Calceolaria: types, methods of reproduction, planting and care

An indoor plant called calceolaria is distinguished by its amazing beauty and exoticism - it is one of the very first that begins to bloom in the spring, delighting everyone around with its decorative appearance. In homes, it is grown as an annual crop, since a spectacular flowering can be achieved only in the first year of life. That is why it is extremely important to be able to propagate an unusual plant in such a way that every year again and again you grow a new specimen, fascinating with its attractiveness.

Calceolaria belongs to the genus Calceolaria. This plant is available in over 300 varieties. It came to Europe from the southern part of the American continent, and from there it has already come to us. In translation, the name of the flower means "small shoe". The flowers really repeat a smaller copy of the shoe. This flower seems to consist of a pair - small on top and more voluminous, inflated and spherical from below. This structure makes the plant look like a shoe model such as clogs, which women love.

The color palette of calceolaria is quite rich - it is presented in white, scarlet, as well as yellow and orange tones with all sorts of specks and without them. In their natural habitat, these are herbaceous plants of the shrub type, they can be one-, two- and three-year-old. In home gardening, calceolaria is low - no more than 30 cm in length, and in greenhouses and botanical gardens it can grow 50 cm.

The leaf plates are large, slightly corrugated, up to 8-10 cm in length, on the lower segment there is a pronounced downy. Flowers of an amusing shape appear on calceolaria in early spring, the peduncles are quite long, so the inflorescences literally rise above the total green mass.

For indoor gardening, it is better to give preference to hybrid varieties of calceolaria, since they are more adapted to life on the window of a living room. Let's take a closer look at the most popular home varieties of this flower.

Hybrid calceolaria is represented by low shrub-type plants, they are distinguished by wide rounded green leaves, rather soft, with a light fluff on the surface. Flowering lasts about 2 months, flowers of various shades - orange, red, yellow with all kinds of specks and blots, the diameter of each is about 5 cm. Several popular hybrids have been developed based on this variety:

• "Aida" - a compact, undersized bush, strewn with crimson shoes with a velvety surface;
• "Golden Rain" - is a perennial variety covered with very bright shoes of various shades;
• "Dervish" - blooms with small yellowish-brown shoes with contrasting dots;
• "Deinty" - a small compact houseplant, growing no more than 15 cm, is distinguished by rather large drooping and soft leaves, the flowers are red.

This calceolaria is literally covered with a large number of small flowers, the diameter of which does not exceed 2 cm.The petals are wrinkled, of a rich yellow hue, with small brown specks. At the time of flowering, it resembles a fluffy white cloud. In the southern regions it is cultivated as a perennial that adorns parks and gardens. Calceolaria wrinkled reaches 1 m in height, the flowers are neatly collected in rather large inflorescences, the leaves are narrow, elongated, pale green.

On the basis of this variety, several frost-resistant varieties have been bred that can easily tolerate a temperature drop of up to -5 degrees. At home, such a plant is cultivated as a biennial, which in the summer is grown outdoors in containers, and with the onset of cold weather is brought back into the room. The most common are the following hybrid varieties:

• "Sunset" - has flowers of a rich scarlet and red hue;
• "Golden bouquet" - sprinkled with large golden flowers.

This calceolaria is a perennial grown in indoor conditions, and in the summer it is taken out with a flowerpot into the yard, on a loggia or terrace. The leaves are small, rich green, yellowish flowers with dark spots all over the surface.

Depending on the characteristics of the habitat, its length can vary from 35 to 50 cm, the flowers are golden, up to 5 cm in diameter. Flowering is long, the bush is covered with shoes for 2 months.

Low-growing calceolaria, the height of which does not exceed 40-50 cm. The leaf plates are spatulate, with pronounced notches at the edges. The flowers are slightly elongated, purple with a pronounced lilac tint and beautiful dark blotches. In indoor gardening, it is grown as an annual.

For the full growth and development of calceolaria at home, it is advisable to take breathable nutrient mixture, consisting of garden leafy soil and sod land with the addition of peat, as well as clean river sand of the largest fraction. Ready-made substrate for flowering plants is also suitable, for example, you can buy land for pelargonium and geranium with a pH of 5.5. After buying a flower in a store, you should definitely inspect it - if you see that roots are visible in the drainage holes, it means that the plant is cramped, it requires a more spacious container.

The transplant is performed in the following sequence. Take a new pot, the size of which is about 1-1.5 cm larger than the old one.Pour claydite, large pebbles or red brick chips at the bottom - calceolaria is demanding on the quality of the earth, stagnation of moisture has the most destructive effect on it, therefore it must be present in the container drainage layer so that it is about 1/4 - 1/3 of the total volume of the pot.

Add a little soil mixture so that it completely covers the drainage, keep in mind that the roots of the plant will not have to come into contact with stones... If you made up the earth yourself, then be sure to disinfect it, for this you can treat it with a pale solution of potassium permanganate or ignite the earth in the oven (you can also do this in a frying pan).

The calceolaria bush must be turned over and, gently tapping on the walls, carefully separate the earthen lump, then move it to a new container so as not to damage the roots. Shake the pot to completely fill all voids and cavities, then top up the remaining space in the pot with fresh substrate. Moisten the ground with soft water (filtered or settled).

Watering must be abundant in order to thoroughly wet the entire earth. After half an hour, pour out all the liquid that has accumulated in it from the pan and place the vessel with the flower in a warm, well-lit place.

When cultivating calceolaria in a home environment, the most difficult thing is to create and maintain a comfortable environment for it. The point here is that this culture responds extremely negatively to dry air and high temperatures. Unfortunately, in the cold months, heating devices that dry the air usually work in residential apartments and houses, and in the summer there is an increased temperature background almost everywhere, so you should know all the intricacies of caring for this unusual flower.

Calceolaria prefers well-lit areas, however, it is important to avoid exposure to bright ultraviolet rays. It is best to place it on the east and west windows, in the north the plant will also feel quite comfortable, and on the south, additional shading will be required - for example, reflective film, which will make the light diffuse.

The optimal air temperature in a dwelling with calceolaria is considered to be 14-18 degrees. If the room is warmer, the number of buds and the flowering period will be greatly reduced, in addition, the plant's immunity decreases, it becomes susceptible to all kinds of fungal and bacterial infections. During the wintering period, heating should be kept at around 12 degrees at all.

The plant prefers high humidity, but it is strictly forbidden to spray it with water, since moisture can damage the pillow of the leaf plates. In order to achieve optimal humidity, a room fountain should be placed near the plant, the container tray should be lined with sphagnum moss, experienced flower growers additionally put the pot in a flowerpot, filling the entire inner space with wet moss.

In the months from November to February, when this exotic plant is in a dormant phase, irrigation should be "on demand", that is, it is necessary to moisten the soil only after the substrate dries out. With the onset of warmth, as soon as young growth appears, the number of waterings should be increased, regular irrigation at the time of flowering is especially important. The need for watering can be judged by the state of the top layer of the soil - if it is dry, then it's time for you to take up the watering can. At the end of flowering, you need to moisturize your pet much less often.

Every 2 weeks calceolaria requires additional feeding, it is best to use ready-made mineral complexes, they contain all the mineral components necessary for the plant, micro- and macroelements. At the end of the flowering period, fertilization is not necessary. If the optimal growing conditions are not observed, the flower begins to dry, the leaves turn yellow, and the flowering is sharply reduced. Florists often face one of the following problems.

• The leaves become lethargic, the edges dry out, the young buds fall off. Most likely, the reason lies in insufficient watering or too high room temperature.
• If a white bloom appears in the pot, and the upper leaves turn yellow, there is an excess of calcium in the substrate. To save the plant, you should transplant it with a complete replacement of the soil and take measures to reduce the hardness of the water.
• The formation of whitish spots on the leaf plates directly indicates the use of too cold water or spraying color.
• Unexpected shedding of leaves occurs when the air temperature in the room changes sharply (both downward and upward).

Calceolaria reproduces in two main ways - sowing by seeds and vegetative method. When grown from seed sowing time depends on exactly when you want to see flowering. If you prefer shoes to decorate your windowsills in spring, you need to plant seeds in June, and if you like autumn flowers, then it is better to carry out planting work in March.

For sowing, it is necessary to prepare substrate, including peat and river sand, taken in a ratio of 7: 1, it is advisable to add a little ground chalk (1 kg of peat requires 20 g of chalk). The resulting mixture must be calcined before use. Calceolaria seeds are quite small, so they are simply scattered over the surface of the earth, then you do not need to sprinkle them with soil. You need to put thin paper on top of the seedlings, which should be regularly moistened with water from a spray bottle. The container is kept in a warm room with a heating level of at least 18 degrees.

After about 10-14 days, the first shoots appear, after which the paper is removed and then the soil is watered in the aisles, certainly with a thin stream. As soon as the sprouts get stronger and a couple of full-fledged leaves will appear on them, they can be dived. In order for the seedlings to take root better, you can additionally create greenhouse conditions, covering the container with a plastic bag or a cut-off plastic bottle, however, do not forget to ventilate your seedlings every day to prevent condensation.

After 2-2.5 months, a repeated pick is made into small containers with a diameter of 8-10 cm, after transplanting the top, pinch the trace immediately, leaving 2-3 a couple of leaves on each bush, after a while lateral shoots begin to form. Already strong calceolaria should be planted in permanent containers with a flower substrate, in this case a slightly denser and saturated soil is used. 8-10 months after sowing the seed, subject to the necessary growing conditions, you will notice the first shoes of bright colors.

At home, the easiest way to propagate a flower is by cuttings. It is known that at the end of the flowering phase, the plant is pruned, there is enough material for rooting. It is advisable to carry out work in August, as well as February or March. A piece of apical and lateral shoots is kept in Kornevin's solution, then placed in a suitable substrate.

For the first 2-3 weeks, it is desirable to maintain the greenhouse effect; for this, the pot is covered with a bag or glass jar. In order for the bush to grow fluffy, several cuttings are planted in each container.

For tips on growing and caring for calceolaria, see the following video.