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Indoor calceolaria flower. Calceolaria. Possible difficulties in growing calceolaria

Calceolaria - flowers numbering about 400 varieties. They grow well indoors. And in the wild, the plant can be found in the countries of Central and South America. Calceolaria home flowers, their care and possible difficulties in growing will be considered by us in detail.

general characteristics

Calceolaria - flowers that usually grow in the form of grass or a bush. They have a whorled or opposite arrangement of leaves. The flower looks like a cup of four members, with a beautiful corolla and 2-3 stamens. The fruits are shaped like boxes.

Most plant species are ornamental. When creating them, hybrids of various species were taken. In hybrid forms, the flowers are red, yellow, orange and purple. They are grown in greenhouses, cuttings and seeds are used for propagation.

Calceolaria - flowers that prefer cool air. That is why flowers are difficult to cultivate indoors. Flowers in calceolaria have an original shape. They consist of two lips, bubbly. The upper part is almost invisible, and the lower part is large, it is swollen, spherical in shape. This structure resembles lips, shoes, wallets. The name of the flower comes from the word "shoe".

Calceolaria blooms from early March to late June. The flowering period is one month. The number of flowers formed is from 18 to 55. They are covered with various specks.

Varieties

Calceolaria hybrid has many varieties with attractive flowers and delicate leaves. The flowers of the plant have a variety of colors - from snow-white to bright orange.

In apartment conditions, the plant looks like a small bush, not higher than 50 cm tall.

Calceolaria purpurea grows like a wild bush in Chile. This is a perennial, reaching 50 cm. The leaves are spatulate and notched along the edges. The flowers are small, reddish or purple in color, the lower part is oblong, with furrows.

Calceolaria mexican incompatible with other plants. It has small, light yellow flowers. The bush grows up to 20-50 cm. If the soil is fertile and the place is shaded, the growth of the bush will increase. This variety loves warmth, but an abundance of sunny color is possible with heavy watering. The plant produces a large number of seeds.

Calceolaria wrinkled brought from Chile. This flower looks like a cloud of yellow droplets. This perennial has a straight stem with many branches, grows up to 50 cm. The leaves are small, the flowers are small, yellow. The plant pleases with flowering from the beginning of summer until the first cold weather. To see early flowering, seedlings are planted in April in special containers.

Accommodation and temperature conditions

Calceolaria - flowers that grow well on windows east, west or north. On the south side, they need to be shaded to protect from the influence of the sun's rays. In this case, you can use cloth or paper. The indirect type of lighting is quite tolerated by the flower.

You also need to shade during flowering. And in the autumn-winter months, secondary lighting is needed, which can be provided by daylight lamps.

The calceolaria flower, the photo of which is presented in the article, prefers a temperature of 14 to 17 degrees. These are optimal conditions.

During the appearance of flowers, the plant is moistened with water, which was previously settled. Stagnation of water should be feared. After flowering, watering should be moderate. The soil is rarely watered, but the complete drying of the earth should be avoided. As soon as new shoots appear, watering is increased.

Humidity and fertilizer

Calceolaria home flowers prefer high atmospheric humidity. But spraying is not suitable. To increase humidity, the pot is placed in a tray with moistened drainage. It can be expanded clay gravel, pebbles. The container with the flower does not touch the water. The bush can be grown in a pot, filling the lower space with wet peat.

Fertilizers are applied two weeks after planting. Then fertilize until flowers appear once every two weeks. In this case, mineral compositions are used.

After the bush has faded, it can be cut and transferred for two months to a dark, cold room. Watering at this time is rare so that the earth does not dry out completely. When new shoots grow, the plant is returned to its usual bright place. There it will bloom earlier than specimens bred from seeds. But decorativeness with this method of cultivation is lost.

Decorativeness is also lost over time, for this reason it is better to change the calceolaria for new specimens, and not to use transplants.

Can you grow from seeds?

Seeds are planted in March. In this case, flowering will begin in the fall. If you need spring flowering, the seeds are planted in June.

The calceolaria flower (the photo shows it) has rather tiny seeds. One gram contains 30 thousand seeds. They are sown on the top layer of soil. Then the crops are covered with paper regularly wetted. As soon as two leaves appear, the seedlings dive into the prepared soil, consisting of humus, peat and half of the sand.

Growing in peat

Seeds can be sown in peat soil. If sown in June, flowering will begin in early spring. At the same time, peat is heated to 90-100 degrees to disinfect. To reduce acidity, crushed chalk is added - 20 grams per kilogram of peat soil. Then sand is mixed in a ratio of 1:7.

Seeds are sown randomly, not covered with earth. Then the crops are covered with a film. Monitor the moisture content of the peat. When rosettes are formed, the plantings are moved to pots and placed on the window. In September, plantings are pinched, keeping 2-3 leaves. Then the calceolaria are transplanted into larger pots. You can form bushes by pinching, removing lateral shoots from the sinuses.

In January-February, the flowers are again moved to large containers filled with fertile soil. Humus with low acidity and pH 5.5 is best suited.

The substrate is prepared from the same parts of peat, soddy soil, humus and ½ sand. Mineral compounds are added in the amount of 2-3 grams per kilogram of soil. Flowers appear 8-10 months after sowing seeds.

Possible difficulties

The calceolaria flower, which is not so difficult to care for, usually grows without much difficulty. But some moments are referred to as difficulties. Frequently encountered problems:

• The leaves of the plant wither, the flower quickly ages. The reason for this is low humidity and high room temperature.
• The plant must be replaced every year. To do this, use reproduction using seeds or acquire a new copy, and the old bush is eliminated.
• The bush can be affected by spider mites, whiteflies, scale insects, and mealybugs. This is facilitated by an elevated temperature during the cultivation of a calceolaria flower, a photo, the care of which we are considering.

How to transplant?

Calceolaria is an indoor flower, after purchase it needs to be transplanted, because the technical pot needs to be replaced with a decorative one. The step by step transplant process is as follows:

• sufficient drainage is poured into the prepared pot;
• a bush with a clod of earth is carefully rolled over;
• to cover unwanted pits, heather soil or geranium soil is poured.

For a comfortable stay of the plant in the ground, leaf and sod components, peat and sand are added to the soil.

The calceolaria flower, the home care of which is the subject of our discussion, may be attacked by aphids, whiteflies.

Possible diseases

Calceolaria is slightly susceptible to disease. A harmful pathology for her is gray rot. It can appear with excessive moisture and insufficient air temperature. All above-ground parts of the bush are affected. The affected areas become soft, they are covered with a gray coating.

Gray rot fungus can live in the soil for several years, it is transmitted through the soil and air. It actively reproduces with excessive moisture, low ventilation, dense planting of bushes.

To prevent disease, strictly follow the rules of cultivation. If signs of disease occur, fungicide treatment is carried out.

White rot may also occur. It is also a fungal disease. Dark spots appear on the lower parts of the stems, causing the plant to dry out. The fungus is able to live in the soil. The disease affects bushes that were waterlogged, grown at high temperatures, large volumes of mineral compositions, and low ventilation.

For the prevention of white rot, substrates with good aeration are used. Monitor the correct modes of temperature, top dressing, moisture. If the disease still appears, fungicides are introduced.

Late blight is caused by a fungus that infects young and adult plants. It begins with the withering of the lower leaves, then the upper leaves and flowers are affected. The causative agent of late blight lives in the soil and plant debris. It is activated when the rules for growing flowers are violated: waterlogging, elevated air temperature, excessive feeding.

If the disease appears, stop watering. The wet substrate is changed to dry, watered with solutions of fungicides.

When fertilizing a plant, the amount of nitrogen should be monitored. Exceeding the required amount can lead to a strong weakening of the calceolaria. The affected areas are cut off immediately. An effective measure in the fight against diseases is spraying Bordeaux liquid or any agent containing copper.

Flower growers are usually satisfied with the cultivation of calceolaria, noting that the plant does not cause difficulties in care. With simple agricultural technology, calceolaria pleases its owners with good growth and abundant flowering.

Plant calceolaria (lat. Calceolaria) belongs to the genus Calceolaria of the Norichnikov family, although English scientists distinguish the genus Calceolaria in a separate family. The genus contains about 400 plant species native to Central and South America. In translation, "calceolaria" means "slipper". Representatives of the genus are herbaceous plants, semi-shrubs or shrubs, among them there are perennials, biennials and annuals, but in room culture, calceolaria flowers are usually grown as annual herbaceous plants.

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Planting and caring for calceolaria

• Bloom: in April or May for 3-5 weeks.
• Lighting: penumbra (northern, northwestern or eastern window).
• Temperature: not higher than 15 ˚C.
• Watering: constant so that the soil in the pot is slightly moist all the time.
• Air humidity: very high. It is recommended to keep the plant on a tray of wet pebbles or line the pot with peat and keep it moist at all times. Spraying the plant is not recommended.
• Top dressing: two weeks after planting and before flowering - with mineral fertilizer solutions twice a month. Do not fertilize in autumn and winter.
• Pruning: after flowering.
• rest period: after flowering for 1-1.5 months.
• Transfer: are not transplanted. The life of the plant is 2 seasons, then the plant no longer blooms.
• Reproduction: seeds, cuttings.
• Pests: aphids, whiteflies.
• Diseases: gray rot.

Read more about growing calceolaria below.

Calceolaria flowers - description

The calceolaria flower grows in height and width up to about 30-50 cm. The leaves of the plant are lanceolate, corrugated, bright green in color, with pubescence on the underside of the leaf plate, reach a length of 5 to 10 cm. The main advantage, due to which calceolaria and gained its popularity are its flowers, shaped like clogs of bright yellow, orange, white or red, plain, with strokes or speckled. The shape of the flower is very funny: it seems to consist of two lips - one large, inflated, spherical, and the other small, almost imperceptible. The indoor calceolaria flower blooms in April or May and blooms for 3-5 weeks. On one plant at the time of flowering, up to 50 flowers ranging in size from 2.5 to 6 cm can open.

Calceolaria care at home

How to care for calceolaria

In the question of how to care for calceolaria, the most difficult thing is to create the conditions necessary for the plant. Caring for calceolaria flowers is complicated by the fact that heat and dry air are contraindicated for them, and in apartments that are not equipped with an air conditioning system, it is hot and dry in the summer. Calceolaria at home prefers the penumbra of the north, east or northwest window, the temperature is not higher than 15 ºC and humid air, so you need to keep the pot with calceolaria on a pallet with wet pebbles, and water it with soft settled water so often that the soil does not dry out.

After flowering, watering is gradually reduced. So that the plant does not suffer from dry air, you can keep the pot in a spacious flowerpot, laying peat between the walls of the pot and the flowerpot, which should be wet all the time. Spraying calceolaria is undesirable. If the plant is too hot and dry, it drops buds, is easily affected by pests, and generally ages quickly.

Calceolaria fertilizer

Caring for calceolaria involves feeding the plant with soluble mineral fertilizers twice a month, starting two weeks after the plant is planted and before flowering begins. In autumn and winter, the plant is not fertilized, after flowering it is cut off, transferred for one and a half to two months to a cool, gloomy place, occasionally moistening the soil in a pot. When new shoots begin to grow in the calceolaria, the moisture intensity is gradually increased, the plant is moved to its usual place and mineral supplements are resumed.

Calceolaria transplant

The overwintered plant blooms two months earlier than the calceolaria grown from seeds this year, but the decorative effect of last year's bush is much lower than that of the newly planted or purchased one, so professional flower growers recommend that calceolaria lovers buy or grow a new plant every year.

If you are faced with the problem of how to transplant a purchased plant from a technical pot into your own, decorative, then it is easy to do: put a decent layer of drainage in a new pot, then transfer the plant along with a clod of earth from a technical pot to a decorative one and add land for heather or substrate for geraniums to fill the voids. You can make up the soil for the calceolaria yourself, for this you will need two parts of sod and leafy soil, one part of peat soil and half of the sand.

Pests and diseases of calceolaria

Of the insect pests, aphids and whiteflies most often affect calceolaria. You can try to collect the aphids mechanically and destroy them, but if the infection is total, then you will have to resort to treating the plant with the chemical preparation Aktellik, which will help you out even if the calceolaria is affected by the whitefly. If the infection is too strong, it will be necessary to re-treat in 3-4 days - no more than four treatments are allowed with the same interval.

Of the diseases for calceolaria, gray rot is the most dangerous. It occurs when the plant has been chronically waterlogged for a long time at too low a temperature and too high humidity in the room. Growing calceolaria requires strict adherence to the rules, otherwise trouble may begin. The plant also weakens the excessive concentration of nitrogen in fertilizers, which provokes infection of the flower with gray mold. Heavily affected areas are removed with a sharp knife, and the plant is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or oxychome, topaz, cuproskat - any copper-containing preparation.

Reproduction of calceolaria

Growing calceolaria from seeds

If you don’t know how to grow calceolaria from seeds, buy at the store or make your own mixture of sand and peat in a ratio of 1: 7 with a slight addition of ground chalk or dolomite flour (20 g per 1 kg of soil mixture). Calceolaria seeds are not in short supply, they can be purchased at any large specialized store, including via the Internet. Sowing of calceolaria seeds is carried out in April on a mixture previously disinfected by calcination and moistened, without embedding them in the soil, but covering the container with crops with glass or film, from which condensate will need to be removed as necessary.

Crops are kept in a warm (18 ºC), well-lit place, regularly airing and moistening the soil by spraying. After two weeks, when shoots appear, they are watered in a thin stream between the rows. After a month, they are dived for the first time, and after another two months, when rosettes are formed, they are dived a second time into individual pots with a diameter of 7 cm, watered once every two weeks. In September, the seedlings are transplanted into pots with a diameter of 9-11 cm and placed in a bright and more than cool - 8-10 ºC - room.

In January-February, calceolaria is planted in large pots with a nutrient mixture for adult plants, pinched over 3-4 leaves, transferred to a permanent place and waiting for flowering, which usually occurs 8-10 months after sowing the seeds.

Propagation of calceolaria by cuttings

You can try to root the cuttings from the shoots cut after flowering of the calceolaria. Cuttings can be cut in August, or in February-March. Root segments of shoots in a nutrient soil mixture. It usually takes 3-4 weeks for roots to appear. In order to get a thick bush, several rooted cuttings are planted in one pot.

Types and varieties of calceolaria

The most famous types of plants are:

Calceolaria wrinkled or whole-leaved (Calceolaria rugosa)

In bloom it looks like a cloud of yellow drops. It grows up to half a meter in height, small leaves form a rosette, small flowers 1.5-2 cm in diameter are painted pure yellow and decorated with brown specks. Popular varieties.

Calceolaria is a perennial plant, but more often grown as an annual. The height and width of an adult calceolaria is about 20-30 cm. As a rule, calceolaria is bred because of its elegant, eye-pleasing flowers. The flowering period of calceolaria falls on April-May and lasts 3-5 weeks.

Lighting and temperature for growing calceolaria

Calceolaria does not like direct sunlight and high temperature, therefore it is recommended to keep the plant in a bright or semi-shady, non-hot room, the air temperature in which is in the range of 14-16 ° C. High temperatures (20-25°C) lead to rapid aging of the plant, as well as its damage by pests. In the summer, find a semi-shady place protected from the wind for calceolaria on a balcony or in a garden plot. As for winter, calceolaria will feel comfortable in a bright room, the temperature in which is 8-12 ° C. This plant is ideal for growing in east, west or north facing windows.

If you decide to put the calceolaria near the south window, shade the plant from direct sunlight.

A little shading is necessary for calceolaria during the flowering period. In autumn and winter, you can provide the plant with additional illumination using fluorescent lamps.

Air humidity level

Calceolaria can be safely called a lover of moist air. In order to ensure a comfortable level of air humidity, place the flower pot on a tray of expanded clay or gravel, half filled with water. It is categorically not recommended to spray the flowers and leaves of calceolaria - there is a soft edge on the leaves of the plant, and getting drops of liquid on them is highly undesirable. Pots inserted into a planter are ideal for growing calceolaria. To fill the space between the two vessels, peat is used, which needs constant moisture.

Watering calceolaria

During the flowering period, calceolaria needs regular watering with settled soft water. The signal for the need to water the flower is the drying of the top layer of the substrate. Make sure that the water in the pan does not stagnate. After flowering, watering the calceolaria is reduced. Soil moistening occurs occasionally in order to prevent complete drying of the substrate. With the beginning of the growth of new shoots, watering begins to gradually resume. In winter, calceolaria prefers moderate watering.

Calceolaria fertilizer

Feeding calceolaria with fertilizers occurs 1 time in 10 days using a solution of mineral fertilizers. It is advisable to start feeding calceolaria 2 weeks after the plant has been planted in a pot. Fertilizer plants continue until the beginning of its flowering period.

Formation of calceolaria bushes

Calceolaria bushes are formed by pinching, while the side shoots that grow from the axils of the leaves are removed. Before budding, during a period of intensive growth, in some cases the calceolaria is pinched, leaving two or three pairs of leaves, from the axils of which lateral shoots grow. Thanks to this, the plant bushes well and blooms more profusely, however, the diameter of the flower will be smaller than when pinching.

Flowering calceolaria

As already mentioned, often calceolaria is grown as an annual plant, but you can save it for the next year. To do this, at the end of the flowering period, the calceolaria is cut off and left for 1.5-2 months in a cool, dark place, periodically moistening the earthen ball to prevent the soil from completely drying out. As soon as the young shoots begin to grow, the pot with the plant is placed in a lighted room, where the calceolaria blooms again. However, the beginning of flowering occurs 2 months earlier than in those plants that were grown from seeds, and the flowering itself is rather weak. Calceolaria noticeably stretches and is no longer as decoratively attractive as young plants.

Soil for calceolaria

Reproduction of calceolaria

Reproduction of calceolaria occurs through seeds. Externally, the seeds of this plant are quite small and dusty. They need to be sown without sprinkling with earth in sandy, light soil. Sowing is moistened with a spray gun, the container with sowing is covered with glass or film. Until the first shoots appear, it is necessary to keep the crop in shading and constantly keep it moist. However, do not forget about ventilation to prevent rotting.

Shoots will appear in about 2 weeks. The first dive of plants occurs at the age of two weeks. After 1.5 months, the formed seedlings of calceolaria must be transplanted into 7 cm pots and placed in a lighted place. After 2 months, the plants are again transplanted into pots 9-11 cm in size. Before the second transplant, the calceolaria is pinched, leaving two or three pairs of leaves, from the axils of which young shoots then grow.

Unusual calceolaria flower (video)

Reproduction of shrub calceolaria is carried out using cuttings. After the old plants are cut short, they produce a mass of lateral shoots, from which cuttings are then formed.

The optimal time for cuttings is August or February-March. If you want the potted plant to be quite bushy, plant several cuttings in one pot at once. They will take root in 3-4 weeks.

Calceolaria - an interesting plant with such unusual flowers, bright, eye-catching, gives great pleasure to lush flowering. The unusual shape of the color, similar to a slipper, and the saturation of colors delight the soul and give a wonderful mood.

Pictured is a calceolaria flower

A native of the cold slopes of the mountainous Andes (South America), the exotic handsome man is very whimsical, and in order to grow him at home, you need to create conditions for him as close as possible to the harsh conditions of the habitat. Proper care of calceolaria affects the quality of its flowering.

Calceolaria flower: planting and reproduction

This original plant is herbaceous. In the wild, there are about 400 species of exotic shoes. It is grown both in greenhouses and at home, as well as in the summer - in the open air. The flower is a biennial, however, it fully blooms only in the first year, so it is recommended to transplant it after the first year of growth.

If there is no desire to bother with a transplant, then after a year they make a complete pruning of the plant, and place the pot in a dark place for two months, maintaining soil moisture.

Calceolaria is propagated by seeds that are planted in the soil in spring (April - May). The seeds are placed on a specially prepared or store-bought soil (a mixture of sand and peat), and covered with gauze on top, which is periodically moistened. Seeds germinate at a temperature of +18 - +20 degrees. When the first sprouts appear, they need to be picked.

As the outlet appears, it should be transplanted into a larger container so that there is sufficient area for growth. This is what calceolaria looks like, growing from seeds, the photo of which is shown below.

Two months later, the plant is again transplanted into a larger pot, while pinching the upper part. After 4-5 months, the flower is already planted in a permanent container - a flower pot with a large volume. The soil must be nutritious and sufficiently fertilized. Flowering occurs approximately 10 months after planting the seeds.

The calceolaria flower, the cultivation and care of which is quite a troublesome business, is worth it - its cheerful bright flowers will decorate any apartment or house, as well as a flower bed or a greenhouse.

Video: Calceolaria flower, sowing

plant care

The plant is quite whimsical, and for full flowering it requires painstaking care:

1. Calceolaria does not like a lot of light, the most favorable place for growth and flowering is the eastern window. If direct sunlight hits the leaves and flowers, burns can occur, therefore, if it is not possible to put the pot in the east, shade the window from the bright sun.
2. Flowering can only occur at a temperature of +14 - +16 degrees, and if you want to enjoy the beauty of unusual flowers, you should provide a suitable temperature for this.
3. The plant does not require high humidity - it is not necessary to spray it. You can only wipe the leaves from dust from time to time and ventilate the room more often.
4. Watering should be moderate - when pouring a large amount of water, the root system will begin to rot, and the slipper will die. It is enough to water three times a week, and in the hot summer period a little more often. You can not let the soil dry out, otherwise the handsome flower may die.
5. Calceolaria loves to be pampered with top dressing. You should feed the beauty once every two weeks - this will be enough for good growth. When buds appear, top dressing is increased - fertilizers are applied every 10 days.

Growing Calceolaria from seeds at home allows you to decorate any window sill and create a festive atmosphere in the room. Calceolaria is a chic flowering plant with a delicate aroma. The unusualness of Calceolaria is given by flowers that have the shape of an open handbag or an original shoe. A variety of shapes and colors when growing calceolaria from seeds clearly reflects the photo.

Choosing a variety for planting

Calceolaria has about 350 different species, differing in structure, bush size, leaf shape, flowers and their color.

Common species for cultivation.

1. Mexican (C. Mexicana). A strongly branching plant, consisting of several medium-sized inflorescences, mostly golden yellow in color, with flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. Depending on growing conditions, it reaches a height of 20 to 50 cm.
   
   
2. Wrinkled (C. rugosa). High stems of calceolaria are covered with small leaves and lush inflorescences of small flowers 1-2.5 cm in diameter with brown specks. Numerous flowers give the impression of a bright yellow cloud. Sunset and Goldbuket varieties are very popular.
3. Purple (C. purpurea Graham). The name is directly related to the purple or reddish-lilac color of the flowers, which have an elongated lower lip.
   
   
4. Hybrid (C. x herbeohybrida Voss). This type of calceolaria includes many varieties similar in shape, but differing in color and the presence of various inclusions of other shades in the form of blots, strokes and stains. The appearance of plants is decorative. Against the background of light green leaves, the bright color of the buds, from yellow to orange, red, purple or white. The size of the inflorescences and the number of peduncles in the calceolaria varieties are different, but the bush always looks rich and solemn. Hybrid calceolaria from seeds at home is grown more often than other varieties (Tigrovaya, Dundee, Aida, Star Rain, Dervish).
   
   

Where to get seeds

Most often, calceolaria is grown from seeds. You can assemble them yourself or purchase them in specialized stores that are responsible for quality and varietal purity. Calceolaria blooms for 30-35 days, and one bush can have up to fifty flower buds. It may be one or more inflorescences. Their shape is brush-like. The flower is a two-lipped corolla. The upper lip is small spherical, the lower one is large inflated. Between the lips are the ovaries and stamens, the result of the fertilization of which is the seed box. It is oblong in shape, dry when ripe, filled with pulverized seeds in large quantities.

Ripened, well-preserved brown seeds are suitable for subsequent sowing for seedlings.
How to grow Calceolaria from seeds

To grow calceolaria at home from seeds, you need to follow agrotechnical rules. They will help to get beautiful flowers that will delight for a long time.

Sowing dates

You can grow calceolaria from seeds at different times of the year. Calceolaria seeds give friendly shoots within one week. Before flowering, seedlings dive 2-3 times, which significantly improves the growth and development of the plant. The period from germination of seedlings to the setting of buds stretches from 5 to 10 months, depending on the variety. To get a flowering hybrid calceolaria in March, the seeds must be sown at the end of June. For autumn flowering, sowing of calceolaria seeds is carried out at the end of February.

Seed preparation

Seeds purchased from specialized stores are usually ready for sowing. For the convenience of sowing and disinfection, they are coated. It is difficult to treat seeds at home, as they are very small.

Planting tank selection

At the initial stage, to obtain seedlings of calceolaria, shallow containers or containers are used, which are easy to cover after sowing the seeds in order to create the effect of a greenhouse and retain moisture. For the first picking of seedlings, small containers for several plants are suitable. Can be used for planting jars of sour cream, disposable plastic cups. After 1-2 months, the grown seedlings of calceolaria are transplanted to a permanent place in free plastic or ceramic pots with drainage holes. The optimal container volume for permanent cultivation is from 0.8 to 1.2 liters.

Soil preparation

Properly selected soils are the basis for successful seedling cultivation, bush formation and flower bud formation. For sowing calceolaria seeds for seedlings, you can use both purchased soils, completely ready for use, and prepared at home. The soil for seedlings in structure should be airy, light, provide good air exchange. This can be bedding peat with the addition of dolomite flour, chalk or wood ash (15-20 g per 1 kg), crushed activated carbon. One part of sand is added to seven parts of peat.

Attention! Peat for soil is disinfected by heating in an oven (90-100 ° C).

Mature plants need heavier and more nutritious soil. For its preparation, take equal parts of peat, humus and soddy land (better - leafy humus). The components of the soil for growing calceolaria are thoroughly mixed with a small amount of sand (1/2 - 1 part).

Sowing seeds

Calceolaria from seeds at home is grown in seedlings and includes several stages:

• sowing seeds;
• picking seedlings;
• planting seedlings in a permanent place.

The prepared soil before sowing the seeds is carefully leveled and compacted. It should be moderately moist. Calceolaria seeds are very small, so they must be scattered over the soil surface with particular care so as not to thicken the plantings. From above, the seeds are not covered with soil, but only slightly pressed against the surface to improve contact. To preserve moisture, a damp paper towel is laid out, and the container itself is covered with glass or a transparent film. The result is a micro-greenhouse for growing seedlings, which must be regularly maintained:

• ventilate;
• remove condensate;
• monitor soil moisture;
• maintain temperature conditions (18 - 20 ° C);
• provide moderate illumination.

As soon as the seeds begin to hatch, remove the damp cloth and remove the shelter so that the seedlings do not stretch out during cultivation.

Dive seedlings of calceolaria at least two times:

• in the phase of two true leaves;
• one and a half months after the first.

In a free container for permanent cultivation, seedlings are transplanted as they grow in a month and a half.

The agrotechnical method of picking has a positive effect on the plant: a powerful root system is formed, the stems do not outgrow, a greater number of peduncles and buds are laid. In addition, the usable area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room or garden is significantly saved.

Care of crops before flowering

To get a healthy, profusely flowering plant for a long period, when growing calceolaria from seeds, constant care is required. The main activities include the following items:

1. Creation of high air humidity as a determining factor in cultivation. Sprayed with a small spray gun, containers with water, wet expanded clay or moss are placed near the plants. Lack of moisture, as well as excessive moisture on the leaves, hard water, lead to a deterioration in the condition of the leaf blades.
2. Providing bright lighting for 8 hours a day. In this case, the sun's rays should be scattered and not fall directly on the calceolaria (west and east). In the winter period of cultivation, seedlings are illuminated.
3. Soil moistening is carried out often, but not in large volumes. To avoid stagnant water, drainage material (expanded clay, fine gravel) is poured into the bottom of the pot and drainage holes are arranged. The temperature of the irrigation water is not lower than 25°C, it is settled for a day or cleaned through a filter.
4. Maintaining temperature: during the day not higher than + 23 ° С (preferably +20), at night - not higher than + 17 ° С (preferably +14). Increasing the growing temperature has a negative effect on the formation of buds.
5. Carrying out (at least 1 time in 10 days) top dressing with complex fertilizer for flowering plants.

Warning! After flowering, calceolaria, at rest, are rarely watered, only as the soil dries out.

Difficulties in sowing

Calceolaria seedlings and adult plants are very demanding on growing conditions, and even their short-term deterioration can nullify all efforts. The main problems that affect the quality of the grown flower:

• insufficient air humidity and high temperature;
• excessive moisture, contributing to the development of putrefactive processes;
• small insects (whitefly, aphids, spider mites).

Conclusion

Growing Calceolaria from seeds at home is a very troublesome process that requires constant attention throughout the entire period, from sowing seeds to flowering. If the plant is grown in a two-year culture, then care is not interrupted during storage. However, the pleasure received from the sight of flowering Calceolaria justifies all costs.

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