Aster, Bunga dengan Ragam Menawan

Keindahannya tentu tak asing lagi. Apalagi jika kita bicara soal ragam warna. Tak heran jika bunga satu ini menjadi pilihan untuk dijadikan bunga potong. Namun, ditanam di halaman rumah pun tak kalah oke.

Bunga potong seringkali hadir dalam berbagai kegiatan. Jenis bunganya pun beragam, sesuai tema acara. Bukan hanya jenis bunga, warna bunganya pun ikut berperan dalam menentukan jenis kegiatan. Untuk perayaan valentine misalnya, dicari warna bunga pink atau bisa juga merah. Sedangkan perayaan imlek, warna bunga merah amat menonjol.

Pada pesta pernikahan, muncul warna-warni bunga, seperti putih, merah, ungu, atau kuning. Untuk peristiwa kematian, butuh bunga ungu dan putih. Pesta ulang tahun atau peresmian kantor, serah terima jabatan, ataupun launching produk baru biasanya menggunakan bunga warna putih, merah, dan kuning.

Salah satu bunga yang sering digunakan untuk berbagai acara itu adalah bunga aster. Bunga satu ini punya keunggulan, karena bisa hadir hampir di setiap kegiatan atau acara. Mungkin itu karena bunga satu ini punya warna bermacam warna, bergantung jenisnya. Ragam warna bunga aster itu juga didukung oleh usaha mengintroduksi berbagai varietas dari Eropa dan Amerika. Mari kita simak jenis aster dengan warna bunganya:

- Aster chinensis tipe Princes, warna bunga merah muda, biru muda, biru tua, kuning muda, dan putih.
- Aster chinensis tipe Amerika, warna bunga biru, merah lembayung, merah muda, merah, dan putih.
- Aster chinensis tipe Liliput, warna bunga putih, merah muda, merah tua, dan biru.
- Aster chinensis tipe Giant Cornet, warna bunga merah muda, merah tua, dn putih
- Aster novae-angliae, warna bunga violet muda.
- Aster incisus, warna bunga violet dan kebiruan.

MIRIP KRISAN

Tanaman aster (Callistepus chinensis) yang banyak ditanam di negeri kita adalah aster Cina. Cina memang disebut-sebut sebagai negara nenek moyang tanaman aster. Tapi, konon nama aster berasal dari kata a star, yang artinya â�?��?bintangâ�?�?. Kenapa? Barangkali karena penampilan sosok bunganya yang menyerupai bintang, mulai dari bulat sampai mirip cakram. Juga, helaian bunganya yang tersusun membentuk lingkaran. Sementara tangkai bunganya ada yang pendek, ada yang panjang. Pun ukuran bunga bervariasi berkisar diameter 4-7 cm.

Sepintas, kadang kita rancu membedakan aster dengan krisan. Tampilan visualnya hampir sama. Namun, jika ditelusuri lebih cermat, kita akan tahu. Daun aster berwarna hijau, berbentuk lanset, tidak lebar, dan tepi daun agak bergigi. Tinggi tanaman juga bervariasi, tergantung varietasnya, yakni sekitar 20 cm (Aster tipe Liliput) hingga 75 cm (Aster Amerika). Tanaman ini tumbuh merumpun dan bercabang.

Daerah yang ideal untuk bertanam aster adalah daerah pegunungan. Namun tidak tertutup kemungkinan, di daratan rendah pun aster bisa tumbuh. Aster sendiri menyukai tempat yang terbuka. Itu berarti, aster yang biasanya dijadikan bunga potong (cut flower) bisa tampil cantik sebagai penghias halaman rumah.

BIBIT DAN TANAM

Datanglah ke toko atau kios pertanian terdekat. Di sana, Anda bisa membeli biji-biji aster dalam kemasan. Sebelum biji-biji tersebut ditabur, sediakan bak persemaian yang telah diisi media tanam. Media tanamnya berupa campuran tanah halus, pasir dan kompos (1 : 1 : 1). Siram air hingga lembap. Buatkan larikan dalam bak persemaian, lalu sebar biji-biji tersebut. Tutup dengan tanah. Tak lama, biji-biji pun akan berkecambah, dan akhirnya kita akan mendapatkan bibit aster. Jika bibit aster memiliki daun 4 – 5 helai dan tingginya 10 – 15 cm, itu berarti aster siap ditanam di halaman.
Tanah halaman pun perlu diolah. Cangkul dan biarkan selama sekitar 2 minggu, lalu cangkul lagi. Buatkan bedengan dengan ukuran lebar 100 – 200 cm, lalu taburkan pupuk kandang di atas bedengan sebanyak 2 kg per meter persegi.

Kini, saatnya bibit ditanam. Caranya, buat lubang tanam, lalu bibit ditanam secara tegak pada lubang tersebut. Padatkan tanah di sekitar lubang tersebut, dan pasang penyangga bambu. Waktu tanam biasanya sore hari pada musim penghujan.

Langkah berikutnya adalah perawatan. Pemupukan dilakukan sebulan sekali. Gunakan pupuk NPK (15 : 15 : 15) sebanyak 1 sendok makan (10 gr) per rumpun. Cara pemupukan, masukkan dalam larikan, dengan jarak 10 – 15 cm dari batang tanaman, lalu bumbun lagi.

Oh ya, jangan lupa melakukan pemangkasan pucuk (pinching). Ini dimaksudkan untuk merangsang pertumbuhan kuncup-kuncup. Dari kuncup-kuncup tersebut akan tumbuh dan berkembang menjadi cabang-cabang samping. Cara pemangkasan pucuk, pangkaslah kuncup terminal pada tanaman yang tingginya sudah mencapai lebih dari 15 cm atau berumur 3 bulan sejak tanam, dengan kondisi memiliki minimal 3 – 4 pasang daun.

Biarkan bekas pangkasan beberapa saat hingga tumbuh tunas-tunas baru. Kemudian teruskan dengan pemangkasan berikutnya, ketika tunas-tunas baru telah tumbuh sekitar 15 – 20 cm. Demikian seterusnya, dan pemangkasan dihentikan bila tanaman aster mulai membentuk bakal bunga.

AWAS MINIRDER DAN PHYTHOPTHORA

Seringkali, tanaman aster mati gara-gara serangan hama. Sebut saja hama ulat minirder. Hama ini termasuk kurang ajar juga. Dia suka bikin lorong-lorong berliku pada daun. Lama-kelamaan, daun pun akan kering dan rontok. Akibat rontoknya daun, proses pembuangan pun amat terganggu. Apa yang bisa dilakukan? Jika serangannya sudah menghebat, semprot dengan insektisida, seperti Curacron 500EC atau Decis 2,5 EC.

Tanaman aster juga sering terjangkit penyakit busuk daun. Penyebabnya jelas, cendawan Phythopthora sp. Semula, cendawan ini menghabisi daun-daun aster, lalu daun tersebut mengering, dan muncul warna cokelat sampai hitam. Celakanya, tanaman bisa menjadi layu, dan akhirnya mati.
Untuk mengatasinya, secara preventif, jagalah kondisi ideal sekitar tanaman aster. Misalnya pembuangan air lancar, tidak terlalu lebat, dan tidak lembap. Kalau tingkat serangan cendawan ini masih dini, potong bagian tanaman yang terserang, kemudian dibuang atau dibakar. Lain halnya jika serangan Phythopthora semakin membabi buta. Segera semprot dengan fungisida. Ada beberapa merek yang mudah didapatkan, seperti Dithane M-45, Scrobat 50WP, atau Kocide 77WP.

PETIK BUNGA DAN MENJAGA KESEGARAN

Kapan kita bisa mulai memetik bunga aster? Biasanya, pada umur 3 – 4 bulan bunga aster sudah dapat dipetik. Tapi, tentu tidak asal petik. Ada aturan mainnya. Idealnya, pemetikan dilakukan 3 hari sebelum bunga mekar penuh atau saat kuntum bunga setengah mekar. Lakukan pemetikan saat cuaca cerah, bisa pagi atau menjelang sore. Untuk memetik, gunakan gunting pangkas. Caranya, pangkas tangkai bunga sepanjang 50 – 70 cm, atau bergantung varietasnya.

Yang perlu diingat, kualitas aster bunga potong sangat ditentukan oleh penampakan yang memikat. Sementara kesegaran setelah dipotong dibatasi oleh waktu. Jadi, apa yang bisa dilakukan?
Kesegaran bunga sangat ditentukan oleh sumber makanan dan antimikroba. Untuk sumber makanan, bisa disediakan gula pasir. Gula tersebut harus bersih dengan kadar padatan terlarut sekitar 98 persen. Kadar ini menunjukkan kandungan sukrosa di dalamnya. Contoh antimikroba antara lain hidrokuinon, hidrokuinolin sulfat, hidrokuinolin sitrat, phisan, perak nitrat, atau perak tiosulfat.

Jadi, jika kita ingin memajang aster di ruang tamu, kebutuhan sukrosanya hanya 3 – 5 persen. Artinya, larutkan 3 – 5 gr gula pasir dalam 100 mil air, dan rendam bunga aster dalam larutan tersebut. Anda juga bisa membeli pengawet komersial, seperti Florissant dan Chrysal AVB. Jadi, jika tadinya aster hanya mampu bertahan seminggu, setelah diberi sumber makanan, kesegarannya akan bertambah minimal seminggu lagi.

Nova, EDISI NO. 786 / XVI / 23-30 3 2003

This article was translated by Google Translator. Thank you Google.

Aster, Flowers by Variety Enchanting

Certainly no stranger to beauty. Moreover, if we talk about the range of colors. No wonder the flower one is an option to be used as cut flowers. However, planted in the yard is not less okay.

Cut flowers are often present in a variety of activities. Types of flowers also varied, according to the theme of the event. Not just any kind of flower, flower color also play a role in determining the type of activity. For the celebration of Valentine example, look for flower color could be red or pink. While the celebration of Chinese New Year, red flower color is very prominent.

At weddings, appeared colorful flowers, like white, red, purple, or yellow. To the death, need a purple and white flowers. Birthday party or opening an office, position handover, or launching new products usually use white flowers, red, and yellow.

One flower that is often used for a variety of events it is a daisy. Interest on this one has advantages, because it can present in almost every activity or event. Maybe it's because this one has flowers the color of various colors, depending on its type. Variety of colors daisy was also supported by businesses introducing various varieties from Europe and America. Let us refer to types of asters with the color of flowers:

- Aster chinensis types of Princes, the color pink, light blue, dark blue, light yellow, and white.
- Aster chinensis American type, flower color blue, purple, pink, red, and white.
- Aster chinensis type little man, white flower color, pink, crimson, and blue.
- Aster chinensis Giant type Cornet, pink flower color, scarlet, white nd
- Aster novae-angliae, young violet flower color.
- Aster incisus, and bluish violet color.

SIMILAR Chrysanthemum

Plant asters (Callistepus chinensis) is widely grown in our country is the China aster. China is touted as the country's ancestral crops daisies. But, said the name comes from the word aster a star, which means â?? Bintangâ?. Why? Perhaps because of the appearance of star-like figure of interest, ranging from spherical to disc-like. Also, a strand of flowers arranged in a circle. While the flower stalks are short, some long. No matter the size of the flowers vary in diameter ranging from 4-7 cm.

At first glance, we are sometimes confused with chrysanthemum daisies distinguish. Almost the same visual appearance. However, if explored more carefully, we'll know. Aster leaves are green, lancet-shaped, not wide, and slightly toothed leaf edges. Higher plants also varies, depending on the variety, which is about 20 cm (Aster type little man) to 75 cm (Aster America). These plants grow merumpun and branching.

The area is ideal for planting daisies mountain areas. But it is also possible, at low land even daisies grow. Aster itself like a place that is open. That means, daisies are usually used as cut flowers (cut flower) may look beautiful to decorate the home page.

SEED AND PLANTING

Come to the nearest farm shop or kiosk. There, you can buy the seeds of asters in the packaging. Before the seeds are sown, provide a seedbed that has been filled tub planting medium. Media cropping a mixture of fine soil, sand and compost (1: 1: 1). Flush the water until damp. Make a bolt in the tub nurseries, then scatter the seeds. Cover with soil. Before long, the seeds will germinate, and eventually we will get the seeds daisies. If the seeds of asters have leaves 4-5 strands and height 10-15 cm, it means daisies ready to be planted in the yard.
Land of the page also needs to be processed. Hoe and let stand for about 2 weeks, then hoe again. Make beds with width 100-200 cm, then sprinkle manure over the bed as much as 2 kg per square meter.

Now comes the seed is planted. The trick, make the planting hole, then seedlings were planted upright in the hole. Padatkan soil around the hole, and attach the bamboo buffer. Planting time is usually late afternoon in the rainy season.

The next step is treatment. Fertilization is done once a month. Use of NPK fertilizer (15: 15: 15) as much as 1 tablespoon (10 grams) per clump. How to fertilizing, enter the bolt, with a distance of 10-15 cm from the stems of plants, and then heaped up again.

Oh yes, do not forget to tip pruning (pinching). This is intended to stimulate growth of buds. From these buds will grow and develop into side branches. How to cut shoots, terminal buds on the plant pangkaslah whose height has reached more than 15 cm or the age of 3 months after planting, with the condition have at least 3-4 pairs of leaves.

Let the former clipping some time to grow new shoots. Then continue with the next pruning, when the new shoots have grown about 15-20 cm. So forth, and pruning is stopped when the plant will flower daisies begin to form.

CAUTION AND PHYTHOPTHORA MINIRDER

Often, aster plants die because of pest attacks. Call it minirder caterpillar pests. These pests include brash, too. He likes to make winding alleys on the leaves. Eventually, the leaves will dry and fall off. Due to collapse of the leaf, the disposal process was very disturbed. What can be done? If the attacks have escalated, spray with insecticides, such as Curacron 500EC or Decis 2.5 EC.

Aster plants are also frequently affected by late blight. The cause is unclear, fungi Phythopthora sp. Initially, this fungus daisies finish off the leaves, then leaves it dry, and appear brown to black. Unfortunately, plants can wilt and eventually die.
To overcome this, a preventive, keep the ideal conditions around the plant daisies. Eg water disposal well, not too dense, and not damp. If the fungus attack is still early, cut the plant is attacked, then discarded or burned. Another case when Phythopthora increasingly indiscriminate attacks. Immediately spray with fungicide. There are several brands are easily available, such as Dithane M-45, Scrobat 50WP, or Kocide 77WP.

Pick INTEREST AND MAINTAINING KESEGARAN

When can we start picking daisies? Usually, at the age of 3-4 months can already be picked daisies. But, certainly not the origin of the quotation. There are rules. Ideally, picking done 3 days before full bloom or when flowers bloom and a half. Do the picking when the weather is sunny, could be morning or late afternoon. To pick, use scissors trim. The trick, trim along the flower stalk 50-70 cm, or dependent varieties.

Remember, the quality of cut flowers daisies largely determined by the appearance of the lure. While freshness after the cut is limited by time. So, what can be done?
Freshness of the flowers is largely determined by food sources and antimicrobials. For a food source, can be provided sugar. Sugar must be clean with a dissolved solids content of about 98 percent. These levels indicate the content of sucrose in it. Examples of antimicrobials include hydroquinone, hidrokuinolin sulfate, citric hidrokuinolin, phisan, silver nitrate or silver thiosulfate.

So, if we want to display the daisies in the living room, sukrosanya needs only 3-5 percent. That is, dissolve 3-5 grams sugar in 100 miles of water, and soak in the solution daisies. You can also buy a commercial preservative, such as Florissant and Chrysal AVB. So, if they were daisies can only survive a week, after being given food source, freshness will grow at least another week.

Nova, ISSUE NO. 786 / XVI / 3 2003 23-30