Tuberose, or Polianthes tuberosa, is a perennial tuberous plant from the Asparagus family. The natural habitat is concentrated in Mexico. Further, the plant began to spread to the countries of Asia, Africa and Europe. The flower does not tolerate low temperatures. For this reason, gardeners are engaged in breeding only indoor tuberose crops or planting it in flowerpots, and with the arrival of cold weather they are transferred to a closed room.
The tuberose flower is famous for its dense lush inflorescences and waxy buds, exuding a delicate sweetish aroma that is somewhat remotely reminiscent of blooming gladioli, lilies, daffodils... Even such global brands as Gucci and Dior have perfumes with notes of tuberose in their arsenal.
Tuberose: plant description
Tuberose has a root system of a nodule type. The size of the brown bulbs does not exceed 6 cm. The surface of the tubers is scaly. Long root filaments, painted white, extend from below. The bulb has a lifespan of several years. Tubers are gradually overgrown with shoots and foliage. The flowering phase occurs in biennial and 3-year-old seedlings. When the inflorescences wither, the underground nodule part also dies off. Many small children are formed in the old place.
All the vegetation that rises above the ground is renewed every year. These are dense, straight stems and dense sessile leaves. The height of an adult polyanthes bush reaches about 40 cm. Above, the shoots are devoid of greenery, and in the lower tier they are densely covered with foliage. The length of the dark green linear leaf blades ranges from 30-45 cm.
The opening of the buds falls in mid-summer and lasts until late autumn. The top of the shoot during this period blooms with a spike-shaped inflorescence. Tuberose bushes get even taller thanks to flowering arrows. The color of the buds is presented in light pink tones. They sit heaply next to each other and are attached to drooping pedicels. The tube of the buds is elongated, and the white petals are arranged in several rows. Buds 5 to 6 cm long form spikelets. The petals are covered with a waxy coating, which gives density to the structure.
When opened, the inflorescences are fragrant throughout the garden. The Mexicans have a tradition of decorating the bride's wedding dress with tuberose flowers, making bouquet arrangements for the holidays and decorating houses with the help of polyanthes. Each inflorescence grows from 10 to 30 small buds. After two or three days, new flowers appear in the place of old flowers. The lower tier of buds blooms first. From the pollinated inflorescences, seed pods are obtained, stuffed to the brim with small flat grains.
Types and varieties of tuberose with a photo
The genus of polyanthes tuberous includes about 13 different species. Breeders in our area have adapted to grow only two types of tuberose.
Broad-leaved tuberose
The flower grows from an oblong tuber up to 5 cm in size.The stem in the center of the bush has wide linear leaves, shining in the sun, gathering into a rosette and enveloping the base of the stem. The spikelet inflorescence looks like grouped white flowers 4 cm long. The aroma is barely caught during the flowering of the species. The opening of the buds occurs in the middle of spring.
Tuberous polyantes
This is a tall flowering perennial, which consists of a basal rosette of sessile leaves, a bare peduncle and a loose spike-shaped inflorescence. The leaf blades are narrow. Their length does not exceed 6 cm. Tubular white buds, exuding a pleasant aroma, stick around the arrow of the peduncle. One peduncle contains from 10 to 30 buds. The decorative modifications of tuberous polyanthes include the following varieties:
- Pearl is a medium-sized plant with double white inflorescences. Prefers warm climates and is planted in pots;
- Sensation - mauve perennial tuberose variety;
- Pink sapphire - at the peak of flowering, it is covered with lush beautiful flowers. The heart is painted in a delicate shade of pink, and the petals are framed with lilac edging.
Cultivation of tuberose
To grow tuberose, use the seed method or propagate the plant from daughter bulbs. It is quite difficult to achieve success from sowing, since the crop is very weak in the early stages of development. Without greenhouse conditions and careful care, seedlings often die, not having time to acquire even a couple of leaves.
Typically, tuberose is grown by planting the bulbs in the ground. During the season, the maternal tuber is overgrown with several dozen small children. They are detached from the bulb and grown as new seedlings. It is important to wait until the corms are fully ripe. The wilting of the leaves is considered a sign of ripening. Then the bush is dug up, the tuber is dried and the outlet is disconnected.
In order to avoid drying out of the bulbs, planting material is stored in moist moss, peat in a dark, cool place. It is not necessary to divide the nest annually, but it is still recommended to do the procedure at least every 3-4 years. Otherwise, the flowering will not be as abundant, and the bushes will become low and unattractive.
Planting tuberose
For regions located in temperate climatic latitudes, it is common to grow perennial tuberose in pots. With the onset of the first frost, they are rearranged indoors. For planting tuberose, it is better to choose fertile, drained soil. Before planting a flower in a garden plot, the hole is filled in by a third with sand. When planting tuberose in open ground, the roots should be directed downward, and the neck should be at surface level.
Tuberose care
Caring for tuberose is quite difficult, the plant reacts sharply to all kinds of changes. However, the effort spent on growing a flower will definitely bring results. Tuberose will reward you with beautiful and abundant flowering and fill the garden with a fragrant aroma.
Location and lighting
Without bright diffused light, the plant will quickly lose its decorative effect. During the midday sun, the pots are placed in the shade to avoid burns on the leaves. In the morning and in the evening, the rays touching the leaves are harmless to the flower. If the pots are in the shade, the bushes will practically stop blooming.
Temperature
The perennial is kept warm, away from drafts and the air temperature is maintained within + 20 ° C, otherwise the budding process will be disrupted, and the growth of the culture will slow down. Low temperatures lead to the death of the plant. In the summer months, the tuberose flower is allowed to be grown outdoors, on balconies and verandas.
Watering and spraying
Air humidity should be no more than 80%.Spraying the foliage is recommended to be done daily, but it is important to take into account the fact that splashing water can provoke burns, so the procedure is best done in the absence of the sun.
Watering tuberose is provided in moderation, they use settled and purified water, heated to room temperature. If the soil is well drained, moisture will not accumulate in the root zone, but will be absorbed evenly by the entire surface of the substrate. Stagnation of water near the tubers leads to decay and death of the plant.
Top dressing
For active growth of green mass and bright flowering, tuberose is periodically fed. Dissolved mineral complexes and organic matter fertilize the soil every month, from May until the end of the growing season.
Dried inflorescences and deformed leaves must be removed from the shoots as they grow. Adult bushes are tied up so that the stems do not break in the wind, and the drooping and wilted processes are cut off. After the ground part dies off, the bulbs go into hibernation mode.
How to distill
Forcing tuberose tubers is best done a few weeks after digging up. They are laid out in a bright place and sprinkled with water. For planting tuberose, compact pots are chosen and garden soil mixed with sand is poured into them. Green sprouts soon appear. After six months, the mature seedlings will be able to bloom.
Diseases and pests
Corms of polyanthes are sometimes affected by fungal diseases. The smell that inflorescences and leaves exude is pleasant to humans, but insects are afraid of him. Because of this, pest attacks on the ground parts of the plant are rare. The leaves are eaten by aphids, spider mites. To cope with tuberose diseases and stop the spread of insects, insecticidal spraying allows.
