Levkoy.

Another name for Levkoy is Matthiola. It is a herbaceous annual and perennial belonging to the Cruciferous or Cabbage family. The plant is found wild in southern Europe, in the African and Asian territories. The genus includes 20-50 varieties. Levkoy is an ornamental culture with fragrant flowers. The plant was named "mattiola" by R. Brown after the name of the Italian doctor and scientist of botanical sciences P. Mattioli, who lived in the sixteenth century. The name "levkoy" comes from Italian, German or Latin. And all because in the dictionaries of these languages ​​there are almost identical source words. Translated from Greek "levkoy" means "white violet". In the twentieth century, this culture began to be found in almost any park area and garden plots, but nowadays the plant has gone out of fashion for unknown reasons. For adherents of the park style, this culture is 100% suitable.

Descriptive characteristics of the plant.

Levkoy belongs to herbaceous vegetation or is a semi-shrub plant, it can be an annual, biennial or perennial. Shoots are vertical, branching, growing up to 21-81 cm, covered with felt pile or remain bare. The leaves are lanceolate or elongated, their edge is serrated or whole. The inflorescence is a tassel or spikelet, contains flowers of a double or simple structure, painted in pink, dark yellow, white, lilac colors. Levkoy blooms in June-November days. The fruit is a pod; inside it contains flattened narrow-winged grains. The flowers of the plant are very fragrant, you can't confuse them with anything. Varieties with simple flowers are excellent honey plants. And double flowers will decorate any garden plot. Anyone can grow levkoy, and even those who are completely “you” with floriculture.

Cultivation of levkoy by seed method.

Sowing.

The grains are prepared before sowing. To this end, they are soaked in water for the whole day, and then placed in wet gauze material and put into the refrigerator, stratified there for several days. Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out at the end of the first month of spring or at the beginning of the second spring month in containers filled in advance with a moist soil substrate, which consists of turf soil and sand in a proportional ratio of three to one, respectively. The grains are sown sparsely, they are deepened only 1/2 cm. Further, the container is covered with polyethylene material or glass and rearranged into warm and dark conditions (temperature regime within 21-23 degrees). The appearance of the first shoots can occur after four to five days, possibly after 15 days.

Seedling.

After the appearance of the first shoots, the shelter is removed, the container is rearranged where there is good diffused illumination, thanks to these conditions, the seedlings will not stretch. The optimal temperature regime for seedlings is within 10-12 degrees, which means that the containers are rearranged in an unheated place (veranda, closed balcony).The first watering is carried out 2 days after the appearance of the first seedlings. After 10-12 days, the plants are picked in separate pots that have drainage holes. They are filled with a soil substrate, which includes sod and deciduous soil, sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1, respectively. Moreover, keep in mind that by this time the seedlings have not yet formed a single real leaf. When diving seedlings, add some hydrogel to strengthen the root system of the seedlings. The picking of varieties of late and medium flowering periods is allowed to be made directly under the open sky. The first time to feed the plants should be when they develop a second true leaf. You need to feed with microelements. Solution: boric acid and copper sulfate (0.3 g each), manganese sulfate and zinc sulfate (0.1 g each) are dissolved in one liter of water. Seedlings undergo a hardening procedure without fail. To this end, for a start, you should open the window for a certain period of time, the duration gradually increases. At the end of hardening, the seedlings are kept with the window open. The beginning of hardening is 7-10 days before planting plants under the open sky.

Planting the plant in open conditions.

Optimal planting time.

Plant seedlings necessary at the end of the last spring month. For this purpose, cloudy weather or evening hours is chosen, since the scorching sun can be detrimental to only planted seedlings. Levkoy cannot be planted in the place where vegetation from the Cruciferous family grew before it, otherwise the death of flowers may occur due to the defeat of its cruciferous flea. Another nuance - the soil from this place is not suitable for filling containers for mattiola seedlings, since there is a high risk that the seedlings can pick up a black leg or keel.

When choosing a site for planting, keep in mind that levkoy requires a lot of sunlight and well-drained soil, if water stagnates in the soil, this will harm the plant. The soil should have a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction, be fertile, preferably sod loam or sod sandy loam soil. The introduction of fertilizer mixtures into the soil before planting is carried out if it is very depleted.

Landing.

First, the holes are prepared, then they are filled with water. Planting is carried out straight into the soil slurry for quick adaptation of vegetation to a new place of residence. After filling the holes with soil, it must be well tamped. The interval between varieties of low growth and species in one stem should be approximately 15-20 cm, and between branching vegetation and bushes of high growth - 25-30 cm.

Agrotechnics in the garden.

It is important when cultivating Levkoy not to forget that it does not relate well to long-term dry periods and to excessively voluminous watering. Therefore, watering should be done in moderation and regularly. In addition, timely weeding and regular loosening of the surface soil layer after watering is required. From organic elements, it is allowed to feed only wood ash, but it is advisable to use a complex of minerals. In the spring, a complex of minerals is introduced into the soil, when the plant blooms, it is fed with phosphorus and potassium. If a perennial is planted, then mulching is not carried out in the year of planting.

Breeding methods for matthiola.

You can cultivate levka from grains, and if you want the flowering of this vegetation to take place on your territory all season, then the seeds are sown every 10-14 days. Terry Levkoy is sterile, but it was somehow observed that the flowers of a terry structure grew from grains collected from weak bushes with flowers of a simple structure, and the bushes should have short pods that are pressed against the branch and have blunt ends.From the grains that are collected from these bushes, matthiola can appear, having simple and double flowers with a probability of 1: 1. When growing seedlings, you can select seedlings that have double flowers, if necessary. For this purpose, the plants are kept in temperature conditions of 13-16 degrees. Then they move for 3-4 days to a room with temperature conditions of 7-9 degrees, and then differences can be observed. In seedlings with terry flowers, the cotyledon leaves will be larger and not so saturated. If necessary, you can select bushes with double flowers, and remove the rest of the seedlings.

Diseases and harmful insects.

The cruciferous flea beetle is the most dangerous for the Levkoy. For destruction from a small number of pests, an ash solution is used. The affected plants are treated once every 4-5 days, the procedure is repeated three times. At the time when the bush is being processed, the solution must not be allowed to hit the foliage on both sides. When a large number of insects have attacked, you can get rid of them with insecticides: Decis, Aktara, Aktellik, Bankol, Intavir.

Levkoy in frequent cases can be struck by a black leg. The bottom of the shoot first becomes brown, later it acquires a black color. It cannot be treated, but it is possible to prevent the disease - before planting the seedlings, the soil is treated with the preparation "Hom". And then, even with the initial infection of the soil by the carrier of this disease, the matthiols will not be affected by it.

Plant after flowering stage.

How and when to collect seeds.

Seed ripening occurs on September or October days. You need to wait for the color change of the pods to brown, and then pull out the bush along with the rhizome and remove it in a well-ventilated room. Wait until it dries completely. Tear off dry pods and sprinkle grains out of them.

How to prepare levkoy for the winter season.

When the plant is grown in a climate with harsh winter seasons, it is cultivated as an annual. Therefore, in the fall, levkoy is pulled out of the ground until it withers completely. The remaining fragments of the plant are disposed of, the place of growth and development of the flower is dug up. In mild winters after frosty days, matthiols are cut to the surface soil layer. If you wish, you can decorate your room with a plant in the winter season; for this purpose, the bush is dug out and transplanted into a container.

Varieties of culture.

Levkoy gray-haired. This variety is popular as a cultivated plant. Originally a view from the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean Sea. The bush grows up to 30-70 cm. It is a cold-resistant annual. The plant branches, shoots often lignify, and a pleasant aroma emanates from the flowers. The leaves are large, arranged in turn, presented in the form of a diamond or not wide. Painted in a dark or pale green color, the top of the leaf can be pubescent or bare. Inflorescences are loose or lush, in the form of brushes, containing 11-59 flowers. The culture blooms luxuriantly in the June-November days, and in the south, the shrub, which is strewn with flowers, is also found in winter. Seed germination lasts for four to six years. Mattiola has been cultivated since 1570. Today, there are about 600 varieties of this variety. The division of varieties is carried out according to the flowering time (summer, autumn, winter). The most common are summer varieties. In addition, the varieties have differences in growth: high (50-70 cm), medium (30-50 cm), low (15-30 cm).

There is also a division of Levkoy by the type of inflorescences (8 categories).

Bouquet (Victoria). The bush is compact, branchy, grows up to 26-36 cm. The location of the main and lateral inflorescences occurs at the same height. Dense double flowers are compacted and plump in an average degree of inflorescences-tassels, in diameter they can be 3.2-4 cm.The plant blooms for 51-76 days.Varieties in this category have a mid-early flowering period. They are often grown in flower beds, in flower beds, in pots, in addition, they are cut for the holidays.

Gigantic bomb-shaped... Semi-shrubs have thick leaves, their crown is in the form of a wide pyramid. In growth, Levkoy can reach 46-61 cm. The main inflorescence is large, 14-24 cm in diameter, loose, flowering faster than the lateral ones, contains thick double flowers. The variety blooms for 45-50 days. Almost all varieties bloom late and are often cultivated for cutting.

Quedlinburg... Terry bush, but has flowers, simple in structure. Varieties in this category are subdivided into subcategories.

-Late high bushy.

The bush is in the form of a wide pyramid, grows up to 51-61 cm. The leaves are elongated, blunt or lanceolate, painted green, their edge is intact or has teeth. Flowers are dense, double, 4-5 cm in diameter, inflorescences reach 20-50 cm in length. Flowering begins in July days.

-Early tall bushes.

The bush is sprawling, grows up to 45-60 cm. The leaves are gray-green in color, in the form of an egg, on the contrary, narrow, blunt or lanceolate, their edges are smooth or in the form of a wave. Inflorescences reach a length of 13-20 cm, they contain large flowers of bright color, 4-5 cm in diameter. Levkoy begins to bloom in June days, duration - 55-60 days.

-Early low bushy plants.

The bushes can grow up to 25-40 cm. The bush itself is highly branched, compact or medium spreading, in the form of a ball. Leaves are greenish-gray in color, lanceolate or in the form of an oval. Flowers of a double structure in diameter are 4.2-4.6 cm, included in inflorescences 13-21 cm long. The plant begins to bloom in June days, duration - 39-66 days.

- Hex-shaped.

A bush in the form of a pyramid with one stem or weakly branching, growing up to 50-80 cm. Leaves in the form of an egg, on the contrary, or elongated, blunt. Inflorescences are friable, reach 20-60 cm in length, contain flowers, 4-6 cm in diameter. Flowering begins in June days, duration - 30-60 days.

Short-branched (Erfurt). The bush is compact, weakly branches, covered with a large number of leaves, in the form of a wide pyramid, grows up to 30-40 cm. The leaves are large, oblong, oval, light gray in color, the edges are intact. A distinctive feature of this category is that lateral shoots are laid above the main shoot. Moreover, the location of the central inflorescence is higher compared to the lateral ones. The flowers are convex, 3-4 cm in diameter. The plant begins to bloom in June days, the duration is 4-8 weeks. Grown levka in pots and cut.

Large-flowered gigantic tree-like. The bush, branching at the top, grows up to 1 m. The leaves are large, oblong, in the form of an oval, the edge is in the form of a wave. The flowers are dense, double, 4-6 cm in diameter. The inflorescences are large, compacted. The bush begins to bloom in June days, the duration is about 8 weeks. It is cultivated by levka of this group in rabatkas, in compositions and for cutting.

Single stem... The bush grows up to 50-80 cm. The flowers are large, dense, double, about 5-6 cm in diameter. The inflorescences are powerful, compacted. The leaves are large, in the form of a rhombus, their edge curls or goes in a wave. The plant begins to bloom in June days, the duration is about 4 weeks. In frequent cases, the bush is grown for cutting.

Pyramidal... The varieties are classified by size.

-Ispolinsky large-flowered.

Varieties of mid-early flowering period. Height can be high - 81 cm and more; semi-high - 51 cm. Flowers are large, dense, double, 4.2-5.3 cm in diameter. The plant blooms in June-September days.

-Dwarf.

Early flowering flowers. The bush is in the form of a pyramid, grows up to 21-26 cm, its shoots branch out. The inflorescences are plump. Flowering begins in June days, ends only after 39-49 days.

-Semi-high.

The bush is in the form of a pyramid, medium early flowering period, stretches up to 31-46 cm. Lateral shoots are very well developed. The inflorescences are plump, reaching 12-17 cm in length, contain flowers, 3.5-4.6 cm in diameter. It begins to bloom in June days, the duration is 1.5-2 months.

Sprawling. Subgroups of varieties.

-Repair (Dresden).

The bush is highly branched, grows up to 51-61 cm. Inflorescences are loose, contain flowers, about 3.6 cm in diameter. It blooms in June-November days.

-Large-flowered late (bismarck).

The bush grows up to 46-71 cm, its shoots are powerful and branching. Inflorescences are loose, contain dense double flowers, 4.6-5.4 cm in diameter. Levkoy begins to bloom in July days, ends after frosty days have come.

The varieties that fall into these categories differ in the size of the flower and inflorescence, as well as in their coloration.

• "Victoria Violet". The bush grows up to 31 cm. Flowers are double-textured, dark purple in color.
• Rosetta. The bush grows up to 56-61 cm. The flowers are double-structured and pink in color.
• Rainweiss. The bush grows to about 72 cm. There are thick flowers, double, white.
• "Tsartroza". The bush grows about 71 cm. The flowers are light pink in color, have an overflow of dark pink colors.
• Rubinrot. The bush strongly branches, grows up to 50-60 cm. Flowers are painted in red-garnet colors.
• "Diana". The bush grows to about 70 cm. The flowers are large, dense, double, pink in color, have streaks.
• "Sensation". The bush grows up to 70 cm. The flowers are terry, painted in a dark red color.
• Erfurt. The bush is highly branched, grows up to 30-40 cm. The flowers are dark blue in color, have an overflow of purple colors.
• "Bouquet". The bush grows up to about 35 cm. Flowers are terry structure, painted in a dark red color.
• "Bouquet white". This is a subspecies of the Buketny variety, has white flowers, the bush grows up to 30 cm.

Levkoy two-horned... This variety of Levkoy was also not popular until recently. The homeland of this matthiola is the Greek and Asia Minor territories. The bush is strongly branched or upright grows up to 41-51 cm. This species is an annual. Leaves are linear, margins with large denticles. This variety has simple, unattractive small flowers. Inflorescences are loose, in the form of brushes. The flowers are greenish-lilac, fragrant, close during the day. Levkoy blooms in June-August days. The fruit is a pod, at the top it has two horns. Seeds are small, brownish-gray in color; seed germination lasts for three years. The species has been cultivated since the sixteenth century.