The most wonderful curly onion - boviea, a houseplant that will decorate your home
This flower is rarely seen on windowsills, and the reason for this is not at all its nature, but simple ignorance. Originally from distant Africa, we have boviea - a houseplant, but not everyone knows about it. In truth, it does look like a flower at all, because the main decoration of the bovie is not leaves and flowers, but just a huge bulb that barely fits in a pot. It seems that someone forgot a turnip with a green skin in a flowerpot, but it still looks quite original. With proper care (and the flower is not at all capricious), this green ball will delight you with a pair of very long peduncles.
Bovieya is a houseplant of amazing beauty
The aerial part of the plant, so to speak, lives only one season. The bulb produces several peduncles, the length of which can reach 3 m. They branch very strongly, have many lateral shoots and are covered with many small greenish, star-shaped flowers. After the end of flowering, the peduncles dry up, and the bulb goes into hibernation, if conditions have been created for it.
For branchy flower stalks, bovie is popularly called curly onions. And for the characteristic taste of young stems, it is called a curly cucumber.
Features of growing and caring for boviae
In nature, there are many varieties of culture, but at home, only curly beauties grows. She quickly adapts to the microclimate of the room, but still prefers moderate temperatures. In summer, it is advisable not to allow the house to be hotter than 25 ° C, although dry air is to the liking of the plant. But for the winter, the bulb hibernates, so you need to keep it at a temperature no higher than plus 12-13 ° C. It can be even colder, but not with a minus.
If you do not provide a cool wintering, the bovieya will not throw off the flower stalks, will not retire, but will continue to develop further. On the one hand, this will allow you to build up a fluffy hat. However, lack of rest will significantly shorten the life of the flower and the bulb will quickly degenerate. It is better to observe the development cycles laid down by nature.
As far as lighting is concerned, the curly bow does not have any special requirements for it. Bovieya feels comfortable on the south and north windows. She is not afraid of direct rays, except for the period when peduncles are just emerging. In partial shade, the flower also feels normal.
How to care for boviae at different periods of its development
Caring for an African curiosity is simple and easy. She needs the most attention during the growing season:
- water regularly, as soon as the topsoil dries out (just do not pour water on the bulb - it will rot);
- during the flowering period, once a month, you can fertilize succulents or bulbous;
- take care of the support to which you can beautifully tie long peduncles.
As soon as the shoots begin to dry out, reduce the frequency of watering. After complete withering away, transfer the pot to a cool place. Now watering is not needed, only sometimes, so that the earth dries out completely.
You need to transplant bovia only as needed. Please note that she does not like too large and spacious pots. It is enough that the diameter of the flowerpot is 3 cm larger than the diameter of the bulb.
Bovieya reproduces at home most often vegetatively with the help of daughter bulbs. Less common methods are rooting scales and sowing seeds.