Gloxinia are popular indoor plants that can often be found on our windows. The beauty of flowers is hard to put into words. The plant got its name in honor of the botanist Benjamin Peter Gloksin. Gloxinia flower belongs to the Gesneriaceae family.
Homeland of the plant
Gloxinia flower is native to South and Central America. There it grows in the deciduous forests of Peru, Brazil, in the rocky regions of Mexico, in the Andes, as well as on the coast of rivers. The plant also has another name - synniginia. It was given in the name of Wilhelm Sning, who worked as a gardener at Boston University.
He devoted himself entirely to hybridization and selection of gloxinia. Flowers, thanks to his efforts, have acquired many new hybrid forms, including those for home breeding. Currently, there are many varieties of a beautiful plant.
Description of the plant
Indoor gloxinia flower is a tuberous perennial plant with a small stem and velvety green leaves. Culture is valued for itsbeautiful velvety inflorescences in the form of bells. Flowers can be simple and double, purple, red, pink, white, speckled. On average, they reach seven centimeters in diameter and five in length. In the wild, the plant has the appearance of perennial shrubs and herbs. Of the 25 varieties, only gloxinia beautiful and gloxinia royal were the basis for selection.
Royal Gloxinia
Royal gloxinia has a height of no more than ten centimeters. The leaves of the plant are dark green and pubescent. The leaves are silvery veined above and reddish below. The peduncles of the plant are long and elongated in shape, they resemble a dark purple bell.
Gloxinia beautiful
Beautiful gloxinia is a herbaceous plant with leaves narrowed at the base. Flowers can have a completely different shape, depending on the type and variety. Very beautiful terry gloxinia purple, white, pink, blue and purple.
Choosing a seat
Many of us love potted gloxinia flowers. Caring for them is not as difficult as it might seem. Following simple rules will allow you to get lush flowering. For the plant, it is necessary to provide a sufficiently spacious place that will be well lit. The fact is that flowers need 12-14 hours of intense lighting. In the winter-autumn period, in the conditions of our climate, it is not possible to get so much light in a natural way. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the fact that gloxinia flowers at home will have to be illuminated with artificialway. To understand whether a plant has enough light, you just need to look at it. If the foliage is dark green and horizontal, and the stem is not extended, then the flower has enough light.
In the event that you notice that the whole plant stretches up, the lighting is clearly not enough. But at the same time, you should be aware that caring for gloxinia flowers at home consists primarily in protecting the plant from direct sunlight, which leave burns on a delicate surface. Direct rays cause gray spots that weaken the plant, slowing down the metabolism.
Where is the best place to put indoor flowers? Gloxinia is best placed on the south windows until May, when the sun is not bright. In the future, the plant will have to be shaded. If you put flowerpots on the northern windows, then the bushes will begin to stretch strongly due to lack of light. And this negatively affects the timing of flowering. And in general, the plant may not release flower stalks.
Ideally, the plant is best placed on the southeast or southwest windows. In order for the bushes to receive an even amount of light, they need to be rotated every week.
Water the plants
It is very important to ensure the correct maintenance of the gloxinia flower. How to care for a plant? First of all, the flower must be properly watered. It is from him that the flowering of the plant largely depends. During the active growing season, gloxinia must be watered abundantly and regularly. But at the same time, this must be done very carefully so that water does not fall onfoliage and stems.
Irrigation fluid should be allowed to stand for several days to leave the chlorine. Even if you want to use melted water, it still needs to be treated with filters because it contains many impurities. The temperature of the liquid for irrigation should be approximately + 25- + 27 degrees. It is evenly poured over the entire surface of the pot, if excess liquid appears in the pan, it will certainly be drained. The plant is adversely affected by both dryness and excessive moisture. Gloxinia prefer high humidity, but plants should not be sprayed.
To create good conditions, you can spray the air near the bushes. You can also put the pots on a pallet with wet expanded clay. The liquid will evaporate, creating a humid environment around. Gloxinia home flower needs fresh air, so the room must be ventilated. In the absence of fresh air and low humidity, the plant is prone to fungal diseases.
Temperature conditions
For the proper development of tubers, the most acceptable temperature is +25 degrees. Adult bushes feel comfortable and bloom well at + 20- + 22 degrees. But the approach of temperature to +30 degrees leads to the fact that gloxinia slow down growth, and the tuber overheats. High temperatures can cause diseases. But low temperatures are detrimental to the plant. The root system may rot, the buds fall, and the foliage turns black.
Food for plants
LandingGloxinia flower should be produced in nutrient soil. It is impossible to achieve lush flowering if the plant is in poor soil. The soil must contain sufficient nutrients.
After planting, the first top dressing is carried out with nitrogen fertilizer. It will stimulate the development of leaves and roots. Later they switch to phosphate fertilizers. They enhance bud formation and flowering. Flowering bushes should be given a complete set of trace elements and potassium.
Feeding should be done no more than once every two weeks. The plant is treated very carefully so that the liquid does not get on the foliage and stems.
How to achieve flowering?
With proper planting and care, the gloxinia flower will give you abundant flowering. But for this, the plant needs to be provided with regular moderate watering, good lighting and a suitable temperature regime. In this case, the bushes will delight with flowering from spring to the very end of summer. The flowering period also depends on the plant variety. If necessary, bushes can be re-bloomed if they drop flowers early.
To do this, cut off the flower stalks and stems, remove some of the leaves, leaving a couple of lower ones. In the future, the plant should be fed with nitrogen fertilizer.
After a while, processes will appear in the sinuses - stepchildren. Weak shoots must be removed, and the rest should be left. The second flowering, of course, is not so plentiful, but the hostesses will still be pleased.
Reproduction of gloxinia
Flowers can be propagated in many ways: seeds, leaf cuttings, peduncles, stepchildren and tubers. If there are no gloxinia in the apartment yet, then the seeds can be bought at any specialized store. They must be sown in early March, otherwise you can not wait for flowering this year.
For sowing, you will need a shallow small container with a nutrient mixture. Soil is better to buy in the store. For example, it can be a substrate for violets. You can prepare the mixture yourself. To do this, you need to connect two parts of peat and sod land. And also add one part of the sand. We mix all the components and get a loose and light soil.
Gloxinia seeds are scattered over the surface and do not even sprinkle with earth, because they are very small. From above, the soil is sprayed with water and covered with glass. The pot is placed in a warm place. For seed germination, a temperature of about +23 degrees is required. Crops should be aired regularly, and sprayed only as needed. After a couple of weeks, the first shoots should appear, they are also moistened with a spray bottle. After another week, you can remove the shelter and carefully monitor the soil moisture. The first transplantation of young plants is carried out after the appearance of two leaves. Between the bushes maintain a distance of about three centimeters. But with the second transplant, the distance between plants is already increased to ten centimeters. Mistresses recommend taking cassettes or disposable cups for planting seedlings. After the plant has grown, it is determined inseparate pot. It is worth noting that flowers grown from seeds are very hardy. Six months after sowing the plants, a beautiful gloxinia will already flaunt on the window.
Propagation by cuttings
Gloxinia reproduce well using leafy cuttings. This method is not too troublesome and gives excellent results. Foliage for rooting is taken from the plant during the vegetative period. The leaf is cut and placed in water. The amount of liquid should be such that only the petiole is in it. After a couple of weeks, the first roots will begin to appear. At this point, the cutting can be transplanted into the ground. To do this, you need to take a small pot, creating a drainage layer in it. The stalk is planted, watered and covered with a greenhouse (for example, a jar). After one or two months, babies will begin to appear. They are weaned after they grow up a bit.
There is another way to land. The cut stalk is dried for an hour, and then immediately planted in the ground. Then they cover it with a greenhouse and wait for the babies to appear.
Reproduction by leaves
On a leaf of gloxinia, cuts are made along the veins and spread on the soil. Then it is gently pressed into the ground and covered with a greenhouse. After a while, you can expect the appearance of young shoots. As they grow, young plants can be transplanted into separate pots.
Reproduction by peduncles
Gloxinia is good because all its parts can be used for reproduction. So, for example, even cut flower stalks can be rooted, whichwere not needed when re-blooming. They are rooted and grown in exactly the same way as in the previous cases.
We also mentioned that bushes can be propagated by dividing the tuber. This method is quite risky, since you can generally be left without a flower. You can divide only those nodules that have formed several shoots. It must be divided in such a way that each part has at least one sprout. The delenki are left in the air for a day. During this time, the damaged tissues will dry out a little and will not lose moisture in the future. If you want to immediately plant the tubers, then the sections must be treated with crushed coal. Delenki are planted in transparent small containers to track the development of the root system. Watering should be moderate enough so that the plant does not rot. After three weeks, sprouts can be expected. As the roots fill the container, gloxinia can be transplanted into pots.
Enemies of gloxinia
Unfortunately, gloxinia at home are prone to disease. They can also become prey to pests. Most often, plant ailments are associated with a violation of the conditions of detention.
If you notice the appearance of brown spots on the foliage, then this is anthracosis. It can be caused by a lack of phosphate-potassium fertilizers or high acidity of the soil. If the disease is not detected in time, the entire bush will have to be destroyed.
In high humidity and low temperatures, powdery mildew is highly likely to develop. Can also lead to fungal infectionsexcessive moisture of gloxinia flowers. Home care involves organizing the correct watering regimen.
No less dangerous for gloxinia are pests such as spider mites and thrips.
