Description of the ptylotus plant, planting and recommendations for care in the garden and indoors, advice on reproduction, pests and diseases that arise during cultivation, species and varieties.
Ptilotus (Ptilotus) belongs to the genus, which unites not too many annuals and perennials. This genus was included by botanists into the Amaranthaceae family, or as it is also called Shchiritsy, which united dicotyledonous representatives of the flora, in their embryo having two cotyledons placed opposite each other. As for the quantitative composition of botanists, they still do not come to a consensus: so, according to information from the Kew Botanical Gardens (in the UK), it contains only 12 species, but in nature there are synonyms and basionyms a little more than 140 units.
This confusion is due to the genus being quite specific. All of its representatives are recognized as endemic to the Australian territories, that is, there is no way to find such plants in nature in other places. Most of the species are even banned for export from the continent of Australia. However, there are species native to the islands of Tasmania, Timor and Flores. One species has recently been found in Malaysia and Indonesia.
| Family name | Amaranth or Schiritz |
| Growing period | Annual or perennial |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous, flowering |
| Breeding method | Exclusively seed |
| Landing period in open ground | May June |
| Landing rules | A distance of 30x40 cm is left between the seedlings |
| Priming | Loose, dry and light |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 5-6 (slightly acidic), for some species 7 and higher (alkaline), but mostly 6, 5-7 (neutral) |
| Lighting degree | Sunny open place |
| Humidity parameters | Moderate watering |
| Special care rules | Does not tolerate waterlogged soil |
| Height values | Within 0.3-1.5 m |
| Inflorescence shape or type of flowers | Capitate or spike inflorescence |
| Flower color | Snow white, silvery, blue-violet-pink |
| Flowering time | May to September |
| Decorative period | Summer |
| Application in landscape design | Mixborders, as tapeworms or group plantings, in rockeries and rock gardens, for growing in pots on balconies or in containers, like dried flowers |
| USDA zone | 4–6 |
The genus got its name thanks to the word in Greek "ptilotos", which has the translation "winged" or "feathered", all because the plant has inflorescences, decoratively decorated with hairs. However, in native Australian lands, you can hear such nicknames as "fox tails", "cat tails" or "sheep tails" and the like, indicating the outlines of the inflorescences.
All varieties have a herbaceous form of vegetation, while the height of the species is very different from each other. The limits within which these parameters vary are from 30 cm to one and a half meters. The leaf blades are characterized by a dense surface and oval or elongated ovoid outlines. The leaves are heavy and often have a wavy edge. The color of the foliage is grayish-green or with a reddish tint. The length of the leaf plate can reach 8 cm. If the variety is annual, then the foliage forms a basal rosette of rather wide outlines.
It is flowering that becomes the hallmark of the ptylotus. On the tops of strong flowering stems, the formation of capitate or spike-shaped inflorescences occurs. Their length reaches 15 cm with a diameter of about 5 cm. The inflorescences are composed of small five-petal flowers. Their color can have both a light, white or silver shade, and pastel pink, lilac or bluish-violet-pink tones. Flowers begin to bloom in May, and this process stretches until September.
After the flowers are pollinated, the seeds ripen, in the fruits that take the place of inflorescences. The surface of the fruit is also fluffy and contains one small seed, which is about 1 mm in size. The seeds are somewhat reminiscent of poppy seeds in appearance, as they have kidney-shaped outlines. The color of the seeds is brown. Seed material is characterized by a thin shell.
Today, the paca still plant "fox tails" remains an exotic representative of the flora in our gardens, but their popularity is growing steadily the same way as in Europe and America, and of course in their native Australia. We grow it mainly as an annual because of the not too warm climate.
Carrying out the planting of a ptylotus, care at home and in the open field
- Landing place such plants as "sheep's tails", it is recommended to select an open and well-lit by the sun's rays. For only one variety - Platinum Wallaby, the site will do with light shading from direct sunlight. It is important to think over the location with all care, since the transplant in the future will negatively affect growth and flowering. All because of the rod-shaped root system, when it is often damaged during transplantation. The optimal temperature for cultivation in the open field is the range of 22-25 degrees. For growing in rooms, pots with ptylotus are placed on the windowsill of windows with a southern, southwestern or southeastern orientation. Since the plant is not winter-hardy, with the arrival of cold weather, perennial varieties are transplanted into pots and brought into rooms, or they are grown as annuals.
- Temperature when kept indoors for "fox tails" is the most serious aspect, because of which domestic cultivation is considered difficult. At any time of the year, and especially in summer, heat indicators should not go beyond 18-21 degrees. If the room is warmer, then the stems will begin to stretch very much and become thinner. In the open air, the temperature values are slightly higher, due to the constant movement of air masses.
- Air humidity for such a plant as "cat's tail" is not a problem at all, both when growing in a personal plot, and indoors. All due to the fact that in the nature of the area where these representatives of the flora grow, they are distinguished by aridity. Therefore, there is no need to spray the bushes.
- Soil for ptylotus should be selected with good drainability, dry and light. Plants prefer soil with a neutral or alkaline pH 5–7 and only one species, Platinum Wallaby, requires planting in an alkaline substrate with a pH of 7–8. If you plan to grow this variety, then the soil on the site needs to be limed - add dolomite flour or slaked lime into it. Although in nature plants grow on a poor substrate, they show the best performance on a nutrient soil mixture diluted with river sand. If it is planned to grow ptylotus as a home crop, then the soil mixture is made up of an equal amount of leafy soil, peat chips and river sand.
- Planting a ptylotus in open ground is carried out only in late spring or at the very beginning of June. This will guarantee that the return frosts will not return, that is, the average daily temperature should not be lower than 18-21 degrees. Only 1, 5–2 month old seedlings are planted. For planting, it is recommended to use a scheme in which the distance between plants is 30x40 cm. When growing "cat tails" as a home plant, you should select the planting capacity based on the natural preferences of the plant. So for seedlings, the pots should be at least 10 cm in diameter, while for adult specimens, containers with a diameter of 30–40 cm are suitable. When planting, a layer of drainage (small expanded clay or pebbles) must be laid on the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle it with soil so that the drainage is completely covered and only then place the seedling in the container. After planting, abundant watering is carried out.
- Fertilizers when growing "fox tails" it is recommended to add it to build up deciduous mass and maintain flowering. In the first case, nitrogen-containing preparations, such as urea, should be used, then additional fertilizing should be used, which contain phosphorus and potassium. Do not get carried away with fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, as this will entail rapid development of foliage for the cathedral, to the detriment of the formation of inflorescences. Fertilizers are applied during the active phase of growth and flowering once a week. Some flower growers recommend using complex preparations for flowering plants (for example, Fertik or Kemiru), in which the nitrogen content will be minimal.
- Watering when growing ptylotus, it is recommended to carry out only if the topsoil has begun to dry out. It is best that the moisture of the substrate is moderate, since flooding it will lead to the beginning of decay of the root system.
- General advice on care. Since the plant tends to stretch its shoots too much, it is recommended to use special preparations that inhibit growth - retardants. Such means can be an Athlete or growth regulators from Bayer - Stabilan. Ptlotus is not transplanted, manipulations of this kind are carried out only when a perennial variety is moved to rooms for the winter. After the indoor culture fades, it is replaced with a new one.
- Application of ptylotus in landscape design. The plant is so interesting that it will look harmonious both in a group planting and as a tapeworm. It is customary to decorate mixborders with it, plant it in garden containers or balcony boxes. Since it can grow well on dry ground, it is used to decorate the voids between stones in rockeries and stone gardens. There is evidence that "fox tails" can be grown as a home crop, but in this case they do not differ in durability and, when the flowering is over, they become completely unattractive. The best neighbors for such exotic plants are verbena and periwinkle flower beds, as well as bright pentas or fragrant salvia.
See also tips for growing kochia.
Breeding tips for ptylotus
To obtain new plants "fox tails" use only the seed propagation method. In our latitudes, seedlings should be cultivated. So the seeds are sown only with the arrival of mid-February to March. It is recommended before that to clean the seeds from the fluffy shell and then, without processing, spread over the surface of the soil poured into seedling boxes. Any garden substrate is used, or you can take leafy soil, then the soil is mixed with very fine expanded clay. Some gardeners use a peat-sand mixture, where the components are taken in equal parts. Soil indicators should be in the range of pH 5, 5-6, 5, that is, the composition is selected slightly acidic or neutral. It is important that good looseness and air permeability are ensured.
The seeds are only slightly pressed into the substrate or sprinkled with a very small layer of washed sand, but not more than 2 mm. This is due to the fact that the seeds are very sensitive to light and if they are deeply buried, they simply will not sprout. After that, the crops are sprayed with warm water from a finely dispersed spray bottle and covered with a plastic transparent film or a piece of glass is placed on top of the container. The seedling box is placed in a well-lit place with a temperature of at least 22-25 degrees.
When caring for crops, keep the soil slightly moist. It is only important not to bring the soil to acidification and waterlogging. It is necessary to choose the right germination conditions under which watering directly depends on heat indicators - the lower they are, the less often the soil is moistened. It is recommended to water the poultry seedlings with warm boiled water. The first sprouts can be seen after a week. After the seedlings have fully germinated, they begin to gradually remove the shelter, accustoming the plants to the ambient air and humidity. First, the shelter is removed for 10-15 minutes, gradually increasing this period of time, bringing it up to around the clock, until the seedlings are left without shelter for good.
When, after a month and a half, the seedlings grow up, they can be dived into separate pots. It is better to use containers made of pressed peat, so that transplanting into open ground is easier and more painless for the root system of cat's tail seedlings. The diameter of the pots should not exceed 10-12 cm. When two months have passed from the moment of sowing, you can start feeding young plants.
Seedlings of "fox tails" are transplanted into open ground when the last days of May come, because the plants are afraid of return frosts or this time is shifted to the beginning of summer. Flowering of such cat-tail bushes can be expected after 3 months from the moment of sowing.
Read also how to properly reproduce tigridia
Pests and diseases arising from the cultivation of ptlotus in the garden
The plant can please flower growers by the fact that it has natural resistance to many diseases from which garden flowers suffer. Since when the soil is waterlogged, rotting of the root system caused by botrytis fungi is possible, it is important to strictly maintain the watering regime. This disease is also called gray mold. Its symptoms are formed brown spots on leaf plates, buds and flowers. Then the spots begin to cover a plaque resembling gray pubescence. The leaves gradually lose their turgor, the process of photosynthesis in them slows down or stops altogether, then the whole plant can stop growing and die.
To combat, it is recommended to first remove all damaged parts of the bush, and then treat it with fungicidal preparations, for example, such as Fitosporin-M or Bordeaux liquid at a concentration of 1%.
Read also about possible diseases and pests when growing tamarix
Facts to note about the ptylotus flower
The genus of this exotic Australian plant was first described by the British botanist, morphologist and flora taxonomist Robert Brown (1773–1858) or Brown in the early 19th century (1810). The world scientist is known to many not as a botanist, since his research in this area is familiar to a limited circle of scientists, but many have heard of him as the discoverer of the movement of molecules in matter - "Brownian motion".
Types and varieties of ptylotus
Ptilotus sublime (Ptilotus exaltatus)
is the only variety that can be officially exported from the continent of Australia. The height of this annual reaches one meter. It has a strong stem with a weak leafiness. The obovate leaf plates are painted in a grayish-green hue, the reverse side has a reddish tint. The foliage is mainly located in the lower part of the stem, where a rosette is formed through it.
During flowering, the formation of conical inflorescences, reminiscent of fluffy panicles, occurs. In length, they reach 15 cm with a diameter of about 5 cm. The color of the small flowers that make up the inflorescence can have a pinkish or pale lilac hue. Thanks to the technology offered by the producer from Germany "Benary", it became possible to reproduce using seed material.
The most common of all cultivars bred are varieties:
Joey
It is his cultivation that is practiced on an industrial scale, using German seed propagation technology. The grown plants are used, both for cutting and as a container crop. Instances of this variety are characterized by compact parameters in height - only 0.4 m. They are distinguished by bushiness and the formation of a large number of inflorescences of spike-shaped outlines, composed of bright pink, as if neon, small flowers. The height of the inflorescences is 7–10 cm. Flowering begins after 3 months from the moment of sowing. For cultivation, it is recommended to use slightly acidic and well-drained soil and plant in an open, well-lit place.
Platinum Wallaby
or Platinum Wallaby when flowering, it pleases the eye with inflorescences of larger sizes, pinkish-silver color. There is a possibility of cultivation as a perennial crop. It is characterized by a preference for a substrate with an alkaline reaction, which differs from other species and varieties in the genus. When growing, it is required to find a place shaded from direct sunlight.
Ptilotus nobilis
can also occur (although rarely) when grown in culture. Its difference is the larger size of the inflorescence. If cultivation is carried out in the open field, then the flowering period extends from May to the first frost. Since this species and all its varieties are perennials, with a cold snap they are transplanted into pots and placed in a room with a cool temperature until the next May days. Can be used for cutting.
The most famous variety is considered to be the variety Passion or Passion, characterized by the formation of inflorescences of feathery pinkish-purple inflorescences, with bright pink highlights. There are specimens with whitish or cream shades of flowers. The flower head reaches a diameter of 4 cm with a height of about 10 cm. The shape of the inflorescences is conical and wide. Inflorescences are crowned with strong stems, stretching up to 0.7 m in height.
Obovate ptylotus (Ptilotus obovatus)
This variety is promising for cultural distribution, due to the great variability of the obtained specimens through sowing of seed material. Inflorescences are characterized by small size and spherical outlines. The diameter of the inflorescence varies within 1, 5–2 cm. The color of the flowers in the inflorescence can be white, lilac or pale pinkish tones. The flowering stems reach 0.3 m in height. The leaf plates and the stems themselves are painted in a light grayish color. The plant is suitable for cutting, can also be used dried for winter bouquets, grown as a container crop or in the open field.
Ptylotus polistachis
(Ptilotus polystachys) … This species is not characterized by special decorative qualities, since the inflorescences are colored greenish-white. However, when cut, such flowers remain fresh for 50 days. But due to the thinness of the dried stems and their fragility, it is not possible to use it as a dried flower.
Prilotus clementii
has a one-year growing season and compact size. Height does not exceed 20 cm. Differs in drought resistance. When flowering, spectacular snow-white inflorescences are formed, which can become an adornment of any bouquet.
Spatula ptylotus (Ptilotus spathulata)
in its native Australian lands, it is found under the name Pussy-tails or Cat's Tails. Our species is considered very rare. A perennial, from the thin stems of which rosettes are formed, which have a radial distribution over the soil. The stems are measured in length 40 cm. The fleshy leaves are colored green. The foliage in the root zone is larger than that growing on the stems. Basal leaf plates reach 10 cm in length. From small flowers, dense cone-shaped inflorescences are formed. The color of the flowers is creamy green. Inflorescences on peduncles grow strictly vertically ascending. Fully ripe inflorescence is composed of fluffy fruit. The fruits contain one seed each, which is kidney-shaped. The seed size is 1 mm.
Distorted Ptilotus (Ptilotus manglesii)
is a perennial, but its life span is not too long. The height of the stems does not exceed half a meter. Inflorescences are rounded with ovoid outlines. Its height is 8-10 cm. The color of whitish-fleecy flowers in the inflorescence is pale pink. The leaf plates are light green in color, the surface of the leaves is smooth, on the edge they have a slight pubescence. The lower leaves are collected in a rosette, their shape is broadly oval, they are attached with elongated petioles to the stems. The foliage on the stems is smaller, the petioles are shortened.
Large-headed Ptilotus (Ptilotus macrocephlus)
suitable for growing as a room culture. Its inflorescences are rounded, white. It is possible to give the bush an ampelous shape if several specimens are placed in one planting container. With this cultivation, you should deal with the timely pinching of the shoots. Also for rooms you can use such miniature species as Ptilotus clementii, fusiformis (Ptilotus fusiformis), Polak (Ptilotus Polakii) and chamaecladus (Ptilotus Chamaecladus), characterized by miniature size, the height does not exceed 10–20 cm. Process flowering can take 2-3 months continuously.
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