Ceropegia is not the most popular indoor flower. This is a little strange, because ceropegia is not at all capricious in nature, and in terms of the beauty and originality of the bud, it is not inferior to many popular home flowers. The most common and well-adapted species of this plant is Wood's Ceropegia. We will talk about it in more detail.
Cultivation and care of ceropegia at home
Location and lighting
Often, ceropegia is used as an ampelous plant. Thanks to this, the flower fits with the same success into any setting. Very often this quality is used to give liveliness to the interior in the office, which is furnished in the style of functional minimalism, and in the composition with all kinds of plants in the room, ceropegia plays an important role.
You can call ceropegia a lover of the shadow. It refers rather to those plants that love light. With the right amount of lighting, ceropegia can bloom almost all year round. It has been experimentally established that direct sunlight will not harm her. But it is better to place the ceropegia so that bright sunlight does not fall on the flower, especially in the summer at the time of the midday heat. If possible, the plant should be taken out into the fresh air during the hot period, for example, on the balcony - the ceropegia really like this.
Temperature
In the heat, this plant is best kept in a room with a room temperature of + 20 ... + 25 degrees. If you are unable to place a flower in a room with the appropriate climate, then there will be nothing wrong. A little time will pass and the plant will adapt to a higher temperature, and if you grew it indoors, then there will be no difficulties at all. If the flower grows outdoors, avoid direct sunlight. The most suitable place for the location of the ceropegia is the western part of the house.
Another distinctive feature of ceropegia is that it easily tolerates temperature changes. In winter, if possible, it is necessary to organize a cool wintering for the flower with a decrease in the temperature regime to +15 degrees (minimum +10). Providing your plant with a calm winter will strengthen it and extend its life.
Watering, air humidity, fertilizers
In this respect, ceropegia will not bring many problems. In the warm season, it is watered in the same way as many other indoor plants - after the top layer of the soil dries out. With the arrival of the autumn period, watering should be reduced, and in winter (especially if the flower is kept in a cool room), it should be reduced to a minimum. In no case should the earth completely dry out. The plant may not die, but some roots are likely to die. In order for the roots to recover, additional time will be needed, and this can lead to stunted growth and a late vegetation period.
Ceropegia is absolutely indifferent to air humidity and water procedures, she only needs them in terms of hygiene.
As for fertilizers, this plant has no special preferences.Feeding can be done once a month with a solution of mineral fertilizer (saturation 0.1–0.2%). An excellent result is obtained if this flower is fed with fertilizer for cactus.
Transfer
Here, too, everything is quite simple: new and not quite developed plants are transplanted every year, in the springtime, and mature plants are transplanted every two years. When transplanting a plant, keep in mind that it is best to take a small container and, of course, there must be high-quality drainage in order to avoid stagnant water. The composition of the soil for transplanting is as simple as possible: one part of leaf and sod land, and one part of sand. You can add one part of humus. It is highly recommended to add some charcoal and lime to the soil, and it is better to add dolomite flour.
Reproduction
Ceropegia is propagated by several methods: by seed, cuttings, division and axillary tubers. But the simplest methods are dividing and grafting.
With division, everything is clear: when transplanting, the plant is divided and seated in containers. When watering such a plant, you can use a zircon solution (1 drop per 1 liter of water), this accelerates the adaptation of ceropegia and strengthens the immune system.
Cuttings are bred in the spring, best of all in early March. This procedure is often combined with pruning, which is done in the spring. Cut cuttings must be slightly dried in the shade before planting. It is best to plant them in wet sand (2 cuttings each). The temperature regime for rooting is approximately + 18 ... + 20 degrees, and when heated from below, the rooting of the future flower is accelerated.
