Calceolaria (Calceolaria) - flowering, ornamental-deciduous, herbaceous or shrub plant, family related Narichnikovs. South America, with its warm and humid climate, is the birthplace of calceolaria. Depending on the variety and natural conditions, it is grown in an annual and perennial culture.
Plant growth in natural conditions - up to 60 cm. Cultivated, decorative varieties for home cultivation are characterized by low growth (20-30 cm). Calceolaria originality and name are associated with the shape of the flower. "Like a shoe" - translation of the name in translation from Latin.
Numerous flowers of bright, saturated colors look very impressive and festive in any room. However, calceolaria is a rather capricious and demanding culture and not every grower can afford it.
See also how to grow indoor acalifa and bilbergia.
| Growth rate is high. In one season it grows to the size of an adult plant. | |
| It blooms from late spring to early autumn. | |
| The average difficulty of growing. | |
| It is a perennial plant. |
Calceolaria: home care. Briefly
Creating a certain microclimate is the key to successful flowering, as the plant immediately responds to adverse factors:
| Temperature mode | Calceolaria at home demonstrates the best results at low temperatures. |
| Air humidity | Requires high humidity indoors without wetting the plant. |
| Lighting | Bright natural light without prolonged exposure to the sun is preferred. |
| Watering | Moderate watering without excess moisture and drying out the soil. |
| Priming | Fertile, loose soil with good air exchange and a neutral pH level. |
| Fertilizer and fertilizer | Regular top dressing with a mineral complex for flowering plants every 10 days from spring to autumn. |
| Calceolaria transplant | Transplantation is required in case of purchase in unsuitable containers and seedlings, after sowing. |
| Breeding | It is carried out by sowing seeds and cuttings. |
| Features of growing calceolaria | It is cultivated indoors and outdoors as an annual and perennial plant. |
Calceolaria care at home. In detail
Flowering calceolaria
The flowering period most often falls on May-September, but its duration and onset largely depend on the timing of sowing the seeds and the conditions of detention. A healthy bush in a cool room has a chic look and delicate aroma. Flowers of different species differ in shape and color, but most often it is a two-lipped nimbus and 2-3 stamens in a four-membered cup.
The upper lip is small spherical, the lower lip is large pout. The unusual shape resembles an open handbag or an original shoe. The number of flowers in the inflorescence and the length of the peduncles are also different. One bush can have 30 to 50 flowers. As a result of fertilization, seed bolls with a large number of very small seeds appear.
Landing after purchase
To grow calceolaria at home for one season, you need one transplant, which is carried out after the acquisition of the plant. This will allow you to choose the right amount of capacity and improve plant nutrition.
Temperature mode
Caring for calceolaria at home is complicated by its requirements for ambient temperature. The most favorable conditions for abundant flowering, which lasts a long time, are formed with a cool content, which is not always possible to provide in residential premises. Recommended temperature:
- in the afternoon - no higher than + 20 ° C;
- at night - no higher than + 15 ° С.
Nighttime temperatures can drop to + 10 ° C, and daytime temperatures can go up to + 16 ° C. This is much better than hot weather, in which the buds fall, flowering ends very quickly.
Spraying
Calceolaria plant at home needs a fairly high humidity. You can maintain it with a humidifier or a sprayer, but you can not spray the plant itself, as the corollas of the flowers are damaged.
Lighting
Direct sunlight can cause burns and quickly wilt inflorescences, so they need to be shaded in various ways. At the same time, the plant needs a fairly bright light and a long daylight. During the season, the location of the pot can be periodically changed depending on the light.
For autumn-winter flowering, home calceolaria needs artificial lighting.
Watering Calceolaria
The soil condition should be moderately moist, without stagnation of water. Watering is carried out on the ground, without wetting the flowers or in the pan, with the subsequent removal of excess fluid. Maintain moisture with wet moss, expanded clay or peat cushion at the bottom of the pan, where the pot is installed.
Water for irrigation is cleaned through a filter or sedimented and warmed to room temperature.
Calceolaria pot
The choice of pot depends on the stage of cultivation:
- the seeds are sown in shallow containers or trays, which, having covered with a lid or a film, can be easily turned into micro-plates before the seedlings germinate.
- dive seedlings in small pots or cups with a diameter of about 7cm.
- monthly seedlings for a permanent place requires a pot volume of 0.8 to 1.2 liters.
Adult plants feel equally good in ceramic and plastic pots with drainage holes.
Priming
The soil structure for sowing seeds for seedlings should have good air exchange, be light and loose. A completely ready-made composition or a self-prepared mixture of bedding peat and sand (7: 1) is suitable. To 1 kg of the mixture add 15-20 g of ash, chalk or dolomite flour. Pounded activated carbon will not hurt.
For an adult plant, nutrient soil from equal parts of leaf humus, peat and turf land is more suitable. A small amount of sand is added to improve drainage.
Attention! Soil of own production is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or in the oven, warming up to 90-100 ° С.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
Top dressing is combined with watering and carried out after 10-14 days. It is best to use complex mineral fertilizers for flowering plants according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Transplanted plants do not feed the first two weeks.
Calceolaria transplant
In order for the plant to have a spectacular appearance, it is most often grown for one year, and then replaced by a young one. Calceolaria transplant is usually required for purchased specimens. Seedlings of seedlings or rooted cuttings are also transplanted into a looser container.
Lumps of land during transplantation are not destroyed. The best time for transplanting young bushes is early spring, adults - in the fall after flowering.
Rest period
The faded bush is cut to the bottom, contain 1.5-2 months in a cool, darkened room, limiting watering to a minimum. Drying the soil can destroy the plant. With the advent of young shoots, the pot is returned to a favorable microclimate and lighting for growth. The second flowering period begins earlier than the first, but the shoots stretch faster, lose their attractive appearance.
Growing calceolaria from seeds
Growing flowering calceolaria from seeds is quite troublesome. The process will drag on for 8-9 months, so it is carried out in a seedling manner and consists of the following stages:
- Very small seeds are scattered on the surface of moist, well-leveled soil and pressed down without sprinkling. They cover the crops with a damp cloth and organize a greenhouse from a film or a glass cover. Maintain a constant temperature of about + 20 ° C and humidity, ventilate and remove condensate.
- Seedlings before landing in a constant container dive at least 2 times.
- Planted in a permanent place after 1.5 -2 months after the last dive.
Important! Sowing dates depend on the wishes and the expected flowering time. To get bloom by the beginning of spring, seeds are sown in late June. Crops of late February will bloom only closer to the fall.
Propagation of calceolaria by cuttings
Cuttings are carried out in late summer or early spring. Cuttings take root difficult, therefore, they necessarily use growth stimulants. The shoot is planted with nutrient soil. Make a shelter to preserve moisture with a glass jar or plastic bottle. About two months will be spent on root formation. During the entire rooting period, humidity, temperature +20 -25 ° С and bright, diffused light are maintained. When the stalk starts to grow, the shelter is removed.
For the splendor of the bush, several cuttings are rooted in one pot.
Diseases and Pests
Mistakes made in the organization of the microclimate immediately affect the state of the calceolaria and can lead to its death:
- Temperatures above + 18-20 ° C and low humidity contribute bud dropping and early aging.
- In low light conditions Calceolaria blooms poorly.
- With excessive watering at low temperature and moistening of flowers and leaves rot develops.
Significant damage to the plant can be caused by aphids, spider mites, whiteflies.
Types of home calceolaria with photos and names
More than 300 species of calceolaria are known, having different growth, structure and size of the bush, as well as the shape and color of leaves, flowers, inflorescences. Not all species are equally widespread and not all are suitable for home growing. The most popular types of calceolaria:
Hybrid (C. herbeohybrida Voss)
The view includes various varieties that are similar in shape, but having different colors and interspersed with other colors and shapes: strokes, stains, blots. The size of inflorescences and the size of peduncles in varieties is different, but the bush is always distinguished by decorativeness, rich, solemn appearance and a variety of bright flowers. The background is light green foliage. Bush height - 15-40cm. Representatives of the species are most widely represented at home (variety Tigrovaya, Dundee, Aida, Star rain, Dervish).
Mexican (C. mexicana)
The shoots of the plant are highly branching, the inflorescences are not large, and the flowers are quite large (about 5 cm). The height of the bush reaches 50cm. Corollas resembling flashlights are painted in bright yellow.
Purple (C. purpurea Graham)
A distinctive feature of the variety is a very elongated lower lip and a purple or reddish-purple color of inflorescences. Jagged leaves from the inside have a lilac hue.
Wrinkled calceolaria (C. rugosa)
On tall stems (20-50 cm) with small foliage numerous, lush inflorescences of small flowers (1-2.5 cm in diameter), similar to bright, yellow clouds, are collected. Shoots are erect, wrinkled leaves, corrugated flowers adorn brown specks. Representatives: Sunset, Goldbook.
Amphibian (C. crenatiflora)
The stems are soft, up to 60 cm long, covered with small hairs. The leaves are pubescent, wavy, ovate, at the roots with long petioles, almost sessile at the top. Yellow, reddish-brown dots, large flowers form corymbose inflorescences on the tops. Corolla in the form of a shoe with a saccular upper lip.
Cobweb (C. arachnoidea)
Low, not more than 30cm, a rare plant. Bright purple flowers.
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