Care and cultivation of streptocarpuses should be literate, and then the plant will delight owners with abundant flowering. It is characterized by unusually beautiful flowers of various colors. In good conditions, flowering lasts almost the entire year, which is almost inaccessible to many indoor plants.
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Streptocarpus: the nuances of growing
The plant is quite tender, and it needs to create comfortable conditions, for which it is important to remember about certain nuances of growing streptocarpuses. The flower needs intense lighting and proper watering.
When streptocarpus is grown through seeds, an interesting feature is observed: the color of flowers in new plants almost always turns out to be different than that of the mother bush. Thus, it is possible to obtain unique plants at home, on which there will be flowers not only of various colors, but also of original forms.
Home Care
If you arrange the flower for suitable conditions, then growing it will not be difficult even for a beginner, despite the fact that the plant is considered gentle and whimsical. It is enough to create a comfortable environment and proper care.
Ground and pot requirements
It is more convenient to use a plastic pot, since it is easier to extract a plant from it when it grows and a transplant is required (it is carried out once a year). Also said against the clay pot is that the thin roots of the streptocarpus can penetrate the pores of the walls of the tank, which will break off during transplantation.As a result of this, when changing the pot, the flower will suffer greatly and will overshoot, which will negatively affect flowering. The pot needs a wide and not deep.
It is better not to buy land for a plant, but to cook it yourself.
In order to obtain a suitable substrate, the following components are combined:
- clay-turf land - 2 parts;
- peat - 1 part;
- humus - 1 part;
- coarse sand - 1 part.
There is a second option for soil composition for the plant.
It includes such components:
- sheet land - 1 part;
- vermiculite - 1 part;
- moss sphagnum - 1 part;
- peat - 1 part.
Both in the first and in the second case it is necessary add a little charcoal to the soil composition, which will prevent the accumulation of excess liquid in the pot.
Temperature, humidity and lighting
The plant comes from the tropics of Africa, the islands of Madagascar, America, and for him, any serious drop in temperature can be fatal. The optimum temperature for the flower is from +20 to +25 degrees. The maximum allowable temperature drop that the plant can tolerate +15 degrees, however, it is not worth experimenting.
Humidity in most apartments is suitable for plants. It is necessary for a flower within 50-70%.
Despite the fact that streptocarpus is a photophilous plant, exposure to direct sunlight on it is unacceptable. It is optimal that the light be diffused and soft, but at the same time intense. Duration of daylight hours is required from 14 to 16 hours.
Accommodation is desirable on the windows of the eastern and western exposure.
Watering a flower
Do not overly moisten the soil, as this will lead to decay of the flower. For irrigation it is necessary to use only settled water at room temperature. It is better to water through the pan. In order not to fill the flower, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil. As soon as its top layer is completely dry, you need to slightly moisten it. If leaves and flowers wilt, urgent watering is required.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
Streptocarpuses need a lot of nutrients during the growing season, and therefore they need to be fed regularly. Fertilize should be done twice a month from March to September in small doses. It is better to use compounds for flowering indoor plants. It is important when feeding that the solution does not get on the leaves and flowers.
Transfer
Young plants develop very quickly and need to be transplanted once a year, and adult bushes - once every 2 years. The plant should be transplanted by the method of transshipment. The new pot should be 3-4 cm larger than the previous one.
In order to make it easier to monitor the state of the roots of the plant, you can put it in a transparent pot.
Winter care
In winter, the streptocarpus is at rest, and therefore it requires special care. It is watered at this time minimally, since the flower hardly drinks water and is easy to fill. Usually one non-plentiful watering in 10 days is enough. If the soil in the pot is moist to the touch, then it is watered even less often.
Plant nutrition is not needed in winter. Fertilizing at this time can ruin the streptocarpus, as it will give impetus to growth at a time when the plant should be at rest.
Breeding Streptocarpus
If desired, you can propagate the plant on your own at home. There are 3 methods used for breeding streptocarpuses, and each grower will be able to choose the one that will be optimal for him. The ideal time is April-May.
Dividing the bush
This method is the simplest. With this approach to flower cultivation, the large bush at the time of transplantation is divided into several parts so that each has at least 1 leaf rosette. The plant grows rapidly, releasing many rosettes, which allows you to get up to 10 small ones from a large bush.At the time of division, it is necessary to carefully examine it in order to separate each part exactly in the place where the connection with the main (which was the first) stem occurs. To prevent decay of the plant, it is necessary to sprinkle the place of separation with charcoal. If the sprout is small, then for its speedy rooting and proper development, cover the pot with a plastic bag to create greenhouse conditions.
Leafy cuttings
Reproduction by leaf is also not difficult. A leaf of a plant that has already reached medium size and has no damage is cut with sterile scissors and fixed in sphagnum moss mixed with charcoal. The substrate must be wet. After that, the pot with the handle is covered with a transparent bag to create greenhouse conditions. Airing is carried out once a day for 3-5 minutes.
If desired, you can root the leaf in water. For this, a cut sheet is placed in a container of dark glass so that there is only a petiole in the water and the sheet plate is not wet. As soon as such a stalk gives roots, it is planted.
Seeds
Breeding streptocarpus seeds is not an easy method. However, this method of growing is interesting - from the seeds appear plants that are not identical to the parent.
- To obtain seeds at home, seed boxes after ripening are cut from the bush and dried for 2 weeks. After that, you can plant the seeds. They need soil consisting of peat and sand, taken in equal amounts.
- Seeds are sown on the soil and squeezed lightly into it, but do not fall asleep. The pots are covered with a bag or glass on top. Shoots appear after 2 weeks. They remove the glass when the seedlings turn 10 days old. They do this not abruptly: at first they remove the glass for 10 minutes, and then gradually increase the time so that after 5 days they can withstand plants without glass for 8 hours. On day 7, the glass is removed completely. Diving seedlings is carried out at a time when the sprouts begin to noticeably interfere with each other.
The main problems when growing
Problems when growing plants arise if the owner does not provide the flower with the proper conditions. Most often, beginning flower growers fill the plant, from which it dies. An overdried flower, even if its aerial part is completely wilted, is restored.
Yellowing of the leaves, which starts from the edges, occurs quite often. The root cause of the problem is a small pot. The roots in it are crowded, which is why they cannot fully nourish the plant.
Pests, diseases and methods of dealing with them
If it is noticed that the plant is sick or affected by pests, it should be urgently isolated from the rest of the flowers in order to prevent mass infection.
- Powdery mildew and gray rot - treated with fungicidal agents.
- Blight and leaf mosaic - treatment is impossible, therefore, a diseased flower should be destroyed.
- Pests (thrips, aphids, spider mites, scale insects) - are destroyed by plant insecticides such as Actellik. As first aid, you can apply spraying with a solution of laundry soap.
If the flowers are kept in good conditions, then, as a rule, they do not get sick.
Types and varieties of plants
Most gardeners today grow hybrid forms of streptocarpuses, which have a particularly attractive appearance. Varietal flowers are also more complex and whimsical than hybrid ones.
The following plant species are distinguished in nature:
- rocky - during artificial cultivation, it is especially important to provide the plant with a stable temperature and humidity;
- Vendland - the plant has only one very large leaf, which has a purple hue at the base. After flowering, the plant immediately dies. Propagated exclusively by seeds;
- Pickaxe - bushes up to 15 cm high, on the tops of the shoots of which umbellate inflorescences are formed from small flowers of blue color;
- royal - is the ancestor of all domestic plant species.Hybrids were primarily created on its basis.
Of particular interest to flower growers are hybrid plant forms.
The most popular are the following:
- Fashion statement - large white flowers with a purple base of petals and veins;
- Salmon Sunset - pink, not large flowers;
- Blueberry Butterfly - blue flowers with a dark purple base;
- Texas Hot Chile - red flowers with a yellow base.
If desired, even a beginner grower can grow a streptocarpus flower on his windowsill.
