Streptocarpus came to us from warm countries, the countries of the African continent (island of Madagascar), Asia are considered its homeland. The flower belongs to the Gesneriaceae family and is closely related to gloxinia and violet. More than a hundred “wild” species of this plant grow in nature, in addition, breeders managed to create a huge number of hybrids and thus multiply streptocarpus. Caring for a flower has its own characteristics, there is nothing complicated, you just need to observe certain conditions of watering, lighting, temperature.
Streptocarpus is a rosette of large leaves with a length of at least 25 cm and a width of more than 6 cm.The stem of the plant is short, but its main decoration is beautiful bell-shaped flowers that amaze the imagination with a huge variety of colors. Florists can acquire red, blue, yellow, white, almost black, striped, interspersed with streptocarpus. Care and cultivation do not take much time, so every lover of these beautiful flowers can make such a miracle at home.
The main mistake of flower growers is that they treat streptocarpuses as violets. Although these plants belong to the same family, the care for them is completely different. Lighting is what streptocarpus loves so much. Caring for it involves maintaining daylight hours about 14 hours a day. In order to achieve this, the plant can be put on the windowsill or use artificial lighting. If the latter option is used, it is recommended to turn on the phytolamp and fluorescent lamp alternately .
Since the streptocarpus came to us from warm countries, he loves high temperatures. The flower feels ideal in moderately hot weather, when it is stored up to 26 ° C indoors. An increase in temperature to 30 ° C and more does not perceive streptocarpus very well. Care in this case involves shading the plant from direct sunlight, otherwise the appearance of the leaves may deteriorate, they will begin to dry out along the edges or wither. In winter, the streptocarpus begins a dormant period, at which time it can be kept at a temperature of 15 ° C, to reduce the frequency of watering and not to feed.
Depending on the variety, it is necessary to choose a suitable substrate. Perlite, moss sphagnum, leaves and vermiculite are recommended in dense soil; streptocarpus also feels good in a mixture of peat with vermiculite. Caring for a flower involves observing the rules of watering. The plant allows a slight drying of the earthen coma, but waterlogging negatively affects the roots. At the same time, streptocarpus is very fond of high humidity, so it is recommended to create a cloud of water droplets above it.
The plant treats favorably. It is better for children to make
nitrogen fertilizers, and for adults, phosphorus and potash. Feeding can be done weekly, then it will be able to grow luxurious foliage of streptocarpus. Care and reproduction also do not cause certain problems. If there is already a bush at home, then when transplanting it can be divided into several plants. Propagation by seeds and cuttings is also allowed.