Distinctive features, agricultural technology for growing in open ground and rooms, rules for breeding lantana, diseases and pests, facts to note, species. Lantana (Lantana) belongs to the genus of dicotyledonous plants (there are two cotyledons in their embryo), which have beautiful flowers. Scientists included such representatives of the flora in the tribe Lantaneae, which is a member of the Verbenaceae family. Up to 150 varieties are also listed there. Under natural conditions, all lantana species grow in South America, and only a few of them are from Africa and Asia. For example, if we talk about the variety of Lantana vaulted, then it is a weed that is most common in Central and South America, but has received naturalization in Europe, Africa and the Australian continent.
For the first time this plant was mentioned in his scientific work "Genera Plantarum" by the botanist and taxonomist of all flora known at that time, Karl Linnaeus in 1737. It was the word "lantana" that was called in the Novolatin language by the people this plant - gordovina viburnum. Apparently, the outlines of inflorescences in the form of scutes gave Linnaeus a reason to come to such a judgment. And then already in 1753 in the work "Species Plantarum" this term "Lantana" was again mentioned as the name of the genus.
Lantana is a shrub, semi-shrub, or arboreal plant. The branches often cover frequent thorns, the bark casts a greenish-gray tone. This representative of the flora has strong branching. Its height reaches 3 m. Since the growth rate is decent, lanthanum requires constant pruning and shaping when cultivation takes place indoors.
The leaf plates on average reach 4–5 cm in length. Their arrangement is opposite or in the form of a spiral, the surface is smooth or slightly pubescent, although to the touch it is rather hard and leathery. It is so dense that one gets the impression that it is made of plastic. Its shape is ovoid-oblong with a pointed tip at the top (it resembles nettle leaves in outlines), the edge is often both solid and decorated with teeth to varying degrees. If you touch the foliage, you can hear a subtle pleasant aroma that the leaves have due to the presence of glands on their surface that secrete essential oils.
Most of all, lantana is prized by plant lovers for its flowering. Small dense inflorescences, head-shaped scutes, are collected from the flowers. They originate in the axils of the upper leaves. Bracts usually remain on the plant and do not fly around, their shape is triangular or linear. The calyx has a tubular shape, the membranous one has an unclear division into sepals. The corolla is composed of 4–5 spliced petals, with a primum tube or differing in bend. Flowers of various colors may be present in one inflorescence: the corolla acquires snow-white, red, yellow, pink or lilac shades. It is curious that in the process of flowering, the color of flowers changes: at first they can take on a yellow color scheme, and over time they acquire a red tone. Such a color change takes place in just a couple of days.
Inside the corolla there are two pairs of stamens; the anthers are ovoid. The size of the pistil is short, the outlines of the stigma are capitate, the ovary is in the lower part, two-celled.
When fruiting, a fleshy berry ripens, the endocarp is woody, there are a couple of seeds inside. The color of the fruit is black. If you do not violate the conditions of cultivation, then the bush can delight with its flowering all year round.
Tips for growing lantana indoors
- Lighting and location selection. To keep the plant, you need a place with bright lighting, at least 3-5 hours of direct streams of sunlight. This is especially recommended in winter. The pot with the plant should be placed on the sills of windows of the southeast or southwest orientation; in the southern location at noon in the summer, shading will be required.
- Content temperature. In the spring-summer period, for comfortable growing of lantana, the temperature is maintained within the range of 18-22 degrees. Wintering should be cool and therefore the heat indicators gradually decrease to 5-8 degrees (no higher than 15) - this will be the key to abundant flowering.
- Air humidity when growing lantana should be high, although the plant can tolerate dry indoor air. It is recommended to carry out regular spraying of foliage and air next to the plant. You can also put a container with water near the pot or place the pot itself in a tray with expanded clay at the bottom and a little water. In this case, the bottom of the flowerpot should not touch moisture, since the root system may begin to rot.
- Watering. With the arrival of summer, it is required to moisten the soil in a pot of lantana every 3-5 days, and with the arrival of autumn, watering is reduced and in winter it is brought up to times for 10-14 days. It is important that the topsoil has time to dry out between moisture levels, since waterlogging is very harmful for the plant. If the earthen coma is completely dry, this will lead to the release of the buds and the death of the lower leaves. The water is soft and warm. You can take river or rainwater, but since in the conditions of the city it may not be too clean, then distilled is used.
- Fertilizers for lantana bring in with the arrival of April and the entire summer period. Regularity - every 14 days. It is recommended to use a full mineral complex for flowering plants (usually the dose is reduced by 2 times), you also need to use organic products. There should not be a lot of nitrogen in the top dressing, since lanthanum will increase the deciduous mass to the detriment of the formation of buds.
- General care for indoor growing. Branches in the spring must be regularly trimmed (almost 1/3), as well as pinching the tops to stimulate branching. During the winter rest period, the plant is kept in a cool place. At this time, a partial foliage release may occur. In spring and summer, lantana should be moved to the balcony in the garden or terrace, as it loves airing, but drafts should be avoided. Faded buds should be removed in time. It is customary to plant several specimens in one container at once, or form a standard tree from each individual lantana. To do this, the side branches should be removed from the plant and a support should be installed for it, you can tie it to a peg. When the process reaches the desired height, they begin to pinch it. During the entire growth period, the side shoots are removed, but at the same time the upper branches should be cut off so that the shape of the plant becomes spherical.
- Transplanting and soil selection. Changing the lantana pot is required annually in April days. If such an operation is not carried out in time, then flowering can not be expected. But it is better not to take a large pot, as the plant will grow the root system to the detriment of flowering. When the specimen is very old, then instead of transplanting it, the topsoil in the pot is changed. The new container needs holes in the bottom and a layer of drainage material. The substrate for transplanting lantana should be nutritious and loose. Florists often prepare it themselves, mixing garden soil, leafy soil and coarse sand or perlite (all parts are taken equal).
- Dormant period for lantana begins with the arrival of winter, when daylight hours are shortened. The place where it will be kept for this time should be light, with heat indicators of 10-15 degrees (at least 6-8 units). Watering decreases and becomes moderate. During this time, the foliage may partially or completely fly around, but this is a natural process.
Growing lantana in the garden
- Choosing a landing site. A warm and sunny location on the site is selected for the plant, with protection from wind and draft. Landing in open ground is carried out in the second half of May, when the threat of morning frost has passed. If you plant a plant in a dense shade, then the flowering will be weak, the color of the flowers will fade, and the shoots themselves will be very elongated. When planting lantana, it is necessary to deepen it only to the root collar. The soil at the roots is carefully squeezed out, then it should be well moistened and covered with peat or compost on top.
- Soil for growing lantana essential nutrient with good permeability to air and moisture. The composition of the substrate should be rich in humus, loamy or sandy loam.
- General care for lantana. It is necessary to moisten the soil under the bush regularly, soaking it well, especially in the summer heat, but it is important to avoid so that the soil is waterlogged (a place in the lowlands is not suitable). If this is not adhered to, then waterlogging will lead to a decrease in air access to the root system and cause lantana diseases. In order to stimulate re-flowering, it is necessary to remove the wilting flowers in time, preventing fruit from setting.
- Fertilizers for growing lantana in the garden are also necessary - this will help her develop normally. For the whole summer, only 3-4 feeding is carried out. However, it should be remembered that fertilization will be effective if the soil is sufficiently moist. Apply mullein infusion (1:10) or chicken droppings, in a ratio of 1:30. As soon as the buds are formed, 30 grams of superphosphate is added to the previous composition, diluting it in 10 liters of hot water.
Rules for self-propagation of lantana
This plant can be propagated in two ways: by cuttings or sowing seeds.
They are cut in late summer and early autumn, so that next year the young lantana will already bloom. In order to harvest the branches, only young shoots are chosen that have not yet become lignified (that is, they have not been covered with coarse bark, as in adult specimens). You can use the branches left after pruning. The length of the cutting should be between 8-10 cm. They can be placed in a vessel with water or planted in a substrate. The soil is peat-sandy (sand can be replaced with perlite). Moisten the soil before planting. Germination is carried out at a temperature of 24 degrees. It is recommended to treat the cuttings with a root stimulator before planting. Cover the pot with cuttings with plastic wrap or a glass container. It is important to carry out daily airing and moistening of the soil, in case it dries out. The complete cover is removed after 3 weeks. After the cuttings have taken root and show signs of successful rooting, they are seated in separate pots, and also pinching is carried out on the top of the branches to stimulate branching.
For seed propagation, it is recommended to place the material in the ground at the end of the winter period. The substrate should be loose and nutritious. A container with crops is kept at a heat level of 20 degrees in a place with bright but diffused lighting. After two weeks, the first shoots can be seen. The sprouts dive, then they reached a height of about 10–12 cm. At the same time, the heat indices can be lowered to 12–15 units, in order to avoid stretching the seedlings.
Diseases and pests when caring for lantana
The plant often suffers from fungal infections. With this trouble, leaf plates immediately begin to suffer - their surface is covered with spots.
Of the harmful insects that infect lantana, spider mites, aphids, mealybugs or whiteflies can be distinguished (this pest is very fond of this representative of the flora). With the formation of such signs as a thin cobweb on the leaves and in internodes, green or gray color, small bugs, a sticky substance on the leaves, white cotton-like lumps on the foliage and in internodes or on the back side, whitish specks on the leaf plates and white small midges - it is immediately necessary carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations.
You can also highlight the following troubles:
- if the level of illumination is low, then the foliage becomes shallower, and the stems are stretched;
- when the humidity is low, and watering is too rare, then the edge of the leaf plate dries out, the top curls;
- in winter, foliage falls off - this process is normal;
- if the conditions for a cool wintering are violated or when the illumination is low, then lantana will not bloom;
- when the leaves begin to fade, the branches stretch out strongly, this is a sign of a lack of nutrients;
- the discharge of flowers is observed at low levels of heat or humidity, as well as with insufficient moisture in the soil in the pot.
Facts to note about lanthanum
It must be remembered that all parts of the plant have poisonous properties, especially a lot of poisonous substance in black fleshy berries.
Lantana species
Lantana camara is also called Lantana prickly or Lantana vaulted. When this variety grows in natural conditions, its height reaches 150 cm, but when grown in flower pots, it will not exceed half a meter.
The surface of an erect stem with small spines has four edges. The foliage is dark green in color, the edge of the leaf plate is jagged, the arrangement on the branches is opposite, the shape is mainly oval with a sharpness towards the apex. On the reverse side, along the veins, there is a whitish pubescence with hairs.
When flowering, small-sized flowers are formed, the diameter of which does not exceed 5 cm. Axillary inflorescences are collected from the buds in the form of dense umbrellas. Their color palette is quite diverse, and there are also combinations of tones from pink and yellowish to carmine red with purple and lilac. It is curious that at a certain point in time, the color of the inflorescences has all the indicated colors at once. The flowering process of this variety stretches from late spring to August.
Over time, young shoots tend to lignify and grow strongly, taking bush-like forms, but if there is a desire, then you can engage in molding the plant in the form of a standard tree.
To date, through the efforts of breeders, varieties of lantana have been bred, in which the color range is even more diverse. The most popular varieties are considered:
- Goldensonne and Aloha, which adorn with inflorescences painted in golden tones;
- Cocktail and Sunkiss differ in colors of brick-red with an orange tint;
- "Naida" and "Schneewittchen" forms flowers with white petals and a yellow eye;
- "White Dwarf" has a snow-white color with inflorescences;
- "Samanta" - its flowers are cast in a lemon-yellow tone.
Lantana montevidensis is found under the name Lantana selloviana. It is a perennial shrub species with a flexible stem that can spread along the soil surface. The leaf plates are colored green, but their size is smaller than that of the vaulted Lantana variety. The inflorescences have a paniculate shape in diameter, they can reach 3 cm. The colors of the flowers are the most diverse, but most often they are purple, pink with a lilac tone, less often the color of the petals is yellow or snow-white. The flowering process takes place from early summer to mid-late autumn.
Due to the flexibility of the shoots, this variety looks good in hanging baskets or pots, since over time they acquire an ampelous shape.
More about growing lantana in the following story:
