The Amaranth family includes 80 species native to America, Australia, the Antilles and Galapagos Islands. One of the representatives is a plant called irezine (Iresine). In some cases, it is a grassy specimen, which can also be a shrub or tree. Everywhere culture is used in floristry and landscape design. It bears the exotic name of irezine flower with spectacular decorative foliage. It is used for indoor breeding, decoration of borders, gardens.
Main varieties
A perennial plant is popular because of its unusual red hue, also like leaflets with cloves and border. It does not need special conditions. Even a beginner can handle the cultivation. In the room, an inflorescence resembling an ear appears very rarely. The most popular varieties of Herbst and Iresin Linden. By the way, the name translated from Greek means "woolen".
Decorative foliage and irezine
This culture is not poisonous. It is believed that it perfectly cleans the air in the room, saturating the room with oxygen. Next will be considered species.
Irezine Herbst
In nature, this perennial species grows in the tropics of Brazil. Occupies rain forests. Herbst variety areresin is a grassy crop with red stems up to 40 cm in size. The characteristic leaves are rounded, heart-shaped in the upper part, dark purple in color. Red veins complement the look of Iresine Herbstii.
Irezine Herbst
Iresine Linden
The description of this variety includes natural origin - the tropics of Ecuador. There, in moist forests, the natural growing conditions of Iresine lindenii. The property of having red stems is also inherent in this variety. Their height is 50 cm and more. There is a dark shade in the leaves, up to 6 cm in size, with raspberry streaks. When pruned, the plant branches, giving young shoots.
And other varieties
It is necessary to mention the Aureoreticulata variety with red shoots, petioles. Leaf blades green with gold or red cores. Wallisi, as another species, is a branchy but compact representative. This variety is supplied with small-sized leaves that have a metallic red tint.
Iresine Linden with red stems
Home Care
The plant requires regular watering, loosening the soil, creating the required lighting, temperature and humidity. Needs feeding, pruning, protection from pests. For Irezine, appropriate home care is the usual rule.
Lighting
A north-facing window is not the best place for this culture. All other window sills are suitable for growth. Iresin is a photophilous flower. When located in the south of the house at noon, care must be taken to ensure that the sun's rays become scattered in intensity, otherwise there is a possibility that the leaves will be burned. The plant can also be accustomed to direct sunlight, but gradualness is important. If the rubber line is under fluorescent lamps, you need to turn them on for 14 hours a day.
Temperature
Usually there is no need to create a special thermal environment. In summer, the acceptable temperature is 15-25 degrees. In winter, the upper limit is reduced to 20, but less than 12 degrees of heat should not be allowed. The flower will hurt, deteriorate, its leaves will fall off. So he could completely die. Summer heat will adversely affect the tone (turgor) of the plant, which will gain some lethargy.
Watering and humidity
Humidification of the soil is done with water, which was defended for a day or collected from rain. In all seasons, you need to wait for the topsoil to dry out. In winter, watering is reduced, but excessive dryness should also not be allowed. Excess moisture and deficiency are harmful to rubber trees. Poor watering should be done in winter at a temperature of 16 degrees. The air can be left dry, but the plant likes to spray more.
Fertilizers
Top dressing in spring and summer is done weekly. Organic or mineral fertilizers are used. In winter, the procedure is reduced to once a month, the amount of substances is halved.
Pruning and transplanting
In addition to the listed care rules, they do pruning and transplanting. Each year, a pinch is made in order to increase the splendor of growth. Tear off the escape at the top. In February, at the end of winter, they stimulate growth by a significant amount of pruning. As for transplanting, annuals do not need this. In another case, this is done once in 2 or 3 years.
Need a slightly acidic soil. To prepare the mixture take peat (1 part), turf, deciduous land in a proportion of 4 parts each. Add sand, 1 part. Good drainage at the bottom of the container from fragments of brick or expanded clay is important.
Attention! Plants and trees growing in the garden open ground also accepts, but it is not adapted to the winter season.
Iresine near the house
Protecting from pests and rubber tires, they mean enemies: aphids, whiteflies, spider mites. Special treatment agents are used in case of prophylaxis or treatment. Diseases comprehend the plant as a result of violations when caring for it. These are the following phenomena:
- Leaf dropping at a young age. The reasons are insufficient lighting, lack of timely pruning.
- In an adult, falling leaves is considered the norm.
- Stretching of the stems occurs in poor lighting. It should not be forgotten that irezine has a love for bright conditions.
- Falling leaves in the summer may indicate a lack of watering or stagnation of water.
For propagation, cuttings are cut from the main specimen, choosing the end of winter and early spring by time. They are planted in sand at a stable temperature of 17 to 20 degrees. After rooting, the seedlings are distributed in pots, having prepared a nutritious soil mixture. They need a temperature of 19 to 21.
Important! Cuttings are taken from young, not old flowers, when decorativeness has not yet been lost.
To see inflorescences is a rarity. They are white, yellow, purple in color. They resemble spikelets in shape. At the end of the process, fruits appear in the form of boxes. In indoor conditions, almost no one succeeds in forcing the plant to bloom.
Flowering areresine
Interesting. According to the eastern philosophical doctrine of feng shui, itresina is most favorable to place on the windowsill. In this case, the flower will create a barrier to negative energy that could penetrate the home. Although it is possible that this is only superstition.
Growing rubber and its varieties is not so difficult both in terms of energy and time. It can be bought ready-made or in the form of seeds. Sown them in the spring or immediately, adding backlight. A houseplant will help to decorate the interior, create a favorable atmosphere in it. Flowering is rare, parts of the plant are valued for their decorative effect.
