But in vain. This semi-shrub vine is a real miracle of nature. And it’s not just about appearance, although appearance is her main trump card.
Long stems, attached to a support, shoot upward and release numerous opposite-growing leaves: elastic, slightly pointed, with a beautiful glossy shine. And from the beauty of the flowers, blooming in abundance here and there, the heart swells with delight.
Popular varieties and their photos
There are few species - only 16. Below are the names, descriptions and photos of the main varieties of stephanotis (floribunda, variegated, variegated), for propagation and care at home.
The name is translated as “pig ears,” probably due to its external resemblance to hoyas. However, among the people, stephanotis was awarded a more elegant name - “Madagascar jasmine”. The homeland of the exotic is Madagascar, the Malay Archipelago, Japan, China. Belongs to the Lastovniev family and was first described in 1806.
Floribunda
The most popular for propagation and care at home is Stephanotis floribunda (Stephanotis Floribunda). Outwardly it looks like a climbing shrub; in the wild it grows up to 5 meters in height. The leaf blades grow opposite each other, they are oval, pointed, entire, dark green in color and with a beautiful shine. The flowers are large, pure white, collected in false umbels (5 cm wide and 4 cm long) and smell very pleasant. It grows well both in homes and in greenhouses and winter gardens.
Photo of flowering variety Floribunda
Variegated
Stephanotis variegata is also suitable for home cultivation, but it is very different from the above-mentioned species - it is not so beautiful in appearance. Its large leaves are covered with white and yellowish spots along the edges, the stems are thick and strong.
Akuminata
Stephanotis acuminata is the most demanding of all varieties. Only a professional gardener with great patience can grow it, capable of creating all the necessary conditions for this capricious exotic. The flowers of akuminata are not white, but cream, more elongated and small.
Photo of flowering variety akuminata
Stephanotis floribunda
Also called Stephanotis profusely. It is a species of flowering plant in a family native to Madagascar. The height of the flower can reach two meters or even more. Stephanotis floribunda is an evergreen woody plant with glossy, leathery, oval-shaped leaves and clusters of snow-white, waxy, fragrant, tubular flowers. Optimal conditions for the growth and development of Stephanotis floribunda are created in the vastness of Madagascar - moderate temperature, high humidity, seasonal hot cycles, wet and cool summers and dry winters. Provided there is enough moisture and water, it can bloom all year round and is a popular element of wedding bouquets. In an enclosed area with access to light, for example on a sunny windowsill, with proper care for stephanotis at home, they can bloom for a very long time. During summer, you can move the flower outside or into a greenhouse.
During the growing season, the plant requires full sun, plenty of water and high humidity. The amount of fertilizer must be balanced. Limiters are also needed, such as a trellis for the vine, as it tends to grow actively. As soon as the temperature outside begins to drop, stephanotis should immediately be moved indoors to the sunniest place. If the apartment is cool, the foliage will grow very slowly and it is worth watering occasionally in this case. During the winter, the flower may continue to grow, but very slowly and not as vigorously.
Stephanotis leaves turn yellow
The cause of yellowing leaves may be chlorosis from lime in the water. It can be cured by watering with water containing a solution of absorbed iron, and then with plain water. The reason may also be the lack of the required amount of light - in this case, it is not difficult to solve the problem, you just need to move the stephanotis to a brighter place. There are other reasons why stephanotis leaves turn yellow; let’s look at some of them. If the leaves of stephanotis turn yellow on the inside, this means that red spider mites have grown on the leaves. It can be removed with a swab soaked in denatured alcohol. By the way, you should know that the plant will be more resistant to insect attacks if it is kept in a room with the optimal temperature in winter, that is, 18 degrees. If stephanotis leaves turn yellow and fall off, then the amount and capacity of watering should be limited. This happens naturally with the lower leaves, but if it happens with two or more leaves, it's worth checking to see if you've been watering it too much or if there have been temperature changes. Another possible reason is hard water. A similar reason can be easily corrected by rinsing with rain or bottled water.
Stephanotis does not bloom
Stephanotis will not bloom unless you may have followed the care instructions exactly. It may also be due to lack of light, heat or humidity. Another possible reason is that the flower was not given rest during the winter. No less rarely, stephanotis does not bloom if there is not a sufficient amount of the necessary microelements in the soil mixture. It is dangerous to overfeed the plant with nitrogen, which stimulates the formation of a large amount of green mass. Emerging flower buds are stolen and budding does not occur. To correct the situation, it is necessary to apply mineral fertilizers with a predominant percentage of potassium and phosphorus once a week. Feed 3 times with organic matter at intervals of 5 days.
Care
Priming
The soil is suitable for universal and special purposes for semi-shrub vines. Both of them can be bought at any flower shop. But it’s easy to make the mixture yourself.
Get and mix the necessary ingredients : humus (1 part), sand (1 part), deciduous soil (3 parts) and clay-turf soil (2 parts). Instead of humus, you can use finely ground pine bark. It wouldn't hurt to add a handful of bone meal. Be sure to treat the prepared mixture against pests. This can be done in several ways.
Freezing
Wrap the soil in a cloth bag and put it in the freezer for a week, then take it out into the heat for a week and repeat the freezing procedure. This will help destroy pest eggs, but will not save you from late blight.
High temperature action
Use the oven: spread a thin layer of soil on a baking sheet and bake for half an hour at a temperature of 90 degrees. The second option is more gentle - steaming over a bucket of water. Wrap the soil in a cloth bag, place it on a grate, and place the grate on a bucket of water on the stove. Steaming time is at least 90 minutes. These two methods work well against pests, but deteriorate the quality of the soil, so immediately after treatment, apply bacterial fertilizer.
Treatment with chemicals
You can use the usual potassium permanganate (for 10 liters of water - 3-5 g of crystals at the rate of 30-50 ml per square meter of soil), but fungicides "Barrier", "Planriz", "Extrasol", "Glyokladin" and insecticides have proven themselves
“Aktara”, “Iskra”, “Thunder”, “Inta-vir”. Before use, carefully read the instructions and strictly follow the dosages.
Don't forget about drainage: pebbles, broken bricks, expanded clay. Treat it in the same way as soil. The drainage percentage is 20% of the height of the pot.
Permissible acidity - 5.5-6.5 pH
What kind of pot does a flower need?
When choosing a pot, it is better to choose a ceramic container. With good care, Stefanotis grows quickly and is capable of overturning a container made of lighter material (plastic, for example). Before planting, be sure to soak in water for 2-3 hours (to remove harmful substances and gases), wash thoroughly with soap and water and pour over boiling water. If you are using an old pot in which something has already grown before, after washing, douse it with hot water and baking soda.
Lighting
Stephanotis loves light, but does not like direct sun - its rays burn the leaves. And, strange as it may sound, excess light causes the plant to slow down its development rate. Therefore, choose window sills for planting - a western or eastern window will do. The southern one is also possible, but prepare a screen or thick curtains for shading.
On cloudy autumn days and throughout the winter, it is necessary to use backlighting. Install 30-watt fluorescent light bulbs on the sides of the plant (at a distance no closer than 20 and no further than 25 cm).
Temperature
The standard temperature regime of a modern apartment or private house is quite satisfactory for the Madagascan exotic. Maintain readings from +14 to +25 degrees .
In summer they are increased, and in winter they are decreased. It is this wintering that helps stephanotis bloom for a long time. On warm spring and summer days, take the pot out into the garden or onto an open balcony to soak up the fresh air. However, beware of drafts and strong winds - the plant does not like them. This also applies to sudden temperature changes.
How to water?
Stephanotis loves water, but watering must be organized wisely. Make sure the soil in the pot is dry before watering it properly. Usually this needs to be done once every three to four days.
Be careful during the period when the heating is turned off, when the temperature fluctuations in the room and outside are constant, and the humidity also changes. Do not let the soil get wet from your excessive generosity! It is easier for Stephatonis to survive slight drying out of the soil than flooding.
Water for irrigation should be at room temperature and soft . Do not use tap liquid - it contains too much bleach and salts. Leave the water to stand for a day before watering, pouring it into a container without a lid.
Maintain air humidity at a certain level, it is especially important to do this during the heating season. Heat from radiators does not benefit stephanotis, so pamper your pet with a warm shower several times a week (wrap the pot in plastic so as not to flood the soil), place a household humidifier nearby, place a saucer of water on the windowsill, or cover the radiator with a damp towel.
Top dressing
Stephanotis needs to be fed in spring and summer, once every two weeks. In March-April, the amount of fertilizer increases: dissolved cow manure or phosphate. From September to March there is no need to apply fertilizer.
Transfer
Stephanotis should be replanted after purchase immediately after the quarantine period, since store-bought soil is not suitable for further cultivation.
Since the best time for stephanotis to take root is spring, wait to purchase a flower until then. Replanting should be done using the transshipment method : keeping the earthen ball, watering 2-3 days after the procedure.
Other transplants are carried out as needed, but preferably no more than once every 2 years. Be sure to install a strong support so that the vine can gain a foothold on it and develop to its full potential.
Trimming
Stephanotis should be pruned every spring because flowers appear only on young shoots. The procedure is carried out immediately after transplantation, using a disinfected stationery blade. You can't use scissors - they will ruin the stems!
in winter
Winter for Madagascar jasmine is a period of rest and strengthening of the immune system . Water it carefully, protect it from the dry air of batteries and do not disturb it with fertilizing.
How to create favorable conditions for growing from seeds
To grow stachys, you need to prepare the soil with good drainage; if the soil is too damp, it will quickly rot and die.
It also prefers open areas with a lot of light, so it is widely used in alpine slides among summer residents, in carpet plantings, as well as in borders, it looks very elegant and noble.
To preserve the decorative appearance of the bush and avoid self-seeding, you need to cut off the flower stalks, preventing the formation of buds.
Also, when the lower leaves disappear, this is a signal that the plant has aged, you need to replant young bushes in order to avoid bald spots.
Woolly chistets, aka stakhis, aka sheep ears:
Reproduction
Cuttings
The best option for propagating stephanotis is by cuttings.
- Cut off young upper shoots from the plant several internodes long.
- Treat the cut areas with crushed activated carbon, root or epin, and plant in the prepared container. The soil for the container is a mixture of sand and peat.
- Organize a greenhouse: cover the container with plastic film or glass, and place it in a warm place, bright, but protected from direct sunlight. The temperature for growing is not lower than +27 degrees, arrange bottom heating if necessary. Ventilate the greenhouse every day, loosen the soil little by little and water it carefully.
- When the first roots appear, transplant the cuttings into separate pots.
Instead of soil, you can use water for propagation. The shoots are placed in cups with fresh water (the cuttings should have 2-3 node buds), a greenhouse is set up and germinated on the windowsill. With the appearance of the first roots, stephanotis is transplanted into light soil until new leaves appear, and then to a permanent place of residence.
Seeds
It is possible to grow stephanotis from seeds, but this process is so labor-intensive and time-consuming that only professionals do it. The seeds of the plant are formed in oval boxes , from which they fly out as soon as it dries and cracks. However, this almost always happens only under natural conditions.
- Buy seeds only from a trusted store. Be sure to check the expiration date, check the integrity of the packaging and the quality of the seed material. Pour the seeds into a glass of salted water and stir with a spoon: the empty seeds will rise to the top. Collect them and throw them away.
- Seeds, like cuttings, are planted in a greenhouse, in soil made of peat and sand. Sow not too thickly and without digging into the soil (it is enough to press 1 cm). The first shoots should appear in two weeks, and after another 10-14 days the sprouts will be ready for transplanting into separate pots.
Caring for stephanotis at home
Growing a bride's flower in a small apartment is not easy, because the tropical nature of the plant determines its tendency to light, heat and moisture, but at the same time, exposure to direct sunlight can cause burns and diseases on the leaves, and cold, temperature changes or drafts for it do not destructive.
Let's figure out what growing conditions are most suitable for Madagascar jasmine so that it pleases us with friendly and long-lasting flowering.
Stephanotis floribunda, which means “abundantly flowering,” is most suitable for growing in an apartment or greenhouse. To ensure conditions for normal growth and flowering of vines, adhere to the following rules:
- The lighting should be bright, but avoid direct sunlight touching the leaves of the vine. So, a window located on the south side should be covered with light tulle, but it is still better to give preference to a window located on the north-west side. In winter, the vine suffers from a lack of light, which can lead to delayed and poor flowering. To avoid this, it is necessary to additionally use fluorescent lamps to stimulate the formation of flower buds.
- Sudden changes in temperature should be avoided. It would be optimal to maintain 20-25 degrees in summer and 16-18 degrees in winter. The temperature should not drop below 16 degrees.
- Madagascar jasmine requires abundant watering from March to October, and in winter the intensity of watering is reduced. Immediately after watering, excess moisture should be removed from the pan, and the soil in the pot should dry completely between waterings.
- Liana loves humidified air and responds gratefully to air humidity levels of 80-85%. It is necessary to install an air humidifier near the plant, and also spray it additionally, and this must be done more often in winter. But before flowering begins, spraying is completely stopped.
- When growing a vine in an apartment, it is necessary to restrain its growth by pruning. But it should be remembered that flower buds are formed only on new shoots. Winter pruning helps stimulate bud formation, while summer pruning ensures long-term flowering.
Pests
All house plants suffer from spider mites and stephanotis is no exception . This little bug is extremely fertile and tenacious, sucking sap from the plant at a sprinting speed and adapting to poisons. Destroying it is not easy. It lays eggs not only on leaves and the ground, but also in the cracks of window sills and frames, and on greenhouse trellises.
Signs of damage are the appearance of white, gradually darkening spots on the leaves, cobwebs entangling the trunk and cuttings, wilting of greenery and buds, poor growth.
Appears in dry air as a result of improper care (at humidity above 80% the tick dies).
First, rinse the flower in the shower, covering the soil with film. This will help get rid of the adults. After: remove withered leaves and stems, and use any folk remedy (provided that the plant is not badly damaged): turpentine, garlic and onion pulp, a solution of green or tar soap, infusion of dandelion or calendula.
If there are a lot of pests, chemicals (Apollo, Nissoran, Oberon, Flumite, Sunmite, Floromite, Kleschevit) or biological products (Aktofit, Vertimek, Akarin) can help ", "Fitoverm"). Number of treatments – at least 3 with an interval of 3-6 days.
Aphids are an equally dangerous enemy for stephanotis. It prefers young plants because it is not able to pierce a hard leaf plate with its proboscis.
Brown spots appear on the leaves, the plates become deformed, become covered with honeydew, and gradually with sooty fungus.
Among the folk remedies, a soap solution (4-5 tablespoons of soap shavings per liter of warm water), an infusion of ash (a handful per 5 liters), and tobacco infusion (infuse a glass of shag in 5 liters of boiling water for 24 hours) help well. Chemicals: Karbofos, Aktara, Intavir. Remember: young plants may die from treatment with chemicals, so in case of mass damage, propagate by cuttings.
Diseases
- If the buds of stephanotis wither and fall off, you either did not protect it from a draft or did not add water when watering.
- What to do if the leaves turn yellow? Yellowing of leaves has several causes. The problem may be a lack of light, too hard water or low temperature. Lack of drainage in the pot, stagnation of moisture, and lack of nutrients also have a negative effect.
- Why does stephanotis not bloom and what to do in this case? The plant does not want to bloom for the following reasons: the flower does not receive enough nutrition or light. And don’t forget to provide the vine with a comfortable winter!
If you notice that stephanotis has decided to produce buds, do not move it to another place. During the budding period, the plant is especially vulnerable and will refuse to bloom if disturbed.
Stephanotis flowers smell wonderful, but prolonged inhalation of the aroma can cause headaches , dizziness and nausea, so it is better to take the flowering plant out of the bedroom at night.
Diseases, pests and problems in growing
The susceptibility of stephanotis to diseases and pests is determined by how much its maintenance conditions differ from optimal ones. The critical period is autumn and winter, when elevated temperatures or low air humidity can lead to rapid infestation by insects.
The plant is especially loved by scale insects, aphids and spider mites. Stephanotis tend to be prone to extreme lesions. You should not experiment with pest control methods on them; you should immediately start using highly specialized insecticidal preparations.
Common growing problems:
- stretching shoots in an insufficiently lit place;
- weak flowering even in light partial shade;
- yellowing of young leaves and the appearance of spots on old leaves when watering with hard water;
- curling of buds at low soil moisture;
- buds falling off at any displacement of the container;
- complete yellowing of old leaves in insufficient light;
- sudden dropping of leaves in a draft or when temperatures jump;
- stopping the development of buds or flowers when the air temperature fluctuates or the substrate is supercooled.
Stephanotis is especially loved by scale insects, aphids and spider mites. Scot Nelson
Can I keep it at home?
Stephanotis, according to legend, negatively affects male energy, weakens it and makes a man lazy and lethargic. Therefore, you should not place the plant in his office, for example, or on his side of the bed. Otherwise, there are no prohibitions or restrictions.
The juice is very caustic and, if it gets into the eyes or on the skin, can cause severe irritation and often a burn.
Therefore, when replanting, propagating or simply inspecting the plant, prepare thick gloves and make sure that the juice does not splash into your eyes. For the same reason, keep small children and pets away from stephanotis.
Sheep ears: planting
Chistets are planted in open ground as seedlings at the end of May. Choose a sunny or slightly shaded place to plant the plant. The composition of the soil is not important, but the less nitrogen it contains, the better. Type - alkaline or neutral. The main condition is that the soil is light and well-drained.
Young seedlings
Planting stages:
- Dig holes as deep as the plant's roots.
- Pave the bottom with a layer of pebbles or stones to create a drainage effect. Add coarse sand.
- Sprinkle a layer of a mixture of regular garden soil with fertilizer and humus on top.
- Carefully move the seedlings along with a lump of soil into the hole.
Advice. For normal cultivation in rock gardens, stachys is placed in those corners where water does not stagnate. For example, on rocky slopes.
Signs and superstitions
Stephanotis is considered not only beautiful, but also a truly feminine flower. It is believed that the plant prolongs youth and does not allow beauty to wither, giving charm and femininity to its owner. In Madagascar, there has long been a custom of giving an unmarried girl stephanotis , which, according to legend, will lure female happiness and a good groom to the house with its flowering. And at least one flower must be inserted into the wedding bouquet, then the feelings between the spouses will not cool down, and the marriage will be happy and long.
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