The elegant plant oleander attracts beautiful fragrant flowers of pink and red color with thin, elongated, lanceolate forms, leaves. True, some varieties of this perennial shrub have yellow and white flowering. We have this plant, which grows in the warm conditions of the Mediterranean resort area, grown in the garden, as well as in the houses. In this case, the bush is not considered capricious and demanding of special conditions. However, for a full-fledged and long flowering it is necessary to know the characteristics of cultivation. So, it's about care for oleander at home.
How to care for oleander?
Usually at home, the growers grow only one species - common oleander. A pot of bushes is placed in a well-lit place. True, while direct sunlight is dangerous for the plant, so the light must be scattered to avoid burns. If the sun is not enough, do not expect from the oleander long flowering with bright color buds. With regard to the temperature regime in the summer, it is optimal if the room is warmed up in the room within 20-25 degrees, although the inhabitant of the Mediterranean climate tolerates all 30 degrees. In the warm season, the plant can be taken to the open air, for example, a balcony, a loggia or a garden. In winter, the plant should be placed in a cool room (5-10 degrees). In this case, for oleander ordinary at home it is important to remain in well-illuminated conditions. Otherwise, the plant will stretch, but its buds will not open, and the leaves will begin to fade.
Care for oleander room involves moderate watering. It is carried out as the surface of the earth is completely dry. Abundant watering often leads to yellowing of the leaves and decay of the roots. It is recommended to use water warm and stable. In the cold season, oleander should be watered once every 8-10 days. He loves the bush and sprinkles the leaves with warm water.
Top dressing needs a flower in the period of active vegetation every week. Usually, ready-made liquid fertilizers for ornamental flowering plants are used for this.
No less important in the care of flowers are oleander and pruning. This procedure not only makes it possible to form a beautiful crown of the bush, but also to strengthen the branches and promote a good flowering. Pruning oleander at home is usually done by the end of summer or in the fall, immediately after the flowering phase is over. But keep in mind that you need to perform the procedure in gloves, as the juice of the plant is toxic. Proceeding from this, oleander can be attributed to poisonous houseplants.
Transplantation and reproduction of oleander at home
In general, the oleander does not transfer very well, so the soil change should be made as necessary, that is, when the roots of the plant will kill the ground. But it is better to replant young plants every year. Perform a transplant in early spring methods of transshipment. At the bottom of the new pot, put a sufficient layer of drainage, and then the ground itself. Substrate for oleander is prepared by mixing 2 parts of loamy soil, 1 part of sand, peat and compost.
In addition to care for oleander, many are also engaged in its reproduction. It is carried out by cuttings, air layers and rarely by seeds. In the first method, cuttings 8-10 cm long are cut in the plant, left for a day to dry out the sections and placed in a mixture of sand and charcoal (or in water with charcoal) in a bright room with an air temperature of 20 degrees. After 1-1, 5 months, young plants can be planted. When multiplying by air strands on the bark of the branch, circular notches are made. The branch is placed in moist sand. Soon, roots form on the site of the cut. Then the cuttings must be cut off and transplanted.