Photo of the plant Catharanthus or “flawless flower” is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous flower belonging to the Apocynaceae family., growing in many countries with tropical climates. It is believed that the homeland of catharanthus is the island of Madagascar, where it is most widespread. For a long time it was classified as a variety of the pink periwinkle flower, and only at the beginning of the 20th century the genus Catharanthus was identified.
There are 8 known species of it . Indoor varieties have a height of 30 to 60 cm and are grown in a perennial culture. In open ground they are cultivated as annuals. The leaf blades of the plant are lanceolate in shape, oblong (from 3 to 8 cm), leathery, with a pronounced central vein, dark green in color.
The leaves have practically no petioles. The stems are smooth, erect, branching towards the top, producing many shoots, colored green or pinkish. The root system is powerful, tap-type.
Be sure to pay attention to the beautiful Waller's Impatiens flower.
| The growth rate is high. |
| Blooms from late spring to late summer. |
| The plant is easy to grow. |
| It is a perennial plant. |
Beneficial features
Photo of catharanthus rosea
Despite the fact that all organs of the plant are poisonous, catharanthus has been used since ancient times in folk medicine, and in modern conditions, also in professional medicine. The juice contains biologically active substances - alkaloids, which are included in many medications. When used correctly under medical supervision, they:
- reduce blood sugar levels;
- have anti-cancer properties, reduce the size of tumors and polyps;
- heal wounds and ulcers, skin diseases;
- treat respiratory diseases, oral diseases, hypertension.
Features of growing at home. Briefly
The plant is unpretentious, but for a spectacular appearance and long flowering of the catharanthus, certain conditions must be provided:
| Temperature | Optimal conditions are created at moderate temperatures from +20 to +25°C. |
| Air humidity | Looks most impressive at high humidity. |
| Lighting | Catharanthus blooms at home in bright light. |
| Watering | Watering should provide constant, light soil moisture. |
| Priming | Must have good drainage properties and air exchange. |
| Feeding and fertilizer | Mineral fertilizing after 10-14 days. |
| Transfer | Every year, maintaining the integrity of the root system. |
| Reproduction | Vegetative organs and seeds. |
| Features of cultivation | In annual and perennial culture, in flowerpots and flower beds. |
What time of year is it better to plant a flower? Is it possible in winter?
The catharanthus plant can be grown at any time of the year. However, it should be understood that if the homeland of the shrub is hot and sunny Madagascar, then the warm season will be the most optimal time for growing the crop.
It is also possible to plant catharanthus in winter, but you need to monitor it even more carefully than when planting it in the spring or summer season.
With proper care, the shrub will delight you with abundant flowering throughout the warm season. In winter, catharanthus is kept cool - at a temperature of about 14-15 degrees, but care must be taken to ensure that the plant's soil is not overcooled in any case. Usually, watering is reduced slightly. If there is excess moisture in the cold season, the base of the stem may rot.
Caring for catharanthus at home. Details
Bloom
Active flowering lasts from April to October.
Single flowers or collected two or three in inflorescences bloom in the axils of the leaves. They are located mainly on the upper part of the shoots and in warm weather they form a lush, spectacular head of flowers. Indoor catharanthus can bloom in winter, but there will be significantly fewer buds. The catharanthus flower has five petals with a flat corolla and bright yellow anthers protruding from a narrow tube. The size of the flower in diameter is up to 5 cm. The colors of the petals are very diverse, mostly monochromatic. Many varieties have a small eye in the center of the flower in a contrasting color. Flowers are practically odorless.
As a result of fertilization, sickle-shaped, oblong leaflets are formed, containing up to 10 fairly large seeds suitable for reproduction.
Temperature
In summer, it feels good at a wide range of temperatures - from +18 to 28°C. In hot weather, it is necessary to maintain high humidity so that the appearance of the leaves does not deteriorate.
In winter, the temperature is reduced to +13-15°C.
Spraying
To ensure sufficient humidity, the catharanthus plant at home is regularly sprayed with warm, purified water from a fine-droplet spray bottle. In hot weather, spraying may be repeated throughout the day. If there is sufficient humidity and low temperature, you should wait a while with spraying.
Lighting
If there is a lack of sunlight, homemade catharanthus will not produce abundant flowering. Under natural conditions, the flower grows in well-lit areas or in light partial shade. Indoor plants are kept near western, eastern or southern windows, with shading during the hours of the most active sunlight. With sufficient ventilation, solar activity does not harm the plant.
Watering
Keep the soil moderately moist.
Watering should be frequent and plentiful. However, stagnation of water is as harmful as drying out of the soil. After each watering, you need to empty the tray of excess water and ensure air ventilation in the room. To increase humidity, place the pot on a tray with wet pebbles or place a vessel with water next to it.
Pot
Considering the rapid growth of the flower and the length of the root system, which reaches 30-35 cm, the planting container is chosen to be large and deep enough. If the pot is small, within a short period the roots will spread throughout the entire volume and the plant's growth will slow down. When replanting again, the size of the pot in diameter is chosen to be 4-5 cm larger than the previous one.
A prerequisite is the presence of drainage holes.
Priming
To grow catharanthus, you need fertile, nutritious soil, loose, well-drained. Sod, leaf soil and peat are mixed in equal parts and coarse sand or perlite is added. You can use a mixture of peat, humus and sand. The bottom of the pot is covered 2-3 cm with the existing drainage material.
Feeding and fertilizer
During the period of active growth and flowering, catharanthus needs constant feeding at least 2-3 times a month. Annual bushes are fed every week. Long and abundant flowering is ensured by sufficient doses of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. If there is a lack of mineral nutrition, flowering will be scanty or not begin at all.
You can use complex fertilizers for flowering house plants, for example, roses. Fertilizers are applied in dissolved form in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations and combined with watering.
Attention! After transplanting the plant, the first feeding is carried out after 10-14 days.
Catharanthus transplant
The bushes grow very quickly, the root system completely occupies the volume of the pot, and as a result, nutrition deteriorates.
It is recommended to replant the indoor plant every spring and use it for no more than 2-3 years. Catharanthus transplanted by transferring it into a freer container. The work is carried out carefully, as the plant reacts painfully to damage to the root system. The roots are placed to the full depth of the pot and the free spaces are sprinkled with soil.
How to prune catharanthus?
To maintain the neat decorative appearance of the bush, it is necessary to prune elongated stems by one third of their length in spring. In this way, the plant is given the desired shape and lateral branching is stimulated. Dried and damaged vegetative parts are periodically removed. Old shoots are trimmed using a sterile sharp knife, young shoots are pinched by hand.
Rest period
The condition of the plant depends on the microclimate in the room. To preserve the perennial bush for abundant flowering next year, it is kept at a temperature of +12-17°C degrees and the amount of watering is reduced to a minimum.
Attention! If the temperature cannot be reduced, the plant will continue to grow and then additional lighting will be required in short-day conditions so that the shoots do not become too elongated.
Catharanthus in winter
Annual species are kept in the most favorable, warm conditions with good lighting until the end of the growing season. The flower will continue to bloom for part of the winter, after which it is thrown away. A perennial catharanthus dug out from a flowerbed is cut to 2/3 of its length, its root system is placed in a free pot, and covered with earth. The container is stored in cool conditions until spring. At an air temperature of +18°C, the plant is again planted in open ground.
Use in the garden, on the balcony
Pink catharanthus is an extremely attractive, long-flowering exotic plant that will add a lot of charm to garden beds and become an original decoration for balconies and terraces. It blooms in summer and even in hot weather shines with freshness, captivating with its numerous flowers and bright green leaves. In hot climates, plants are often used to create colorful carpets. They bloom for a long time, although in the fall, in cold weather, the flowers become smaller and smaller. Only frost kills them.
If there are sunny, fairly dry places in the garden, you can plant catharanthus as a ground cover plant.
Catharanthus is a beautiful plant used in gardens, urban green spaces, and on balconies. Its greatest advantages include: resistance to drought and heat, low requirements, ease of care (including self-cleaning of faded flowers) and high decorative qualities.
Growing catharanthus from seeds
For germination, use a shallow container filled with moist soil. Materials and seeds are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds are laid out on the surface and sprinkled with a thin layer of soil. Cover with film, a transparent lid or glass and, until the seeds hatch, leave in a warm (+22-25°C), dark place.
As soon as the first shoots appear, the container is transferred to a well-lit place and optimal humidity is maintained. At the first stage, the above-ground part of the seedlings develops slowly, and the root part - intensively. In the phase of two true leaves, seedlings dive into pots.
You should not be late with picking seedlings, as a root system that is too large can be damaged during transplantation.
Propagation of catharanthus by cuttings
For vegetative propagation, cuttings taken from the top of green shoots or young lateral shoots are used. Their size can be from 5 to 10 cm. The cuttings should have 2-3 internodes. Planting material is prepared during spring or autumn pruning and during the formation of the bush. Cuttings are rooted in two ways:
- They are buried 2-3 cm into moist soil and compacted. Place the container under the film and place it in a well-lit place. Maintain humidity and temperature +22-25°C and regularly ventilate the greenhouse. As soon as the plant begins to grow, the cover is removed.
- Add a couple of drops of a growth stimulator to a glass of boiled water and place the cutting so that one internode is constantly in the water. The glass is left in a warm, bright place, the liquid level is maintained until roots form.
Diseases and pests
Catharanthus is a fairly resistant flower to unfavorable growing conditions, but if the optimal parameters are violated, the decorative qualities and flowering deteriorate significantly:
- Young leaves fall off due to rare, insufficient watering, as well as in conditions of poor lighting and low temperature.
- Dark spots and bumps form on the leaves as a result of rust disease. They are located on the upper part of the leaf blade. There may be pustules on the lower part. Conditions for the development of rust are created by frequent waterlogging of the soil, too high air humidity, lack of ventilation and drafts.
- The leaves turned yellow and fell off. The cause may be excessive solar activity. It is enough to remove the flowerpot from the windowsill or close the blinds for the situation to improve.
- The tips of catharanthus leaves turn yellow most often if the humidity in the room is not sufficiently high. During the heating season, it is necessary to use all possible methods for humidification.
- Catharanthus blooms poorly in low light and low temperatures. The situation will be corrected by moving the flowerpot to a warm, bright room with moderate humidity.
- The lower leaves fall off as they naturally age. To prevent outdated leaves from spoiling the decorative appearance, they are regularly removed.
- The leaves turn yellow and the plant stops blooming when the root system completely fills the pot and the soil is depleted. Roots even appear in drainage holes. The plant lacks nutrition and needs to be replanted.
Occasionally damaged by thrips or scale insects. This happens in conditions of insufficient humidity. In an excessively damp room, aphids may appear, which feed on the sap of the plant.
What kind of soil is needed?
In general, catharanthus is not demanding regarding soil characteristics and composition.
The soil should be light, breathable, fertile, not acidic. The flower grows well in moist soil, so an important characteristic is the ability of the soil to retain water. Ready-made industrial mixtures include soil for geraniums or a universal soil mixture for flowering plants. However, any ready-made substrate should be brought to the required condition, friability and moisture capacity.
To prepare your own substrate you will need the following components:
- deciduous soil;
- turf soil;
- peat;
- coarse sand;
- natural leavening agents.
Attention! The total component of additives should be no more than 1/3 of the total earth mixture. It is best to use perlite or vermiculite as leavening agents.
Another important condition is the presence of a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. Without it, problems with the root system are possible in the future as a result of stagnant water. The following is used as drainage:
- pebbles;
- broken brick;
- small crushed stone;
- expanded clay granules.
Types of homemade catharanthus with photos and names
The genus Catharanthus is not very numerous. It consists of 8 main species and decorative varieties, which are interspecific hybrids. As a result of breeding work, spectacular, compact plants were obtained. These are varieties of catharanthus rosea, having flowers of various shades.
Catharanthus roseus
It has various shades of pink petals. The eyes are yellow or crimson. When the temperature and light are favorable, it blooms all year round.
Catharanthus ampelous (cascade)
It has long, up to 1.5 m, lashes falling to the bottom, the entire length of which is studded with red flowers from the axils of dark green leaves.
Aristocrat
The shoots form a spherical crown. Abundant flowering occurs in the second half of summer. The flowers are large, with a contrasting eye. Petal colors range from white to scarlet.
Pacifica
The crown of the bush is low and compact. Flowering is not very abundant, but large flowers look impressive on bright large leaves. In all varieties of the variety, the center of the flower is decorated with a contrasting eye. The most popular Pacific varieties:
- Burgundy
- Epticot
- White
First kiss
The shape of the bush is cylindrical, height up to 40 cm. The leaves are elongated, bright green. The flowers are large, the petals can have different shades of pink. The eye is a more saturated color to match the petals.
Botanical description of the plant
It is believed that catharanthus comes from Madagascar, since it is most often found here, but it grows throughout the tropical zone. Under natural conditions, it can grow up to 150 cm; indoor specimens grow up to 50–60 cm. The root system is powerful, taprooted, with many lateral branches.
Stems are erect, branching at the top. They are densely covered with oblong dark green leaves about 70 mm long. Their surface is glossy. The central vein is light, the side veins are slightly darker.
Catharanthus blooms in late spring - early summer and this period lasts 60–70 days. At this time, it is covered with five-leaved, round-shaped flowers. Their diameter is 3–5 cm, and they are painted in shades of pink, white and cream with a core of a different shade.
At the end of the flowering period, an oblong, double-leafed brown fruit is formed. It contains about a dozen oblong seeds inside.
Did you know? The genus designation "katharanthus" comes from the ancient Greek expressions "katharos" and "anthos", meaning "flawless flower".
