Clove is a herbaceous perennial from the Carnation family. The plant is known to many. For several decades this flower was associated with the October Revolution, but even today, charming bushes on the flowerbed and twigs in the bouquet are very popular. The scientific name of cloves - dianthus - from the ancient Greek language is translated as "the flower of Zeus" or "flower of the gods." The habitat is located in the Mediterranean, North America, Africa and Asia. In the natural environment, new hybrids are regularly formed, many of which are introduced into the culture. Decorative cloves are suitable even for home growing, the main thing is to choose the right place for them and follow the rules of care.
Botanical Description
Clove is a perennial flowering plant, which in a temperate climate is often grown as an annual. The rhizome has a rod structure with small lateral branches; it penetrates the soil by only 20 cm. The shoots are weakly branched and mainly in the upper part. They grow in length by 15-75 cm and are arranged vertically or lie down. In perennials, the base of the stem is gradually lignified and a large shrub forms.
Over the entire length of the shoots in the nodes, thickenings are observed. Leaflets of lanceolate or awl-shaped form firmly sit on the stem. They are opposite, in pairs. The edges of the foliage are whole or crusty, and the end is pointed. The surface is smooth, hard, with a gray or silver coating.
In late spring, single large (up to 5 cm in diameter) flowers begin to appear on the tops of the shoots. In decorative varieties, they can be arranged in groups in complex umbrellas or shields. At the base of the flower a cylindrical cup with smooth sepals is visible. Above it, flowers with five wide petals bloom. The surface of the petals is smooth or corrugated, and the edges have different depths of dissection. Flowers exude a characteristic tart aroma. In the central part are 10 stamens, which peek slightly from the calyx, and 2 columns of ovary.
Pollination occurs with the help of insects. After this, the seed box ripens, inside of which there are many small flattened seeds with a tuberous black surface. After maturation, the box opens on 4 wings.
Types and varieties of cloves
The genus unites more than 300 species of plants.
Clove grass. The inhabitant of Western Europe and Siberia is a branched shoot 20–40 cm high. The stems are divided into short (vegetative) and longer (flower-bearing). Linear bright green leaves in width do not exceed 3 mm. Flowers are located at the top of the shoot for 1-3 pieces. They have a purple cylindrical calyx and carmine-red obovate petals. The edges of the petals are dissected and strongly bent. Flowering occurs in June-October.
Turkish carnation. Unpretentious plant native to southern Europe. It lives only 2 years and grows by 35-75 cm in height. Blue-green or green foliage 4-10 cm long is 1-2 cm wide. Simple flowers with a diameter of 2-3 cm are pink, white, purple in color, often with lighter edges. In decorative varieties, flowers are collected in tight guards with a diameter of up to 12 cm.
Carnation is garden. A resident of the Mediterranean prefers a warm climate and moist, fertile land. A perennial plant is able to reach a height of 80 cm. It has simple linear leaves of gray-green color up to 15 cm long. Single flowers with semi-double corollas are collected in groups into complex umbrella inflorescences. The diameter of the corolla is 3-5 cm.
Carnation Shabo. Variation of garden cloves forms a dense bush of bright green growth up to 60 cm high. Narrow linear leaves do not exceed 1-2 cm in length. Large semi-double and double corollas with a diameter of about 4-7 cm bloom at the tops. The color of the petals is very diverse: cream, red, pink, yellow, white. The edges of the petals are cut to almost half.
Chinese carnation. Bushy perennial 15-50 cm in height is covered with lanceolate long leaves twisted at the end. Plain or two-tone flowers bloom in early July and hold until the first frost. The main shade of the petals can be different: burgundy, pink, white. On the surface there are always strokes or stripes of maroon color. Popular varieties of Chinese terry cloves:
- Diamond - a tall, slender plant ends with scarlet double flowers;
- Tenderness - a bush of medium height with white buds;
- Vesuvius is a dwarf plant with large orange pompons.
Clove Cirrus. The herbaceous perennial 30-40 cm tall has a straight, almost unbranched stalk. It, like leaves, has a green smooth surface. Flowers exude a very intense aroma. On the branched top, they are collected 2-4 pieces in a loose umbrella. Loose white or pink petals are cut along the edge to half.
Field carnation. A plant from Central Europe and Asia is notable for its small height and creeping rhizome. Thin knotty stems are highly branched. At the top in June-August, small single flowers flaunt with pink serrated petals. The diameter of the corolla is 1-2 cm, but because of their large number, a dense flowering pillow or turf is formed.
Carnation Alpine. The inhabitant of the mountain slopes of Italy, Slovenia and Austria grows well on calcareous soils. The length of the lodging, thin shoots is 20-25 cm. The gray-green shoots are decorated with red-purple simple flowers with wide corrugated petals.
Breeding methods
In culture, cloves are grown as annuals or perennials. The reason for this is rapid aging and loss of decorativeness. It can be propagated in the following ways:
- Sowing seeds in open ground. The method is suitable for perennial species. Foliage usually forms in the first year, and flowering begins the following season. Work begins in May, when the average daily temperature should be above + 15 ° C. They dig the soil in advance and make fertilizers. Seeds are distributed in rows with a distance of 10 cm and buried by 1 cm.
- Growing seedlings. In March, tanks with a mixture of sand, turf soil and peat are prepared. Before use, the ground is disinfected. Small seeds are distributed evenly to a depth of 5-10 mm. The surface of the soil is sprayed from the spray gun and covered with a film. The greenhouse is kept at a temperature of + 18 ° C. After 7-10 days, seedlings appear. From this moment, the shelter is removed and the temperature is lowered to + 12 ° C. Plants need bright light, so you need to use phytolamps. Seedlings with two real leaves are dived on cassettes or peat pots with a mixture of garden soil with sand.
- Rooting layers. A vegetative stem near the node is damaged and this place is fixed in the soil with a hairpin. The layering must be watered regularly. In the place of contact with the ground, roots are first formed, and then new shoots grow. After that, the plant can be separated.
- Cuttings. In spring or autumn, young shoots of 10 cm long are cut. It is good if part of the old stem remains at their base. Leaf plates are cut in half. The slice is treated with a weak solution of manganese. Sprigs are planted in a pot with loose garden soil. They should be regularly watered and shaded for a week. Then the seedlings are exposed to a brighter light. The adaptation process takes up to a month.
- Division of the bush. The method is suitable for species with a creeping stem and creeping rhizome. In spring, the turf is dug up and divided into parts, which are immediately planted in fresh pits with fertilized soil. Delenki root for 7-10 days.
Outdoor planting and care
Cloves need a well-lit, draft-protected place. Landing is carried out at a stable warm temperature without sudden nighttime cooling. The soil should be loamy and fertile, without excess moisture. Optimal acidity is slightly alkaline. Before planting, the earth is dug up with compost, bone meal or slaked lime. Then the plants are watered abundantly.
Further irrigation is carried out regularly and in small portions. The surface roots even a little rain is enough to feed, but in the drought, they suffer greatly. During the flowering period, it is important to prevent water from entering the buds.
Top dressing is applied several times per season. In early spring, the soil is fertilized with ammonium nitrate or potassium sulfate. During the budding period, the plants are fertilized with rotted manure or superphosphate, and in autumn the soil is mulched with compost. An annual clove is enough for half a dose of fertilizer.
To get compact wide bushes, pinch the shoots above 2-3 knots. Also wilted flowers are removed. Still need to regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds. When growing cloves for bouquets, the side shoots and part of the buds are removed so that the rest are larger and stronger. Tall plants are tied so that the bush does not lie down during heavy rains and strong gusts of wind. In the fall, when the flowering is completed, the entire shoot is cut to a height of 10-15 cm. The frost is not the worst cause of the damage, but the flooding of the soil during thaws, so since the fall it is covered with film and lapnik.
Of the diseases, the greatest danger is represented by fungal infections (fusarium wilting, phyalophora, rhizoctonia). It is possible to save the plant only in the early stages of the disease. Damaged shoots must be removed and the rest of the vegetation treated with Fundazol, Topsin, or Bordeaux Fluid.
Pests of cloves are scoop, thrips and gall nematode. It is impossible to save the bush from the latter. The parasite settles in the roots. It is necessary to dig and burn the whole plant, and also to treat the soil several times with boiling water and an insecticide.
Carnation Care
Even in a small flowerpot on a windowsill, you can grow a flowering clove bush. Chinese, Turkish or hybrid varieties are suitable for this. All of them have dwarf varieties with very beautiful flowers.
For planting, use a small pot with drainage holes. A thick layer of expanded clay or brick chips is poured at the bottom. As the soil using a mixture of peat, river sand, leaf and sod land. Before planting in the ground scalded with boiling water. In no case can you deepen the root neck.
A pot of cloves is placed in a well-lit, but protected from midday sunlight. On hot days, you need to ventilate the room more often or put a flower in fresh air. Strong heat is undesirable for the plant, it will be best at + 15 ... + 18 ° C. In winter, cloves are transferred to a room with a temperature of + 5 ... + 6 ° C.
Cloves are watered 1-2 times a day with well-cleaned, soft water. During flowering, watering is carried out more often.
Twice a month, a solution of mineral top dressing with a high content of potassium salts is applied to the soil. In the fall, fertilizers stop.
