Aqua - a wonderful flowering plant that grows in water.
The flower is planted in decorative ponds, used in landscape design.
Water Lily requires a lot of light. Excellent response to feeding. Propagated by seeds and vegetation.
In this article we will talk about planting and caring for water lily, show photos of flowers.
Description and photo
Water Lily (Aqua) - This is a perennial.
Grows like an aquatic herb.
Belongs to the family Nymphaeaceae.
Counts more 50 subspecies.
Aqua It has wide root system brown shade. Rhizome strongly intertwined under water.
In the height of the roots reach more 2.5 meters. On them grow stalks and leaves. Thanks to such a system of air channels, the flower can easily breathe and stay on the surface of the water during heavy rains and strong winds. The center of gravity of such leaves is located in the place of stalk growth.
The leaves are floating, egg-shaped. In diameter reach 25-35 cm. Young copies of crimson color. With age, the leaves change color and become lilac.
The plant has heterophilia.
Because of this, the color and size of the leaves are different. Lily rolled in the form of a cap. With the help of it is hiding flower buds.
Below are photos of Water Lily (Aqua):
Bloom
Flowers solitary, very large, snow-white. In diameter can reach 15-25 cm. The shape of flowers is cupped. Each flower has 3-5 petals. The location of the leaves smoothly go into the stamens. The stigma is an orange-bloody shade, has a dented form.
Aroma very strong, delicate, floral. Each flower can bloom 3-5 days. But because of their large amount of flowering continues throughout the warm days from May to September. With the onset of cold weather flowers begin to fade. After flowering, oval fruits of emerald hue are formed. The formation of the fruit occurs under water.
Growing area
Where do water lilies grow? In the water along the banks of rivers, lakes, marshes and other bodies of water. Distributed in the center of the Russian Federation, Asia, Transcaucasia, Belarus, Ukraine.
In most cases Aqua grows in the forest and steppe zones. Also, this representative of the flora is used as a decor in landscape design. Water Lily can grow in current and standing water bodies. It decorates artificial swamps, ponds, streams, lakes, fountains.
Interesting fact. The fascinating flowering of Aqua inspires poets, writers, composers and artists.Many talents depicted Water Lily on their canvases.
Claude Monet he planted various kinds of flowers in his greenhouse and built gardens in the suburbs of Paris.
One of these gardens called Japanese water in which grow water lilies.
In this garden, he created a series of paintings with Water Lilies and Aqua.
Care
In early spring it is necessary to treat with insecticides. They have a wide spectrum of action. Important have time before the flowering of neighboring plants.
To complete the formation of buds, it is necessary to process the flower with fungicides. Such procedures prevent the development of fungal diseases.
Processing is necessary to make necessarily, as the flower grows in water conditions with high humidity.
Accommodation
Planting and transplanting plants allowed produce throughout the growing season.
Lilyam need 3-6 hours natural sunlight. The plant can tolerate direct sunlight.
The optimum temperature for growth is 18-26 ° C. The temperature must not be allowed to fall. below 14 ° C.
Therefore, Aqua is recommended grow in gardens, greenhouses or rooms in which you can artificially raise the temperature of the air.
Place for growth choose sunny, warm, protected from the wind. The water in the reservoir is changed every two weeks. Wild Water Lilies can tolerate heavy rainfall, cold gusts of wind and even hail.
Planting and transplanting
Usually he lasts from late spring to early autumn - before the onset of cold weather. The selected body of water should be well lit.
If you use large and wide reservoirs, then at the onset of cold weather the ponds freeze. To frost does not damage the root system of the flower, the plant is planted in the ground itself on a larger recess.
When using decorative fountains, Aqua is planted in a special container.
This method of growth allows you to pull a flower out of a pond and transfer it to a warmer and lighted place for the winter.
Such containers should not be very high, but very wide, resembling bowls or trays. At the bottom should be drainage holes.
When using a basket with large cells or a wooden box is knocked down, the bottom must be lay a burlap. Otherwise the ribbed surface will damage the roots of Aqua. And the soil will be washed through the slots and holes, which will lead to the death of the plant.
When using water lilies as a decor for landscape design, it is recommended that you choose dark ones to match the color of the ground surface.
Thus, they will not be visible from an artificial reservoir.
Important! When planting in the soil it is necessary to use a soil no more than 25-35 cm thick.The root system should be secured with wooden studs, wire, gravel or natural stone.
Breeding
Breeding happens seeds and shoots of the root system.
Strongly grown powerful bushes must be divided once in 3-6 years.
For such breeding is great will fit root system with a well-developed kidney.
Sections that make a sharp knife, sprinkle with crushed charcoal.
Aqua negatively reacts to drying out. Therefore, bushes is necessary to transport and place in a new reservoir as soon as possible. Full rooting during vegetative reproduction should occur after 14 days.
Growing from seed
With breeding seed planting seeds are sown in the soil at the bottom of a decorative pond. Also allowed the use of small baskets with soil.
Containers are immersed in water and lowered to the bottom of the reservoir. When hit on the soil planting material opens and begins to grow. With full rooting, the plant begins to reach for the light and reaches 25, -3.0 meters in length.
Under weather conditions in the central part of the Russian Federation, growing water lilies from seeds is impossible.
Therefore, this breeding method is used only in botanical gardens or greenhouses, where you can monitor the temperature of the air.
Fertilizer
Top dressing is necessary make in the spring. For this use purchased soluble fertilizer. They are added to the water next to the plant. When applying slowly-soluble fertilizing in the form of granules, the frequency of application should be once every 3-4 months.
Benefit and harm
Dry Water Lily are drinking with neurosis, strong shocks, insomnia.
She is is an sedative sedative, as it contains Glycoside Nymphaline.
In folk medicine her use in neuralgia with brittle bones, rheumatism.
Is an antipyretic and analgesic with fevers. Dry leaves of this representative flora are used as an external agent. Leaves have anti-inflammatory effect. The root system removes skin inflammation, removes rashes, acne, papillomas.
All this is due to the essential oil, which is contained in the plant in large quantities. For colds, the root of the flower is used as mustard plaster. Tincture of rhizomes is used against spleen tumors.
The plant contains proteins, starch, alkaloid nimfein, a number of vitamins and other nutrients.
But people with low blood pressure take Aqua is not recommended, as the plant trace elements soothe the body and reduce the pressure even more.
Aqua - water perennial. It is grown in the fortified soil of decorative ponds. He loves the sun and feeding. It blooms during the growing season from May to September. Possesses gentle floral scent. Used in medicine as a sedative.
