Attracting, first of all, by its vaunted unpretentiousness, tolmia does not reveal all its beauty at once. It is often brought into the home as a reliable and simple “green” plant similar to Heuchera. But tolmiya also has its own special features. Children growing right next to old leaves, bright shades of spotted greenery, pillow bushes are far from modest. Due to its ability to grow rapidly, tolmia quickly transforms, turning into dense cascades before our eyes. She brings fresh accents to any décor, loves intimate lighting and requires routine maintenance.
The room tolmia is almost a geyher in the interior. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com thehouseplantjung
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Description of the plant
The uniqueness of tolmias is best evidenced by its popular nickname – a hen with chickens. At the base of the tolmiya leaf, daughter plants with their own roots develop, and it seems that small copies of them sit on top of large “adult” leaves.
In room culture, one of two natural types of tolmias is grown – tolmiyu Menzisa (Tolmiea menziesii) from family Saxifrage (Saxifragaceae).
Tolmia has become so popular primarily due to its versatility. Thin shoots and lush bushes are good both as an ampelous culture and as a bushy cushion plant. Tolmii belong to the ground cover. These are evergreen herbaceous perennials that form lush rosettes of leaves. Shoots of tolmias are hanging, thin, flexible. The height of the bushes is up to 20 cm, the width can exceed them several times.
Leaves of tolmias are variable in shade, five- or seven-lobed, pubescent, long-petiolate, with jagged edges and a cordate base. It is no coincidence that the plant is compared with Heuchera and Heycherella, although the shape of the leaf is closest to tiarella. From miniature leaves gradually grow to very large, without losing silhouette and color.
Tolmiya is characterized by a special palette of colors – very light, “catnip” tones of greenery. Bright shades of light green seem to be luminous, but not simple: details in the form of small yellowish or creamy, watercolor, and not a catchy speck, as if highlighting the leaf blades, give the leaves nobility. Varieties and hybrids are distinguished by the brightness and shade of specks on the leaves.
Tolmiya blooms are also very beautiful, but they are considered rare in the rooms. Beautiful sparse clusters of inflorescences on thin and straight half-meter peduncles surprise with a green-purple color of bell-shaped flowers. Daughter plants are also formed in the axils of the peduncles.
Толмия Мензиса (Tolmiea menziesii). Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com my_pretty_plants
Growing conditions for indoor tolmiya
Tolmia remains more of a garden plant, but in the rooms it does not show the capriciousness characteristic of other settlers from open soil. She loves coolness, but grows quite well in ordinary living rooms, pleasantly surprising with the lack of photophilousness. This is a fast-growing and safe plant that is suitable even for decorating a nursery.
Read also our article by Tolmiy Menzies in your home.
Lighting and placement
Tolmia grows well in any diffused lighting. Turning pale and stretching in the shade and fearing the direct sun, she will happily settle in partial shade. Bright window sills, even with protective screens, are not suitable for it; a place in the interior or northern windows are considered ideal for tolmiya.
When placing tolmiya, it is worth choosing empty corners or, conversely, places overloaded with small decor and objects, using tolmiya’s talent to harmonize and revitalize the space (for example, in the kitchen).
Temperature control and ventilation
Tolmia grows well in “residential” temperatures, but prefers cool conditions. If you can find a place for her where the temperature will remain within 16-21 degrees, the tolmia will look as bright as possible.
Cool wintering tolmias are needed not only for flowering, but also to prevent accelerated aging. They can grow in warmth, but outwardly suffer. If possible, for the winter tolmiya is moved to temperatures of about 12 degrees. The absolute minimum that a plant can tolerate is 10 degrees.
Tolmia loves fresh air, is not afraid of drafts and will not survive without frequent ventilation. In the summer, it can be taken out into the fresh air, dripped in, planted or used in decorating terraces and balconies.
A place in the interior or northern windows is considered ideal for tolmiya. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com flowertimes
Caring for tolmia at home
Tolmia requires a little attention, and, in general, all efforts will have to be directed towards watering. This beauty doesn’t even need cropping. Even beginner growers can take care of tolmiya.
Watering and air humidity
Tolmias can survive short-term droughts, although not without consequences, but do not tolerate dampness. It is better to water the plant in moderation than to overflow. The water is drained from the pallets immediately after watering, and by the next, the top of the substrate is allowed to dry. The frequency of watering for the plant must be constantly adjusted according to the air temperature and the rate of soil drying. For tolmiya, use only soft and not cold water.
Watering for the winter is adjusted according to the conditions. If the tolmia remains warm, it is only slightly reduced, drying the substrate more strongly. But with a cool wintering, watering is almost not carried out, only occasionally supporting the root system and preventing the plant from starting to dry out.
Tolmias perfectly tolerate dry air, but not in the heat. They require an increase in humidity to at least medium in order to preserve greenery at temperatures above 20 degrees. Tolmias do not tolerate spraying, but for them, if necessary, you will have to install at least a humidifier in the form of a pallet with wet moss or expanded clay.
Top dressing and composition of fertilizers
For those sensitive to an excess of fertilizers and responding to overfeeding by dropping tolmiya leaves, moderate fertilizing is sufficient during the period of active growth – from March to September. Both the usual frequency with a reduced concentration and more rare fertilizing with universal fertilizers are suitable. It is better to stop feeding in the fall smoothly.
For the summer, tolmiya can be taken out into the fresh air. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com pete veilleux
Pruning, replanting, containers and substrate
For this plant, all pruning procedures are reduced to removing wilted leaves. And tolmia is transplanted only when the roots appear in the drainage holes. This procedure can be carried out during active growth – both spring and summer will do.
Any light, breathable universal soil with a slightly alkaline reaction and low, wide, medium-sized pots with good drainage holes are suitable for growing tolmias. The main thing is to lay a high drainage layer on the bottom of the containers and not to compact the substrate too much during transplantation.
Diseases, pests and growing problems
Tolmia is considered unpretentious and most often suffers only from improper care. Direct sun and too bright a place on the windowsill can cause blackening of the leaves, and shade, droughts and overflows lead to loss of color, wilting, shedding of leaves.
This plant loves aphids, sometimes spider mites and whiteflies are found on bushes. You need to fight insects immediately with insecticides. Occurs on tolmias, especially those transferred from the garden, and a rare “grape” disease oidium, manifested in a white fluffy bloom. They fight with sulfur-containing agents.
Reproduction of tolmiya by children. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com crazy.plantlady_tessa
Also read our article Best Plants for a Cold North Room.
Reproduction of tolmiya
Tolmia releases so many babies that the question of her reproduction is usually not worth it. From the main plant, you constantly have to separate the “offspring”. You can quickly propagate tolmiya by layering: a small pot with a substrate is placed under the leaf with the baby, the leaf is fixed with the base so that it contacts the soil and wait until the roots form and the plant can be separated.
You can also cut a baby with a leaf from the mother plant, rooting like cuttings in constantly moist soil.
Old bushes, overgrown groups are simply divided or replaced with young bushes obtained from air sockets.
