At home, the lanceolate pentas is often grown, which grows up to 50 centimeters in height.
The pentas has erect shoots, the leaves are elongated, in the form of a lancet, up to 8 centimeters long.
Flowers at pentas are collected in inflorescences - umbrellas are of different colors - pink, purple, red, white. In diameter, flowers can reach 8-10 centimeters. The plant can bloom all year round, but the most lush flowering occurs in the winter.
Description of pentas
The plant has an erect stem, elongated lanceolate leaves. The shoots form a bush with a height of about 50 cm. Small flowers are in the shape of a star with five ends, for which the plant got its name.
They come in white and various shades of red and form an umbrella inflorescence reaching 8-10 cm. Like multi-colored balls, they adorn the bush during the entire flowering period, from spring to mid-autumn. Combining varieties of different colors, you can decorate flower beds and balconies by performing the intended ornament.
Botanical description of the plant
The flower is a shrub that grows up to 80 cm in height, while it has erect, weakly branched shoots. The leaves are green and broadly lanceolate. The length ranges from 5–8 cm. On the stem, they are attached oppositely. Rough to the touch, slightly wavy and gathered along the central vein.
The plant is in bloom for a long time. This period lasts from March to October. The buds are collected in large dome-shaped inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter. The color of the petals directly depends on the variety.
| Root system | massive |
| Stem | erect |
| Leaf shape | broad lanceolate |
| Leaf color | green |
| Flower shape | tubular asterisk |
| Flower color | white, pink, red, lilac, purple |
Did you know? The oldest flower in the world is the rose, which has been blooming in Germany for 100 years. You can admire its beauty near the Hildesheim Cathedral.
Pentas or Egyptian star care
At home, lanceolate pentas are mainly bred. He is the most unpretentious.
In the open field, content is possible only in the southern regions, where the temperature does not drop below +10 ° C. In the temperate climate zone, they are planted in the garden during the warm period. In this case, the flower grows like an annual.
Pentas multiplies in two ways:
- seed;
- vegetative.
Indoors grown from seeds throughout the year:
- Use shallow containers and boxes. Planting is carried out in loose, moist soil. Seeds are not sprinkled.
- The crops are covered with foil or glass, creating a small greenhouse.
- The temperature is maintained at + 20 ... + 25 ° С.
- With sufficient light, the sprouts will sprout in about 2 weeks.
- Seedlings dive after 1-1.5 months, when two true leaves appear.
- After the next month, the seedlings are transplanted one at a time into pots.
- Drainage must be laid at the bottom.
Propagated by cuttings in spring:
- cut the cuttings at least 5 cm long, or use the cuttings obtained after pruning;
- to accelerate the formation of roots, they are moistened with a special solution (Kornevin);
- prepare a soil mixture (sod, leafy earth, sand in the same amount);
- use containers with a diameter of 7 cm;
- planted in a moist prepared substrate;
- create greenhouse conditions, maintain a temperature of + 16 ... + 18 ° С.
Necessary conditions and care:
| Factor | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
| Location | South facing or balcony with wind protection. | South side. |
| Lighting | Bright sunny. | Additional lighting with phytolamps. |
| Temperature | + 20 ... + 25 ° С | Not lower than +16 ° С |
| Humidity | 60-80%. Regular spraying of leaves, using a pallet with wet expanded clay. | |
| Watering | Abundant, but without waterlogging. Use soft, settled water not colder than the temperature in the room. | Not abundant, regular, given the drying out of the topsoil. |
| Top dressing | Complex and nitrogen-containing fertilizers for flowering plants. Apply after 14 days. | Not necessary if the plant is resting. |
Outdoor cultivation: care, feeding and watering
For planting pentas in the open field, choose the sunny side with fertile soil. Since the plant loves moisture, you can drain the planting site by placing some pebbles on the bottom of the hole. Pentas is sensitive to the content of salts in the soil, their increased content leads to disease or death of the flower.
Watering is carried out as the soil dries up. For watering, use settled, warmed up water. Do not water the flower with cold water just drawn from the water supply, this will lead to a decrease in decorativeness and stretching of the flower shoots.
Pentas lends itself well to forming
Pentas can reach 50 cm in height or more. In order for the plant to bush and form more flowering shoots, it is necessary to pinch the tops. With the help of pinching, you can give a different shape to the plant. Experienced gardeners break off flowering shoots to stimulate new growth. The beauty of the blooming "star" can be estimated from the photos below.
Top dressing is carried out every 15 days with complex fertilizers. Fertilizers are best purchased at a flower shop, there are special mixtures for flowering plants. The fertilizer must contain nitrogen and iron. The "Egyptian star" does not need a transplant, as it grows in the open field as an annual plant.
Advice. In the fall, be sure to collect seeds for planting next year. With proper care, timely watering and feeding, the pentas blooms from spring to mid-autumn, until the air temperature drops below 10 ° C.
Transplant and pruning
A young plant develops, the bush increases its volume, so a transplant is carried out every year. An adult plant after 2 or 3 years.
Pick up a pot larger than the previous one. With the development of the root system so much that the container for it will be 20 cm in diameter, they simply change the top layer of the soil mixture.
The transplant is carried out in the spring, while carefully removing the flower along with a lump of earth, so as not to injure the roots, and dipping it into a container with a prepared substrate.
The Egyptian star grows intensively, the stems are sometimes strongly elongated. To preserve the aesthetic appearance of the crown, the bush is cut off and the tops are pinched, keeping a height of no more than 50 cm. This is done in the periods between flowering.
Self-breeding pentas at home
The plant grows by itself for several years, but over time it takes on ugly forms and the bush disintegrates. Therefore, it is simply necessary to rejuvenate pentas after several years of development. For this, cuttings or seeds are used.
With the help of seeds, pentas can be propagated all year round, regardless of the season outside. Seed material is sown on the surface of the prepared moistened substrate, and does not sink into it.The container with seedlings must be installed in a well-lightened place, shading from the midday rays of the sun. Germination will be successful after 2-3 weeks, if temperature indicators of 23-26 degrees are observed for this. When the steams are strong enough, you can thin out the seedlings, leaving stronger specimens. At the same time, temperature indicators drop slightly to 18-23 degrees. When 4 to 6 weeks have passed, young pentasa plants are recommended to be transplanted into separate pots with diameters of no more than 11 cm. The substrate for seeds and seedlings is the same as for adult plants. To see the pentas bloom by the end of spring, seeds are sown at the beginning of winter.
If the plants are supposed to be grown in open ground, then it is necessary to plant seedlings in the soil of the flower bed when the night temperatures begin to show a stable 7 degrees. Otherwise, in cool and rainy weather, the pentas will not be able to grow normally and its decorative qualities will be significantly affected.
For propagation using cuttings, edged material is used, you can choose cut branches at least 10 cm in length, having 3 nodes each. For the rooting of cuttings, conditions are created for mini-greenhouses with constant temperature indicators in the range of 16-18 degrees. Rooting occurs quite quickly, after 10 days, cuttings can be transplanted into separate pots with a diameter of at least 7 cm, with a substrate made up of leafy, turfy land and sand, taken in equal parts. The transplanted cuttings are watered very abundantly, as soon as all the soil that was provided to the young plant is braided with roots, then the pot is changed to a larger one (approximate diameter 9 cm). As soon as the pentas reaches the age of one year, the pot is again changed to a new one with a 12 cm diameter and the substrate is used the same as for adult plants.
Possible difficulties of growing pentas
| Disease, pest | Symptom and cause | Remedies |
| Chlorosis | Yellowing of the leaves. Iron deficiency. | Iron chelate is used for feeding. |
| Aphid | Small green or brown insects are visible on the plant. The appearance of a sticky coating. Leaves and buds wither. | Spray with marigold infusion or garlic. If there is no effect, use insecticides. |
| Spider mite | The appearance of white dots | They are treated with an infusion of garlic, dandelion roots, onion husks, or a solution of sulfur-tar soap. If it does not help, use insecticides (Aktellik, Fitoverm). |
If all the care requirements are met correctly, the Egyptian star will delight with its lush flowering for four months.
Diseases and pests
Chlorosis of the leaves is the most common disease affecting plants. Noticing its first signs, which primarily include the causeless yellowing of the leaves, it is necessary to feed the plant with chelated fertilizers that increase the chlorophyll in the green of the flower (Hydro Flor, Hydro Vera).
The pests that infect pentas include the spider mite and the scabbard. You can fight them using drugs such as "Actellik" or "Fitoverm", or you can treat the leaves with folk remedies - a solution of ordinary laundry soap, medical alcohol, onion or garlic infusion. The leaves are simply wiped off with a solution and after a few minutes washed off with water at room temperature.
Correct cultivation of the pentas flower
The Egyptian star grows well in outdoor containers and can even be a good houseplant if it gets enough light. It grows and develops best when exposed to sunshine and in moist, drained soil. It can adapt to less sunny conditions, but its bloom will not be as abundant.As if the flower is not suitable for planting in full shade, there it will be susceptible to pathogenic fungi.
Temperature
Pentas Lanceolata is a tropical plant that loves warmth and intense light. On especially hot days, the pentas weakens and withers, therefore a temperature of 20-25 ° C is preferable.
Important! Although the pentas loves the sun, you cannot immediately put it on the south window. Without gradual training, the flower will get burned. In the summer, you may even need to shade the window.
In a high-rise building, it is better to transfer the flower to the balcony, and in a private house - to the garden. Pentas Lanceolata tolerates drafts well, so frequent ventilation will not harm it. Strong cold winds in the garden are carried by the flower thanks to the right location. Pentas are best planted near a wall or surrounded by stronger specimens.
How to propagate pentas: landing rules
There are two popular ways to propagate this flower: by seed and cuttings.
Stem cuttings
To propagate pentasa in this way, you can use cuttings that you have left after rejuvenating or pruning your plant, or cut new ones.
The main thing is that the cut stems should be at least 5-8 cm long. The minimum temperature for this kind of reproduction should be 16-18 degrees.
Cuttings can be previously held in water for several hours or planted in prepared, moist soil immediately. Rooting should take place in 8-10 days. After the roots of the plant occupy the entire pot, it is transplanted.
Description of the street and indoor flower pentas
Pentas is a plant native to Africa. He is commonly known as the Egyptian star. It has simple green leaves with quite noticeable veins. The main species of this genus are Pentas Lanceolata, Pentas Nobilis, Pentas Longiflora, Pentas Bussei, Pentas Zanzibarica. The name of the genus comes from the Greek "Pente", which translates as "five" - five petals of the flower, and the Latin "Lanceola" - "spear-shaped" - emphasizes the appearance of the leaves. It is used for shaping the interior in the garden or planting in pots to decorate balconies and terraces.
For your information! The flower is ideal for places with a Mediterranean climate.
Despite the fact that its life span in temperate climates is rather short, its ease of care and sowing, as well as its high decorative value, make it a very interesting species. For example, Starla Mix pentas is used to decorate terraces and balconies, and Graffiti pentas is a very effective flowering indoor flower.
It is a perennial shrub that can grow to a maximum height of 1 m. It has oval and lanceolate foliage with two-pronged teeth. The flowers are star-shaped, appear throughout the summer, even in areas with a predominance of harsh climates. They are typically pink or white, but newer varieties have brought in shades of purple, lavender, and mixed colors like pink with red centers.
Note! In the garden, it perfectly creates colored spots in combination with other plants, also great for planting around the edges of large bushes.
Growing a pentas flower from seeds and cuttings
This species reproduces quite easily from cuttings or seeds. In the first case, in the spring, it is recommended to cut off the shoots and immerse them in the root hormone. Then the cuttings are dropped into pre-moistened sand and allowed to take root. After a couple of weeks, the new plant will begin to actively grow and develop.
The fruit contains many brown seeds in ovoid capsules divided into four valves. All have good germination for several years. Growing from seeds will allow you to quickly get new specimens, but the flowering of the plant will come much later than those that grew from cuttings. Growing from seed is suitable for Starl's pentas and many other varieties. Seedling picking will be required in 4-6 weeks.
Note! It is not uncommon to find the statement that Pentas lanceolata is an annual. This can only be considered true if you do not rejuvenate it by cutting off the elongated stems. It is necessary to regularly buy seeds or germinate cuttings, as the bushes fall apart after a few years.
Although Pentas Lanceolata is able to delight with its flowers all summer, it is better to let it rest periodically during this period. The classic winter bloom will bring much more joy.
For a garden, it is better to grow pentas from seeds. The planting material must be planted in the ground at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. The first shoots of pentas will appear in 1-2 weeks. Seedlings can be planted in May. For indoor use, cuttings can be placed directly into the ground.
Pentas Starla in the garden
general description
Pentas is a semi-shrub or herb with erect or creeping shoots, woody at the base, 50-80 cm long. Its elongated pubescent leaves up to 7 cm in size are opposite and colored in light green.
Blooming pentas
In the potting culture, there is only one species - Pentas Lanceolate, which has many varieties with variously colored tubular flowers. They are collected at the tops of the shoots in umbellate inflorescences with a diameter of about 10 cm and resemble white, purple, pink, purple or red stars in shape. It blooms in summer and autumn.
How to choose the right soil?
If you choose the wrong soil for germinating seeds, you may not get the desired result. Store-bought potting soil mixes, which are already collected in the required proportions, are ideal for pentas. If you want to start preparing the nutrient medium yourself, then when using containers, it is better to make soil from peat moss, deciduous mixture and perlite. All components are connected in the same proportion.
It is such soil that remains moist for a long time, but at the same time does not retain water in large quantities. Pentas loves fertile, well-drained light soil that is slightly acidic.
At the stage of caring for seedlings, it is important to take into account not only the temperature regime, but also the amount of light and moisture. Pentas grows well and blooms profusely in the sun. Seedlings should receive 6 or more light hours per day, not necessarily sequentially. In hot climates, bright sun with a little afternoon shade is ideal.
This flower is very sensitive to frost, so you should not put the seedlings on the window so that their leaves are in contact with cold glass. If seed germination takes place in winter, artificial light bulbs can be used. It perfectly helps to replace the natural one, which is sorely lacking during this period.
