Akebia

To the genus Akebia (akebia) belong to shrubby evergreen or partially deciduous lianas. Flowers collected in small brushes, dark purple, partly hidden by foliage, spread a pleasant aroma. Fruits are elongated berries, dark gray-purple in color, edible, contain numerous seeds, ripen only in very hot summers in the presence of plants of different origin (clones). Three-leaved Akebia (AkaBia trifoliate) - a species with characteristic leaves of three ovate leaflets on a single petiole. Flowers bloom in April-may. English quintuple, chocolate or grapes (A. quinata), a semi-evergreen (depending on temperature and humidity) species with complex non-pinnate leaves consisting of five oblong leaflets (hence the name). The flowers are dark chocolate in color with a pleasant vanilla aroma; they bloom in late spring.

To the genus Akebia (akebia) belong to shrubby evergreen or partially deciduous lianas. Flowers collected in small brushes, dark purple, partly hidden by foliage, spread a pleasant aroma. Fruits are elongated berries, dark gray-purple in color, edible, contain numerous seeds, ripen only in very hot summers in the presence of plants of different origin (clones).

Three-leaved Akebia (AkaBia trifoliate) - a species with characteristic leaves of three ovate leaflets on a single petiole. Flowers bloom in April-may.

English quintuple, chocolate or grapes (A. quinata), a semi-evergreen (depending on temperature and humidity) species with complex non-pinnate leaves consisting of five oblong leaflets (hence the name). The flowers are dark chocolate in color with a pleasant vanilla aroma; they bloom in late spring.

Cultivation

Akebia is usually grown in the open ground - its stems curl along a wire or other plants. The crop is used to cover walls, fences, and in cold winters it can be grown in pots on balconies and terraces, removing it for the winter in the house. Akebia is one of the few decorative vines that can be planted against cool, shaded walls. It prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soil. When growing in pots, the substrate is made up of fertile leafy land and peat-sand mixture, add 30 g of full mineral fertilizer to a bucket of soil. In spring and summer, once every 20-30 days, mineral fertilizer is added to the water for irrigation in the amount of 10-20 g per bucket. Prune after flowering, remove dry branches. Akebia easily produces layers that take root at the base of the plant and grow quickly.

Akebia is usually grown in the open ground - its stems curl along a wire or other plants. The crop is used to cover walls, fences, and in cold winters it can be grown in pots on balconies and terraces, removing it for the winter in the house. Akebia is one of the few decorative vines that can be planted against cool, shaded walls. It prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soil. When growing in pots, the substrate is made up of fertile leafy land and peat-sand mixture, add 30 g of full mineral fertilizer to a bucket of soil. In spring and summer, once every 20-30 days, mineral fertilizer is added to the water for irrigation in the amount of 10-20 g per bucket. Prune after flowering, remove dry branches.

Akebia easily produces layers that take root at the base of the plant and grow quickly.

Location

Akebia likes bright sunlight.

Temperature

These plants are quite hardy to fluctuations in air temperature.

Watering

It is necessary only for young plants and during prolonged droughts.

Transplant

Transplant once every 2 years in the spring, using more spacious pots than before, or replacing part of the old soil.

Reproduction

The most common method is propagation by cuttings. In late spring, take semi-lignified cuttings 10-15 cm long or in summer - lignified cuttings, plant them in a mixture of peat and sand and constantly maintain the soil in a moist state. After the formation of roots, the seedlings are transplanted into pots and kept in a cool room until the next year, when in spring or autumn they are finally planted in the ground. Another method of reproduction is by layering in autumn; cut branches from below and dig them in, after the formation of roots, the next year, separate them from the mother specimen. Less use of plant division, this is done at the end of winter. Both layers and parts of the Bush are immediately planted in a permanent place on the site.

Diseases

Problems that most often occur with plants when they are grown in pots are rotting roots due to excessive watering or poor drainage of the land used. This can be prevented by applying a lighter substrate and carefully monitoring watering. Other fairly frequent damage is caused by severe frosts, which lead to the death of the most tender shoots of Akebia.

Acquisition

These plants are pretty easy to find the best garden centers and specialty nurseries, especially Akebia fivefold. To make the vines grow quickly, choose small specimens.