The best varieties of terry Balsam, home care

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Balsam terry is one of the most beautiful representatives of the Balsam family. It is distinguished by lush bright buds, which are formed in large quantities on the bush throughout the year. This is a showy flower, often found in the apartment, valued not only for its appearance, but also for its low maintenance requirements.

Description

Balsam terry – a plant with branching smooth stems, forming a dense lush bush. The color of the stems varies from light to deep green. There are varieties with a purple tint of shoots. The root system is located near the soil surface. Consists of thin strong thread-like roots.

The leaves are simple, opposite or alternate, oval or lanceolate, with entire or serrated edges, with long petioles. The length of the leaf plates is 7–12 cm, the width is 7–8 cm. Reddish glands are visible along the edge of the leaves.

Inflorescences – umbrella, including about 12 flowers, or single. Terry balsam flowers can have a regular and irregular shape, their size in diameter is 4–6 cm. The color scheme of flowers is varied, but red shades predominate. Flowering is year-round.

The fruit is a rounded fleshy box with seeds. When ripe, it opens easily, releasing the seeds outward, as a result of which they scatter 1–2 m from the mother plant.

Varieties

In indoor floriculture, terry varieties are very successful. The reason for this is the luxurious appearance of plants strewn with expressive buds.

“Athena” is a popular variety of terry balsam, recognized as one of the most beautiful due to its lush flowers with a diameter of 15 cm. Outwardly, the buds resemble carnation flowers. The color of the petals is burgundy, white, purple. The bush reaches 20 cm in height.

“Athena Aphrodite” – an expressive variety with flowers that combine boiling white and scarlet shades.

“Athena Artemis” – a bush consisting of numerous stems, studded with large flowers of rich red color.

“Athena Demeter” is a sprawling plant reaching 30 cm in height. It consists of thin shoots, covered with large bright green foliage, and flowers of snow-white, light pink and scarlet hue.

“Athena Juno” – a bush about 40 cm high, covered with beautiful emerald foliage. During the flowering period, it forms light pink inflorescences.

“Pallas Athena” – a variety 30 – 40 cm high, forming purple buds.

“Athena Moth” – a plant with elongated, jagged leaves along the edge of a bright green color. The buds are lush, pale pink, lilac and red colors.

“Tempo” is a low-growing variety with a height of 20 – 25 cm. It has beautiful flowers of coral, purple, pink hues.

“Accent” – a variety that reaches no more than 15 cm in height. Differs in bright flowers with petals of red and pink color.

“Tom Somb” – a plant with oval, pointed at the end of the foliage, which has small teeth. Flowers with a large number of petals, rich pink tint.

“Farefly” – the flowers of this variety are bright pink in color, there are red spots in the central part of the petals.

“Strawberry with cream” – a compact bush with strongly branching shoots. It has multi-petal flowers that combine red and white tones. The variety blooms for a long time and plentifully, even being in the shade.

“Athena Appleblossom” is an ampelous variety of terry balsam with flowers 4 cm in diameter, consisting of several rows of petals. Color white and pink. This plant is intended for growing in hanging vases.

“Boy with a finger” – a sprawling bush with many branching stems. The flowers are purple, burgundy, white, pink.

“Cute” – a white variety of terry balsam, which is a small bush densely covered with emerald foliage. Flowers consist of several rows of large petals.

“Salmon Chiffon” – has large inflorescences of salmon color. Differs in long flowering.

A selection of photos of indoor varieties of terry balsam is presented below, where you can consider the distinctive features of each of them:

Reproduction

New specimens of terry balsam are obtained using seeds and cuttings. Seed material before planting for 15 minutes is placed in a light pink solution of manganese to prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases.

Seeds are distributed over the surface of the substrate, sprinkled with a layer of sand on top, covered with a film to create the necessary microclimate.

When sprouts appear, the film is removed. When young plants have a second leaf, they are seated in pots with a diameter of 7 – 8 cm.

The second method of propagation of balsam is more suitable for flower growers who have some experience in this work. Shoots 6-8 cm long with 3-4 leaves are cut into cuttings so that the cut is oblique.

Movements when cutting cuttings should be fast and confident. The cuttings are placed in a glass of settled water. After roots form on them, they are transplanted into a pot with soil.

Care

  • Lighting. In order for this culture to form a large number of buds, to remain attractive for several years, you should choose well-lit places in the apartment for it. South facing window sills are suitable. To protect the flower from direct scorching sunlight, blinds or curtains are fixed on the windows. Eastern window sills will also be the best place to place this plant.
  • Air temperature. Homemade terry balsam is thermophilic, the comfortable temperature range for it is 20 – 28 degrees. In winter, during the dormant period, the flower should be transferred to cooler conditions with a temperature of 17 degrees.
  • Watering. The plant needs regular watering, does not tolerate the drying of an earthen coma. The soil should always be slightly damp. If the substrate has dried out by 1 – 2 cm, it is required to moisten it. For irrigation, you need to use water that has been passed through a filter, or settled for several hours. Chlorine-containing tap water will not work, which will negatively affect the condition of the balsam. If in spring and summer water procedures will have to be carried out every other day, then in the cold season it is enough to water the flower 1-2 times a week. After watering, excess water must be immediately drained from the pan to prevent root rot. For the flow of oxygen to the root system, loosening is carried out.
  • Air humidity. Usually the flower is immune to excessive dryness of the air in the room, provided that it is regularly watered. In extreme heat, you can spray the foliage, or put a humidifier near the plant.
  • The soil. For growing terry balsam, light, loose, well-permeable nutrient substrates are suitable. Some flower growers purchase a universal potting soil for indoor flowering plants in a specialty store, others prefer to prepare the perfect composition with their own hands. To do this, they combine leafy soil with soddy soil in equal parts, add a small amount of peat and sand to these components. The capacity for this plant should not be too large so that the roots have time to completely braid the earthen ball in a year. In a spacious container, the plant will actively grow and increase its green mass. Only in a cramped pot balsam abundantly forms buds.
  • Topdressing. When caring for indoor terry balsam, fertilizers are applied from the second half of spring to mid-autumn. In October, this work is carried out for the last time before the onset of a dormant period. From November to April, fertilization is not required. As top dressing, a mineral composition containing phosphorus and potassium is used. Nitrogen-containing complexes are not recommended for this species, since an increased nitrogen content contributes to the active growth of green mass and negatively affects flowering.
  • Transfer. Since this crop is a perennial, over time the soil becomes depleted, the shoots are drawn out, and the roots become crowded in a pot. For the first three years, young specimens are transplanted annually into a new container filled with fresh substrate. The pot should be slightly larger than before. Focus on the root system. It should completely fit into it, taking into account the addition of fresh earth.

Transplanted by transshipment, as the roots can be easily damaged during this work. After planting, the substrate is moistened. The flower is placed for a couple of days in partial shade. Flowering will begin after the root system completely entwines the ground.

Pruning. The spreading shrub needs annual pruning to help keep its shape beautiful. The first pruning is carried out after the sprouts obtained from the seeds grow a little. Pinch off their tops for more branching and splendor.

If the plant needs to be shaped like a tree, they wait until the central stem becomes woody, then cut off the lower leaf plates, pinch the central shoot. Places of cuts are treated with charcoal.

Side shoots are shortened every year. When they reach the desired length, they are pinched at the point of growth. Due to this, the branching of the stems is stimulated, the desired shape of the bush is maintained.

Throughout the growing season, damaged and dried shoots, dry leaves, faded inflorescences are removed. To form a symmetrical crown, the pot is turned daily to the sun on the other side.

Wintering. In the winter months, balsam rests after intensive flowering and gains strength in order to bloom profusely next year. During this period, he should be in a room with a temperature of 16 – 18 degrees. Watering is carried out after the earthen clod dries out by 1 cm, but the volume of water is taken less than during the growing season. Top dressing is also not applied in the cold season. If the flower is in autumn and winter in the same conditions as in the rest of the year, its care will be the same.

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