How to care for a homemade chrysanthemum in a pot: planting, watering, top dressing

Chrysanthemum is a bright and unpretentious flower associated with warm colors of autumn and a golden garden that can be grown andat home, in an ordinary flowerpot. It is not difficult to take care of a house chrysanthemum, it is often found on the windowsills of indoor plant lovers closer to winter, when other plants rest after flowering. Sometimes such plants are bought as disposable to throw away when all the buds fall off, but with proper care this attractive bush is able to please its owners with bright colors for many years.

Plant selection and transplantation

Chrysanthemum in a pot is quite a miniature plant that, during flowering, resembles a bouquet. But sometimes under the guise of compact varieties in stores there are ordinary large plants designed for inattentive buyers. Small sizes are achieved by using special drugs that inhibit the growth of branches and stimulate the formation of buds. These bushes quickly stop blooming after buying and can grow into real giants. Such specimens have to be planted in the open ground in the spring.

For cultivation in an apartment conditions, compact varieties of Chinese chrysanthemum or mulberry leaves are most often used, characterized by a long flowering period, while not forming high stems and long branches. Varieties can be large-flowered, with a diameter of an open bud up to 5 cm, and small-flowered flowers with flowers up to 2.5 cm in size. Some varieties of Korean chrysanthemum grow well in a pot, especially popular are the globular bushes of the Multiflora series, they are also called spherical bushes. On sale it is possible to meet chrysanthemums Indian which are not intended for an open ground and with success are grown up in winter gardens and on balconies.

In order not to be mistaken when buying, you need to carefully inspect the plants, paying attention to the proportionality of leaves and stems, the presence of pests, and then - arrange a quarantine within 2 weeks. The room flower in the pot should be properly chosen location - the place should be cool. It is advisable to choose a window facing east or west. You should not have chrysanthemums in a pot on the south side - then the flowering will have to wait a very long time or it may not come at all. On the north side, a flower can die from lack of light. In summer, it is better to take out the plants on a ventilated balcony or plant them in the open ground.

Planting chrysanthemum in a pot at home is carried out in the same way as when working with ordinary houseplants: the capacity is not taken too much, drainage is placed on the bottom and filled with garden soil mixed with peat and humus or buy a ready-made flower primer. Acidified soils should be avoided. Transplanted young plants in a fresh substrate every year in the spring, while the size of the container does not change. After four years of age - every 2 years, the pot should be 2-3 cm larger. The flowering period starts in the autumn, but in the spring it can repeat if the temperature does not exceed the comfortable for plants + 15-18 ° C.In summer it is best to keep flowers at + 20-23 ° C.In winter - at + 3-8 ° C.

Reproduction of indoor chrysanthemum and plant care

It is not difficult to take care of chrysanthemum at home. She is very fond of water, so the soil in the pot must be constantly moist. But too much to fill the flower is not worth it - it can cause decay of the root system, fungal diseases and lead to the death of the plant. To choose the optimal watering regime, you need to focus on the conditions of the content. In rooms with dry air it is best to water twice a day, additionally spraying the leaves from the spray gun. It is recommended to install the chrysanthemum on a pallet with wet claydite or use a special device to humidify the air.

If the plant has just been transplanted, the first time to apply fertilizer is needed not earlier than 14 days, and when used in a ground mixture of humus - in a month. In the spring, feed nitrogen fertilizers regularly, once every 10 days, to stimulate flowering, and by mid-July you can use phosphorus-potassium, for example, universal fertilizers for flowering plants. In the period of active vegetation, the bush should be periodically pinched to create a spherical shape and increase the number of shoots. Usually 2-3 pinches are enough.

Advice Best flowers develop during the autumn period, when the length of a light day does not exceed 8 hours. Due to this feature, it is possible to achieve repeated flowering of chrysanthemum artificially, if covered with a light-tight cap in the middle of the day. When the plant fades, shoots are cut and placed in a cool room, where the temperature does not exceed +5 ° C.

For the reproduction of chrysanthemum, several methods are most often used: bush division, cuttings, cuttings, seed sowing. When dividing the bush, the root system may suffer, while the cuttings and the seed method are rather laborious options that will require greenhouse conditions, regular airing of the shoots, and a long wait for the result. If you breed chrysanthemum with layers, you can get up to 6 new bushes per season, which can blossom in the first year of life.

Rest period of the chrysanthemum room

To care for the chrysanthemum at the time of flowering is simple: you need to remove the yellowed leaves, dried buds and water the plant abundantly. If you do not, the entire bush may dry up. When chrysanthemum fades, overgrown stems shorten to 10-15 cm, but young try not to touch. In spring, too, it is recommended to perform a stimulating branching pruning.

In winter, the rest period begins, to which you should prepare in advance. There are several ways to arrange chrysanthemum wintering properly.

1. Leave the plant on a light and cool balcony or in the entrance. You can put it in the cellar, where there is additional lighting. At a temperature of + 3-8 ° C, water should not be given more than once a month.
2. You can leave the chrysanthemum on a cold window sill where there is enough light. But then the pruning is not so cardinal - remove only the dried buds, branches and foliage. Watered as usual.
3. Many owners of heat-loving garden varieties put plants in a dark cellar, cutting shrubs up to 10-15 cm and watering the soil in a pot 2 days before wintering. You do not need to take care of such a plant until spring.
4. It is possible to hibernate in the open ground with the use of a covering material. Before frost, the plant in the pot is cut, covered with dry soil and foliage, from above cover with any covering material. But this method does not guarantee that a particular variety will successfully overwinter. A flower grower can use this option at his own risk.

Diseases and pests of indoor chrysanthemum

Juicy foliage of indoor chrysanthemum is very attractive for various pests: especially this plant is attacked by a spider mite. At the initial stage of infection, it is enough to treat the bushes with a soap solution and to bathe under a warm shower, but when a spider web appears on the shoots, cardinal measures and the use of special preparations will be needed. To prevent the spread of insects, you should regularly inspect the plants and at the first signs of infection in time to conduct processing. For prevention, you can add to the water for spraying essential oil at the rate of 10 drops per 1.5 liters of water, using this solution once a week.

Fungal diseases are not uncommon for chrysanthemums. They arise because of mistakes in the care, especially often - because of abundant watering. Plants can develop powdery mildew, in which the leaves are covered with a white coating, and then fall off. For treatment, you need to use a fungicide, and also stop watering, dry the roots, and then water it not so abundantly as before. When overflowing, the root system may suffer or septoria occur, which appears in brown spots on the leaf blade. With such symptoms, watering is reduced, and the leaves are sprayed with special preparations.

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Indoor chrysanthemums - flowers, which are easy to take care of, it is enough to observe several rules: plant plants in a cool, bright place, regularly pinch shoots and sprinkle and water abundantly, but do not pour. Most varieties grown in a pot are garden hybrids with a compact crown, abundantly blooming in autumn, and sometimes in spring.

Room chrysanthemums need a winter rest period at a reduced temperature. It should be prepared in advance by choosing a place for wintering and trimming long shoots to 10-15 cm if the flower is to winter in a dark room. With a light arrangement, only the dried flowers, twigs and leaves are removed. Of the pests of chrysanthemum, it is most often damaged by a spider mite. The most common diseases are fungal - they are caused by mistakes in growing a flower and with excessive watering. For the prevention of disease, you must follow the rules of care and regularly inspect the plants for pests.