General description of the plant, conditions for growing indoors, advice on reproduction and transplantation, recommendations for watering and feeding, types of flower. Scilla. Today it belongs to the Asparagaceae family, but earlier it was referred to either the Liliaceae family or the Hyacinths (Hyacinthaceae). Also, this flower is found under the name Scilla - this is due to the fact that the forest was confused with a plant that has the nickname "sea onion" (Urginea maritime), which was mistakenly attributed to the same genus. The Asparagus family includes about 80 species of all representatives of the flora. On the territory of the former countries of the post-Soviet space, you can find up to 17 species of woodland. The plant reaches 15–20 cm in height.
The native habitat is located in the territories of Europe, Asia and South Africa, where a temperate and subtropical climate prevails. The plant prefers to be located in plains and mountain meadow areas. This flower is very much loved by flower growers, as it has increased properties for reproduction, high adaptability to the proposed growing conditions. Proleska tolerates frost well, is practically not susceptible to diseases, and pleases with beautiful flowers against the background of early spring. Many types of scilla can dissipate on their own.
The scrub has a herbaceous shape and a bulbous root. It is for this shape of the root, general appearance and chemical components that are inherent in the scrub, it was ranked as a member of the Hyacinth family. But soon the family itself, and many more plants with a single embryo cotyledon (monocotyledonous plant) were assigned to the Asparagus family. However, not everyone accepted this classification, therefore, in different sources, you can find different opinions about the attitude of the blueberry family, and all of them are not erroneous. Also, the scrub can be confused with the liverwort, since the structure and number of petals in the buds, their color is almost identical.
To know exactly what the differences are, you need to pay attention to the leaf plates of the plant. The leaves of the woodland are green in color and have an elongated-lanceolate shape, the liverwort is distinguished by three lobes of a leaf plate, which, by the way, may resemble clover leaves. Peppermint belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, and it is a dicotyledonous plant (the embryo has two lobes), and is not a related plant for the woodland. There is also a flower called "forested", but it does not look like a forest tree at all.
Scylla differs with a fairly short period of growth, falling on a certain time of the year (in this case, spring or autumn) and therefore is considered an ephemeroid plant. After it has stopped blooming, its ground part dies off, but the bulbous root continues its life cycle, since during its growth it has accumulated a supply of nutrients in order to continue its growth with the arrival of a suitable growing season. Do not confuse the overflow with annual plants, which, after they have faded, die and need to be grown again.
The leaf plates of the creeper are rather long and have a lanceolate shape; parallel veins run along the entire plate. Scylla flowers are distinguished by the correct plane of symmetry (actinomorphic or radially symmetric). Such flowers are divided into symmetrical parts by more than one longitudinal plane that passes through the main axis. The bud usually has 6 petals, colored in pale blue, bright blue, pinkish or purple hues. Inside the flower there are the same number of stamens, a pistil and an apical ovary. Flowers can grow both singly and gather in inflorescences with a spike or racemose shape. The length of the arrow on which the flowers are located is 7–30 cm, depending on the type of scilla.
The flowering process ends with the ripening of the capsule fruit, which contains multiple small seeds. In this, the blueberry differs from the plants of the Asparagus family, which bear fruit with berries. Scylla is loved by designers to create landscape design, as the plant pleases with its flowers when there is still no foliage on the trees. It is also actively used in traditional medicine. Decoctions can be made from its flowers, which help with colds and flu.
Creation of conditions for the cultivation of woodland
- Lighting. The plant can grow well in shade and partial shade, but if you plant it in a flower bed that is illuminated by the sun, then this will not damage the scilla. Since during the flowering time the sun's rays are so soft and not burning that they cannot harm it. If the plant grows in a pot, then you can also put windows in any direction on the windowsill, but this applies only if the plant fades in spring. If the species of woodland suggests growth until autumn, then it is necessary to hide the flower from the scorching sunlight in the summer season, as they can cause burns on the leaf plates of the plant.
- Air humidity. If a plant grows in a flower bed in a garden, then it is natural that it feels great in the place that was allocated for it. However, if the flower grows at home, then it responds favorably to wiping the leaf plates with a soft cloth or sponge - this is necessary to remove dust. In general, the screech is not capricious and perfectly tolerates the dry air of living quarters. Also, a pot with a scylla must be taken out into the street (balcony, terrace or garden) in the spring and summer, since the plant loves the flow of fresh air very much. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to ventilate the room where the flower is more often. Spraying the flower is useful in order to avoid the attack of a spider mite, which can harm the plant, if the air in the room is too dry.
- The temperature of the woodland content in home cultivation. If the plant is grown as a pot crop, it is best that from the beginning of the growing season (March) to its end (November) the flower is kept at room temperature (in the range of 22-25 degrees Celsius). As soon as the end of autumn comes, the thermometer for the woodland begins to decrease, thereby providing a cool winter. It is necessary that the temperature varied within 10-12 degrees, if these conditions are not met, then the plant begins to stretch strongly, as it continues to grow. Being in a state of hibernation, the plant, as it were, falls asleep and does not waste the nutrients accumulated in the rhizome, preserving them until the beginning of a new period of growth.
- Watering the flower. With the arrival of spring, the spill is watered regularly, but make sure that the land is not waterlogged. Since when the soil is swamped, the root-bulb begins to rot at the Scylla. With the arrival of wintering time, watering the plant is stopped, especially when low temperatures are provided during this period. If this condition is not met, then the bluehead may shed its leaves - this should not be allowed. It is best to use soft water for watering, which is obtained by settling tap water for several days. Since this leaves chloride and other harmful compounds. You can also run tap water through a filter or boil it. The best quality will be water collected after rain or melted snow. The water temperature for humidification should be 20-23 degrees - room temperature.
- Fertilizers of the woodland. Some growers think that a plant growing in meadows and plains does not require much care and feeding, they are greatly mistaken. If you do not fertilize the scilla, then it becomes weak, the flowering is very short, and the flowers themselves are small. Also, such a plant will be more likely to be affected by various diseases and pests. In order to feed the scilla, fertilizers for succulent plants are chosen. It is necessary that they contain a sufficient amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus compounds. Feeding is done every two weeks from spring to early autumn. But the first procedure must be carried out before the leaves appear. As soon as the time of low temperatures comes, the plant is fertilized less, and with the arrival of the winter months, they do not feed at all.
- Soil selection and transplantation of scilla … If the spill grows in a pot, then a container change is necessary when the bulbs have grown so much that they do not fit into the old one. During the transplanting process, the bulbs are carefully removed from the old pot and placed in a new one, deepening them by 1/3 of the volume of the bulb. A small layer of fine expanded clay or pebbles is necessarily placed on the bottom of the new pot. Also, holes in the pot are needed for the outflow of unabsorbed water.
A plant transplant in the garden can be carried out once every 3-4 years and wait for the time when the leaf plates of the scilla begin to turn yellow. After that, the bulb is removed from the ground, cleaned of old roots and dead leaves and left to dry for 7 days. Then the bulbs are placed in a paper bag and kept in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment. If you plant the bulb in the soil at the beginning of autumn, then by the spring of next year the scrub will bloom. The distance between the bulbs is kept 10-15 cm, as it can scatter on its own.
Loose soil is suitable for the forest floor, allowing air and water to pass through well. A soil with low or medium acidity is suitable, but a high content of humus soil. You can use a commercially available substrate for succulents, but the soil mixture can be composed of the following components: leafy earth, humus earth, in proportions of 2: 1. But many species thrive in clay soils with a small addition of deciduous humus.
Breeding tips for woodland
The plant can propagate with the help of seeds or bulbs.
After the seeds have been collected or purchased, they can be immediately placed in the soil (if conditions permit, better in summer) or in a prepared container with a substrate. The soil should be air permeable and saturated with nutrients. After the sowing has been carried out, the new plant will begin to bloom only after 2-3 years.
In order to propagate the plant with baby bulbs, it is necessary to separate them from the mother's scrub. This can be done at any time of the year if the plant is growing in a pot. Scylla is so adaptable and ready for reproduction that, even having lost its roots, it will definitely take root. If the separated bulbs stop growing (somewhere for a period of 1–2 months), then this serves as a signal that the scrub has begun rooting. You can try to speed up the rooting process by placing the pot with new plants in a well-lit and warm place, at 20-25 degrees. But young scyllas must be hidden from the bright rays of the sun. It is recommended to water the seedlings sparingly, but as soon as the leaves begin to appear, the moisture is increased. The main thing is to prevent waterlogging of the soil.
Possible diseases and pests of Scylla
Most often, woodworm bulbs can damage small rodents or nematodes, leaves and flowers are attacked by aphids, spider mites and scale insects. But the roots of the woodworm growing in the garden can also eat the larvae of the beetle or bear, the plant can only be protected by digging up the soil, collecting and destroying, adults and offspring. Onion hoverfly can also be a dangerous pest - the larvae of this insect bite into the onion and eat it from the inside, which leads to the death of the woodland. To fight this pest, insecticides are used. They are used to cultivate not only the roots and the ground, but also the leaf plates, which will help fight other pests.
If you water the ground, then the spill can be affected by a variety of root rot, which will provoke a fungus. In order to save the plant, despite the fact that the decay process has just begun to develop, the bulbs are treated with solutions of potassium permanganate or modern fungicides (you can just hold the bulb for a short time in these solutions). The solution of potassium permanganate should be weak so as not to burn the allied root. If the process has affected most of the onion, then it will not be possible to save the Scylla. Also, for prophylaxis, it is recommended to water the bush with a fungicide.
You can also highlight the following symptoms of problems:
- the color of the leaf plates has faded, they began to stretch strongly and the distance between the nodes is ugly lengthened - this indicates a lack of lighting;
- leaf discharge is characterized by overdried soil;
- decay of bulbs, roots, softening of leaves - these are indicative of plant overflow.
Forcing the woodland
In order to distill a plant - to carry out a set of actions, to accelerate the growth of the Siberian woodland and two-leaved woodland, it is necessary to choose varieties. This flower can give bloom both for the New Year holidays and by March 8. In order to stimulate root formation, healthy bulbs are selected and planted in pots filled with sand and leafy soil in a ratio of 2: 1, and the bulbs can also be placed in perlite. A little humus is added to the soil mixture for nutritional value. It is important to know when to plant a plant, if it is necessary for it to bloom by December, then planting is done at the end of September. But still, it is usually customary to plant the Scylla by the end of autumn. The substrate is moistened before planting. After planting the bulbs, the pots with plants are placed in a dark and cool room with a temperature of 0-5 degrees (a basement or a barn will do). It should take 8 to 10 weeks. After this time, the pots with seedlings are brought out into the light, the woods are moistened and fertilized. Further growth of the scilla should take place at 15 degrees Celsius. If this condition is not met and the heat indicators are higher, then the plant may not bloom, and if it does bloom, then this period will be very short.
Before the forcing process begins, the pots are sometimes placed outside, but so that the bulbs do not freeze, they are deepened into humus or the container itself is covered with sawdust flush with the soil. Fallen leaves or straw are thrown over the top. The time of such a stay should be up to two months and it is important that there are low temperatures outside. As soon as this period has passed, the pots with the cunning ones are taken out and transferred to the premises for further distillation.
Species of woodland
There are a lot of types of this flower, you can dwell on the most popular ones:
- Siberian beetle (Scilla sibirica), has been cultivated since the 18th century and based on this species, plants with flowers of white, pink and deep purple hues have been bred. The buds grow either singly or 3 per inflorescence, open up to 2 cm in diameter and are located on arrows 10-15 cm. Flowering begins in mid-spring.
- Scilla bifolia, the plant is rather low, differs from the previous species in that up to 15–25 flowers grow on the arrow, which are painted in a pale blue color and have a delicate aroma. The flower lasts up to 10 days. There are many subspecies that differ in shades of buds: white, pink, light and dark blue.
- Scilla hyacinthoides, differs in very dense inflorescences, which consist of a large number of flowers. Height can reach up to 80 cm. Flowers bloom from bottom to top.
What does Siberian beetle look like, see this video: