Asclepias

Gender Asclepias, Gusset, or Asclepias, includes 120 species of herbaceous perennial resistant and tender plants with milky juice. The leaves are simple, the flowers are fragrant. Asclepias syriaca is a rhizomatous plant with a height of 1.5-2.0 m. In Europe, it is called "cotton grass", because in place of pink fragrant flowers collected in umbrella-shaped inflorescences, seed pods are formed, around which white seeds covered with "cotton" fibers are located in the open form. Asklepias curassavica is a delicate root-springing species with a height of 70-90 cm, with simple lanceolate leaves and orange-red flowers that bloom in summer and autumn. It is grown as an indoor annual and in the open ground. 'Happy - go-lucky mixed butterfly' is characterized by two-tone flowers-yellow-red. Asclepias shrubby (A. fruticosa) grows up to 1.5 m high, with lanceolate leaves gathered in whorls and umbrella-shaped inflorescences of white flowers that bloom in spring and summer. Asclepias meat-red (A. incarnata) is a stable rhizomatous species with a height of more than 1 m, with lanceolate leaves and pink flowers blooming in summer, collected in umbrellas with a diameter of 5 cm. Asclepias the beautiful (A. speciosa) - a delicate species with a height of 70-80 cm, with egg-shaped leaves, greenish-pink flowers collected in umbrellas. Asclepias tuberosa (A. tuberosa) is a stable species that does not secrete milk juice, 40-60 cm high, with tuberous thickened roots, oblong leaves and umbrellas consisting of waxy bright orange flowers that bloom in summer.

Gender Asclepias, Gusset, or Asclepias, includes 120 species of herbaceous perennial resistant and tender plants with milky juice. The leaves are simple, the flowers are fragrant. Asclepias syriaca is a rhizomatous plant with a height of 1.5-2.0 m. In Europe, it is called "cotton grass", because in place of pink fragrant flowers collected in umbrella-shaped inflorescences, seed pods are formed, around which white seeds covered with "cotton" fibers are located in the open form.

Asklepias curassavica is a delicate root-springing species with a height of 70-90 cm, with simple lanceolate leaves and orange-red flowers that bloom in summer and autumn. It is grown as an indoor annual and in the open ground. 'Happy - go-lucky mixed butterfly' is characterized by two-tone flowers-yellow-red.

Asclepias shrubby (A. fruticosa) grows up to 1.5 m high, with lanceolate leaves gathered in whorls and umbrella-shaped inflorescences of white flowers that bloom in spring and summer.

Asclepias meat-red (A. incarnata) is a stable rhizomatous species with a height of more than 1 m, with lanceolate leaves and pink flowers blooming in summer, collected in umbrellas with a diameter of 5 cm.

Asclepias the beautiful (A. speciosa) - a delicate species with a height of 70-80 cm, with egg-shaped leaves, greenish-pink flowers collected in umbrellas.

Asclepias tuberosa (A. tuberosa) is a stable species that does not secrete milk juice, 40-60 cm high, with tuberous thickened roots, oblong leaves and umbrellas consisting of waxy bright orange flowers that bloom in summer.

Cultivation

Gusset are grown in the open ground or in pots on balconies and terraces. Tender species can be grown in the open ground as annuals or in pots and removed to the house in the fall. The soil is preferably fertile, dry, neutral or slightly acidic. For potting, the substrate is prepared from turf or leafy land (50%), peat (25%) and sand (25%), and a long-acting mineral fertilizer is applied at the rate of 30-40 g per bucket of soil. The diameter of the pot should be from 14-15 cm to 18-20 cm. Resistant species are planted in a permanent place in autumn or early spring, observing a distance of 30 cm to 1 m, depending on the condition of the seedlings.

Location

Always preferred - open sunny.

Temperature

For resistant species (meat-red asclepias, Syrian asclepias), temperature is not a determining factor in cultivation. For tender species, the minimum air temperature is 7-8 °C.

Watering

Water abundantly, but monitor the constant moisture content of the soil, without stagnation of water.

Transplant

Transplanted in the spring, using more spacious pots.

Reproduction

Propagated most often by seeds and division of bushes, as well as by cuttings. Sowing is carried out at the end of winter in containers covered with glass or plastic. Use a peat-based substrate at a minimum temperature of 15 °C. Seedlings dive one at a time into pots; keep in a bright, warm place and water abundantly. Cuttings easily take root in April. If the plants are very overgrown, you can divide the Bush in autumn or spring, planting the resulting parts directly into the ground.

Diseases

Leaf spots can be caused by infection with fungi of the genera Cercospora and Phylosticta, but treatment with fungicides is rarely required. The same applies to rust caused by fungi of the genera Puccinia and Uromyces. Plants covered with mosaics (a disease caused by a virus), with uneven spots on the leaves, are recommended to be removed.

Acquisition

Seeds can be purchased in large flower nurseries and horticultural centers. Check their freshness, it guarantees germination. For example, asclepias kurasovskiy, sell in the spring in pots.