In nature, this flower grows in the tropical forests of Madagascar, Thailand and South Africa and has more than a hundred varieties. Streptocarpus, which care and cultivation requires effort, are considered rare, but is gaining increasing prevalence in our apartments.
Streptocarpus - home care
How does this look more mysterious than a plant that is becoming more popular? Its leaves, omitted and slightly wrinkled, 5-7 cm wide, reach a length of 30 cm. In most varieties, the color of the leaves is green, but comparatively recently, the species with variegated foliage have been selected by breeders.
In the flowering period, the plant has high peduncles about 25 cm in length, flowers blossom on them. The shade can be completely different, ranging from white or soft pink to purple, red and even multi-colored. Look flowers too can in different ways - neat and refined or lush and terry in diameter from 2 centimeters to 9.
After the plant fades, an unusual twisted pod appears on it, the fruit, through which the plant and got its name. Streptocarpus in translation from ancient Greek means "twisted flower". In the pod there are seeds of the flower, which can be used for reproduction.
The climate of the tropical forests is very different from ours, so streptocarpus, growing and caring for it in cool latitudes requires a lot of attention and effort. Your task as a flower grower is to provide him with the necessary temperature regime, the level of humidity and light, to pick up the soil in which there is everything necessary for the growth of the exotic flower.
Streptocarpus - watering
Provide the right level of moisture - this is the most difficult in growing and caring for streptocarpus. The first moment is the water itself. In any case, you can not just take a tap - it must be filtered or dormant for several days. The water temperature also matters - ideally a little warmer than the room temperature.
The most optimal option is to water streptocarpus, the care and cultivation of which requires a lot of attention - through a pallet, the so-called wick watering streptocarpus. This is done in such a way - we put a pot of the flower in a pallet with water, so the plant is provided with a constant moisture. The downside of this method of watering is that we can overdo it and not notice the beginning of decay.
For successful cultivation and care, you can water the streptocarpus at home and used in all ways - pour water into the soil. But it is important that the water gets closer to the walls of the pot and not in any case on the leaves, and even more so on the rosette of the flower - this can lead to his diseases and even death.
To understand the regime of watering the flower of your living conditions, it is important to monitor its soil. Streptocarpus does not tolerate copious irrigation and is very sensitive to decay, so the moisture level should be very moderate. Watering it is only when the average level of the soil dries. To wait for the complete drying of the earth is also fraught with problems.
Streptocarpus - transplant
This is one of the few plants that love frequent transplants. This procedure affects him only positively, but without special reasons more often than once a year, do not do this. The ideal time when transplanting streptocarpuses, you can call the end of February - early March, when he passes from a state of rest into a period of active growth.
The root system of streptocarpus is very voluminous, and a pot is required for it to be wide. Each next should be taken 2-3 cm in diameter larger than the previous one. For the successful planting of the flower in the pot at the bottom of the tank we put the drainage so that excess moisture does not linger in the soil, then we put a layer of soil. We put a flower in a pot with a clod of earth and add a substrate, gently tamping it.
Soil for streptocarpuses
The soil for streptocarpus should be light and loose, so that a large amount of air can easily fall into it and moisture is well retained. Many beginners make a big mistake, transplanting it into dense soil, as a result of which it dies. Comfortable feeling is a tropical plant in a ready mix for violets, which is sold in any store, you can add a little peat to it.
Fertilizers for streptocarpuses
During the period of active growth, from spring to autumn, streptocarpus, which care and cultivation causes a lot of trouble, badly need feeding. During flowering, the flower should be fertilized once a week, before and after flowering - up to 2 times a month. It is better to give preference to ready-made complex mixtures for flowering plants, only the concentration should be made 20% lower than indicated in the instructions. It is important to remove wilted and withered leaves in a timely manner - they take away a lot of strength from the plant.
Another frequently asked question for those who grow streptokaktusy and tries to provide them with the ideal care and cultivation - whether to fertilize the baby streptocarpus after planting? No, with all the rules of flower propagation, planting, selecting good soil and providing ideal conditions for additional nutrients, it is not necessary.
Why does not streptocarpus blossom?
If you, in your opinion, provide the flower with good growing conditions, but the streptocarpus does not blossom, what should I do in this case? First, it is important to find out the reason.
- Insufficient lighting. In the care of a flower, it is important not only the intensity of light, but also the duration of a light day. It is also important that the streptocarpus is turned towards the light source by the main side of the leaves.
- The flower is too hot.
- The plant does not have enough moisture, more frequent watering is required.
- To streptocarpus too large pot.
- Root decay and other diseases.
The reasons described are very easy to detect and correct. The earlier you find that streptocarpus, which is provided with good care and proper cultivation, does not bloom in time, the higher the chances of seeing flowering this year. If, at the end of the rest period, the flower buds do not appear on the flower, this is already an alarm bell.
Flower streptocarpus - care and reproduction
If growing a streptocarpus is no longer a problem for you, you can proceed to such an issue as its reproduction. Propagation of the plant is fashionable in several ways:
- seeds;
- sheet;
- division of the bush.
The simplest way is to divide the streptocarpus bush. To begin with, the plant is watered abundantly, then taken out of the pot and using a sharp knife or hands to share the bush. Each part should have more than three leaves and a thickened spine. After dividing the location of the slices, it is important to dry it a little and sprinkle with charcoal. Next, small bushes are planted in new pots, covered with a film. Reproduced in this way, the plant, while observing the rules of growing and nursing, can blossom after three months.
Streptocarpus from seeds at home
Planting streptocarpus seeds requires more time and patience, but the result is worth it - you get a large number of young bushes. In addition, the flowers propagated in this way can differ from the parent flower, have other species qualities. For some, this is a plus, but for others - a big minus. Seed the flower seeds at any time during the year, but the most favorable month for this method of reproduction is January.
How to plant a streptocarpus seed?
For planting seeds you will need plastic boxes, the ideal option - food trays of medium size. At the bottom of the boxes laid drainage layer, then poured a special primer. How to sow streptocarpus at home? There is nothing easier. Simply pour the seeds into the soil, they do not need to be sprinkled with earth.
Next, the boxes are covered with glass or oilcloth, thereby creating hothouse conditions that protect against cold and draft. It is important to periodically open the box to remove moisture from it and to ventilate it. Seed all together in two weeks after planting. We have not removed the film for another ten days. It is important to do this gradually, opening every day for several hours and increasing the time for small plants to get used to the conditions. Streptocarpus grown in this way, if properly grown and maintained, can bloom after 10-12 months.
Reproduction of streptocarpus leaf
Reproduction of streptocarpuses by a leaf fragment is another popular and effective way to get healthy plants. For this, we take an adult leaf of the plant, on which there are many veins, but in no case is not old. Before planting, cut the leaf into several parts, completely remove the central vein with a knife or scissors.
How to plant a streptocarpus leaf?
The rules for planting streptocarpus are simple - in the pot with the ground we make a furrow and place a fragment of leaf with the side that was attached to the central vein. We place it in the soil for about 0.5 cm, gently tamp the earth around it. After a while the babies of streptocarpus will begin to appear - the more veins were on the leaf, the more children you will get.
The streptocarpus child has turned yellow and does not grow
If you find that the baby streptocarpus has changed color, has become lighter, dim and stopped in growth, most likely, you will not be able to save it. The reason for this can be both improper care (too abundant watering, lack of lighting), and the defeat of various diseases, for example, rot.
Streptocarpus - Diseases
Streptocarpus require strict adherence to the rules of growing and nursing, ignoring which lead to such troubles as diseases, and the flower requires treatment. Often the ailments are caused by the appearance of pests, the most common of which are:
- Powdery mildew. A fungal disease that a flower can get through the soil. External manifestations resemble a layer of dust or flour on the leaves or on the stem. To combat the disease, it is important to remove the affected leaves, then treat the soil and plant with antifungal agents.
- Gray rot. This is also a fungal disease affecting the stems, leaves and root system. At an early stage, the plant can be saved by removing the affected areas of the flower and treating it with fungicides.
- Phytophthora. Streptocarpus rarely becomes infected with such a disease, but there is a chance even if the rules of cultivation and care are observed. You can recognize the problem by yellowness, which goes from the root system to the leaves. To treat the flower fungicides are used.
- Thrips. Small insects, affecting the leaves and sucking out the juice. A characteristic feature - the leaves are twisted and covered with small brown spots. To get rid of parasites, the plant must be treated with insecticides.
- Shield. It is easy to detect by the formation of small growths of burgundy color. Through the outgrowth, through holes are formed. To treat the flower, insecticides are used.
Why do the leaves dry at streptocarpus?
Why does the streptocarpus dry leaf tips, or do they dry completely - another important issue that many people face. The reasons can be different:
- If the leaves of the streptocarpus sagged, without changing the color, most likely, the case is inadequate watering.
- Yellow and wilted leaves are probably the result of sunburn.
- Dry leaf tips may indicate that the room is too dry air, or streptocarpus tightly in the pot.
- If rust appears first on the leaves, and then they fade, the reason is excessive watering or in excess fertilizer.
How to resuscitate streptocarpus?
When the streptocarpus wilt leaves, turn yellow, wither, the flower can die if it does not help. How to save a flower in this case?
- The first thing to do is remove dry and severely affected leaves, leaving only healthy.
- Next, check the streptocarpus for pests on leaves and stems. If any are detected, we process it.
- If the cause is not in the appearance of pests, remove the streptocarpus from the pot, and examine the roots. We remove dry or rotten areas, cut the sections with charcoal.
- We prepare for the flower a new pot and a good balanced soil, we plant according to all the rules.
- We provide the streptocarpus with ideal growing and maintenance conditions.