General description and varieties of oleander, tips for placing it indoors, watering and fertilizing. Pest control and cultivation problems. Oleander (Nerium) belongs to the Apocynaceae family, which includes numerous trees, shrubs, vines and grasses. For growth, the plant chooses the territories of the entire globe, where the subtropical climate prevails. The form of the plant is predominantly shrubby with a leaf mass that never changes its green color. You can often find this bush in riverbeds that have begun to dry up. In the territories of the former CIS countries, oleander is actively cultivated on the Black Sea coast in the Caucasus, in the Transcaucasus, and in the southern Central Asian regions. But it is customary to grow the plant in areas with a more severe climate indoors.
The name "Nerium" comes from a modification of the Greek word "nerion" - meaning moist, moist, since the plant, although it lives in hot climatic conditions, requires a constant flow of groundwater. Or perhaps the bush began to be called that after one of the sea nymphs of the Nereid, and meant that "nerium" grows next to waterways. The name "Oleander" is also endowed with meaning. Two Greek components "oleo" - odorous and "Andros" - the name of one of the islands of Greece, where, according to legends, Nereid could live.
The bush is distinguished by a fairly strong branching of shoots, which are painted in brown shades. Even indoors, the plant can reach 2 m in height. They are completely covered by rounded lentils. Leaf plates measure 10–15 cm in length and 3 cm in width. The arrangement can be opposite or whorled with 3-4 leaves. The leaves can be lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, the edge is solid, the petioles are short. The surface of the leaf plate is bare, leathery, with a light vein in the middle.
Flowering begins with the arrival of the summer months. The buds open into flowers with 5 petals, always rich and bright colors. The inflorescences in which the flowers gather are in the form of scutes and are located at the tops of the stems. Most often, flowers acquire white or pink shades, very rarely buds of red or yellow flowers bloom. To date, through the efforts of breeders, varieties of oleanders with flowers of various shapes (for example, can be terry) have been bred. After the flowering process, the plant bears fruit with leaflets from which numerous seeds are collected. Their length can reach 10 cm, and the seeds are distinguished by feathery crests.
The plant is extremely poisonous, so this must be taken into account when caring for the bush or keeping it in rooms where there are pets or small children. A small hit of juice on the mucous membrane can cause severe poisoning. The plant is actively used by landscape designers for landscaping and decorating garden areas, you can also decorate large areas. Oleander is very easy to care for, and frequent pruning is necessary for indoor cultivation.
Oleander juice contains some cardiac glycosides, which are used for medicinal purposes. The flowers have such a strong aroma that they can cause a headache if inhaled for a long time. Despite this, the leaf plates attract various toxins to themselves, helping to purify the air in the room and the entire human body.
Even doctors noticed that in rooms where oleander began to grow, people have less slagging. It is believed that the plant helps to get rid of bad thoughts and negative emotions, thus bringing a sense of well-being to the owner's home. Also, oleander has a positive effect on pets, their condition improves quickly and they become less painful. To the people in whose houses this "green friend" settles, he conveys his desire for heights, since he himself, like a real vine, always strives upward. If a person has negative habits (for example, smoking or drinking), then the plant will help to part with them immediately. In rooms where people work, he is able to increase efficiency, because he absolutely does not tolerate laziness. People have a desire to do something useful and strive to develop their potential. Therefore, it is believed that giving an oleander to a person or bringing it to a home or office means to wish well-being and prosperity.
In culture, only one species of this shrub is grown - Oleander ordinary (Nerium Oleandr). Often this plant can be found under the names Fragrant Oleander (Nerium odorum) and Indian Oleander (Nerium indicum). Wild oleander is found throughout the Mediterranean, in Algeria, Italy and Andalusia. Italian areas are distinguished by the fact that on the banks of waterways there are whole thickets of wild oleander bushes. This plant was very much loved to grow in the gardens of Ancient Greece and Rome, as many frescoes show love for this symbol of well-being in bouquets and garlands of oleander flowers.
In the bush, densely branching shoots can reach 3-4 m in height. The leaves are arranged on short stalks. Their sizes, like all plants of this species, reach approximately 15x3 cm (in length and width, respectively). The arrangement of leaf plates or opposite each other, or 3-4 pieces in a whorl. The upper surface of the leaf has leatheriness and is painted in a rich emerald hue, on the lower one - light green color predominates. A bush with a leaf mass very reminiscent of willow thickets (narrow, lanceolate-elongated in the shape of a leaf), during flowering it is very densely covered with numerous racemose inflorescences. The flowers that make up the brushes have a very pleasant fragrant aroma and beautiful colors. In natural conditions, the corolla petals of flowers are slightly spliced, have pink or red shades. Flowering stretches from mid-summer to October.
In the gardens, varieties of oleander are grown with flowers of a much larger diameter (approximately 6 cm), both simple and double-shaped and of various colors:
- grade "Elegance" - large buds of apricot shade;
- variety "Double Pink" - terry petals, color dark pink with cream shades;
- variety "Double White" - snow-white flowers with double petals.
Recommendations for growing oleander indoors
- Lighting. The plant is very fond of good lighting and a sufficient amount of sunlight. You will also need to find a place where there will be a constant flow of fresh air. Naturally, windows from the south, south-east or south-west exposure will suit the oleander's taste. If the pot with the plant is located on a window facing north, then the bush can react to a low degree of illumination by dropping leaf plates and therefore, it will have to arrange supplementary lighting with special phytolamps. With the arrival of warm thermometer readings, it is recommended to take the liana pot out into the fresh air - a terrace, garden or balcony is suitable for this. But the place must be chosen, with sufficient streams of light and protect the bush from rainfall. If this is not possible, then it is often required to ventilate the room. In winter, oleander will still have to increase the length of daylight hours, it needs to be brought to 10 hours a day. You can arrange phytolamps or fluorescent lamps above the bush at a distance of 60-80 cm. Airing should also be performed, but make sure that the plant is not exposed to a draft.
- Keep temperature for oleander. When spring comes, then until the end of summer it is worth adhering to temperature indicators of 20-27 degrees and an inflow of fresh air should always be organized. With a decrease in autumn temperatures and for oleander, it is worth gradually reducing it so that it fluctuates within 15-18 degrees. As soon as winter comes, then for the plant it is necessary to choose an unheated room with a cool wintering at 8-15 degrees Celsius. But, by the middle of the first spring month, the thermometer should not drop below 15 degrees. If the temperature is higher, then it is simply necessary to arrange ventilation for the oleander.
- Air humidity. The plant prefers moderate indoor humidity. It is not even possible to spray it in the spring and summer, if the indicators do not exceed the boundary 27 degrees, otherwise in the heat it is required to spray the oleander crown. To increase the moisture in the air, the pot with the plant can be placed in deep and wide trays filled with expanded clay or chopped sphagnum moss. Water is poured into them and it, evaporating, will fill dry air with moisture. With the arrival of the heating season, the air in the room becomes significantly drier and then additional spraying of the leaf mass of the plant should be carried out. Water for this procedure is taken soft, free from hardness and salts. The temperature should not be lower than 20-23 degrees. In dry air, the tips of the leaves begin to dry out.
- Watering the plant. In summer, it is necessary to water the oleander bush very abundantly, as soon as the soil in the pot has dried out from above. Water for moisturizing is taken soft, settled for several days. You can also pass through a filter or boil tap water to remove hardness. It is best, of course, to use water collected after rain or melted snow for irrigation. The water temperature should be room temperature (within 20-23 degrees). If streams of light constantly illuminate the bush, then it is necessary that the water is always in the pot holder. But it is required to ensure that the soil is not waterlogged, as this can provoke root rot and the oleander will die. When the plant is at rest (winter rest, with low temperatures), the soil moisture is reduced - you can water it once every 10 days, the water temperature should not be cold. If the soil is overdried, the plant will begin to shed its leaves.
- Fertilizers for oleander. As soon as April comes, the plant starts growing actively and this period will last until the end of summer. At this time, it is necessary to feed the oleander. With a two-week regularity, it is required to apply special fertilizers with a complex of minerals intended for indoor plants. Oleander also really likes when it is fed with organic fertilizers (for example, mullein solution). It is necessary to apply top dressing to the soil on those days when the sun is covered by clouds, but before that, you should slightly moisten the soil in the pot.
- Pruning a plant. Oleander must be cut regularly, since without this the bush does not bloom or its flowering is scarce. After the end of the flowering process, it is necessary to cut all branches in half or 2/3. The branches left after pruning are used for plant propagation. If a vegetative shoot has formed under a flower bud, then it should be plucked out, since the oleander will slow down in growth.
- Soil selection and transplantation of oleander. As soon as all the soil in the pot is braided by the oleander root system, the pot needs to be changed. This happens every 2-3 years. The best time to change containers and substrate is late spring and early summer days. When transplanting, it is recommended to shorten the overgrown root system and slightly remove the old soil. In this case, the cut roots are necessary for disinfection, powdered with crushed charcoal. This will contribute to further good flowering. If the bush has reached an impressive size and it becomes difficult to transplant it, then the plant can simply be transferred into a new container or change the top layer of the substrate without disturbing the oleander. But the pot must have good drainage.
In the soil for transplanting, it is important that the substrate has an acidity of pH 6, has good air and water permeability. The soil mixture is compiled on the basis of the following components:
- sod land, peat soil, humus (all parts are equal), you can add river sand and a little lime (approximately 10 grams is taken for a bucket of soil);
- leafy soil, sod, humus soil, coarse sand, peat soil (in proportions 1: 2: 1: 1: 1).
Home breeding tips for oleander
In order to get a new plant, you can use the methods of cuttings, air layers or by planting seeds.
For propagation by cuttings, spring or autumn days are chosen. A cutting 10-15 cm long is cut from the top of the shoot. The cut is treated with crushed charcoal or activated carbon and dried a little. Rooting of cuttings occurs in a substrate based on a mixture of sand and charcoal, fine expanded clay or perlite. Clean sand or pieces of coal are placed around the root collar for disinfection. Heat indicators are maintained within 18-20 degrees and sufficient lighting is required. The soil should not be too wet to prevent rotting of the cuttings. You can put the cut twigs in water, where you put pieces of charcoal beforehand. Roots appear within 3-4 weeks and after that the cuttings are planted in separate pots with soil from sod, leafy earth, humus, peat (all parts are equal) and a little sand.
To root the air pass, you need moistened sand or a glass tube filled with water. The lower end of the tube must be plugged with a 2-piece stopper in which the oleander branch is clamped. The shoot is lubricated with wax so that water cannot flow out of the tube. Two circular cuts are made on the branch, and a ring is removed from the bark with a width of 2-3 mm. As soon as the roots are formed, the cuttings should be carefully separated from the mother plant and planted in a pot with a substrate for further growth.
As soon as the seeds have been harvested, they must be planted immediately, as their germination decreases over time. The emergence of seedlings from seeds is uneven. Seed material before planting is soaked for 30-40 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or biological fungicide. Then, you should soak in a solution of zircon for better germination. Planting takes place in a substrate based on sand, crumbled charcoal and vermiculite. The seeds are placed in moist soil without deepening. The temperature for seedlings of crops should be 32-35 degrees. Young plants will appear after 7-10 days. If the heat indicators are lower, then the entrances will have to wait longer and there is a possibility of their decay. After the emergence of sprouts, phytolamp illumination is recommended. As soon as the second pair of leaves develops, then transplantation can be carried out in separate pots with soil for further growth. It is important to remember that parental traits may disappear with this method.
Problems when growing oleander indoors
A sign of waterlogged soil in a pot is yellowing of the leaves due to a lack of air in the root system. Leaf plates fall off - overdried substrate in a pot.
It can be affected by the scale insect, mealybug, spider mite, aphids - insecticides are used to fight. Susceptible to various rot or oleander crayfish.
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