Chrysanthemum Indian: description, varieties, cultivation and care, formation, reviews

Due to the huge number of shapes, sizes and colors, chrysanthemums are very widespread in various parts of the world. High decorativeness combined with ease of maintenance make them one of the most demanded garden flowers, while breeding work on the development of new species does not stop. One of the varieties of this perennial is Indian chrysanthemum, which, unlike its Korean relative, is grown mainly in greenhouses.

Description of chrysanthemums indicum

In the wild, Indian chrysanthemum was previously found on the territory of modern China, in areas with a subtropical climate. All varieties of this plant have retained its specific characteristics.

The Indian look has many varieties and colors.

Here is a brief description of the Indian chrysanthemum:

Parameter	Value
Plant type	Perennial herbaceous family of Asteraceae (Asteraceae).
Escapes	Smooth, straight, green, 0.3-1.5 m high, depending on the variety.
Leaves	Strongly dissected, serrated. The leaf plate is greenish-gray, dense, fleecy.
Root system	Powerful, well developed, forming a large lobe.
Flowers	A chamomile-type inflorescence-basket, consisting of a central part with tubular flowers and bordering flat petals of various colors and shades. The size of the inflorescences depends on the variety and can be up to 25 cm in diameter.
Fruit	Small, oblong, ribbed brown achenes.
Flowering time	Autumn.

Important! The name "Indian" is not directly related to India. In the Middle Ages, everything that came to Europe from the East was often called "Indian".

Varieties of Indian chrysanthemum and their description

There are over 10 thousand varieties of Indian chrysanthemums. Among them there are plants both with large, 20-25 cm in diameter, inflorescences, and with small, "button", there are species for open ground and for growing indoors.

Aurora

This variety of Indian chrysanthemum forms a shrub about 1 m high and blooms with very beautiful orange flowers. The inflorescences are terry, flat, with a diameter of 7 to 10 cm.

Bright orange inflorescences of Aurora look especially beautiful in autumn

Altgold

The bushes of this variety of Indian chrysanthemums are low, up to 0.6 m. The inflorescences are flat, rich yellow, up to 7 cm in diameter. The variety blooms early, the first buds appear on the bushes in the second half of August. Flowering continues until October.

Altgold blooms earlier than others, in mid-August

Artist

This is a potted variety of chrysanthemums, growing as a small compact bush no more than 0.3 m high. Its distinctive feature is the two-color color of the petals in the form of longitudinal stripes.

Two-tone coloring in the form of longitudinal stripes is the hallmark of the Artist

There are also varieties of the Indian Artist chrysanthemum with yellow-brown and orange-red flowers.

Barolo

This variety of Indian chrysanthemums can be grown both in a pot and outdoors. Smooth, straight and rather powerful shoots of the plant form a dense bush about 0.5 m high. The flower basket consists of red petals surrounding a green-yellow core.

Indian Barolos can be grown as potted

Important! The Barolo variety of Indian chrysanthemums was bred specifically for cutting, so it can be kept in a vase for up to 3 weeks without losing its decorative effect.

Cleopatra

This chrysanthemum has a very unusual color - terracotta. The petals are colored in such a way that the inflorescences look as if they are illuminated by a bright sun. Cleopatra blooms for a very long time, from August to October, and in the absence of frost, the flowers can be admired in November.

Important! Many landscape designers consider the Cleopatra variety of Indian chrysanthemums to be ideal for outdoor flowerpots.

The Cleopatra variety is distinguished by its long flowering

Like Worth

Like Worth chrysanthemums are not very large, their bush height is only about 0.3 m. Simple chamomile-type inflorescences look very impressive due to the bright two-color petals surrounding the greenish-yellow middle.

Light Worth - potted species of Indian chrysanthemums

The variety also has a darker variety - Like Worth Dark

Little Rock

Little Rock is another representative of Indian chrysanthemums, most often grown indoors. The color of the petals is rich wine, with a white border. Little Rock bushes are very small - 25-35 cm.

One of the smallest varieties - Little Rock

Pura Vida

Like many other varieties of Indian chrysanthemums, Pura Vida is most commonly grown in pots. The height of the bush does not exceed 0.25-0.3 m. The petals in the central part of the inflorescence are bright green, closer to the edge they acquire the color of lime, the edging is white.

Pura Vida - a variety with an unusual yellow-green color of inflorescences

How to grow Indian chrysanthemum

Indian chrysanthemums can be grown both outdoors and as potted plants. Many varieties are small and can grow as indoor flowers. Large-sized species in a suitable climate are grown in the open field; this can also be done in special rooms with an artificial microclimate - winter gardens, greenhouses.

Growing Indian chrysanthemums outdoors

In open ground, thermophilic Indian chrysanthemums are planted only with the onset of real heat, in order to completely eliminate the likelihood of recurrent frosts. After the end of flowering, the shoots are cut at a height of 15-20 cm from the ground, and the bushes are dug up, put into wooden boxes, sprinkled with sand and taken to the basement for wintering. There they are stored all winter without watering at a temperature of 0-2 ° C, and after the arrival of heat, they are again planted in the garden.

Growing and caring for Indian chrysanthemums at home

Indoor Indian chrysanthemums do not tolerate the vagaries of the weather worse and require increased care. The height of the potted species does not exceed 0.7 m, they do not take up much space. They bloom, as a rule, very late, in autumn, when many indoor plants are already in hibernation. Unlike many plants, indoor Indian chrysanthemums do not require an elevated air temperature. On the contrary, for it you need to ensure that this indicator is within 15 ° C, therefore it is best to place flower pots on windows facing north.

Planting and caring for terry chrysanthemum indicum

In open ground, Indian chrysanthemums are taken out with seedlings, which can be purchased in a specialized store or grown independently using seed or vegetative methods.

Important! When propagated by self-collected seeds, the varietal characteristics of chrysanthemum may not be preserved.

Selection and preparation of the landing site

For chrysanthemums, you should choose an open, sunny place; these plants do not like shade.The soil on the site should be loose, moderately moist, with good air permeability. You should not plant chrysanthemums in swampy and flooded areas, it is better to give preference to a small hill. If the soil is too clayey, then sand or other drainage material should be added, and the area should be fertilized with humus or peat. The PH level should be close to neutral. You can reduce the acidity of the soil by adding dolomite flour or chalk.

Landing rules

Planting of Indian chrysanthemums is carried out in May, and sometimes it is done even in June, in order to ensure that return frosts are avoided. All work should be done in cloudy wet weather, but if it is sunny and dry outside, then disembarkation is done late in the evening. If for some reason it was not possible to plant chrysanthemum seedlings in the spring, then this procedure can be carried out in early September. If the climatic features of the region do not allow plants to winter in the open field, then they should be rooted in pots, and after wintering, planted in a permanent place.

Planting chrysanthemums is carried out only after the soil warms up

Planting holes for Indian chrysanthemums should be at least 40 cm deep, since a drainage layer of coarse sand or small pebbles must be poured onto the bottom. The soil, which is to be covered with plant roots, is better mixed with humus, in addition, you can add a little potash and phosphorus fertilizers to its composition. The seedling is placed vertically in the center of the pit and carefully covered with soil mixture without deepening the root collar. If the plant is tall, then for the first time it is better to tie it to a support from wind and rain.

Watering and feeding

Watering Indian chrysanthemums in moderation, excess moisture can lead to root rot. You need to navigate by the state of the soil layer in the root zone of the plant. Moistening should be carried out only as it dries up, which is easily determined visually.

The standard watering rate is approximately 10 liters of water for each adult bush once every 3 days. In wet weather, you do not need to additionally water the chrysanthemums. It is advisable to use rainwater for irrigation. If the source is a water supply, then before watering the water should be allowed to settle for at least 2 days.

You need to feed Indian chrysanthemums throughout the season. In the spring, fertilizers with a nitrogen content are used for the rapid growth of shoots and the growth of green mass. In the middle of summer, nitrogen-containing fertilizing ceases to be applied. Further, only complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are used, stimulating flowering and budding for the next year.

Sustained-release fertilizers are much more effective than conventional fertilizers.

Important! Many gardeners prefer to use specialized sustained-release fertilizers. They are sold in flower shops, they are used according to the instructions.

Wintering of Indian chrysanthemums

Indian chrysanthemums, even large-flowered ones, can be left for wintering in the open field, but only if the climatic features of the region allow it. In this case, the shoots are completely cut off just above the soil level, and then the bush is covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, spruce branches, and later the shelter is covered with snow. Unfortunately, there are relatively few hardy varieties of Indian chrysanthemums. Therefore, after the onset of the first frost, the bushes are cut off and dug up along with a lump of earth on the roots, taking them to the basement or other room with a suitable microclimate for wintering.

How to shape Indian chrysanthemums

To increase the bushiness 2-3 times a season, the tip of the shoot of the Indian chrysanthemum is pinched. This stimulates the growth of lateral branches. The last time the pinching is done no later than 2 weeks before the first buds appear, otherwise the flowers will simply not have time to form.

Reproduction of Indian chrysanthemums

The most common way of reproduction of Indian chrysanthemums is by seed, the sowing material begins to be planted around February. Before that, they must be stratified by keeping them for some time at a low temperature. This will significantly increase their germination and viability. For planting, you can adapt any container, which is filled with purchased soil for seedlings or homemade soil mixture from raised soil, peat and sand.

Calcining the seedling soil will help to avoid the development of diseases.

Important! Homemade soil for seedlings must first be disinfected by standing for 20-30 minutes in a steam bath or in an oven at a temperature of 200 ° C.

The container for growing seedlings of Indian chrysanthemums from seeds must be filled with a soil mixture almost to the top so that after it is closed with glass or a film an air gap of 3-5 cm remains. Before planting, the soil must be moistened with warm water from a spray bottle. The seeds are poured in even rows, observing an interval of about 10 cm between the strips. You should not fill the seeds with soil, just press them slightly to the soil surface. After that, the container must be covered with a piece of glass or plastic wrap and removed to a warm, dark place until shoots appear.

Important! From time to time, the container should be ventilated, and the soil should be moistened, not allowing it to dry out.

The first shoots usually appear in 7-10 days. After that, the container with the seedlings is transferred to the windowsill. If the daylight hours lasts less than 8 hours, then it is necessary to provide for the possibility of artificial supplementary illumination of the seedlings by installing any source of illumination on top. Special phyto-lamps are very well suited for this purpose, giving light of a certain color spectrum, which is most necessary for plants. In late spring, seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the garden or planted in pots.

Seed propagation is simple and effective

Another way of propagation of Indian chrysanthemums is cuttings. Cuttings about 20 cm long are cut from ripe shoots and rooted in a container with soil mixture, covered with a film. In such greenhouse conditions, the cuttings quickly form their own root system, after which they are planted.

Diseases and pests of Indian chrysanthemums

Almost all diseases of Indian chrysanthemums are the result of improper care or an unsuitable climate for plants. The most common fungal infections that affect the entire aerial part.

Here are some of the diseases found on chrysanthemums:

White rust. Fungal disease, which can be recognized by the numerous light yellow round specks on the leaves. Over time, the spots turn brown, turning into foci of rot. When signs of disease appear, the infected parts of the plants are cut off and burned, and the bushes themselves and neighboring plantings are treated with preparations containing copper (Bordeaux liquid, HOM).
Yellowish rust pads are clearly visible on a green leaf.
Powdery mildew. This disease often develops in cold, rainy summers or when the temperature drops sharply. Appears in the form of an off-white powdery bloom on the leaves, which subsequently quickly turn black. The infected plants are destroyed, and the neighboring ones are sprayed with a solution of soda ash with the addition of liquid soap.
Light bloom on the leaves is a sign of powdery mildew infection.

Important! A risk factor contributing to the development of fungal diseases is the use of fresh manure as fertilizer.

In addition to diseases, Indian chrysanthemums are often attacked by pests:

Brown aphid. These small insects feed on young greenery, often damaging flower buds as well. As a means of controlling aphids, special preparations are used - insecticides, which are used to spray the bushes.
Brown aphids spoil the appearance of the plant and inhibit its growth
Spider mite. It is a small garden pest found on many crops. Tick nests are easily recognizable by the cobweb entangling the tops of the shoots. If found, they must be cut and destroyed, and the bushes must be treated with acaricidal preparations.
Spider mites are easy to spot by the abundance of spider webs on the shoots.

Photo of Indian chrysanthemums

Indian chrysanthemums are the real queens of autumn

Indian flowers go well in mixed plantings

An impromptu high flower bed with chrysanthemums looks great as an element of garden decor

Blooming Indian chrysanthemums will add color to the garden in autumn

Pots with Indian chrysanthemums can be cleaned indoors for the winter

Indian chrysanthemums can be combined in flower beds in various patterns

Conclusion

Indian chrysanthemum is able to decorate not only a house plot, a greenhouse or a winter garden, but also an ordinary apartment. Due to the abundance of low varieties of various colors, they can be grown as pot plants. Many gardeners do just that, cultivating chrysanthemums in containers and exposing them to the garden in the warm season without transplanting them into open ground.

Reviews of Indian chrysanthemums

Alina Shatunova, 52 years old, Maykop

I have been growing Indian chrysanthemums for many years. It is difficult to find a more decorative look specifically for the fall. They bloom until winter, and with the onset of cold weather I cut them off and throw them with leaves.

Svetlana Pisarenko, 44 years old, Tuapse

Indian chrysanthemums winter wonderfully in our climate and are not difficult to grow outdoors. Their big plus is autumn flowering. And there are a lot of varieties, you can plant excellent mixes on the site.

Inna Gensler, 35 years old, Vladivostok

I love perennial Indian chrysanthemums for the abundance of shapes and colors. In the garden you can sculpt literally anything from them, but I especially like the multi-colored tiered flower beds. In autumn, they look very impressive, like a huge multi-colored cake.

Chrysanthemum Indian mixture: growing from seeds, photos and reviews