Balsam (wet vanka): features of home care

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Balsam (lat. Impatiens ) – an annual or perennial plant of the Balsam family. Under natural conditions, it grows in the tropics and subtropics of Asian and African countries. The people call it “wet vanka” because of the peculiarity of emitting drops on the leaf plates after watering. So the flower gets rid of excess moisture. Balsam is grown indoors and outdoors. The article will discuss how to grow this culture on the windowsill.

Description

Balsam or wet vanka is a herbaceous plant, which is a spherical bush up to 40 cm high. It has branching stems, consisting of many lateral fleshy translucent bright green branches. The leaves are obovate, pointed at the base, with small teeth along the edge.

Leaf plates can be green, reddish or bronze. Their surface is smooth or velvety, depending on the variety. During flowering, the plant produces many buds of various colors. Popular varieties with pink, orange, red, purple, lilac, white, coral, white flowers.

The flowering of this culture is not only intense, but also long-lasting. Balsam can bloom for 2 – 3 months.

Moreover, the plant in good conditions blooms several times a year. After flowering, fruits remain on the bush – boxes with seeds, which crack at the slightest touch, after which the seeds spill out to the ground or to the side. Germination of balsam seeds is 7 years.

The photo below shows how the balsam room vanka looks like wet, how impressive it looks during the flowering period:

Reproduction

This flower is obtained using seeds and cuttings, choosing the most preferred method. It is worth noting that each of them is equally effective and allows you to get a young plant with maternal characteristics. However, cuttings can only be carried out by the grower who already has an adult copy of the wet vanka. Otherwise, you will have to purchase seeds in the store. Sowing material is also obtained at home from a bush that has formed fruits.

Having chosen the seed method of reproduction, it is first necessary to soak the seeds for a day in a weak solution of manganese. After that, plant them in containers with a nutritious, well-permeable substrate.

Cover with a film on top to create greenhouse conditions that are important for successful seed germination. The specimens obtained in this way will begin to bloom 5 months after planting.

When propagating by cuttings, planting material should be cut from the tops of the stems and placed in water or in the ground. Within a short time, the cuttings will take root. After that, they can be planted in pots with a fertile loose substrate and removed to a permanent place.

Breeding features

The spectacular flower balsam vanka is wet, growing at home, demanding care, but in response to care and attention, it responds with long flowering, during which the bush is strewn with bright buds. During this period, the plant looks truly luxurious, and for several months becomes an expressive accent of the interior.

  • Location. This flower is photophilous and is able to maintain decorativeness only in sufficiently bright light. The best place for it will be the windowsill of east and west orientation. You can put the pot on the south window, but in order for the scorching rays not to damage the plant, you will have to create shading. Roly wet should be lit for 14 hours a day, regardless of the time of year. For this reason, additional artificial illumination is required in autumn and winter. The lack of lighting negatively affects the development of the plant. The stems begin to stretch, the leaves fade and fall, the formation of buds is very poor.
  • Watering. In spring and autumn, watering should be moderate, but regular. Between water procedures, you should wait for the top layer of the earth to dry out by 1 cm. In the cold season, the frequency of watering should be reduced to 1 time per week. After watering, it is useful to loosen the soil in the pot to ensure air flow to the roots. For irrigation use settled water. Excess moisture from the pan must be poured immediately so as not to cause root rot.
  • Air humidity. Indicators of air humidity are very important for the normal health of the flower. In this case, it is recommended to focus on the air temperature in the room. If it is within 23 degrees, additional moisture will not be necessary. If the temperature is higher, you will need to install a humidifier near the pot, or a container of water. This culture does not respond positively to daily spraying of foliage, with the exception of the autumn-winter period.
  • Air temperature. In the spring and summer, in the room where the wet vanka is grown, it is recommended to maintain a temperature range of 19 to 25 degrees. In the cold season, this plant should be kept at a temperature of 15 – 17 degrees. It must be remembered that temperatures below 12 degrees will negatively affect the plant. It can get sick and die.
  • Topdressing. As a top dressing, universal mineral compositions for indoor flowers are suitable. Fertilizer should contain potassium and phosphorus. The soil is enriched from early spring to mid-autumn. This work is carried out during irrigation. Fertilizer is diluted in water at the dosage indicated in the instructions. Pour under a bush, trying not to get on the leaves. It is not recommended to use nitrogen-containing compounds as a top dressing for balsam, which provoke an active growth of green mass and inhibit bud formation.
  • Transfer. The flower is transplanted in spring and summer after the need arose, for example, if the root system has become cramped in the same pot. Transplantation is carried out by transshipment. The plant is removed from a pot with a clod of earth and placed in a new container, filling up the earth almost to the edge, retreating 2 cm from it. After transplanting, the soil is moistened, the bush is placed for 3-4 days in a shaded place for better adaptation. Feed after a couple of weeks.
  • Wintering. This plant does not have a dormant period, but caring for balsam with a wet winter at home is a little different from usual. As noted above, watering is reduced, but not allowing the substrate to dry out, as a result of which the bush can shed foliage and buds. Spraying is carried out if the air in the room is dry. When spraying the foliage, do not fall on the flowers.

Top dressing at this time is not required, but only on condition that the balsam does not bloom. A bush that blooms in autumn or winter needs to be fed with a mineral complex.

Growing problems

With good care, balsam develops strong immunity. A weakened plant is exposed to the invasion of harmful insects and fungal diseases. Most often, this culture is attacked by a spider mite, which appears as a result of rare watering and dry indoor air.

Another common pest of wet vanka is sciarid. These insects settle on parts of the flower due to frequent watering with excess moisture in the soil. Having found pests, they fight them with the help of insecticides.

Problems in growing this crop appear as a result of unsuitable conditions for it. So, from a lack of light, the stems are stretched, the leaves curl and fade, the buds are formed in small quantities.

Excessive heat or vice versa, low temperatures lead to drying and falling of leaves. Midges and other pests settle in a constantly waterlogged substrate.

Taking into account the peculiarities of wet vanka when breeding it and observing the rules for caring for it, the above problems can be avoided. If the plant is already sick, it is important to examine it for the presence of harmful insects; in their absence, it is worth reconsidering the tactics of keeping balsam in the apartment, correcting possible errors associated with care.

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Wednesday, November 8, 2023