Every person tries to make his house as comfortable and cozy as possible. After all, it is here that he rests and relaxes after work. And what gives the apartment more comfort than indoor flowers? In addition, their presence in the house is useful, because plants purify the air. Archaeologists, using pollen found in ancient caves, proved that even in the Stone Age, people decorated their homes with flowers.
Today indoor floriculture is a separate science. After all, green pets are one of the important components of the design of our houses and apartments. They not only decorate the interior, but also have a positive effect on the microclimate. Moreover, many of them disinfect the air from harmful microorganisms and purify negative substances. But their main purpose is to please the eye and improve mood.
And first of all it concerns flowering indoor plants. One of them is room cineraria. Growing from seeds, photos of this crop, rules for care and reproduction - all this information is presented in this article.
Description
Cold winter evenings ita flowering plant will create a special atmosphere in the house. In the photo, indoor cineraria looks like a bouquet of bright flowers, somewhat similar to daisies, is placed in a small flower pot. And if you grow several varieties on the windowsill at once, you can admire the variety of colors of this perennial plant. Cineraria indoor, the care of which requires certain knowledge and skills, is an ornamental herb from the Aster family.
Her homeland is the Canary Islands. At home, subject to all agrotechnical conditions, indoor cineraria grows up to 60 centimeters. She has an erect stem, heart-shaped leaves with serrated edges are located on short petioles. The inflorescence is a corymb collected from tubular reed flowers. Interestingly, the buds can be in any shades of pink and purple, red, white. With proper care, indoor cineraria can bloom profusely from December to June. During this period, the plant looks like a bright and incredibly beautiful ball.
Views
Indoor cineraria is appreciated by a home plant lover because it blooms in the winter-spring period, when most representatives of the flora in pots are resting. This flower is often referred to as the purple daisy.
There are several decorative varieties of room cineraria:
- Double, growing up to 35-50 cm and blooming flowers up to 5 cm in diameter with bicolor petals.
- Grandiflora, blooming large inflorescences-baskets.
- Stellata with indigo buds.
Cineraria indoor - cultivation
Although Cineraria is a perennial, it is grown as an annual in home culture. Therefore, not many plant this plant at home. And it’s completely in vain: even one season of its flowering will give such an indescribable feeling that many other indoor pets cannot boast of. In order for indoor cineraria to please the owner with its lush bright bouquet in winter, no special efforts are needed, however, a novice grower still needs to know some of the growing features.
Lighting and temperature
Cineraria, like any other flowering plant, needs bright light. However, it should not be placed in direct sunlight. They can burn its tender leaves. Therefore, room cineraria is not recommended to be placed on the south window. Although the plant is able to tolerate high temperatures, 16-20 degrees of heat is comfortable for it.
If the room is very hot, you should spray the air around the pot. At the same time, water drops should not be allowed to fall on flowers or leaves, since indoor cineraria can get sick. The ideal option would be to install a humidifier in the room. The room in which the cineraria is located should be regularly ventilated. This plant loves fresh air very much, but drafts are harmful to it. Therefore, before opening the window, it must be removed from the windowsill.
Care
It should be said that watering- one of the main conditions for the normal growth of any plant. The mode of water supply for room cineraria should be optimal: it will be equally bad for the culture from both waterlogging and drying of the substrate in a pot. Therefore, you need to try to maintain a balance when watering. Indoor cineraria loves a lot of water, but its excess will lead to decay of the root system. Therefore, when planting a bush in a pot, you must definitely take care of good drainage.
Water the plant should only be under the root, trying to be careful not to fall on the leaves and flowers. Water should be used settled and slightly warm. The culture loves moist air, so it is better to put the pot in a tray with moist expanded clay or pebbles. In addition, it is advisable to spray the area around several times a day, while avoiding contact with the bush itself. During the flowering period, indoor cineraria does not require special care. The only thing that needs to be done additionally is to remove all dried flowers.
Soil and top dressing
In order for indoor cineraria to bloom long and luxuriantly, plant it in the summer. In many ways, the growth and development of this culture depends on the substrate. The fact is that cineraria needs a special soil, consisting of equal ratios of peat, river sand and humus. You can also add a little mineral fertilizer with a prolonged action to the soil. But even with such a nutrient composition of the soil in summer and spring, indoor cineraria requires top dressing. It should be fertilized every two weeks with a special fertilizer intended for flowering plants.plants. Top dressing is especially relevant during the laying of future flower stalks.
How indoor cineraria reproduces
Growing from seeds is the only way. The complexity of this process lies in a fairly long growing season. From the moment of sowing to the appearance of the very first inflorescences, about 9 months pass. Cineraria indoor from seeds is grown as follows: in spring, best of all in April, planting material is placed in a wide and deep container.
The substrate should consist of equal proportions of river sand, peat and humus. Some experts believe that seeds can be planted at any time, depending on when the owner wants to see his blooming pet. If the planting is carried out in April or May, then the indoor cineraria will be a bright bouquet all winter, and if in July, then the buds will appear only in the spring. After placing the seed material in the soil, it is necessary to carefully water the soil from the sprayer, cover the container with a film or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
The air temperature in the room where the seedlings are located should be 20-22 degrees Celsius. After the appearance of two or three true leaves, a pick is carried out. The sprouts can then be transplanted into permanent pots with a diameter of about ten centimeters.
Diseases and pests
Indoor cineraria, unfortunately, is very often exposed to diseases such as rust or gray rot.
To fight such ailments is quite difficult. Apparently, therefore, the plant, which is a perennial, is grown as an annual. In addition, indoor cineraria are often attacked by pests such as whiteflies, spider mites or aphids.
Secrets
This flowering plant, judging by the reviews, is a great gift. Often on March 8, men give their halves pots of cineraria of various inflorescences: blue, white, blue, raspberry, etc. If the plant is purchased at a flower shop, the buyer needs to carefully examine the bush to assess its condition. If even the slightest signs of diseases are found, manifested by the presence of pests, as well as withered baskets or a changed color of the foliage, it must be discarded. This plant is not worth buying. In addition, you should pay attention to the ratio of buds and blooming flowers. You need to choose the cineraria, on which there are a lot of the first, and few of the second.
For those who prefer to grow this plant on their own from store-bought seeds, experts recommend patience. Despite the seeming ease of care, cineraria is considered a rather capricious representative of the Astrov family. If the plant does not bloom for a long time, it must be stimulated by removing the pot to a room with a lower temperature - up to 10-15 degrees. Under such conditions, cineraria should be left for 2-3 months. Then again it should be transferred to a warmer room (up to + 20degrees) and start pouring abundantly with slightly warmed water. Soon, buds will appear on the bush, and it will be covered with lush flowers.
In addition to its incredibly attractive aesthetic data, this plant also perfectly cleans the air of harmful substances, so growing it at home for asthmatics and allergy sufferers will be an ideal option.
