Episode

The Episcia plant is a representative of the Gesneriev family. Differs in unpretentiousness, therefore, has long won the interest of many flower growers. In nature, episodes live on the South American continent, as well as in Central America. Their genus includes about 12 species.

Episia can boast not only of its beautiful flowering, but also of gorgeous leaves, which, with their magnificent appearance, quite often overshadow the flowers themselves. At home, the episode is usually grown as an ampel plant.

Description of the episode

Episia is considered an ornamental deciduous plant, but its flowers are also quite noticeable and good. The bush has a large underground stem, and its aboveground stems are slightly pubescent. The plant can also form whiskers and daughter rosettes. Leaves on short petioles are opposite. Due to the velvety (less often - smooth) surface and variegated color, they look very impressive. Each leaf stays on the plant for more than one year, so the bush retains its attractive appearance for a long time. Flowers appear in the axils singly or in a small bunch. They have the shape of a gramophone with bent petals and a variety of colors.

Brief rules for growing episodes

The table shows brief rules for caring for an episode at home.

Episode care at home

Lighting

Episode prefers bright light, but the rays must be diffused. For a bush, east or west windows are best suited.In the summer, the episode will be able to grow even on the northern windowsill, but on the southern flower, shading from the scorching sun will be required. In this case, the windows are curtained with a translucent cloth or covered with paper, or the flower is rearranged further from the windowsill. In winter, the plant is kept in a bright place. During this period, the northern windows for the flower will not work: its stems will begin to stretch too much. In this case, the plant will have to be highlighted. On the contrary, in the bright sun, the leaves of the plant may become smaller or turn yellow.

The foliage of the episode reacts to light and can form a kind of mosaic, trying to catch a sufficient number of rays. Because of this, ampelous plant species should not be moved or rotated once again.

Temperature

The lower threshold for growing an episode is considered to be 18 degrees, but a temperature of about 20-24 degrees is considered optimal for its growth and development. The room with the plant can be ventilated, but in autumn and winter, the flower must be protected from cold drafts, and also kept away from heating appliances.

Watering

When watering, drops of water should not fall on the foliage of the plant, therefore it is easiest to water the bushes in the lower way - through the pallet. To do this, use settled and sufficiently soft water. In addition, it must be at room temperature.

During the period of development from the beginning of spring to the end of autumn, the bushes are moistened abundantly, as soon as the soil in the pot begins to dry out. In winter, the episode should be watered more moderately, waiting a couple of days after the topsoil has dried. Overdrying the substrate is almost as harmful as overmoistening it.

Humidity level

Episia prefers high humidity and grows best in greenhouse conditions. To comply with this condition, the bush can be kept in the terrarium or you can use a tray filled with damp pebbles. The usual way of humidifying the air - spraying - will not work in this case. Moisture should not get on the pubescent foliage of the episode, this can lead to the development of putrefactive processes.

You can also place the pot with the plant on a tray filled with water, but the bottom of the pot and the shoots of the bush should not come into contact with it. Another way to increase humidity is to cover the flower with a transparent bag after watering.

The soil

A slightly acidic or neutral soil is suitable for planting an episode. It can include sand, peat, and double leaf soil. Sphagnum or charcoal is additionally added to the resulting substrate. You can also use ready-made soil for violets. Before planting, a drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the pot.

Top dressing

During the period of growth of the episode, it must be systematically fed. For this, the plant is watered every two weeks with mineral compounds or organic mixtures. But when feeding, you need to use only half of the dose recommended by the manufacturers. An excess of nutrients will have a negative effect on the health of the plant.

Transfer

The Episode requires annual relocation to a new container. The transplant procedure is carried out in the spring. A compact, low, but moderately wide pot is suitable for a bush. At the bottom, it must have drainage holes.

Before transplanting, the bush must be watered abundantly, then carefully pull out and examine the roots. The affected areas are removed and the sections are sprinkled with crushed coal. Young plants are moved by the transfer method, using a pot about 2 cm wider than the old one. For an adult episode, a container of no more than 22 cm in diameter is required. Bushes that are too old are not transplanted, but simply renewed, re-rooting their cuttings or rosettes.

Pruning

Home epic is growing rapidly. To keep the bush neat and lush enough, it must be pruned after flowering. The rosettes separated during pruning can be rooted directly in the same pot.

The ampelous varieties of the episode with long stems are able to climb into neighboring containers and put down roots in them.You can protect neighboring flowers from uninvited guests by placing a pot with an episode where it cannot reach them.

In order for the ampelous species to look most impressive, it is necessary that the first shoots of the bush do not hang over the edge of the pot. Such stems should be strengthened on a small (up to 20 cm) lattice support. Only after filling it can the remaining shoots hang freely from the container. To avoid exposing the stems, the stems of the plant are periodically shortened by half.

Dormant period

The dormant period is almost imperceptible, the episode does not lose its attractiveness throughout the year. Even in winter, the flower is actively developing if you provide it with sufficient lighting. Also, it is not recommended to lower the temperature in winter, this can adversely affect the plant.

Breeding methods of episode

For propagation of the episode, cuttings or plant seeds are used.

The seed method is rarely used. For planting, use a sand-peat mixture. Tiny seeds are spread over its surface, slightly pressing into the ground. After that, the container is covered with foil and placed in a bright and warm place. The moisture content of the soil must be monitored by periodically spraying the surface of the soil. The film is briefly removed every day for airing. Seedlings appear within a month. They are slow growing. When a couple of real leaves appear on them, the episodes dive into small containers of 2-3 pieces. In the first year of life, such seedlings do not bloom.

Cuttings are carried out in the spring, when the episode begins to grow more actively. The easiest way to take root is children, the rosettes formed at the ends of the whiskers of the plant. They should not have lateral processes. The end of such a stem is lowered into the water no deeper than 4 cm, or immediately planted in the ground. At a high enough temperature (about 25 degrees), the roots should appear in about a week. When propagating a flower through daughter rosettes, you can not cut them off, but root them as layering. To do this, the socket is instilled in the place of the fold, using an additional pot for this. The soil in it should be light and moist. It is important to ensure that he does not overcool. Apical cuttings or episode leaves are also suitable for vegetative propagation. They are kept in warm water until roots appear, and then planted in loose soil.

Young episodes are actively developing and require more frequent transplants. They are usually moved to a new pot about once a month.

Possible growing difficulties

• Leaves turn yellow - due to an excess of fertilizers or violation of the conditions of detention. An episode room may be too hot or dry. In addition, foliage can turn yellow due to overly bright sun exposure.
• Brown spots on the leaves - excessively cold water for irrigation. For the episode, it is necessary to use sufficiently warm and well-settled water.
• Drying out the tips of the leaves - insufficient air humidity.
• Foliage curls - certain varieties of episodes react in this way to irregular watering.
• Greyish bloom on foliage - fungal infection. May indicate too old sour soil or stagnant indoor air.
• Rot development - can occur due to low light, waterlogging or too low temperature, especially in winter.
• Lack of flowering - can be caused by several factors at once. Flowers will not appear if the episode is watered incorrectly: the soil in the container should not dry out. The lack of peduncles can also be caused by insufficient illumination, excess nitrogen fertilizers, low temperature or humidity. The content of the flower in winter is also important, when the episode slightly slows down the growth rate.

Diseases and pests

Frequent domestic pests (spider mites, scale insects, aphids, etc.) can settle on episodes, but this happens quite rarely. If insects do appear, the bush is treated with a powder or aerosol insecticide.

Types and varieties of episodes with photos and names

Episcia dianthiflora

Mexican look. Episcia dianthiflora has two types of stems. Some of them are thin enough to form daughter rosettes. Young stems are light in color, but then gradually darken. Other stems are shorter. The foliage is closely spaced on them. The leaf blades are egg-shaped and small in size (up to 3 cm in length). Their color is dark green with a reddish vein in the center. Each leaf has pubescence. The flowers of this species are white, with fringes along the edges of the petals. At the same time, the pharynx is decorated with purple specks.

The modern classification assigns such an episode to another genus - alsobia.

Episcia cupreata

Lives in the South American tropical highlands. Episcia cupreata forms a larger shrub. Its shoots creeping along the ground take root easily. The foliage is elliptical and densely pubescent. The length of each leaf reaches 30 cm and is 8 cm wide. From the outside, the foliage has an original color. It can include tones of copper, green or brown, with the veins adorned with brighter contrasting stripes. From the inside, the leaf has a red tint with greenish stripes. The species forms single red flowers. The size of their tube reaches 2.5 cm. Outside, the flower is red, and inside it is yellow, with red spots. Flowering begins in mid-summer and lasts until September. Such an episode has a number of varieties that differ in the color of foliage and flowers.

Episcia reptans

It lives in the same regions as the copper-red episode. Episcia reptans are more compact and have flexible stems. Its foliage reaches 8 cm in length. Each leaf is highly pubescent and oval in shape. The upper side of the plate is tinted in olive green tones, and the lower side - in shades of red. Single flowers emerge from the leaf sinuses. Red flowers open on a red pedicel. On the inside, they are painted in shades of pink. Flowering of this species begins in July and lasts until autumn. The creeping episode is most often used as an ampelous one.