Gloxinia in the "language of flowers", which was introduced in the XVIII century by Charles II, king of Sweden, means "love at first sight." Indeed, you can fall in love with this flower as soon as you see it. Gloxinia have large beautifully colored bell-shaped flowers. There can be many, more than twenty. Sometimes they bloom at the same time. Flower petals can be terry or smooth, wavy and ordinary, vary in color - it depends on the plant variety.
This houseplant has a second name - hybrid syningia. It comes from Brazil. Yet gloxinia is a more common name among flower gardeners. His plant was received, perhaps, because of a bell-shaped flower, and this is how the word "Glocke" is translated from German.
Gloxinia: care and reproduction
For full flowering gloxinia requires good lighting - bright diffused light. You can not expose it to the sun, this is fraught with burns and rapid withering of leaves and flowers. Gloxinia loves high humidity. However, due to the fact that her leaves are pubescent, it is impossible to spray the plant. It is necessary to use pallets with expanded clay, the installation of fountains, the installation of humidifiers. The room should be aired more often.
Water gloxinia also need to be correct. Her tubers are sensitive to waterlogging. When the tuber woke up in February-March after a dormant period, in which he plunged when the gloxinia bloomed, it was watered little by little. During flowering, the plant needs frequent but careful watering. Water should be distributed over the entire surface of the earth in a pot, and even better to water the plant through a tray.
Gloxinia requires a continuous increase in soil nutrition. A week after transplanting the plant into fresh soil, it is necessary to start weekly fertilizing with fertilizers: first, with nitrogen, during the formation of buds and flowering, with phosphorus. Organic feeding will also be beneficial.
Gloxinia propagates in various ways: leafy cuttings, tuber division, seeds, processes, part of the leaf. The most common method is leafy cuttings. A good leaf is selected and dipped in water. When he starts the roots, the leaf is planted in the soil in a small pot. They take care of him, as well as an adult plant.
Gloxinia has faded: what to do?
Typically, gloxinia “ejects” several flowers at an early stage of its growth. It is recommended after this first flowering to prune the stem, leaving only 1-2 pairs of lower leaves. Very soon, they will begin to go out at the joining point of the stepson's leaves, which will grow and produce all new flowers. During this period, the plant should be fed with nitrogen fertilizers, and when buds appear, switch to phosphoric ones.
The second flowering ends closer to the fall. By this time, the watering of gloxinia is gradually being reduced, and fertilizing with fertilizers is being reduced. The leaves of the plant begin to turn yellow and dry right before their eyes. So gloxinia has faded: what to do?
Watering the plant stops completely. The stalk is pruned. You can leave a stump about two centimeters high. When it is completely dry, it should be unscrewed and discarded. The pot in which the gloxinia tuber remains in the ground should be covered with a pallet and put away in a cool dark place. But this does not mean that the flower must be forgotten for a long time. Yes, we sent him to rest when gloxinia bloomed. What to do next? Do not forget that once a month you need to check pots with tubers. Dry soil should be slightly moistened with water. If the new shoots come out too soon, they should be broken, but only if you are sure that the tuber is adult, strong and in the spring will be able to give out repeated shoots.
Young plants that are not yet two years old should not be sent to rest, since their small tubers are unlikely to survive the winter. Better they keep growing on the lighted shelving all winter.
In the spring, when sprouts appear, the tubers of the plant are gently shaken from the pots, cleaned of old soil, and then planted in new soil. The plant is placed in a bright place so that it grows faster and gain strength for flowering.
By the way, the rest period of gloxinia does not have to last all winter. Two or three weeks may be enough for the plant to accumulate new strength and again start to grow. So, you need to provide him with good care.
As you can see, it’s okay that gloxinia has faded. What to do next - these tips will tell you.