Gloxinia is a plant from the Gesneriaceae family. This perennial grass and shrubs hail from tropical America. Gloxinia flowers grow from Mexico to Brazil. Indoor flowers gloxinia belong to the same family, but the genus synningia. In this regard, the gloxinia indoor flower is called synningia .
The two plants have differences in the structure of the roots and leaves, but the gloxinia and synningia flowers are similar; - These are large bells with curved edges of different colors. At the edges of the bells are smooth or frilly. Flowers from 10 cm to 25 cm tall. Despite the huge variety of shapes and colors, most varieties of gloxinia are hybrids of one plant - beautiful synningia.
Beautiful gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa) is a low plant. Its leaves are large, velvety oval. It has velvety bell flowers with curved edges with a diameter of up to 7 cm. Their color can be white or different shades of red, purple, blue. There are species that have a strip of a different color along the rim of the corolla. In addition to the monochromatic coloring of the petals, there are also variegated flowers - chintz with different specks.
Plant care
Gloxinia - loves light, however, direct sunlight, which can significantly reduce the flowering period, is unacceptable to her. In spring, the plant can be placed on the southern windows. With the onset of heat, it must be moved to the eastern windows or shaded. Lack of lighting at the beginning of growth can lead to a decrease in the number of buds being planted and the plant to stretch, as well as affect the color. It will become pale and not as saturated as when grown in bright light. For gloxinia, loose soil is suitable.
Gloxinia needs constant watering, however, it is impossible to "overfill" the plant. Typically, a flower pot is placed on a pebble pan in which moisture is constantly present. You cannot immerse pot holes directly in water: you must drain excess water. For irrigation, a slight moistening of the soil through the sump or along the edge of the pot with well-maintained warm water is used. Gloxinia requires moist air. When spraying the air around it, as well as when watering, it is unacceptable to get moisture on the flower.
Plants are fed with fertilizers (for flowering plants), introducing half the recommended dose. Watering is reduced in the fall, and after drying or yellowing is stopped. When the aboveground part dies, the tuber goes into a state of rest for 3-4 months. It can be stored in a pot in a cool place (10-15 ° C), making sure that the tubers do not dry out. Tubers can also be dug and stored in wet sand.
Gloxinia. Tuber planting and propagation
The tuber sprouts in February - March. If it was in a pot with last year's soil, it is cleaned of old soil and roots, disinfected (a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide). Then gloxinia is planted in a small wide pot. The tuber is planted with a recess upward, sprinkled with it no more than 1 cm. In the pot drainage should be provided (up to 1/3 of the pot). During the germination of the tuber, overmoistening of the soil, leading to its decay, should be avoided. The buds are laid after the appearance of the 3-4th pair of leaves.
Gloxinia is propagated using seeds, leaf and stem cuttings, pedicels, and tuber division. Gloxinia quickly and easily propagates when propagated by part of the leaf and cuttings. Growing gloxinia from seeds is a time-consuming process. To succeed, you need to learn in detail how to grow gloxinia from seeds. However, a plant grown in this way will live longer than that bought in a store. Varietal and hybrid gloxinia, the planting of which was carried out from seeds, may not have externally initial (parental) characteristics. Species gloxinia is best suited for propagation from seeds. Planting seeds in this case gives a lot of young plants.