5 varieties of strelitzia - a plant that looks like a bird of paradise

This spectacular evergreen plant has an unusual structure and color of buds, but is not the most popular among indoor gardeners. It got its name in honor of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitzkaya.

Strelitzia reed

In its natural environment, this species can be found in the Southeastern part of the African continent. The culture calmly tolerates prolonged droughts and sudden temperature changes, it can even withstand a slight frost. Flowers of an unusual shape can only be seen on plants over 4 years old. The bud-inflorescence, painted in purple and red tones, is on the peduncle in a horizontal position, and its appearance is very similar to a long, straight beak. On its upper side, near the petiole, over time, variegated orange-colored flowers appear.

The bud is about 16 cm long and can contain from 6 to 10 bright flowers covered with abundant nectar. Up to 6-7 inflorescences appear on one bush. Flowering lasts from May to October. Cut flowers last longer than on a branch. The leaves of the reed strelitzia are completely devoid of leaf plates; it has long narrow needle-leaves covered with a waxy coating.

Large thorny leaves form a dense gray-green rosette, plant height - from 1.5 to 2 meters. Strelitzia reed is considered an endangered species, in order to save it, growers use artificial pollination and vegetative options for the appearance of seeds.

Royal Strelitzia

The bird of paradise flower, brought from Southeast Africa, quickly gained fame in European countries and the New World. The plant is a symbol of freedom and independence in South Africa, as well as the official flower of Los Angeles. This type of exotic culture is the most popular type of strelitzia among flower growers, it is not demanding on care and is successfully grown in apartments as a houseplant.

The height of the royal strelitzia is from one to one and a half meters. She has oval-shaped leaves, which are painted in a dark green tone with a bluish tint. Their length is almost half a meter, and their width is 15-30 cm, they grow on rigid petioles from 65 to 90 cm long, on the back side along the veins there are pinkish strokes. Smooth leaves have smooth edges, they grow in 2 rows and are collected in numerous rosettes.

The culture blooms in spring and autumn, its buds are on large peduncles, and their diameter reaches more than 14 cm. A flower appears from a reddish-green bud - its outer petals have an expressive orange tone, and the inner petals have a rich blue hue. Flowers have no scent, inside they are filled with nectar that flows out. The buds bloom for a long time and even when cut can last up to 30 days.

Strelitzia August

This plant reaches a height of more than 5 meters. It consists of several straight stems, from which huge leaves extend, which grow up to 1 meter in length. The foliage is elliptical and has a light greenish tint. The peduncle has a lateral inflorescence and two bracts, a purple hue.

The buds open within 7-14 days, the length of the white flowers is about 25 cm, and the height is almost 9 cm. The flowers reach 5 cm in thickness, and their snow-white petals grow up to 18 cm in length. Flowering lasts from spring to mid-July, and in February, fruit-boxes appear. Strelitzia Augusta is critically endangered and is listed in the Red List of Plants of South Africa.

Strelitzia Nicholas

This species was named after the Grand Duke of the Russian Empire Nikolai Nikolaevich. Under natural conditions, the plant grows about 11 meters in height, and outwardly resembles a banana tree. Due to the large size of this species, it is classified as a woody plant. Its powerful stem resembles a palm trunk - there are traces of fallen leaves on its surface, and its thickness is about 2 meters. On large petioles there are massive leaves, reaching almost 1 meter in width and more than 1.8 meters in length. Flowering begins at 6-8 years. On the peduncle there are 4 pointed horizontal buds, painted in green, scarlet or lilac shades.

Tailed strelitzia

This large tree-like plant grows over 9 meters in height. Huge oblong leaves are arranged in two rows around a powerful stem. After a while, the lower part of the stem is exposed and scars form on the trunk, making the strelitzia look like a tree. Pointed bracts resemble boats and are impressive in size - they reach half a meter in length. The corollas that have grown together at the bottom are combined in several pieces. They have a scarlet or dark purple tone. Large flowers have white outer petals and blue inner petals.

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Growing strelitzia in the garden: the secret of watering and fertilizing the bird of paradise, methods of reproduction

This beautiful plant looks like an amazing bird, due to which it is called the "Bird of Paradise". Because of the beauty of its flowers and its interesting shape, it is very popular with gardeners and is grown in many gardens. Strelitzia is often used to decorate landscapes, creating an interesting look for them. In our article we will tell you how to grow this plant in the garden so that it pleases you with its flowers and does not cause much trouble.

Description of catfish

• This squad consists of 34 families, and they are all devoid of scales. On the body of catfish, you can see either skin or bony plates, which serve as protection against larger and more predatory fish. Catfish find food using a mustache, which acts as a kind of sensors. There are breeds in which antennae are invisible to the naked eye, and there are those that differ in a large number of them: for example, platypus catfish "wear" three pairs of antennae.
• It is recommended to buy catfish for an aquarium only after a thorough study of their breeds and habits, or accompanied by experienced aquarists. Some species last at least ten years. A real giant can grow from a small pretty creature. If you are not ready for such surprises, shop exclusively in the places where you trust the sellers. So, for example, it is impossible to distinguish babies of an ordinary ancistrus from a brocaded pterygoplicht without being a professional. Both fish have the same color, they are also similar in body shape. However, an adult pterygoplicht is several times larger than ancistrus.
• You need to know that all catfish are very jealous of their territory, although at first glance they seem calm and friendly. Experienced aquarists say that among several catfish there will always be one or two individuals who will make a war for personal space. They will chase the rest of their own kind until the whole honest company has moved to a more spacious container. For a pair of ancistrus, it is necessary to select an aquarium of 80 liters, but this rule does not exclude the presence of other species of fish.
• If you decide to study the information about catfish, take into account that these fish have letter designations. So, for not too well-studied species, the designation L is used - from the name of the loricaria species, which include pterygoplichts, loricaria, farlovellas, the same ancistrus and other breeds. New species are known, neither many nor
• few - about half a thousand. All of them are designated by the letter L.

Where and how to plant a mulberry tree

The first thing to consider when planting Mulberry is to choose a landing site. The mature size of the tree must be considered. If you are not planting dwarf varieties, most mulberry trees grow to over 15m in height and the same width. Properly trimmed, they can be a pleasure to relax in their shade on a warm summer day, as they have a pronounced cooling effect. Mulberries will bear strongest in proportion to the amount of sunlight they receive, but unless a large number of berries is your primary concern, most mulberries will grow reasonably well in almost all sunlight conditions except in full shade.

When choosing a location, keep in mind that fallen berries under the crown stain the surface, so it is best not to plant plants on garden paths, playgrounds and terraces.

What soil is favorable for the Mulberry tree

For optimal growth, the soil in which you plan to plant Mulberry must be well-drained and have a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. If the soil pH is lower, it can be lime. Soil with a pH of 7.0 to 8.3 can be treated with sulfur to lower its pH. Some species, like Morus rubra and Morus nigra, can grow in soils up to a pH of 8.5, although they will not like it very much. Ideally, soil preparation should be done at least one year before planting. Remember that the bed must be well drained.

If the planting site is not rich in organic trace minerals, you should add a large amount of organic matter to the planting hole, as this will greatly accelerate the growth of your tree and protect the roots from drying out during drought. Add compost in a ratio of 1 part compost to 3 parts soil from the planting pit.

Planting mulberry

The planting hole should be at least one meter across and deep enough so that the roots do not bend. Remove the Mulberry tree from the container, lay it flat on the ground and loosen the roots with your fingers (only on the outside of the coma). Keeping the plant in the planting hole at the same level as it grew in the pot, start filling the planting hole with a mixture of soil and compost. Tamp the soil around the seedling.

After planting, water the Mulberry tree at least once a week until it takes root. Water more in dry hot weather to keep the soil moist 5 cm below the soil surface.

If possible, lay a layer of mulch with a height of 10 cm, extending at least a meter from the trunk (but not touching it). Mulching keeps the roots moist and cool at the surface while inhibiting the growth of weeds that rob the tree of nutrients.

Post-transplant care

Caring for tomatoes after transplanting is completely standard and consists of the following procedures:

glaze. It should be borne in mind that tomatoes do not tolerate both drought and waterlogged soil poorly. They feel best in warmth, with an air humidity of about 50%, but on moist soil. Watering should be done as the soil dries up, usually once a week, and twice as often in dry weather. In order for the tomatoes to absorb water better, it is recommended to organize a trench along the garden bed and pour water into it. For irrigation, it is best to use settled water heated in the sun. Water consumption rate: 3 liters for undersized varieties, 8-10 liters for tall ones

The essence of drip irrigation is in the metered supply of water directly to the root system of plants

For feeding tomatoes, an infusion of chopped nettle, coltsfoot, dandelion, woodlice, plantain, celandine is used

We start tying tomatoes 2-3 weeks after planting seedlings in open ground or greenhouse

It is possible to reduce the number of watering by mulching the plantings with straw or dry grass with a layer of at least 5 cm. In this case, there is no need to loosen the soil, and the growth of weeds slows down.

Particular attention should be paid to pinching and shaping the stem of especially tall varieties. If you leave the stepchildren (lateral shoots in the initial stage of growth) on the stem, they will grow, take nutrients from the plant, and as a result, the bush will not bear fruit. Be prepared that you will have to deal with pinching of pepper varieties all summer.

For their development, stepchildren use the beneficial substances of the plant, so the sooner they get rid of them, the better

A bush of tall pepper-shaped tomatoes must be formed into 1–2 stems. It is necessary to carry out pinching regularly, at least 1 time a week, until the stepchildren are more than 5 cm.If untimely pruning, the plant receives severe stress, and a wound may form in the place of the removed stepson.

Until the stepchildren have grown more than 5 cm, they break out easily, and the wounds heal quickly

Regular pinching will allow not to thicken the plantings, therefore, to avoid the development of late blight, which are less susceptible to tomatoes growing in well-ventilated conditions.

Starting from the end of May, it is necessary to remove not only stepchildren from pepper-shaped tomatoes, but also the lower leaves. As soon as the fruits begin to form on the brush, the leaves under them are cut off. This should be done gradually, removing no more than 3-4 leaves per week. Otherwise, the plant will survive stress, which can lead to stunted growth and loss of yield.

Leaves can be cut off or broken off a little to the side so as not to remove some of the peel from the stem

In August, you need to pinch the top of the bush. This will slow down the growth of the tomato upward, allow the formed fruits to gain strength and ripen naturally.

As you can see, growing pepper tomatoes is not much different from the procedures for planting and caring for familiar varieties. Include this interesting variety in your collection! Pepper fruits will amaze you with their appearance, taste, and will serve as a decoration for your table.