General distinguishing features of a flower, recommendations for growing neomariki, advice on breeding, methods of pest and disease control, facts, types. Neomarica is a member of the Iradeceae family. The native territories in which this representative of the flora can be found in the wild extend to the subtropical regions of western Africa, as well as to the lands of Central and South America: Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
The plant got its scientific name due to the fusion of two ancient Greek words "neos", which means "new" and "Marica" - this is how the Laurentian nymph was called in ancient mythology, who was the mother of King Latina, born of Faun. You can also often hear how the plant is called "walking" or "walking" iris ("walking iris") due to the fact that after the flowering process at the end of the flowering stem is the formation of a "baby" (new leaf rosette), which rapidly increases in sizes. Ultimately, the peduncle, unable to withstand the weight, bends down to the surface of the soil, and there, touching the substrate, the baby begins to root and grows completely independently, sometimes at some distance from the mother specimen.
Neomarika is a herbaceous perennial with a leaf rosette consisting of elongated lanceolate or xiphoid leaf plates. The leaves are arranged in the form of a fan. The length of the leaves directly depends on the variety: some are measured 30 cm, and there are those whose parameters reach 160 cm, while the width can vary within 1-4 (or 5-6 cm) cm. General indicators for height and width neomariki are approximately 40–90cm.
The color of the leaves is bright green, some of the longest leaf plates have a tendency to bend their tops to the ground. On the surface, there are longitudinally located relief veins. The root system of the plant is quite branched and it is located on the surface, relative to the soil surface.
During flowering, a flower arrow is formed, originating from the thickness of the upper leaf. The peduncle has a flat outline and resembles one of the leaves, but there is more thickening along the longitudinal axis. At the apex of the arrow, there are fairly large flowers (their number reaches 3-5 units); in opening, their diameter approaches 5-10 cm. In their appearance, they very much resemble an iris flower. There are three pairs of petals in the corolla, arranged in a regular order. Their color is always quite bright, there are milky, blue, purple or golden shades. The flowers also have a strong sweetish aroma with some astringency. Each bud blooms throughout the day, and then a young "baby" is formed in this place. The flowering process falls on the period May-June.
Neomariki grows all year round, but the growth rate is rather slow. Growing does not require too difficult conditions and knowledge in floriculture, if you adhere to the cultivation rules described below.
Recommendations for indoor growing neomariki
- Lighting and location selection. "Walking iris" should be kept in bright, but diffused lighting, which can be provided on the windowsills of windows with an east or west orientation. In winter, backlighting should be carried out using phytolamps, especially if the heat indicators are reduced. On the southern window, the plant may develop leaf burns from direct sunlight.
- Content temperature. For "walking iris" maintain room heat indicators when the temperature fluctuates between 20-25 degrees. But if autumn comes, then it is recommended to smoothly lower these values to 5-10 units. If this is not done, then there will be no flowering in the summer.
- Air humidity when growing neomariki should be medium - 50-60%. This will be the key to normal development and subsequent flowering. In the summertime, you can spray the leaf plates with soft and warm water, trying to prevent moisture drops from falling on the flower petals. In winter, if the "walking iris" is kept at elevated heat values, it is also recommended to irrigate the leaves from a spray bottle, especially if heating devices are in operation. You can periodically arrange "showers" to wash the dust off the leaves. However, according to experienced growers, the plant is not demanding on moisture indicators and can adapt to the dry air of residential premises. But if you carry out regular spraying, then "walking iris" will respond with lush leaves of saturated color.
- Watering. When the time of spring-summer comes and the temperature increases, then the neomarica is watered abundantly, especially when flowers appear (approximately every 2-3 days). When mid-autumn comes and the plant goes into dormancy, the moisture is reduced to 1 time for 7 days, and even less often in winter, but it is not brought to complete drying. Only soft and warm water is used.
- Fertilizers for neomariki are introduced during the period of increased growth (from April to October) only once or twice a month, since in nature the plant grows on poor substrates. Orchid feed is used, preferably in liquid form.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. Neomarika will require a transplant every 2-3 years in the spring, when she is an adult, but the "young" are changed the pot and the soil in it every year. At the same time, in a new pot, not only the root system and up to 5 cm of the stem are buried in the soil. But more immersion in the ground is undesirable. A new container for transplanting is selected not too deep, since the root system does not differ in power, but is located superficially. Better to use pots made from clay. When transplanting, there is no need to divide the specimen if it has not grown too much. It is beautiful when there are several plants in one container. At the bottom, there should be a layer of drainage material - medium-sized expanded clay or pebbles. When replanting, it is recommended to use light soil with good air permeability and drainage, the acidity values of which are in the pH range 6–7. If the soil is prepared independently, then garden soil, coarse-grain sand (perlite), peat are combined for it in a ratio of 3: 1: 1.
- Dormant period in neomariki, it begins in mid-autumn and lasts until the end of February. At the same time, it is recommended to reduce the heat indicators to 5-10 degrees, but at the same time to increase the lighting level.
- General care. Since the leaves of the "walking iris" are rather long and sometimes their tops are bent down, the plant can be grown as an ampelous crop in hanging pots. But since “babies” are formed on the peduncles after flowering and the stem bends under their weight, such daughter formations, touching the soil in neighboring pots, begin to actively root there. Therefore, it is not recommended to put pots next to other representatives of the flora, maintaining a distance of up to half a meter.
Reproduction of neomariki at home
To obtain a new plant of "walking iris", sowing of seed material or planting of offshoots is carried out.
When a new baby is formed at the top of a flowering stem after the flower withers, then it can be rooted in a new pot filled with substrate. The pot for such a "kid" is first filled with a layer of drainage, and then a soil mixture suitable for growing neomariki is poured there. Since the peduncle is lengthened in such a way that it bends, then the "baby" is attached with a wire or an ordinary hairpin for hair to the substrate in a new container and lightly sprinkle its base with earth. After the "baby" takes root (after 2–3 weeks) and the formation of new leaves begins, they carefully separate it from the mother specimen and remove the peduncle. Caring for such a plant is the same as for an adult plant.
Usually neomarica obtained in this way begins to delight with flowering already in the second year from the time of planting, when its height approaches 60 cm.
You can also divide an overgrown "walking iris" bush during transplantation, if it has already formed several leaf rosettes. At the same time, when the parent specimen is removed from the pot, then with the help of a sharpened knife, an incision of the neomariki root system is made. Only the divisions should not be small (each should contain at least 3 growth points), otherwise it will be more difficult for them to take root and the loss of some specimens is possible. After that, it is recommended to powder all sections with a powder of crushed activated charcoal or charcoal - this is done for disinfection. Then each of the parts is planted in containers prepared in advance with a laid drainage layer and soil mixture.
The seed method is rather complicated and considered ineffective, since the seed loses its germination properties after a few months. Seeds are sown in shallow bowls filled with light fertile soil or peat-sandy substrate. The dish is wrapped in plastic wrap or placed under a glass vessel. But at the same time, it will be necessary to carry out daily airing and if the soil dries out, then it is recommended to moisten it from a spray bottle. After the expiration of the period of 14–21 days, it will be possible to see seedlings, but only 50% of the planted neomariki seeds will germinate. After the seedlings have 2-3 leaves, they are dived in separate pots.
Control of pests and diseases arising from the care of neomarika
You can delight amateur flower growers, since this plant practically does not get sick and is rarely affected by harmful insects. Only with increased dryness and heat, a spider mite or aphid can settle on its leaves. In this case, a light cobweb forms on the back side of the leaf plates or black or green small bugs are visible. In this case, it is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations, for example, Aktellik, Aktara or Fitoverm.
However, with waterlogging of the soil and low temperatures, rotting of the bulbs is possible and root rot begins. It is recommended to remove the neomarica from the pot, remove the affected root areas and treat with a fungicide. Then planting is carried out in a new sterilized pot and disinfected substrate. If the plant is in direct sunlight, then sunburn is possible on the leaf plates, which manifests itself as yellowing and drying out. When the humidity is low, the tips of the foliage can turn brown and dry.
Curious facts about neomarik
You can hear how among flower growers neomarica is called not only a walking or walking iris, but also an "apostle plant", since there is a belief that this plant will not bloom until it acquires, at least at least twelve leaves (12 is the number of Jesus' disciples-apostles). But there is a more unflattering name for it "devil's paw", apparently - this is due to the shape of the flower.
Important to remember! All parts of neomariki are very poisonous, therefore, after working with it, you must thoroughly wash your hands and do not install the pot with "walking iris" in children's rooms and in the accessibility of pets.
Types of walking iris
Among all the varieties, the neomarica slender and northern florists were most fond of, but there are many others.
- Neomarica slender (Neomarica gracilis) is a herbaceous perennial, which is rather large in size. The leaf plates are collected in a fan-shaped rosette, the shape of the leaf plates is xiphoid, the surface is leathery. The foliage color is green, in length they are measured in the range of 40-60 cm with a total width of up to 4-5 cm. During flowering, each flowering arrow has about 10 buds, which, when opened, are equal to 6-10 cm. The life of each flower is measured in one day - it opens in the morning, at noon it will reach its maximum diameter, and by evening it will fade, giving birth to a new "baby". The color of the lower petals is snow-white, in the upper lobes of the perianth they have a blue-white feathery pattern. At the base, all the petals of the flower have dark maroon-yellow longitudinal stripes. The native habitat is in Mexico and Costa Rica, including the southern regions of Brazil.
- Neomarica northiana takes a herbaceous form of growth. The surface of the leaf plates is leathery, flatish in shape. The length can vary in the range of 60–90 cm with a total width of about 5 cm. During flowering, very fragrant buds are formed, which open up, measure 10 cm in diameter, the color of the upper perianth lobes is blue-violet or lavender, and a blue tint is often found. The main three lower perianth lobes are snow-white, at the base of both have transverse stripes of brownish-yellow color. There is a variety of Neomarica variegata, which has decoratively contrasting whitish stripes placed vertically on the leaf plates. The flowering of this variety stretches over a longer period and also differs in duration. The formation of new buds occurs immediately after the opened flowers wither.
- Neomarica caurelia (Neomarica caerulea) the color of the flowers is in rich indigo blue iridescent shades. The diameter of the flower can reach a little more than 10 cm. At the base, they have an amber-white-brown feathery pattern. Flowering can continue throughout the summer. Flowers are crowned with tall and strong peduncles, which grow up to 12–13 cm. The leaf plates are tall and rigid, evergreen, making up beautiful rosettes that make up a magnificent background for flowers. Although without them, the plant has a wonderful look. The variety is quite drought tolerant and can withstand heat readings above 20 degrees, is native to Brazil.
- Neomarica straight (Neomarica candida) comes from the forested areas of Blumenau, Santa Carolina, southern Brazil. Very similar to the slender neomariki variety, but its color is paler.
- Neomarica guttata Capellari was first described as a new plant, reaching a height of 30-50 cm. Its growing areas are located in the city of Itanchem, Brazil. It prefers to grow in the shade, receiving only a few hours of sun per day. Flowers of this variety differ in that, but there are rows of lilac specks on the white sepals.
- Neomarica long-leaved (Neomarica longifalia) leaf rosette can reach meters in diameter. It is found in the southeastern part of Brazil, grows there, in the light part of the Atlantic Forest. The leaves are bluish-green in color, flat, the surface is leathery, wide, can grow up to 30 cm in length. Stems are straight, tough, sinewy. When flowering, the diameter of the bud is about 5 cm. The color of the petals is lemon-yellow. The outer segments have transverse purple-brown stripes at the base, while the inner ones have brownish or beige tops.
How neomarica blooms, see below:
