Lattice is an annual herbaceous plant of the Amaranthaceae family that is also called feathery amaranth , although its scientific name is Celosia argentea var. feathery . Among its varieties you can find them dwarfs or those that reach almost one meter in height (about 80 cm maximum). It has an inflorescence, or conujto of flowers that are born grouped in the same stem, very characteristic and it is dense, feathery and erect.
Its leaves are long, lanceolate and with a very well marked vein. The flowers can be of various colors, mainly pink, orange, yellow or red. The lattice begins to bloom in spring and does so until fall. Something curious about these flowers is that even after drying they continue to retain their striking colors, so they are perfect not only to decorate outdoors and indoors but also to dry and use them again to decorate.
If you want to know the cultivation and care of latticework, in this article, you will find a simple and practical guide for it.
Lattice care and how to grow it
These are the basic lattice care that must be followed to successfully grow it:
- Lighting: it needs to be in full sun to be able to bloom abundantly and strikingly. If it does not get a lot of sun it will also grow, but its flowering will not be so spectacular.
- Temperature: the only requirement it has in this sense is that you must be very careful with low temperatures since it is very sensitive to them. When it is very cold, cover it or put it in a location where you will not notice it.
- Humidity: it needs it a lot, so the idea is that both the soil and the environment are humid.
- Soil: besides being humid, it is important that it has good drainage.
- Watering: it has to be abundant and every 2-3 days. Avoid waterlogging the roots or the plant in general if it is already very dense.
- Compost: it is important that you apply fertilizer from flowering plants on a regular basis.
- Pruning: remove the branches that may prevent the growth of new ones or a greater number of flowers. If you remove the withered flowers you will achieve greater flowering.
- Pests and diseases: If you don’t have good drainage, both the leaves and the stems will rot. You can suffer the attack of mites and powdery mildew if it affects you can be very difficult to eliminate.
- Multiplication: the best system is by seeds in a protected seedbed, always at the end of winter. Sow indoors about 6 weeks before the last frosts appear. When the low temperatures pass and stabilize, you can transplant.
