Indoor cineraria - one of the varieties of this perennial flowering plant, which is often grown as an annual, blossoms long and abundantly. The birthplace of the flower is the Canary Islands, but it feels great at home while following the rules of care.
Indoor cineraria - home care
Being a native of warm countries, the indoor flower of the cineraria requires good care and proper conditions of detention.
- Air temperature. Temperature is of great importance for indoor cineraria. She does not like the heat, so it's important to keep her cool - no higher than 20 ° C. The cultivation in a temperature regime of 10-15 ° C is ideal.
- Lighting. The room cineraria loves the abundance of sunlight, but it must be scattered - direct rays will not do it good.
- Air humidity. The flower loves high humidity, but at the same time does not tolerate spraying.
- The soil. The ideal substrate for cineraria should consist of 1 part peat and 0.5 part compost , you can add bark or perlite. Feeding the plant is not required - in this soil contains all the necessary nutrients.
Cineraria - how to water?
Cineraria requires constant moistening of the soil, watering should be regular. But you should do it carefully - she does not like water falling on the foliage. And remember that it is equally harmful to it, both over-dried soil and excessively moist. On average, watering the flower should be about once a week at high humidity, not allowing the drying of the soil. Use for this purpose rain or standing water.
Cineraria - transplant after purchase
Cineraria of the room is often grown as an annual plant and discarded after flowering, but if you want it to bloom again, you need a transplant, which many produce immediately after the purchase. This can be done in the spring or summer, after the flowering period ends. To do this, the drainage is done in the pot, the soil is applied, the flower is planted. Weekly after transplant, the plant is fed with a universal fertilizer for flowers. If you bought a blooming cineraria, do not immediately replace it.
Cineraria - reproduction
Having mastered the rules of successful cultivation and care of flowers, many are asked the following question on this topic - how does the cineraria multiply? There are two ways - propagation by seeds and cuttings, each of them has its pros and cons. Reproduction with the help of cuttings occurs faster, requires less force, but even if all the rules are followed, the result may be zero. Cultivation from seeds - the process is longer, it takes a lot of time and attention, but it guarantees almost one hundred percent success.
Cineraria - reproduction by cuttings
Cineraria of the room does not stop its growth in the winter, but some of its shoots can become too long, with their help, we can reproduce by cuttings. Young shoots are carefully cut, processed with rooting preparations and immediately planted in a prepared pot with a substrate. It is difficult to foresee the survival of the cuttings - it can suddenly dry up for unclear reasons, if all the rules of care are observed, and start growing quickly.
Another way that gives us chances of survival is much higher - this is reproduction by layers. This is done as follows:
- We prepare a separate pot with soil, moisten the soil well, put it in the immediate vicinity near the flower.
- Selects the longest shoot, tilts it to the pot with the substrate, carefully fixed using special aluminum staples.
- Sprinkle the branch of the shoot in the pot with soil.
- After some time, the shoot starts roots in a new pot, rooting takes place, and it can be cut off from the mother flower.
Cineraria - growing from seeds
There is nothing difficult in how to grow cineraria from seeds, but you should be patient, because this process takes time. Sowing at home can be done absolutely at any time of the year, but remember that flowering will occur no earlier than six months after planting. For example, if you plant cineraria in June, it will blossom roughly by the New Year.
How to plant cineraria seeds?
Cineraria sprouts and very quickly grows, seed planting is performed as follows:
- Seeds are sown in trays with soil mixture, evenly distributed and sprinkled with a layer of substrate, then watered. Pre-prepare for planting is not necessary.
- After planting, it is important to cover the tray with food film, thereby creating greenhouse conditions for the seeds.
- Do not allow the soil to dry out - water it every day.
- After 2-3 weeks seedlings appear, from now on they no longer need shelter, and the film can be removed.
- As the growth grows, it is important to thin out the sprouts so that the distance between them is not less than 2-3 cm. Otherwise, the root system can not form.
- When the roomy little cineraria already has 2-3 leaves, it can be transplanted into a separate pot.
Cineraria wilted - what should I do?
Room cineraria is a favorite treat for many pests, including fungi, its predisposition to diseases is one of the reasons why many prefer not to plant it again. If you see that the cyanaria room wilted, most likely, it is infected with pests. Among the numerous diseases, the flower is very prone to the following:
- Gray rot. Infection with rot is possible, if during watering the water often fell on the stems and leaves. The flower is transplanted, and treated with special preparations from decay, the affected shoots are removed.
- The alternative. The main symptom - appearing on the leaves of spots of light brown color with a dark border. Similar symptoms have such diseases as rust, oidium. They are treated with fungicides.
- Pests - aphids, whitefly, butterfly. This problem is easier to recognize, insecticides are used for treatment.
If you notice that the room cineraria has wilted, first of all try to identify the disease and begin the appropriate treatment. But the problem is that the flower is very unstable to diseases - it is necessary to act very quickly, literally on the same day, as you have discovered that the plant is not all right. If to delay with the beginning of treatment, the risk of losing a flower is high.