Gloxinia is a stunningly beautiful plant of the Gesneriaceae family. Above the wide velvety leaves, collected in a bunch, on long juicy peduncles rise large, graceful gramophone flowers, depending on the variety, painted in bright purple, blue, red, pink, white tones. Florists love gloxinia for their festive decorativeness, good assortment and a variety of breeding methods. You can grow a new plant from seeds or by vegetative methods: from a stem from a flower, dividing a tuber, from a leaf and even part of a leaf plate. Some growers manage to grow an impressive amount of magnificent gloxinia from two leaves.
Clarification: grown indoors “Gloxinia”, this is Sinningia beautiful (Sinningia speciosa), or Hybrid Gloxinia – a species belonging to the genus Sinningia (Sinningia) of the Gesnerian family (Gesneriaceae). However, in the same family there is a separate species of Gloxinia (Gloxinia), to which our heroine is often referred, which is not entirely true from a botanical point of view.
Beautiful Sinningia (Sinningia speciosa). Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com allergyholdbarhed
Contents:
Seed Reproduction
Gloxinia seeds are grown very rarely, mainly in breeding work or when breeding varietal specimens. When obtaining plants from seeds, it is necessary to take into account the individual requirements for soil, temperature, relative humidity and lighting.
It is preferable to take light soil for sowing, based on sand, peat (1 part each), perlite and vermiculite (1/2 part each). To improve its structure, it is advisable to add finely ground sphagnum moss to the composition. Before sowing, the soil mixture must be disinfected with a weak solution of manganese.
The optimum temperature for seed germination is 20-25 ºС. Under these conditions, the first shoots will appear within one to two weeks. If the temperature is below optimal, seed germination can take up to a month.
Seedlings are very sensitive to fluctuations in air humidity, therefore, when growing, it is more advisable to use a mini-greenhouse, it is easier to create a microclimate in it that is comfortable for plants.
For seeds to germinate faster, they need good lighting. Sow them on the surface of a well-moistened substrate, then put them under diffused sunlight. Artificial lighting with fluorescent lamps can be a good option. Watering should be done slowly so as not to wash off the seeds, which are very small in gloxinia. For this, drip irrigation or watering from a pallet may be suitable.
The grown seedlings need a pick, after which they begin to grow more intensively. Plants dive twice: after the appearance of a pair of real leaves and after a month.
The containers for planting a young plant are chosen small, 2-3 cm larger than the size of the rosette of leaves. For an adult specimen, a flower pot with a diameter of 9-12 cm is suitable.
Gloxinia from seeds begins to bloom in about 4-5 months. It is recommended to remove the first buds, but for the sake of interest, you can leave only one to admire the fabulous flower.
In the first year, the plant can do without a dormant period. Over the winter, it will stretch out a lot, but with the onset of spring, experienced flower growers recommend pruning, leaving only two leaves. With good sunlight, new shoots will grow back quickly, become strong and powerful.
After 9-10 months, the seedlings will turn into adult plants, after which they can be used for reproduction in one of their vegetative ways.
Before sowing, many flower growers process seeds in solutions of plant development and growth stimulants (Epin, Zircon). In this case, it is important not to exceed the concentration of the solution, otherwise the seeds can be destroyed. As practice has shown, the optimal solution is 1-2 drops of the drug per 200 ml of water.
Gloxinia sprouts. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Kevin
Leaf propagation
Obtaining a new gloxinia from a leaf is the most convenient and promising breeding method. Unfortunately, some varieties, for example, ‘Tigrina Pink’, are problematic to propagate in this way, once in the water the leaf rots very quickly.
In a vegetative way, gloxinia is propagated in June-July. After the rooting of the leaf, a nodule is formed, from which a beautiful flower will grow in the future. Small leaves take root faster than large ones, so large leaf blades can be divided into several parts and put to rooting.
A leaf cut with a petiole is placed in water. When the roots appear, it is planted in the prepared soil mixture. Cover with a glass jar, but so that the edges of the leaf do not touch the walls, otherwise it may rot. It is better, of course, to place the seedling in a mini-greenhouse, it is easier to maintain the optimal humidity and temperature regime in it. Watering is best done in a pan, then there will be more chances that a tuber will appear from the leaf.
The growth of the tuber is signaled by the appearance of young leaves. From this moment on, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the greenhouse, accustoming gloxinia to an independent life. After the growth of the fourth pair of leaves, the plant is taken out of the greenhouse.
Gloxinia at different stages of development. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Senior Gardening
It often happens that the leaf does not die off for a very long time, although a large tuber grows. Sometimes the tuber does not grow at all. This suggests that the leaf is fattening. In this case, the sheet plate is truncated by a third, and if it is large, then by half. The cut is treated with crushed activated carbon or drugs with antifungal and bactericidal action, for example, Fundazol. The cut off part of the leaf does not need to be thrown away, it can be rooted.
Today in the trading network you can find a special hydrogel – an artificial material of a jelly-like consistency, which contains growth stimulants and bactericidal additives that contribute to the effective rooting of cuttings. Pour the gel into a glass container and lower the sheet into it. After root formation, the seedling is planted in an earthen substrate, in which its further development takes place.
