The perennial indoor flowering plant gloxinia, the reproduction of which can be carried out at home, is a fairly popular flower. Soft leaves with a noticeable fluff are a distinctive feature of this representative of the flora. Petals of funnel-shaped velvety flowers come in a pure white to almost black color, but the principles for breeding different varieties of gloxinia are completely the same.
Breeding gloxinia at home
Any beginner grower can do gloxinia at home, since it is an unpretentious plant. The flower does not need exquisite care. It is because of this that it remains only to find out how gloxinia propagates, so that another beautiful flower appears in the house.
Gloxinia Flowers
In order for a plant to please the household with a beautiful flowering, it is necessary to create good conditions for growth for it. This is also required for faster and more successful root formation.
Like transplantation, gloxinia should be planted in late spring or early summer. This will allow the seedlings to take root better until autumn comes, during which the flower goes into a dormant state.
- Illumination
The flower is photophilous, but this does not mean that you can just put a pot of plants on the windowsill and not worry about it. Direct sunlight can leave burns on the delicate leaves of gloxinia. Light needs to be scattered, and it is recommended to choose windows facing west and east in the apartment.
As additional lighting, you can use fluorescent lamps, from which the sprout will not be able to get burns. By the appearance of gloxinia, you can determine whether it produces enough light or not. If the leaves of dark green color are horizontal, then everything is fine.
Note!In the summer, the duration of daylight hours fluctuates around 12-13 hours, and therefore the leaves may begin to turn yellow in the flower, lower and curl. This suggests that there is too much light for the plant, and therefore it is worth putting the flower pot in a shaded place.
Gloxinia on the windowsill
- Humidity
The optimum air humidity for gloxinia is 50%. Most often, in houses it fluctuates around this level, and therefore it is not necessary to carry out additional measures for humidification.
- Temperature
The temperature in a room with a growing flower in the warm season should be about +20 degrees. From the plant itself, you can determine whether the conditions are good.
At high temperatures, the leaves begin to rise up, as moisture evaporates in a smaller volume. Otherwise, the leaves fall down.
Important!In autumn, the rest period begins, and therefore the temperature must be gradually lowered to +10 degrees. Of course, people cannot live in such conditions, which means that you need to move the flower by choosing a cellar or basement for wintering.
Preparation for breeding
Do not think that special care is needed only to capricious plants. For gloxinia to bloom, it also needs a good substrate and capacity. Depending on the amount of mineral components that enter the root system, the flower may feel different.
How to prepare the ground
Soil for growing flowers can be made independently or purchased specialized in the store. It is recommended to choose a substrate for violets. If it was decided to use the home version, then you can make it by mixing the following components:
- 2 parts of sheet land;
- 2 parts of peat;
- 1 part perlite, vermiculite or river sand.
Additional Information!This flower does not like acid substrate, and therefore it is worth adding charcoal to the prepared composition, which will not only regulate acidity, but also absorb excess moisture.
Making gloxinia primer
Flower Tank Size
The capacity is selected depending on the size of the tuber of the plant: the diameter of the pot should be 3-4 cm larger. Do not choose deep containers.
Methods of propagating gloxinia at home
Not everyone knows how to propagate gloxinia, although practically any of the known methods can be used. It is most preferable to plant a flower by vegetative methods, but seeds can also be planted.
How to grow from a piece of leaf
The simplest and most popular way to grow gloxinia at home is to breed from a leaf. Beginning flower growers may not be aware of this method of propagation of flowers at all, but for a home plant this is the safest option. Therefore, it is worth learning how to propagate gloxinia with a leaf at home.
Leaves should be taken in the spring, young. There are several ways to propagate a flower using this method. You can root the leaves in water. To do this, it is worth placing the material in whole or in part in water. The fluid must be changed daily for fresh. After the appearance of the roots, you can plant a sprout in the soil.
Leaf propagation
However, rooting can be bypassed through water and immediately planted in a substrate. To do this, cut the sheets so that the length of their petioles is at least 2 cm. Next, proceed according to the following plan:
- Make drainage holes in plastic cups, fill in the prepared soil in them and moisten it.
- To process a slice using a root formation enhancer (for this purpose, Kornevin is most often used).
- Plant the leaf into the soil at an angle of 45 degrees, deepening by half the petiole.
- Cover the container with film or glass, put in a warm place where the air temperature does not drop below +18 degrees.
- Once a day, it is worth airing a homemade greenhouse, as it dries, it is worth moistening the soil.
On the leaf, children will begin to form in about 1.5-2 months. They can appear anywhere, they need to be carefully cut and planted to take root in an individual container.
Step-by-step propagation of a flower by seeds
Propagating a flower with seeds is far from easy. Gloxinia seeds are quite small, and therefore it is difficult to choose a good planting material. It is worth following the step-by-step instructions for this method of plant breeding:
- Prepare a container for seedlings in advance and fill it with soil.
- Spread the seeds on the surface of the substrate, trying to distribute them evenly.
- Spray with water from a spray bottle.
- Cover with glass or polyethylene, place in a warm place where the temperature is at least +22 degrees.
2-3 weeks after planting, the first shoots should appear. When 2 leaves appear on the sprouts, it is worth diving into separate containers.
Seed propagation
Tuber propagation step by step
Diluting gloxinia by dividing the tuber is quite simple, if properly cut. However, often flower growers may not be able to cope with this task, because of which there is a risk of losing the entire flower completely.
If there is no self-confidence, it is recommended to choose another method of gloxinia reproduction, for example, by leaf. However, if you want to use this method, you should do the following:
- You need to select those tubers whose size is more than 6 cm. At least 3 shoots should appear on them.
- Sanitize tools, sharpen them if necessary.
- Cut the tuber into several parts so that there is one kidney on each dividend.
- Treat slices with brilliant green or charcoal, dry.
- Process dried sections with a small amount of garden var.
- Put drainage and substrate at the bottom of containers.
- Moisten the soil and plant the plant so that the shoots are at ground level.
It is not necessary to water delenki too often. To moisten the soil, it is recommended to use a different watering method: containers are recommended to be placed in water. When the root system completely fills the container, it is worth transplanting the plants into individual pots.
Tuber division propagation
Propagation by cuttings
Planting leaf cuttings is as simple as planting gloxinia with a leaf. For this, it is worth using the cuttings of young foliage. It is recommended to plant them in peat tablets, and add a sufficient amount of growth stimulants to the soil.
After the appearance of the sprouts, they should be transferred to a bright place and regularly moisten the substrate from the spray gun.
Additional Information!To cut gloxinia, it is better to collect high-quality planting material, for which you need to separate the central vein with a petiole from the leaf.
How to propagate a peduncle
This method of plant propagation is not suitable for all types of gloxinia. Only simple varieties are recommended to breed with a peduncle. The procedure is as follows:
- Peduncles should be cut to a length that will not exceed 7 cm.
- They can be rooted in both water and soil.
For rooting in water, it is required to pour about 1 cm of water at the bottom of the glass, put the peduncle there. When planting in the soil, it is required to cover the container with foil and get the finished seedlings a couple of months after planting.
Peduncle propagation
How to care for sprouts
Watering should be done as the soil begins to dry out. Planting cups should have drainage holes to remove excess moisture. Water should not stagnate in containers, since in such soil the roots will rot faster than grow.
Additional Information!If flies appear above the pots, it is worth starting to turn on the fumigator to scare them away.
Top dressing of low concentration is applied 2 months after disembarkation. This procedure is recommended in the evening or on a cloudy day.
Possible breeding errors
The reproduction of gloxinia is a relatively easy exercise, but in some cases certain problems may arise if some recommendations for rooting and caring for the sprouts are not followed.
With improper watering, a small amount of lighting, low temperatures, the roots can rot. A similar thing can happen to them due to infection by pathogenic microorganisms. Leaves may begin to wither if they do not get enough moisture, but the same thing can happen because of its abundance.
There are many ways to propagate gloxinia, which one to decide for each grower personally. The simplest and safest for the plant is the method of breeding by leaf.
