The brother of the periwinkle is the catarrhatus. Cultivation from seeds

If you wanted to grow something unusual and bright on the windowsill, then it's worth paying attention to the cataract. Cultivation from seed and propagation are the main ways of its reproduction. No one can pinpoint the birthplace of the flower, because it occurs in the tropics of the Old and New Worlds, as well as on the island of Madagascar, so it is considered a "cosmopolitan".

For a long time, the cataract was compared with a vinca, believing that it was his own brother. Plants do have an outward resemblance. In the rainy tropics on the fringes of forests you can find a cataract. Growing out of seeds there occurs by itself, therefore plants are so many that it is taken for weeds. Due to the fact that the flower grows in warm countries, it does not tolerate our frosts, that is why it is grown either in the open ground as an annual, or as an indoor flower.

In flower shops, there is almost no adult catarrhtus. Cultivation from seeds is the only way to get this beautiful plant. To begin with, containers with light and nutritious soil are prepared. Then the seeds are treated with potassium permanganate and are sown in the soil, they should not be buried, only slightly sprinkled with earth. The container is placed on a window sill and covered with a film or glass, the room temperature should be 25-30 ° C. In three weeks there are shoots.

Young seedlings grow very fast, therefore, by the summer, they will have to make repeated pickings before planting them in the open ground or a separate pot for room cultivation. The cataract from seeds sometimes grows arbitrarily. Even in the room, flowers often turn into fruits, from which seeds enter the soil. Young seedlings need to be planted from an adult plant.

The catarrhatus grows very fast, so it must be transplanted several times in different sized pots during the summer. The transplantation goes only to him, increases the abundance of flowering. When the roots are completely braided by an earth clod, the catarrhtha ceases to grow. Cultivation from seeds assumes a constant transplanting of seedlings with a gradual increase in the diameter of the pot. If this is not done, the lower leaves will turn yellow and fall off, the appearance of the flower will deteriorate.

Cataracts belong to photophilous plants, but from direct sunlight it must be hidden. In summer, it feels great outdoors, but it should be hidden from the rain. In the warm season it can withstand up to 30 ° C, and in winter it is kept at a temperature of 15 ° C. For a better branching, young plants should be plucked, and in the summer, weekly top-dressing should be done.

There are several ways in which the catarrhtas proliferate. Cultivation from seeds is the main one, and is suitable for those who do not have an adult plant. If there is an adult flower, then its shoots can be cut, thereby updating it and getting cuttings that can be planted and get new plants. The catarrhtum is afraid of aphids and scutes, so it is necessary to monitor if pests appeared on the leaves. After transplanting or trimming, you should carefully wash your hands or work with gloves, because the plant is poisonous.