| Life form | Shrub, tree, there are ample species. |
| Family | Lythraceae |
| Origin and distribution | Another name for the plant is Indian lilac. However, the country of origin is China. The most widespread in indoor culture is the lustrestemia indica (Lagerstroemia indica) – in the photo, as well as L. blooming flowers (L. floribunda) and L. elegant (L.speciosa). |
| Ease of cultivation | Requires a certain experience, a sufficient amount of light and a cool wintering. |
| Size and intensity of growth | In natural conditions, the lstestreemia of India can reach a height of 10 m. At home, shrubs up to 1 m. Grows rapidly, requires formation. Currently, there are new compact varieties. |
| Lifespan | Perennial. |
| Temperature | In the summer: the usual room temperature (about 64,4-75,2 ° F). In winter, larch rheumia requires a cool content at a temperature of about + 50-53,6 ° F. It is advisable to place the plant on a warmed balcony, in the coolest place, can be darkened. In most cases, the plant partially or completely sheds the leaves for the winter. Lagerstroemia is cold-resistant and can withstand short-term exposure to 23 ° F, in the open ground the plant can withstand even 14 ° F. After a warm winter, the flower looks weakened, its flowering will not be so abundant, or may, in general, be absent. |
| Humidity | The plant needs regular spraying in a hot period: in summer or winter during the heating season, if the lantergemia is contained in the room. |
| Lighting | Lagerstromii requires bright light. Ideal is the content on the west or east window, suitable slightly shaded southern. You can place the plant at a distance of a meter from the southern window. With a lack of light, the flowering will decrease, the shoots will begin to stretch. |
| The soil | A universal soil mixture is suitable. It must be sufficiently fertile and loose, drainage is necessary. You can mix in equal proportions garden soil, compost and add sand or perlite. Use a universal shop primer, for example, “Terravita” with the addition of leaf land and sand. |
| Watering | During the summer period of the camp, a regular and abundant watering is necessary. The soil dries quite quickly. If it completely dry out, the plant will discard the buds, flowers.Often, if the plant is forgotten to water, it sheds leaves. Over-moistening of the flower, especially in heavy soil, is also very dangerous. Closer by the autumn, watering is reduced, the plant is moved to a cool place where its leaves turn red, turn yellow, partially or completely fall. Approximately at the end of January, the kidneys begin to gradually awaken. After this, the plant needs to be moved closer to the light. At this time, it is occasionally watered, but it is advisable after this to keep the campestre for about a day in a warmer place. Young and fragile plants are left on the window for the winter, moving closer to the glass, a temperature of about + 59-64,4 ° F is desirable. |
| How to fertilize | During the vegetation period, the plant regularly, approximately every 2 weeks, is fed first with a complex fertilizer, and, in the summer, with top dressing for beautifully flowering plants, for example, “Kemira-lux”. |
| Reproduction | Lagerstroemia easily reproduces semi-fattest cuttings, which are rooted in a mixture of peat and sand. Before placing in the substrate, it is desirable to treat the sections with a rootstock. Roots appear after about 3 weeks. It is often enough to grow a plant with seeds.They are quite small, they are sown shallowly, only slightly sprinkled with soil. The surface of the substrate is sprayed from the spray gun, covered with polyethylene, placed in a warm, bright place. Fresh seeds germinate quickly, for about three weeks, after which the film is removed. When seedlings are adapted, they can be planted in separate pots. Often young plants bloom already in the first summer after sowing. |
| Bloom | Blossoms from July to October. Flowers have 6 wavy petals and long stamens, located in racemose inflorescences. Coloring varied: from white to lilac, lilac and red. An interesting feature of the camprethmia is that the color of the flower varies with the development and within a day: by evening it is darker. Often on one plant, flowers have different shades. |
| Transfer | Lagerstroemia is transplanted as the roots fill the substrate. With the rapid development of root systems, transshipment during the season is desirable. However, the size of the pot should not be very large, so the best flowering is observed in a small bowl. |
| Features of care | The plant requires regular pruning, which can be done in autumn after bloom or in spring.Flowering occurs only on the shoots of the current year. In early March, it is necessary to shorten shoots by about two-thirds. However, by the end of March, pruning must be completed in order to develop shoots with flower buds. You can pinch shoots for additional branching. Lagestremia is suitable for bonsai. |
| Difficulties | Lagerstroemia is extremely resistant to pests. May be affected by powdery mildew when kept in stagnant air. To combat it, you can use fungicidal drugs, for example, foundation, “Gamair”. The plant often suffers from a lack of light. In this case, it does not bloom very much, shoots stretch. Weakened shoots also develop with insufficient feeding. |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic. |
