Crocosmia, or montbrecia (outdated name), or tritonia is an unusual and beautifully flowering bulbous plant from the Iris family. The scent of crocosmia is very similar to the scent of crocus, hence the name, which consists of two Greek words - kroros (crocus) and osme (smell). In natural conditions, the flower grows in southern Africa.
Crocosmia plant description
Corm herbaceous perennial plant. In height, crocosmia can reach from 40 cm to 1 m. The corm is covered with a mesh shell. The stem is branching. Leaves are lily or xiphoid. The flower stalk is strong and powerful, somewhat reminiscent of a gladiolus. Thanks to this similarity, the plant has another name - Japanese gladiolus. The rules for caring for crocosmia and gladioli are almost the same. Crocosmia flowers can be yellow, orange and white, collected in dense inflorescences.
Crocosmia is very close to crocuses (to saffron), iris (to the orcas), to the ferrari, gladioli and freesia... It goes well in a flower bed with cannoy, daylily, salvia, rudbeckia and echinacea... Crocosmia is also suitable for creating beautiful flower arrangements, as it retains its beauty after cutting for two weeks.
The article will talk about how to grow crocosmia seedlings, how to properly plant and care for a flower in the open field.
Growing crocosmia from seeds
Sowing seeds
Tritonia is propagated by seeds and bulbs. With the seed method, it is best to grow seedlings first, since when planting directly into open ground, the seeds may not sprout. The best time for planting crocosmia seeds for planting is the end of February-beginning of March. Before planting, the seeds must be soaked in water for a day, changing the water every 6 hours. Then they must be planted in prepared soil, which consists of sand, peat, turf and humus. After planting, it is necessary to water the soil, cover the boxes with plastic wrap and put them in a well-lit place.
Crocosmia seedlings
As soon as the seeds germinate, remove the plastic wrap from the boxes. Watering must be carried out regularly, but not to allow waterlogging of the soil, as this can lead to the development of various diseases. After each watering, the soil around the seedlings should be carefully loosened.
Picking
When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, they must be planted in separate pots. 2 weeks before a transplant is planned in the open ground, the seedlings must be taken out into fresh air so that they gradually get used to the new climate.
Planting crocosmia in open ground
It is necessary to plant crocosmia in open ground at the beginning of May, at which time the snow will completely melt, and the soil will warm up sufficiently.In order for crocosmia to bloom profusely and for a long time, it should be planted in the sunny part of the garden and where the groundwater is deep, since the flower does not like stagnant moisture.
A flowerbed for planting crocosmia must be prepared in the autumn, add 2 buckets of humus, 100 g of lime (necessarily slaked), 20 g of potassium chloride and 40 g of superphosphate per 1 square meter of the plot. And in the spring, just before planting, you need to apply nitrogen fertilizers.
The distance between the plants should be at least 10 cm, and between the rows about 30 cm. After planting, you should water abundantly and cover the seedlings from the sun for a couple of days. Crocosmia, which is grown from seedlings, will bloom only after 3 years.
Crocosmia care in the garden
Watering
Gladioli and crocosmia are very similar to each other and care for them is almost the same. It is necessary to water the plant abundantly once a week. After each watering, it is imperative to loosen the soil so that the roots of the plant do not suffer from a lack of oxygen.
Top dressing and fertilizers
In order for the plant to grow well and develop properly, the necessary fertilizers should be regularly applied. If the soil is fertile enough, then additional fertilization is not necessary, but for poor soil, fertilization is a must. To feed crocosmia, you need to prepare a mullein solution, for this you need to insist the organic matter on water for several days, and then dilute it again with water in a ratio of 1:10. With this solution, you need to fertilize the flowers every 10 days, starting from the moment 2 real leaves appear.
To increase the efficiency of feeding, mineral fertilizers must be added to the solution. During the active formation of buds, it is necessary to apply fertilizers with a high potassium content. That's the whole care. If you follow all the rules of agricultural technology and regularly feed the plant, then there will definitely not be any problems with its growth and flowering.
Crocosmia after flowering
Collecting seeds is only necessary for the initial planting. Further, the flower can be propagated by dividing the corms.
In regions with harsh winters, it is best to dig up corms. The most suitable time for this is October, by which time the children are fully formed. The corms must be dug up and thoroughly dried for several days, and then stored in the same way as gladioli.
In regions with a temperate climate, corms do not need to be dug out, but they must be mulched. To do this, you must first lay a layer of compost, and then cover everything with dry foliage, sawdust or spruce branches. Where the climate is warm, it is enough just to sprinkle crocosmia with dry foliage and cover it with plastic wrap. After the snow melts in the spring, you need to remove all the shelters.
Reproduction of crocosmia
There are two ways of propagation of crocosmia: vegetative and seed. The seed method was described in detail above. The vegetative method involves dividing the bulbs. Every year from one corm one get at least five children. In order for crocosmia to grow and develop well, it is necessary to divide and plant the corms annually. It is necessary to plant bulbs in open ground at the same time as plant seedlings. You can also plant corms in pots and give them time to germinate, and then plant them in a flower bed without removing the earthen lump.
Diseases and pests
Crocosmia is very rarely affected by various diseases and insect attacks. But if you take care of the plant incorrectly, then diseases and pests can still appear. For example, such as:
- Fusarium - this disease causes deformation of leaves and inflorescences, the leaves quickly dry out and fall off, the color of the plant changes. Fusarium can be cured by treatment with special drugs.
- Gray rot - due to this disease, the corms of the plant are covered with a grayish bloom.For gray rot, it is better to carry out preventive treatments than to cure it.
- Herbiness or jaundice - due to this disease, the leaves gradually turn yellow from tip to base, and then the plant completely dies. They carry this viral disease of leafhoppers. Herbiness, unfortunately, cannot be cured.
In order for the plant not to suffer from various diseases, it is necessary to follow all the rules of agricultural technology and be sure to carefully process the seeds before planting.
Of the pests, the most dangerous for crocosmia are:
- Medvedki - damage the corms of the plant and lay eggs in the soil. In order to get rid of them, you need to use special traps. It is necessary to prepare summer pits filled with manure, and in late autumn to excavate them and destroy the bear, which will be preparing to overwinter there.
- Thrips - sucks sap from plants, because of this, spots appear on the leaves. The stems and leaves are bent. In order to get rid of thrips, you need to treat the plant with special solutions.
- Spider mite - appears with insufficient watering. The plant flows and feeds on its sap. Spider mites are also carriers of many viral diseases. In order to get rid of this pest, it is necessary to spray the plant with the same products that are used to combat thrips.
Types and varieties of crocosmia
There are about 60 types of crocosmia. More popular ones:
Crocosmia golden (Crocosmia aurea) - the leaves have a lily or xiphoid leaf shape. The flowers are bright yellow-orange. This species begins to bloom in early September.
Crocosmia masoniorum - the plant reaches a height of 80 cm. The leaves are xiphoid, ribbed. Orange flowers are collected in a brush. Flowering begins in July. This type of crocosmia is quite cold-resistant.
Crocosmia paniculata - can grow up to one and a half meters. The leaves are corrugated. This type of crocosmia is early flowering. It begins to delight with its bright orange flowers already in June.
Crocosmia pottsii - This species prefers partial shade, as it grows naturally in swampy areas. The leaves are long and the flowers are small.
Crocosmia ordinary (Crocosmia crocosmiiflora), or garden montbrecia - grows up to 1 m in height. The stem is thin, straight and branched. The leaves are narrow, xiphoid or broadly linear, erect, light green. Flowers have a yellow or red-orange hue, collected in panicles. Flowering begins in late July and early August. The most popular varieties of this type:
- Emily Mackenzie - grows no more than 60 cm. The flowers have a bright orange color with a brown tint and a bright spot in the center.
- Crocosmia Lucifer - grow up to one and a half meters. The flowers are bright red. This variety is cold-resistant, therefore it hibernates well in the ground. Blooms in late July and early August.
- Crocosmia Red King - extraordinary red flowers with a bright orange center.
- Spitfire is a small shrub with bright orange flowers. Flowering begins in August and lasts about a month and a half.
- The mandarin queen is a tall plant with large orange flowers.
Crocosmia looks great in flower beds in combination with other flowers. Wants landscape design even more original and interesting.
