Asparagus - types and care at home
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The homeland of asparagus is Europe, Africa, Asia. In appearance, this plant is very similar to a fern, although until recently it belonged to the Liliaceae family. To date, it has been ranked as a member of the Asparagus family, more than 300 varieties of asparagus known to science are called asparagus.
What does asparagus look like?
A very interesting type of flower makes many gardeners admire it. For some it looks like a coniferous plant, for others it looks like a fern plant. It has nothing to do with either botanical descriptions or chemical composition.
Indoor asparagus
Asparagus has a strong horizontal root system with many vertical branches. Wild representatives of the species are found in meadows, forest and steppe zones. They prefer rich alkaline soil.
The chemical composition of the plant includes carbohydrates, essential oils, proteins, carotene, mineral salts, amino acids, etc. The first types of asparagus appeared over 2 millennia ago. Asparagus came to Russia in the middle of the 17th century.
The plant can grow up to 1.5 m in height. Stems are shiny, smooth, straight. Branches go up from the stems, The leaves of asparagus are thin, straight, scaly. The length of the leaf, which has a second name - cladodia, can reach 3 cm. They are slightly pressed against the stem, along the branch are arranged in bunches of 3-6 leaves each.
Flowers can be located both on the stem and on the branches of the plant. They resemble bells, milky in color, with elongated petals. Male flowers are larger than female flowers, their size is about 5 mm. Inflorescences appear in late spring or early summer.
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Asparagus is common on almost all continents. Cut branches of this flower are used in various floristic decorations, they decorate bouquets, wreaths, etc. Due to the fact that asparagus varieties are divided not only into perennial grass, but also into vines, shrubs, semi-shrubs, they are used both in horizontal landscape design and in vertical design.
Asparagus species grown in Russia:
- Plumosus;
- Crescent;
- Falkatus;
- Dense-flowered Sprenger;
- Setaceus;
- Umbelatus;
- Meyer;
- Outdoor perennial frost-resistant.
Asparagus plumosus
Asparagus plumosus, aka feathery, has the shape of a half-shrub. Differs in curly shoots. Stems glabrous, smooth. Phyloclades grow in bunches from 3 to 12 pcs. in everyone. It is similar in appearance to a fern. It blooms with single flowers of a milky shade. The fruit is dark blue, the dyed thing is very difficult to wash with the juice of the fruit. They are spherical. Their diameter is about 6 mm. The fruit contains 3 seeds inside.
Asparagus plumosus
Caring for asparagus pinnate implies adherence to high air humidity. Lack of moisture can lead to a lack of flowering and yellowing of cladodia. Keeping the plant under the scorching sun provokes a burn, the stem with leaves acquires a pale green tint. Prefers hard water with a high calcium content. With a lack of the latter, the leaves begin to turn yellow and crumble.
Asparagus crescent
An unpretentious plant that prefers rich soil and frequent watering. Reproduction is possible in two ways:
- By dividing the bush;
- Seeds.
The species is widespread among home indoor flowers in Russia.It belongs to the semi-handicraft type, some growers consider it a liana. India is considered his homeland. The flower develops very quickly. The leaves are elongated, with slightly pointed ends.
Asparagus Falcatus
The main stems become stiff and covered with sparse thorns, with the help of which the plant clings to the ledges in the mountains and grows vertically. The plant blooms in the middle of summer. The inflorescences reach 6-8 cm in diameter. The flowers are whitish; after pollination, brown oblong fruits appear.
Possesses a developed root system. In a healthy plant, the leaves are shiny and emerald in color. At home, it is recommended to make a kind of frame of fishing line or wire near the flower, along which the shrub can curl. The main care for asparagus sickle at home is pruning, from which it grows even faster.
Asparagus Falcatus
Asparagus Falcatus is distinguished by the crescent-shaped arrangement of the cladodia. This variety is considered the largest of the entire Asparagus family. This type of vines requires frequent pruning. It has thin leaves that are no more than 5 mm wide, while its length can vary from 8 to 10 cm.
Unpretentious care. It develops well both in a sunny place and in diffused light. The color of the plant is located at the base of the leaves. The flowers are small, slightly pinkish. At home, it rarely blooms - once every 5-7 years. Flowers have an unobtrusive smell.
Medium-sized pots are suitable for asparagus, since water can stagnate in large containers, as a result of which the soil sour and the root system dies. The flower prefers fresh, moist air, frequent watering, regular feeding.
Sprenger's Asparagus
Asparagus Sprengeri or Ethiopian or asparagus aethiopicus refers to the evergreen species of asparagus. It is a creeping perennial shrub that can often be found in the wild on rocky surfaces and mountain slopes. The length of the stems of an adult plant ranges from 1.3 m to 1.5 m. The stems and branches cover cladodia 4 mm long, which frame smaller bunches. Because of this accumulation of leaves on the stems, this variety of asparagus was nicknamed dense-flowered.
The flowering of the plant is accompanied by a pleasant aroma. Flowers appear at the end of May, have a pink or white tint. Asparagus Sprenger needs minimal home care. The disadvantage of caring for Sprenger's asparagus lies in the rare observance of the temperature regime, since it belongs to the extremely thermophilic species of Asparagus. More precisely, even the temperature of + 5⁰С this plant in the open field will not survive.
Asparagus Setaceus
This type of asparagus does not tolerate temperature drops below 12 ° C. Requires careful care in the form of constant feeding. Prefers air humidity not lower than 70%.
Asparagus Setatius
At lower humidity, it starts to hurt, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.
Asparagus Umbelatus
Asparagus Umbelatus is called umbrella-shaped. The plant is divided into unisexual and bisexual. The root system is well developed. This type of Asparagus develops in all climatic zones. Differs in good frost resistance. It can winter in the northern latitudes of Russia in the open field.
Umbelatus leaves are small, pointed at the end, thin, smooth. The flowers of the plant are large, reaching a diameter of 1.5 cm. After pollination, fruits appear, the color of which varies from yellow to red. This type of asparagus prefers large pots. The root system needs a lot of room to grow. Umbelatus does not tolerate drafts, therefore it is recommended to plant it in a place protected from the winds. When the air humidity is below 70%, the plant must be sprayed.Pruning the plant is undesirable as the pruned branches stop developing. New shoots appear only below the root.
Asparagus Meyer
This type of asparagus belongs to the Asparagus, reaching 50 cm in length. Since the stems of the plant are thin, they tend to the ground under the weight of the cladodia. Stems with leaves have a conical shape, the leaves are loose, threadlike, which allows the stems to visually fluff. Single evergreen shoots are subshrubs. In an adult plant, the central shoots may become stiff. More recent shoots move away from the mother stems in a fountain in different directions. Meyer's bloom, he is also pyramidal asparagus, begins to bloom in mid-June. The flowers are milky or yellowish white. They are bell-shaped. The fruits are bright red and have the shape of a ball.
Asparagus Meyer
Meyer's asparagus is common among ornamental houseplant growers. Slightly capricious in care and maintenance. He prefers high-quality and frequent watering, in addition, also spraying 2 times a day in the hot season. It is suspended in development at temperatures below 10⁰С. Does not tolerate drafts. Grows in loose alkaline soil. At the end of winter, fertilizer must be applied to the soil once a week. The plant does not need pruning.
Asparagus street winter-hardy perennial
Asparagus street winter-hardy perennial tolerates temperatures of 10⁰С well. At a lower temperature, it needs shelter. Like other Asparagus species, it prefers frequent watering and regular fertilization. The flowers are small, white; after pollination, spherical fruits of bright red color are formed. Requires an annual transplant, which is carried out in the spring. Asparagus Trifern is also referred to as a winter-hardy garden variety.
Asparagus Trifern
Asparagus do not require careful attention to themselves, it is not so difficult to care for them. They adapt to any conditions. Evergreen bushes can be used not only as a decoration, but also in cooking, the fruits of some species are good for health. The most important thing in growing it is to observe the irrigation regime and air humidity that are optimal for the plant.
