Table of contents:
- Features of caring for gorgeous medinilla
- Reproduction of medinilla magnificent
- Is there any alternative?
Video: Medinilla Is The Beauty Of The Rainforest. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Photo
2024 Author: Ava Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 00:23
The homeland of Medinilla is the tropical forests of the Philippines, where a riot of colors, smells and sounds turns the forest into a real fairytale city. And in this city, every resident tries to attract the attention of insects with the help of an original shape, bright color, and an unusual smell. After all, only having achieved the attention of flying, crawling, buzzing and fluttering spectators, the plant can be calm about the continuation of its kind.
One of the most popular medinilla in indoor floriculture is Medinilla splendid, or Medinilla magnifica.
Medinilla got its name in honor of Jose de Medinilla and Pineda - at one time the former governor of the Mariana Islands (in the Pacific Ocean, Micronesia). The plant got its specific epithet “magnificent” for a reason - exotic bright pink drooping inflorescences with large pink bracts against the background of dark green shiny leathery leaves make an unforgettable impression.
Features of caring for gorgeous medinilla
When the Dutch firms first brought potted medinillas to our city, they, despite their decent prices, disappeared from sale instantly. I do not think that at least one plant survived from that first delivery from amateurs. Let's try to figure out why a tropical beauty does not take root in our apartments.
Temperature
There are several reasons. Firstly, medinilla in nature lives like an epiphyte in the mountain rain forests of the Philippine Islands, where it is constantly warm and humid, I emphasize - constantly. Heat does not mean hot, but the temperature does not drop below +16 ° C, even in winter. Therefore, do not purchase the plant in frost, it may suffer ("cool down") during transportation, and you will not be able to save it. It is best to buy medinilla in spring, when the apartments are warm and light.
Watering medinilla
The second reason for failures with medinilla, of course, is watering. If high humidity is required, this does not mean that the soil must be constantly wet. Medinilla needs a lot of water only during flowering in spring - at the beginning of summer, then from July to early autumn watering should be reduced. In a dark winter, the plant should rest, we water it only after the soil in the flowerpot is thoroughly dry. It is advisable to use soft, well-settled water with a temperature not lower than room temperature.
The choice of utensils for growing
Bought in spring, brought home a large plant in a small plastic pot. I immediately want to transplant. Medinilla is large, sometimes up to 1.5 m tall, with heavy shoots, but, like most epiphytes, it has few roots and they are superficial. Pay attention to the choice of dishes. A shallow wide ceramic bowl is best suited; it can be planted in an epiphytic basket. We prepare the ground for landing light, breathable. You can buy a mixture for epiphytes, you can prepare it yourself: semi-rotten leaf earth, chopped sphagnum, fibrous peat. Good drainage is essential.
Medinilla transplant
During transplantation, medinilla can be cut off. Long branches are cut to give the shrub a beautiful shape. Thin winter shoots are removed. Cut semi-lignified shoots can be used for cuttings. For better rooting, a root formation stimulator should be used (for example, "Kornevin") and it is desirable to put the shards in a greenhouse with lower heating up to +22 - +25 ° С.
Top dressing
We transplanted, the plant received nutrition for some time, but a month after transplanting, you can start feeding. From March to mid-July, they feed every 10 days. You can take any fertilizer for flowering indoor plants, for example. "Kemira-Universal", "Darina". Do not get carried away with organic fertilizers, medinilla does not tolerate them well (especially mullein).
Lighting for medinilla
The next ingredient for success is good lighting. In its homeland, medinilla is a shade-tolerant plant, but in our rooms there is clearly not enough light for it. In the summer, however, it is necessary, saving it from direct sunlight and from burns, to move into the back of the room. But with the onset of autumn, you should think about lighting. Without good lighting, medinilla will not bloom.
If, trying to provide maximum light, you put your beauty on a cold windowsill, the roots cool down, and the plant will most likely die. Therefore, we set the backlight. The most reliable are special phytolamps from Osram or Phillips; unfortunately, there are no domestic household phytolamps yet.
Air humidity
Another important condition is air humidity. Medinilla loves very humid air, regular spraying, frequent washing of the leaves is required. The optimum air humidity is 80-90%. During flowering, try to avoid getting water when spraying on flowers, ugly dark spots are formed.
If you were able to fulfill all the conditions, then from May to August medinilla will delight you with bright inflorescences. Do not forget only that if flowering has begun, then you should not rearrange the plant from place to place and even turn it, the flowers may fall off.
Reproduction of medinilla magnificent
Propagation by cuttings
Cut in January-May with semi-lignified cuttings. Cuttings with 2-3 internodes are planted in containers in sand in a mini-greenhouse, where they are kept at a temperature of 26-30 ° C. Cuttings should develop at a uniform temperature and humidity; rooting takes place within 30-35 days. Rooted cuttings are planted in 1 piece. in 9 cm pots. Composition of the earth: leaf - 2 hours, humus - 1 hour, peat - 1 hour, light turf - 1 hour, sand - 1 hour. As the plants grow, it is necessary to make one pinch to stimulate branching. Subsequently, branching occurs without pinching. In the summer, young plants are watered abundantly, shaded from the sun and fed with complex fertilizer every two weeks. The next year, in the spring, they are transshipped; the composition of the land is the same, however, the sod land is taken 2 times more.
Seed propagation
Seeds are usually sown in February-March (immediately after receiving them) in bowls or pots, in a mixture of leafy earth and sand, taken in equal volumes. Crops are placed in a warm place. Seedlings dive into 7-centimeter pots. Composition of the soil: leaf - 1 hour, sand - 0.5 hour. In May-June, young plants are transferred, and in the future, the care of plants is the same as for cuttings.
Is there any alternative?
Medinilla splendid is considered very capricious for growing outside greenhouses, but about 400 species of this genus are known in nature, and there are species that may be less luxurious, but less capricious. For example, it is necessary to try to grow Medinilla Javanese (Medinilla javanensis). Unlike its excellent relative, it is less demanding on air humidity, a factor that significantly limits the possibilities of indoor gardening. At a young age, the plants are very similar, but Javanese medinilla grows faster and blooms already in the third year after sowing (magnificent medinilla blooms only in the fifth year). She has equally beautiful large inflorescences of pink flowers, but no bright stipules. But Javanese medinilla easily sets seeds and delights the owners for a long time with beautiful clusters of pink-blue berries.
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