Eustoma - A plant popular among home flower lovers, which belongs to the Gorechavkov family. It owes its attractive appearance to large, rose-like flowers of delicate pastel shades (purple, lilac, cream, white, etc.). Eustoma in a pot, with proper care, will be a real decoration of the house. It can also be used to compose bouquets that will keep their fresh look for a long time.
Did you know? Eustoma has another name. - "Irish Rose" or Lisianthus.
Create the perfect home environment
In order for the "Irish Rose" to enjoy lush flowering, you need to take care of proper lighting and optimum temperature conditions. Many professional growers willingly share tips on this.
Lighting
Lisianthus is quite picky about lighting. In order for an adult plant to enjoy lush flowering, it is necessary to provide it with bright, but at the same time diffused light. The best option is to place the pot on the east, west, or southwest side of the house. It can be either a window sill or a loggia, a balcony. In hot summer days, the plant should be pritenyat.
Temperature: summer-winter
Before growing eustoma at home, you should be familiar with the optimal temperature conditions for the plant. In the warm season, the plant will feel great at ordinary room temperatures (+ 18 ... +25 ° C), but with the arrival of autumn the temperature gradually decreases. For the winter, it is better to transfer the pot with a flower to a cooler room with a temperature of + 10 ... +15 ° С.
Peculiarities of home care
For successful cultivation of lisianthus at home, the most important is the proper watering, maintaining the appropriate humidity, timely feeding and pruning, so you need to know all the details of these procedures for the care of the plant.
Watering: summer-winter
Eustoma requires frequent, but moderate watering in the summer and rare in the winter period. Once again the plant can be watered only when the soil from above is completely dry by 2-3 cm. Soft, defended water is used for irrigation, and the excess water must immediately be drained from the pan.
Important! The presence of moisture on the foliage and flowers after watering can cause fungal diseases, so water should be added carefully, right at the root.
Air humidity
Caring for eustoma at home also includes maintaining a humidity level comfortable for the plant. "Irish Rose" requires moderate humidity, since it suffers poorly from dry air. However, if the humidity is elevated, eustoma can affect fungal diseases.
Important! Do not spray water directly on the plant. It also provokes mycoses (diseases caused by fungi).
Fertilization
Breeding Lisianthus will require some knowledge from the grower, in particular, about how to care for the flower in terms of fertilizing. The plant needs fertilizer twice a month. For this you can use any universal fertilizer for flowering plants in doses recommended by the manufacturer. Fertilize eustoma during the period of active growth and flowering, and in winter fertilization is completely stopped.
Did you know? If you carefully remove the dried inflorescences and periodically apply fertilizer, then after three months the plant will bloom again.
Pruning
When the eustoma bloom is over, the branches should be carefully cut, leaving 3 internodes and several pairs of leaves. After that, the plant is transferred for wintering in a cool room.
Diseases and pests of eustoma
Eustoma is rarely affected by diseases and pests, as the sap of the plant has a bitter taste. Most often, it is attacked by a tick, whitefly and aphid. At the first symptoms of infection need to treat the culture with insecticides. In the gardening shops presented a wide range of such chemicals. Experts recommend using for spraying eustoma "Confilor", "Aktar", "Aktellik", "Fitoverm". With too abundant watering, lack of fertilizing and a sharp decrease in air temperature, the plant can be affected by fungal diseases such as root rot, fusirosis, powdery mildew, etc. In this case, you need to apply fungicides (for example, "Fundazol" or "Ridomil Gold"), up to complete recovery. You can also spend 2-3 preventive treatments for the season, alternating several drugs.
If the plant still died from a fungal disease, all plant residues must be disposed of immediately, and the pot and garden tools must be disinfected.
Growing eustoma from seeds
The question "How to grow eustoma from seed?" Many flower growers are asked. Experts advise, first of all, to stock up on high-quality planting material and wet soil consisting of peat (1 part) and sand (1 part) or use a ready-made mixture for violets. You can plant at any time of the year, but most often it is done at the end of February and beginning of March to ensure flowering of the plant closer to the beginning of summer. The prepared soil is placed in a container, and seeds are poured onto its surface. The container is covered with glass or film and carried to a bright and warm place with a temperature of + 20 ... +23 ° C. From time to time the seeds need to be slightly sprayed with water. After 15-20 days, the first shoots will appear. Then, once a day, you can begin to remove the film: the first time, for 15-20 minutes, then every day add 10 minutes, bringing the time to 3 hours. After that, polyethylene can be removed for good.
You also need to know how to plant grown eustoma in larger pots. When sprouts have a couple of leaves, it will be possible to carry out a pick. Pouring drainage onto the bottom of the pots (clay or pebbles), seedlings are carefully placed in separate containers and sprinkled with earth. True connoisseurs of fragile flowers know everything about eustome, but a novice grower can easily cope with the cultivation of this plant, you just need to take into account the above recommendations when growing it.
