Gloxinia hybrid is a tuberous plant that belongs to the genus Hesneriaceae. This is one of the most beautiful indoor plants. Also, this plant is unpretentious in the care.
Hybrid gloxinia will bring comfort and beauty to your home. In the eighteenth century, thanks to Charles the second, Gloxinia began to mean "love at first sight." This type of plant is unpretentious in the care and cope with it can even a novice grower.
About the history of occurrence, botanical description of the flower, how to properly care for and propagate, learn from this article.
Botanical description and history of this indoor plant
The homeland of this plant is a hot country - Brazil. It has a small trunk and large leaves of green shade. White, purple, red and pink gloxinia flowers in the form of a bell. To the touch they are terry, but there are also smooth. Currently, there are twenty-five gloxinia species worldwide.
How many hybrids exist?
Gloxinia species:
- Terry.
- Avanti.
- Brocade.
- Hollywood.
Characteristics and features of the flower
Gloxinia hybrid amazes with its extraordinary beauty. This beautiful plant has velvet flowers of various sizes and shapes. There are about fifty of them in total. In addition to its beauty, the plant attracts attention to itself with its soft, sweet smell.
Where and how to plant?
Landing is carried out, as a rule, at the end of winter.
- To do this, all the tubers are carefully inspected, and the old tubers from the plant are cut with crushed coal or a knife.
- Further, just before planting, it is necessary to soak for thirty minutes a tuber in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then dry them for a day.
- After that, they plant it in a pot, but at the same time one third should be outside.
- The next step is to moisten the soil and close the pot with a film. The pot must be placed in a room with a lot of sunlight.
- Every twelve hours you need to remove the film and run fresh air for thirty minutes. This procedure is done until leaflets appear. After that, you can remove the protective film.
- Pour in small portions.
Lighting and location
Gloxinia hybrid needs a lot of light, which should be bright and diffused. The light should fall on the plant thirteen hours a day.
In order to determine the lack of light in the plant, you need to see if the leaves are lying, then everything is fine, but if they are upright, then the plant definitely needs more light. But if there is too much light, burns can occur.
Soil requirements
It is not necessary to buy soil in stores, as you can cook it yourself at home. For soil, you must use:
- Two parts of leafy soil.
- Part of the river sand.
- Part of the greenhouse earth or peat.
The soil must be weak acidity, crumbly and well pass air. It will not be superfluous in advance, before the landing itself, to decontaminate the soil, for such a purpose will fit '' Maxim ''. This drug should be used in the following way: one ampoule per two liters of water. Before filling the ground should be laid out a layer of drainage. The pot should be earthen, low and flat.
Proper care
- Air humidity. Humidity for this plant should be high, but water should not fall on the leaves. You can not put the plant into drafts, because it does not like it.
- Temperature. The temperature should be at rest about twelve degrees Celsius. Under normal conditions, the temperature should be at room temperature.
To check whether the plant is cold or not, then you should pay attention to its leaves, if they hang, then it is cold, if it is the other way around, it is hot.
- Watering. Water when irrigating a hybrid gloxinia should be three degrees higher than the temperature in the room. Before watering it is necessary to make sure that the plant has completely dried out the soil and only then water it. In late summer, the period between watering should be increased.
- Fertilizer. This plant is practically not necessary to fertilize, but if you still need it, it is better to use a special fertilizer for decorative fertilizers. In August, fertilizing should stop, as the rest period begins.
If you do not carry out the fertilizer process at all, the plant may become small, and its color will become very pale.
- Transfer. Every twelve months the plant needs a transplant. It is necessary to replant the plant in the purchased soil mixture for violets or begonias. In addition, the soil mixture can be prepared by yourself at home. For her should take:
- Two pieces of leafy ground.
- One piece of sand.
At the end of winter, the hybrid gloxinia, along with the tuber, is transplanted into a larger pot than the previous one. To do this, put in a pot a small layer of drainage and soil. Then the plant is slightly sprinkled with earth in such a way that it should be half visible.
Common diseases and pests
One of the most popular diseases in hybrid gloxinia is gray rot. To get rid of it, treat the sore spot with fungicide. There is also root rot. Such a disease can be fatal. It arises from the abundance of cold water.
In addition to the diseases include:
- Mealy dew.
- Blackleg.
- Late blight.
- A variety of fungal infections.
There are also pests. These include:
- Cyclamine mite.
- Spider mite Located at the bottom of the sheet.
- Thrips.
Breeding methods
There are several ways of breeding gloxinia.
Seeds
If the florist wants to reproduce the hybrid gloxinia with seeds, he will have to wait five to ten months. Seeds can be purchased at any florist shop. In order to propagate the plants in this way, you first need to acquire seed material and granular seeds are best suited for this.
Next, they must be transplanted into individual plastic or clay pots.
Peduncle
After the flowering period of the plant, then the peduncle is removed with a knife and dipped in water so that it takes root.
Propagation by stepsons (shoots)
After the flowering period has passed or at the beginning of spring a lot of shoots are formed on the plant tubers. Of all the shoots, only the three strongest shoots are left; the rest are simply cut off. To take root rooted, they should be put into the water, and then transplanted into pots.
Leaf cuttings
This method is one of the easiest ways of reproduction of this plant. To do this, select the stem, the size of which will be from three to five centimeters. If the leaf is sluggish, then it should be dipped in water for a while. This is done so that he regains turgor.
The roots of the petiole will appear in the water with a temperature background of nineteen degrees to twenty-six degrees Celsius. After that, it must be planted in loosened soil. In addition to this lighting should be a lot. In order for the first tubers to appear, it takes about thirty days to pass.
- Decorative Gloxinia Sonata.
- Gloxinia Shahane.
- Gloxinia Rosalind.
- Gloxinia Esenia.
- Gloxinia Kaiser Wilhelm and Friedrich.
- Gloxinia Krasnoyarsk and Red Riding Hood.
- White terry gloxinia.
Hybrid gloxinia can fall in love with any grower at a glance. This plant has recently been very loved and enjoyed great popularity from previous generations. Also, gloxinia is not only extraordinarily beautiful, but also very useful, as it was included in the top twenty of the best oxygen providers at home.