Passion flora, care of which is not very difficult

Passionflower flowers amaze with their diversity. This genus includes about 500 species of lianas, which are distributed mainly in the subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, America and Australia. All over the world this plant is cultivated by amateur growers as a houseplant. Passion flower flower, which can be completely taken care of at home or in greenhouses, is undeservedly ignored by our specialists. This plant is very difficult to find in our flower shops.

Why does this happen? What is so frightened our florists? The reason for the unpopularity lies in the prevailing opinion that this flower perfectly takes root in sunny, warm rooms, and in shaded and cool rooms it turns into an indistinct decorative liana with openwork leaves. This opinion is partly true, but do not forget that passionflower, whose care is mainly reduced to providing good lighting, sufficient heat and moderate watering will delight you not only with the grace of your stems and leaves, but also with the extraordinary beauty of flowers that are revealed only In the light. If you are lucky enough to become the owner of this flower, do not be afraid of the difficulties in its cultivation.

So how do you care for this evergreen flowering vine, which clings to its antennae for any support? The flower of passionflower has dark green leaves and star-like, original flowers of various colors. The flower itself reaches a diameter of 8 cm. Most often in the culture there are greenish-blue flowers, but there are many more diverse combinations of colors. Liana passionflower, care of which will require cutting old shoots, will please its owners with abundant flowering in the summer. In spring, secondary shoots are shortened by 1/3, and 3-4 main ones, located on the support, are retained. In summer, in order to improve the nutrition of the flower sprouts, shoots at the base of the vine are also removed. Sometimes, in winter, when the temperature drops below 14 ° C, the liana can discard the leaves. In this case, shoots cut completely, and in the spring of passionflower will give new young shoots. On this plant, after blossoming ripen bright orange, rounded berries. These berries are quite edible and have a very pleasant aftertaste.

Passion flower, care:

- lighting: photophile;

- humidity: requires regular spraying;

- temperature: in winter - 14-18 ° C, in summer - 20-24 ° C;

- substrate: light, nutritious;

- transplantation: in the spring, annually;

- top dressing: any suitable fertilizer 1-2 times each month;

- watering: moderate, regular throughout the year;

- reproduction: early spring (root offsprings, seeds, cuttings).

Passionflower blossoms quite a long time - from June to September. Pollination of flowers is made with a cotton swab or a brush. To obtain a good result, pollination is performed 2-3 times. The pollen collected from one flower is transferred to another. In summer, these flowers can be left outdoors.

Passiflora can be affected by spider mites, thrips and mealybugs. All these parasites are destroyed by special preparations, and for their prevention should be done regular "shower" for the plant.

This flower is most often used for vertical gardening in rooms and winter gardens. If you want to show your individuality, make a beautiful figured support, according to which this liana will roam. As a support, use rails, nylon mesh, grilles from bamboo and much more.

It is believed that passionflower is a very durable plant. So wild lianas can reach the age of 100 years. Its leaves and stems can cause paralysis and hallucinations, so they should be handled very carefully.