Dichondra at home in winter. Ampelous dichondra: planting and care

Dichondra is the most prominent representative of ampelous plants that create an evergreen continuous cascade. This emerald or silver-ash cascade, created by long falling shoots of dichondra with small, almost rounded leaves, fascinates with its charm. Therefore, florists and landscape designers are so fond of using elegant varieties of dichondra with green and silver leaves for vertical compositions, which can create a unique decorative effect.

The main decorative value of dichondra is long thin shoots with an abundance of densely covering leaves with silky pubescence. In the summer, barely noticeable flowers periodically appear on its shoots.

Dichondra in nature, in the garden and at home

Dichondra belongs to the bindweed family, has ten different species.
In nature, dichondra is a herbaceous evergreen perennial that prefers marshy places or just well-moistened. She feels great in the tropical and subtropical climate of East Asia, America, New Zealand and Australia. Creeping stems of dichondra can reach one and a half meters in length. Crawling along the ground, they create a continuous decorative carpet (10-15 cm high) of small leaves.

Weaving vines of dichondra were discovered in nature a long time ago. Although simple appearance These naturally growing plants did not immediately attract the attention of landscapers and designers. They have recently begun to grow and use dichondrasilvery, or creeping(Dichondra argentea, Dichondra repens). And in Russia, this outlandish plant was first presented at a flower exhibition only in 2004. Due to its originality and unpretentiousness, dichondra immediately became in demand among professional flower growers and amateurs.
Florists cultivate mainly two varieties of this ampelous beauty, called "Emerald Waterfall" and "Silver Waterfall", using them for the garden, in home floriculture.

Dichondra in landscape design and indoor floriculture is used mainly for creating, in vertical gardening. It is planted in hanging baskets and tall pots, eventually forming beautiful cascading cascades of greenery and silver.
It is appropriate to plant dichondra to standard indoor plants in large containers - its shoots completely cover the soil and the surface of the flowerpot.
Dichondra is often used for background gardening, perfectly shading bright flower arrangements with its bright greens or silver leaves.

Growing dichondra

Dichondra in nature grows in climatic zones with high temperature air and chooses well-moistened places. Such conditions must be created for her. Abundant watering during the growth period and frequent irrigation of the leaves have a beneficial effect on the splendor of the growth of dichondra shoots. The optimum temperature of its content is 16-26 degrees.

Dichondra loves a lot sunlight(this is especially true of the variety with silver leaves). Due to the lack of sun, the plant may lose its unique decorative effect. This can lead to excessive stretching of bare shoots and crushing of dichondra leaves, losing their natural color.

In room conditions, dichondra requires location on the southern, well-lit windows. The green-leaved variety is not as demanding of sunlight, so it can be grown in lightly shaded windows and areas.
Dichondra is an excellent winter garden at rest, along with other houseplants.

Dichondra is undemanding to the composition of the soil; it can perfectly develop on any land. Loamy, well-drained, slightly acidic soil should be used for the best conditions.
The plant does not like stagnant moisture; this can cause rotting of the surface roots.

To give dichondra a beautiful shape, regular pinching of regrown stems is carried out. This procedure makes the bush more lush, giving impetus to the formation of numerous new shoots, and rejuvenates it.

In areas with a cold climate, heat-loving dichondra does not hibernate in open ground. Therefore, in the fall, before a cold snap, it is sent indoors, and with the onset of heat, it is again taken out into the open air.

Dichondra can be considered very resistant to damage by various. Being by nature, it resists various misfortunes well. Due to the increased soil moisture, it can be affected by a nematode, the appearance of which is easier to prevent than to subsequently deal with it.

Dichondra can be grown from seeds, as well as propagated by cuttings and layering. Vegetative propagation methods are simpler than seed propagation, and a decorative effect is also achieved faster, but they require the presence of a mother plant.

Reproduction of dichondra seeds

If it is not possible to keep dichondra indoors in winter, then it is sown annually, and then seedlings are planted in open ground. However, growing dichondra from seeds will take a long time because it is a long-growing plant. In the first year, it is not yet as decorative as an older, lush specimen.

The optimal time for sowing dichondra seeds for seedlings is.
To improve the germination of seeds before sowing, they should be treated with any.
Dichondra seeds are sown on the surface of the prepared earth and lightly sprinkled with earth, without compaction. Moisturizing the soil is carried out with a spray gun so as not to disturb its loose consistency. To create a greenhouse effect, the container with crops should be covered with a transparent film or glass, placed in a warm and well-lit place.

It takes about a week before the first shoots of dichondra appear. Gradually, it is necessary to accustom the seedlings to the open air, airing the greenhouse in the daytime. It is necessary to monitor the soil moisture and periodically feed the plants with a weak solution of mineral fertilizers, then the seedlings will be healthy and strong.
Only after 30-40 days the first true leaves appear on the sprouts of dichondra. This is a signal that it is time to dive seedlings. Seedlings are planted in separate pots, several copies in each pot, as well as.

With the onset of sustained heat, you can take the hardened dichondra out into the open air or transplant the grown seedlings into open ground.

Considering that this plant develops poorly in the first year of life, a young dichondra may not have time to please with its luxurious stream of stems and leaves during the season. Therefore, your pets are still better, i.e. grow dichondra as a perennial.

In the photo: dichondra seedlings with silvery leaves; dichondra seedlings with green leaves

Propagation of dichondra by cuttings and layering

Quick and easy propagation methods for dichondra are cuttings and rooting layering. Dichondra takes root perfectly and forms an independent plant, which, as it strengthens, can be planted in a permanent place.

If dichondra is grown as, then to form a beautiful crown, the ends of the stems must be periodically pinched or cut too long shoots. The cut cuttings are planted in moist soil, treated with a root formation stimulator.

When growing dichondra, as a part of the shoot, you can sprinkle it with earth, and after a while roots will appear in this place. Cutting off the rooted shoot from the main plant, we get a new copy. It can be transplanted or left in place to form a denser living carpet of dichondra leaves.

Features of caring for dichondra

Growing a beautiful, lush dichondra is an easy, but lengthy process. The plant is able to maintain its exquisite decorative effect for 5-7 years, subject to simple maintenance rules.
It is desirable that the earthen ball is always in a moist state, but stagnant water is unacceptable. In order to avoid leaf burns, it is better to water the ground cover plantings of dichondra in the evening.

Long shoots of dichondra love high humidity; this can be achieved by regular spraying of luxurious foliage. Daily spraying will significantly speed up the growth process, allowing you to build up a large leaf mass.

In the spring and summer, it is necessary to feed dichondra (twice a month) with fertilizers with a high nitrogen content.

The most vulnerable dichondra becomes in winter. Dry air in an ordinary apartment and a small amount of daylight can adversely affect the wonderful hair of the plant. Therefore, it is advisable to establish and regularly moisten luxurious foliage. Root top dressing once a month nourishes the sprouts well and allows dichondra leaves to remain fresh.

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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. Recently, more and more flower lovers are paying attention to this spectacular 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, hanging beautifully from hanging planters or filling the space of an 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 comes from New Zealand, where it grows naturally as 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 a 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 placed on closed 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 acquires a rich green hue and becomes the most dense and large.

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. Need to water dichondra early morning or in the 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- an important element of 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 advise using Ideal liquid fertilizer.
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, knocked out of the general shape 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 with the ground cover cultivation of 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 obtaining cuttings, from which it is grown immediately in a short period a large number of new copies.

Dichondra is recognized as one of the best decorative foliage plants in landscape design. It is grown in hanging pots or baskets as an independent element or as a background 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: a kind of green wall is obtained that closes the interior 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 flowering plants with upright shoots are placed in the center, an original garden composition is obtained 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!

The use of delightful ampelous dichondra in landscape design opens up great opportunities for creativity. Being in fact a weed, this culture is able to create a fabulous atmosphere both in the design of a park alley and on an ordinary balcony next to a climbing rose. At the same time, it can be cultivated as a picturesque ampelous plant in hanging planters, and as a ground cover element on alpine hills.

Dichondra creepers can reach almost one and a half meters in length, they are covered with small openwork leaves and small roots that allow them to curl and spread along the ground. To date, about a dozen species of this plant are known, but only two of them are used in horticulture - silver waterfall and emerald waterfall. From the name and photo of the plants, it is clear that whitish and green lianas are characteristic of one species, and rich green for the second.

To unusual properties of dichondra ampelous can be attributed to its dependence on the percentage of humidity. Like many plants native to the southern regions, it actively reacts to water and can quickly recover even after a severe drought. It is also interesting that spraying vines during the day significantly accelerates their growth.

Basically, ampelous dichondra received rave reviews thanks to vines, but its inflorescences are unremarkable and almost invisible.

Reproduction and growth conditions

Dichondra is propagated by seed and vegetatively in open ground or flowerpots, but since this crop does not withstand winter in our climate, it is preferable to use it as planting material. seeds.

Video 1. Planting dichondra seeds

The soil for this plant should be nutritious, of low or neutral acidity, but an excess of alkali in the soil affects dichondra negatively. Loams and sandy loams with the addition of peat are suitable.

Very often this flower is grown in hanging flowerpots and in this case it is important that the soil has good drainage properties.

The landing site should be with a variable shadow, but dichondra also feels quite good in open flower beds.

Since flowering does not matter when growing this crop, when sowing seedlings, only the growth time of the latter until it is ready for planting in open ground is taken into account. Usually, optimal time planting falls on the last week of February.

Planting seeds

You can take a shallow container for planting seedlings; food plastic containers are great. Seeds are pre-soaked in settled water at room temperature for about a couple of hours. You can use a root growth stimulator solution.

The soil is poured into a planting container and moistened well. Landing is carried out when the moisture completely saturates the soil and its excess goes into the pan. Seeds are laid out on the surface at a distance of five centimeters and covered with a layer of soil. For germination, seeds need to maintain a temperature regime of about twenty-two degrees Celsius.

First shoots appear within a week, and after ten days, complete germination occurs. At this time, it is necessary to maintain the temperature and monitor the soil moisture. As with most garden flowers, you can cover the crops with polyethylene for a greenhouse effect.

When shoots appear, the greenhouse is removed. With a lack of light, the plant may develop more slowly, and therefore, especially on cloudy days, it is important to perform additional lighting. The first three or four true leaves indicate the need for picking. At the same time, three seedlings are planted in one container, which will allow you to quickly get a lush bush of high decorativeness.

When growing in flowerpots, you can immediately dive into the main container, but leave it in a warm room.

For the active growth of dichondra, as mentioned above, foliar spraying plays an important role. In the first months of growth, it is performed approximately once a day, usually in the morning and evening, then watered depending on the weather and the required volume of the bush. By the way, vines do not grow more than one meter in hanging planters.

Transplanting to open flower beds and the transfer of flowerpots to fresh air is performed in May, when warm weather sets in. In the flower bed, plants are planted at a distance of about forty centimeters. When forming an alpine hill, dichondra is planted last, because growing, it can cover the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe site and planting other flowers will be difficult. The transplant itself is carried out together with a lump of soil on the root system.

To maintain decorativeness, the vines are cut, and the cut parts are used for grafting. Fertilizing the soil, as for coleus, is performed once a month using complex nitrogenous fertilizers.

Among the main dichondra enemies it is worth noting the nematode, for the control of which a series of spraying with insecticides (for example, mercaptophos) should be carried out up to four times with an interval of five days.

Video 2. Dichondra - a silvery waterfall in your garden

Dichondra began to be used in floriculture quite recently. And after receiving a silver medal at an exhibition held in the summer of 2004 in Moscow, silver dichondra gained popularity. And its popularity is growing all the time. This original evergreen plant helps create the illusion of a silvery waterfall, lake or stream in the garden. It is this property of the plant, as well as the ability to grow as an ampelous, and as a groundcover, that attracts the attention of garden designers. For this reason, questions regarding the new exotic guest, of course, are of concern to many, even experienced flower growers. The article discusses some of the nuances of the problems of caring for and growing a silver waterfall.

Description

The creeping silver creeper has several names: bud weed, nickel creeper, silver pony hoof, silver (or silver) waterfall. The plant is from the genus of evergreen ampelous annuals, and in warm regions and perennials of a huge family of bindweeds. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions. Its place of growth is Australia, Asia and the southern regions of North America. But if it is grown in middle lane, it should be put into the room for the winter. Perennial roots grow close to the surface. They are also creeping, like the ground part of the plant.

The stems of the silvery waterfall are long. Sometimes they reach one and a half - two meters, but do not rise above 25 cm in height. Branching, creeping, they quickly take root in leaf nodules.

The leaves of a perennial vine are simple, alternate. They have long petioles. The leaves are entire, growing in pairs. More often, the leaves resemble small hearts or are kidney-shaped. Their diameter is not more than 2.5 cm. The color of the leaves of this type of dichondra is silvery. It was they who became the reason for such close attention of gardeners and decorators.

Dichondra has inconspicuous, tiny flowers that are purple, whitish or yellowish green. They gather in small inflorescences. Vertically, their size is not more than 3 mm, and the flowers are only 2-2.5 mm in diameter. Flowers are simply lost among the foliage, therefore they are not interesting when decorating the interior. The plant blooms around mid-May and flowering continues until September.

The fruits of the plant have the shape of a spherical box, which contains two two-dimensional capsules with seeds covered with hairs. There are very few of them in each capsule.

In the middle latitude of Russia, the creeping beauty has more than ten varieties, but these are the most common:

silvery dichondra, forming a dense silver-gray rug on the ground, the main difference of which is the beautiful silver shade of the leaves and long creeping stems;
the silver waterfall has longer stems, and is somewhat reminiscent of a stream of pouring water;
dichondra "Emerald Falls", the leaves of which stand out with a bright green tint.

Read also: Anemones - gentle colors in the garden

Experienced gardeners advise growing a silver waterfall in special hanging pots or planters. The plant gained immense popularity due to its resistance to diseases, ease of care and unusual leaf color.

Variety "Emerald Falls", unlike silver, is shade-loving, so it is recommended for growing in shady places in the garden.

Care

For a dichondra silver waterfall plant, the cultivation and care conditions are very simple and accessible to everyone, since it is unpretentious. But still, you need to know some points in order to fully grow a plant.

Humidity

Dichondra does not require advanced level humidity, although, being a resident of humid regions, it does well with high levels of humidity and spraying.

Lighting

A variety of dichondra with silvery leaves can grow in the sun and in the shade, but it feels more comfortable in the sun or in partial shade.

Temperature

The optimum air temperature for this variety of dichondra is 18-24 ° C. If the temperature is lowered to 10 ° C, the plant may die.

Watering

For the Silvery Falls, abundant and frequent watering is better, but stagnation of moisture at the rhizome can be detrimental to the vine. Therefore, in the flowerpot where it is planted, high-quality drainage is required. The plant can tolerate short-term drought, but only short-term.

top dressing

Silver Falls from mid-spring until the fall should be fed with complex fertilizers intended for decorative deciduous indoor flowers every two weeks. From autumn to spring, the plant does not need to be fertilized. After top dressing, it is necessary to wash the leaves and stems of the vine to avoid their burns with fertilizers. But it is better to alternate nitrogen fertilizers when fertilizing with mineral .

Experienced gardeners advise when transplanting to use a long-term top dressing. Nitrogen fertilizers are ideal for these plants.

Transfer

The ampelous Dichondra in the middle lane is classified as an annual plant, therefore cuttings are carried out in the spring.

Priming

Dichondra is not whimsical to soils, but it is more comfortable for her on loams. Recommended for "Silver Falls" acidity level pH 6.6 - 8. Suitable for her and universal primer, which is sold in stores for decorative indoor foliage flowers.

pruning

The flower needs regular pruning to become a branching and beautiful vine. It is pinched and cut to give splendor.

reproduction

Dichondra silver waterfall propagated by seeds, using stem cuttings or layering. It is not propagated by the method of deletion of the bushes due to the possible death if the rhizome is damaged. With any method of growing seedlings, they should be watered with warm water, preferably settled.

seeds

Seeds for seedlings begin to be sown from January to March. For this purpose, you must select a cup or container. On the soil of the container, you need to prepare "seed beds", where the seeds are placed on the surface of moist, slightly acidic or neutral soil, and then sprinkled a little with sand or soil. The depth at which the seeds are sown should not exceed 0.5 cm. Before sowing the seeds, the land must be treated with pesticides. The container is covered with a plastic bag and placed in a room where constant air humidity and a temperature of about 23°C are maintained. Humidity should be higher. After eight days, the first sprouts will appear, and then the humidity inside the small greenhouse will need to be reduced. But it must be borne in mind that high humidity is maintained by spraying, and not by watering.

The first leaves of germinated seedlings differ from the leaves of the silver waterfall dichondra liana. In a few days, true leaves will appear. After their appearance, plants can dive. Once the seedlings have germinated and are 7 cm tall, the tops can be trimmed to encourage additional branching.

A transplant can be done for the first time after a month and a half, but it depends on weather conditions. Wait until the danger of frost has passed. And the maximum decorativeness of the Silver Falls comes after 3 months. All summer the plant will retain its beauty. Care for seedlings is the same as for adult specimens. The most beautiful seedlings become 3-4 months after germination. By the way, this vine can also be propagated by seeds directly on lawns, but this is how it is propagated in warm areas.

stem cuttings

It is easier to propagate the plant using stem cuttings. For this purpose, branches about 6 cm long are prepared, on which there are three leaf knots. Each stem for rooting is stuck into a soft, slightly acidic substrate to a depth of 3 cm. After that, the cuttings are watered with a growth stimulator solution and covered with polyethylene, and placed in a lighted place (preferably on the windowsill of the south window).

Important to know: rooting cuttings require maintaining a constant temperature, not lower than 18 ° C, but not higher than 24 ° C.

Roots appear quite quickly, in a week or two. Humidity, as with the seed method of propagation, is maintained by spraying. Cuttings are prepared for propagation in the autumn, and until late spring they should grow indoors. They are transplanted outside when frost is no longer possible.

Dichondra is a perennial evergreen plant of the Bindweed family. characteristic feature is the presence of creeping stems, reaching one and a half meters in length, which made it possible to use it in gardening as an ampelous plant.

Also, the stems have superficial roots that form in the internodes, due to which they easily take root and can be grown as ground cover plants. The leaves are rounded (1-3 cm in diameter) and cover the stems with a continuous dense cover. Dichondra blooms with small white, pale yellow or greenish flowers, which do not exceed 2-3 mm in diameter.

Species and varieties

(creeping ) is one of the best decorative deciduous crops that can decorate even the most nondescript landscapes. It has a rich appearance, which captivates many landscape designers and gardeners.

The special value of this liana is considered to be long cascading shoots that give the impression of a flowing waterfall. From which the name of the two most popular varieties of ampelous dichondra came from.

- an evergreen creeping plant, has round green leaves located on short branches. It is worth noting that the foliage that gets more sunlight is smaller in size than the one that is in the shade. Blooms inconspicuous small yellow-green flowers.

- differs from the previous species in the color of the leaves, which has a silver-ash tint, a slightly pubescent surface and silky in appearance. The leaves are arranged on longer stems.

A characteristic feature is the fact that the leaves may lose their decorative effect if you choose a location (or planting) in the shade. Lack of sunlight will result in the loss of such a charming silvery shade of leaves.

Dichondra ampel planting and care

For dichodra, which has green foliage, both a sunny place and a shade are suitable, but for silvery species it is better to choose a well-lit place for location.

The optimum temperature can be considered within 20-25 ° C, lowering below 15 ° C is undesirable, therefore, in winter, dichondra requires shelter. This is due to the fact that this delicate flower is quite thermophilic and prefers to grow in natural conditions on moist soils and high air temperatures.

Therefore, those specimens that were planted directly in open ground must be carefully dug up, planted in a pot and brought into a room with a temperature of 18-20 ° C and stored until spring. Shelters are also required by those specimens that were outdoors in pots or hanging planters. Otherwise, the dichondra will freeze and disappear, and in this case it can be considered an annual plant.

Watering dichondra

The plant is not particularly demanding on high humidity, but on especially dry and stuffy summer days it would be the right decision to spray dichondra from a spray bottle (several times a day), for which she will thank you with lush, active growth, flowering and rich color foliage.

Abundant watering is preferable, but water stagnation is not allowed, so good drainage is required, and if water still remains (does not absorb) in the pan after irrigation, then it must be drained. Water should be warm and settled. If possible, you can use settled rainwater.

Top dressing dichondra

Complex mineral fertilizer (for decorative leafy plants) is applied only in the spring and summer twice a month.

Soil for dichondra

Pruning dichondra

Pruning is one of the important components proper care. Thanks to this procedure, the growth of the plant is ensured not only in length, but also in breadth, thereby creating the density, which is so necessary in creating compositions. In addition, pruning contributes to a wide variety of shapes.

Dichondra ampelous cultivation from seeds

Seeds are sown in boxes with a pre-moistened substrate and are slightly pressed down, but not covered with earth from above. After that, the box is covered with glass.

After a week and a half, seedlings begin to hatch, all this time the temperature around the box should be maintained at 20-23 ° C, if this is not possible, then on sunny days put the box closer to the windowsill.

After the emergence of seedlings for another two to three months, the growth of dichondra is insignificant (slowed down), only after at least 5-7 fully opened leaves appear, then rooting was successful and young plants can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence.

Dichondra propagation by cuttings

Propagation by cuttings is quite simple. Cuttings 5-7 cm long are selected (cut off) and rooted in moist soil under a jar or cut plastic bottle. After 1-2 weeks, rooting will occur and they can be transplanted into pots.

Reproduction of dichondra by layering

When propagated by layering, a long stem is selected (without cutting off from the mother plant), laid out along the ground and pressed down in several places (at a distance of 7-8 cm).

After rooting, this stem is cut, and in the places of rooting they dig and carefully dig out each individual process with a root and plant it in separate pots.

Diseases and pests

It has been noticed that dichondra is an ampelous plant that is very resistant to damage by various pests, and practically does not get sick. Even if trouble happens with this beautiful plant, everything can be easily fixed.

Select healthy areas of the plant and transplant (root). The propagation process is so simple that some prefer to use dichondra as an annual plant and plant new ones every year. Who likes it.