Musk malva (malva moschata) - a flower that many gardeners love to grow in summer cottages. Medium-sized delicate flowers add sophistication to any landscape composition, create a lively elegant hedge. If you create suitable conditions for the plant, it will delight for a long time with magnificent flowering.
Plant description
More than three dozen species of mallow are known, and although they belong to the same family, differences are visible. Due to the tart aroma, mallow is called musky (popularly called mallow).
White Mallow "Bride"
Characteristics of long-term nutmeg mallow:
- The plant is grassy, grows up to 1 meter. Muscat mallow looks like a low shrub with straight stems covered with infrequent fluff. The main stem is difficult to determine, since they are extremely branched.
- On rounded leaves, sitting on long stalks, from the inside there are light villi.
- Flowers bloom mostly singly, less often - 2-3 together. The crown ends with a lush inflorescence.
- The plant has interesting fruits: they are small, black, arranged in a circle and combined into a single black “button”.
- The culture is undemanding to growing conditions, resistant to drought, and winters quietly to -25 ° C.
Flowers can be of different colors:
- pale pink;
- soft lilac;
- white.
Flowers look modestly, but solemnly.
Additional Information. Muscat mallow on the garden plot is liked not only by summer residents, the peculiar aroma of the flower attracts many bees.
Growing mallow from seeds
Musk mallow is an unpretentious plant, but this does not mean that you can plant and forget it. In order for the flowering to be lush, the flowers look healthy, and the greens are bright and dense, we must take care of the plant, starting from planting.
The crop is planted with both seeds and seedlings, depending on the climate.
Sowing
In the southern regions, the seeds are laid immediately on a permanent place where the flower will grow. In regions with a cool climate, it is advisable to grow seedlings at home.
Musk mallow needs well-fertilized, light, soft soil. Planting material is purchased in a store or procured independently. Then the seeds are laid out in a dry place and dried.
Seeds are harvested when they show signs of wilting (yellowing)
Musk mallow is sown on a site in early summer (in June), but the plant will bloom only after a year. Sowing Features:
- Seeds for seedlings are sown in containers at the end of winter - the beginning of spring (in late February, early March). Due to difficult survival after transplantation, it is advisable to sow them immediately in separate pots.
- Land for planting is purchased in a store or soil is used from beds with the addition of sand, humus or peat.
- Before sowing, the soil is disinfected: spilled with boiling water with potassium permanganate (pale pink solution) or calcined on a baking sheet in the oven so that the roots do not get a black leg.
- Capacities are covered with a film. At a temperature of 21-23 ° C and good lighting, after 2 weeks the seeds will sprout, after which the film is removed.
Note! Seeds suitable for planting are not older than three years.
Seedling Care
Growing healthy and strong seedlings requires a lot of light. Pots with seedlings are placed in the brightest place, which should be lit for at least 10-11 hours. In the absence of natural light, additional illumination is organized.
To prevent rotting of the roots of the plant when the surface of the earth in the pot dries, the seedlings are watered (no more than 2 times a week). With the formation of a crust, the soil is loosened. The plant is fed with ash solution during watering. When real leaves grow (2-3), if necessary, seedlings are carefully dived.
Planting mallow in the open ground
Seeds planted on the site in spring or early summer, before the winter only have time to germinate. To get a plant with full bloom, you need to grow seedlings in advance at home or in a greenhouse. Muscat mallow, planted with seedlings, is stronger and healthier than a crop grown from seeds.
When to plant
Musk mallow is planted on the site when the threat of night frost is over and stable warm weather is established (in the last decade of May or early June).
Before planting on the bed, seedlings are prepared by hardening. They are taken outside, each time increasing the time spent in the fresh air. Hardening lasts at least 10 days.
In the last days of summer, seedlings grown in a greenhouse are planted on a permanent place.
Autumn planting is also possible: mallow seeds are sown before winter. The landing site is covered (insulated) with branches or fallen leaves.
How and where to plant
Many gardeners prefer to plant musk mallow at the end of the warm season. The main requirements for landing:
- lack of close occurrence of groundwater;
- adequate lighting;
- light soil.
Additional Information. If the land is heavy, not too fertile, add sand with peat or manure.
Spring-summer landing:
- Small grooves are made in the place chosen for culture.
- Lay the seeds so that the interval between them remains at least half a meter (depending on the cultivar).
- They are superficially sprinkled with earth, leveled with a rake and watered (water should not be cold).
After 20-25 days, the mallow will rise.
In autumn, planting a flower in the winter, they dig holes in each of which the seed is buried by 2-3 cm. They fill it with earth and cover it with fallen leaves and a layer of peat on top so that the seeds do not freeze.
Note! In order to quickly germinate, the seeds are kept in water for 8-10 hours before sowing.
Care for the mallow in the garden
Caring for a plant is no more difficult than for another flower culture. The main stages of care: watering, fertilizer, reproduction and protection from pests and diseases.
How to water a plant
Culture does not tolerate waterlogging. Mallow is often watered, but little by little, when the drying of the surface soil layer is noticeable. For watering, the water is heated in the sun, because the cold is unsuitable. Around the stem should not stagnate water, otherwise it will lead to decay of the roots. When the heat is standing for a long time, watering is increased. After water procedures, the soil needs to be loosened.
Fertilizer
During the season, the plant is fed 2-3 times: with ready-made fertilizers for mallow, bought at the store, or with manure, humus along with minerals (ash). Perform this during the formation of buds and flowering.
The mallow will respond to care with abundant flowering and bright foliage.
Breeding
Musk mallow is bred with seeds or seedlings, occasionally with cuttings. Propagation by cuttings is not always successful, because cuttings often do not root.
How to grow mallow cuttings:
- A sharp, disinfected knife cuts the stalk (in spring - from the bottom of the stem; in summer - in the middle part).
- For the purpose of disinfection, the cut sites are dusted with crushed coal.
- The cutlery is planted in a container with fertile moistened soil.
- If the stem is rooted, after 30-35 days it is planted in the flower garden.
Diseases and Pests
Musk mallow is sometimes sick. This occurs due to improper care, for example, as a result of too frequent and heavy watering. Common diseases:
- powdery mildew;
- spotting;
- stem cancer;
- mosaic virus.
A common mallow disease is rust. First, the foliage turns yellow, and then brown spots form. Sick leaves are torn off, burned, and the plant is treated with fungicidal substances. In the fight against rust, as well as powdery mildew, Bordeaux mixture is effective - they spray the culture with a 1% solution of the product.
Note! If the disease has affected most of the plant, they dig it out of the ground and burn it until healthy flowers are infected.
The pungent smell of musk mallow is not liked by many harmful insects, but it does not scare away spider mites and slugs. From their vital activity, the leaves turn yellow. Fight pests with insecticides or tinctures according to folk recipes. Effective infusions:
- with garlic, onion peel;
- tops of carrots or tomatoes;
- laundry soap.
It is easy to spot rust on the inside of the sheet.
Flowering and care during this period
The flowering time of mallow depends on the climate. In the southern regions, flowers bloom in June, in a temperate climate - a month later. Musky mallow blooms until late autumn.
During flowering, the plant needs special care. When buds form and flowers bloom, the mallow needs more nutrition, moisture. Watering increases, avoiding stagnation of water at the roots. More often loosen the soil, providing oxygen to the roots. To preserve the elegant appearance of the plant, wilted flowers and dried leaves are torn off.
At this time, the flowering of mallow is fed with fertilizers: organic (peat, manure, humus) and mineral (phosphorus, iron, potassium).
How and when to collect seeds
The fruit of the mallow is similar to a button consisting of several lobes. When they turn yellow and begin to burst - it's time to collect seeds. Boxes filled with seeds are collected and brought to a warm, dry place where they ripen. Then the seeds themselves spill out of the boxes.
Preparing for the winter
Muscat mallow is a culture resistant to cold Russian winters, but caring gardeners additionally insulate perennial plantings of mallow flowers:
- Cut the stems of the plant, leaving short stumps.
- Pour humus or peat.
- Cover with a layer of straw, fallen leaves, spruce branches.
- In winter, more snow is thrown at the landing site.
Seeds planted in winter are also covered with branches, dry foliage. Some gardeners use special covering material.
Malva in landscape design
The landscape composition will look exquisite if it has perennial musk mallow. Light flowers look modest but elegant. Small shrubs are planted individually and in groups. Lawns look elegant on which nothing grows except mallow.
Flowers are planted along fences, borders, create hedges from bushes
Often musk mallow is planted along with the delphinium. From mallow "Brides" create white flower beds. The plant feels great with marigolds, dahlias, sage. If they are planted in one flowerbed, the flowers will delight flowering to frost.
Musk Mallow - a plant that even a beginner grower can grow. It is not difficult to take care of her, but at the same time the summer cottage will be elegant, blooming until the fall. Graceful bouquets of delicate mallow flowers brought from the cottage remind of summer.
