pink, lilac shades. There are varieties with plain or variegated petals, with a smooth transition or stripes. Although from a distance eustoma looks like a rose flower, it is closer to a terry poppy. The central part of the flower consists of medium-sized stamens with massive anthers and an ovary column divided into 3 parts.
After pollination, elongated seed bolls mature. Small reddish seeds with vertical grooves are hidden under thin dry leaves. They have a flattened oval shape.
Species and varieties
The genus of eustoma combines only 3 main species. Of these, large-flowered eustoma is most popular. The plant is suitable for cultivation in the garden, at home or in a greenhouse for cutting. Upright and branched in the upper part of the stem grows to a height of 150 cm. Dark green ovate or oval leaves are located along its entire length. The top consists of a dense, similar to a bouquet of inflorescences. Large corollas with soft wavy petals differ in color and structure. In total, this species has more than 60 decorative varieties.
High varieties for garden and cuts:
- Echo - spreading branched shoots of 70 cm in height end with large monophonic or two-color buds;
- Aurora - slender shoots 0.9-1.2 m tall blooms white, blue, pink semi-double flowers;
- Flamenco - bush up to 120 cm in height is decorated with two-color buds with a diameter of up to 8 cm.
Dwarf varieties for the home:
- Little Bell - shoots up to 15 cm high decorated with small simple flowers;
- Florida Pink - simple pink flowers on highly branched stems;
- Fidelity - a spiral-shaped peduncle up to 20 cm high is strewn with white simple corollas.
Breeding methods
It is quite difficult to grow eustoma on your own at home. The most commonly used seed method. Crops are produced in early February. To do this, prepare a soil mixture of garden soil, sand and peat. It is better to immediately use peat pots or tablets, as the gentle rhizome does not tolerate transplantation and does not need a pick. Seeds are distributed on the surface of the soil and slightly pressed, not falling asleep in the soil. After spraying with soft, well-purified water, the containers are covered with a film and kept under ambient light and a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° C.
Shoots appear after 2-3 weeks. From the very beginning, they need a long daylight hours, so you can not do without phytolamps. At night, it is better to transfer the seedlings to a cooler place (+ 14 ... + 17 ° C). It is kept at high humidity, but is aired daily. Real leaves appear 5-6 weeks after sowing. For the best type of branching, pinch the tops above 3-4 knots. Landing at a permanent place is performed at the age of 3-4 months. This is usually done in late May-June.
Vegetatively, eustoma practically does not reproduce. Some argue that a new plant can be obtained from the root segments, but this is highly doubtful. Division of a bush or rhizome by a plant tolerates extremely poorly. Sometimes when growing at home, at the end of flowering, pruning of almost the entire land shoot is practiced. This stimulates the appearance of children (basal processes). Soon, the bush becomes thicker and wider. When trying to separate and transplant, not all children survive. In the case of a favorable outcome, adaptation takes about a month.
Planting and care at home
Eustoma is planted in small pots with a mixture of loose fertile soil, sand and peat. At the bottom of the pot spread a thick layer of drainage material. Pots are best placed on the eastern or western windowsill, and in winter transferred to the south window. The plant needs a long daylight hours, but direct sunlight is undesirable. In the fall, as daylight is reduced, daylight lamps are used.
The flower does not grow well in hot, stuffy rooms, so regular ventilation is needed. The optimum air temperature is + 19 ... + 22 ° C. Flowers cannot be placed in a draft. In winter, plants are transferred to a cooler room (+ 12 ... + 14 ° C).
Water the eustoma regularly, but in small portions so that the water does not stagnate in the ground. The fluid must be well cleaned. In winter, watering is reduced, otherwise a black leg may develop. During the growing season and flowering, they again increase.
Around the plant, it is necessary to maintain high humidity. For this, fogging plants are used or containers with water and wet expanded clay are placed. It is not recommended to spray the shoots so that water does not accumulate in the bases of the leaves and on the flowers.
In spring and summer, eustoma is fed with a solution of mineral complex fertilizer. It is poured into the soil at a distance from the stems, so as not to burn them.
Plant care includes regular pruning of some shoots and wilted inflorescences. This allows you to preserve the decorativeness of the bushes and extend their life cycle. However, even with proper care, an individual does not live longer than 4-5 years.
Eustoma in the garden
In open ground, eustoma seedlings are best planted in early summer, during budding. With due attention and caution, flowers will soon appear that will delight until the autumn cold. The place for the flower garden should be bright, but protected from drafts. Close occurrence of groundwater is unacceptable. The soil should be loose and nutritious, with a neutral or slightly acid reaction.
Landing is done in the evening or on a cloudy day. A distance of 10-15 cm is maintained between plants. For 2-3 weeks, newly planted eustomas are covered with glass jars.
In the absence of precipitation, the flower garden is moderately watered, preventing drying and stagnation of water in the ground. Irrigation is carried out only in the morning. The ground near the bushes is loosened and weeds are removed.
The first top dressing is carried out a month after planting. Use a solution of mineral fertilizer (Plantafol, Kemira).
Flowering depends on the time of sowing seedlings and usually occurs after 3-4 months. Blooming eustoma will persist in the fall, even with a strong cooling. The shoots begin to fade when snow falls or frosts from -10 ° C. It will not be able to winter the plant in a temperate climate, so there is no point in making additional shelter for the winter. To preserve a favorite flower, you can dig it with a large lump of earth, and transplant it into a pot. Until spring, eustomas are kept in a cool room or greenhouse.
This flower is quite delicate. It is easily exposed to fungal and bacterial infections. Prevention is compliance with the watering regime and temperatures, as well as regular ventilation. But parasites rarely bother the plant, since most representatives of the Gorechavka family are distinguished by a bitter, unpleasant taste. Only in extreme cases, aphids, slugs or whiteflies settle on the eustoma, which are not difficult to get rid of with insecticides.
Using an Irish Rose
Delicate flowers of an unusual form are not in vain called the Irish or Japanese rose. They attract with bright colors and delicate petals. Buds on long stems are used to make bouquets. Despite the apparent vulnerability, they will stand in a vase for more than three weeks. It is only necessary to periodically change the water and add a few tablets of activated carbon to it. So that the bouquet does not seem monotonous, they usually make up a complex composition of several plant species.
In landscape design, eustoma is used on a flower bed. Low grades are good in mixborders, rock gardens, on the terrace or balcony. Usually, plants look better in solo group plantings against the background of cereals, coniferous thickets or undersized grasses. You can arrange a composition of varieties with buds of different shapes and colors.
