How to grow mirabilis from seeds, planting a plant in seedlings. Mirabilis: landing and care. Favorite flower of the queen of the night Varieties and types
In almost every flower lover's garden there is one or two completely inconspicuous bushes. Looking at them, guests often wonder why, among the general riot of colors and the fragrance of bright representatives of the flora, such a “gray” stranger is needed. But they will still see what the quiet mirabilis flower is capable of, because the life of this plant differs day and night, like the sun and the moon.
Mirabilis is an unusual flower brought to us from America, it belongs to the Nyctagin family, it is a non-wintering perennial herbaceous plant. Mexico and the south of America are considered its homeland, for the most part it is cultivated plant, which is grown in gardens, but in Florida it is found in open ground.
Night mystery
The Mexicans did not just affectionately nickname the flower "night beauty mirabilis." In the photo during the day, he looks like an ugly duckling from fairy tale of the same name, but as soon as the sun goes down - and the dull bush turns into " beautiful swan". And then the one who previously spoke disparagingly about the unsightly appearance of the flower freezes in mute delight, struck not only by its beauty: Mirabilis has another “trump ace up its sleeve”.
Under the cover of night, a magical transformation begins: one after another, multi-colored gramophones open, which immediately spread their vibes throughout the garden, filling the air with an unusual aroma. It creates a feeling of some pleasant unreality, as if you were in a fairy tale. The night, the moon shines softly, the stars sparkle like diamonds, and you find yourself thinking that you can almost hear the music that flows from the living mini-gramophones.
These are the fabulous surprises that the seemingly quiet Mirabilis can give us. It is extremely difficult to make a photo on a flower bed in good quality only in the light of the moon or with one flash. To capture the memory of wonderful metamorphoses, photographers have to install special lighting.
Varieties
Despite the fact that flowers that are next to each other are always pollinated and in the end it is impossible to guess what color mirabilis will bloom next, scientists have managed to develop certain varieties.
6 popular and most beautiful varieties:
- Tea Time Red. A dense shrub of medium size, resembling a ball, the stems of a pale green color are knotty and branch strongly upwards. The leaves are oblong, smooth and noticeably darker than the stems in shade. The flowers are deep pink, reminiscent of small funnels. The variety is most resistant to temperature changes and diseases, blooms from summer until the first frost, and therefore is most often used in cold regions.
- Iolanta is a spherical bush about 50 cm high with thick and strong stems - knotty, branching at the top. Funnel-shaped flowers, medium in size, stand out among other varieties with a bright palette with stripes in the form of strokes. The flowering period lasts from the end of June until the first frost.
Variegated flowers of Mirabilis cultivar Iolanta
- Elvira is a medium-sized rounded shrub with some branches up to a meter high. The leaves are dark green in color, oblong in shape and have pointed tips. This variety is also distinguished by the size of the flowers - they reach almost 4 cm and have a bright color.
- Red lollipop. A bush about a meter high is distinguished by its latitude, the stems are smooth, strongly developed, branch upward and have a shade of light green. Specially different from the rest large flowers- they grow in diameter up to 6 cm, they are also distinguished by the shape of the petals - the “funnel” is wavy at the edges. The color is bright, the plant is disease resistant and extremely unpretentious in care.
Mirabilis variety red candy
- Tea Time Formula Mixture. A wide bush-ball of medium parameters with a height of branches up to 90 cm. The leaves are oblong, located more densely towards the top and pointed at the ends. The stems are completely bare and smooth from below, but strongly branched towards the ends. The flowers are small, 2-3 cm in diameter in the form of a gramophone, differ in variegated tones, wavy at the ends.
- Jalapa is a medium shrub about 60 cm with green stems and succulent leaves, fully covered with tubular flowers. They can be either one tone or multi-colored, even as if striated lines. It begins to bloom after the decline in sunlight activity at about 16:00, for which the plant has received the nickname "4 o'clock in the afternoon." Blooms until late autumn.
Yalapa is the most popular variety mirabilis
Mirabilis: planting and care
The plant is propagated by seeds, but many gardeners use cuttings and occasionally division.
Mirabilis. cultivation
The night beauty is not particularly whimsical in reproduction and care; it is quite simple to grow it.
Three ways:
- Germination. Seeds are collected from faded bushes, soaked in water for a day, then planted in a pot and watered moderately, waiting for seedlings to appear. In the warm season, seeds can be planted immediately in the ground on outdoors. They are strong and sprouts appear very quickly.
Advice! You can collect only darkened seeds - almost black. The green ones have not yet matured and will not sprout.
- Cuttings. This method is less common than seed propagation, but is practiced if they cannot be obtained for some reason.
Mirabilis seedlings in pots
- The cuttings should be a little stiff - be firm to the touch, then they are dried.
- The tip of the cutting is covered with any growth stimulant that can be purchased on the market or in a specialized gardening store.
- For better root growth, the shoot is placed in a nutrient mixture, but ordinary water can also be dispensed with.
Advice! If you use water, its temperature must be at least 20 degrees, otherwise the plant will not give roots.
- We wait from 2 weeks to a month, and if after 30 days the roots have not appeared, you can throw everything away and cut new cuttings, but usually Mirabilis germinates quickly and does not cause additional trouble. The sprouts are distributed each in a separate container and wait until they gain strength.
- Division is a completely unpopular method for this flower, but it is also possible. The plant is taken out of the soil, the excess earth is shaken off, cut into several parts so that each has pieces of the root, and immediately seated in other places.
Mirabilis roots suitable for division
Advice! To make roots appear faster, flower growers often use a little trick - they heat the bottom of the container to 24-25 degrees.
Planting cuttings in the ground makes sense under favorable conditions. climatic conditions- a clear guarantee that frosts will not hit, and well-developed processes. The main landing period is the beginning of May, but at first in the evening they need to be carefully covered with polyethylene, since the nights are still cold. Between seedlings it is worth keeping a distance of at least 40 cm, since this is a future bush that reaches one and a half meters and is widely distributed in breadth.
Mirabilis flowerbed: tall and wide bushes
Mirabilis. Care, photo
Despite the unpretentiousness, for good growth flower must comply with a number of conditions.
What do you need:
- Good lighting, coupled with clay soil. On ordinary land and in the shade, the plant will not be able to develop rapidly and gain enough strength to grow. The size of the bush and flowers will be smaller, the colors will be dull.
- No drafts - mirabilis does not tolerate them well and can get sick.
- Water moderately. It is not worth monitoring the humidity especially carefully, except during the period of heat and drought, because with a lack of moisture, all the leaves will turn yellow and wither, inhibiting the growth of the stems.
- Loosening the soil - every time after watering: this will provide good air access to the root system, and the bush will not thicken too much.
- Weed weeding.
Loosening the soil and weeding weeds are important steps in the care of the mirabilis flower
- Removal of withered, diseased and dried parts so that they do not "pull the juices" from the entire bush.
- Top dressing - once a month with mineral fertilizers according to the instructions on the package, and if planting was carried out in already fertilized soil, it is not required at all.
Fertilizing the soil before planting mirabilis is the key to good cultivation
- Dead stems are cut at the root, and the tubers are left and stored for next year; they are stored in a container with peat at temperature regime the environment is not less than 5 degrees. If the varieties are intended for growing on balconies, the tubers are left in pots and taken to a dark, cool place, such as a basement. Every month and a half they need to be watered, otherwise they may dry out until spring.
Advice! In the process of care, the bushes should not be cut, otherwise they will not be able to form a spherical shape.
Pests
Mirabilis is resistant to pests and diseases, and occasionally stains or rust can form on it. In this case, the affected areas and neighboring bushes must be treated with any fungicide that is sold in gardening stores. Aphids can occasionally be found, then the leaves are washed with soapy water.
The best place in the garden
The plant is popular in landscape design, high grades used as hedges, medium and low planted in small groups, they can decorate borders, terraces, balconies or decorate lawns. Designers advise placing the highest varieties in the background of the site so that they do not interfere sunshine to go to the little brethren.
Very small species look good in a flower pot, they are also good in a single version, because, growing, they take up a lot of space and serve as a bright color accent. Some species are even used in cooking, cosmetology, perfume compositions, or as a dye (paint is made from them). Special varieties that grow in warm regions with an air temperature of at least 15 degrees even in winter are used by some gourmets in food. To do this, take the green part of the bushes and tubers.
Combination
Due to its ease of care and unpretentiousness, mirabilis can grow anywhere in the garden, and due to the extensive color palette, it harmonizes perfectly with any other small flowers.
Advice! Such pompous beauties as roses, peonies, dahlias and other large garden "leaders" will shift attention to themselves, and small mirabilis can be lost, despite the saturation of the color palette. The optimal neighbors for him will be simple, albeit no less bright flowers.
Best combined:
- daisies;
- marigolds and their mixture;
- chamomile;
- bells;
- nigella;
- lavender;
- fragrant tobacco;
- lobularia.
In such communities, the night beauty will feel as comfortable as possible, harmoniously and in full equality. Such a background will favorably set off her romance and modest sophistication.
A few useful observations from professional gardeners:
- Mirabilis begins to please the eye with the first flowers already in early June, but if by the middle of the month it does not bloom, although it seems that the buds are about to bloom, it is worth increasing the amount of watering. Apparently, lack of moisture affects. However, if for some reason you have no time, you can initially plant a phyllanthus variety that blooms well in dry soil.
- Thinning is useful - jigging extra shoots, so mirabilis will develop, become stronger and larger.
- The flower cannot be fed with fresh "organic matter": such a fertilizer tends to corrode the root system, which increases the risk of its death. It is better to take dry-type mineral dressing and pre-dilute it in water.
- If, when planting, you “spoil” the seeds a little - cut or file the shell, they germinate faster.
Here is such an unpretentious, but mysterious surprise - mirabilis, a photo of whose flowers in different stages development so loved to make and spread flower growers. This plant does not just please the night owls with the peculiarities of the flowering time. With an amazing combination of night, beauty of form, shades of flowers and delicate aroma, it can immerse our consciousness in the amazing atmosphere of an elven fairyland, giving rest from gray everyday life and everyday life to our souls.
Mirabilis, or, as it is often called - Night Beauty, was previously not a very common plant, but gradually this unusually beautiful flowering shrub is gaining more and more fans. And this is not surprising, because mirabilis can be grown on any soil and in any climate, and during the flowering period, its long shoots are covered with numerous bright flowers.
Despite the fact that growing a night beauty does not require special skills from a gardener, and even beginners can handle this task, certain conditions for the successful cultivation of this unusual flower, it should still be performed. This article is devoted to these features of cultivation.
Mirabilis: flower description
Under natural conditions, mirabilis is a perennial flower that is ubiquitous in Mexico, although it is grown in flower beds exclusively as an annual.
The height of adult bushes can reach 80 cm, and the stems branch profusely, covered with large numerous inflorescences during the flowering period. Buds can be bright red, purple, yellow, purple or white depending on the variety (Figure 1).
Picture 1. External Features flower night beauty A distinctive feature of mirabilis, for which he received his name Night Beauty - in an unusual flowering time. Unlike other cultures, whose buds open in the morning and close in the evening, Mirabilis blooms after 4 pm and completely close in the morning. But, if the weather is cloudy, you can enjoy flowering throughout the day.
After flowering is completed, a small box of seeds forms in place of wilted buds, which can be collected for growing crops next year. Moreover, the germination of seeds is maintained for three years.
Varieties and types
Most often in the flower beds you can find the annual mirabilis yalapa, which is distinguished by a wide variety of hybrids, although recently they have also begun to enjoy popularity. perennial varieties(Figure 2).
Among the common annual varieties of night beauty are:
- Iolanta- a sprawling shrub about half a meter high with bright buds that blooms from June until the first autumn frosts.
- red lollipop - large variety(height up to 90 cm) with large bright red flowers.
- Elvira- medium-sized, but rather sprawling hybrid, whose inflorescences reach 4 cm in diameter.
Figure 2. The main varieties of mirabilis: 1 - Iolanta, 2 - Red candy, 3 - Elvira Also in the gardens, a round-leaved mirabilis variety is grown, the height of which does not exceed 30 cm, and the flowers have an unusual purple-pink color.
Planting mirabilis in open ground
In open ground, a flower can be planted both by seedlings and by direct sowing of seeds directly on the garden bed. This is best done in the spring, when the danger of night frost has passed.
In a warm climate, summer planting of a night beauty is also practiced, but in this case the flowering period will not be as long as when sown in the spring. Next, we will consider how to properly plant a crop in open ground.
Site selection
For mirabilis, a warm and well-lit area is chosen, since key point in flower cultivation is good lighting, since the culture is highly thermophilic.
It should also be borne in mind that the night beauty belongs to fairly aggressive cultures. If you place a flower next to other, not so tall and sprawling plants, mirabilis will simply drown out or force them out of the garden. Therefore, it is better to choose a spacious area.
Separate requirements apply to the soil. The advantage should be given to a bed with clay or loamy soils, and if the land in your area is acidic, it must be additionally limed. It is also undesirable to plant mirabilis in the lowlands or in areas with a close location. ground water, since excess moisture is detrimental to the flower.
Landing methods
Grow beauty of the night possible in several ways. Most often, the flower is grown by direct sowing of seeds in the ground, but this method is only suitable for cultivating the plant as an annual. If it is planned to grow a perennial crop, it is better to use the seedling method, cuttings or propagation by tubers (Figure 3).
To make it easier for you to decide on the method of reproduction, we give a description of each of them.
Planting seeds through seedlings
To grow high-quality seedlings of Mirabilis, you need not only to plant correctly, but also to prepare the seeds. First of all, they need to be scarified, namely, slightly violate the integrity of the outer shell sandpaper. This will help speed up the germination process. Further prepared planting material for a day placed in a thermos with warm water to stimulate germination.
Figure 3. Main planting methods (from left to right): seeds, seedlings, tubers and cuttings It is better to sow seeds for seedlings in April, using small pots or plastic cups for this. The soil should be light and neutral. A mixture of two parts of peat and soddy soil, part of humus and half of river sand is best suited for this purpose. Also, wood ash must be added to the mixture.
Each cup is two-thirds filled with soil, watered with a fungicide solution on top and several seeds are placed on the surface. Next, they need to be sprinkled with a thin layer of soil and lightly sprayed with water. The containers are placed in a warm room and stored at temperatures up to 20 degrees. The first shoots will appear in a week, after which you need to remove the weak seedlings, leaving only the strongest specimens in the pot. After the appearance of the first true leaf, top dressing is carried out with mineral fertilizers for flower crops.
When the height of each sprout reaches 10-15 cm, they are transplanted into larger containers, fed again and begin to be taken out to the balcony for hardening. When the seedlings get stronger, they can be transplanted to a permanent place in open ground.
Landing in open ground
Much more often, mirabilis is immediately planted in a flower bed, by direct sowing of seeds in open ground. The procedure can be carried out as early as late April or early May, since seed germination is practically not affected spring frosts although young sprouts will still need protection.
For sowing, you need to dig grooves no more than 3 cm deep, sow the seeds sparsely (the distance between them should be about 8 cm), sprinkle with a thin layer of soil, water and cover with covering material. When the threat of frost has passed, the shelter is removed. After that, you need to inspect the seedlings and, if necessary, thin them out.
Planting tubers
Growing mirabilis from tubers is not often practiced, since this process is much more complicated than conventional growing from seeds. However, if you plan to grow a crop as a perennial, it is better to use this method.
Note: Mirabilis tubers can be bought at the store, or dug up from a ready-made bush and placed in a box with sawdust for the winter.
During the winter, the tubers are stored in a cool room with a temperature of no more than +5 degrees, and in early spring they begin to germinate in separate boxes. After the appearance of sprouts, the tubers can be transplanted into a flower bed.
This method is rarely practiced, not only because of the complexity of implementation, but also due to the fact that during the cold season the tubers often dry out and become unsuitable for growing in the spring.
cuttings
Mirabilis cuttings also cannot be called a popular way of growing. The fact is that culture cuttings do not always take root, and it will take a lot of effort to cultivate a full-fledged culture. However, we will consider the features of this process.
Semi-lignified shoots are chosen as cuttings, the lower cut of which is slightly dried and immersed for several hours in a solution of a root-forming preparation. After that, you can land in nutrient soil. As a rule, the rooting process takes about 3 weeks, but for this you need to regularly water the sprouts and maintain a stable temperature at + 20 + 24 degrees.
When the cuttings are fully rooted and grow, they can be transplanted into open ground on a previously prepared site.
The advantage of growing a night beauty on the site is that the plant does not require special care. As a rule, regular weeding, loosening and watering is sufficient for full flowering (Figure 4).
At the same time, it is important to take into account that mirabilis requires some special conditions that will help grow not only annual, but also perennial shrubs.
Illumination and temperature
Mirabilis belongs to southern cultures, so temperature and light are of particular importance to it. It is better to plant a flower in sunny areas, since in the shade the bushes will not be lush, and the buds will be weak, small and not too plentiful.
Young shoots of mirabilis are very sensitive to low temperatures and frost, so in the spring, until the warm weather stabilizes, they need to be covered. In the summer, such events are not required. In addition, hybrids have recently appeared that are distinguished by increased cold resistance.
Watering
The flower of the night beauty quite normally tolerates a lack of moisture, but excessive watering can be detrimental to the plant. At the same time, it is important to take into account that it is still necessary to water the flowers periodically, since it is not recommended to allow a strong drying of the earthen coma.
Figure 4. The main stages of flower care A complete lack of watering, as well as excessive moisture, can slow down or completely stop the development of shrubs, and buds may be completely absent.
top dressing
For lush and abundant flowering mirabilis will also need periodic top dressing. To do this, it is better to use special fertilizers for flower crops, and it is desirable to apply them in liquid form.
Excessive feeding can also negatively affect the condition of the plants, therefore, for full growth and development, it will be enough to apply liquid top dressing once a month.
Diseases and pests
Mirabilis is remarkably resistant to diseases and pests. The most common problem is root rot, which can occur with overwatering.
If you find such a plant in your flower bed, it must be immediately removed and burned, and the soil should be treated with a fungicide solution. In the future, the irrigation regime must be adjusted to prevent such a problem in the future.
Sometimes mirabilis bushes may show signs of rust or blotch. To combat these fungal diseases, you must first remove all the affected parts, and then spray with fungicides.
Growing mirabilis on a plot is quite simple, but in order to enjoy a long and abundant flowering, you need to take into account some features of the culture, and in Figure 5 you can see examples of flower beds with this unusual flower.
Figure 5. Flowerbed design options Experts advise to adhere to such cultivation features:
- The first flowers should appear in June. If the bushes are showing buds, but they are not blooming, reconsider the watering schedule and make it a little more intense.
- Organic fertilizers should not be used for top dressing, as they can cause rotting of the root system. It is better to use special mineral fertilizers for flowering crops for this purpose.
- In order for the soil to be more saturated with air and moisture, you need to regularly remove weeds from the beds and loosen the soil. It is also desirable to periodically thin out plantings, removing weak bushes.
More valuable advice on the cultivation and storage of mirabilis you will find in the video.
The simplest and reliable way mirabilis reproduction is cultivation through. In order to get sufficiently developed plants by the time of planting in the garden, they start sowing in early April.
How to prepare seeds, photo
Mirabilis seeds are large, covered with a dense thick shell. Therefore, planting with germinated seeds is more effective. In order for the seeds to germinate faster, they must first be soaked for several days before the pecking appears.
Before germinating seeds, treat them in a deep pink solution of potassium permanganate, rinse with water, place on wet cotton pads or cloth and cover.
Make sure the seeds don't dry out. Moisten them with a spray bottle from time to time.
For germinating Mirabilis seeds, it is convenient to use food containers from the supermarket. First, wash the container thoroughly with dishwashing detergent and dry well, otherwise mold may form on the walls of the container and on the seeds.
Germination can be replaced by heating the seeds in hot water within half an hour. You can also apply the technique: lightly rub the shell of mirabilis seeds with a piece of sandpaper or make neat cuts with a nail file. Do this carefully to break the seed coat, but not damage the seed itself.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
For sowing, use ready ground from the store or make the soil for mirabilis seedlings yourself. Mix 2 parts , 2 parts turf or garden soil, 1 part or well-rotted and 0.5 parts of washed sand. Night beauty loves neutral or slightly alkaline soils, so add 2 tablespoons or 0.5 cups to the mixture for every 5 liters of mixture. Stir. Fill small pots ¾ full with mixture and compact. Pour until completely wet with a fungicide solution (Vitaros, Fundazol, Maxim). Place 2 seeds in each pot.
If you have several varieties of the same flower, then put labels. From above, cover the seeds with soil mixture with a layer of 1-1.5 centimeters.
Pour in a thin stream, starting from the edge of the pot - so that the seeds do not float to the surface.
Place in a greenhouse or in a clean plastic bag and place in a warm place.
Mirabilis from seeds: seedling care
At a temperature of + 18 ... + 20 ° С, the seeds of the nocturnal beauty sprout after 5-6 days. Prepared in a different way rise a little longer. After the emergence of shoots, put the pots with seedlings in a bright place. When the first true leaf begins to appear in the seedlings, it is necessary to remove the weaker shoots, leaving one of the most developed ones in the pot.
At the same time, make the first top dressing with a mineral solution (Krepysh, Fertika, Mortar), which dissolves well in water and, in addition to the main elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), contains all the necessary trace elements. Water the seedlings after the earthen coma has completely dried out, because mirabilis seedlings do not tolerate waterlogging.
As soon as the plants reach a height of 10-15 cm, transfer them to larger pots and feed them again.
Mirabilis flower: planting and care, photo
After the warm weather is established and the threat of frost has passed, the seedlings can be planted in the garden in a permanent place. 2 weeks before, gradually accustom her to fresh air and sunbeams.
Mirabilis bushes are quite large and spreading, so place the planting holes at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. The soil he prefers clay and loamy with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. If the soil in your garden is acidic, then add 300-400 g for digging wood ash or 200 g dolomite flour per 1 sq. m. About 1/3 of a bucket of rotted compost and 1-2 tablespoons of full compost can be added to prepared holes.
This will be enough for the whole season, and you can not worry about top dressing, because with an excess of fertilizers, mirabilis begins to grow rapidly at the expense of flowering. Only after the night beauty blooms, you can make another top dressing with porcelain-potassium fertilizers. It is better to apply them to the soil in a dry form before watering.
Remove the seedlings from the pot, being careful not to destroy the earthen ball, place in the prepared hole.
Fill the voids around the roots with soil, compact a little, forming a small hole for watering. Mulch the soil with peat so that a crust does not form when watering.
Water well.
How to grow a night beauty flower in the garden
Regularly weed loosen the soil around the plant at a distance of 20 cm so as not to damage the juicy tuber. Mirabilis is watered only in dry weather, but it must be remembered that with an acute lack of moisture in extreme heat, the onset of flowering may be delayed.
Mirabilis (lat. Mirabilis) is a genus of flowering plants in the Nyctaginaceae family, which includes more than 50 species, native to temperate and tropical regions, mostly in North and South America, although one species is native to South Asia. Translated from Latin, "mirabilis" means "amazing." The mirabilis flower of the Jalapa species, which is widely popular, is called the night beauty. This plant combines simplicity and mysterious appeal, filling the garden with an amazing aroma. It is unpretentious to growing conditions and unpretentious in care. Mirabilis is often used to form a low but colorful hedge.
Planting and caring for mirabilis (in a nutshell)
- Bloom: from July to autumn frosts. The flowers open in the evening and close in the morning.
- Landing: sowing seeds for seedlings - in early or mid-April, planting seedlings in open ground - in the second half of May. Sowing seeds directly into the ground - in early May.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
- The soil: fertile clayey or loamy soils of slightly alkaline reaction.
- Watering: intermittent but abundant. In extreme heat and drought - from 1 to 3 times a week, but in a season with normal rainfall, you can not water the site at all.
- Top dressing: 2-3 times per season with complex mineral fertilizers: before the start of bud formation, in the middle of summer and at the end of August. From organic fertilizers humus and compost are used, and mineral compositions introduced in the second and third terms should contain a minimum amount of nitrogen.
- Reproduction: seed.
- Pests: is not struck.
- Diseases: root rot, rust, spotting.
Read more about growing mirabilis below.
Mirabilis (night beauty) - description
Mirabilis Jalapa is native to Mexico. This perennial with swollen tuberous roots, grown as an annual crop. Its elongated-rounded bushes reach a height of 30 to 80 cm. On erect, densely branched reddish stems, woody in the lower part, elongated-ovate, bare, entire green leaves are oppositely located on petioles. Jalapa flowers - funnel-shaped, up to 25 mm in diameter, white, crimson, purple, orange, yellow, purple, bright red or two or three colors, opening after 16 hours and closing at dawn - are collected in apical fragrant corymbose inflorescences. In cloudy weather, flowers can be open all day. The night beauty plant has the ability to form flowers on one bush different colors. For example, one plant can have flowers of all shades. Pink colour from salmon to crimson, and sometimes the petals of the plant are decorated with multi-colored stripes. The fruit of mirabilis is large, one-seeded, dark brown in color, with sharp ribs. The seeds of the night beauty remain viable for up to 3 years.
Sowing mirabilis for seedlings
The flower of the night beauty propagates by seeds, which must be scarified before sowing, that is, slightly damage their hard shell with a file or sandpaper. Then the seeds of the night beauty are placed in a thermos with warm water for a day. When to sow mirabilis? Mirabilis seeds are sown in early or mid-April in cups filled with light neutral or slightly alkaline soil: you can buy ready-made soil in the store, or you can make the substrate yourself by mixing two parts of soddy soil and peat, one part of humus or compost, half of the washed sand and adding for every 5 liters of the resulting soil mixture half a glass of wood ash or 2 tablespoons of dolomite flour. The cups are filled ¾ of the volume, the mixture is compacted and poured abundantly with a fungicide solution. Two seeds are placed in each cup, sprinkled with a layer of loose soil 1-1.5 cm thick and sprayed with water from a fine sprayer.
Crops are placed in a greenhouse and kept at a temperature of 18-20 ºC.
Growing mirabilis at home
Seedlings will begin to appear in 5-6 days, and once this happens, remove the cover from mirabilis and move the crops as close to the light as possible. When the seedlings develop their first true leaf, cut off the weaker seedling in each pot at ground level so that it does not interfere with the development of the strong one. Around the same time, you need to make the first top dressing, for example, Mortar, Fertik or Krepysh.
Mirabilis at home needs watering only after the earthen coma has completely dried out, since it does not tolerate waterlogging. When the seedlings reach a height of 10-15 cm, they are transplanted into large pots by transshipment and fed a second time with complex mineral fertilizer. As soon as the seedlings of mirabilis recover from the pick, proceed to the hardening procedures: within two weeks, you need to accustom the plants to external environment. To do this, the seedlings are taken out daily to the balcony or courtyard, gradually increasing the time the seedlings stay in the open air until the night beauty can stay there all day.
Sowing mirabilis seeds in open ground
Planting Mirabilis with seeds can be carried out directly in open ground. The seeds are prepared for sowing in the way we have already described, and they are sown in late April or early May. Try to distribute the seeds in the furrow in increments of 7-8 cm. After planting the seeds in the soil to a depth of 3 cm, the area is watered with warm water and covered nonwoven fabric or film until germination. As soon as the threat of frost has passed, the shelter is removed. Subsequently, the seedlings of mirabilis will have to be thinned out.
Planting mirabilis in open ground
When to plant mirabilis in the ground
Mirabilis seedlings are planted in open ground in late spring, when the soil warms up and the likelihood of frost passes. The area under mirabilis should be well warmed up and illuminated by the sun, since the plant is very thermophilic. Do not spare space for mirabilis, otherwise it will take it away from other plants: mirabilis is quite aggressive. Mirabilis grows best in fertile clay or loamy soil containing lime, so acidic soils must be limed before planting. Mirabilis does not like excess moisture, so do not plant it in a lowland or on wet soils.
How to plant mirabilis in the garden
Mirabilis is planted at a distance of 40-50 cm in a row. The depth of each hole should be such that it fits root system seedling with an earthy clod, that is, the entire contents of the pot. An hour or two before planting, seedlings in pots are watered to make it easier to remove them and transfer them to the hole. After planting mirabilis and sealing the holes, do not forget to water the site.
Mirabilis care in the garden
Caring for the night beauty is not difficult at all, since mirabilis in the open field is surprisingly undemanding. In order for flowering to begin in a timely manner, Mirabilis needs to be watered abundantly from time to time. In a strong dry land, watering is carried out 1-3 times a week, but if the summer is rainy, then it may well be that you do not have to water the night beauty at all. After watering or rain, loosen the soil around the bushes and remove weeds.
Growing mirabilis involves fertilizing the soil two or three times over the summer. The first feeding is carried out at the beginning of the growing season, before the formation of buds, the second - in the middle of summer, and the third - at the end. It is undesirable to use fresh organic matter as a fertilizer, only humus and compost. Mirabilis also responds well to complex mineral fertilizers, and the second and third top dressing should contain a minimum of nitrogen.
Mirabilis pests and diseases
To harmful insects and diseases, the night beauty is very resistant, but from regular waterlogging, it can get root rot. The affected plant will have to be removed, and the soil in which it grew should be shed with a fungicide solution, for example, Fundazol. And so that history does not repeat itself, adjust the moisture regime of the site.
Sometimes mirabilis can be affected by rust or some kind of spotting - fungal diseases, which can be fought with a solution of fungicidal preparations, but first cut off the affected leaves and flowers on the bushes.
Mirabilis after flowering
If it is difficult for you to part with the plant in the fall, dig out its tubers that look like black carrots, cut the stems at a height of 10 cm: after drying, they will fall off on their own. wrap the tubers thick paper, but rather fill them with sand and store at a temperature of 3-7 ºC. With the onset of spring, the tuber is planted in warm soil or germinated in a pot on the windowsill, and when it is warm, it is transplanted into open ground.
As you can see, planting and caring for Mirabilis is simple and not laborious.
Types and varieties of mirabilis
As we already wrote, mirabilis jalapa, or laxative mirabilis, or night beauty, is most often grown in culture. We gave a description of this species at the beginning of the article. The most famous varieties of Mirabilis Yalapa are:
- Iolanta- a rounded bush up to 50 cm high with thick and strong knotted stems that branch strongly in the upper part. Medium-sized funnel-shaped flowers of bright color with strokes-stripes throughout the corolla bloom from late June until frost;
- red lollipop – large plant up to 90 cm high with thick and smooth light green stems, branched at the top. The leaves of the plant are oblong-oval, simple, wavy at the edges. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 6 cm in diameter are painted bright red;
- Elvira- a medium-sized dense shrub with strong and smooth branched stems, dark green oblong leaves with a pointed tip and bright flowers up to 35 mm in diameter;
- T Time Red- medium-sized bushes with smooth knotted, very branched stems in the upper part, oval-oblong dark green leaves and medium-sized flowers of rich pink color;
- T Time Fomyula Miksche- a spherical bush 70-90 cm high with simple oblong leaves with pointed tops on branched, smooth and bare stems at the bottom. The flowers of plants of this variety series are funnel-shaped, smooth, with wavy edges, variegated colors, 25 mm in diameter.
