Which plant should I have at home, provided that the grower does not yet have experience in caring for indoor flowers? We advise you to pay attention to hibiscus! He is not only amazingly handsome, but also very unpretentious. Indoor hibiscus tolerates sudden changes in temperature, insufficient lighting and even drafts. In addition, this flower will not die if you miss the watering time. In order for hibiscus not only to live indoors, but also to please with its exquisite flowering, you need to know a number of rules. We'll talk about them today: we'll tell you how to care for a flower, when to cut indoor hibiscus, how to fertilize it.
Hibiscus Legends
Many stories and legends are associated with this plant, because it is distributed over a very wide area. We bring to your attention the most interesting legends!
A legend that has come down to us from East Asia tells of a traveler, exhausted after a long journey through the impenetrable jungle, lost his way. He felt hungry and thirsty, and therefore, sitting down to rest in the shade of the trees, he prayed to the gods. Wayfarerasked them for food. Suddenly, red flowers fell into the pot of water, which the man put on fire, turning the water ruby. The traveler tried the resulting tea and was surprised - it was incredibly tasty and fragrant, and every sip of it returned strength. Continuing the journey, the traveler took with him some unusual flowers, which he distributed to the inhabitants of the settlements he met along the way. So the news of tea, known today as hibiscus, spread around the world.
Another story related to China. Here, an entire city is named after the hibiscus! According to the legend, when the construction of the city had just begun, the foundation was laid incorrectly. And so almost all the houses collapsed. A magic turtle came to the aid of the Chinese: it showed how to build a city correctly. The footprints of this turtle were surprisingly similar in shape to hibiscus flowers. That's why they called the new settlement Hibiscus City.
Hibiscus is the protagonist of the holiday taking place on the island of Fiji. Here, locals decorate their houses with flower garlands and bright ribbons, and solemn processions pass through the streets, all participants of which are literally hung with these delightful flowers. They also love the Chinese rose in Hawaii - in these places it is customary to call it "the flower of beautiful women." This is due to the fact that local beauties weave hibiscus into their thick jet black hair.
From legends to facts
Bright hibiscus settled in the botanical gardens of Europe in the XVIII century. However, archaeologists claim that this plant wasknown to the inhabitants of ancient Egypt! This is evidenced by traces of dried flowers found in tombs and pyramids. The inhabitants of Africa and the East used the Chinese rose to make ointments - both medicinal and medicinal. Hibiscus-based medicines were used in medieval Indian and Chinese medicine. Until now, in those places where hibiscus grows by itself, the plant is used in medicine, and food is prepared from its leaves and shoots. You can meet the plant in natural conditions in South China, Fiji, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Sumatra.
Indoor hibiscus: photo and description
Its second name - Chinese rose - this plant received thanks to excellent flowers with delicate thin petals, reminiscent of a real rose. The color of the petals can be very different - there are plants with pink, red, white and yellow petals. The color scheme of hibiscus includes instances of blue and purple tones, even blotches of black are possible. The size of the flowers ranges from five to thirty centimeters - it depends on the variety.
Fresh hibiscus flowers have no smell. The plant begins to bloom at the very beginning of spring, ends only in late autumn. However, the buds fully open only for a few days. With proper care, hibiscus blooms quite luxuriantly. An indoor flower can grow up to a height of three meters, and its life span is about two decades. The plant tolerates shaping well, while cutting it should be inDecember - so the bush will become more branched.
In Russia, there are two types of hibiscus - northern (preferring warm areas) and Syrian (growing well in Transcaucasia). But at home, terry hibiscus and indoor Chinese hibiscus are grown.
Plant selection
The first thing you need to pay attention to when buying indoor hibiscus in the store is its appearance. The crown of the plant should be dense and compact. The leaves must be fleshy, bright green. Experienced flower growers recommend buying a flower before it blooms - this way it will better endure transportation and adapt to new conditions faster.
But a plant whose leaves are dry or yellow is better not to buy. It is also worth refusing a copy with deformed stems, spots, stripes and plaque on the leaves. Hibiscus in a pot that is too large or with stagnant water is also not worth buying - violation of the conditions of detention will lead to various diseases. Even if they are invisible now, they can lead to serious problems later.
Choosing a seat
Hibiscus is a houseplant that loves sunlight very much. This is what is important to know for the florist who decided to start this flower at home. Place it near a window or other well-lit place. It is important to remember that hibiscus grows very quickly, reaching large sizes in a short time. In a small room, there may be problems with its placement - because this flower simply cannot standtightness.
Temperature conditions
Decided to get indoor hibiscus? Care at home for him includes the observance of the temperature regime. In summer, it is necessary to maintain a room temperature of at least + 20-22 degrees. In winter, the temperature should be reduced to +15 degrees - this will positively affect the future flowering of the plant.
Humidity
Another important condition that must be observed when growing indoor hibiscus is humidity. It is recommended to spray the plant frequently. In a room with dry air, the flowers may not fully open. Please note - you need to spray the plant so that water does not fall on the buds, otherwise they will become stained and fall off. A great way to increase humidity is to use pallets of expanded clay or pebbles filled with clean water. In this case, the bottom of the pot with the plant should not touch the water.
Irrigation
Since indoor hibiscus is very fond of moisture, it must be watered abundantly - the earth must be completely saturated with water. But you should not water the beautiful Chinese rose - the top layer of soil should still dry out a little. In autumn and winter, it is necessary to reduce watering - you need to moisten the plant no more than a couple of days after the topsoil dries out. Water for irrigation should be soft, room temperature.
Soil selection
The soil for growing indoor hibiscus flower should be nutritious, but at the same time light. The pH level should beabout 6. The ideal composition of the soil for this plant is soddy land, leaves, humus and sand (the optimal ratio is 4:3:1:1). You can add some charcoal to the mixture. You can prepare for hibiscus and simpler soil from soddy soil, humus and sand. The proportions should be as follows: 2 parts of turf and 1 part of sand and humus. Drainage is also essential.
Choosing a flower pot
Indoor hibiscus (photos are presented in the article) prefers small containers. It needs to have drainage holes. Like most indoor plants, the Chinese rose reacts very poorly to stagnant water in a pot. By the way, if the container for the plant is tight, the flower will grow and develop slowly. But a large container is not the best option: water usually stagnates in it.
Fertilization
Top dressing plays a huge role in caring for indoor hibiscus at home. Regularly you need to make either mineral or weakly concentrated organic fertilizers. Flower growers recommend starting to fertilize at the very beginning of spring and not stop until the end of autumn. It is best to feed the plants according to the schedule - twice a month. At the same time, it is extremely important not to overdo it. In the spring, before the plant enters the active growth phase, a fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus should be applied. But from dressings, which include nitrogen, it is better to refuse.
Features of caring for hibiscus in winter
Indoor hibiscus - plantunpretentious, but this does not mean that it does not need special care in winter. With the onset of the cold months, you need to reduce watering, but do not allow the soil to dry out! Feeding should also be reduced. Once a month will be enough. It is extremely important to refuse pruning during the winter months, otherwise the plant will simply die. At a time when the amount of sunlight is reduced, the plant needs additional lighting. We advise you to get fluorescent lamps.
Plant transplant
It is impossible to imagine indoor hibiscus and home care for this plant without a transplant. Flower growers say - young hibiscus should be transplanted every year. In this case, each time it is necessary to increase the size of the pot by 3-5 centimeters. In a prepared pot, which must first be processed. If the container has previously contained another plant, it should be thoroughly washed with a stiff brush and soap. New clay pots should be kept in water for one to two hours - this will remove gases and s alts formed during firing from its pores. In addition, you can treat the pot with a solution of potassium permanganate or s alt.
You can transplant young plants both in spring and summer, and in autumn. But adult specimens are best transplanted in the spring. Drainage should be laid out at the bottom of the pot - 3-4 centimeters. This will prevent souring of the soil. Hibiscus must be carefully removed from the old pot, remove the old drainage from the roots. Be careful not to damage the roots! The earthen ball remaining on the plant must be carefully examined. If the soil is not acidified, itthere are no pests, then you can simply transplant the hibiscus without destroying the coma.
Chinese rose roots must be elastic, light in color. Dark brown roots with soft sagging areas indicate that the plant is rotting. Such areas need to be cut off, the roots washed with a fungicide solution, and only then transplanted into a new land. Hibiscus should be planted without deepening. The root neck must certainly remain at the level of the soil in the container. After transplanting, you need to water the flower and spray it with a solution of any stimulant.
Pruning indoor hibiscus
Many novice flower growers are concerned about the question - is it necessary to prune the Chinese rose? Of course you do! This plant needs an annual formative pruning - only in this case the plant will delight with delightful flowering. Pruning indoor hibiscus should be carried out every time after it blooms: then side shoots will begin to grow, on which new buds will appear. Please note: Chinese rose flowers appear only on young shoots. Therefore, every shoot that you do not cut in time, the next year will turn into a bright flower, which you will not count in a year.
When to prune indoor hibiscus? It is best to do this in early spring. At this time, you need to pinch absolutely all shoots - even young ones. But nothing prevents cutting the flower throughout the year - this will not damage the flower at all. First of all, you need to cut off those shoots thatgrow parallel to the main stem of a bright flower. You also need to remove branches that grow unevenly inside the crown. Do not worry about the plant - regular pruning will do him good: it will bloom more magnificently.
Reproduction
We propose to talk in more detail about the propagation of indoor hibiscus. This can be done both with the help of cuttings and seeds. The first method is preferable for beginner flower growers - it will allow you to preserve the varietal characteristics of the Chinese rose, and it will bloom in the first year.
Cuttings should be taken young. They need to be placed in soil or water. From above, you need to cover the shoots with a glass jar or plastic bottle to increase humidity. They will take root in 25-30 days. As soon as the roots appear, the cuttings need to be transplanted into the ground with a high peat content. Can be added to soil for hibiscus and sphagnum.
You can propagate indoor hibiscus seeds. They need to be sown from late January to mid-March. Before planting seeds in the ground, it is necessary to soak them in the Epin preparation for 12 hours. Flower growers recommend planting seeds in a mixture of sand and peat. The pot with seeds must be covered with a film or glass. The temperature in the room must be maintained within 24-28 degrees. Periodically, the pot needs to be ventilated and the soil sprayed. As soon as the third leaflet appears on the sprouts, they need to be seated in separate containers. Such hibiscus will bloom after two or three years.
