Columbus: description, types, planting and care rules

For most gardeners, the passion for applied botany begins with a desire to set up their own small garden on the windowsill, "like everyone else's", but if a person is carried away, he often wants to add some unusual plant to his collection that can surprise guests of any degree of savvy. Columney is suitable for just such a case - this green pet is still quite rare in our country, but in terms of the originality of its appearance, it will definitely not go unnoticed.

Columney is actually not one species, but about 200, because it is a genus of the Gesneriev family. The homeland of such plants is the dense jungles of Central and South America, so you should not be surprised that the columnea is both perennial and evergreen. For this reason, you should not expect to grow such a plant on the street - this is a purely indoor flower that needs year-round warmth. It is also worth mentioning that this is a liana, that is, it needs a support, in the form of which some other plant appears in nature.

At home, it is rarely possible to plant a full-fledged tree specifically so that a columnea curls along it, therefore this vine is usually used as an ampelous plant. This term means that the flower is planted in a pot or pots, suspended quite high, while the shoots of the vine itself do not rush up, but, on the contrary, fall down in a wave.

Columnea branches do not differ in particular stability; in the absence of support for growing up, they droop and almost freely hang down. Each liana is densely covered with small leaves, whose shape resembles an egg with a slight taper at the end. Depending on the species, the leaves of the columnea can be either naked or covered with a short downy.

At home, growing a columnea is justified by the beauty of its flowers. The beauty of them lies in the fact that they stand out in very bright tones from white to red through yellow and orange. The shape of the flower is somewhat reminiscent of an elongated tube.

Since the main purpose of cultivating such a plant is precisely flowers, the estimated flowering time should also be noted. In most species and varieties, it occurs either in winter or in early spring, that is, exactly when the domestic nature does not indulge in bright colors. At the same time, experts write that for the diligent care of the columbus, he can reward the hardworking gardener with a second flowering session, which falls on the summer.

Although the species diversity of this vine is enormous, in fact, most of the 200 names remain purely wild plants. Only a relatively small percentage of species have taken root in flower beds and flower pots, and breeders have not yet focused all their attention on the colum. Nevertheless, there is still a certain choice among the varieties of this plant, therefore we will briefly consider the most famous species and varieties.

• "Krakatoa" got its name in honor of the famous Indonesian volcano - the author of this hybrid considered that the shade of the flowers of such a vine is very similar to the shade of the newly erupted incandescent lava.It is such a columnea that is considered the most popular variety of this genus in Russia; it was specially created on the basis of the Banks columnea for home breeding.

• "Carnival" It is difficult to confuse with the previous variety, if only because the colors of the flowers here are already completely different - they are emphatically yellow, although the edging remains red. By themselves, such flowers look a little less impressive, but in combination with typical red columneas, they can provide a richness of flowers that our country so lacks in winter.

• Columbus Sheydian it is beautiful not only with flowers, but also with leaves, the green of which is cut with burgundy, almost brown veins. The flowers themselves also stand out against the general background with a somewhat unusual combination of shades - on their surface, yellow gradually turns into the same burgundy.

• Early bird got its name for a relatively early (in comparison with other species and varieties) flowering. This variety is very good for its color contrast, since the petals themselves, in this case, are bright red, the adjacent flower tube is already yellow, but the leaves stand out with almost the brightest green tone among all other domestic columbus.

• "Aladdin's Lamp" - an artificially created variety, one of the main requirements in the development of which was the creation of an unpretentious home plant. The leaves of such a columnea have a deep green hue, bordering on brown tones. The flowers are characterized by a juicy red-orange tone.

If you are very interested, you can grow several dozen more varieties bred from several wild species. If you want more variety from the columnea, pay special attention to the varieties KT-Tatyana, Apollo, Beta, Bonfire other.

It is not so difficult to root a columnea, especially since it is usually sold in stores already in a pot. Another thing is that after the purchase, the plant is recommended to be transplanted without delay.

The root of this vine is relatively small, but very sensitive, therefore it should be handled very carefully. A medium-sized vessel is enough for a young plant, while deep pots do not make sense - the rhizome of this tropical miracle still does not go deep into the depths. A prerequisite for the container is the presence of drainage holes at the bottom.

The bottom part of the vessel should be occupied by a solid layer of drainage material, no matter what - it can be broken brick and other similar materials that do not contribute to the accumulation of moisture. If you are a supporter of buying a ready-made soil mixture, be interested in the product for semi-epiphytes, but many gardeners “harvest” the substrate themselves. The proportion is as follows: they take 4 parts of turf and leaf land, as well as 2 parts of peat and only one - a mixture of three components at once, which includes charcoal, sphagnum and simple sand.

Since the roots of the columnea are very thin and fragile, the transplant is performed by the transfer method - do not try to shake off or clean the roots from the ground, just move the plant to a new place directly with an earthen clod.

It is generally accepted that it is relatively easy to care for a columnea at home, because most vines are weeds, and those, as you know, are ready to grow anywhere and in any conditions, not so much because of something, but in spite of it.Another thing is that the typical conditions of a domestic apartment are still unlikely to resemble the climate and atmosphere of the tropical jungle, so at least minimal steps will have to be taken towards the liana. However, there is really nothing complicated about it.

The first point is choosing the right place. As befits a southern inhabitant, kolumnea loves bright light, but because of this, that in nature she hides in the shade of trees, this light should be diffused. A young plant is usually placed directly on the windowsill, for an adult they already pick up a pots near it, but in both cases the side should be east or west, since there will be not enough light on the north side of the world, and you can burn the leaves on the south.

This plant really does not like a draft, even if it seems warm to us. In most cases, the vine reacts to it in the same way as to a sudden change in temperature - it simply sheds its leaves. For this reason, it is undesirable to take the columnea out either on the street or on the balcony, even in summer.

Like many other tropical plants native to the jungle, this vine is not at all designed for the scorching summer heat.... In spring and summer, the most normal temperature for it is between 23 and 27 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, the plant is able to withstand a slight increase in temperature, but with a condition: the humidity should then also rise. In winter, the columnea needs coolness at all, a modest 16-18 degrees will be comfortable for her, which contribute to the formation of kidneys.

A certain problem is that the columnea comes from humid equatorial forests, therefore the normal humidity level for it is good 80-90%. It is difficult to provide such humidity throughout the apartment, and the gardener himself would hardly like such conditions, therefore such conditions are created only for the plant itself. Be prepared to spray it as often as possible. Experienced people also advise using a humidifying tray - for this, the container is filled with large pebbles and filled with water so that it does not cover the drainage layer.

In the room with the columnea, you will also have to provide air humidifiers, otherwise dry air masses from all other parts of the room will quickly neutralize all your efforts to moisturize the plant. The simplest way to bring the conditions closer to equatorial ones is to simply put a large open container of water in the room where the columnea grows, so that it gradually evaporates. You can go with more decorative methods by purchasing a special indoor fountain.

With great attention to the humidity of the air, the vine is not very fond of abundant watering - at least, it is usually advised to water the soil only with the help of a spray bottle. It is believed that the ideal condition of the soil in a tub with a columnea is constant dampness, but without puddles, it is impossible to allow the soil to completely dry out.

Please note that water does not accumulate in a normally organized pot, but it will definitely collect in a pan, and since the moisture level in the latter should not reach the bottom of the pot, you need to periodically drain the water. In winter, when the rate of drying of the soil is not so high due to the lowered temperature, it is no longer necessary to water the columna so often.

In the summer, the plant has an active vegetative period, therefore at this stage it needs regular feeding... For this purpose, you can use store-bought mineral fertilizers designed specifically for decorative flowering crops.As a rule, such "chemistry" is not introduced into the soil - the leaves are sprayed with an aqueous solution. On average, a similar procedure should be performed every week or one and a half. Along with irrigation, but already in the soil, fertilizers based on phosphates can also be applied, but here the concentration recommended by the manufacturer himself should be reduced by four times.

The plant needs rejuvenating pruning every year., the best time for this procedure is the moment immediately after the end of flowering. Absolutely all branches and shoots fall under the "distribution", and the diseased and dried parts are removed entirely, but healthy ones should not be spared too much - a third or even half is cut off from each.

There are two main methods of growing columnea at home - from seeds and vegetatively, from cuttings.

Growing seeds it is used not so often, since the productivity is not very high - neither germination rate, nor the survival rate of sprouts is distinguished by a high level. However, for experienced gardeners, this challenge is a good test of their own skills.

If you decide to try growing a columnea from seeds, first find wide pots and fill them with a mixture of approximately equal parts of sand and peat. It is best to plant seed approximately in February-March. Before sowing, the soil must be moistened with a fine spray. It is not necessary to dig seeds into the soil - they are evenly distributed over the surface of the substrate, and sprinkled on top with a minimum amount of soil - as experienced flower growers say, "salt".

For seed germination, conditions typical of a typical greenhouse are necessary, therefore, the home garden is covered with film or glass, they provide diffused but sufficient bright lighting and a temperature in the range of 23 to 25 degrees above zero. Every day, future sprouts are provided with a short contact with fresh air, while condensation on the underside of the glass should be removed. Watering is carried out using the same finely dispersed sprayer as the soil dries up.

Carefully monitor the condition of the sprouts to promptly make changes to conditions that may be incorrect. Many novice growers do not understand how important it is to provide sufficiently bright lighting, because their crops are strongly stretched upward, and all the juices go to the formation of the stem... In order to distribute the forces evenly inside the plant, intensify the lighting - for this you can buy a special phytolamp. If there are no problems with the development of the seedling and he even threw out 3 or 4 of his own leaves, it's time to dive it into a separate vessel.

For those who do not like to invent difficulties for themselves when there are simple ways to solve a problem, there is a propagation of vines by the method cuttings... For harvesting cuttings, healthy shoots are chosen, each of them should have a length of 8 cm and have at least 5 leaves. Cutting is usually carried out at the same time as planting seeds - at the end of winter or early spring, while the cuttings are not cut in reserve, but planted immediately in a mixture of perlite, peat and a universal substrate with a depth of one centimeter.

As in the case of seed germination, greenhouse conditions are created for the planted cuttings - you can cover the entire container with them with the same film or glass, or you can make an individual shelter for each of the cut plastic bottles or cans. Lighting should also be diffused, and the temperature should be at the level of a comfortable room, from 21 to 24 degrees above zero. It is important not to overmoisten the soil, but also not to let it dry out., watering is carried out regularly at the moments allocated for the daily airing of the sprouts. An indicator that the vine has grown to the scale of an independent plant and is ready to be transplanted into its own pot is the appearance of at least two new leaves.

With the harvested cuttings, you can do a little differently - it is allowed to first root them in the aquatic environment. The first day the cutting should be held in a solution of any root former, which is sold in every gardening store, after which the future plant can be kept in ordinary water.

Please note that high humidity can cause rapid decay of newly appeared roots, therefore experienced flower growers advise changing the water in the container literally every day. Under such conditions, the cutting should stay on a windowsill with enough heat and light until it has well-visible roots - after which the young specimen can be planted in a permanent vessel with soil.

This vine is one of those plants whose diseases (or rather, the only disease) are caused by non-compliance with the rules of care, even if these very rules seem extremely simple. It is not for nothing that we paid so much attention to drainage - when the soil is swamped gray rot will only be a matter of time. If you notice the problem in time, it will be easier to solve it - for this you have to remove all damaged parts of the plant, treat both the cuts and the soil with fungicides, and, of course, normalize the dosage of moisture so that the phenomenon does not recur.

If for some reason you have ignored the problem for a long time, you cannot do without an urgent transplant. To do this, the columnea is removed from the vessel and even the roots are shaken off from the earthen coma, which is not done even with a conventional transplant. The damaged parts, including the roots, are removed, the plant is carefully treated with a fungicide, and the vessel should be disinfected with it, if you decide not to change it.

This vine has much more pests than diseases - there are aphids, and thrips, and scale insects, and spider mites... It is generally accepted that with proper care of the vine, uninvited guests should not appear at all. The same aphid, which looks like tiny greenish-black bugs, is clearly visible on the surface of the leaves, so you can quickly respond to its appearance. A spider mite is determined by the presence of a cobweb on a plant, since the spiders themselves are usually not interested in liana. The scale insect is easy to recognize by its characteristic shell, but the consequences of their activity are more striking - characteristic tubercles on the stems in dark colors. Thrips are called elongated bugs in brown and black tones.

Regardless of the name of the enemy, the kolumnea reacts with slow growth and oppression of foliage - twisting, yellowing and falling off. The problem is solved with the help of most of the known insecticides, but be prepared that success does not always come after the first treatment. Remember that "chemistry" can harm the plant, so read the instructions.

For information on how to grow and care for a columnea, see the video below.