Dichondra ampelous: growing from seeds, planting and care. Dichondra planting and care photo growing from seeds at home and in the open field

Dichondra is an evergreen perennial of the Bindweed family native to North America, Australia and East Asia. In nature, this plant lives in the tropics and subtropics. AT recent times more and more flower lovers are paying attention to this showy plant with creeping branches with dense foliage. The name of the plant was obtained by merging two Greek roots: dic (two) and chondros (grain). The name is associated with the appearance of the fruit-seeds of the plant.

Dichondra Silver Falls is especially popular with gardeners. Its leaves have a rounded shape and are located on long petioles about 3 centimeters long. The branches of the plant can reach one and a half meters, beautifully hanging from hanging planters or filling the space Alpine slide. This variety of dichondra blooms with small flowers of lilac, white or green hue.

Popular plant varieties with photos

In nature, there are about 10 species of dichondra.

But in horticulture, two of its varieties are mainly used:

• Emerald waterfall. The variety is native to New Zealand, where it grows in vivo like a weed. The stems of the plant grow up to 3 meters. The variety blooms with green-yellow flowers all summer. Often used as a lawn cover. Suitable for creating garden compositions in the form of sculptures. Decorating walls and fences.
• Silver waterfall. Plant with silvery leaves and purple flowers. Outwardly, this variety resembles a waterfall of silver coins. The shoots of the variety reach a length of 1.5-2 meters.

Dichondra Silver Falls

How to get seedlings of dichondra silver waterfall from cuttings and seeds

The easiest way to grow dichondra is to use cuttings. Five to seven blanks are rooted in a glass of water. The roots on the stems form quickly enough, and soon they can be planted in containers filled with soil. Plants obtained from cuttings grow rapidly, forming a lush, dense crown.

Dichondra seedlings can be grown from seeds at home. Sowing is carried out from the end of January to the beginning of March. In 4 months, a full-fledged copy grows for growing in open ground or on the veranda (loggia).

For sowing dichondra, seedling containers are filled with a mixture of soil and sand in equal proportions. Seeds are buried in the soil to a depth of 5 mm and sprinkled with sand. From above, the surface is moistened with a spray gun and covered with a film. At a temperature of 25 degrees shoots appear in 10-14 days. After the appearance of the first sprouts, the film is removed, and the container is placed in a bright place.

Dichondra can be successfully grown by seed

You can not put the container in direct sunlight, so that a greenhouse effect is not created under the film. If this happens, the seeds will overheat and die.

After the appearance of 3-4 true leaves, the seedlings dive. At this stage, you can immediately plant 3-4 sprouts in hanging baskets or planters. They are temporarily located at covered balconies or loggias. Dichondra is not yet ready for planting in open ground.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Dichondra is a tropical plant accustomed to heat. It is possible to plant it in open ground or take out a planter with plants on the street only after the ambient temperature rises to +16 ... +18 degrees. If the threat of low night temperatures persists, you should not rush to disembark. At the same time, baskets and flowerpots with a plant can be hung outside during the day so that they enhance growth. At night, dichondra is brought into the house.

Almost any soil is suitable for dichondra, but it develops most actively in loamy, drained soil. The plant does not tolerate moisture stagnation at all: from this, the roots begin to rot.

An important condition for growing dichondra is a sufficient amount of light. With a lack of sun, the shoots stretch out, the leaves thin out, the stems become bare and the plant loses its decorative effect. In addition, in the shade of the dichondra, the silver waterfall hardly blooms. But shaded areas are recommended for growing the Emerald Falls variety. Under these conditions, the foliage of this variety becomes saturated green tint and becomes thicker and larger.

Before planting in open ground, seedlings are hardened. Within one to two weeks, the plants are taken out into the street, gradually increasing the time. The site for planting is carefully dug up, all weeds and rhizomes are removed.

The planting scheme depends on the purpose of cultivation. If dichondra is grown as a groundcover, the distance between sprouts is 15-20 centimeters. When it is planned to combine dichondra with other plants, the distance is increased to 30-40 centimeters.

Seedlings are placed in holes up to 3 centimeters deep so that the roots fit completely into the soil. After planting, the soil around the plant is compacted and watered.

Growing dichondra silver waterfall and caring for the plant

Dichondra loves watering, but flooding can cause root rot

Growing dichondra requires compliance with certain rules:

• Watering. It should be regular and carried out after a slight drying of the soil. Excessive moisture will cause the roots of the plant to rot. Dichondra should be watered in the early morning or evening, after sunset. If water gets on tender leaves during the day, they can get sunburned.
• Increase in air humidity. Dichondra needs not only watering, but also regular spraying, especially when the air temperature rises to + 26 ... + 30 degrees. Dichondra shoots are quite long, and watering alone is not enough to maintain their turgor. Regular spraying also contributes to the growth of leaf mass by the plant.
• top dressing – important element plant care. With a lack of nutrition, dichondra loses density, does not bloom. You need to fertilize the plant weekly, alternating nitrogen and phosphorus-potassium top dressing. Experienced flower growers It is advised to use liquid fertilizer Ideal.
• Pruning. A beautiful and lush crown of dichondra can be achieved by pruning shoots. In autumn, all stems are shortened by 10-15 centimeters, so that in spring the plant begins to branch actively. During the vegetative period, the upper stems are periodically shortened, breaking out of general form and damaged shoots are also cut out.

Diseases and pests

Dichondra is often attacked by aphids, fleas and whiteflies. To protect the plant, it is recommended to periodically spray it with any garden insecticide. According to reviews, the use of drugs is effective.

Diseases develop on the plant when the soil is waterlogged. This happens especially often when ground cover dichondra. Shoots densely cover the ground, and the roots are practically not ventilated. Watering in this case must be reduced.

Dichondra in winter

Plants grown in pots are brought into the house for the winter, after cutting the shoots. With the onset of heat, planters with plants can be hung outside.

Dichondra grown in a flower bed needs to be updated annually

Plants grown in the flower bed are disposed of in order to plant new specimens in the spring. But many gardeners are interested in how to keep the uterine rhizome in the basement in winter. To do this, all the shoots are cut, the root is dug up, sprinkled with sand and placed in a basement or cellar for storage. In early spring sprouts form on the roots. At this time, the plants are taken out of storage and planted in pots. At the onset of a temperature not lower than +16 degrees, dichondra is planted in open ground.

Subject to all requirements, dichondra can be successfully grown for 6-7 years. An aging plant is recommended to be used for cuttings, from which a large number of new specimens are grown at once in a short period.

Dichondra is recognized as one of the best decorative foliage plants in landscape design. It is grown in hanging planters or baskets as independent element or as a backdrop for other flowering plants.

Dichondra in landscape design

Dichondra is also popular as a plant for the winter garden. With its help, you can create the impression of a real waterfall, when the branches first descend from above, and then take root in the soil. The plant looks very impressive in the shaded corners of the garden, giving mystery to the far corners. Dichondra can be used for planting in a flower pot under the roof of an open gazebo: it turns out a kind of green wall, covering the inner space .

The most successful neighbors of dichondra are, lobelia, ampelous petunia,. In flowerbeds, dichondra looks good in combination with salvia, bellflower. If dichondra is planted in tall flowerpots, and placed in the center flowering plants with upright shoots, it turns out an original garden composition with thick stems hanging down to the ground.

In the proposed video, you can get acquainted with the intricacies of planting dichondra seeds. Happy viewing!

Dichondra- chic perennial and evergreen belonging to the Vyunkov family. It successfully grows in Australia, North America and East Asia. Tropical and subtropical climates with swampy terrain suit her perfectly. Dichondra has become quite popular among many gardeners.

Its decorative creeping branches with dense foliage are widely used to decorate many tree groups, balconies, arbors. Especially popular is the dichondra variety "Silver Falls" (pictured). The leaves are round kidney-shaped small size- about 2.5 cm, and petioles - 3 cm in length. Small flowers with a diameter of 3 mm can be purple, white and light green. Just look at the photo of this decorative beauty. Creeping stems can reach 1.5 m in length, for which dichondra is very successfully used as an ampelous and ground cover plant.

plant varieties

To date, there are about 10 varieties of creeping vines. The most common species grown at home are:

Dichondra silver, which is famous for its unusual silvery leaves and rather long stems. It is recommended to grow this variety in containers. This drought-resistant and light-loving plant has another name - dichondra "Silver Falls". For its unusual decorative effect, ease of cultivation, as well as resistance to various diseases and pests, this species was awarded a medal.

Dichondra "Emerald Falls". The leaves of the plant are rich green color. This shade-loving vine grows well in shady areas. It is readily used as a ground cover material.

Growing dichondra "Silver Waterfall" carried out in several ways: seeds, cuttings and layering. The last two methods must be applied during the period of pruning, which is done to give the bush a decorative look.

How to get seedlings of dichondra

Cut stems are planted in the soil substrate and covered with non-woven covering material. The process of growing by layering is quite simple. It is necessary to deepen the stem by 2-3 cm into the soil and press it well from all sides, then water it with a growth stimulator. Very soon, the first roots and young shoots will appear, which will exactly repeat the parental characteristics and signs. For successful rooting, young shoots planted in this way need room temperature content and proper care. Therefore, the layers are covered with a covering non-woven material to create a small greenhouse. Cuttings take root best of all in a well-lit room on the windowsills.

Dichondra "Silver Waterfall" propagated very successfully by seed. This cultivation is based on the use seedling method. Sowing seeds is carried out in the middle of winter.

The depth of planting seeds should be no more than half a centimeter. Sowing is carried out in containers or pots in a pre-prepared moistened substrate, which must be saturated with sodium humate or a growth stimulator. Planted seeds are covered with polyethylene. In a week, the first shoots will appear. For this it is necessary good lighting and room temperature. Since the formation of seedlings at the primary stage of vegetation is rather slow, the time for laying seeds should be in advance. The maximum expected decorative effect of the plant is obtained no earlier than 3 months after its planting. Dichondra "Silver Falls" is planted at a distance of about 30-40 cm from each other. If the plant will grow in a pot, then a more compact planting should be used.

Plants grown from seeds are readily used to decorate lawns. Lawns decorated with dichondra are very resistant to damage and are highly frost-resistant. Seeds are sown along the lawn on moist and loose soil and always in a sunny area. Then they are lightly trampled and watered. Until the seeds germinate, it is necessary to monitor the moisture content of the earth. Approximately one square meter 10 g of seeds are needed. Planting seeds is best done in spring or autumn. Nitrogen fertilizer is ideal for top dressing.

With the onset of winter, adults potted plants recommend to enter into winter gardens or cool rooms. Plants planted in the garden are dug up and, together with earthy clod placed in the basement, where they are stored until spring and stay in dormant suspended animation. In the first months of spring, dichondra awakens and gives young shoots with roots. They should be separated from the mother bush and planted in open ground already as independent plants.

Growing marvelous vines

For a complete and active growth It does well in moist, acidic soil. If planting the plant will be carried out in containers, then it is imperative to ensure good drainage.

Very important timely watering both the root system and the surface part of the plant. The main thing is not to overdo it so that there is no stagnation of water, otherwise the plant may die. This applies to a bush grown at home, since in nature dichondra grows quite successfully in swampy areas.

If a long-acting fertilizer was not applied when planting the plant, then it is necessary to apply combined dressings twice a month in the summer.

Dichondra silver waterfall quite resistant to diseases and damage by various pests. But if she is planted next to a petunia or other annuals that have a number of diseases, then her immunity will begin to weaken. Dichondra needs regular pruning. This will give it a decorative and unique look. Therefore, competent care is needed here.

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Dichondra is a tropical plant of the Bindweed family, widely used in landscaping park areas and home gardens. Due to its unpretentiousness, decorativeness and abundance of foliage, dichondra is successfully grown as an ampelous or ground cover plant. Often this southern beauty can be found in the composition of the original landscape compositions both vertical and horizontal.

plant description

In natural habitat (tropics South America, Australia, South Asia, etc.) dichondra grows as an evergreen perennial. In latitudes with a cooler climate, where the air temperature drops below -5 degrees in winter, the plant is cultivated as an annual, because at low temperatures above-ground part dies off. In severe winters, preserve the beauty and splendor of the crown all year round it is possible only with indoor or greenhouse maintenance.

Plant has a superficial root system and easily rooted in the internodes. The length of the shoots reaches 1–1.5 m, and in some varieties, when ground cover cultivation in a warm climate, the shoots can grow up to 6–8 m. Dichondra leaf blades are round, small in size, and are very often located on the shoots. Due to the abundance of foliage, when grown in ampelous and vertical gardening, dichondra forms picturesque cascades, and when used as a lawn grass, dense, trample-resistant carpets.

An unusual color gives a special decorative effect to the plant. sheet plates- from emerald green to silver. It is because of the color of the leaves the most popular varieties:

• Emerald waterfall.
• Silver waterfall.

During the flowering period (May-August), the plant is covered with small nondescript flowers that do not affect its appearance and attractiveness.

Growing conditions and care

Top dressing of dichondra should be done no more than 1 time in 2 weeks. For feeding, mainly fertilizers and preparations are used that accelerate the growth of the plant.

The tropical origin of dichondra causes it requirements for growing conditions:

Cutting is done in decorative purposes or to fight disease. With vertical gardening, ampelous plants are given the desired crown shape with the help of pruning, while excess or underdeveloped shoots are removed. When growing dichondra in open ground, pruning allows you to create "streams", "spirals" and other original forms lawns, flower beds and flower beds.

Pests and diseases

From diseases to gardeners can molest rot, formed as a result of excessive watering and stagnation of moisture in the soil. In such cases, washing the root mass with a solution of potassium permanganate and removing rotten roots and shoots will help return the plant to a healthy appearance in such cases.

It is much more difficult to get rid of root rot when growing dichondra lawn: you will have to remove the entire diseased plant, which will seriously spoil the appearance of the lawn. Therefore, with the ground cover method of growing, the most effective measure to combat rot is its prevention, that is compliance with irrigation conditions.

Reproduction methods

For originality and universal purpose ampelous dichondra received the highest marks. Since that time, the demand for this plant among professional designers and hobby gardeners.

The flower can be propagated by seeds, layering and cuttings..

• Rooting by layering. With ground cover cultivation, dichondra independently takes root in the internodes, therefore, to obtain a new plant, it is enough to carefully cut off the rooted part from the main shoot, dig it up and transplant it. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that after the place of excavation the shoot is rooted in at least one more place, otherwise it will die.
• Cuttings. Dichondra does not reproduce well with cuttings - this method is ineffective due to a large number moisture accumulated by the shoots. For plant propagation during ampelous cultivation, it is recommended to root the shoots with layering and separate them from the parent bush only after full rooting.
• Growing from seeds is the longest and most laborious method of reproduction. Seeds for seedlings are sown in January, and seedlings are transferred to open ground only after sufficiently warm weather is established in late May - early June. All this time, you need to carefully monitor the humidity of the soil and air in the room where the seedlings are grown, and make regular top dressing.

By its nature, dichondra, like most bindweeds, is more of a creeping plant than an ampelous one. Nevertheless, most often it is grown in the ampel way - in pots, planters, as an element of vertical landscape compositions, in high flower beds.

The reason for this is a luxurious cascade of long shoots, similar to the interweaving of many bright green or silver threads. Dichondra, due to the lush and rather long crown, is often called the "waterfall plant", hence the names of the most popular ampel varieties.

Growing ampelous dichondra from seeds is a rather lengthy and demanding process. special attention to young seedlings. Most auspicious time for sowing seeds for seedlings - end of January or beginning of February. With more later dates sowing the plant will not be able to gain a lush green mass in the first season.

Shallow containers are used to grow dichondra "Emerald Falls" or the no less popular ampel variety "Silver Falls" from seeds. It is advisable to sow the seeds immediately in pots or planters, since dichondra does not tolerate picking very well. In one container no more than 2-5 seeds are sown. With a strong planting density, the plants will begin to compete with each other for light and nutrients, which will eventually slow down their development, and get lush bush will not work.

After germination, young seedlings need to be provided with abundant lighting and, if necessary, backlighting. You should also remember about regular top dressing and daily spraying. In rooms with central heating, spraying is carried out several times a day.

Indoor growing and wintering

Dichondra is more demanding for home care than when grown outdoors. The main problem is to create a sufficient level of illumination. Dichondra is very sensitive to the abundance of light and, with its lack, loses its external attractiveness.

In order for the plant to feel comfortable and delight the eye with lush greenery, it bright diffused lighting is required for at least 12 hours a day. In the summer, this is easily achieved by expulsion room beauty to the street. In winter, the plant should be placed as close as possible to the windows and additional lighting should be organized with a phytolamp.

Another nuance that you should definitely pay attention to when growing dichondra in a room is enough pot size for the normal development of the root system. In the open ground in winter, the roots of dichondra "sleep". With room content, the renewal of green mass and the growth of the root system occur constantly, so the plant needs a regular transplant. The signal that it is time to transplant the dichondra into a larger container is the germination of the roots through the drainage holes of the pot. Sprouted roots are cut off, and the plant is carefully transplanted into a new pot using a simple transshipment method.

Room content often serves as a solution for how to keep dichondra in winter. When autumn comes ampelous plants are transferred indoors where they are provided further care. Dichondra, placed in a wintering room, requires more frequent spraying, since in heated rooms the level of air humidity is much lower than even in the most hot weather on the street.

Plants grown in the open ground tolerate a change in conditions of detention more difficult than ampelous ones. For this reason, most gardeners prefer " cold" storage of such specimens in the basement. The plant is dug out together with a clod of earth, all shoots are removed to the ground. In the spring, when warm weather sets in, the rhizome is planted back into the ground.

In the first season, dichondra gives a not too abundant increase in green mass. Most decorative look achieved in the second or even third year of cultivation, depending on the conditions created for the plant. For this reason, overwintering adult plants indoors or in the basement is preferable to growing annuals from seed every year.

Most often, dichondra can be found in gardens and parks in the southern regions, where winters are not too severe, and the warm season lasts from early spring until late autumn. Ampelous plants adorn fences, hedges, picturesque cascades and waterfalls, open gazebos and terraces are used to create colorful landscape sculptures and compositions.

combination different varieties dichondra during ground cover gardening, picturesque lawns are created that do not require mowing and are resistant to trampling. As a perennial lawn, dichondra is used exclusively in the southern regions, where in winter the thermometer does not fall below zero.

Among all the ampelous plants, the beauty dichondra is the most unusual and attractive. Cascades of emerald or silver-green densely leafy shoots resemble a waterfall in shape, which is reflected in the name. Dichondra is widely used in the design of arbors, terraces, balconies, but it looks most impressive in separate groups in hanging planters. The plant is best propagated by layering and cuttings, but if desired, it is easy to grow from seed.

Dichondra belongs to the bindweed - a family of perennial evergreen herbaceous vines. She was brought from tropical latitudes, where she chose wet swampy areas and forests. AT wild nature the plant is found most often in eastern Asia, northern America and Australia. Curly stems reach 1.5 m in length, and the surface roots that develop in the internodes take root very quickly and easily, due to which dichondra is also used as a ground cover crop. The leaves on the vines are small, kidney-shaped or round, slightly pubescent. It is the leaves that give the plant a decorative look, since its flowers are small, inconspicuous, pale yellow in color.

10 varieties of dichondra are known, but only two are cultivated for decorative purposes - Dichondra argentea and Dichondra repens (creeping). The first species is more light-loving and drought-resistant, easier to grow, looks great in hanging containers. The second type of plant is demanding on moisture, develops well in partial shade, grown in containers and as a ground cover crop. The most popular varieties of dichondra are "Emerald Falls" and "Silver Falls".

At the "Emerald Falls" small round leaves saturated green. In Australia and New Zealand, it is a well-known weed that is ruthlessly eradicated by homeowners. But on the European continent, he is recognized as one of best plants for ampel design. Most often, this variety is grown in hanging planters, decorating walls, balconies, arches and other architectural forms, and some gardeners replace them with lawn grass. This variety grows well in partial shade and can cover unsightly empty areas between trees, spreading out in a thick emerald carpet.

"Silver Falls" is distinguished by the color of the leaves and the greater length of the stems. This variety does not tolerate shading well; with a lack of light, its decorative properties are reduced. It is less demanding on moisture, recovers well after a short drying of an earthen clod in a pot.

Dichondra in the garden interior

The Emerald Falls dichondra looks most advantageous in elevated flower beds and in hanging containers that allow the vines to hang freely and form characteristic compositions in the form of a waterfall. The plant is also great for group plantings, in which it usually acts as a backdrop for flowering crops.

The most common combinations are:

Some hang plant pots under the roof eaves, then the emerald waterfalls stand out beautifully against the white walls. Along garden paths and around flower beds, creeping shoots also look very good, especially in combination with crops of contrasting color, such as bright red salvia or sunny marigolds.

Growing from seeds

When propagated by seeds, dichondra is grown by seedlings.

Seedlings grow very slowly, and in order to admire the emerald cascades of shoots in summer, it is necessary to sow seeds in winter. In the middle latitudes optimum time for this is mid-January - early February, for the northern regions, the sowing dates are transferred to mid-February - early March. Pre-sowing treatment seeds do not require, and therefore you can immediately proceed to the main process.

Step 1. For sowing, you will need small containers no more than 5 cm high.

A drainage layer of expanded clay or fine gravel is laid in them, then filled with a soil substrate. The substrate is shed with any available growth stimulator, for example, Epin or Zircon. You can also use a solution of humate.

Step 2. Seeds are evenly scattered over the surface of the substrate, gently pressed. You can sprinkle them with a layer of earth no more than 5 mm, but this is not necessary, the seeds germinate so well.

Step 3. The containers are covered with polyethylene or glass and placed on the windowsill so as to exclude direct sunlight.

For the germination of dichondra seeds, a temperature is required in the range of 18-25 degrees Celsius, so boxes cannot be placed in a cold room. On the 7-8th day, the first sprouts should appear, and mass shoots appear approximately 10-14 days after sowing.

Hatching seedlings need more air, which means that the film should be removed from the boxes. During this period, sprouts are very sensitive to temperature changes, and even small drafts can kill seedlings. On cloudy days, backlighting is necessary, because with a lack of lighting, the plants will begin to stretch unnecessarily.

Watering is done with a spray gun and only as needed. Despite the fact that dichondra loves moisture, excess water is fatal for small seedlings. Seedlings should be thinned after the first two true leaves appear. All weak shoots are discarded, leaving a distance between the remaining about 2-3 cm. If it is a pity to throw away seedlings, it is worth picking them all up in separate pots. After that, it remains only to support optimal temperature indoors and timely moisten the soil.

For a very long time, the plants will be thin and weak in appearance, but by mid-May they will noticeably grow up. As a rule, the maximum decorative effect of dichondra appears 100 days after seed germination, but only when favorable conditions. When lateral shoots form and the plant gets stronger, you can plant it in a flower bed or in hanging baskets. The soil in the flower bed is well loosened, holes are made for each plant separately, leaving 25-30 cm between them. The soil around the bush does not need to be strongly compacted so as not to damage the roots, it is enough to pour plenty of water after planting and sprinkle with mulch.

When transplanting into pots, it should be borne in mind that in order to create a lush crown, 4-5 seedlings must be planted in a pot with a diameter of 10 cm. If the number is reduced, it will not be possible to form a waterfall from vines, and if you plant more, the roots will not have enough space and nutrients.

Seeds are sown in open ground to create a lawn, but only in warm regions where winter temperatures do not fall below minus 3.5 degrees. The sowing process is very simple: the selected area is loosened, moistened, and then the seeds are evenly scattered. The seed consumption is 10 g per square meter. Next, the soil is rolled, watered again, and kept moist until shoots appear. You can sow throughout the season - from April to October. The grown seedlings of dichondra are fed with nitrogen liquid fertilizers. Such a lawn is highly decorative and resistant to trampling, tolerates shading well.

plant care

Dichondra "Emerald Falls" is rather undemanding in care, and therefore it is not at all difficult to care for it.

Of all the varieties of dichondra, "Emerald Falls" is the most disease resistant, and garden pests it is extremely rarely damaged, especially if it grows separately from other crops. Proper watering, loosening, removal of weeds and dry lashes, as well as compliance with the recommended doses of fertilizers is the key to the health and normal development of the bush.

Wintering dichondra

In our latitudes, dichondra is grown more often as an annual, because the plant does not tolerate frost. But if you have the ability to provide the necessary conditions in an apartment, "Emerald Falls" will delight the eye even in the cold season. A pot with a plant is brought into the house somewhere in mid-October, before the onset of stable cold weather. Too long lashes are cut off, abundantly moisten the ground, put the container on an elevated place. Dichondra looks very nice in openwork forged podsvetochnik. Care in winter period comes down to periodic watering and top dressing once a month. After switching on central heating leaves should be sprayed with water every day.

If it is not planned to keep dichondra in the house, before the onset of cold weather, all shoots are cut off, the rhizome is carefully dug up and transferred to the basement together with a clod of earth. So that the roots do not dry out during the winter, they are covered with wet peat or sprinkled with a thick layer of sand. In the spring, new stems with root shoots will begin to form on the mother plant. They are carefully separated and planted in separate pots or beds around the beginning of May. The main root is also transplanted into open ground or a hanging basket, be sure to feed. Such plants begin to branch much faster, and after a month they form a lush crown.

Propagation by layering and cuttings

In summer, dichondra bushes are easily propagated by layering. To do this, loosen the soil around the plant well, choose a strong long shoot and dig it in several places, spilling it with a root formation stimulator. To preserve moisture, it is advisable to cover the layers with a film or non-woven material. Very soon sprouts with the same varietal characteristics will appear. When 4 true leaves develop, the plants are transplanted.

Another option is propagation by cuttings. In September, several well-developed stems are cut from the main bush and cuttings with 3-4 internodes are cut from them. The cuttings are planted in individual pots with a nutrient substrate, watered abundantly, covered with foil or cut bottles. With the onset of cold weather, pots with cuttings are brought into the house, constantly maintaining soil moisture.

Video - Dichondra emerald waterfall: growing from seeds

Dichondra ampelous is a luxurious evergreen vine. This is a representative of a huge Vyunkov family. It is successfully cultivated in countries with tropical and subtropical climatic conditions. Currently, the dichondra plant has become widespread among most flower growers, due to its unusual and decorative effect.

It is used to create decorations on balconies, gazebos, attics and verandas. Especially popular is a variety called Silver Falls.

Its leaves are medium-sized, the inflorescences are small, painted in bright burgundy, scarlet, white or light green. Thanks to the long climbing vines, which sometimes vary up to two meters in length, dichondra is considered ampelous and ground cover.

The main varieties that are cultivated in our latitudes

Currently, creeping liana has more than ten varieties. But the most common varieties in cultivation are:

To ensure the beauty and decorativeness of the plant, it is recommended to know how seedlings are planted, cared for, planted on permanent place growth, reproduction of dichondra.

How seedlings are grown

Planting and caring for this plant is not false. But still there are certain rules, the observance of which will help increase the rate of reproduction of layering.

cutting propagation

The stem is cut off from an adult plant, then it is planted in fertile soil, from above cover with any material. Growing by cuttings is a simple process. It is important to make depressions of several centimeters, plant the cut stems in the substrate, and tamp.

In order for rooting to be quick and as successful as possible, it is important to observe certain temperature indicators in the room - not lower than 20 degrees.

Watering is also carried out with slightly warmed, better settled water. To create a light greenhouse effect and speed up the process of root formation, it is recommended to use a non-woven covering material. Best of all, the cuttings take root on the windowsills, well lit by natural sunlight.

Propagation with seeds

Seeds can also be used to grow seedlings. Propagation by seeds is similar to growing seedlings of other garden plants. Seed material is planted in the second half of January - early February. A certain depth of material landing should be observed, it should not exceed 50 millimeters.

Sowing seeds is carried out in special containers - planters, pots, wooden boxes in a pre-moistened soil substrate. It is also recommended to water it with a growth stimulator. Cover the landings with plastic wrap.

After seven to ten days, the first shoots usually appear. For successful cultivation certain conditions must be observed - good lighting, a temperature of at least 22 degrees.

It must be remembered that this ampelous plant at the first stage of cultivation, it grows rather slowly, so you need to correctly calculate the period for planting seed material.

Dichondra flowers become as decorative as possible no earlier than three months after the seeds are planted in the ground. During planting, a certain interval between plants should be observed - at least 30 centimeters.

When growing in a separate pot, you can plant more than one plant, but then a picking process is carried out, in which the sprouts that appear are planted in separate pots.

A seed-grown vine has been successfully used to decorate lawns. Such lawns are frost-resistant, resistant to damage, tolerate even the most low temperatures air.

Planting seeds is also carried out in open ground, along lawns. The soil must be pre-moistened, loosened. The site must be in direct sunlight. This is one of the main requirements of this plant. After planting the seeds, they must be tamped and watered.

A prerequisite for successful cultivation is fertilizing with nitrogenous fertilizers. They can be purchased ready-made at specialized points of sale. Such fertilizers are ideal for dichondra.

If the plant is planted in the garden, it is dug up along with a clod of earth, transferred to a cool basement or cellar. And until spring, it will be in a state of hibernation.

With the beginning of spring, the plant begins to awaken, young sprouts and roots appear on it. They are carefully separated from the mother bush, transplanted into open ground.

Features of growing shrubs

Conditions for growing vines with beautiful flowers simple, available to almost everyone, since this plant is unpretentious, resistant to pests and diseases.

In order for growth and development to be as comfortable and complete as possible, it is recommended to plant or transplant a culture into a well-moistened fertile substrate in advance, its structure must be acidic. If a plant is planted in containers or flowerpots, it is imperative to fill the bottom of the containers with a layer of drainage.

Watering and feeding

It is very important to regularly moisten watering not only the roots of the bush, but also that part of it that is on the surface. But it is important to ensure that there is no stagnation of moisture in the root system, otherwise, even on this unpretentious bush, putrefactive processes can develop that can provoke the death of the bush.

After each fertilization procedure, the leaves should be thoroughly washed to prevent burns on them.

With constant exposure to various diseases, the dichondra immune system will gradually weaken, so there is no guarantee that the plant itself will not be affected by any disease in the future.

pruning

Use a sharp pruner for pruning. It will be necessary to carry out a regular procedure for trimming dichondra in the future, as the vines grow and develop. Thanks to this procedure, it is possible to preserve the decorativeness and regularity of the shape of the bush.

You can also create a waterfall using creeping vine stems. To do this, you will need to install special frames or supports, form a bush on them in the form of a waterfall, fixing them with fabric strips.

But the bush should be located only in a well-lit place, because being in partial shade, dichondra loses its decorative leaves, and the saturation of the color of the flowers is also lost. Therefore, the sun should directly illuminate the planted bush.

At right approach for planting seeds or cuttings, the right fertilizer and watering, the bushes will delight the eye throughout the summer with beautiful flowers, as well as beautiful silvery leaves throughout the growing season.

Growing and caring for kiwi at home