Flax is not only an important crop used by the textile and pharmaceutical industries, but also a popular ornamental plant. We find out what types of flax exist, and what are the features of their cultivation.
Plant description
Flax (Linum) is an annual herbaceous plant that serves as a raw material for fabrics of the same name. Thanks to the soft blue flowers, flax gained popularity among gardeners - it is often used as an ornamental plant.
Characteristics and features of flax sowing or cultivated (ordinary):
- Stem. Erect, thin, cylindrical. Height - 0.6-1.5 m. Branches at the top. Pale green. There is a slight wax coating.
- Leaves. The location is sparse, spiral. Length - 2-3 cm, width - 3-4 cm. Sharp, sessile, linear or linear-lanceolate. Color - greenish-bluish.
- Flowers. Medium or small - from 1.5 to 2.4 cm in diameter, with white stamens. There are relatively few flowers on the plant. The flowers have long pedicels, and the sepals are 5-6 cm long. Color - blue or blue, rarely - white, pink, red-violet. Flowering - from June to July.
- Fruit. Flattened-spherical capsules 6-8 mm long, 6-7 mm in diameter. Inside - 10 oblong seeds, smooth and shiny, 3.3-5 mm long. Color - light brown, dark brown or greenish yellow. Seed ripening - July-August.
Types and varieties of flax
Flax is not only beautiful and useful, but also has many faces. There are about two hundred species of this plant, among which perennial blue flax is most known. Flax, depending on the type, is used as a spinning or oilseed crop.
Cultivated flax sowing is divided into three groups:
- Flax flax. This spinning culture is grown to produce fabrics. The stem of a tall plant contains 20-30% of the fibers.
- Curly flax. Grow for the sake of seeds. The plant is stunted - not higher than 30 cm, the stems are highly branching. On one plant - up to 80 boxes. Seeds are larger than that of long flax. They contain 47% fat, so curls are often called Pancake week flax. It is often grown as an ornamental plant. Curls have very small flowers of different colors - they are soft purple, lemon, and scarlet. A good predecessor of winter crops, green food and silage.
- Flax Mezheumok. A species that occupies a middle position between the long flax and the curly. Grown to produce oil.
Creeping flax grows in nature - a strongly leafy wild plant with blue flowers. Used for breeding work.
There are many subspecies and varieties of flax, among them:
- Red. Decorative annual with graceful stems. Height - up to 50 cm. Scarlet flowers. Flowering lasts one day, in the evening the flowers fall, and new ones bloom to replace them.
- Perennial blue. Perennial plant 60 cm high and with cornflower or white flowers. Blooms in the second year.
- Yellow. Perennial 60 cm high. Bright yellow large flowers. It grows well in shaded areas, on rocky slopes.
- Clear dawns. Decorative annual up to 40 cm high. The flowers are purple, in diameter up to 3 cm.
- Sky blue. Perennial up to 80 cm high. The plant, growing in one place for years, becomes similar to a blue cloud.
- Northern. Perennial up to 35 cm high. Grows in the north - in the Subpolar and Polar Urals. The flowers are blue, large, the length of the petals is 1.8 cm.
- Large flowered. Annual up to 60 cm high. Scarlet flowers, 3 cm in diameter.
- Sunny bunny. A short, unpretentious perennial with bright yellow flowers collected in inflorescences. Used for growing in flower walls.
Growing Features
Flax does not require special growing conditions, therefore, there are no difficulties with choosing a place for its landing. This plant will grow under any conditions, but in order to get the most out of it, it is better to plant it in a sunny area not shaded by trees and buildings. In a region where there are few sunny days, it is problematic to grow perennial flax.
How to plant and grow flax in your area, the video will show below:
Flax grows on any soil, with the exception of marshy. It is also advisable to select areas with a deep occurrence of groundwater. Flax is grown by seedlings or sowing seeds in open ground - the type of plant and climatic conditions affect the choice.
Immediately into the open ground
Flax is grown by direct sowing of seeds in the soil:
- Technical. The culture is grown on a large scale to produce fiber or oil. Sowing order:
- Before sowing, phosphorus is introduced into the soil - 10 kg / ha, carefully leveled and rolled.
- Before sowing seeds, the soil is cultivated and harrowed in two directions.
- Seeds are pickled several months before sowing.
- Sowing is carried out in the middle of spring, when the soil warms up to 6-8 ° C.
- Seeds are sown in a narrow-row way. The row spacing is 7.5 cm. The optimal sowing depth is 1.5-3 cm.
- Decorative. If the climate in the region is mild and warm, flax seeds are planted in open ground without resorting to growing seedlings. The soil is fertilized with compost or other organic fertilizer. Seeds are distributed evenly, without deepening, over the area previously prepared for sowing. Crops are gently sprayed with water, covered with a small layer of soil and insulated like ordinary garden flowers.
Sowing starts in spring or autumn when daytime temperatures are set at 20 ° C. Between the seeds they try to leave spaces of 5 cm, if they are sown denser, then plantings are thinned out. When sowing scatter get more dense plantings.
Sowing flax in open ground is prohibited on rainy and damp days.
If you plant seeds in the fall, to a depth of 2-3 cm, there is a risk that the plant will freeze. A plant planted in spring, in warm weather, blooms in summer, perennials - next year.
From seed like seedlings
In central Russia, growing flax from seedlings is more effective. She is raised in a warm room. Shoots appear 20 days after sowing. Seedlings can not stand even short-term frosts, so they plant it after heating the soil and stabilizing temperatures. The optimal time for planting seedlings - from May to June - depending on the climatic characteristics of the region.
Flax shoots together, but the shoots are very fragile and sensitive to cold. It is necessary to prepare shelter from the cold and wind. When plants grow stronger, they will not be afraid of adverse conditions.
The procedure for planting flax seedlings:
- Digging the soil. Bookmark drainage - gravel or sand, 10 cm layer.
- Humus distribution over the surface of the plot.
- The introduction of mineral fertilizing - potassium sulfate or superphosphate.
- Planting seedlings with an interval of 5 cm between the bushes.
It is advisable to plant seedlings in groups - without support, the plants will slope to the ground. Later, if necessary, the plants are planted, but flax does not tolerate this procedure.
Flax propagation
The method of propagation of flax depends on the type of plant - for annual and perennial species, there are preferences. The following breeding types are distinguished:
- The seeds. Time is spring and autumn. Perennial varieties are allowed to be planted in the summer. To plant more efficiently, the seeds are sown in containers, and then taken out into the street without replanting. In the mass cultivation of flax, only the seed propagation method is used.
- Division of the bush. The method is used for two-year flax. In spring or after flowering, several parts are separated from the bush. Separated parts are planted with an interval of 20 cm, they are constantly watered and protected from direct sunlight.
Plants grown from seeds are more magnificent and spectacular than those obtained from seedlings. Perennials are able to grow in one place for 4-5 years.
Care
Flax care depends on its type and goals for which it is grown. All types of flax love the sun, do not tolerate waterlogging and are responsive to fertilizers. Care for decorative and technical flax has its own characteristics.
For decorative flax to look luxurious, its flowering should be plentiful and as long as possible. To this end, carry out such events:
- Systematic irrigation without stagnation of water in the soil. The frequency of watering depends on the weather, but on average the plant is watered 1-2 times a week. With the onset of autumn, watering becomes less frequent, and then completely stops.
- Regular weeding. Weed vegetation worsens the decorativeness of flax.
- Fertilizing with complex fertilizers is carried out twice.
- Treatment for pests and diseases.
Care for technical flax consists in timely top dressing and watering. To grow a centner of raw materials, you need 400-430 centners of water. Especially dangerous is the lack of water during budding and flowering - there is a sharp decrease in yield. In the same period, flax needs nutrients - farmers feed them.
What soil does flax prefer?
Flax grows best on loams - medium and light silty. The best option is loamy soil with a deep arable layer, with a slightly acidic reaction and a lumpy structure.
Light sandy loamy soil, especially with sandy soils, is undesirable - flax lacks moisture on them. Flax also grows poorly on clay lands - they, condensing, form, after precipitation, a dense crust.
Temperature
For the development of flax for any purpose - technical or decorative, spinning or oilseed, the optimum temperature is 20 ° C. But, being a cold-resistant plant, flax successfully grows even at lower temperatures - up to + 12 ° C.
Top dressing
Flax does not need regular and plentiful top dressing. All that a plant needs:
- Presowing application of organic fertilizers in combination with potash fertilizers.
- In the period of active growth make complex mineral fertilizers.
- Before flowering, make the second top dressing for the season.
Decorative flax is fed with ammonium sulfate, Ammophos, Sudarushka, Kristalon, Kemira.
Planting of technical flax is fertilized by introducing complex fertilizers with boron and zinc. Application is made under cultivation. Depth - 10-12 cm. This approach allows you to evenly distribute doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements over the field surface.
The periods of increased demand for mineral fertilizers are in table 1.
Table 1
Fertilizer | High demand period |
Nitrogen | Rapid growth - from the “herringbone” phase to budding, when the yield is growing. An excess of nitrogen is dangerous - the quality of the fiber decreases and the tendency of the stems to lodge increases. |
Potassium | From the beginning of growth, especially during flowering. Promotes the formation of healthy seeds, improves fiber quality. Lack of potassium reduces the number of seed bolls. |
Phosphorus | Required throughout the growing season. The crop of seeds and fiber depends on its presence. |
Diseases and Pests
Flax is known as an unpretentious plant in growing. But, despite the modest demands, flax is also vulnerable to pests and diseases, like other cultivated plants. Diseases and pests of flax, as well as measures to combat them - in table 2.
table 2
Diseases and Pests | Symptoms of infection and damage | Control measures |
Fusarium | First, the plant turns yellow in places, withers, its heads go awry. Then flax turns brown and dies. | Cultivation of varieties resistant to Fusarium. Compliance with crop rotation - flax is re-planted on the field after 6-7 years. Seed dressing. Spraying plantings from above with copper chloride. |
Rust | Orange-rusty spots on stems, leaves. It develops in the rainy season. | Sowing in the terms prescribed by agricultural technology. Cleaning at the stage of early yellow ripeness. Cleaning from the fields of residues. Increased potassium and a minimum of nitrogen. Copper Chloride Treatment. |
Polyporosis | Brown spots on the basal part of the stem and on cotyledon leaves. Plants lays, the yield decreases. | Use healthy seeds. Seed treatment with tigam 70% and other drugs. Copper Chloride Spray. |
Anthracnose | Especially dangerous for seedlings. Rusty-orange spots, ulcers, constrictions appear. Plants die. | Sowing quality seeds. Seed dressing with granosan and tigam. Plant nutrition with potash fertilizer. Copper Chloride Spray. |
Bacteriosis | The disease usually appears on re-well-known soil. | Deep autumn plowing, pre-sowing tillage, fertilization, crop rotation, seed dressing and micronutrient treatment, spraying with copper oxychloride. |
Gray mold | It is observed with mass lodging and in rainy weather. The stems are affected by a fungus, sclerotia appear on them - convex warts in a dark shell. The quality of the fiber is deteriorating. | Compliance with agricultural standards, the exclusion of lodging flax. Decrease in doses of nitrogen and increase in doses of potash and phosphorus fertilizers, introduction of wood ash. Early sowing and early pulling of dead flax. |
Cotyledon mottling | The cotyledons of the plant are affected. Brick-red strokes and specks appear on the stem and cotyledonous leaves, merging into spots, plants rot and die. | Seed dressing with granosan and Vitovax 75%. |
Pammo | It affects all parts of the plant. Leaves become spotty. The spots are transparent, yellow-brown. Appear usually before cleaning. | Sowing healthy seeds. Compliance with crop rotation standards. Spraying crops with Benlat. |
Ascochitosis | Fungal disease affecting the stem. The quality of the fiber deteriorates, and the seeds lose their germination. The disease contributes to cold and humid weather. | Cleaning, drying, timely seed treatment with tigam. Spraying with copper oxychloride during budding of crops. |
Flax flea | Small shiny beetle (length up to 2 mm) black, blue or dark brown. The growth point and cotyledon leaves are affected. Damage increases in hot and dry weather. The yield and quality of the fiber is falling. | Carry out the earliest autumn plowing. Spraying plantings along the edge of decis. Processing is carried out in sunny weather a day or two before germination. If the pest density is 10-20 pieces per 1 square. m, continuous processing by pesticides is carried out. |
Flax Weevil | The beetle is black. Length - 1.9-2.3 mm. Crawl on flax with wheat grass creeping. Larvae are laid on top of the plants. Flax damaged by the weevil slowly grows and branches, the length of the stem decreases, the yield and quality of the fiber decrease. | Post-harvest autumnal plowing. Plow the entire depth of the arable layer. The chemicals are the same as for the destruction of flax fleas. |
Linseed thrips | Dark brown insect 0.9 mm long. Larvae are yellow, of the same length. Crops destroy adults and larvae - they suck juice from the tops of plants. Leaves curl, buds and ovaries fall, plants grow poorly, seed yield decreases. | Post-harvest autumnal plowing. When thrips occurs during the growing season, spraying with insecticides. |
The long-legged harmful | Gray computer with a long belly. Pest - a larva that damages crops during the entire growing season. Deals a lot of damage to the crop. | Spray crops with 12% decis. This is done in the evening, when the larvae come to the surface. |
Flax leaf moth | A small moth-like butterfly. The front wings are yellowish, the hind wings are gray, with a span of 14-16 mm. The pest is a white-pink caterpillar with a brown head - it eats seeds in a box. | Pollination of crops and spraying with herbicides |
Gamma scoop | Gray or dark brown butterfly.A pest is a caterpillar that appears on plants during flowering. Able to eat the whole plant. | Air spraying, chemical treatment. |
Meadow moth | Small gray butterfly. The pest is a greenish-gray caterpillar with a dark strip on the back and with sparse hairs. The fiber yield and its quality are falling. | Plowed areas on which the caterpillars winter. Spraying with chemicals. |
Combination with other plants
The issue of combining flax with other plants is relevant in garden areas where it is used as an ornamental plant. Good neighbors for flax are crops that are similar in development and growing conditions.
Perennial blue flax is especially popular among gardeners - its rich blue flowers, delicate and light, look harmoniously in the composition of flowerbed compositions. They are also planted in borders, mixborders, rock gardens.
Flax successfully combines with plants that respond well to the sun and tolerate aridity. The best partners:
- chamomile;
- calendula;
- cornflowers;
- clover.
Harvesting
When growing flax at home, the collection of seeds - for sowing or for other purposes, is collected in the phase of its technical maturity. When growing flax flax on fiber, harvesting is carried out during the period when the stem is maximally fibrous.
The fact that it is time to harvest is known by the color of the boxes:
- Flax grown on yarn is harvested when the fruits acquire an early yellow ripeness. 50% of the boxes turn brown or yellow-green, 50% - yellow.
- Flax grown for oil is harvested during the period of maximum maturity - green boxes should be no more than 5%. Usually cleaning takes place in August.
The harvesting technology depends on the type of flax:
- Oil flax. Harvesting is carried out with the help of flax grinders and flax harvesters. This technique pulls flax, combes seed boxes, loads them into trailers. Flax matures unevenly. For the equipment to work without difficulty, the moisture content of the stems should be more than 40%. The optimal mowing period is the maturation of 70-75% of the boxes.
- Flax flax. Cleaning is carried out by special flax harvesting machines, during which a sequence of operations is carried out - pulling, towing, knitting sheaves, rearing sheaves, collecting heaps. Dry trust is raised and knitted in sheaves at a moisture content of 20%.
Flax is a universal plant, which is both a valuable industrial raw material and decoration of the garden. Requiring minimal maintenance, sowing flax gives high yields of fiber and oil in the fields, and decorative varieties adorn the garden with luxurious blooms for almost two months of summer.
Posted by
12
Russia. City Novosibirsk
Publications: 276 Comments: 1