Columbus

Columney's flower: a description of a houseplant

Indoor flower Columbus: photo of a plant

Columnea is considered a perennial. In fact, this culture is not very demanding, and not at all capricious. Columnea flowers always have a delicate and rich color, the stems are lowered. Sometimes this culture is called a goldfish, this is due to the specific shape of the flowers, moreover, the color of the flowers resembles a golden fairy fish. The shoots of the plant rush upward, but over time they begin to descend. The stems have a fleshy structure, due to this they are considered quite fragile. In length, the shoots even reach 1 m. The leaves are heart-shaped, the outer side of the leaf plates is glossy, the foliage is sharpened from above, and at the base it has a more oval shape. On the branches of the kolumnea, you can notice the omission, the leaves are not very large, but the decorative form is always very beautiful. Flowers are usually formed in the middle of the bush. They are located closer to the bases of the leaves. They are pink, orange, yellow in color, as we noted earlier, they really look like gold. Indoor plants bloom in winter, and sometimes in early spring, it depends on the fact that summer in different hemispheres comes at different times.

Columbus: home care

Indoor flower Columney: video about the plant

At home, it is quite possible to grow a columnea. Remember that the columnea needs bright light, however, direct sunlight should not fall on foliage and flowers; it is best to put pots with plants where the illumination is diffused. If the culture lacks the sun in the summer, it is advisable to build an artificial lighting. Do not place plants in areas where there are frequent drafts. That is why, even in summer, pots with these plants should not be taken out into the street even in the warm season.

Also, the house plant columnea cannot be placed on balconies, verandas. This plant feels best in the apartment. If we talk about the temperature regime, then in spring and summer + 22-27 degrees will be enough for this plant. If the room is very hot, then the humidity must be high. This helps the plant to cope with such unfavorable climatic conditions. And do not forget to spray the leaves of the plant in a particularly hot summer. But in autumn and winter, in order for new color buds to form more intensively, the plants are best placed in a cool place. At the same time, the air temperature should not be higher than plus 18 degrees, so you can artificially stimulate the formation of new shoots and flowers, which means that in the spring the plants will develop especially intensively. Usually, in their natural habitat, these vines grow in humid forests, which is why plants especially need high humidity.

In order for the columnea to grow successfully, they are sprayed with a spray bottle, and in order to ensure the optimal level of air humidity in the apartment, you can use an ordinary household humidifier. Thus, by creating special climatic conditions, this culture will feel the same as in its native humid tropics, which means that the indoor flower will grow and develop intensively. And often flower growers use the following secret, pots with lianas are placed on special trays, pre-filled with pebbles and filled with water.However, the bottom of the container should not come into contact with the liquid, so the water will simply evaporate next to the plant, and the soil will not become waterlogged. This way you can naturally take care of the humidity in the room.

In order to spray and water the plants, you should use settled water, moreover, it must be soft, from the increased lime content in the liquid, the plant may well die. Watering the culture is not very intensive, as needed. If water accumulates in the pan, then the irrigation intensity should be reduced. But it will be necessary to transplant flowers especially carefully and carefully, since the root system of the plant is quite fragile and sensitive. If there is no special need for a transplant, then this procedure is not necessary.

However, if you purchased a pot with a plant in a store, and over time the roots no longer fit in the container, then a transplant is still needed.

This procedure is carried out by rolling over an earthen coma, but be careful and careful not to injure the root system of the plant. It is best to grow both mature and young bushes in the same substrate, soil mixture. Flower pots should not be very high; it is advisable to lay large pebbles, broken rubble on the bottom. This drainage is necessary in order for excess moisture to drain well. The potting soil itself can be bought in a store, garden center, you will need to choose a soil for the epiphyte floor. However, you can completely prepare the soil yourself. To do this, you will need to mix sod and leafy soil, peat, add a little sand, coal and sphagnum there. After that, you can transplant the plants. This mixture is considered quite fertile, so it will not be necessary to feed the bushes soon. However, in warm weather, it is advisable to fertilize the flowers; for this, complex mineral dressings are used.

You can completely buy a ready-made mixture for flowering crops, it is advisable to pre-dissolve fertilizers in water and water the plants with the resulting solution. However, fertilizers should not fall directly on the foliage of the plant, this does not have a favorable effect on the development of the bush. And do not forget that the bushes also need timely pruning. And it is recommended to do this after the plant has faded. Thus, you can rejuvenate the plants, which means that the decorative properties of the shrub will become higher.

If you do not cut the columbia, then over time it will turn into an untidy plant, which means that the appearance of the bush will be unattractive. Excess foliage and wilted flowers must be removed, the shoots are not shortened much, but the bushes must still be cut regularly. Only proper care can ennoble a culture.

Reproduction of the columnea flower at home

Indoor flower Columbus: photo of a plant

Column can be propagated in several ways. The first of these is grafting. Cuttings should be harvested either in late winter or early spring. To do this, you will need to cut off young shoots, and the length of each shoot should be about 6 cm, it is advisable to remove all leaves from each cutting, leaving no more than 5 pieces. It is recommended to plant shoots in well-moistened soil, after adding a universal substrate - peat. Until the roots form, the cuttings will need to be kept in a warm place, and the cuttings also need good lighting.

Make sure that the soil is well moistened, water the cuttings on time, but there should be no stagnation of moisture, otherwise it will not have a favorable effect on the formation of roots. If leaf plates began to appear on the cuttings, then the cuttings were completed successfully.

The shoots can be planted in separate containers when a couple of leaves appear on each cuttings, and for planting it will be necessary to use the same soil mixture that is used to grow adult plants. You can propagate this plant through planting seeds, however, let's make a reservation right away, this is a more complicated procedure. If you decide to plant seeds, then be prepared for the fact that the germination rate of this planting material is low, which means that many sprouts may die during the growing process. Usually, this method is grown only by experienced flower growers. Seeds are planted at the end of winter, in order for the sprouts to develop and grow normally, you will need to create the most real greenhouse conditions. The soil mixture must be moistened, it will also be necessary to add sand and peat to the soil, it is recommended to level the soil surface, and distribute the seeds evenly over it. After that, you will need to pour a little substrate on top, it is recommended to cover the pots with glass or film. The seedlings are kept in a warm place, but do not forget to ventilate the crops daily, and also moisten the soil as necessary.

The first sprouts of the columnia plant usually begin to appear after 2 weeks, which means that it is time to rearrange the seedlings on the windowsill. However, direct sunlight should not fall on crops, this adversely affects the development of plants. If there are problems with lighting in your apartment, then you can highlight the seedlings. When several pairs of leaves are formed on the plant, the seedlings can be dived into separate individual containers. In the future, it is not recommended to transplant plants.

Columnea pests and diseases

Indoor flower Columbus: photo of a plant

Indoor flowers are not often affected by any diseases, but if you violate the rules for caring for plants, then plantings may well become infected with one or another infection. If, for example, you water the plants too abundantly, then due to stagnant moisture in the root part, gray rot will develop. In order to save the plants, you need to inspect the plantings in a timely manner, and when you find the first signs of such a lesion, you should cut off the infected parts of the plants, and treat the rest with a fungicidal preparation. This is especially true for the root system and foliage of the plant. After that, it is advisable to transplant the shrub into a new soil mixture. If the plant's entire root system decays, then it is advisable to cut off healthy shoots and root them through cuttings. You cannot save a diseased plant entirely. Sometimes various pests settle on the shoots of columnea, for example, spider mites, aphids, scale insects, as well as some other insects. If you find these pests on the plant, then treat the bush with insecticides in a timely manner, this usually helps, you can always easily buy the necessary preparations in a specialized agricultural store or garden center.

Columnea: species and varieties with names and photos

Columnea has many types and varieties, and today we will introduce you to the main ones, which are very popular with many flower growers.

• Columbus Carnival - this is the first variety of this culture, this plant has small, dark green leaves, however, the inconspicuous appearance is compensated by very spectacular flowers, which have a rich yellow color, a beautiful red frame is formed along the edge of the petals, which gives the flowers a special beauty and consistency.

Indoor flower Columbus Carnival: photo of a plant

• Columbus Allen - the second variety of this culture. The flowers of this plant are bright red, the culture also belongs to perennial species. The stems grow very quickly, the vines are voluminous and beautiful in length.
• Blood red columnea speaks for itself, its flowers have a deep red color.But on the inner surface of the leaves, interesting red spots are also formed that resemble splashes of blood, which is why this plant received such an entertaining name.

Indoor flower Columney blood-red: photo of a plant

• And here Glorious Column has very spectacular leaf plates, in which prolapse is observed, the flowers of this plant are also red with yellowish gleams.

Indoor flower of Columbus the Glorious: photo of a plant

• Another exotic variety of this culture is Columbus Shida. The flowers of these plants have an interesting spotted color, the color of the pile is pale red, slightly yellowish. All leaves are also quite long and fleshy, the flowers are evenly distributed along the entire length of the shoots, in appearance they are more than graceful.

Indoor flower of Columbus Shida: photo of a plant

Currently, there are other varieties of Columbus, we introduced you only to the most popular ones, if we are interested in you, then you may well study the varietal characteristics of other types of plants. And we have already told you how to grow these beautiful indoor flowers. We hope that the indoor flower of the columney will not give you any trouble.