Ixia is a plant from the Iris family, which has a bright, memorable appearance and is a decoration for a summer cottage. Ixia has been known to gardeners for a long time - since the end of the 18th century, which made it possible to develop many different varieties of the plant. To make Ixia pleasing to the eye for a long time, it is enough to follow simple tips.
When is the best time to plant seeds?
April and May are considered suitable times for planting. The first flowers will appear in June and will bloom until the end of summer. Ixia is sensitive to frost, so it is not recommended to plant it in autumn or early spring, when there is a danger of sudden cold snap.
How can Ixia be propagated without seeds?
For novice gardeners, propagating Ixia by seeds will be quite difficult, because the plant is capricious and too sensitive to weather changes. It will be much easier to propagate Ixia using root shoots. To do this, it is enough to wait for the adult plant to flower, and then split off the so-called tubers (babies) from its tuber. The Ixia that grows from such a shoot will bloom in 2–3 years.
Best place in the garden
As mentioned above, the plant is capricious, so you need to choose a sunny and warm place. It is advisable that it be protected from the wind and grow on flat rather than hilly land.
Correct selection of soil
This plant loves fertile soil, rich in minerals, but with a neutral (not alkaline or acidic) reaction.Therefore, it will grow well on black soil or only in the presence of fertilizers. It is advisable to add sand mixed with compost to the soil before planting. The plant loves moisture, but there should not be stagnation of water.
How often do you water Ixia?
Immediately after the first shoots appear, the plant begins to be watered abundantly and every day. Most often this is done during the appearance of buds and the first flowers. It is advisable that mineral fertilizers be added to the water for irrigation if the soil is not too fertile.
Growing Ixia at home or in a greenhouse
Many would not refuse to have such a beautiful plant at home. The only problem is that the southern flower needs a lot of sunlight. Therefore, in a dark room or in a greenhouse, you will have to organize additional artificial light. In addition, before abundant flowering begins, you will have to maintain a fairly low temperature - up to 13 degrees Celsius, which will be difficult to achieve in an apartment.
How to prepare a plant for wintering
The southern flower will not overwinter in open ground. Therefore, before the onset of cold weather, the bulbs are dug out of the ground, and then treated with potassium permanganate and dried so that they do not germinate at the wrong time. The bulbs are then placed in the refrigerator until next spring. If you don’t want to part with the plant for the winter, you can try replanting it in a pot and leaving it in the apartment.
Mold on tubers
If you do not provide Ixia with the right soil in which water does not stagnate, mold may appear on the tubers.In order to avoid stagnation of water, you can try adding a little sand to the ground.
Why doesn't Ixia bloom?
This flower almost never blooms in the first year, but if this continues for several years in a row, it is worth reconsidering some growing factors. It often happens that ixia does not bloom if it lacks sunny color, and also when there are not enough microelements in the soil. You can try adding some organic fertilizer or replanting the plant next year in a drier, warmer place.
If you follow these simple tips, Ixia will please the eye and decorate your summer cottage for many years. Despite the fact that this is a rather demanding flower, there is nothing difficult about growing Ixia.
