Calceolaria

Calceolaria is a herbaceous plant that has abundant flowering, which in growing at home can be either an annual or a biennial plant. The plant has earned its popularity due to the unusual shape of the flower, which can resemble the shape of a wallet or shoe. Bright flowers - they have two lips, the upper lip is small in size, the lower one is large, swollen, looks like a ball. The genus Calceolaria includes about 400 plant species. In the wild, the plant can be found in the regions of Central and South America. The literal translation of the name of the plant is a small slipper.

The genus Calceolaria includes:

• Bush.
• Grass.
• Semi-shrubs.

Calceolaria: photo of flowers

The foliage of Calceolaria is located in an opposite or whorled manner. The flower calyx is four-membered, the corolla is swollen, there are 2 lips (the upper lip is slightly smaller). There are 2-3 stamens. The fruit has a box-like appearance. The varieties of the plant are especially beautiful, therefore they are suitable for growing as an ornamental plant. Hybrid varieties were created by crossing several varieties. In order to grow a plant in a cool greenhouse, it is best to opt for varieties that are purple, orange, yellow, red, and corollas can also have streaks or specks. In order to propagate the plant, the seed method and the cuttings method are used. The Calceolaria plant begins to delight with its flowering in the spring, but you need to keep in mind that growing a plant at home will be a little problematic, since the plant prefers cool rooms. Calceolaria are characterized by spherical, bright, bubbly flowers. Most often, the plant has different points and spots on the surface of the flower. flowering period occurs in March-June. The flowering period lasts for 1 month. One plant can contain 20-50 flowers.

Calceolaria: flower care

Calceolaria: photo of the variety

Temperature.

Calceolaria needs cool conditions - +12 +16 degrees. If the air temperature is too high, then flowers or buds may fall off.

Lighting.

Calceolaria flower needs good lighting, but the lighting should be diffused. It is required to create shade from direct exposure to sunlight. You need to grow the plant on a windowsill, which is located on the north, east or west side. Watering.

Watering Calceolaria should be abundant, not allowing the soil to dry out.

Humidity level.

The moisture level for Calceolaria should be high. You need to take a wide pallet, add small pebbles or expanded clay, add water, and then place a container with a flower on top. When watering the plant, you should pay attention to the fact that water does not fall on the pubescent leaves. Only flowers are to be sprayed.

Calceolaria: flower photo

Transfer

It is necessary to start preparing the soil mixture in advance. To do this, take leaf, peat, turf soil, sand, which must be mixed in proportions of 3: 2: 3: 1. After the plant finishes flowering, you can discard the soil mixture.

Reproduction

Calceolaria can be grown using the seed method. To do this, plant seeds from May to July. But it is important not to cover the planting with earth on top. A double dive is required. In order for Calceolaria seeds to germinate, the air temperature must be +18 degrees.But it will still be difficult to grow this plant at home, so it is still better to purchase a ready-made plant in the store.

Calceolaria: flower photo

Calceolaria needs diffused lighting. There should be no direct sunlight, provide sufficient shading. Suitable for growing on a windowsill from the west or east. If you are going to grow a plant on the south side, then think in advance how you can shade the plant using paper or special translucent material - tulle, gauze, tracing paper. Good for growing on the north side. When the flowering period begins, the plant will need a little shade. In autumn and winter, it will be necessary to think over a system of additional lighting. For normal growth and development, the plant needs a temperature regime - +12 +16 degrees, while this temperature should be at any time. During the flowering period, the plant should be watered regularly. Water for irrigation should be soft and settled. Moistening should be carried out after the topsoil dries. After you water, be sure to pour out the water that remains in the pan. After flowering is over, watering should be infrequent and in small quantities, however, care must also be taken to ensure that the soil does not dry out. When you notice the appearance of fresh growth, then watering should be as before, as usual.

Calceolaria: flower photo

You should also ensure that the humidity level is high, but you do not need to moisten with a spray bottle. In order to ensure that the humidity level is at the proper level, it is necessary to add water and pebbles to the pan, it is also possible to add peat or expanded clay. Many people say that you can put a container with a plant in another pots, and the space that remains between the containers will need to be filled with moist peat, which will need to be constantly moistened. For the first time, fertilizers need to be applied 15 days after transplanting the plant to a permanent place. use of mineral fertilizers 2 times a month is suitable. after the end of flowering, the aerial part must be removed. After that, for 1.5-2 months, the pot with the plant should be taken to a cool and dark room. Watering should be sparse, but again, care must be taken to ensure that the soil does not dry out. When you notice the appearance of young shoots, the plant is pulled out to a lighted place and they are waiting for the plant to begin to bloom. Such plants begin to bloom earlier than those plants that have been grown using the seed method. But due to the fact that they have the property of strong stretching, there is a loss of decorative properties. The plant is generally characterized by a rapid loss of decorativeness, therefore, it is not necessary to transplant the plant, it is better to purchase new ones.

Calceolaria: photo of flowers

For reproduction of Calceolaria, the seed method is used. For the onset of flowering in the spring, you need to plant in June, in the fall - choose March. Calceolaria seeds are small in size. 1 g of planting material can contain about 30 thousand seeds. Planting is carried out directly on the ground; you should not sprinkle it with earth on top. You just need to put paper on top, which will need to be moistened from time to time. After the appearance of 2 true leaves, the plant is dived. to create the necessary soil mixture, take: deciduous, humus, peat soil and sand - 2: 2: 2: 1. Also, seeds can germinate well on peat.

If you want the Calceolaria plant to begin to take away in March, then planting is carried out from early to mid-July. To do this, you should take litter peat, which must be disinfected from rot, heating it to a temperature of +9 +100 degrees. To lower the acidity, it is recommended to use chalk, which must be added to the substrate.For 1 kg of peat, you need to take 15-20 g of chalk. Also, peat must be mixed with sand (7: 1). In the mixture that you make and plant the seeds. To do this, you need to scatter seeds over its surface, while you do not need to add a substrate on top. After that, the container with seeds should be covered with polyethylene or glass. When you notice that water has appeared on the covering material, then it must be removed, while making sure that it does not get on the plant. Keep the substrate moist at all times. The second pick in a container, the diameter of which will be 7 cm, is carried out after the sockets appear. Then they are placed on light-colored windowsills.

In the autumn, another transplant is carried out, for this the container should be 9-11 cm in diameter. Before the transplant, it is necessary to carry out the pinching procedure, retaining only 2-3 pairs of leaves, lateral shoots will begin to grow from the sinuses. In order to produce the formation of a bush, it is necessary to carry out pinching. To do this, you need to very carefully cut off the lateral shoots formed from the axils of the leaves. The next transplant is left for January-February, for this they take an even larger container. A nutritious and heavy soil mixture is suitable, which includes: humus, sod, peat soil and sand - 2: 2: 2: 1. It is also recommended to add a small amount of complex mineral fertilizers (2-3 g per 1 kg of finished soil mixture). The substrate must necessarily have a weak acidity. after you sow the seeds, flowering will begin after only 8-10 months.

What is the difficulty in growing a plant?

Calceolaria: photo of flowers

Every year Calceolaria needs to be replaced with a new one. It is not recommended to keep it for another 1 year. The leaves begin to wither and age quickly if the room is too hot and dry air.

Calceolaria: varieties and species with names and photos

Mexican Calceolaria.

This type of plant is rather difficult to combine with some other plants. The plant is distinguished by small flowers, 5 mm in diameter, light yellow in color. It can be well combined in a border with flowers that have decorative foliage, as well as in compositions that are located on the banks of streams. In this case, the corollas resemble small lanterns. Depending on the conditions of detention, the height of the plant will also differ - 20-50 cm. Plants that are grown in a cool, shaded room, with nutritious soil, will have a greater height. As the name implies, the plant can be found in the highlands of Mexico, so the plant is thermophilic. Bright sun can badly affect the plant, so the plant needs good watering. Fruiting is almost constant, characterized by the formation of a large number of seeds.

Calceolaria Mexican: photo of the variety

Wrinkled Calceolaria.

This type of plant has a characteristic elegance and originality. First appeared in Chile. It is a herbaceous and perennial plant, characterized by a branched erect stem, the height of which can reach 25-50 cm, most often the cultivation takes place as an annual. The flowers are small in size with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm, bright yellow in color. There are varieties that have brown dots. The leaves are small in size, they are collected in sockets. If the plant is sown as usual, then flowering can be observed in June, which will continue until the onset of frost. If you want to see flowering in April, then grow in separate containers.

Calceolaria Wrinkled: photo of the variety

The following varieties can be distinguished:

Gold Bouquet - flowers are large, strong bushes can reach lengths of up to 30 cm.

Triumph de Versalis - the variety is distinguished by small flowers, the height of the bush, which is characterized by rapid growth, can reach up to 50 cm.

Sunset - you can grow a plant both at home and in the garden. Each rosette, which consists of leathery leaves that are dark green in color, can have about 10 short peduncles. The flowers are orange, yellow, red. The height of the bushes can be up to 20 cm. The death of the plant will not occur if the air temperature drops to -5 degrees for a short period of time.

Calceolaria: flower care video