Streptocarpus - home care, growing from seeds, photo

Streptocarpus loving plant of the Gesneriaceae family that came to us from the African continent, where it grows abundantly in the natural conditions of Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.
Under favorable conditions, it is characterized by intensive growth and flowering. Regardless of the method of propagation, flowering of streptocarpus at home begins no later than 10-11 months. The plant does not have a central stem; its oblong, slightly fleecy leaves are collected in a wide rosette. The leaf shape is elongated, lanceolate. The name of the plant is associated with the shape of the seed pod.

Useful properties of streptocarpus

Streptocarpus is grown for decorative purposes. It looks good in any interior, not only during the period of abundant flowering. The rosette of young leaves also looks impressive. The plant is not toxic, but it also has few beneficial properties. Some fans use it in small quantities as a spicy seasoning.

Caring for streptocarpus at home. Briefly

In order for the plant to develop well and bloom profusely, it is necessary to create acceptable conditions for it:

Caring for streptocarpus at home. Details

The opinions of flower growers regarding the whimsical nature of the plant do not coincide. Some consider its cultivation a simple matter, accessible even to beginners. But in order for a flower to really please with its appearance and beautiful flowering, you need to create certain conditions for it and constantly pay attention.

Streptocarpus flowering

The plant has many varieties and hybrids, differing in the shape of the flowers and their color, from white to purple, with various inclusions and stains.
A combination of several colors is possible. The flowers are shaped like tubular bells. The smaller they are, the more inflorescences are formed and the more abundant the flowering. One peduncle emerges from the leaf axil, on which, depending on the variety, can bloom from several flowers to several dozen. The size of the flower corolla in some varieties reaches 8-10 cm. As a result of flowering, a seed capsule containing many small seeds is formed. Streptocarpus flower is rarely grown for seeds at home.

Attention! To ensure that the plant has an attractive appearance and does not become depleted, fading inflorescences are cut off without waiting for the capsule to form.

Temperature

The flower reacts poorly to high temperatures, despite its African origin. It is comfortable at a temperature of 20 to 25 °C on a windowsill or balcony protected from direct sunlight. The minimum permissible air temperature in winter is 14-15° C.

Spraying

Dry indoor air negatively affects the condition of leaves and flowering, so it is necessary to use a humidifier or spray the air with a spray bottle.

When water gets on the leaves and flowers, streptocarpus loses its attractive appearance, so care at home is carried out by wiping the leaves with dry wipes. Pallets with wet expanded clay, pebbles, and moss, which are installed in close proximity to the pots, are also used as humidifiers.

Lighting

For full flowering, the plant requires a lot of light and long days. But the sunlight must be diffused so that the leaves do not get burned. On the north side of the house, lighting may be insufficient and additional lighting will be required with lamps. Western and eastern window sills are best suited for growing.

Watering

Domestic streptocarpus requires regular, moderate watering with well-settled warm water.
Excessive moisture leads to rotting and even death of the plant, so it is better to water less than overwater. In summer, the frequency of watering is 2 times a week, in winter - no more than every 8-10 days. At low air temperatures (15 °C and below), watering is stopped completely.

Soil for streptocarpus

The plant prefers light, loose, fertile soils with good air exchange. The easiest way is to buy ready-made balanced soil in a specialized store. You can prepare the mixture yourself in the following proportions:

• leaf soil - 2 parts;
• peat, sand, humus - 1 part each.

You can also mix equal parts of soil, peat and sphagnum moss. A mixture of peat, perlite and humus (5:2:1) is suitable for raising children.

Drainage materials must be poured onto the bottom of the pot.

Attention! All components of the mixtures, drainage and growing containers are disinfected by heating or a solution of potassium permanganate.

Feeding and fertilizer

Streptocarpus develops intensively and requires a lot of nutrients. At the initial stage, for the growth of a rosette of leaves, preference is given to nitrogen fertilizers; at the stage of laying flower stalks and during the flowering period, preference is given to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

Specialized stores offer complex preparations that are easiest to use. Fertilizing is combined with watering at intervals of 8-10 days and is carried out only in the spring and summer.

Pot size

When growing a flower by sowing seeds, seedlings in the phase of 2 true leaves are planted into free containers at a distance of 1.5-3.0 cm, and then the grown plants are transplanted into separate pots. Their size at the initial stage is 6-8 cm.

With each transplant, the pot is increased by a couple of centimeters. When grown in a container that is too large, increased growth of the rosette of leaves is observed and flowering slows down. For an adult plant, the volume of the pot should be at least 16 - 18 cm, shallow, since the root system is located superficially.

It is better to grow a flower in a ceramic pot, but it also feels good in a plastic one if there is drainage and proper watering.

Transplantation of streptocarpus

Streptocarpus can grow in one place for quite a long time, but by the 3rd year of life the rosette of leaves thickens, the plant becomes depleted, looks less attractive, blooms poorly, and loses its decorative effect.
Transplantation solves several problems:

• bush rejuvenation;
• reproduction;
• increasing the volume and quality of soil.

Rest period

Only mature, healthy specimens can bloom throughout the year, although without a rest break their appearance and flowering quality deteriorate. In winter, conditions for a dormant period are artificially created by reducing watering, lighting, stopping fertilizing and lowering the air temperature.

Trimming

For sanitary purposes, damaged and yellowed leaves and fading flower stalks are pruned. From adult bushes, small shoots that are not able to compete with developed vegetative organs are removed.

Rooting problems

Question: About a month and a half ago, streptocarpus leaves, cut across, were set to take root. The process is going well. One of the parts of the leaf, which had a petiole, gave rise to a “baby,” but the baby is not a small leaf, but a small bud. This is my first time dealing with streps; I have never had this happen with either gloxinias or violets. Is this normal for them? And what should we do now with this shredded leaf and bud?

Answer: In this situation, a biological feature of the plant was revealed. Flower buds are located on the petiole from its base, and, sometimes, to the beginning of the leaf blade. In the described case, it was the flower bud that woke up on the petiole, and not the growth bud. It is advisable to remove the bud so as not to weaken the leaf with unnecessary flowering.

Question: The leaf, which was (now) with a bud after rooting, began to grow actively. The rest are sitting as they were, but this one has grown twice as big, I cut it off, set the cut off part to take root again, but it grew again. I’m worried, firstly, that if he puts all his strength and nutrients into growth, then I won’t get children from him. And secondly, since I have several leaves planted in a common greenhouse, it covers the other two from the light with its huge blanket, and the greenhouse is already difficult to close. What to do with him? Trim again? Or maybe carefully put it in a separate container?

Among the answers were versions that the leaf could be shortened at the top to stimulate the education of children. There was advice to change the soil mixture to a less nutritious one in order to prevent excessive absorption of nitrogen.

In my opinion, the essence of what is happening is somewhat different. This leaf, most likely, will not produce children. Because it looks very much like this is a ready-made single plant, just heavily pruned and re-rooted. After removing the bud, all that remains is to wait for the growth point to wake up and the streps to continue its normal development. In order to still use it as a producer, you need to cut the leaf again, removing the cuttings (pruning along the nearest lower veins), and then root as usual.

Question: The rooted leaf fragment withers. Why?

Answer: Wilting is usually observed in the first days after planting. To eliminate it, it is enough to periodically spray the leaves with a spray bottle for several days. But remember that excess water leads to rotting. The affected areas need to be trimmed. (Remember the main secret of streps ?! Trim as you want - the leaves of streps do not wither along the cut edge, even if you cut out hearts from them!)

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Reproduction of streptocarpus

Various methods are used to propagate the variety. Vegetative methods make it possible to completely preserve the characteristic characteristics of the mother plant. Growing streptocarpus through sowing seeds is a rather lengthy process and the result cannot always be predicted.

Reproduction of streptocarpus by dividing the bush

Along with replanting in the spring, the plant is also propagated by dividing an adult bush (2-3 years old) into parts.

• The roots are freed from the soil, carefully untangled, separated by hand or using a sharp sterile knife.
• Damaged parts of the root are removed, and the cut areas are sprinkled with activated carbon.
• To create a new rosette, young shoots (babies) with good roots are selected and planted in moist, loose soil.
• To retain moisture until establishment, new plants are kept under a transparent cover in diffuse sunlight.

Propagation of streptocarpus by cuttings

Streptocarpus can also be propagated by other vegetative parts of the plant: children left from division without roots, whole leaves with petioles and their parts.

• They are immersed to a shallow depth in water until roots form, in moist soil or moss.
• The cutting areas are treated as when dividing a bush.
• After the roots appear, the cuttings are transplanted into a pot with the selected substrate.

Growing streptocarpus from seeds

Most often carried out during breeding work to obtain unique characteristics.

• Streptocarpus flowers are sown at home in shallow containers filled with vermiculite, peat and perlite.
• To ensure that small seeds are evenly distributed over the surface, they are mixed with sand.
• After sowing, moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
• To retain moisture and create a greenhouse effect, the container is covered with glass or transparent film.
• Before seed germination, maintain a temperature of 22 - 25 °C, carry out regular ventilation and remove condensate. Under favorable conditions, seedlings will appear in 10-14 days.
• The shelter is removed, but high humidity continues to be maintained.

Toaster propagation method

• For this method, leaves are used, from which the central vein is cut out.
• The sections are treated with charcoal, dried and buried into the soil by about 5 mm.
• If optimal humidity is maintained, after 1.5 months small children will sprout, which at the age of 3-4 months are transplanted into pots.

Watering, air humidity, lighting

Question: Please help! I love streps, but they are dying one by one! First the leaves begin to wither, then they simply rot from the root, and so slowly but surely everything dies.

Answer: Maybe you can fill it? I also like to water my plants a lot, which is why my violets did not grow. Now I water the streps only when the leaves droop from drying out. If you think it is a fungus, you should replant it and apply foundation. One of my streps almost died too. The answer is banal - it flooded. Now I also water them only when the leaves droop from dryness. In general, they pretend for a long time that everything is fine for them - and then bam, and the flower is flooded.

Overwatering is one of the most common mistakes when watering streptocarpus (and many other plants). It is better to let the soil dry out slightly between waterings. By the way, strepfish love soft water, and you have to spend a little time preparing it. First, you need to take tap water into a container with a wide neck so that the chlorine molecules that got into the water during SES treatment can evaporate (when boiling, chlorine reacts, forming non-volatile compounds). Boil the settled water and let it settle again so that the salts precipitate. This water is good for watering and spraying plants (not only streptocarpus).

Many people advise watering streps from above only in the first three weeks after planting or replanting, and then completely switch to watering from the tray.

Streptocarpus, like other plants, can be grown using the wick irrigation method. To do this, it is recommended to plant them in a mixture consisting of 25% peat and 75% perlite (such a high perlite content helps prevent root rot in streps).

Question: Tell us about the lighting.

Answer: Streptocarpus needs bright, diffused light. Therefore, when using natural light, it is better to place them on eastern and western windows. Keep away from direct sun (a few hours in the morning and/or evening is acceptable). When placing streptocarpus on shelves with combined artificial lighting from lamps of cold and warm spectra, a luminous flux of around 1.5-2 thousand lux is enough, for 10-14 hours, the temperature is about 25. If the lighting time is shorter, then look at the upper lighting ceiling depends on a situation. The distance between the shelves of the rack should be 50-60 cm, for compact varieties 45-50 cm.

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Diseases and pests

Under favorable growing conditions, streptocarpus resists various diseases quite well. If a plant has problems, it will immediately react with its appearance:

• Streptocarpus leaves wither and curl from lack of moisture or excess sunlight;
• yellow streptocarpus may appear due to sunburn;
• dried tips of streptocarpus leaves and their blanching appear from a lack of moisture and mineral nutrition;
• does not grow and does not produce young leaves if there is insufficient lighting, depleted soil or inappropriate pot size;
• Streptocarpus roots rot due to excessive watering, low temperatures and drafts.

The development of fungal and bacterial diseases most often results from a violation of the temperature regime due to excessive watering and contact of vegetative organs with water. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is necessary to:

• removal of damaged areas;
• spraying with a fungicide or a solution of laundry soap;
• change in conditions of detention.

Pests

Insufficient air humidity and high temperature create favorable conditions for the spread of:

• Thrips, aphids, spider mites. They feed on the sap of the plant and damage the leaves, on which silver, yellow, white or transparent spots appear. The plant sheds its leaves. The growth of streptocarpus slows down or stops completely. Damaged buds fall off without blooming.
• The mealybug destroys young shoots and buds. Can lead to a complete stop in plant development.
• The scale is located mainly on the lower part of the leaves and on the petioles in the form of brown warts covered with a waxy coating. A colony of these pests can completely destroy a plant.

In order to destroy pests, plants and soil are sprayed with insecticidal preparations (2-3 times). In difficult situations, replanting with soil replacement may be necessary. It is especially difficult to destroy scale insects, since their protective layer prevents contact with chemicals. They are removed manually with a damp cloth and then sprayed with systemic herbicides.

How does it reproduce?

Streptocarpus propagates by seeds and cuttings. The ideal breeding season is February – April. The time when the sun begins to warm up favorably promotes flower growth.

Cuttings

Leaf cuttings are the simplest method of propagating streptocarpus . This plant has large leaves, some can reach up to 25 cm in length. A leaf of this size will not survive if planted whole. To propagate by leaf, it is necessary to take parts of the leaf blade. The selected leaf fragment must be healthy, without spots and uniform green in color.

It is also important not to make a mistake with the age of the leaf. A leaf that is too young will need time to gain strength. And the old one may simply wither.

From seeds

Streptocarpus seeds can be purchased at any flower shop. They are packed in paper bags. Fresh seeds have the best germination , ideally just collected. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the date when purchasing.