Gardeners are very fond of colchicum - a flower that is otherwise called Colchicum, because it blooms in the fall, when all other flowers have turned yellow and dried. Colchicums are popularly called the "timeless color", as well as the "autumn color". Colchicums are beautiful plants that will decorate the garden when other plants have long bloomed. Colchicums are beautiful and unpretentious in leaving. They will perfectly tolerate both heat and cold. Moreover, these are perennial plants, they will bloom for about 6-7 years.
What does colchicum look like?
Colchicum flowers are quite large, up to 12 cm in diameter and up to 60 cm in height, depending on the variety, a pleasant lilac or lilac-pink color. Petals are with pointed ends, such as with rounded ones. The stalk of the flower is long, erect, bare and white. From one tuber grows from five to twelve flowers.
Blooming Colchicum
The leaves are bright green, with a slightly wavy edge, oval-drop-shaped with a blunt tip, similar to the leaves of lilies of the valley. Reach 30 cm long and 6 cm wide.
Corm in conical shape, covered with dark brown webbed scales. A white tube grows out of it, thanks to which a flower breaks through the soil.
All colchicums have terry petals; the degree of terry depends on the variety. The most “fluffy” petals are in the Byzantine colchicum. All colchicums have six stamens each.
Important! The flowers of the autumnal plant resemble crocuses, but they are not relatives. Colchicum, or colchicum, belongs to the colchicum family of the colchicum family.
Colchicum flowers
Colchicum History
The first ones mentioning colchicum, or colchicum, are found in the ancient writings of such civilizations as Egypt, India and Greece. Wild colchicum grow in Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean. The juice of these plants was used in the treatment of gout and rheumatism. In the nineteenth century, doctors began to study colchicum. After fifty years of research, mass production of colchicum preparations has begun. Colchicum is listed in the Red Book, it is assigned the status of "rare".
Common varieties of colchicum, description
Colchicum has many varieties, so choosing the right one for your garden will not be difficult.
Colchicum Autumn
The most famous type of colchicum. Its bulbs, flowers and seeds are used for medical purposes to treat leukemia, asthma, gout, and rheumatism.
Colchicum the Magnificent, or Colchicum speciosum
This is the largest of all species of colchicum. It grows from 20 to 60 cm in height. The flowers are pink-purple, sometimes purple. Also, chess and striped colors are common in this species.
Colchicum Jainet
Differs from Colchicum Magnificent in the saturated pink color of the petals. The stalk grows up to 25 cm in height.
Colchicum Byzantine
The rarest of all the above varieties of colchicums. From corms 10-12 lilac-pink flowers grow. Their diameter reaches 10-12 cm. Petals are smooth and shiny.
Colchicum Leaves
Colchicum planting and care in the garden
Planting and care for colchicum Autumn does not require special skills and expenses. They grow on any soil, however, the most suitable is one that passes moisture well. The soil must be loose.
Planting a plant is desirable in well-lit areas or slightly darkened by other plants. Colchicum cannot be planted in shady places in order to avoid rotting of corms. Colchicum tolerates both heat and frost.
Important! Do not cut dry leaves and stems, they nourish the bulb of the plant and the flower needs for better ripening. Yellowed, already fallen leaves can be removed, but not cut.
Landing procedure
Before planting the corms, the soil must be dug up; one square meter should be added 1/2 bucket of sand and 1 bucket of humus. During the planting of bulbs, wood ash and superphosphate are used as fertilizer. For its preparation, a liter of ash and one tablespoon of phosphate per square meter of soil are needed.
Colchicum blooms in autumn, so you need to plant it in mid-August. If the bulb is good, then the plant can bloom in the first year. It is necessary to plant autumn trees so that between the corms there is a distance of at least 10 cm. Depending on the size of the bulb, plant them to a depth of 8 cm to 20 cm. The larger the bulb, the deeper it needs to be planted.
The bulb on the bulb, formed by scales, should stick out of the ground. Otherwise, the flowers will be difficult to break through the ground, the petals will be curved and small.
Attention! Corms, stems, leaves, petals, and especially the seeds of colchicum poisonous. You can touch them only with gloves to avoid burns.
After landing care
The soil must be loosened periodically, fertilized and weeds removed. For feeding, a complex mineral fertilizer is used, which includes nitrogen. You need to fertilize from the time of planting to the beginning of summer. Feed colchicum once every 2-3 weeks.
Abundant watering will lead to rotting of the bulbs, especially if the soil does not conduct moisture well. Colchicum garden can be watered only during the flowering period, subject to a prolonged absence of rain. Excess moisture will cause fungal diseases or slugs and snails.
Colchicum corms with sprouted flowers
Features of colchicum care in winter
After the autumn has flowered, it is necessary to remove all the weed grass and fill the flower bed with peat. If winters are cold, then additionally cover with a layer of foliage. Colchicum does not require any other additional care in winter.
Advice! In early spring, it is worth removing additional coverings (foliage) to avoid the accumulation of excess moisture.
How and when colchicum blooms
In early spring, oval-shaped leaves of bright green color appear. They grow until mid-summer and then gradually begin to turn yellow and dry. Withered leaves and seed bolls remain on the surface of the soil. Under the ground at this time, a flower-bearing tube sprouts from the bulb. When it appears above the surface of the earth, funnel-shaped flowers of colchicum begin to grow. This happens in late summer.
Important! The peak of flowering occurs in October. After the flowers have dried, a colder period begins at colchicum.
How to care for colchicum during flowering
When colchicum begins to bloom, you need to pay attention to the amount of rainfall. If flowering occurred during the dry period, you need to carefully water the flowers.
Growing colchicum from seeds
This method is suitable for breeding spring species of colchicum. And also it is used as an addition to the vegetative method of reproduction. By mid-summer, the seed capsule is fully formed and dries. At this time, the seeds are ready for planting.
Colchicum Seeds
First you need to cut off a slightly blackened box and leave it in the fresh air, but always in the shade.
Sow the seeds as early as possible. Otherwise, it is likely that they will not germinate at all. The seeds are instilled to a depth of 1.5 cm. In a year, the first flowers may already appear.
This method of propagation is suitable for the most patient gardeners, since many years pass before the first flowers appear. However, with this method of reproduction the most beautiful and healthy samples of colchicum can be deduced.
Additionally! Growing colchicum flower from seeds is suitable only for spring-blooming colchicums. For example, for colchicum yellow, Hungarian, three-leafed.
Seed germination
Soak the seeds for half an hour and then rinse with a stream of water. Prepare the holes, but not too deep. Put drainage, sand and soil on top. Before planting seeds in open ground, water the soil with a small amount of water. Lower the seeds into the hole without sprinkling soil on top.
Colchicum transplant to a new place
Colchicum should be replanted every 3-4 years, because they multiply rapidly, each corm leaves up to three daughter bulbs per year. If you do not plant colchicum, then over time it will become crowded, and the flowers will be small. When the flowers begin to grow too close to each other, it is necessary to transplant colchicum.
When to dig a colchicum for transplant
To transplant Colchicum, in the first half of June, when the leaves turn yellow, you need to dig out the bulbs. After that, carefully clean them from the soil and separate the daughter bulbs from the mother ones.
For replanting, only daughter corms are suitable. They need to be washed with running water and placed for 30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate. After this, the bulbs must be properly dried and cleaned in a dark and dry place.
Important! Before planting bulbs, the soil must be loosened, add sand and fertilizer to it.
When to transplant an autumn blooming colchicum
In early August, you can plant corms in the ground. Colchicum should be planted according to the above algorithm. If everything is done correctly, then colchicum can start in the first year.
Colchicum transplant
Possible problems in growing colchicum.
The main problem gardeners face is snails and slugs. They can appear if colchicum plants are planted where the shadow constantly falls, or the soil is too wet. To prevent the multiplication of these pests, it is necessary to constantly examine the leaves and flowers of colchicum. And also to loosen the soil and avoid waterlogging.
If slugs have appeared, then they need to be removed. And to get rid of snails, use molluscicides, for example, Metiocarb or Metaldehyde.
Important! To prevent the appearance of snails and slugs, fine gravel is used, which must be scattered between the rows of colchicums. For this, crumbled shells and eggshells are also suitable.
Gray water can result from frequent watering or heavy rains. This is a fungal disease of colchicums. It is easy to notice: gray spots, unpleasant to the touch. To get rid of gray rot, you need to cut off all the strongly affected parts of the plant (leaves, flowers), destroy them. Experienced gardeners recommend burning affected plants. To process all other flowers with special means, for example, Kuproksat or Chemdlinny.
Use for medicinal purposes.
From the onion and colchicum root make tinctures. To do this, dig up the corms along with the roots. Damaged and small ones should be discarded, as they will quickly rot. Carefully clean the root of the ground, remove shoots and shoots from the corm. After that, dry the bulbs in a dry and dark place on a horizontal surface.
Attention! In no case should you wet or rinse the roots and corms. This will lead to decay.
Dried bulbs can be stored for no longer than three months. Raw materials were procured exclusively in gloves.
Cooking tincture
Grind colchicum root and pour 1/2 teaspoon of colchicum 500 ml of boiling water. Apply 2 drops every 40 minutes. after eating with water. Over time, increase the dose to 8 drops.
Due to its properties, this tincture is used for jaundice, whooping cough, dropsy, rheumatic, neuralgic pains, heart weakness.
Colchicum is an unusual flower that does not require much care. Despite this, he will delight with his beauty in the gray autumn days and decorate the garden. In addition, gardeners make tinctures from its corms and roots that are good for health and help in the treatment of many diseases.
