What plant should be planted at home, provided that the grower does not yet have experience in caring for indoor flowers? We recommend paying attention to hibiscus! He is not only surprisingly beautiful, but also very unpretentious. Indoor hibiscus tolerates sudden changes in temperature, inadequate lighting and even drafts. In addition, this flower will not die if you miss the time of watering. In order for the hibiscus not only to live indoors, but also to please with its exquisite flowering, it is necessary to know a number of rules. We’ll talk about them today: we’ll tell you how to care for a flower, when to prune a room hibiscus, than to fertilize it.
Legends of hibiscus
A lot of stories and legends are associated with this plant, because it is spread over a very wide territory. We bring to your attention the most interesting legends!
The legend that has come down to us from East Asia tells of a traveler exhausted after a long passage through an impenetrable jungle that has gone astray. He felt hunger and thirst, and therefore, sitting down to rest in the shade of the trees, he prayed to the gods. The traveler asked them for food. Suddenly, in a pot of water that the man put on fire, red flowers fell, which painted the water in ruby color. The traveler tasted the tea and was surprised - it was incredibly tasty and fragrant, and every sip of it returned to strength. Continuing the journey, the traveler took with him some unusual flowers that he distributed to residents of the settlements he met along the way. So the news of tea, known today as hibiscus, spread all over the world.
Another story is connected with China. Here, a whole city is named after hibiscus! According to legend, when the construction of the city had just begun, the foundation was laid incorrectly. Therefore, almost all houses collapsed. A magical turtle came to the aid of the Chinese: it showed how to build a city correctly. The footprints of this turtle were surprisingly similar in shape to hibiscus flowers. That's why they called the new settlement the City of Hibiscus.
Hibiscus is the main character of the festival taking place on the island of Fiji. Here, local residents decorate their homes with floral garlands and bright ribbons, and solemn processions pass through the streets, all participants of which are literally hung with these delightful flowers. They also love the Chinese rose in Hawaii - in these places it is commonly called the "flower of beautiful women." This is due to the fact that local beauties weave hibiscus into their thick pitch black hair.
From legends to facts
Bright hibiscus settled in the botanical gardens of Europe in the XVIII century. However, archaeologists say that this plant was known to the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt! This is evidenced by traces of dried flowers found in tombs and pyramids. Residents of Africa and the East used the Chinese rose to make ointments - both medicinal and medicinal. Hibiscus-based medicines have been used in medieval Indian and Chinese medicine. Until now, in places where hibiscus grows by itself, the plant is used in medicine, and food is prepared from its leaves and shoots. Meet the plant in vivo can be found in southern China, Fiji, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Sumatra.
Hibiscus room: photo and description
Its second name - Chinese rose - this plant received thanks to excellent flowers with delicate thin petals resembling a real rose. The color of the petals can be very different - there are plants with pink, red, white and yellow petals. The hibiscus color scheme includes copies of blue and violet tones, even interspersed with black are possible. The size of the flowers ranges from five to thirty centimeters - it depends on the variety.
Fresh hibiscus flowers are odorless. The plant begins to bloom at the very beginning of spring, ends only in late autumn. However, the buds are fully revealed only for a few days. With proper care, hibiscus blooms quite luxuriantly. A room flower can grow up to three meters in height, and its life span is about two decades. The plant tolerates the molding perfectly, while it should be cut in December - so the bush will become more branched.
In Russia, there are two types of hibiscus - northern (preferring warm areas) and Syrian (well growing in the Caucasus). But at home, terry hibiscus is grown and Chinese room hibiscus.
Plant selection
The first thing you need to pay attention to when buying a room hibiscus in a store is its appearance. Crohn's plants should be dense and compact. The leaves must be fleshy, bright green in color. Experienced gardeners recommend buying a flower before it blooms - so it will better tolerate transportation and adapt to new conditions faster.
But a plant whose leaves are dry or yellow, it is better not to acquire. It is also worth giving up the specimen with deformed stems, spots, stripes and plaque on the leaves. Hibiscus in a pot too large or with stagnant water is also not worth buying - violation of the conditions of detention will lead to various diseases. Even if they are now invisible, subsequently this can lead to serious problems.
Seat selection
Hibiscus is a houseplant that loves sunlight very much. That is what is important to know for the grower who decided to plant this flower at home. It should be placed by the window or in another well-lit place. It is important to remember that hibiscus grows very quickly, reaching large sizes in a short time. In a small room there may be problems with its placement - after all, this flower simply does not tolerate crowding.
Temperature mode
Have you decided to get room hibiscus? Home care for him includes compliance with the temperature regime. In the summer period, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of at least + 20-22 degrees in the room. In winter, you should lower the temperature to +15 degrees - this will positively affect the future flowering of the plant.
Air humidity
Another important condition that must be observed when growing indoor hibiscus is humidity. It is often recommended to spray the plant. In a room with dry air, the flowers may not open fully. Please note - you need to spray the plant so that the water does not fall on the buds, otherwise they will become stained and fall off. A great way to increase humidity is to use pallets with expanded clay or pebbles filled with clean water. In this case, the bottom of the pot with the plant should not touch the water.
Watering
Since indoor hibiscus is very fond of moisture, it needs to be watered abundantly - the ground should be completely saturated with water. But the Chinese rose should not be watered by the beauty - the top layer of the soil should still slightly dry. In autumn and winter, it is necessary to reduce watering - you need to moisten the plant no more often than a couple of days after the top layer of the soil dries out. Water for irrigation should be soft, room temperature.
Soil selection
The soil for growing indoor hibiscus flower should be nutritious, but at the same time light. The pH should be around 6. The ideal soil composition for this plant is turf soil, leaves, humus and sand (optimal ratio is 4: 3: 1: 1). You can add a little charcoal to the mixture. You can prepare for hibiscus and simpler soil from turf land, humus and sand. The proportions should be as follows: 2 parts of turf and 1 part of sand and humus. It is extremely important to take care of drainage.
Flower pot selection
Indoor hibiscus (photos are presented in the article) prefers small containers. It must have drainage holes. Like most indoor plants, a Chinese rose reacts very poorly to stagnant potted water. By the way, if the capacity for the plant is tight, the flower will grow and develop slowly. But a large capacity is not the best option: it usually stagnates water.
Fertilizer application
A huge role in the care of indoor hibiscus at home is played by dressing. Regularly you need to make either mineral or weakly concentrated organic fertilizers. Florists recommend starting to fertilize at the very beginning of spring and not stop until the end of autumn. Feeding plants is best on schedule - twice a month. In this case, it is extremely important not to overdo it. In the spring, before the plant enters the phase of active growth, a fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus should be applied. But from top dressing, which includes nitrogen, it is better to refuse.
Features of hibiscus care in winter
Indoor hibiscus is an unpretentious plant, but this does not mean that it does not need special care in the winter. With the onset of the cold months, it is necessary to reduce watering, but do not let the soil dry out! Need to reduce and top dressing. Once a month will be enough. It is imperative to discard pruning during the winter months, otherwise the plant will simply die. At a time when the amount of sunlight is reduced, the plant needs additional lighting. We advise you to get fluorescent lamps.
Plant transplant
It is impossible to imagine indoor hibiscus and home care for this plant without a transplant. Florists say young hibiscus should be transplanted every year. In addition, each time it is necessary to increase the size of the pot by 3-5 centimeters. In the prepared pot, which must first be processed. If another plant was previously in the container, it should be thoroughly washed with a stiff brush and soap. New clay pots should be kept in the water for one to two hours - so from its pores the gases and salts formed during firing will be removed. In addition, you can treat the pot with a solution of potassium permanganate or salt.
Young plants can be transplanted both in spring and summer, and in autumn. But adult specimens are best transplanted in the spring. At the bottom of the pot you need to lay out the drainage - 3-4 centimeters. This will prevent soil acidification. Hibiscus must be carefully removed from the old pot, remove the old drainage from the roots. Be careful not to damage the roots! The earthen lump remaining on the plant must be carefully examined. If the soil is not acidified, there are no pests in it, then you can just transplant hibiscus without destroying the coma.
The roots of the Chinese rose must be elastic, light in color. Dark brown roots with soft, moist areas indicate that the plant rots. Such areas need to be cut, the roots washed with a fungicide solution and only then transplanted into new soil. Hibiscus should be planted without deepening. The root neck must certainly remain at the level of the soil in the tank. After transplanting, you need to water the flower and spray it with a solution of any stimulant.
Hibiscus pruning
Many beginner gardeners are concerned about the question - do I need to prune a Chinese rose? Of course you need! This plant needs annual shaping pruning - only in this case the plant will delight with delightful flowering. Trimming indoor hibiscus must be done every time after it fades: then the side shoots will begin to grow, on which new buds will appear. Please note: Chinese rose flowers appear only on young shoots. Therefore, every shoot that you will not cut in time, next year will turn into a bright flower, which you will not count in a year.
When to prune indoor hibiscus? This is best done in early spring. At this time, you need to pinch absolutely all the shoots - even young ones. But nothing prevents cutting the flower throughout the year - this will not harm the flower at all. First of all, you need to cut off those shoots that grow parallel to the main trunk of a bright flower. You need to remove branches that grow unevenly inside the crown. Do not worry about the plant - regular pruning will benefit him: it will bloom more magnificent.
Breeding
We suggest talking in more detail about the breeding of indoor hibiscus. This can be done both with the help of cuttings and seeds. The first method is preferable for beginner gardeners - it will allow you to save varietal signs of a Chinese rose, and it will bloom for the first year.
Cuttings need to be taken young. They need to be placed in soil or water. From above it is necessary to cover the shoots with a glass jar or a plastic bottle to increase humidity. They take root in 25-30 days. As soon as the roots appear, the cuttings need to be transplanted into the ground with a high peat content. Can be added to the soil for hibiscus and sphagnum.
Hibiscus can be propagated by seed. They need to be sown from late January to mid-March. Before planting seeds in the soil, it is necessary to soak them in the Epin preparation for 12 hours. Florists recommend planting seeds in a mixture of sand and peat. The seed pot must be covered with foil or glass. The temperature in the room must be maintained within 24-28 degrees. Periodically, the pot should be ventilated and the soil sprayed. As soon as the third leaf appears on the sprouts, they need to be planted in separate containers. Such hibiscus bloom after two to three years.