Author: Natalya Category: Garden plants Published: February 12, 2019Republished: February 12, 2019Last edits: November 09, 2020
- When to plant
- Growing conditions
Mirabilis (lat. Mirabilis) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Nyctaginaceae, which includes more than 50 species native to temperate and tropical regions, mostly in North and South America, although one species is native to South Asia. Translated from Latin, “mirabilis” means “amazing.” The widely popular Mirabilis jalapa flower is called the night beauty. This plant combines simplicity and mysterious appeal, filling the garden with an amazing aroma. It is unpretentious to growing conditions and unpretentious in care. Mirabilis is often used to form a low but bright hedge.
Planting and caring for mirabilis
- Flowering: from July to autumn frosts. The flowers open in the evening and close in the morning.
- Planting: sowing seeds for seedlings - in early or mid-April, planting seedlings in open ground - in the second half of May. Sowing seeds directly into the ground - in early May.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
- Soil: fertile clay or loamy soils of slightly alkaline reaction.
- Watering: periodic, but plentiful. In extreme heat and drought - from 1 to 3 times a week, but in a season with normal rainfall, you can not water the area at all.
- Feeding: 2-3 times per season with complex mineral fertilizers: before the formation of buds, in mid-summer and at the end of August. From organic fertilizers, humus and compost are used, and mineral compositions applied in the second and third periods must contain a minimum amount of nitrogen.
- Reproduction: seed.
- Pests: not affected.
- Diseases: root rot, rust, spotting.
Read more about growing mirabilis below.
Landing
To prevent planting mirabilis, and subsequently caring for it, from causing problems, it is important to remember that this plant does not tolerate damp and acidic soils at all.
But it feels great in loamy and clayey areas; lime can be added to the soil. The advantage of mirabilis is that it reproduces from seeds quite easily. They can be sown: - In early April - in a greenhouse. It should be semi-warm. The seeds can be pre-soaked in warm water for about a day, but usually they have good germination without this. After the sprouts have gotten a little stronger, usually after 7-14 days, they are planted one at a time in a container. If it is a plastic cup, it must be high so that the root develops well. Young plants are planted in a permanent plot in June or even earlier, the main thing is that spring frosts do not occur.
- In early May - just in open ground, the best option for the southern regions. The planting should not be too dense; at least 40 centimeters of free space should be left between the plants. Mirabilis tubers can be preserved for planting; they are placed in containers with peat and sand for the winter and placed in a dry room with a temperature of 3-7 °C. This method of propagation can fail - often by spring the tubers partially die.
Mirabilis care
The plant loves light and warmth and tolerates drought well. If the soil is not moistened for a long time, mirabilis develops worse and stops flowering. In order for the plantings to be lush, it is advisable to feed them with complex fertilizer; 3-4 nutritional treatments throughout the season are enough.
Mirabilis does not require much attention and will not cause any trouble. There is no need to tie it up, trim it, or pick off wilted inflorescences. The night beauty will look neat and bright throughout the flowering period.
Mirabilis in landscape design
Depending on the variety, mirabilis can be tall - up to a meter, or dwarf - 30-40 centimeters
This is important to consider when planting a plant in a flower garden in the foreground or middle ground. Tall night beauties form very beautiful hedges
Mirabilis is usually placed in massive groups: in borders (low specimens), mixborders, mixed borders. Annuals such as daisies, nigella, marigolds, dimorphotheca and others are suitable as neighbors. Bright mirabilis is often used to decorate balconies and terraces; for this, low-growing varieties are planted in deep flowerpots.
Botanical description
Mirabilis jalapa is native to Mexico. It is a perennial plant with swollen tuberous roots, grown as an annual crop. Its elongated-rounded bushes reach a height of 30 to 80 cm. On erect, densely branched reddish stems, woody in the lower part, elongated-ovate, bare, entire green leaves are located opposite on the petioles. Jalapa flowers are funnel-shaped, up to 25 mm in diameter, white, crimson, violet, orange, yellow, purple, bright red or two or three colors, opening after 16 hours and closing at dawn - collected in apical fragrant corymbose inflorescences. In cloudy weather, the flowers can be open all day. The night beauty plant has the ability to form flowers of different colors on one bush. For example, one plant may have flowers of all shades of pink from salmon to crimson, and sometimes the plant's petals are decorated with multi-colored stripes. The fruit of Mirabilis is large, single-seeded, dark brown in color, with sharp ribs. Night beauty seeds remain viable for up to 3 years.
Florist tips for growing
Mirabilis independently copes with the formation of the bush, so it does not require pruning. However, during flowering, you need to regularly cut off fading buds. This technique stimulates the formation of new flowers and prevents the plant from self-seeding.
However, pinching and trimming mirabilis branches to give the bush an elegant or some unusual shape is not prohibited. Pruning the branches of the plant only benefits the night beauty, which after this procedure becomes even more magnificent and begins to bloom more profusely.
Sometimes novice gardeners are faced with the problem of mirabilis not blooming. If no flowers appear on the plant from mid to late June, it means the plant does not have enough moisture. In this case, you need to increase the number of waterings, after feeding the bush.
During the flowering of mirabilis, it is recommended to remove all wilted inflorescences.
Growing Mirabilis from Seeds
Sowing seedlings
The night beauty flower is propagated by seeds, which must be scarified before sowing, that is, their hard shell should be slightly damaged with a file or sandpaper. Then the seeds of the night beauty are placed in a thermos with warm water for a day. When to sow mirabilis? Sow mirabilis seeds in early or mid-April in cups filled with light neutral or slightly alkaline soil: you can buy ready-made soil in the store, or you can make the substrate yourself by mixing two parts of turf soil and peat, one part of humus or compost, half of washed sand and adding for every 5 liters of the resulting soil mixture half a glass of wood ash or 2 tablespoons of dolomite flour. The cups are filled to ¾ of the volume, the mixture is compacted and watered generously with a fungicide solution. Place two seeds in each cup, sprinkle them with a layer of loose soil 1-1.5 cm thick and spray them with water from a fine sprayer.
The crops are placed in a greenhouse and kept at a temperature of 18-20 ºC.
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Growing at home
Shoots will begin to appear in 5-6 days, and once this happens, remove the covering from the mirabilis and move the crops as close to the light as possible. When the seedlings develop their first true leaf, cut off the weaker seedling in each pot at ground level so that it does not interfere with the development of the stronger one. Around this time, you need to apply the first fertilizing, for example, Mortar, Fertika or Krepysh.
Mirabilis at home needs watering only after the earthen clod has completely dried, since it does not tolerate waterlogging. When the seedlings reach a height of 10-15 cm, they are transplanted into large pots by transshipment and fed a second time with complex mineral fertilizer. As soon as the Mirabilis seedlings recover from picking, begin hardening procedures: within two weeks you need to accustom the plants to the external environment. To do this, the seedlings are taken out onto the balcony or into the yard every day, gradually increasing the time the seedlings spend in the open air until the night beauty can stay there the whole day.
Characteristics of the flower
The night beauty has many synonymous names, including Mirabilis, Zorka, Tsar's beard, which means unusual, amazing flower in Latin.
Belongs to the family Nociformes and has 50 to 60 species worldwide. The beauty's homeland is South America and is found in other countries with tropical climates and the USA. One species of beauty with the name Yalapa has taken root on the territory of the Russian Federation.
A characteristic feature of the flower is that it blooms from the afternoon until the first rays of the sun appear. This feature of the beauty is due to the fact that its main pollinator, the hawk moth butterfly, is nocturnal.
The beginning of a flower's bloom can be easily determined by the pleasant tropical smell emanating from its location. The flower can be used as a hedge, in flower beds and green lawns, as an ornamental plant in the home.
Another distinctive feature of Mirabilis is that its flowers, which are shaped funnels, bloom with different colors of petals, sometimes even different pigmentation of the petals.
Night beauty is a rather tall flower, 80 cm-1 m and above, has from 3 to 5 flowers, 3-3.5 cm in diameter and a thickened tuber-shaped taproot.
The night beauty can have the following flower colors:
- White.
- Yellow.
- Red.
- Orange.
- Lilac.
- Raspberry.
- Mixed.
The life of a flower is limited to one night, after which a fruit appears in its place in the form of a box with a seed, which can be used for growing seedlings over the next three years.
However, by evening the plant is again decorated with many flowers. The flowering period of Mirabilis is long; the bush blooms in May and continues to please the eye until the onset of the first frost in November.
Growing conditions
The night beauty is very unpretentious to growing conditions, although conditions that are critical for the bush can be named:
- These include frosts; without mulch at this time, the flower does not survive the effects of cold weather well and dies. It is necessary to take care in advance that the flower does not disappear during frosts by mulching. There is another way to preserve a flower for planting at the beginning of next spring, which consists of digging up a bush with roots, placing it in a container and storing it on the veranda or in the cellar in a layer of sawdust or peat until spring.
- To plant mirabilis, it is better to choose soils with a heavy loamy structure in which it feels comfortable and blooms lushly and profusely. However, if the grower agrees to a more sparse flowering, planting on any type of soil is possible.
- Despite its nocturnal lifestyle, the night beauty loves exposure to sunlight ; it is not recommended to plant it in shaded areas.
- The flower has a negative attitude towards the effects of wind and drafts.
- Mirabilis is sensitive to soil acidity, growing well only in alkaline soils or soils treated with lime.
- It is critically important to choose a site with a lower groundwater table, since the dawn is sensitive to waterlogging of the soil. Despite this, it tolerates long periods of drought quite well, slowing down metabolic processes, as if hibernating during this time.
Planting Mirabilis
Planting a night beauty can be done using:
- Rhizomes.
- Grown seedlings.
- Cuttings.
- Semyon.
If a bush is planted from seeds, it is done in early May, at a temperature sufficient for survival. Before planting, to improve germination, it is recommended to soak the seeds in a cloth moistened with water for six hours before planting or use a well-moistened substrate when planting.
When planting seedlings in open ground, it is necessary to maintain a distance between bushes of 25 cm for small sprouts and 60 for adults. In this case, planting is carried out in late May-early June.
However, as noted above, you can plant mirabilis without soaking and germination, by watering the planting area and placing the seeds there.
The seeds obtained from the flowering of the night beauty have almost 100% germination rate, taking this into account it is necessary to expect the appearance of sprouts over the next few weeks. To speed up the germination process in the ground, you can use growing under film.
Reproduction 1. Preparing seedlings
Growing mirabilis sprouts from seeds is done in early April by planting them in a pot, glass or special box of a rectangular and narrow shape.
When performing this, it should be taken into account that the soil used may be acidified; it is better to add ash to the planting holes. The growing container must be high enough, since the growth of the night beauty root occurs in a vertical direction; The seeds should germinate within a week.
The use of substrate improves survival rate and increases germination. It is prepared from river sand and gravel of fine fractions, mixed with turf and peat with a slightly smaller amount of the latter components.
When planting seeds for seedlings, shallow holes (2 cm) are made, located at a distance of 3 cm, where the seeds are placed and a little watering is done. It is necessary to ensure a temperature during germination within 18-20°C and access to light, provided on a home windowsill.
2. Cuttings
The method is not widely used due to the easy germination of Mirabilis in other methods and the relatively high labor intensity of its implementation.
Partially lignified sprouts of the bush are used, on which the cut site is dried, the cuttings are placed in a growth stimulator and then planted in a nutrient mixture.
Throughout the entire cutting period, which ranges from two weeks to a month, it is necessary to ensure an optimal growth temperature, which is 20-22 ° C; when the temperature rises by several degrees, the process of emergence of seedlings is significantly accelerated.
The prepared cuttings are planted in open ground at a steady temperature in mid-April.
3. Reproduction of mirabilis by tubers
The material is purchased in specialized stores, at the market, or saved last year's tubers are used.
Before planting, the tubers must be germinated at a temperature of 5°C in sawdust, sand or peat. This method also has not become widespread, given the large number of losses of tubers from drying out during storage during the winter.
Caring for a night beauty
Despite the unpretentiousness of the flower, with proper care it will reward you with beautiful blooms filled with a pleasant fragrance:
- Fertilizing is done by applying complex fertilizers 3 to 4 times a season to maintain the density and intensity of the beauty’s flowering, since it has good responsiveness to fertilizers. They can affect the speed and intensity of shoot growth and the formation of flower buds. The application of organic fertilizers is prohibited, since this type of feeding has a detrimental effect on the roots of the bush.
- Watering should not be excessive, since even somewhat arid conditions are better for mirabilis than waterlogged soil. Diagnosing the need for watering consists of observing the behavior of the bush. By the end of June, the flowers should begin to bloom, and buds may still be in the forming stage. In this case, it is necessary to increase the amount of moisture available to the plant; it is advisable to water evenly. During dry periods, watering is carried out several times during the week, at regular intervals, doing it in the evening.
- Thinning the plant, weeding and fluffing up the soil has a beneficial effect on the nutrition of the bush, retains moisture in it and improves air access. Thinning of the sprouts must be done to ensure that young mirabilis shoots do not take away nutrition and energy from mature sprouts, to prevent the bush from becoming overgrown and falling into a neglected state. However, the night beauty also has an advantage over representatives of the local fauna, which is that it is weakly susceptible to plant pests.
Diseases and pests
Mirabilis, in general, is resistant to the effects of diseases and pests existing in the CIS.
However, if the bush is damaged by rust or spotting due to weakening of its immunity, it is necessary to remove the infected areas of the plant and treat it with a fungicide.
Mirabilis or Night Beauty is a herbaceous plant native to South America, introduced to Europe in the 18th century. Its name is translated from Latin as “amazing.” It is connected with the peculiarity of this flower, inconspicuous during the day and showing all its beauty in the evening and at night. Inconspicuous during the daytime, the mirabilis bush gradually becomes covered with bright flowers of an original shape at dusk and begins to smell fragrant. Thanks to this property, the plant received another name - Night Beauty.
The plant belongs to the Niktaginaceae (night-flowered) family. Externally, it is a tall, up to 1 meter, bush, with straight, densely leafy stems. Mirabilis root is shaped like a branched carrot. The Night Beauty flower produces funnel-shaped buds of various colors. Another unusual thing about this plant is that several colors can bloom simultaneously on one bush, which is associated with the ability to cross-pollinate during growth.
Mirabilis is a perennial by nature, but in countries with cold climates it is mainly grown as an annual, since it is not always possible to preserve its tuber in winter. Planting and caring for this plant in open ground is not particularly difficult, so even a novice gardener can grow it.
Sowing seeds in open ground
Mirabilis can be planted with seeds directly in open ground. The seeds are prepared for sowing in the way we have already described, and they are sown at the end of April or beginning of May. Try to distribute the seeds in the furrow in increments of 7-8 cm. After planting the seeds in the soil to a depth of 3 cm, the area is watered with warm water and covered with non-woven material or film until germination. As soon as the threat of frost has passed, the shelter is removed. Subsequently, the mirabilis seedlings will have to be thinned out.
Let's meet Mirabilis jalapa
The South American plant mirabilis has more than 50 species in its homeland; mirabilis jalapa is most often grown in garden conditions. This variety is most adapted to the harsh continental climate, which is preferable for the countries of the former Soviet Union. Mirabilis loves warmth, so other varieties of this plant, alas, do not take root in our area. In the wild, mirabilis grows as a perennial, but does not tolerate wintering in our climate well, so it is grown as an annual plant.
Mirabilis is propagated by seeds. They are easy to harvest, ideal for germination and store well.
In appearance, mirabilis is a small shrub. The height of an adult plant reaches 1 meter. It is very spreading; this fact should be taken into account when planting in a flowerbed. Shades of flowers range from bright crimson to blue-white. Often plants cross-pollinate with each other, eventually forming flowers with streaks and marbled colors. Such unpredictability is always interesting: you don’t know what joke the mirabilis will tell and what color it will be next year.
We grow seedlings
In April or early May, you can plant mirabilis seeds directly into the ground. However, if the weather has not yet settled, then the shoots may be late and then you will have to wait a long time for flowering. Most gardeners prefer to grow Mirabiis seedlings: at home or in an outdoor greenhouse.
Mirabilis seeds are large and strong shoots appear immediately. This must be taken into account when planting seeds. Mirabilis is unpretentious to the soil, but it will benefit if the pot contains loam or any other alkaline soil. The root system of a flower develops according to the principle: down and to the sides. To prevent the roots of one seedling from intertwining with others, it is better to plant them at a distance from each other or even use separate tall glasses for growing seedlings. When transplanting, they can be cut without damaging the root. This way the plant will get sick less.
During seed germination, moderate watering is recommended. Seedlings need to be provided with maximum sun. Take the seedlings outside more often to harden the mirabilis. This way, you will get rid of two problems at once: the flower will react less to the burning summer sun and will not freeze in the cool of the night.
Transplanting into a flower garden
Even if the seedlings are grown in compliance with all the rules (hardening, fertilizing, etc.), transplanting into the ground is stressful for the plant. Provide it with shade: cover it with branches of a deciduous tree such as maple or cover it with sheets of newspaper. This measure is necessary in the first two or three days, then all this can be removed.
Caring for a night beauty
Night beauty requires daily watering. Try to pour water under the root so that moisture does not get on the flowers. If you don’t plan to water the plant in the next few days, then organize an automatic watering system for it: dig a five-liter PET bottle with holes in the bottom next to each bush. Fill through the neck to the top. The water will gradually go into the ground, preventing the roots from drying out.
An adult plant does not require fertilizing. The faded gramophone flowers dry up on their own, and in their place seeds begin to ripen.
Important!!! Collecting seeds is possible only if they have acquired a dark, almost black color. Unripe seeds will not sprout
Therefore, do not rush to cut off a completely faded bush.
Planting mirabilis in open ground
When to plant
Mirabilis seedlings are planted in open ground in late spring, when the soil has warmed up and the likelihood of frost has passed. The area for mirabilis should be well warmed up and illuminated by the sun, since the plant is very thermophilic. Do not spare space for mirabilis, otherwise it will take it away from other plants: mirabilis is quite aggressive. Mirabilis grows best in fertile clay or loamy soil containing lime, so acidic soils must be limed before planting. Mirabilis does not like excess moisture, so do not plant it in lowlands or on wet soils.
How to plant
Mirabilis is planted at a distance of 40-50 cm in a row. The depth of each hole should be such that the root system of the seedling with an earthen ball, that is, the entire contents of the pot, fits into it. An hour or two before planting, seedlings in pots are watered to make them easier to remove and transfer to the hole. After planting the mirabilis and filling the holes, do not forget to water the area.
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In cultivation, it is a well-known plant that is most often grown as a perennial in the tropical zones of South America. Before you grow mirabilis, it is worth knowing that Mexico is considered to be the birthplace of the “night beauty”. It has become widespread in the wild on the Southern continent in some American states up to the borders of Chile. In Russia, the plant is most often grown either as a garden annual or a house perennial.
Many species feel more comfortable in flowerpots and clay pots, especially in the middle zone. The name of the plant, Mirabilis, is translated from Latin as “amazing”; botanists named it the herbaceous shrubs for their unusual night flowering. In common people it can often be found under the names “night beauty” or “one thousand and one nights”.
Look at the mirabilis in the photos demonstrating the amazing beauty and tenderness of the “Night Beauty” buds:
Caring for mirabilis in the garden
Growing conditions
Caring for the night beauty is not at all difficult, since mirabilis in open ground is surprisingly undemanding. In order for flowering to begin in a timely manner, mirabilis needs to be watered abundantly from time to time. In severe dry conditions, watering is carried out 1-3 times a week, but if the summer comes with rain, then it may well be that you do not have to water the night beauty at all. After watering or rain, loosen the soil around the bushes and remove weeds.
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Growing mirabilis involves fertilizing the soil two or three times during the summer. The first feeding is carried out at the beginning of the growing season, before the formation of buds, the second - in mid-summer, and the third - at the end. It is not advisable to use fresh organic matter as fertilizer, only humus and compost. Mirabilis also responds well to complex mineral fertilizers, and the second and third fertilizing should contain a minimum of nitrogen.
Pests and diseases
The night beauty is very resistant to harmful insects and diseases, but from regular waterlogging it can develop root rot. The affected plant will have to be removed, and the soil in which it grew will have to be shed with a solution of a fungicide, for example, Fundazol. And to prevent history from repeating itself, adjust the moisture regime of the area.
Sometimes mirabilis can be affected by rust or some kind of spotting - fungal diseases, which can be combated with a solution of fungicidal preparations, but first tear off the affected leaves and flowers on the bushes.
Mirabilis after flowering
If you find it difficult to part with the plant in the fall, dig up its tubers, which look like black carrots, cut the stems at a height of 10 cm: after drying, they will fall off on their own. Wrap the tubers in thick paper, or better yet, cover them with sand and store at a temperature of 3-7 ºC. With the onset of spring, the tuber is planted in warm soil or germinated in a pot on the windowsill, and when the weather becomes warm, it is transplanted into open ground.
As you can see, planting and caring for mirabilis is simple and not labor-intensive.
Possible problems in growing
The crop is rarely attacked by insects and diseases. Mirabilis and proper care reduces their appearance to zero.
Pests
Of all the known parasites, only aphids take root on bushes - on young individuals. You can get rid of it with the help of Fitoverm and Intavir.
Diseases
When the soil is systematically waterlogged, the plant develops root rot. There is no treatment; the affected specimen is dug up and burned. The land where it was located is treated with fungicidal solutions.
Types and varieties
As we have already written, Mirabilis jalapa, or Mirabilis laxative, or night beauty is most often grown in culture. We gave a description of this species at the beginning of the article. The most famous varieties of Mirabilis jalapa are:
- Iolanta is a rounded bush up to 50 cm high with thick and strong knotty stems that branch strongly in the upper part. Medium-sized funnel-shaped flowers of bright color with stripes along the entire corolla bloom from late June until frost;
- Red candy is a large plant up to 90 cm high with thick and smooth light green stems, branched at the top. The leaves of the plant are oblong-oval, simple, wavy at the edges. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 6 cm in diameter are painted bright red;
- Elvira is a medium-sized dense bush with strong and smooth branched stems, dark green oblong leaves with a pointed tip and bright flowers up to 35 mm in diameter;
- Ti Time Red - medium-sized bushes with smooth, knotty, very branched stems at the top, oval-oblong dark green leaves and medium-sized deep pink flowers;
- Ti Time Fomyula Mixche is a spherical bush 70-90 cm high with simple oblong leaves with pointed tops on branched, smooth and bare at the bottom stems. The flowers of plants of this variety series are funnel-shaped, smooth, with wavy edges, variegated colors, and 25 mm in diameter.
Mirabilis multiflorum is also grown in cultivation - a herbaceous perennial about 80 cm high with erect bare stems covered with elongated ovate smooth leaves. In May, axillary inflorescences are formed on Mirabilis multiflorum, consisting of 2-6 tubular purple flowers with a diameter of 4 to 6 cm located in one bell-shaped cover.
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Mirabilis roundifolia is also known to gardeners - a compact plant up to 30 cm high, covered with oval sticky leaves 5-7 cm long. In the apical inflorescences in a common veil, up to three purple-pink flowers with a diameter of up to 1 cm are formed. Like all mirabilis, flowers of this species open in the evening and close with the first rays of the sun.
How to grow mirabilis
What space do you need for flowers?
For this heat-loving plant, we select only illuminated areas. The soil should be well drained. Since it is distinguished by its drought resistance, wet soils are not suitable for it. But, despite this, with prolonged drought, mirabilis can stop its development and flowering. It tolerates even strong drafts well, since its strong stems are resistant even to sharp gusts of wind.
Limitations on soil selection
We choose only deep, clayey or loamy, well-limed soils for “night beauties.” Mirabilis does not tolerate acidic soils at all. It grows well only on neutral and alkaline soils. The most fertile soil for this flower on the site should consist of clay-turf soil, peat, river sand, crushed brick chips and dolomite flour (2: 1.5: 1: 0.25: 0.25).
We plant this flower in different ways: seeds, rhizomes, cuttings.
When and how to sow seeds for seedlings
We sow seeds for seedlings in late March-early April. We sow them in boxes, which we place in a heated greenhouse or greenhouse. At home, we grow mirabilis seedlings directly on the windowsill. The optimal temperature at which seeds germinate quickly is 18-20 degrees. The first shoots appear after 2 weeks. The seedlings of this plant develop quite quickly.
We sow “night beauty” in open ground only in May, when frosts stop and the soil warms up well. For earlier plantings (in April), we use covering materials (plastic film). Before sowing, place the largest seeds in a moistened napkin for 6 hours. We do this in order to stimulate them. After this procedure, Mirabilis seeds germinate faster. We plant them in the ground no deeper than 2 cm.
Mandatory dive
When growing from seedlings, seedlings are planted one at a time into pots or cups, the diameter of which is 6-9 cm. In June, the strong young plants are planted in a permanent place. In this case, the distance from one to another may be different. The interval is 25-30 cm for dwarf flowers (up to 30 cm) and 45-50 cm for tall varieties, up to a meter.
Rhizomes, after winter storage
Mirabilis forms a fairly large rhizome over the course of a season. In our latitudes, the heat-loving “night beauty” is rarely cultivated as a perennial. In some cases, to preserve valuable plant specimens, propagation by dark-colored root tubers can be used. In the fall, we dig them up before the first frost, carefully clean them from the ground, dry them thoroughly and store them until spring in a dry, cool and dark place under a thick layer of damp sawdust or peat. The optimal temperature for storing fleshy nodules is 8-10 degrees. In the spring we plant them in pre-prepared beds.
So difficult propagation of mirabilis by cuttings
You can also propagate mirabilis vegetatively, namely by cuttings, but this method is more labor-intensive and ineffective. To grow a new plant, we cut off semi-lignified cuttings. After this, dip the slightly dried cut into growth stimulator powder (“Kornevin”). We root the cuttings in a nutrient substrate. The optimal temperature for root development is 20-22 degrees. Plants take root within 2-3 weeks. If the lower part of the container with rooted cuttings is constantly heated to 24-26 degrees, roots will form much faster. We plant the rooted cuttings in previously prepared soil. During the growing season, such a plant forms large nodules. Most often, to breed these beautiful flowers, it is the seeds that are used, which in our conditions have time to ripen in sufficient quantities.
When forming a flower garden, we use different varieties of mirabilis. Low-growing and tall specimens with different colors look good in group plantings.
