Streptocarpus - care

Streptocarpus is a plant native to the tropical regions of South Africa. With proper care and cultivation, streptocarpuses will delight plentiful flowering. Until recently, this flower was quite a rare visitor on the windowsills, but now it is rapidly gaining popularity, and the variety of hybrid forms is amazing.

Streptocarpus: home care

Cultivation of streptocarpus can not be called a very complicated process, but it is necessary to adhere to the main recommendations.

1. The flower is light-loving, but can not stand direct sunlight. The ideal location will be the east or west windows. If you artificially prolong the light-day in the winter to 16 hours, you can count on flowering even in the cold season.
2. During the period of active growth from April to August, it is necessary to provide the plant with a moderate temperature regime. Ideal will be 20-24 ° C, with increasing the temperature to 30 ° C, be sure to provide high humidity.
3. The watering of the streptocarpus should be moderate throughout the year. Water should be applied only after the soil has dried a little. Preferably use a tray or pot edge. Avoid getting water into the center of the outlet. It is the overmoistening of the soil that is the greatest danger, as this leads to rotting of the roots and death of the flower. Preferably use warm water.
4. Humidity must be increased constantly. Use spraying to care for streptocarpuses is not the best option. It is better to put the pot in a pan with damp moss.
5. Like many indoor flowers, streptocarpus is transplanted annually. The primer for streptocarpus should be loose and well permeable. A mixture of leaf land, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1 is suitable. Allowed the use of land for violets with the addition of perlite or vermiculite. Pots for streptocarpus should be shallow and wide enough.

Streptocarpus: reproduction

There are three ways to propagate this flower: by seeds, by division or by cuttings. Since the seeds are rather small, it is difficult to work with them. They are sown on a flattened surface of a light earth mixture and sprayed. Then cover with glass to maintain a constant moisture. After germination the seedlings are dived twice. But this method does not guarantee the preservation of varietal characteristics. An easier way is to divide the bush. The procedure is carried out only in early spring to the active growth phase. To do this, the adult bush is taken out of the pot and divided into several parts with a sharp knife. The slices are crushed with crushed charcoal and planted to the level of the root neck. For a more rapid rooting, large sheets are cut in half.

The most popular is the leaf method of reproduction of streptocarpus. Choose a sheet without defects. It should not be very old. Further, the sheet is either cut into several parts across, or the central vein is cut out. Slices are slightly dried and planted in a light earth mixture. Too deep to cut the stalk is not worth it, the land should be constantly wet. We put the container in a greenhouse or cover it with polyethylene. In a month you can expect the appearance of children. When watering, make sure that water does not fall directly on the leaf or the children, otherwise they will start to rot.

Streptocarpus: diseases and pests

When caring for streptocarpus at home, you may encounter some difficulties. Most often, flower growers encounter red mites, thrips and aphids . To To avoid such problems, you need to ensure the proper care of streptocarpuses:

• so as not to develop an infection, try to avoid hitting the sun's rays on the leaves;
• follow the ventilation of the air;
• all wilted or decayed leaves immediately delete;
• if the leaves dry at the streptocarpus, pay attention to the humidity of the air, its circulation, sometimes it is a sign of a tick;
• in the arsenal of preparations for the control of pests and diseases, there should be systemic fungicides (Topaz, Skor, Fundazol), agents for combating rot of biological origin.