Recently, more and more often, both on household plots and on window sills, one can see such a little-known flowering plant, as a cafe, until recently. This is a small shrub that belongs to the Derbennikovye family and reaches a height of half a meter.
Its leaves are dark green, small in size and having a semi-oval shape. Bright, elongated, cigarette-like flowers simply strew the bush, giving it unrivaled splendor. Flowering in this shrub occurs almost continuously - from spring to autumn. For the original shape of the flowers, the people called the cufe "plant-cigar".
Decorative floriculture
Passion for flowers leads almost all lovers to search for new plants, which so far are few where in garden plots. Everyone wants his allotment to differ from others with a certain uniqueness. For this reason, it becomes every year more and more in demand such a flowering plant as the cafeteria, which is actually unknown until now.
Care, species, reproduction, planting rules of this plant are questions, the answers to which are still not widely known to everyone. Therefore, it is worth talking about this topic in more detail. This will save many gardeners from doubts about whether it is worth cultivating on the site or at home such a magnificent plant as a cafeteria.
Care and maintenance of coffees at home
To the numerous requests of flower growers to tell about the kufei plant (planting and care, where to grow and whether it will grow at home), we can say that this flower lives perfectly on window sills. In this case, the following care is required.
- The optimal temperatures for the good development of this plant are those temperatures that in the summer range from +20 to +25, and with the onset of cold weather - from +15 to +18 degrees.
- The room where the cafeteria is planned to be planted should be bright enough so that it can feel comfortable. The most successful place will be windows that are oriented east or west. A certain amount of direct rays of the sun to the plant also does not harm.
- During the summer period, abundant watering must be carried out. In the fall it is reduced, and in winter it is necessary to reduce it to moderate, although the soil cannot completely dry out.
Under such conditions, the cafeteria will feel very good and delight with plentiful and long flowering.
The basic rules for the contents of the house
At home, for a plant such as a cafeteria, care, cultivation, watering, planting should be carried out in compliance with certain rules. If we consider them in more detail, then we can distinguish the following main areas:
- A plant needs moderate air humidity, so it is worth spraying the flower from time to time.
- Transplantation should be carried out annually, but only in the spring. The earthenware mixture for kufei should consist of equal amounts of humus, peat, turf and leafy earth, to which ½ part of the sand is added. At the bottom of the dishes, where the plant will be transplanted, drainage is mandatory.
- Top dressing is carried out with a mineral fertilizer intended for flowering indoor plants in the spring and summer. Perform this procedure at least once every 2 weeks.
- Pruning in the spring is the main step in caring for a plant such as a cafeteria. Pruning is the conversion of the crown of this flowering shrub to the desired shape and size.
The most careful formation of the crown is required by a subspecies of this plant, such as the hyssopole coffe. After you spent it in the spring, in the summer it will be enough to maintain the created form of periodic pinching, produced at the tips of the shoots. The best forms of the crown for this plant are considered spherical and pyramidal.
How to grow a plant from seeds?
For many who wish to have a plant such as a caffeine (cuphea) in their area or window sill, the care and cultivation of its seeds remains a mystery. Therefore, they are looking for such information in various sources.
This plant is grown from seeds quite easily. In early spring they are sown in a pan with a special earthen mixture and lightly sprinkled on top of the soil.
A pallet thus prepared is placed in a dark plastic bag or covered with thick paper. When the seeds begin to germinate, it is necessary to transfer it to a light windowsill.
The grown seedlings are seated one by one in small containers. It is necessary to ensure that the soil does not dry out. After the seedlings have grown, you will need to choose the strongest shoots and transplant them into separate pots, the diameter of which is not less than 11 centimeters.
Propagation of kufei by cuttings. What does it consist of?
In addition to general questions about a plant such as a cafeteria (planting and care, where to grow it), very often florists are interested in its reproduction. And if the use of seeds for this is more or less clear, then it is worth mentioning especially about cuttings. This method is best suited for growing this flowering plant on the site. It consists in the following.
- The cuttings for propagation must be cut obliquely with a sufficiently sharp knife and immediately placed in water.
- After a week (when the roots appear on it), it should be planted in the ground and very abundantly watered.
- Keep the café in a well-shaded place until it is accepted.
- Rooted cuttings are planted in a well-lit area for 2-3 pieces together and nipped several times during the growing season.
Types and subspecies of coffees
Several subspecies donated by modern breeding have a gigantic cafeteria. Care, cultivation for them is carried out according to the rules common to all plants of this family. Representatives of this class, such as:
- Kofeya is an isopolistic. This is a semi-shrub plant that reaches a height of 50 centimeters. The leaves are located on rather short cuttings opposite. They reach 2.5 cm in length and 0.5 cm in width. The shape of the leaves of this plant is lanceolate, and the color is dark green. Small flowers, reaching a diameter of 1 cm, single. Their color is lilac or pink. The bushiness of this species of plant is quite strong, and the dimensions are very compact. This provides an excellent opportunity to grow this subspecies as a bonsai.
- The cafe is fiery red . It grows like a shrub, which reaches a height of half a meter. His leaves have an ovoid-lanceolate shape. They are also located on rather short petioles, opposite, and reach up to 5 cm in length and 2 cm in width. Their color is dark green. Single flowers of red color with a violet limb in diameter reach 3 cm.
Possible plant problems
When it comes to a plant such as a cafeteria, planting and care, where to grow it is not quite complete information that is necessary for gardeners. It is worth clarifying the question of the possible pests of this magnificent flower, so as not to be caught unawares by its disease.
The most dangerous parasite that can infect a plant is aphid. In order to get rid of this scourge, you should first rinse the plant under a stream of cold water, and then treat it with an insecticide.
In the case when the plant is affected by thrips (the leaves are severely deformed and their tips become jagged), the treatment should be the same. And in the event that the leaves have acquired brown spots, you should strengthen the lighting, which the plant does not have enough, and remove the drafts that adversely affect it. Leaves that have been damaged must be removed completely.
Tips for amateur gardeners
For gardeners dreaming of a plant such as a cafeteria, tips for caring for it will be as follows:
- The temperature for this plant should not drop below + 12 ° C, as the cafe is very thermophilic.
- Lighting this flower prefers bright, but at the same time diffused. Direct sunlight is permissible only at noon.
- Watering should be plentiful in the summer, and in the fall to be scarce.
- Mineral fertilizers for feeding are the same as for other indoor plants.
That’s all the tips for a plant like a cafeteria. Planting and care, where to grow, how the flower propagates - we talked about all this in our article.