What does a phacelia look like and how to grow flowers?

For several seasons, various vegetable crops absorb almost all useful elements from the ground.

Phacelia belongs to the aquifolia family. It can be both annual and perennial. This vegetation looks like a small herbaceous bush with branched outgrowths.

Phacelia leaves are bright green in color. On the reverse side, they are covered with a light down. The flowers include 5 petals with elongated stamens. In species that grow in the wild, the buds are purple, blue, pink or lilac in color. The fruit is represented by a capsule. The flowering of the plant is quite abundant. One bush can have an average of 300-400 flowers. Flowering times can vary from 20 to 60 days.

Phacelia has a straight stem with small glands. The flower is considered an effective green manure that can be planted both after and before any vegetable crop. It will reliably protect other vegetation from weeds, saturate the soil with potassium, nitrogen, and also reduce its acidity.

After planting this green manure, the soil will become much more fertile. It will be quite loose and light. Siderat grows green mass very quickly, so it is permissible to plant it several times per season.

In addition, sometimes such a plant is used as a honey plant. This technique will significantly improve pollination, while increasing the number of ovaries, providing a plentiful and healthy harvest. In any case, the flower will have a bactericidal effect on the soil, saturate it with useful components.

Currently, there are a large number of varieties and types of such a plant. Many of them are planted and grown for decorative purposes only.

• Silvery... This variety grows in northern California. The variety is considered to be quite rare. Phacelia silvery has ascending and drooping stems, their height can reach up to 50 cm. The leaf blades are silvery with a slight sheen. Light pubescence can be seen on their surface. Inflorescences are presented in the form of spherical heads, consisting of small white flowers.

• Phacelia Bolander... This vegetation is also grown in California. It grows with long, spreading stems that form a whole mound. In the process of flowering on such a plant, a large number of bell-shaped flowers of lilac-blue color are formed. The buds form beautiful lush inflorescences.

• Lance-shaped... This variety is very popular in the United States. It grows in coniferous forests as well as in wormwood. The height of such a bush can reach 50 centimeters. Flowers of white or light purple color grow on it. The spear-shaped phacelia also has small dense silvery hairs. On the leaves, you can see parallel, even veins placed. There is a separate type of this phacelia - Alpina. It can be found at least 3500 meters above the sea.It grows with beautiful lilac-purple buds and long, stretching stems.

• Silky... The species grows in North America. The plant has a large number of fine small silvery hairs. Vegetation stems reach a height of 45 centimeters. Her leaves are deeply cut. Flowers can be purple, blue or lilac with elongated stamens. The silky phacelia has two varieties: Verna and Ciliosa. The first can reach a height of no more than 25 cm, it is grown in Oregon on rocky surfaces. The plant has blue or white flowers. The second variety grows in the grassy areas of Oregon. Its height is no more than 20 cm. Ciliosa forms whole lush rugs, consisting of green-gray leaves covered with fine hairs. The buds of this species are bright purple.

• Bell-shaped... This plant is also called the California bell, Thumbelina. It is an annual flower no more than 25 centimeters high. It is grown in southern California. The stems of the vegetation are straight and rather fragile. They are red in color. Blue-green leaf blades 5-6 cm long have a brown border. Dark spots can be seen at their base. The buds form beautiful racemose inflorescences.

• Twisted... This type is distinguished by a large number of small blue flower buds. Their average diameter is 5 mm. They gather on the top of the stems in dense twisted inflorescences. Shoots can be up to 50 centimeters long and are covered with light green fluffy leaves.

• Phacelia Pursha. Vegetation in height is no more than 50 cm. Its foliage is distinguished by the most dense pubescence. On the bushes, you can see a large number of small buds with a diameter of only 2-3 cm. Inside they are white, and outside they are bright purple. They grow with a small corolla. The variety was bred by selection.

• Tansy... This versatile crop has an erect stem and branched lateral shoots. The height of the flower can be up to 1 meter. The small flowers that the bush is strewn with are painted in light blue colors. The buds have a sweet and pleasant aroma. The inflorescences include several spiral curls, over time they will gradually begin to straighten. This phacelia begins to bloom as early as the second month after planting. The flowering period lasts a couple of months, during this time a huge number of buds are formed. This variety is absolutely unpretentious to care for. She will be able to grow well even on the poorest soils, including stony ones. Tansy phacelia will easily endure even prolonged drought and light frosts. It boasts the highest immunity to parasites and diseases.

Now we will analyze in detail how to properly plant such a flower on the site. First you need to find the most suitable place for it. Since phacelia is used as a green fertilizer, it is planted in areas where it is necessary to increase the germination of various vegetable crops. Most often, the phacelia is planted before planting other plants and flowers. Sometimes it is planted in the fall at the last stages in poor and depleted soils for the winter season.

Phacelia are usually planted in a simple continuous strip.... Free space must be left between the rows (about 15-20 cm). The earth will not need to be dug up, it is quite enough just to loosen and moisten it. Seed material is deepened into the ground for a couple of centimeters. Sometimes a special wide-row method is used. In this case, the distance between the planted rows should be 50-60 cm. Due to this sowing, the bushes will give young shoots of the second, third order.The seeding rates for such a crop are 150-200 grams of seeds per hectare.

To get young shoots, you should properly care for the plant in the garden or in the field.

Moistening is necessary for the flower only at the stage of seed germination. If you planted plants in early spring, then you will not have to water the soil at all, since it will already be sufficiently saturated with moisture.

During the phacelia season, natural precipitation is quite enough. But with a prolonged drought, you still need to periodically moisten such vegetation.

In order to get a large amount of natural green fertilizer in the process of growing phacelia, it is necessary to use various dressings. The best option in this case will be organic compounds. It is best to purchase ready-made substances:

• "Shining-1";

• Optim-Humus;

• "Baikal EM-1".

Phacelia is practically not affected by infections and various parasites. In addition, it also protects other plants from them. Vegetation easily repels harmful insects.

For preventive purposes, such a useful flower is planted in mixed plantings, combining its rows with rows of crops that are characterized by low resistance to parasites and diseases.

Approximately 40 days after planting the phacelia in open ground in the garden, the buds of the plant swell enough, during this period it is already possible to mow the green manure. At this time, the leaf blades and stems become quite tender.

Manually cut green manure must be left directly on site.... They can also be great for composting. Various useful tinctures are often made from phacelia, which are subsequently sprayed on many other crops. Sometimes the green mass is carefully embedded in the soil. There she very quickly reheats and gives up all her useful mineral elements.

Such green manure also acts as a reliable protection against frost. In this case, the cut green mass is left on the ground around other plantings. This technique will prevent the freezing of root systems.

Remember that if you do not cut the vegetation in a timely manner, then the stems will become very coarse and too hard. You can cut green manure with almost any sharp garden tool. If you want the flower to serve as a honey plant, then the bevel is carried out after the flower buds wither.