Lullaby for gloxinia: what to do with a plant after flowering

Gloxinia flowering period at home

The flowering period of gloxinia at home is very long. It is conventionally divided into two stages. The first runs from March to June. The second stage lasts from July to October. But the timing may vary depending on the correct care and climate in the growing region. With proper care, flowering can last until November. It is necessary to create ideal conditions, and then the flowering will be not only long-term, but also abundant.

What is gloxinia

Note! In most cases, the first flower buds bloom in early spring. Culture ceases to bloom at the end of summer. But sometimes it happens that a culture blooms for several months in a row without a break. This suggests that the plant is healthy and full of energy, so it is not advisable to artificially interrupt this process.

During the flowering period, it is necessary to provide the culture with the most favorable conditions:

• first of all, the flower must be protected from direct sunlight, which adversely affects the foliage;
• it is also important to maintain a high level of humidity within 70-80%;
• watering should be regular and moderate;
• overdrying of the soil should not be allowed;
• you can irrigate the soil after the topsoil dries up.

Important! When the flowering period ends, most often all the leaves of the plant die off and only one tuber remains. In this state, you cannot leave the pot in a warm room, this will have a bad effect on his health.

Gloxinia description, photo

Gloxinia flowers can be very unusual, velvety, or vice versa, simple and smooth. The palette of this beautiful plant is varied, from small white buds to huge purple ones. This perennial, herbaceous plant either has no stem at all, or is very short. It can have as many large flowers (the number can be up to 50), with bright perianths, and a lonely beautiful flower.

Gloxinia leaves are green, bizarre in shape, as if created to emphasize the unique shape of the "bells". This is a tuberous plant that is very fond of the sun's rays.

The homeland of this miracle plant is Brazil, although it can often be found in South America. Garden gloxinia (genus Sinningia) is popular with us, which requires no less, albeit diametrically opposite, care than its domestic counterparts.

How to prolong flowering

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Many growers are interested in extending the flowering of gloxinia for a longer period. This can be done with the right crop care.

How to make gloxinia bloom for as long as possible:

• install additional lighting next to the pot. You need to turn it on when daylight hours decrease;
• faded inflorescences and foliage must be cut off immediately. After pruning, you need to leave hemp up to 1 cm high. After a while, new shoots will appear from the tubers. Only 1-2 sprouts need to be left of them. After a while, a rosette of leaves will grow of them, and gloxinia will bloom for the second time in a season. During pruning, it is worth removing the top layer of soil and filling in a new one;
• the flower belongs to the thermophilic, therefore the air temperature should be from 18 ° C to 22 ° C.A sharp drop in temperature negatively affects the culture;
• abundant watering and provide high air humidity.

An important point is the introduction of top dressing. They begin to be added to the soil in early April. Finish fertilizing the soil in August. Fertilizers are applied every week.

Plant during flowering

Important! During feeding, too much nitrogen should not be applied. An excess of this substance leads to an increase in deciduous mass and the formation of deformed buds.

Features of the

Flowering is the most beautiful stage in the plant's annual cycle. At this time, the buds gain strength and bloom. Every gardener can admire the results of his work. But even during this period, it is important to continue caring for the buds. During watering, try not to get water on delicate petals.

Gloxinia blooms again, provided that the first flowering was not too late. There are situations when the bloom of gloxinia lasts all summer. Before the first rosettes bloom, new ones are already growing in the axils of the lower leaves.

You just need to remove the faded parts along with the stem, then the new bushes will spread their leaves instead of the faded ones. There is no need to prepare for the next bloom. Apparently, you are comfortable with gloxinia, and it will delight with its lush and bright flowering for a long time.

Any gloxinia annually undergoes several mandatory stages of its development:

• a dormant period (usually in the winter months);
• stage of growth and development;
• flowering period.

Sometimes, gloxinia surprises a novice grower with the fact that it grows and develops very actively in winter. This is how a young plant behaves, you can recognize it by a small tuber. In order for this flower to form correctly in the future, it needs special conditions: artificial lighting (in the morning and in the evening) and a temperature not higher than 22 ° C. If everything is done correctly, the first flowers will appear in the summer. When it comes to adult gloxinia, then it should rest for 3-4 months.

The indoor flower Gloxinia is a light-loving plant, but absolutely cannot stand the directed rays of the sun. In the summer, the flowerpot must be rearranged from the south to the east or west. If the plant is not provided with adequate lighting, Gloxinia will stop blooming and all will go into the growth of leaves and stems.

The life cycle of a plant is divided into several stages:

• winter peace;
• growth and development;
• active flowering.

Gloxinia implements its own life cycle with some peculiarities:

• completely dies off after flowering;
• needs feeding according to the periods of flowering and rest;
• requires a spacious planting tank;
• needs light 14 hours a day.

Gloxinia is a wayward plant that cannot stand direct sunlight, but needs constant lighting. Gloxinia should be taken care of very carefully, trying to provide her with a comfortable living environment. In this case, the flower will delight you with constant flowering with short rest periods.

Gloxinia is afraid of drafts, so the ventilation of the room must be done very carefully. It is advisable to take the pots out of the room that needs to be filled with fresh air. And also Gloxinia does not tolerate dry air, therefore, to ensure high humidity, containers with water are placed near the plant. The peculiarity of the flower lies in the contradiction: gloxinia loves moisture, but does not tolerate the ingress of water on the leaves.

The temperature regime that this plant requires is also distinguished by its originality. During flowering, Gloxinia loves warmth, and during dormant periods, it needs cool air (no higher than 15 degrees). Gloxinia leaves immediately react to a change in temperature: when overheated, they stretch, and when hypothermic, they droop.

How to care for gloxinia after flowering

Many gardeners are interested in whether gloxinia has faded - what to do next, how to prepare a flower for a dormant period. In order for the plant to grow healthy and bloom profusely all year round, you need to take care of the flower after flowering. Care at this stage is aimed at preparing gloxinia for wintering.

Pruning

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Immediately after the inflorescences have faded, they must be cut off. You cannot remove the foliage, you need to wait until the moment when it dries itself. During this period, the flower prepares for wintering and accumulates strength in the tubers. It lasts until mid-October. When all the foliage is dry, it must be carefully cut off, leaving a part of the stems 1-2 cm long above the tuber.

Note! It is not recommended to cut off still green foliage. While the deciduous part dries up, nutrients go to the tubers, and this helps the plant to winter better.

After trimming the hemp, you need to water for another 2-3 weeks.

What to do with faded inflorescences:

• after the inflorescences have faded, it is not necessary to wait until they wither;
• you can, as the buds fade, cut the peduncles;
• the stems must be cut off with a sharp processed tool;
• faded inflorescences must be thrown away.

If the flower bloomed again in November, you need to let it bloom and only then start preparing for winter. The first thing to do is to cut back on watering.

Restorative feeding

Caring for gloxinia after flowering at home means feeding. The last time the flower is fed is closer to autumn. The fertilizer should not contain nitrogen. For example, potassium monophosphate is great. Then fertilization cannot be applied until the flower awakens in spring.

Preparing the plant for hibernation

Preparation for wintering a flower concerns primarily the choice of a method for storing tubers. The second point is the termination of watering and fertilization. Otherwise, there are no essential procedures for preparing tubers for wintering.

What is this plant?

Gloxinia is a tuber culture belonging to the genus Gesnerievs. Differs in fleshy leaves concentrated on short stems. Flowers and leaves are characterized by a velvety surface, bright color.

The flowers are presented in the shape of a bell. Their size is 7 cm in diameter and 5 cm in length. In nature, there are about 25 species of this amazing culture, but breeding work was carried out with only two representatives of the species - beautiful and royal gloxinia.

Inflorescences can take the following color:

• white;
• red;
• pink;
• mottled;
• purple;
• bicolor flowers.

Royal gloxinia is distinguished by its high growth - 5 cm, with a lowered wide-oval shape of leaves with pronounced veins. The inside of the leaves is purple with red. The drooping inflorescences are lilac in color, the peduncles are elongated, the bells have a pronounced shape.

Gloxinia beautiful is characterized by a variety of shapes and shades of flowers, which can even be two-colored. Flowers with a snow-white border around the edges look very impressive.

Gloxinia after flowering: what to do, where and how to store tubers

There are two methods to keep the tubers intact during the winter.

During the storage period, there is a risk of developing fungal or any other diseases. It is improper storage that most often becomes the cause of the appearance of diseases. A sharp and frequent change in temperature, dampness lead to problems with gloxinia in the future.

Note! Under the correct storage conditions for planting material, the plant can wake up earlier than usual, in the first decade of February. Then the first buds will begin to bloom in the first half of March.

Flower tubers

Pot

After the flower has bloomed, it can winter at home. In this case, the tubers are left in the pot.

What to do when gloxinia fades and how to store tubers in a pot:

• moisten the soil with a little water around the edges of the pot. Abundant watering is fraught with rotting roots and the appearance of mold, so it is better not to overdo it with it;
• sprinkle containers with tubers with sand, cover them with a pallet and wrap them in a plastic bag;
• then the containers need to be rearranged in a dark, cool place;
• the main thing is that the room in which the planting material is located is not damp, otherwise all tubers will be covered with mold and they can be thrown away.

Note! The optimum temperature for storing planting material is 12 ° C.

Gloxinia tubers need to be watered regularly with a little water. As a rule, by the end of January - beginning of February, the first sprouts begin to appear from the planting material. This is the first signal that the flower needs to be taken into the house and transplanted into a new soil.

This method is most preferable for young gloxinia tubers, which retire for the first time.

Storage of planting material

Keeping the flower at rest

Further, the flower must be properly preserved until the next season.
For this, there are several options for storing dormant tubers:

• Storage in your own flowerpot. The tuber remains in the ground. It should be placed in a dark and cool place. This can be a pantry, a veranda or an insulated balcony. Cover the pot with a plastic bag or thick cloth. With this storage method, it is imperative to take care of the tuber. Water once a month so that the tuber does not dry out. Maintain a temperature of +12. ... . + 15 ° C.
• Sand storage. The tubers must be carefully removed from the soil, cleared from the ground, placed in sand, which must first be moistened and placed in a special container. Store this container in a cool place. To do this, you can use a refrigerator or cellar. During storage, the tubers are inspected and moistened as needed.
• Storage in a bag. The best option is a bag with a fastener. The tubers are removed from the substrate, then treated with phytosporin or fundozol. Within two days, the gloxinia tuber is dried and dipped into a bag, into which sand, sawdust, moss, vermiculite or sphagnum must first be poured into a quarter of the volume. Store the bag in a cool place, such as the refrigerator in the bottom container. It is imperative to ensure that the temperature does not drop below +8 ° C. This method has several advantages: there is no need to water and it is possible to observe the state of the tubers.

How to put gloxinia to sleep. Re: Gloxinia - the first year doesn't want to retire

First-year gloxinia with such large tubers I send to rest. Two years ago, several first-year Gloxinia stood all winter on a rack. They even bloomed. In the spring, I cut the stems of these gloxinia. New shoots did not appear near every tuber. Gloxinia, who fell asleep in the spring, slept all summer and autumn. I did not like this, and therefore now in winter only first-year gloxinia with small nodules stand with leaves. Everyone else is asleep. 1. If gloxinia - a first year with a large tuber (about 2 cm or more) does not want to retire, then I send such gloxinia to sleep forcibly. The topic "When and how to send gloxinia to rest forcibly" - here is viewtopic.php? F = 12 & t = 479 2. If gloxinia - a first year old has a small tuber (less than 2 cm), then such gloxinia should not be sent to sleep by force, because after a dormant period, a small gloxinia nodule may not wake up. 1. Cultivation of first-year gloxinia without a dormant period. If there is no rest period for gloxinia - a first year, then this is normal. Moreover, if such gloxinia has never bloomed yet. It is not worth worrying about the lack of a rest period in first-year gloxinia. Under the lamps on the shelves or with supplementary lamps on the gloxinia window - first years will grow all winter and grow nodules.Gloxinia lighting with lamps 12 - 14 hours a day. If there is no additional lighting, then gloxinia can be on the windowsill in winter, but due to a lack of light, it will stretch out. For gloxinia to stretch less, a coolness of about +18 degrees is required. But if the gloxinia stretches out over the winter months, then at the end of February you can cut off the stem, leaving two pairs of lower leaves. Young shoots will appear, from which new plants will grow. The ideal temperature is +18 - +24 degrees. If it is hot, the plants will stretch out. It is advisable not to put first-year gloxinia to bed if they have a small nodule (up to 2 cm), so that they grow nodules during the fall and winter. 2. Cultivation of first-year gloxinia with a dormant period. It is possible that the gloxinia tuber itself will go to rest.

The possibility of plant propagation by stepchildren

If you have a goal of propagating wisteria, do not rush to get rid of the cut stepchildren. They can become an excellent planting material. They must be placed in a container with water and a root formation stimulator, for example, Kornevin, must be added.

You can plant stepchildren directly into the ground, they can also take root and take root directly into the soil. In this case, it is necessary to look after the humidity of the earth and air. It is impossible to overdry the soil, but cuttings should not be poured either, as they can rot.

What you need to know about gloxinia

Beauty - gloxinia begins to activate by the end of February. However, sometimes the dates can be shifted by about two weeks in one direction or another. During this period, it is best to change the soil in the pot; for this, a soil mixture for begonias or violets is suitable.

After transplantation, when certain conditions are created, gloxinia begins to grow very quickly. To do this, she will need: an air temperature of + 23-25 ​​degrees with a fairly high humidity and a bright room. To prevent the emerging several shoots from stretching out, the plant needs backlighting, because in February the day is still quite short. A phyto lamp or a fluorescent lamp is quite suitable for illuminating a plant.

At the same time, you can see how juicy green leaves begin to quickly develop on the shoots and numerous buds form. Do not flatter yourself, and no matter how sorry it is, the buds should be removed. This action will provoke gloxinia to form a more lush bloom of a cap type. Usually, up to 20 or more buds are formed on one plant, and this does not depend on the variety.

If you provide the gloxinia with proper care, it blooms in March, then re-flowering will certainly be provoked. But, as a rule, the massive blooming of buds occurs in late spring - early summer.

Organize high humidity from spring to autumn

The quality of flowering is affected by air humidity. During the growth and appearance of flowers, you need to maintain a humidity of about 70-80%. At low rates, growth slows down, the leaves are deformed and bent down.

How to increase humidity:

1. Spray the area around with a spray bottle. In this case, moisture should not get on the plant itself, otherwise brown spots will form on the leaves.
2. Place the pot on a pallet with wet moss or expanded clay.
3. With care - spraying the entire plant. Gloxinia will tolerate spraying in a dark, draft-free area. You can bring the flower into the bathroom, spray it with warm water and leave it overnight until it dries completely. But this method should be used on rare occasions.

Leaving after a dormant period

In January, after wintering, when the first shoots hatch, gloxinia tubers are planted in a new, more nutritious soil. To transplant a tuber:

1. Carefully remove it from the ground and cut off the bad roots (rotten places are also cut with a knife, sprinkling the cuts with charcoal or ash).
2. Before planting, for disinfection, the tubers are dipped in a weak solution of manganese for half an hour, dried for about a day and planted in the ground, covered with a film until the first leaves appear from the ground.
3. The greenhouse is periodically ventilated by removing the film in the morning and evening for one hour.
4. After the appearance of the first pair of leaves, the film can be removed, and the soil must be poured into the pot in order to completely cover the tuber with earth, without burying the sprouts.

It may be that gloxinia wakes up too early and the first leaves appear prematurely from the ground. In this case, if the tuber is large and strong, then it is better to remove the early leaf so that the plant does not stretch in the future.

Do not worry: when you remove the first shoots, after a while new ones grow in their place.

Watering with filtered water only

Only soft water is suitable for gloxinia. Tap water containing heavy metal salts is harmful. Before watering, it must be filtered or defended for a day.

Water the gloxinia with lukewarm water to get an abundant bloom. The temperature should be 2-3 degrees above room temperature. It is better absorbed by the roots, there is less risk of rotting.

Watering methods:

1. Along the edge of the pot. The liquid should not be allowed to get on the foliage and the growth point of gloxinia. Have a cotton pad handy so you can immediately soak up any accidentally dropped drop. Spill the entire earth lump.
2. Through the pallet. The gloxinia pot is placed in a larger container of water. After 20-30 minutes, the soil will be saturated, the remaining water must be drained.

Watering frequency:

• in the spring they water it incrementally, gradually increasing the frequency;
• in the summer, during the period of active growth, watered daily or every other day. If you notice that the topsoil is dry, moisten it abundantly. Do not allow the earth to dry out, make sure that it does not separate from the walls of the pot. In this case, gulf and waterlogging should be avoided;
• in the fall, the number of watering is reduced. The plant prepares for a dormant period;
• in winter, if gloxinia remains in a pot, it is necessary to water rarely and sparingly, no more than 1-2 times a month;
• in rainy and cold weather, watering is reduced to prevent stagnation of moisture and rotting of the root system.

The morning hours are best for watering. During the day, this procedure is undesirable, since with active sun, watered gloxinia will get burns. Humidification before nighttime temperature drops can lead to fungal infections.