Moussenda - a beautiful and original flower

Choosing plants for planting in the country or at home, I really want them to be decorative, original and unpretentious in the care.

You can add a zest to the interior of an apartment or a garden plot by dropping off the moussend.

Evergreen shrub looks luxurious and will undoubtedly attract rapt views. Tropical guest is relatively not capricious, and grow it under the power of even not too experienced gardener.

  • Botanical description
  • Growing up
  • Peculiarities of care
  • Breeding

Botanical description

The plant came to us from Asian countries, the African tropics and islands of the Pacific Ocean. Thais call it the rose of Bangkok. It was opened in Thailand in 1888.

The plant is characterized by small white, rarely yellow or orange flowers, collected in inflorescences of 15-20 cm, which in themselves are completely unremarkable. What can be said about the sepals of all sorts of bright colors that surround them and give the plant an incredible charm. Naturally, they are not only decorative, but also functional, they attract the attention of insects, due to which the pollination process takes place.

Leaves of moussend lowered, painted in green and endowed with chic shine, they have pronounced red streaks.

In the wild, a plant can be a shrub, or it can reach a height of more than 3 meters and resemble a small tree, which can, if desired, be formed by correct pruning.

One of the main and indisputable advantages of this ever-green shrub is the long flowering, which with proper care can continue year-round.

Important! In order for the shrub to form beautifully, experts recommend growing it on a support from wire, to which it must be tied up for the first 1.5-2 years, then the monsend will be fixed independently.

Growing up

The plant can grow in indoor conditions, and in the garden. In both cases, when determining where to land, it is necessary to give preference to solar areas or windows. Mussenda, unpretentious in growing, but loves light, sun and heat.

When planting shrubs in the pot must be drained the soil. To do this, put stones or pebbles on the bottom of the tank, which contributes to the proper distribution of moisture.

The soil on the place where the plant will grow should be nutritious, slightly acidic and loose, the addition of organic fertilizer and sand is welcomed.

Shrubs such as kerriya, bouvardia, buddleya David, weigela, Japanese quince, heather, hibiscus, hydrangea, jasmine, spirea, Japanese camellia, lilac, forsythia will perfectly decorate your garden.
To create a comfortable environment when growing moussends at home, the temperature should be observed so that the thermometer does not fall below +16 degrees, otherwise coolness may cause the shrub to shed its leaves.

Peculiarities of care

Moussenda is not too demanding to the conditions of growth, and taking care of it at home or in the open field is not difficult and does not take much time.

One of the main conditions for proper care of the plant is regular watering, which must be carried out strictly after the soil dries around the plant. Humidity in indoor cultivation also matters, to maintain it, it is recommended to spray the foliage of the shrub with separated water.

Regular feeding is also an integral part of care. In addition to organic - humus, compost and manure, the plant needs mineral supplements.Complex mineral fertilizers that are applied at least once every two weeks are excellent for this.

Important! Preference should be given to those mineral complexes that do not contain calcium.

Replanting room representatives produce only when the roots fill the entire planting container, and it becomes too crowded. Domestic inhabitants do not like to change their place of residence, so the procedure is carried out only when absolutely necessary.

Pruning is a prerequisite for the harmonious development of the plant, it is carried out in spring and autumn. Due to this procedure, the shrub not only acquires an attractive appearance, but also forms correctly, as well as more intensely and continuously blooms.

As a rule, young representatives strongly cut shoots, to the extent that the height of the plant after pruning is 20-35 cm, this stimulates tillering. More mature seedlings cut off shoots to 3-4 buds, excessive shortening is not good for evergreen shrubs. When planting in a garden, the plant is incredibly resistant to pests and diseases, but in the indoor environment, unfortunately, is often attacked by the whitefly and tick, they should be fought with special chemicals.

Did you know? Even with good and proper care, the lifetime of a moussend is no more than 5 years.

The most important thing that you need to remember about the care of this plant is that it does not tolerate low temperatures and requires constant moisture. In proper conditions, the plant pleases with its beauty and abundant flowering.

Breeding

At the end of flowering on the moussend, fruits with seeds ripen, but it is quite difficult to propagate it in this way at home. WITHEmena sprout very badly, and most often they are used to produce hybrids.

You can multiply evergreen shrub apical cuttings. This is not to say that this method is very simple, but, knowing certain nuances and gaining patience, you can achieve the desired result. Before planting, the cuttings must be kept in a preparation that stimulates root growth. Another important factor is the air temperature during the procedure, it is important that the room was hot, at least 30 degrees, and humid. Also, the massend is propagated by layering and grafting.

Did you know? Moussenda is a close relative of coffee, the plants belong to the same family of Madorinaceae, which has more than 10,000 species and 600 genera.

Experts recommend purchasing flowering shrubs in specialized stores. The cost of such plants is quite high, but comparable to the decorativeness of the moussend.

A tropical beauty with proper care will surely delight you with abundant flowering and bring aesthetic pleasure.