Characteristics of a bomarea plant, recommendations for planting and caring for a garden plot and indoors, how to propagate, possible difficulties (diseases and pests), noteworthy flower growers, types. Bomarea (Bomarea) is a member of the Alstroemeriaceae family, in the genus of which scientists have ranked up to 120 species. Basically, the natural distribution area falls on the territories that originate from the Mexican borders and stretch to the central and southern regions of America. Prefers to grow in woodlands, bushes or slopes.
| Family name | Alstroemeria |
| Life cycle | Perennial |
| Growth features | Herbaceous or semi-shrub vine |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (division of the rhizome) |
| Landing period in open ground | April |
| Substrate | Nutritious, air and moisture permeable, neutral, sandy loam soil or loam |
| Illumination | Open area with bright lighting or light partial shade |
| Moisture indicators | High or moderate |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | 2-3.5 m |
| Color of flowers | Red, yellow, pink |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Complex umbellate or racemose, occasionally flowers grow singly |
| Flowering time | May-September |
| Decorative time | Spring-autumn |
| Place of application | Vertical gardening, next to gazebos or berso |
| USDA zone | 5–9 |
This beautiful flowering plant is named after the famous French botanist and naturalist Jacques-Christophe Valmont de Beaumard (1731–1807).
All varieties of bomarea are perennials, owners of a root system of a tuberous or rhizome type. Basically, their growth form is herbaceous, or occasionally they take the form of a semi-shrub liana, with climbing or climbing shoots. If there is any support nearby, then the stems begin to twine around it and can rise to a height of 3-5 m. Leaf plates, often on the shoots, are placed both in a regular and a spiral order. The outlines of the foliage are simple, the shape of the leaf plates is lanceolate or narrow-lanceolate, occasionally pubescence is present on the surface. The leaves are painted in a rich dark green hue. The leaves have the property of resupination, when the leaf blade rotates around the horizontal axis, with the back side up. The length of the leaf is approaching 15 cm.
Blooming is the greatest decoration of the bomarea. At the same time, flowers open with a tubular or bell-shaped corolla, which has rich colors, which include: red, pink, yellow shades. It happens that the corolla petals may differ in contrasting color, in relation to the rest of the. On the surface, there are usually small specks of black color, which make the flowers even brighter. Bracts of leaf-like outlines are also formed, the flowers themselves are weakly zygomorphic, that is, when a single axis of symmetry can be visually drawn through the plane of the corolla, dividing it into two equal parts. From such flowers on the tops of the branches, drooping inflorescences are collected, with the shape of a complex umbrella or brush, or the buds can grow singly. In such inflorescences, the number of flowers usually reaches 40, and sometimes even a hundred. Corolla length can vary in the range of 3-5 cm. The perianth of the Bomarea consists of three pairs of freely spaced segments, which are formed in two circles. Moreover, the segments growing along the outer circle usually differ in length and color from the inner parts.
The flowering period takes time from the end of spring and stretches over the whole summer. It happens that if the weather conditions are favorable, the buds begin to open already in the middle of spring, decorating the garden until autumn.
After pollination, the formation of fruits occurs, which are presented in the form of seed pods, equipped with a thickened pericarp. When they are fully ripe, the pods begin to crack from base to top, opening access to the seeds. The seeds of this liana are of amber-orange color, their shape is spherical, they are attached to the placenta inside the capsule. When the open parts of the capsule begin to shrink, the seeds fall off. There are dwarf species of bomare, which have single flowers and after ripening of the fruit-boxes, cracking occurs at the very top.
It is customary to grow the plant bomarea as garden plantings, occasionally using it as an annual or indoor culture. It is because of the beauty of flowering that they love to grow this liana, even in a temperate climate, which is not entirely suitable for it. Usually, because of the creeping branches, Bomarea is used for vertical gardening or as a tapeworm. Some, with the help of climbing branches, create landscaping of berso - covered galleries from horizontal beams, which are placed along the paths of the garden.
Bomarea: tips for planting and caring for the backyard and indoors
- Location. This vine prefers sunny places or a little partial shade, so a western or southern location is suitable. Also, in the garden, it is better to find a place protected from gusts of cold winds and drafts. It is important to remember that the plant needs several hours of direct sunlight per day.
- Bomarea planting in open ground. With the arrival of April, you can begin to plant preserved tubers, which have begun to grow new stems or young plants in a prepared place in the garden. If the climate at this time is still cool, then it is recommended to shift the landing to May. A hole for planting is prepared in such a size that a layer of drainage material (sand or crushed stone and support) fits on its bottom. A little soil is poured over it and then a tuber or rhizome with an earthen clod is placed (if seedlings are planted). The root collar should be flush with the substrate.
- Priming. Nutritious soil with good air and moisture permeability properties is best for this flowering liana, acidity should be neutral (pH 6, 5-7), sandy loam soil or loam can be used. They also make up a soil mixture of leaf humus, river sand and humus.
- Watering and humidity. When growing bomarea, it is important to keep the soil constantly moist, but the bay is prohibited. Only for young plants abundant watering is necessary, adult bushes are watered moderately - this will be the key to subsequent active growth and lush flowering. If the weather is dry for a long time, then moistening is carried out often, focusing on the state of the upper part of the soil - it has dried out a little, water it. Usually it should be done once a week, when young branches are blooming and growing, but then it is halved. At the same time, the air humidity should be at least 50%, therefore, when growing in rooms, the plant must be periodically sprayed, especially in the summer months.
- Fertilizers. When caring for a bomarea vine, when phases of vegetative activity are observed in it, fertilizing is used for flowering plants or geraniums (for example, Kemira-Universal or Kemira-plus). The frequency of fertilization is 1-2 times a month. Organic matter (fermented chicken or cow dung) is used with caution.
- Pruning. In order for the bomarea to turn into a lush vine in the future, it is recommended to periodically cut it off. When the plant stops blooming, its shoots are shortened by about 1/3 of the total length - this will stimulate branching.
- Wintering. If the liana grows in room conditions, with the arrival of autumn, it has a pronounced period of rest. At this time, you need to reduce the number of fertilizing and watering. When bomarea is grown in the garden, its aerial part dies off, and the tubers are dug up and transplanted into a container filled with sawdust and sand. Then he is placed in a dark and cool room until spring.
How to propagate bomareya?
To get a new flowering vine, it is recommended to sow seeds or divide the rhizome.
The division of the bomarea bush should be carried out in March. Keep in mind, however, that this can weaken the mother plant. It is necessary to remove it from the soil, carefully remove the remnants of the soil and divide the rhizome so that each of the divisions has three growth points. It is recommended to immediately plant the plots in a prepared place using a nutritious and well-drained substrate. All the time, while the parts are rooting, you need to abundantly moisten the soil and carry out top dressing. It is important to immediately provide the plant with support.
With seed reproduction, the material is sown at the end of winter or at the beginning of March, in a container for receiving seedlings. The soil is used loose and nutritious. After sowing, the pot is covered with plastic wrap or a piece of glass is placed on top - this will be the key to high humidity. The place where crops are placed should be light (but without direct sunlight) and warm. The germination temperature is maintained in the range of 20-24 degrees for 2-3 weeks. Then you need to reduce the heat indicators to 5 degrees, and after 14–20 days, raise them again to 20–24 units. It is this temperature fluctuation that will ensure seed germination. When caring for crops, regular ventilation and moistening of the soil is needed if it begins to dry out from above.
It will take 3 months, and the first shoots will appear, then the shelter is removed. When young bomarea plants grow up, and two real leaves unfold on them, they are transplanted in separate pots. With the arrival of heat, a transplant is carried out, but only if the threat of recurrent frosts has passed. When the cultivation will take place in rooms, then the transplant is carried out in pots, with support and drainage at the bottom.
Bomarea: Potential Difficulties (Diseases and Pests) in Growing
Most of all, this beautifully flowering vine suffers from whiteflies and aphids. If signs of damage are revealed, for example, whitish small midges, the reverse side of the leaves is covered with white dots, or small green bugs have appeared, then spraying with the use of broad-spectrum insecticides, for example, Aktara or Aktellik, is recommended. Sometimes you can see a spider mite, due to the formation of a thin cobweb and a sticky sugar coating on the stems or foliage. You will also need systemic insecticides (for example, Photoverm or Bezudin). With such means, it is possible to spray the vines in order to prevent pest damage with the arrival of May and re-treatment after 10 days.
Fungal disease can also be a problem. Here it is important to conduct regular inspections of the bomarea, and if affected parts (leaves) appear, they are removed and the plant is sprayed with fungicides (such as Alirin-B, Bordeaux liquid or Agat-25K).
With frequent flooding of the soil, the leaves of the bomarea begin to droop, lose their turgor. Then it is recommended to examine the root system for decay. If there is no such problem, then the frequency of humidification decreases, and when indoor growing, after watering, they try to remove water from the stand under the pot. If there is decay, then a transplant is needed with the preliminary removal of the affected part of the roots and their treatment with a fungicide. Watering mode adjustment is also required.
If the ends of the leaf plates are dry, the size of the flowers has shrunk, then this is an indicator of insufficient watering and low humidity in the air. Additional moistening and spraying of deciduous mass is recommended.
Flower growers on a note about bomare
Due to the bright color of the fruits, it is believed that the fruits of bomarea attract birds, which, by eating them, indirectly contribute to reproduction, spreading very long distances from the mother plant.
Types of bomarea
Bomarea multiflora (Bomarea multiflora). The most common species in culture. It is a perennial with a herbaceous liana-like shape. The stems of the plant are climbing, rigid, growing vertically, as a rule, their surface is bare. The stems vary in length within 2–3 m. The leaf plates grow in successive order, their shape is lanceolate or narrow-lanceolate. The length of the leaf can be 15 cm, with a width of up to 1.8 cm. The leaves on one side are covered with pubescence of a yellowish-whitish color, the other side has pubescence only near the base or is completely devoid of it. It is these hairs that give the foliage a distinct brownish tone, which also serves as a decorative ornament.
With the arrival of May or early summer, flowers begin to bloom. Their corolla is tubular, 4 to 5 cm long. Inflorescences are spherical in shape. There are some forms of this species, in which the inflorescences are more dense, while others look very loose. The outer part of the corolla is painted in a bright yellow, orange or brick-red color scheme, inside it is dominated by an orange or yellow tint, while this part is decorated with red specks. This type can withstand the lowering of the thermometer column to the zero mark.
Bomarea edible (Bomarea edulis). The variety got its name due to the fact that the local population of the Andes uses the tubers of this perennial for food, and even today these peoples still use this product for cooking. The shoots are mostly curly, they need support, since in just a season their length reaches more than three meters. If the plant is cultivated in the garden, and in indoor conditions they stretch out two meters. The foliage grows alternately, the color of the leaves is light greenish, pubescence may be present on the reverse side of the petiole. The length of the leaf reaches 13 cm.
The flowering process also takes time from May to September. Loose complex umbellate inflorescences are collected from the flowers, crowning the tops of the shoots. The buds bloom in them gradually. The color of the flowers of this species is distinguished by its beauty and decorative effect. The outer side of the bell-shaped corolla has a pink, salmon or red color scheme, inside the flower has a yellowish-green with a red or crimson hue, which is decorated with dark dots.
Due to mountainous natural growth, the species is frost-resistant, withstands a decrease in heat to -5 degrees of frost, which allows it to be cultivated in a temperate climate. The plant should overwinter indoors.
Bomarea caldas (Bomarea caldasii). This liana is a perennial, but in our latitudes in the open field it is used as an annual plant, which for the winter loses all of its aboveground part. Its native habitat is in Central and South America. In some places, the plant is even considered a weed, since it can aggressively displace cultivated plantations. Climbing stems, easily climbing on any supports to a height of 2–5 meters. Shoots wrap themselves around the trunks and branches of trees, but when grown in culture, you will need to provide support. The surface of the branches is bare, painted in a grayish or brown color scheme. The foliage is deep green in color, sometimes it can differ in a grayish tone.
Usually this species begins to bloom from the end of May to August. The flowers are rather large, reaching 6 cm in length. Of these, drooping hemispherical umbellate inflorescences are collected. Each flower has a separate reddish stalk. The corolla is painted on the outside in rich tones of red, orange or yellow, inside it is yellow, with a pattern of large reddish dots.
Video about bomare:
