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The soapwort does not have a bright, beautiful appearance, but it is also used as an ornamental plant. There are wild species, but varietal ones have also been bred. Soapy Moon Dust is a flower that you can use to decorate your site. Its description and characteristics, the rules of cultivation agrotechnology need to be known to flower growers who want to have this plant on their site.
Breeding history
Under natural conditions, the basilicum leafwort grows in central and southwestern Europe. The plant loves rocky areas and mountain slopes. As a result of breeding work, varietal varieties have been bred, one of which is called "Moon Dust".
Description of the variety of soapwort basilifolia Moon dust and characteristics
The plant is called soapstone because its roots contain saponins, which, when in contact with water, form a soapy foam. Belongs to the Clove family.
Basil-leaved soapwort is a short (10-15 cm in height) perennial, grows quickly, spreads out with a carpet, blooms profusely. Loves good lighting, tolerates drought and cold well, grows poorly in damp areas. It is undemanding to the type of soil, but prefers loams with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction and good drainage.
The Moon Dust soapwort has soft branched stems and bright green oblong leaves. It blooms from May to August. It has numerous fragrant, pink, small (only 1 cm in diameter), tubular buds. They consist of 5 whole-edged petals. Flowers are collected in loose umbellate inflorescences.
Seeds are almost black in color, are in an oblong polyspermous capsule, ripen by the beginning or middle of autumn. They have good germination. The photo shows how the Moon Dust soapbox looks like.
The soapwort reproduces both vegetatively and by seed
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of the variety are:
- versatility of use (can be grown both in the open field and in pots);
- short stature, which makes it possible to place it on flower beds, near paths, in almost any corner of the garden;
- fast growth;
- abundant long flowering;
- resistance to heat and cold;
- undemanding to the soil.
The only drawback is that it does not tolerate waterlogged land.
Reproduction methods
The "Moon Dust" soapwort reproduces at home in three different ways: by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. In the first method, seeds can be sown directly into the ground or seedlings can be grown from them, which can then be planted in a flower bed. To obtain seedlings, soapwort is sown in cups in March, grown in room conditions and lighting for about 10 hours. By May-June, plants are obtained that can already be transplanted into the ground. Seeds are sown directly into the ground in early May or already at the end of the season before winter - in October.
By dividing the bush, adult saponaria of the Moon Dust variety are propagated. This happens in the spring: the overgrown plant is carefully dug up with the entire root system, divided into 2 or 3 parts with a sharp knife and planted in new holes on the same day.
The stems of the soapwort "Moon Dust" are also cut in the spring, before flowering. They choose the thickest, strongest, without signs of disease, the stems, cut off their tops. These will be the cuttings for rooting.A small area with a sandy substrate is prepared for them. Before planting, the lower leaves are removed from the cuttings, the stems are lowered into a root-forming solution (Kornevin) for several hours. They are buried in the substrate by 2/3, watered, and a small greenhouse is erected above them. Maintaining constant moisture and heat is necessary so that the cuttings of the soapwort can take root. After 1-1.5 months, they are planted in a permanent place.
You can sow seeds in the ground in spring or before winter.
Growing and care
In nature, soapworms grow on stony poor soils, this must be taken into account when choosing a site for them in your garden. It is desirable to create the same conditions for them. Saponaria "Moon dust" like to grow in lighted areas, you can plant them in light partial shade, not far from buildings and trees.
Care must be taken to ensure that there is good drainage where the soapwort will grow. This is necessary so that excess moisture is removed from the roots of the plant, for which its excess is harmful.
The soil for saponaria varieties "Moon Dust" should be moderately fertile, high in calcium, loose, moist, but not soggy. After planting seedlings, it is recommended to sprinkle its surface with fine gravel or gravel.
Planted soapworm "Moon dust" at a distance of 0.3 m from each other. Plants are small, so small holes are enough for them, which can be made in loose soil with your hands. After planting, the bushes need to be watered, especially if the earth has dried out. In the future, water as the soil dries up, in the evening or in the morning. In a cloudy period, no irrigation is carried out. After watering or past rain, loosening is necessary. You need to loosen it carefully so as not to touch the roots and stems of soapworms.
At first, you need to monitor the growth of weeds, they can seriously interfere with a low soapworm. But during the season it is necessary to immediately destroy weeds as soon as they appear.
As for fertilizing, it is not necessary to fertilize the "Moon Dust" soapwort if the soil is fertile and fertilizers were applied before planting. You can use traditional nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium mixtures, and if possible, organic matter - humus or compost. If the soil has not been fertilized, then fertilizing must be done before flowering.
The soapwort can reproduce by self-seeding. To prevent the seeds from scattering, you need to cut the flower stalks after flowering is complete. This will not only give the bushes a neat look, but will also stimulate the formation of new shoots. It is possible that the soapwort will bloom again.
If you need to collect seeds for propagation, then you should choose healthy, properly developed plants and leave a few inflorescences. After the boxes are ripe, collect the contents from them, dry them and send them for storage.
In autumn, the care of the Moon Dust soap dish consists in pruning dry stems and leaves, which must be removed under the root and the bushes must be mulched with plant material. Warming is necessary only in regions with cold winters, in southern regions - at the discretion of the gardener, since soapwort is considered a very cold-resistant culture and can withstand frosts down to -20 ˚С without any problems.
It is best to plant soapworms in an open, illuminated area
Pests and diseases
Soapy "Moon dust" with good care is almost not affected by diseases. Fungal infections (root rot and leaf blight) develop when plants are kept in moist soil. Diseases can be noticed by the spots of brown and black color that appear on the leaves. All affected areas should be immediately cut off and burned, and the saponaria should be treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid or fungicides like Fundazole.
Of the pests, garden scoops can attack the Moon Dust soapworm. They feed on plant sap, the larvae develop from eggs that the butterflies lay on the stems. If there are few pests, you can simply collect them by hand, if the damage is severe, you will have to treat them with insecticides.
Application in landscape design
Lunar dust soap can be used to decorate terraces, rock gardens and retaining walls. It can be placed in single copies or in groups in ordinary flower beds, beds and borders. The soapstone also looks good just on an open lawn, near perennials like peonies or roses. It can be combined with saxifrage, hydrangea, salvia, bellflower, iberis, echinacea and sage.
In addition to open ground, basil-leaved soapwort can also be grown in a pot culture by planting it in small pots or hanging pots. They can be placed or hung on a wall at home or in a gazebo
Conclusion
Soapstone Moon dust is suitable for decorating any flower garden. During the flowering period, the low bushes will be covered with small flowers, forming a pink-green carpet. Plants are easy to care for, they only need watering, rare feeding and pruning.
