More and more amateur gardeners who want to decorate their home or garden with flowers choose the perennial catharanthus plant, which came to us from countries with a tropical climate and pleases the eye with the lush bloom of bright and delicate flowers for up to six months.
For successful planting, it would be useful to use a few tips that will help create a unique look for any flower bed.
When is the best time to plant in open ground?
Catharanthus is very sensitive to cold, so it is better to sow it for seedlings in March, and plant it in open ground at the end of May - beginning of June, the main thing is that the frosts have ended and the air temperature during the day is at least 20 degrees.
Before planting, the seedlings can be taken outside, gradually increasing the time they stay outdoors to a whole day, and after such hardening, the catharanthus will certainly delight you with its rapid growth and lush flowering.
Where will catharanthus feel at home?
Catharanthus likes to grow in semi-shaded and sunny places, but not under the scorching rays of the sun. In heavily shaded areas it stretches out and stops blooming. The plant also does not like drafts and cold winds, so it would be better to choose a warm place for it, hidden from the wind.
Soil for planting in open ground
Before planting seedlings, the soil must be dug up.Catharanthus is not very whimsical, but it is advisable to meet some conditions in order for it to successfully take root in a new place. Firstly, the composition of the soil should not be overly acidic, salty or clayey. Sandy soils suit it much better. In addition, the plant develops favorably in nutritious, loose and light soil.
Ideally, a mixture of humus, leaf, turf soil, peat and sand is made for catharanthus. It is good if it is possible to regularly loosen the soil, which will allow the roots to receive sufficient oxygen and carbon dioxide necessary for growth.
Moisture for catharanthus
In order for the plant to develop to its full potential from the moment of planting in open ground and to bloom throughout the warm season, it constantly needs to be in slightly moist soil, in which too much moisture does not stagnate. To obtain such conditions, use expanded clay, perlite or broken brick drainage when planting.
Another landing secret
Catharanthus bushes can grow up to 150 cm in diameter, depending on the type. Here everything depends on your desire: if you need to get a flower carpet in a flowerbed, take the species with the greatest branching, and if you want to limit yourself to compact bushes, give preference to species whose shoots grow vertically. Seedling bushes should be planted at a distance of 20–25 cm from each other.
Thanks to breeding achievements, today flower growers are provided with a huge selection of catharanthus species and varieties, suitable for both indoor growing and for planting in open ground, which will allow everyone to find their own.
I saw catharanthus growing in the sun in Egypt, and I also plant it in the sun. It grows well. I live in the Krasnodar region.
I plant catharanthus in the sun and water it a lot. Blooms until cold weather
I live in Kazakhstan with a sharply continental climate. I keep catharanthus on the windowsill in winter, and in summer I plant it in the sun. Never fails. This year I acquired an ampelous variety.