Hamelacium

Hamelacium - the first of this species appeared on the Australian continent, belongs to the Myrtle family. At the moment, 14 species of Chamelacium are known, which remains green throughout the year. In its natural habitat, it is found in the southwest of the Commonwealth of Australia. For his development, he chooses sandy wastelands and rocky slopes.

A bush of a plant such as Hamelaceum can reach three meters in height, or it can be only 30 centimeters, the height depends on which species was chosen for cultivation. Throughout the year, the bush is covered with dark green leaves. During the flowering period, flowers of rounded shapes appear on it with a diameter not exceeding a couple of centimeters. Their color can be white, purple, red or slightly pinkish. The Chamelcium plant begins to show its flowers in the last days of February, and ends with the end of the summer season.

Hamelacium: flower description

Chamelacium plant: photo of flowers

Chamelacium is a small shrub or tree that retains its green leaf color throughout the year. However, in order for the plant to maintain its healthy appearance and bloom regularly, it is necessary to follow some rules for care and cultivation in order to create the conditions it needs. Most experts believe that growing chamelacium at home is a rather difficult task. This is due to its sharply negative reaction to any changes in cultivation, in keeping conditions, to temperature changes. It also complicates the cultivation that only a florist with extensive experience in working with this flower can determine the presence of the disease at the initial stage, determine the cause of the slowdown in development. If the beauty of this flower does not allow you to give up the idea of ​​growing it, then you need to take a responsible attitude not only to the cultivation, but also to the very process of buying in the store. It is important to examine it carefully and, if there are any signs of illness, give it up. Only a perfectly healthy plant will be able to reach its new place of residence and adapt there. There should be no wrinkles, dark blotches or leaves flying around. The land in which the plant is located should not be overdried or excessively wet.

Hamelacium: home care and cultivation

Immediately after the Chamelacium flower is purchased, it should not be transplanted. It must be covered on top with a plastic bag processed inside with dichlorvos. Having put on a bag, you do not need to tie it. If an unpleasant odor appears, you need to lower the bag, covering all the branches. In this form, the flower should be stored for a day in a room with good lighting and at a temperature from +13 to +15 degrees. After that, it is necessary to carry out processing with the help of a honey solution, which can be prepared by mixing 2 teaspoons of honey with 1 liter of water and leaving for another 72 hours, and only then remove the package. It is also necessary to replace the top layer of the earth with humus. When buying a Chamelacium plant in a small pot, it is necessary to transplant the flower into a more spacious container using the transshipment method, while maintaining the integrity of the earthen coma. For good growth and development, the pot together with the flower must be placed on a pallet with great depth, filled with wet small stone.

Watering rules:

When growing chamelacium in the house, it is very important not to forget about watering during the spring-summer period. During this period, the plant must be provided with regular and abundant watering, while the water must be soft and have time to settle well.At the same time, one must not forget about the flower's intolerance to the stagnation of moisture in the earthen mixture, so the procedure must be carried out carefully. Even if you dry out the earthen lump, the plant will suffer much less than from stagnant water. However, this does not mean that it is possible to dry out the soil, because because of this, the delicate roots of the plant can suffer and all the leaves fall off. Chamelacium feels good in acidified soil, in order to ensure this, it is necessary to add citric acid or vinegar in a small amount to the earthen mixture.

The soil:

Hamelacium loves loose, well-drained, well water and air permeable soils with low acidity. An excellent option would be to use an earthen mixture of humus, river coarse sand, turf, leafy earth and peat in equal quantities. In order for the soil to stay moistened longer, you can add a little hydrogel or sphagnum particles there.

Chamelacium plant: photo of flowers

How to transplant:

Chamelacium transplant is required no more than once every 3 years. This procedure should be carried out in the spring, this is the best time for the plant. He has a very fragile, thin root system, which is very easy to damage by transplanting a flower, and it is better not to do this. For this reason, it is not necessary to transplant the plant unnecessarily. A transplant is really needed when the roots cease to have enough space in the pot. It is necessary to carry out the procedures by carefully removing the flower from the old container, leaving the earthen lump intact, and transferring it to a new place. The new container should be slightly larger in volume than the old one. Indoor chamelacium is best grown in an unglazed ceramic pot. If you use just such a container, then it will be much safer to extract the plant. Having broken such a container, taking out the plant, the root system, during transplantation, it may not suffer at all.

Fertilization:

During active growth and development, feeding is carried out on a regular basis, with breaks of 21 days. Fertilizers should not contain lime. Before flowering, the composition should contain potassium and nitrogen, and when flowers appear on the plant, there should be phosphorus in place of nitrogen.

How to prune:

This shrub plant needs pruning every year just after it has faded, during which time the branches harden by a third. Chamelacium is a fast-growing plant, therefore, after a short time, its branches will again stretch out. To give the bush a splendor and make it branch better, you need to pinch the tops of the stems when the plant is still young.

Winter care rules:

With the arrival of autumn, the Chamelacium bush should be placed in a room where the thermometer will stay at +15 degrees, this will contribute to the splendor of flowering and greater showiness. It is important to know that when the temperature drops, you cannot reduce the lighting level. Given that in winter daylight hours become short, and the plant needs at least 12 hours of light, you will have to use additional artificial lighting. During the winter months, fertilization is not required and the frequency of watering and the amount of liquid applied must be reduced.

How to propagate:

You can propagate the Hamelacium flower using seeds and cuttings. The first option is not popular, because it is extremely difficult to do, and the appearance of seedlings will not guarantee that the plant will not die after a short time. For this reason, growers use cuttings for propagation. With the help of them, this procedure can be carried out much easier, faster and retain all the characteristics of the mother plant. Cuttings are harvested in the middle of winter. To do this, you need to cut off the tops of the shoots 10 centimeters long and treat with a means to stimulate the growth of the root system.Then the cuttings are planted for rooting in peat with sand, and after a couple of months you can expect the appearance of roots.

Disease and pest resistance

Essential oils are found in large quantities inside the chamelcium, which provides it with excellent protection against various diseases and harmful insects. However, late blight, a fungal disease, can infect a flower. It occurs if you allow the liquid to stagnate in the ground.

In case of detection of a disease, it is necessary to immediately carry out the treatment with a fungicide. During the spring-summer period, aphids can be found on the plant, which gnaws and sucks life-giving forces from foliage and inflorescences. You can deal with it with the help of insecticides. With powdery mildew, which can appear regardless of the season, you can, first of all, provide the necessary plant care.

With gray rot, which appears with excessive moisture in the air and heat, it is necessary to begin to fight the appearance of the first signs, otherwise, after a short time, the flower will die. You can cope with it by spraying with fungicides.

Hamelacium: variety of species

• Hooked - only this species is used for growing in the house, it is also called wax myrtle. It has a very fast growth and grows 2.5 meters in height in its natural habitat. When grown in an apartment, its growth is much lower and it is cut in order to make it even more compact. The leaves grow up to 4 centimeters long, sometimes grow singly, and sometimes they gather in beautiful brushes. The scent emitted by the flowers is incredibly pleasant. Scientific breeders have actively worked and continue to work with this species, and have already bred many varieties that differ in shape and color. At the moment, you can decorate the house with semi-double and double flowers in yellow, red, snow-white and two-tone colors.
• Snowflake - this bush does not grow in height by more than 40 centimeters. When it blooms, it is covered with snow-white or pinkish flowers. They are very fond of making bouquets and beautiful ikibana from them.
• Orchid - a small bush with less lush foliage than wax myrtle. But, when flowering begins, it is covered with a huge number of lilac or pinkish flowers with a center painted in a beetroot shade.

Chamelacium plant: photo of flowers

• White Chamelacium is a half-meter-high plant covered with elongated leaves of bright green color. When it blooms, it blooms snow-white or pink-tinged flowers resembling bells in shape.

Chamelacium plant: photo of flowers