Oleander is an evergreen perennial plant from the Kutrovy family. Arid subtropical regions (South China, Portugal, Morocco) are its homeland. Most often, shrubs grow in beds of dried rivers, on sea coasts and along roads. In a hot climate, oleander is grown as an ornamental garden plant, but in central Russia it is cultivated at home, like a room flower. The plant is shrouded in many superstitions. It is very poisonous, but endowed mainly with positive properties. It is believed that the oleander cleans the air, attracting all toxins, provides family and financial well-being, relieves the spleen, a tendency to smoke and alcoholism. Do not be afraid of such a charming plant in the house, but it is undesirable to touch it without gloves, and you can safely admire and enjoy the aroma.
Plant description
Oleander is a perennial shrub with highly branched shoots covered with brown-green bark. Its height can reach 2 m. Short-leaved, lanceolate leaves grow along the entire length of the branches. Outwardly, they resemble willow foliage, have a smooth leathery surface and solid edges. The length of the leaf plate is 10-15 cm, and the width is not more than 3 cm. The leaves are painted in dark green. In the center is a lighter embossed vein.
In summer, bright and rather large flowers collected in loose corymbose inflorescences appear on the edges of shoots. They persist until mid-autumn. Corollas with 5 rounded, wide-open petals are pink, white, red or yellow in color. There are varieties with simple and double flowers. In the center is a bunch of stamens of medium length with large anthers and an ovary. Oleander flowers most often have a rather intense sweetish or caramel aroma.
After pollination, fruits are tied - leaflets with a large number of seeds. The length of the fruit is about 10 cm. Each seed has a feathery crest.
Attention! Oleander is a very poisonous plant. One small leaf is enough to kill an adult. Health problems begin if you eat part of the plant or inhale the smoke from the wood you burn.
Decorative varieties
Oleander is a monotypic genus represented by a single species - Oleander Ordinary. At the same time, the number of varieties is very large. They vary in plant size, color and structure of flowers. The most interesting are the following:
- Variegata - yellow terry flowers contrast with variegated leaves;
- Cardinal - dissolves simple burgundy nimbuses;
- Casablanca - large white flowers;
- Mont Blanc - snow-white rounded buds cover the bush especially abundantly;
- Rigoletto - terry flowers with pale pink petals twisted in the center;
- Emilie Salut is a pink oleander with abundant flowering and large corymbose inflorescences.
Breeding methods
Oleander is propagated by seeds and cuttings. The seed method does not allow to maintain varietal characteristics, but at the same time gives a large number of plants. Seeds quickly lose their germination, so you need to use them immediately after harvest. First, it is necessary to disinfect planting material by treatment with a fungicide or a strong solution of manganese, then it is immersed in a solution of a growth stimulator for several hours. Crops are produced in a mixture of sand with charcoal to a depth of 2-3 mm. Moisten the soil and cover the container with a film. It is important to maintain a fairly high constant temperature (+ 33 ... + 35 ° C). Shoots appear after 7-10 days, but not very friendly. After that, the shelter can be removed.
Seedlings are very important good lighting, if necessary, use the backlight fluorescent lamps. The air temperature can be slightly reduced, but not less than + 18 ° C. It is useful to periodically spray. With the advent of two true leaves, plants are transplanted in separate pots.
For propagation by cuttings from the tops of young shoots, cuttings about 15 cm long are cut. The lower section is worked out with crushed ash and listened in the air for several hours. Rooting is performed in a mixture of perlite with expanded clay and charcoal. Around each stem is scattered a small amount of sand. The substrate should always be slightly moist, and the lighting should be quite intense. The optimum temperature is + 20 ° C. After a month, complete roots are formed and cuttings can be transplanted into pots with earth for adult plants.
Planting and care at home
A young oleander is transplanted annually, and more mature specimens are every 2-3 years. The largest bushes in tubs only periodically replace the topsoil. The best time for this procedure is May-June. The soil mixture is made up of equal parts of turf land, deciduous humus, lowland peat and river sand. The pot should be deep and roomy enough. When transplanting, it is also useful to free the roots from the old earthen coma and partially trim them. This stimulates more active growth.
The plant is placed in the brightest place in the house. Direct sunlight is not only not harmful to him, but also very useful. However, after being kept in a shaded place, one should be accustomed to a brighter light gradually. In spring and summer it is recommended to keep the oleander on the street.
The thermophilic shrub does not tolerate cold snap, especially sharp changes in temperature. From April to August it is better to keep it at + 28 ... + 30 ° C. From autumn, the temperature is gradually reduced and brought to + 8 ... + 15 ° C.
Oleander normally tolerates the usual humidity in the room, but gratefully responds to periodic spraying and bathing. Also, the room should be ventilated more often, but it is impossible to put the plant on a stream of cold air. In too dry a room, the edges of the leaves darken and dry. On hot days, additional hydration is necessary, for this, pallets with wet expanded clay are placed nearby. It is undesirable to place the plant near heating appliances.
From April to October, watering the oleander should be regular and plentiful. The soil is moistened immediately after the top layer has dried. The liquid should have room temperature and be well cleaned, soft. In strong heat, you can not even pour water from the pan. In other cases, the container is emptied half an hour after watering. Strong drying of the substrate is unacceptable at any time, this leads to the dropping of part of the foliage.
Oleander needs to be fertilized in April-August. Top dressing is applied every 7-14 days to the soil at the roots, half an hour after watering. It is useful to alternate organic and mineral compounds.
Since the bushes can reach impressive sizes, the oleander must be regularly trimmed. In spring and summer, the plants are shaped, and every 3-5 years a more radical, anti-aging pruning is performed. Usually remove 50-70% of the length of the processes. This procedure not only enhances the decorative effect, but also stimulates abundant flowering. Also, for better development, it is necessary to pinch vegetative shoots regularly. But with pruning inflorescences in a hurry is not worth it. If the withered corollas are too much in the way, they are cut off at the very top of the peduncle. At its base, new processes develop for the next season.
A room oleander practically does not suffer from plant diseases. Only at low temperatures and too high humidity can root rot or powdery mildew develop. But parasites love this flower very much. It can be spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, scale insects. Especially often their attacks occur in the summer, while the plant lives on the street. Therefore, treatment with insecticides (Biotlin, Actellik, Aktara, Karbofos) is carried out not only upon the detection of parasites, but also for preventive purposes.
