How to care for pelargonium Richard Hudson?

Among the pelargonium, a special place is occupied by such varieties as stellate. These unusual plants boast a particularly decorative and spectacular appearance, as their buds resemble stars with delicate petals.

In this article, we consider the features of growing such a stellate pelargonium as Richard Hudson. We will find out how to plant this plant correctly, how to care for it in order to get a long and effective flowering.

Description

The Australian botanist Ted Bot, who, at an amateur level, was fond of hybridization of pelargonium, began the star-shaped species of the plant. Thus, stellate pelargonium Richard Hudson is a product of targeted selection. The variety was bred as a result of repeated crossing of various types of pelargonium.

Today, the Richard Hudson variety takes pride of place among all varieties of star varieties. The plant can be grown in gardens - subject to a warm climate. Well, in our country, Richard Hudson can only be cultivated as a houseplant.

Pelargonium Richard Hudson, in addition to his exceptional decorativeness, also has a meek, non-capricious disposition. The plant is able to withstand fairly low temperatures and even survive street rains, winds. Abuse, of course, this feature is not worth it. However, if you accidentally forget to bring a plant into the house before the rain in the summer, nothing bad will happen to it.

Appearance

Richard Hudson is one of the most charming representatives of stellate pelargonium. The plant bush turns out to be very compact, bushy, dense. Moreover, in order for the bush to take the proper branching shape, in this case you will not have to try hard with pruning.

• The leaves of the plant are small and typical for classical pelargonium. The color of the leaf is medium green, by the middle the hue becomes darker. Note that the plant looks good even without flowers, but when it blooms, it becomes simply irresistible.
• The flowers of the pelargonium Richard Hudson are double, the edges of the petals are serrated, like all star varieties. The shade of the petals is quite complex: it looks initially soft pink, but upon closer examination, numerous stamens, spots, specks and a darker core become visible. Such a motley coloring makes the appearance of the plant extremely decorative.
• Note that the inflorescences of this plant are very densely located. Therefore, with proper care, you can get a bush, completely covered with wonderful delicate flowers.

An overview of the appearance of pelargonium Richard Hudson can be seen in this video:

Landing

We learn the main points on the content of pelargonium Richard Hudson - where to plant it, what requirements the plant makes for lighting, soil, air temperature.

Location and Lighting

Pelargonium Richard Hudson needs sufficient, but not too intense lighting. Therefore, it is best to place the plant on the west or southwest side of the house. If the pot is exposed from the south, be sure to shade the flower at noon. Otherwise, active direct sunlight can cause the flower to lose its decorative effect.

Temperature

Pelargonium Richard Hudson, like all other star varieties, loves warmth during the day and cool at night. It is best to winter the plant at a cool temperature: this will ensure the formation of a large number of inflorescences for the next year. However, the temperature should not fall below +10 degrees.

If in summer you take the plant outside, in windy and rainy weather, bring a pot under the roof: precipitation and drafts are harmful to it.

The soil

The substrate for the plant is either neutral or slightly acidic. The latter option is preferable. Suitable substrate composition is as follows:

1. one piece of turf land;
2. one part of peat;
3. one part of river sand of medium fraction.

In addition, regular enrichment of the soil with the addition of additional minerals is required.

Care

Learn the main features of the care of pelargonium Richard Hudson.

Watering

The plant needs regular, but not too plentiful watering. Moisten the soil only when you notice the drying of its top layer. Watering pelargonium Richard Hudson is necessary strictly under the root. Do not allow moisture to penetrate the stem, leaves and petals, as this can lead to their decay. There are frequent cases when, for this reason, inexperienced flower growers the whole plant completely dies.

Pruning

Although the bush of this plant forms almost independently, it still needs outside help. So that the bush turns out compact and dense, regular pinching of young shoots is necessary. This measure will provide more active lateral branching of the plant, in addition, more inflorescences will form. Be sure to remove dried flower stalks so that they do not take away nutrients from the plant.

It is recommended that the formation of a bush be carried out in the fall after flowering pelargonium. If you cut and pinch in the spring, you can lose a lot of already formed peduncles. As a result, this year there will be no lush flowering.

Top dressing

The plant needs additional fertilizer application: in the spring it is recommended to use nitrous compounds for foliage growth, and in the summer it is necessary to switch to potassium-phosphorus complexes so that pelargonium blooms more abundantly. The optimal choice in this case is the finished mineral complexes for geraniums sold in stores.

The frequency of fertilizer application is twice a month during the growing season; in winter, fertilizing is not necessary.

It's important to knowthat organic fertilizers are not suitable in this case: almost all types of pelargonium react poorly to organics, and Richard Hudson is no exception.

Transplant and pot selection

You should not pick up a pot too large for pelargonium. In a spacious container, it will bloom poorly, will become less decorative. With transplants, it is also important not to overdo it: carry out the transplantation procedure only when the roots of the flower are visible in the drainage holes. Each next pot should be only 2-3 cm in diameter larger than the previous one.

Pests and diseases

For pelargonium, Richard Hudson is of particular danger to a disease such as black rot. This disease leads to rotting of the root first, then the stem, after which the whole plant dies. Unfortunately, black rot is an incurable disease, and you will have to get rid of pelargonium. To prevent this disease, the soil should be sanitized before planting. And also to prevent waterlogging of the soil.

With a lack of moisture, the leaves of the pelargonium may turn yellow and dry. In this case, the plant should be watered necessarily, since a lack of moisture has a bad effect on the functioning of all its systems. Note that waterlogging can lead to yellowing of the foliage, but in this case the leaves will easily separate from the stem and become soft.

At all all the diseases of this plant are in one way or another connected with poor-quality care. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to care points, and carefully follow them. Then pelargonium will thank you with excellent health and wonderful appearance.

Of the pests, aphid is dangerous for the plant. You can understand that this insect wound up as foliage of pelargonium. On the leaves in this case, ugly spotty marks of whitish and yellowish shades will appear. Insecticides and folk safe methods will help cope with aphids.

From folk remedies against aphids, they help well:

• leaf dust treatment;
• laundry soap;
• chamomile infusion.

To prevent the appearance of pests on the plant, it is very important to get rid of the larvae in advance. To do this, the soil before planting pelargonium must be decontaminated: calcined and scalded with boiling water. But if the soil is purchased in the store in a finished form, it does not need disinfection.

Breeding

Seeds

The popularity of this variety is also justified by the fact that, unlike many other varieties of pelargonium, Richard Hudson easily propagates using seeds. The following is a brief instruction on the competent breeding of this hybrid variety:

1. For the successful germination of seeds, it is necessary to make a special earthen mixture, consisting of:
   • one part of peat;
   • one part of perlite (fine);
   • one part of river sand (medium).
2. Seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil, and slightly sprinkled on top. After a couple of weeks, shoots appear.
3. After the appearance of two leaves, it is necessary to dive shoots in small pots.
4. A year later, a plant grown from seeds blooms for the first time.

Cuttings

Pelargonium propagates by Richard Hudson and cuttings:

1. To obtain the most viable and strong cuttings, the mother plant is cut twice: in spring and summer. In the cold season, pelargonium is not cut for further breeding. The length of the shoot should be from five to seven centimeters and have at least a couple of leaves.
2. The cuttings are rooted immediately in the ground (one third of peat and three-thirds of sand) after a preliminary two-hour drying in paper.
3. As soon as the stalk is rooted (from about two to four weeks), it is recommended to transplant it into a separate pot without delay.

Conclusion

We met one of the most decorative representatives of the Pelargonium - star variety Richard Hudson. The plant is not too capricious in leaving, and at the same time it is characterized by exceptional external effect. Following the advice given in the article, you can grow a healthy, strong plant, long and plentifully flowering.

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