What is a Corydalis and how to grow a plant?

Corydalis is a beautiful spring flower that many have seen in forests and parks. The plant blooms immediately after the snow melts and is considered a harbinger of summer. Therefore, many are happy to plant it on their plots.

The plant belongs to the Poppy family. In nature, it is most often found in temperate zones. The flower grows in forests and glades. People began to use it to decorate their plots not so long ago. At the same time, he was very quickly loved for its unpretentiousness and frost resistance.

The flower can be either annual or perennial. Its root is strong and long. It is located at great depths. The stems of the flower are erect. At their very base, there are dark green leaves. Their shape is elongated.

The flowering period of the Corydalis usually lasts from March to May. At this time, small cylindrical racemes with purple, light pink, or yellow flowers form at the top of each plant. By its appearance, each flower resembles a bird's crest. It is because of this that the plant got its name. It is also popularly called "ryast" among the people.

After the end of flowering, small boxes with seeds are formed on the stems. Seed material ripens in June. After that, the corydalis stem dies off.

Now there are several hundred varieties of this flower. The most popular are the following types of corydalis.

• Dense. It is a short plant with small tubers. Flowers appear on it not in early spring, but in late April. Their color is pink-purple. These buds look very beautiful against the background of dark green foliage.

• Hollow. This crested species has darker flowers. Her sheets are elongated.

• Tuberous large corydalis feels good in the shade. Therefore, it can be planted in poorly lit areas or next to taller plants.

• Marshall. The main distinguishing feature of this flower is the red-green color of the stems and foliage. In height, such bushes grow up to 20-25 centimeters. Their foliage is green, with a bluish tint. But the inflorescences are slightly yellowish.

• Doubtful. The beautiful Blue Corydalis usually blooms in mid-April. The plant is not tall, but always attracts attention with its beauty and grace.

• Noble. One of the tallest plants. It has dark green leaves, yellow flowers with a delicate purple edging. They look very unusual. This type of rhizomatous corydalis takes root well in most areas. Therefore, it can be safely planted where other, more whimsical flowers do not grow.

• Mountain. This garden flower grows to an average of 20-23 centimeters. Inflorescences with different colors are formed on the stem. They usually appear at the very end of May.

• Caucasian. This corydalis species blooms early. It can be recognized by its beautiful medium-sized pink flowers. The plant has good frost resistance and does not need shelter for the winter.

• Dissected. The tall flower looks rather unusual. On its stem are fern-like leaves. The flowers of such a plant are light yellow and very small.

• Twisty. This type of corydalis grows in height up to 30-40 centimeters. By the time of flowering, its stems begin to bend. It is because of this that the Corydalis got its name.

• Bracts. In the wild, the flower is found in northern forests. In height, it grows up to 20 centimeters. This corydalis blooms profusely. In May, the plant is covered with large lemon-colored inflorescences.

• "Bet Evans". Such bushes in spring are covered with pleasant bright pink inflorescences. They are not very tall. But they are easy to spot even among a large number of other primroses.

• Blue Panda. This plant looks very beautiful thanks to the delicate blue flowers that cover it. In some cases, the inflorescences may be blue or white.

• "Wood Fairy". The flower is biennial and is perfect for outdoor cultivation. In height, it grows to 35-45 centimeters. Its flowers are bright yellow, and the leaves are elongated and thin.

• Corydalis Bush. This flower is common in Primorye. His flowers are usually pink or red. Their edges may be slightly brownish. Corydalis Bush usually blooms in late spring.

• Chinese. This species of corydalis is more thermophilic than the rest. Therefore, for the winter it needs to be covered with foliage, spruce branches or any other plant materials. The Chinese Corydalis looks very beautiful. Not only inflorescences, but also leaves have a decorative appearance.

• Intermediate. This corydalis grows in many forests. She is a perennial plant. Her flowers are soft lilac. Therefore, it looks very elegant.

Growing this flower from seeds is within the power of even beginner growers. The only difficulty is that the planting material quickly loses its germination capacity. Therefore, if a person wants to use seeds collected at home, he needs to start sowing in the first 3-5 days after collection.

The process of growing seedlings consists of the following steps.

1. Preparation of containers. It is most convenient to plant seedlings in separate cups. They need to make small drainage holes. The first layer is laid with broken brick or small stones. This is necessary so that the roots of young plants do not rot.
2. Soil selection. The soil for sowing young seeds should be used light and loose. The soil is usually mixed with river sand and leaf humus - this makes it of better quality. Alternatively, you can buy regular seedling soil from a gardening store.
3. Sowing seeds. The planting material does not need to be buried in the soil. It is usually scattered over the surface of the earth and sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. Immediately after that, the ground is sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle. The container with the seeds is covered with a transparent film and placed in a well-lit place. It will be possible to remove the film after the first shoots appear.

Seedlings develop rather slowly. But by spring it will be strong enough to be transplanted into open ground.

Planting flowers in open ground should be done after the soil on the site warms up well enough. This is usually done at the end of May. Choose a slightly shaded area for the corydalis. It is very important that the flowers are protected from harsh gusts of wind. The soil in the selected area should be light and nutritious. As a rule, the Corydalis is placed next to tulips, crocuses and other early flowers. In this case, the site looks very beautiful already in early spring.

You need to plant flowers at a short distance from each other. It is necessary to deepen them into the ground by 5-15 centimeters. It all depends on the varietal characteristics of the flowers.

Very often tubers are used for planting on the site. They buy them in the spring. You need to carefully choose planting material. The tubers should be juicy and firm. It is important that there are no signs of rot on them.

They do not need to be prepared in any way before disembarking. The tubers are simply placed in loose soil, deepening 6-10 centimeters. Tubers are planted not in May, in late summer or early autumn. It will be possible to see the first flowers as early as the next year after planting.

Corydalis is a rather unpretentious plant. Therefore, it is not difficult to take care of him.

First of all, do not forget about watering flowers. In the spring, after the snow has melted, the soil is still sufficiently moistened. Therefore, the corydalis does not need additional watering at this time. But once the soil is dry, the gardener will have to pay more attention to caring for the flowers. Care must be taken that the earth does not dry out too much. At the same time, stagnation of moisture in the soil should not be allowed. It is better to use warm water for irrigation.

After watering, the soil is usually loosened. In this case, a dense crust does not form next to the stems. This means that air and nutrients are supplied to the roots of plants. It is also very important to get rid of all weeds during the loosening process. You can save time on loosening the soil and fighting weeds by mulching the site. Straw or dry sawdust is usually used for this purpose. The mulch layer needs to be renewed regularly.

Almost all corydalis species are frost-hardy. Therefore, they survive the winter well. Those varieties that are too thermophilic should be covered for the winter with a layer of peat or spruce branches. This will be enough for them to survive the cold period.

Corydalis can be propagated in several ways. Each of them has its own characteristics that flower growers need to remember.

1. By dividing the bush. In this way, adult plants are propagated. This is done in late spring or summer. The bush is carefully dug out of the ground. It is very important that the rhizome is not damaged in the process. The dug out bush is immediately divided into parts using a shovel or a sharp knife. Immediately after that, they are planted in the soil. They are planted in the same way as young plants.
2. Seeds. The planting material should be collected early enough when the boll is still greenish. Otherwise, the seeds will fall out of it directly onto the soil, and the ants will very quickly take them away. If it is not possible to plant them immediately, the grains are placed in a container with wet sand or moss. It can be stored there for 5-7 days. If the seeds are stored for longer, they will dry out.

Corydalis has good resistance to most diseases. Therefore, caring for her does not cause problems for gardeners. The plant is sick only in case of high humidity. The following diseases are dangerous for the corydalis.

1. Rust. It is this fungal disease that most often affects delicate spring flowers. You can recognize it by the brown convex spots covering the stems and foliage of the flower. With the development of the disease, the plant turns yellow and withers. In the end, it dies altogether. To prevent this from happening, the flower is treated with drugs such as Atlant or Topaz.
2. Root rot. This disease develops very quickly. Flowers faint and die. This disease is treated with proven fungicides.

Among the pests, the main enemies of the corydalis are the following creatures.

1. Bulbous nematode. Small worms damage plant tubers. The latter crack and become loose. At the same time, the plant turns yellow and dries up. Having noticed traces of the activity of the bulbous nematode, the affected flowers must be removed. In the next few years, you should not plant any corydalis or any other bulbous plants on this site.
2. Scoops. Small butterflies can also harm young flowers. So that they do not lay eggs on the site, the flowers are sprayed with infusions of onions, garlic or tomato tops. It is also very important to clear the site of weeds. After all, it is in it that scoops usually lay their eggs.
3. Slugs. These pests often attack the Corydalis. But getting rid of them is very simple. It is enough to sprinkle lime or crushed eggshells on a flower bed. This will scare away pests.
4. Mice and moles. These rodents damage the stems of the plant and their roots. Because of this, the culture is dying. Traps are commonly used to control pests. Instead, you can use special ultrasonic scarers. You can choose the right product for both a small area and a large area.

Corydalis is a real decoration of the spring garden. Therefore, an unpretentious flower can be planted in any area.