Features of gloxinia
Gloxinia or ginsinia (beautiful sinningia) comes from Brazil, where about twenty species grow. For growing in pots, a hybrid of Sinningia x hybrids, derived from the species S. speciosa and S. regina, is used.
This is a houseplant with a height of 15 to 30 cm with large leaves, with a velvety surface. On short stems, large, bell-shaped flowers rise in various color shades: from dark purple to pale white. There are also different combinations of these colors.
Sinningia speciosa is charming and compact looking, but is not a long-lived plant. The plants sold are intended for seasonal and short-term cultivation. They do not develop a tuber that would allow the plant to go through a dormant period and then bloom again. Many flower growers throw away most plants after flowering, although the tubers can sprout again. It will not bloom as intensively as the first time, but will again give beautiful flowers.
Note! To try to re-grow flowering gloxinia, it is regularly watered and fertilized once a week. This will enhance vitality and growth, but especially tuber growth.
In summer, you can take it out of the pot and plant it in open ground, but follow the same conditions as at home.
How is gloxinia grown?
Gloxinia: home care. Sinningia is a plant that has a growth and dormancy phase, so they require special care. Although the plant looks exotic, it is not difficult to grow. For successful cultivation, several requirements must be met.
The substrate must be of high quality, permeable, with the addition of peat with a slightly acidic reaction.
Gluxenia care requires watering, keeping the soil moist.
How to water gluxinia? For irrigation use soft water at room temperature. Gloxinia is watered relatively abundantly during the period of growth and flowering, but excessive moisture is detrimental to them, and can lead to rotting of tubers. In autumn, watering is gradually reduced.
Note! Water when the soil is dry, avoiding water on the leaves and flowers. Do not use cold water for watering and do not allow it to accumulate in a pot!
Plants do not grow well in rooms with drier air. Gloxine provide both high humidity and fresh air, as well as making sure the leaves are not damp.
If moistened by spraying – spray water only around so that it does not get on the leaves and flowers.
Additional Information! A pot of gloxinia can be placed on a tray filled with gravel or clay balls and kept moist. Evaporating water provides humid air.
The east window sill is the perfect place for them. Rather, they should stand in partial shade and in a sheltered position, avoiding direct sunlight where there is a risk of leaf scorch. Also, the plant reacts to temperature changes. In cold weather, do not put them near the window, they are afraid of drafts.
For a houseplant, temperatures between 20 and 22° C are best. If temperatures are below 15° C, it lags behind in development. In good summer weather, you can put the flower outdoors in the shade.
fertilizers
In addition to watering, they also need to be fed with a nutrient solution. Top dressing is carried out from about April to early August every week. Use special fertilizers for flowering houseplants (which contain sufficient amounts of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen).
During flowering, the root ball is watered with diluted fertilizer every week.
rest period
This tuberous plant after flowering requires a certain period of rest. When the leaves die off, stop watering and let the bulb dry.
Gloxinia: reproduction
Transplantation, reproduction . The rhizomes can live 3 or 4 years, but over time they produce less beautiful plants, so it’s a good idea to renew the plants every year.
How does gloxinia reproduce? Propagated by leaf cuttings, seeds or tuber division.
Reproduction can be done by dividing the tubers: when the tubers begin to sprout in the spring, simply cut them in half. It is important that the shoots were on each tuber. In the first weeks after planting, they are kept at a temperature of 20 to 25 ° C.
Another method of propagation is by seeds. This method is cheap but difficult. Seeds small, like grains of sand, are sown in a container with moist soil, while they are not buried in the ground, but simply sown from above and lightly pressed with the palm of your hand. Then the soil is covered with a film or glass and placed in a warm, well-lit place. Remove cover periodically.
After sowing (which should be done around December), seedlings appear after 4-6 weeks. Seedlings are planted in light soil, taking into account the distance between shoots up to 2 cm. When 2 true leaves appear on the stem, plants are planted in separate containers. As a rule, after the second transplant, the bushes develop and grow rapidly.
Gloxinia can be propagated by cuttings of leaves. Large healthy leaves are cut off and the veins are slightly cut in two places.
The leaves are fixed in the ground, and the container is covered with glass. At the cutting site, they will take root.
The pot required for planting is chosen not as high as wide. This is due to the fact that the feature of the root system is to expand. Drainage plays an important role in soil preparation.
Gloxinia diseases
A healthy flower has green, strong, juicy leaves, many buds and flowers. If the plant is not feeling well as a result of cultivation errors. it can be resolved by following these few guidelines. What to do if the plant shows signs of illness?
- In the sun, the leaves will curl or turn yellow.
- With abundant or too cold watering, the tuber can soften and rot.
- In warm and dry air, brown-tipped leaves curl.
- If the buds do not open, the plant is in a draft.
- Stems and flowers rot – too cold or poured gloxinia. The plant is placed in a warmer room.
- The leaves are curled – watered or moved away from the window if there is too much sun.
- Greens turn yellow – fertilizers are applied.
- Brown spots on the leaves – if the plant is watered with cold water,
In some cases, aphids and spider mites can attack the plant. Aphids can attack in places with too dry air. Very dry air is also indicated by the yellowing of the edges of the leaves.
Gloxinia can be affected by true powdery mildew, a fungal disease that manifests itself in the appearance of a whitish film on the foliage.
To reduce the risk of rot, plant tubers flush with the soil surface.
winter care
Winter, for the most common gloxinia (Gloxinia hibrida) is a dormant period. By this period, the plant must be properly prepared in order to maintain the viability of the tubers.
During this period, the plant requires minimal care. In autumn, at the end of flowering, watering is reduced, gradually reducing it to nothing. It is best to place the plant pot in a less lit area. If it blooms late, then after flowering, reduce watering.
In anticipation of winter, you can feed the plant once with a fertilizer containing potassium. The stem and dried leaves are cut off, leaving a small stump. The upper part is not removed until it is completely dry, otherwise the nutrients will not have time to move from the foliage to the tubers.
How to store gloxinia in winter? You can store tubers in the following ways. Not dug out tubers from a flower pot should be covered with a plastic bag or a glass, and placed in a dark, cool place. From time to time you need to check their condition so that they do not dry out.
If the tubers are completely dry, nothing will bring them back to life. In the case of home care in winter, the soil is carefully sprayed, but waterlogging should not be allowed, which is fraught with the appearance of premature shoots.
In the second case, the tubers are stored in a plastic bag filled with sawdust or crushed peat. When the leaves are completely dry, remove the tuber from the pot, clean it from the soil, and store at a temperature of about 15 ° C, (but never higher) in boxes, in a dark place.
In late February-early March, the overwintered tubers are planted in a pot and covered with a 2-centimeter layer of soil. Watered gradually.
