Setaria

Family. Gramíneae.

Origin. Tropics of Asia.

Description. Setaria is a perennial herbaceous plant with erect, thin stems. The leaves are green, linear, with longitudinal veins 5-25 cm long. The leaf blades have hard pubescence. It blooms very beautifully with curved, drooping cylindrical spikelets up to 10 cm long, bearing many small flowers. The spikelets have numerous long spines. Some types have reddish longitudinal stripes on the leaves, purple leaves, burgundy stems and brown spikelets.

Height. It grows quickly, in a natural environment the height can reach 2 m, but in indoor culture low varieties with a height of 10 - 60 cm are kept.

Planting and care at home

Reproduction, growing from seeds 

It is most easily propagated by dividing large specimens during transplantation. Seeds are sown in spring in a damp mixture of peat and sand. Seedlings are kept at a temperature of at least 20 ° C.

When it blooms 

Flowering can occur at any time of the year, with each plant blooming for 1-3 weeks. In indoor conditions, the bushes bloom only with proper care.

Temperature

The ideal temperature range for growing Setaria is 18 - 22 ° C all year round. This genus does not have a pronounced dormant period and does not like extreme heat.

Lighting

In summer and spring, plants should be shaded during the daytime; in the morning and evening, the leaves will happily bathe in the rays of the sun.

Care

Setaria is very easy to grow indoors; novice gardeners can handle this task. Trim flower stalks after they die and remove old dead foliage to maintain an attractive, neat appearance. 

Soil

Loves light, loose soils with a high content of coarse sand. Tolerates even fairly poor soils with good drainage.

Transplant 

Setaria grows quickly and its root system fills the entire space of the pot; it needs annual replanting in spring.

Diseases and pests

Long-term exposure to direct sunlight in summer can cause burns to the plant's leaves. Lower leaves turn yellow during prolonged drought. With a lack of nutrients, the bush's development slows down. Harmful insects rarely attack the plant, sometimes mealybugs appear.

Feeding

Feed the setaria with water-soluble fertilizers every 2 weeks during the period of active growth. In autumn, you can stop feeding.

Spraying 

Air humidity is high. Spraying should be done once a day, in the morning, with soft water at room temperature. To increase air humidity, you can also use a room humidifier or place the plant pot on a tray with wet pebbles. 

Watering 

In summer, watering should be abundant and regular. The soil is kept evenly moist, but not waterlogged. Setaria does not like drying out. In the winter months, the frequency of watering depends on the temperature; the soil can be dried to half its depth. 

Purpose

Setaria spikelets can be used as dried flowers.

Varieties:

Meadow Setaria - Alopecurus pratensis

A tall perennial herbaceous plant, the stems of which can reach a height of more than a meter. As the meadow Setaria ages, it forms attractive, fluffy, large tussocks. The leaves are narrow, linear, straight or slightly curved in an arc. During the flowering period, the plant develops thin, erect, geniculate flower stems with alternately arranged small leaves. The stems are covered with a bluish waxy coating. At the tops of the stems there are inflorescences - a spike with numerous green flowers.

Alopecurus geniculatus

Herbaceous perennials with long, linear, narrow, entire, sessile leaves of light green color. On the flower geniculate stems, the leaves are arranged alternately. During the flowering period, spikelets form at the tops of the stems. The plants reach a height of 60 cm.

Alopecurus myosuroides

attractive herbaceous annual plants up to 8 cm high with numerous green, linear leaves up to 15 cm long. The plant acquires its main attractiveness during the flowering period, when it forms erect shoots, at the tops of which there are green, long, slightly curved spikelets, reminiscent of ponytails in appearance mice. The long flowering period begins in May and can last throughout the summer months.

Alopecurus arundinaceus

The leaves are green, sessile, arranged alternately on the shoots, forming a fluffy tussock at the base of the plant. The peduncles are vertical, thin, and have several “knees”. At the tops of the peduncles there are small green spikelets with flowers that become beige or light brown when ripe. Flowering begins in mid-spring and ends in July.

Alopecurus aequalis

Perennial herbaceous plants up to 70 cm high with many long, gracefully arched, linear, green leaves. During the flowering period, it forms tall, thin peduncles with cylindrical, green, long spikelets at the tops.