Gloxinia

Gloxinia (Gloxinia) is a tuberous plant from the Gesneriaceae family. Under natural conditions, it can be found in forests and near rivers in South American countries, including Brazil and Peru. Gloxinia also grows in the Andes and mountainous regions of Mexico. This flowering plant belongs to the Gesneriaceae family. In nature, it is represented not only by herbaceous perennials, but also by dwarf shrubs.

The flower is named after Dr. Gloxin, a botanist from Alsace. The second name of the beauty, Sinningia, comes from the surname of the breeder Wilhelm Zinning, who worked as a gardener in the botanical garden of the University of Bonn and for a long time engaged in the hybridization of gloxinia. It is to him that flower growers owe the appearance of a home type of this plant.

Despite the fact that botanists share the genus Gloxinia and Sinningia, in floriculture these names usually mean one flower - a familiar and incredibly elegant houseplant.

Gloxinia description

Wild tubular gloxinia usually have light oblong rhizomes covered with scales. Home-grown gloxinia is a perennial growing from a tuber. It has short shoots and large, velvety leaves of a deep green color. The flowers are bell-shaped and have the same velvet texture. There are both simple and terry inflorescences. The color palette includes shades of red, purple, white and pink, as well as their many combinations. The size of the flowers reaches 7 cm in width and 5 cm in length. After flowering, gloxinia can form capsules with tiny seeds.

Before you start growing gloxinia, you should study its main features:

• A large enough pot is required to plant gloxinia. An adult flower needs a container of at least 15 cm in diameter.
• To enjoy the flowers all year long, you should keep the plants in a warm place, supplementing them for 14 hours a day.
• After flowering, the tuber begins to pass into a dormant state, and the green part of the plant dies off completely. It is important to let the flower "fall asleep" on its own, without trying to speed up the process.
• Before winter rest, it is recommended to feed gloxinia with fertilizers that do not include nitrogen. Potassium monophosphate is suitable.

If you dream that this, one of the most beautiful indoor plants, grows well and blooms in your home, then you need to put a little effort when cultivating it.

Home care for gloxinia

Caring for gloxinia is simple enough, but there are some rules that should not be neglected.

Lighting

Gloxinia are placed on a spacious windowsill so that bright diffused light falls on it. Its ideal daylight hours are quite long - from 12 to 14 hours.In winter, when it gets dark early, the plant is recommended to be illuminated. It is not difficult to understand whether there is enough light for gloxinia. If the plant is satisfied with everything, its stem is short and the leaves are in a horizontal position. Otherwise, they will stretch out in search of the sun.

Despite the love of light, you cannot expose gloxinia to the scorching sun. Direct rays are destructive for her. Cold drafts are considered no less harmful. Because of this, it is not recommended to open the window on which the plant is kept. The best place to keep gloxinia is in an artificially lit rack.

Temperature

During the period of active growth, gloxinia will be satisfied with the usual home temperature. But during the rest period, the plant will need a cooler corner, where it keeps about +10 degrees. You can understand the need for a flower by looking at the position of its leaves. In excessively hot weather, they begin to stretch, and in too cold weather, on the contrary, they lower, as if hugging the edges of the pot.

Watering mode

During the growing season, it is recommended to water gloxinia through a sump. The upper method is also acceptable, but more complicated - you have to act carefully, trying to prevent drops from falling on foliage and flowers. Filtered or well-separated water is suitable for irrigation. It is desirable that its temperature be a couple of degrees higher than room temperature.

Water gloxinia as the topsoil dries out. Stagnation of water in the ground should not be allowed. Starting from the end of August, the watering rate is gradually reduced so that by mid-October the flower tuber begins to go into a state of dormancy.

Humidity level

Despite the fact that the gloxinia flower prefers high humidity, it also tolerates ordinary room conditions well. In addition, it is forbidden to spray the fluffy leaves and flowers of gloxinia - no drops should fall on them. To moisturize, simply place open containers filled with water near the plant.

The soil

For planting gloxinia, the soil used for growing violets is suitable, to which it is advisable to add a baking powder, for example, perlite, vermiculite or sphagnum moss. You can also make the mixture at home. To do this, mix 3 parts of soil from any deciduous tree, with the exception of oak, 3 parts of peat and 2 parts of sand. If possible, add manure or humus, in the amount of 200 grams for every 5 liters of the mixture. The fertilizers applied will make it possible to do without feeding the plant in the future, otherwise, a week after planting, gloxinia must be started to feed. For this, any fertilizer for flowering plants is suitable.

It is better to choose a pot for gloxinia that is short, but wide enough, since its roots grow wide. It is also important to use drainage when planting this plant.

Top dressing

Gloxinia should be fed regularly in the spring and summer. This is usually done every 10 days, using a complex fertilizer for flowering. A newly awakened plant will need nitrogen-containing formulations. Further, they should be dominated by potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. By mid-August, the fertilization of the plant is stopped.

The complete absence of top dressing will negatively affect the appearance of the flower, as well as the rate of its growth. The buds will start to get smaller, the color of the flowers will be paler, and the duration of their flowering will be shorter. The lack of individual elements is reflected in the shape of the leaves of gloxinia. So the lack of boron in the summer leads to the appearance of deep notches on their edges. A 2% borax solution will help fix the problem.

At the same time, an excess of fertilizers for a plant is as harmful as their lack.

Transplant features

Gloxinia is recommended to be replanted annually. As soon as the flower begins to emerge from the dormant period, it is moved to a new pot. For planting, soil for violets or begonias is often used. You can independently prepare the desired mixture using humus, sand and a double piece of leafy earth.

Gloxinia usually begin to wake up by February.At this time, the plant is carefully removed from the old pot along with a lump of earth and transferred into a new one, slightly larger than the previous one in size. But an overly large capacity can lead to flowering problems. Due to the fact that the tubers and roots of the plant grow more in width than in depth, you should choose wide, but shallow containers for it.

If the gloxinia tuber has not grown much in size, you can simply fill the old pot with new soil. For this, the planting container is pre-filled with drainage and a small amount of earth, which is then additionally poured so that the tuber is half or even 2/3 on the surface. The first planting of gloxinia is carried out in a similar way.

The transplant can be carried out in case of painful conditions of the flower, as well as in order to assess the condition of the tuber. It is also advisable to move a plant purchased from a store to fresh soil in order to be sure of its quality and the absence of an excessive amount of flowering-stimulating compounds in it. If possible, it is better to carry out such transplants after waiting for the plant to go into hibernation.

Post-flowering care

The first wave of bloom of gloxinia usually ends in late spring or early summer. After that, you need to cut off the stem of the flower and remove most of the leaves, leaving only 1-2 lower pairs. After that, the plant will begin to form side shoots. Of these, you can choose the two strongest, and cut the rest.

At this time, you can feed the flower with fertilizers that stimulate growth. A month after tying new buds, it is worth using formulations for flowering plants. Gloxinia often blooms less abundantly in summer than in spring, although there are options when flowering does not stop at all. In this case, you should not wait for his second wave.

When gloxinia finally fades away, watering is reduced, and feeding is completely stopped. After the leaves turn yellow and dry, the aerial part of the plant is shortened, leaving only a dry stem 1-2 cm in size.

If during this period the tuber is not provided with the correct content and the pot with the flower is left in the light and warm, it will wake up too early and the emerging sprouts will be too weak for full flowering.

Winter dormant period

When gloxinia is preparing for wintering, the pot with it is transferred to a dark and cool room. He is kept there until the end of February. At the same time, the soil in the pot should be periodically moistened so that the tuber does not dry out. Do this up to twice a month. Good places to store a container with a flower are considered to be a bathroom or a loggia, in which it is not too cold.

There is another way to store gloxinia tubers. It is suitable for those gardeners who have nowhere to clean their pots. In autumn, when the plant falls asleep, the tuber should be pulled out of the ground. Given the need for a spring transplanting a flower into fresh soil, this procedure will not be superfluous. The tuber is shaken off the ground and placed in a zip bag filled with a homogeneous mixture of soil and vermiculite. You can use slightly damp moss instead. After that, the bag is closed and stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. In this case, watering the soil mixture is not required - the tuber will calmly overwinter and will not dry out after 3-4 months of rest.

Before spring planting, the overwintered tuber is carefully examined and the affected parts, if any, are removed. Sections should be treated with any antiseptic. Sometimes, before planting, the tuber is kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If the condition of the tuber raises questions, it can be cut. A healthy cut should be light yellow or pinkish. In this case, the halves of the tuber are also disinfected and planted in two different pots. Black or brown color on the cut is a sign that the tuber is missing. If only small areas are affected, they are cut out, cultivated and the tuber is planted in fresh soil according to the general principle.

If gloxinia is grown from a seed or leaf, in the first year it is usually not removed for storage, leaving it to winter in a pot. It is especially important to observe this rule for specimens whose tuber size does not exceed 2 cm. Such a young plant in winter will need additional lighting. If there is no way to put a flower under a lamp, you need to keep it in a bright room with a temperature of about +20. Elongated stems in the spring can be pruned to 2 lower pairs of leaves. First-year girls with well-developed tubers are recommended to be sent to rest forcibly, or in the same way to supplement them in winter.

Gloxinia breeding methods

Growing from seeds

Planting material for such cultivation can be obtained independently by manually dusting the flowers, but more often gloxinia seeds are purchased in stores. Despite the large assortment, this step is considered rather risky. Gloxinia seeds retain their germination capacity for about 3-5 years. However, they may not retain the varietal characteristics of the parent plant.

Due to the almost microscopic size of gloxinia seeds, they are most often sold in granules. At the same time, a long germination period (up to 10 months) may be indicated on a pack with seeds, but this applies only to autumn or winter sowing. For healthy growth, seedlings are recommended to be illuminated during this period. If it is not possible to use lamps, it is better to wait for bright spring days and sow in March. Small gloxinia should be grown in an impromptu greenhouse. You can use special containers or take a fairly deep plastic container with a lid in which several holes are made for ventilation. You can plant seeds both in the ground and in peat tablets. Both should be placed in the selected container. The seeds are laid out on the surface of the ground or on a pre-soaked tablet without deepening and slightly moistened in order for the granule to begin to dissolve. After that, the greenhouse is closed and placed in a bright and warm (up to +23) place. For two weeks, the earthen mixture is gently moistened as it dries. Seeds can begin to germinate already during this period.

When the first shoots appear, the seedlings are planted in separate pots. It is believed that picking has a positive effect on the growth rate of small gloxinia. The optimal moment is when the closely sown sprouts begin to touch the leaves. If the seeds were planted in tablets, then the seedlings are planted in an individual container with them. After that, they will need at least one more transplant - now in a permanent pot.

Plants from such seeds can bloom about six months after sowing. The exact timing depends on the specific variety and conditions of detention. Sometimes the first buds on such flowers are recommended to be removed so as not to interfere with the tuber formation process, but other gardeners, on the contrary, recommend not to disturb the flower. As a rule, the plant itself begins to shed extra buds if during this period it does not have enough nutrients.

Reproduction using a leaf

The leaf breeding method for gloxinia is much more reliable and simple. It is they who are recommended to use if there is a choice in order to quickly and almost certainly get a new plant. Because the leaves of the flower are large enough, one of the smallest will be sufficient for reproduction. You can also cut out a part of a large leaf, separating it parallel to the transverse veins. The petiole can be shortened, leaving no more than 2 cm. To carry out this separation procedure, a very sharp, clean instrument is required. This will keep the main leaf healthy.

The resulting leaf cuttings are distributed in containers filled with moist and light soil or pre-calcined sand. Each pot should be covered with a greenhouse bag and placed in a warm and well-lit place.At the same time, within a month after planting, the packages are not removed and the cuttings are not watered. During this period, they should take root and take root. Such seedlings must be accustomed to indoor conditions gradually. Every day, the bag is opened briefly, increasing the airing time, and as a result, it is removed completely.

For reproduction, you can use other green parts of the plant, for example, pedicels. The flower can also multiply by dividing the tuber, which sometimes forms "children".

Gloxinia pests and diseases

Diseases

Most gloxinia diseases are caused by mistakes in flower care. The most common problem is the appearance root rot... In this case, the tuber turns dark brown, and the stem rots at the very base. This process leads to the death of the flower, so it is better not to allow this. The reasons for the development of putrefactive processes can be too cold water for irrigation or frequent stagnation of liquid in the soil.

Also occurs gray rotaffecting the foliage of the plant. Brown spots begin to appear on them. The affected areas of the leaves should be removed, and the gloxinia itself should be treated with fungicidal agents. In this case, it is worth choosing such means to which the flower is not too sensitive. Some drugs themselves can leave burns on the leaves, even if the recommended doses are followed.

Among other possible diseases of gloxinia are black leg, powdery mildew, late blight and other fungal infections. To avoid their development, the bush can be periodically treated with Fitosporin. A diseased plant is treated with Fundazole.

Pests

Gloxinia can be attacked by spider mites and cyclamen mites, as well as thrips.

Spider mite - a small insect that can settle on the seamy side of leaves, feeding on their sap. Signs of its appearance are white dots on the outside of the leaf blades. They may turn brown or yellow over time. With a large number of pests, the leaves are covered with a thin cobweb.

Cyclamen mite is also tiny and invisible to the naked eye. A large number of such mites resemble a thin layer of dust on the inside of a sheet. In this case, the leaves of the flower may deform and thicken, curling down the edge. The stem can also curl, the buds wither, the petals change shape, and the tops of the shoots begin to dry.

The emergence thrips can be identified by light spots, holes, strokes and dots. At the same time, the leaves begin to acquire a silvery hue. After some time, the affected areas dry out and turn brown, and the edges of the leaf curl upward.

Thrips control consists of insecticide treatment. The procedure is carried out three times, with weekly breaks. It is advisable to then replace the entire substrate in the pot, or at least its upper part. This will get rid of possible larvae. In the same way, they get rid of ticks, but at the same time it is no longer necessary to change the earth.

Possible difficulties in growing gloxinia

Subject to the main requirements for care, gloxinia can delight owners with its beauty for up to 10 years. As the plant grows and develops, it begins to bloom even more abundantly. On an adult gloxinia, up to fifty flowers can develop. If you correctly assess the condition of the plant, you can judge how exactly the conditions of its maintenance should be adjusted.

• Yellow foliage Usually caused by overdrying or waterlogging of the air, but it can also indicate too bright sun or excess fertilizer.
• The appearance of brown spots speaks of water getting on the leaves or excessively cold watering.
• Curling the leaves - an oversupply of dressings, drafts. Sometimes stretching or slight curling of the leaves is considered a feature of the variety.
• Stretching and pallor of foliage - a consequence of a lack of light. Plants can stretch out due to tightness on the windowsill. Gloxinia standing nearby should not touch the leaves. This can even negatively affect their flowering.
• Gray coating on leaves or flowers - signs of gray rot.
• The flowers are hiding under the leaves due to insufficient daylight hours or cold in the room.

Types and varieties of gloxinia with a photo

There are at least 25 types of gloxinia found in natural conditions, but only two are used in breeding - beautiful and royal.

Gloxinia fine (Gloxinia speciosa)

Gloxinia speciosa has long petiole leaves that taper slightly as they approach the base. They are characterized by a uniform green color. The shape of the flowers depends on the characteristics of the variety, in their color there are red, white, purple, blue and purple tones. There are varieties with a white border on the petals.

Gloxinia royal (Gloxinia regina)

This species is distinguished by thick stems no more than 10 cm in height. The pubescent leaf blades are colored deep green. On the upper part of the leaf, the veins have a silvery tint, on the lower part, on the wrong side, they are reddish. The leaves are oval and opposite each other. Their length can be up to 20 cm. Purple bell flowers are located on long peduncles. Average flower size: 7 cm in diameter and 5 cm in length.