Balsam
Family of balsam. Genus balsamine.
Balsamin is often called "wet Vanya".He is known and under other nicknames: touchy, ever-flowering, light. All of them reflect the different features of this plant and can in themselves be its characteristic.
Genus balsamine includes about 400 species. It is not only decorative plants, some species have practical use. One of them is familiar to us, it's henna.
The diversity of balsams is so great that it is difficult to give them an accurate generalizing characteristic. These are annuals, perennials, and herbaceous, and semi-shrubby forms. The stems of the balsam are juicy, fleshy, often translucent - in this they resemble succulents. The flowers( of different colors: white, orange, pink, crimson, lilac, etc.), usually five-lobed, have long spurs, the fruit is an elongated five-leaved box.
In indoor floriculture, balsam Sultan and Jolst balsam, which are of different varieties and varieties, and hybrid forms, such as Waller's balsam, are most often grown.
Demand for moisture: abundant watering in summer, moderate in winter.
Temperature regime: not particularly amiable, but in winter it is desirable to keep them at a slightly lower temperature( optimum 14-16 ° C).He does not like sharp changes.
Light mode: the plant is of moderate illumination, does not tolerate direct rays, but can suffer from etiolation if there is insufficient illumination. It grows well on any windows, except for the southern ones( it requires protection from excess of sun rays).Balsamin Waller shade-tolerant.
Requirement for soil: prefers loose nutritive soil mixtures( ideally a mixture of deciduous and greenhouse land with the addition of sand), fertilizing solutions of organic and mineral fertilizers is better to alternate and spend every two weeks: once with organic, the second with mineral supplements.
Reproduction: by seeds and cuttings( in spring and summer).Cuttings take root in two weeks or a little more. Seeds are planted around the same time, for their production, the plant needs to be pollinated.
Features: during the rest period, growth does not stop completely. After hardening in summer, balsam can be planted in the open ground or placed on the balcony, but cleaned in rooms before the onset of the night's cold.