Proper cultivation and care of gloxinia

The first thing to learn is how to plant gloxinia correctly - so that the plant takes root well. The abundance of flowering in the future, which can reach the number of twenty flowers at a time, also largely depends on this.

Landing rules

Gloxinia can be planted with seeds. This process is troublesome and long. Usually preference is given to leaf propagation or by dividing the tuber. First of all, because sprouts from seeds do not always hatch, and if they appear, they grow for a long time. Small shoots require special care and comfortable conditions. The advantages of seed reproduction include the possibility of self-breeding of a new variety.

If you plant gloxinia with seeds, then it is advisable to take into account the following principles.

1. Seed sowing time. The beginning of February or the very end of January is considered optimal. The sprouts will appear in two to three weeks, sometimes this period can stretch for a longer period. Sometimes seed germination takes a month.
2. Sowing method. Given the very small size of the seeds, it is best to mix them with sand. The resulting mixture should be spread over the soil surface. It is not required to sprinkle it with additional earth.
3. Planting care. After sowing the seeds, the soil needs to be moistened. To do this, use a spray bottle. Then you need to cover the plantings with plastic wrap and put them in a warm, well-lit place.

This is followed by a period of seed germination. During this time, the crop requires careful maintenance. It is necessary to constantly monitor that the soil with the seeds distributed over it always remains moist, so that there is enough heat and light.

Reproduction of gloxinia by dividing the tuber

To successfully apply this breeding method, you need to take a strong, healthy tuber. If there are rotten areas on it, they must be cut off. It is advisable to sprinkle the cut point with coal dust. You should start dividing the tuber when sprouts appear on it, preferably at least two centimeters in height.

Having chosen a tuber, it is necessary to cut it with a sharp disinfected knife so that there is one or more sprout on each piece. Plant each slice in moist soil. The successful cultivation of gloxinia requires keeping the soil in a constantly moist state. At the same time, the plant cannot be poured, this leads to rotting of the tuber. In order to achieve optimal performance, you can water through the pallet.

Advice

To irrigate gloxinia, you must use rain, spring or melt water. Tap water must be allowed to settle for at least two days.

In general, the method of reproduction of gloxinia by dividing the tuber, as in the case of seeds, has its drawbacks. Usually this is a lot of stress for the plant. It can hurt for a long time or even die. The cut of the tuber is more prone to rotting, it takes a long time to recover. Therefore, this method is resorted to only when there is no alternative.

Reproduction using leaf cuttings

The most comfortable way for the plant and the easiest way for the grower That is why it is the most common. It is carried out during the flowering period of gloxinia. In this case, a large leaf is cut off at the bottom of the plant. The petiole should not be too long and as thick as possible. This promotes the formation of a large tuber. Young small leaves are not suitable for reproduction.

Next, the petiole of the cut leaf must be lowered into the water by about one centimeter. Leave the leaf in this position until roots are formed.There is no need to change the water. If its level drops too much due to evaporation, just carefully top up to the desired limit. After the roots appear, the leaf must be planted in the ground. You should not deepen it too much, the petiole must be digged two centimeters. It is advisable to cover the planting with a jar, this will help the plant to take root.

You can plant a gloxinia stalk directly into the ground, bypassing the process of root formation in water. This requires a sufficiently high air temperature (at least twenty-two degrees). In this case, the cutting should be abundantly sprinkled with coal dust in the cut area, then place it in wet soil. In this case, you also need to cover the plant with a jar. Caring for such a planting consists in constant soil moisture, observing temperature and light conditions. After two or three weeks, you can remove the jar, by which time the plant will take root.

Good to know!

Two tubers can be obtained from one cutting in the future. To do this, you need to carefully cut the cutting along the edge of the cut by a centimeter. When the plant takes root, two smaller tubers form at this point.

There is a way of propagation of gloxinia with a stem petiole. For this, not a leaf is cut, but one of the side stems. The rest of the procedure is the same as for petiole propagation. Only in this case, as a result of rooting, you can get a ready-made full-fledged plant.

There are other ways gloxinia can reproduce. You can use a leaf blade without a petiole, some varieties are capable of propagating with a peduncle. Regardless of the method chosen, caring for gloxinia requires adherence to the same rules. This plant grows well and produces flowers under the following conditions:

• the soil is constantly moderately moist, but not flooded;
• the light is bright, but not direct, but as scattered as possible;
• the air is humid enough;
• the required amount of phosphorus, magnesium, nitrogen;
• the correct content of the tuber during the dormant period.

In addition to non-compliance with these basic requirements, gloxinia can be damaged by various diseases or increased acidity of the soil. In general, gloxinia care is not too difficult. The beauty of the plant, especially during the period when flowers are forming on it, is definitely worth the effort.

Proper storage of tubers

Growing gloxinia differs in that this plant has a dormant period at a certain moment. Blooming stops in November or early December. After the flowers fall off, stop watering. Then you need to place the gloxinia in a dry, dark, cool place (it is desirable that the temperature does not exceed fifteen degrees above zero). In this case, the room where the plant is kept must be well ventilated. After a while, gloxinia dies off, after which it is necessary to remove the faded part, leaving a small stump (no more than two centimeters in height).

Then you should carefully remove the tuber from the soil, free it from the ground, treat it with a fungicide. The subsequent care of the tubers is not too laborious, it basically comes down to periodic moistening. For proper storage, you need to place them in a box, sprinkle them with some kind of substrate, for example, perlite. This substrate must be moistened by spraying water on it as needed, preventing the tuber from drying out. It is desirable that the air temperature at the storage location be approximately ten degrees above zero. Under such conditions, the tubers remain dormant for one to three months, after which they begin to germinate.

In February, the tubers must be prepared for planting. First, remove them from the substrate. Then the tuber must be placed in the ground (it is better to take a flower pot shallow, but wide), but not completely, but by about a third. It is necessary to wait for the shoots to grow at least two centimeters. After that, you need to pluck out the extra ones, leaving three or four of the strongest.The next day, the tuber should be sprinkled with earth so that it is completely covered with it and is in the soil at a depth of about one centimeter. This is followed by watering and transferring the plant to a comfortable place for further growth. All subsequent care is carried out according to the already familiar rules.

Growing gloxinia can be quite troublesome. There are many less whimsical plants. But gloxinia still has many fans, because its flowers are so beautiful that growers are ready to make an effort to care for this plant. In addition, some are tempted by the possibility of breeding their own variety using the seed propagation method. It is worth noting that with this option, you can get a lot of sprouts at once, their further cultivation can provide the grower with a large number of adult flowering plants. And getting seeds from blooming gloxinia is a simple process.