Medinilla
Medinilla great Medinilla magnifica – large shrub to 2 m tall. Woody stems are quadrangular form, leaves large, opposite arrangement, up to 30 cm long, oval in shape. Leaf surface is smooth, dark-green with lighter veins, slightly wavy at the edges. The underside of the leaf is lighter. Pink flowers are collected in many-flowered racemose inflorescence. Inflorescence drooping, can reach two feet in length, have large pink bracts.
Melastomovyh family. Motherland Africa, Fr. Madagascar, islands of the Malay Archipelago. It is demanding to growing conditions the plant is not widespread among gardeners, but enjoys the love of connoisseurs of exotic plants. In nature, there are about 400 species of medinilla submitted by shrubs and vines, in the culture prevalent only one type of which is depicted in photography tutorials.
Medinilla likes high humidity, so the plant and the air around it is desirable to spray several times a day (a better place in the winter garden humidifier).
Pot of medinilloy useful to set the tray with moist pebbles to constantly evaporating water therefrom.
Since medinilla in nature can live as an epiphyte, it does not need a lot of ground: for the successful growth of only a small pot. However, the substrate must be well drained, place the pot on the bottom of drainage.
Young plants should be transplanted every year, adults – 2-3 years with an annual replacement of the upper layer of soil in the pot.
Experts advise to be transplant medinilly mixture of sod, leaves, peat, humus soil and sand in the proportions (2:2:1:1:1).
Outside the period of rest like medinilla liquid mineral supplements (2-4 times a month), responding to a very decorative look and bookmark the set of stems. Several times over the summer fatten medinillu helpful and organic fertilizers.
The lack of light, lack of humidity, improper watering, low temperature the content, crude lime or chlorinated water for irrigation, drafts, changing locations before blooming – these negative factors may cause losses for medinilly leaves and flower buds.
After flowering, heavily overgrown medinillu pruned. The resulting cuttings can try to implant.
Zaabotlivy care of this plant is the guarantee that each year in late spring and early summer can enjoy an unforgettable spectacle – medinilly bloom!
Medinilly long grown in greenhouse conditions.
For this large plants need a lot of places – in fact only enough space to enjoy all the delights of medinilly.
More often in winter gardens are cultivated following medinilly:
1. Medinilla excellent (Medinilla magnifica) blooms in late spring and encouraged her bloom for more than two months.
Medinilla beautiful in nature often settles on other plants, and behaves as an epiphyte. There are upright and twisted individual.
At home the beautiful blossoms medinilly reach meters in length, and the plant may develop at the same time ten such racemes. A truly magical experience!
In greenhouse conditions bushes medinilly much more modest in size but no less beautiful.
Medinilla beautiful belongs to one of the flowering plants of the world.
2. Medinilla veined (Medinilla venosa, or M. Venosus, or M. farinose hort.) – Poluepifitny shrub with densely hairy stems. Green oblong-elliptical veined leaves (up to 20 cm, width up to 8 cm) pointed at the apex, the leaves are sitting on short petioles. A few pink and yellow flowers clustered in umbellate inflorescence.
Care Tips
Temperature: It is well developed only in the warmth, the optimum temperature of 22-23 ° C, not below 16 ° C in winter. Not tolerate drafts and extreme temperatures.
Lighting: In the summer pritenenie from direct sunlight, good lighting in winter. Medinilla Shade plant, but for a good flowering must have enough light.
Watering: Plentiful during flowering in the spring – early summer, then from mid-summer to early autumn – temperate in winter during the dormant period – more rare, only after the soil is thoroughly dry. For irrigation use only a soft, good to defend water at room temperature or warm.
Fertilizer: From March to July every two weeks fed a special fertilizer for flowering houseplants.
Humidity: Medinilla likes very moist air requires regular spraying and wash the leaves. Optimum humidity of 80-90%. Try to avoid water ingress when sprayed on the flowers.
Transplantation: In the spring – in March, when the pot becomes too small. The soil – a mixture of purchase for epiphytes or a mixture of 3 parts leaf soil, 1 part peat and 1 part sand, and you can also add chopped sphagnum moss. Good drainage is required.
Reproduction: In spring cut during transplanting cuttings that perpetuate the use of phytohormones and soil heating at 30 ° C.
After flowering medinilly place pollinated flowers produced fruits and berries.
Ripe seeds are freshly harvested can be used for reproduction, sowing them in a light mixture (eg, leaf soil and sand).
Medinilla vegetatively propagated by cuttings, cut from the plant in the spring and early summer, and root suckers and layers.
For successful rooting medinilly requires high temperature (30 degrees) and high humidity.
Each offshoot and cutting medinilly treated phytohormones, perpetuate a separate small pot. As a substrate for rooting using a light nutrient mixture (such as chopped sphagnum moss and sand).
Place the cuttings take root, and young plants in the mini-teplichke to create a favorable climate – as long as the small extent medinilly.
During the transplant, which is preferably carried out in time from late February to early April, medinillu overgrown year may be cut off. Cut branches up to the old wood, making the cut just above a leaf. Cut the stems can be used for cuttings, which are easier constructed in teplichke room.
The main requirements of this tender tropical plants as medinilla – high humidity (at least 75%), always warm the contents (not below 16 ° C) and bright diffused light. Just like Medina when it was rearranged from place to place, especially during flowering, and even when you simply turn on the window.
The best place to grow is certainly medinilly greenhouse under ambient conditions optimal conditions you can try to create, if you install an additional third window frame, blocking the plant from the hot dry air batteries and allows to maintain a humid atmosphere around the plant. However, please note the large size of medinilly and hold an annual pruning.
