Episcia - perennial ornamental deciduous plant from the Gesneriaceae family. Valued for a variety of unusual leaf colors: raspberry with silver venation, light green with a coral pattern, rich green with copper veins.
Leaves elliptical with a slight pubescence. On leafless lateral shoots, the plant forms rosettes that are used for reproduction. The flowers are solitary, located in the axils of the leaves. Homeland descriptions of the tropical regions of Central and South America.
Also see how to grow indoor hirita and columna.
Low growth rate. | |
It blooms from late spring to early autumn. | |
The plant is easy to grow indoors. | |
It is advisable to update every 3 years. |
Beneficial features
It has the ability to clean the air, saturating it with oxygen. The vitality of this miniature plant is conducive to creative work and brings the joy of being. That is why the description is great for offices and workrooms. To improve relations between spouses, the plant is recommended to be placed in the bedroom.
Features of growing at home. Briefly
Home-based writing needs some care:
Temperature mode | Throughout the year, 23-25 °. |
Air humidity | Needs constant spraying. |
Lighting | Broken, windows of eastern or western orientation. |
Watering | Regular, moderate. The soil should never dry out. |
Priming | Light, breathable substrate with a slightly acidic reaction. |
Fertilizer and fertilizer | In the spring-summer period 1 time per month. |
Episplant Transplant | In the spring, every 2-3 years. |
Breeding | Rooting mustache and cuttings, sowing seeds. |
Growing Features | He likes airing, but does not tolerate drafts. |
Description: home care. In detail
Caring for the description in the room is not particularly difficult. Even a child can cope with the cultivation of this plant.
Bloom
The flowering period of the epistomy lasts from late spring to autumn. Tubular flowers, depending on the species, may be red, white, lilac or yellow. With proper care, it blooms very abundantly. Small bell-shaped flowers almost completely cover the plant.
Why doesn’t the bloom?
May refuse to bloom when there is a lack of light and non-compliance with the irrigation regime. The pot with the plant must be rearranged in a lighter place, while organizing timely watering. When fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers, the plant grows a large number of leaves to the detriment of flowering. In this case, fertilizer must be temporarily stopped.
Temperature mode
The home description is grown at a temperature of + 23-25 °. When reduced to + 15 °, the plant begins to die. The risk of developing various putrefactive diseases also increases.
The plant should be protected from drafts and sudden temperature changes.
Spraying
Like most people from the tropics, it needs high humidity. At the same time, it is extremely undesirable to spray the plant itself. Hairy leaves from direct contact with water quickly rot. To increase the level of humidity, a pot with a plant is installed on a pallet with wet expanded clay or moss.
Lighting
A plant description is grown under diffuse lighting. For its placement, windows of eastern and western orientation are well suited. On the south side, the plant must be shaded.
Watering
Episcia needs regular, plentiful watering. The soil in the pot should never dry out. It is very important to prevent stagnation of water in the pan.
1-2 after watering an hour, the remaining moisture must be drained.
Pot
The description has a fibrous, well-developed root system located in the upper soil layer. Therefore, wide and shallow pots are best suited for its cultivation. The main requirement for them is the presence of a sufficient number of drainage holes.
Priming
Indoor plants are grown in light, nutritious soil. It can be composed of equal parts of humus, peat, sheet land and perlite. For cultivation, you can also use ready-made industrial substrate for universal use with the addition of clean river sand.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
During the period of intensive growth, the description is fed once a month. When choosing fertilizers, preference is given to the phosphorus-potassium complex. Nitrogen is required in very small doses.
Transfer
The transplantation of an epistemia takes place as it grows. On average, adult plants are transplanted no more than 1 time in 2-3 years. The roots are quite fragile, so the plant is simply gently transferred to a slightly larger container.
Pruning
It is necessary to constantly form. Its creeping sockets tend to take root very quickly, while forming sloppy thickets. Too long, actively growing shoots with sharp scissors shorten about a third. At the same time, it is also necessary to periodically pluck out part of the outlets, preventing them from growing to the soil surface.
Rest period
There is no pronounced period of rest in the description. If there is enough light in the winter, the plant continues to develop rapidly. In addition, a decrease in temperature even to + 15 ° is simply fatal.
Growing an Essence from Seeds
It is easy enough to grow from seeds, but it should be borne in mind that some of the varietal traits may be lost. Their sowing is carried out in late January or February. In this case, the plants bloom in the summer of the same year. Sowing seeds is carried out in a loose, nutritious substrate without subsequent incorporation.
On top of the container is covered with a piece of glass or film. The temperature must be maintained at + 20 °. The first shoots appear after 2 weeks.
Seedlings develop intensively, after 2-3 weeks they can already be dived.
Leaf propagation
If necessary, the description can be propagated by leaf. To do this, you need a loose, nutritious soil and a small plastic container. A leaf from a well-developed, healthy plant after preliminary drying is planted to a depth of 0.5 cm. For rooting, it may take from one to two months.
Propagation by root shoots
Strongly grown bushes of the description can be used for reproduction. During a planned transplant, small parts are carefully separated from them, which are immediately planted in separate containers.
How to root side outlets in water?
The rooting of the side outlets is carried out without separation from the mother plant. Their lower part is simply immersed in a container of water. After root development, the rosette is cut from the shoot and planted in the ground.
How to root side outlets in the substrate?
Without separating from the mother plant, the side outlet is instilled in a nearby container. After it starts to grow, the shoot is cut off.
Diseases and Pests
Failure to comply with the conditions for care may result in a number of problems:
- Dry spots on the leaves. Most often they are a consequence of the ingress of cold water during irrigation. Watering is necessary along the edge of the pot with warm, previously settled water.
- Slowly growing. The problem occurs with a lack of moisture. It is necessary to strictly observe the irrigation regime and not allow strong drying of the soil.
- Stems are pulled. Fading leaves and stretching shoots are observed with a constant lack of lighting. The pot with the plant must be rearranged in a brighter place, shortening the elongated shoots by about a third.
- The leaves are curled. So the plant responds to low humidity. The pot with the plant must be rearranged on a pallet with moist expanded clay, and the air around the plant should be periodically sprayed from a small spray bottle.
- The tips of the leaves are dry. The death of the ends of the leaf blades occurs due to too dry air. Perhaps the plant was placed next to a radiator or other heat source. The pot needs to be moved to a more suitable place.
- The leaves turn yellow and rot. Such signs indicate a gulf of the plant. Check for drainage holes.
- I became lethargic. Most likely, the plant was kept under conditions of low temperature and high humidity. To save the episode, it is necessary to carry out cuttings.
- Brown spots on the leaves. This is how sunburns appear. The plant must be rearranged in a place with diffuse lighting or arrange shading.
- Leaves turn yellow descriptions. With prolonged heat and low humidity, the leaf plates begin to turn yellow. It is necessary to adjust the conditions of detention.
- Gray plaque on the leaves indicates the development of a fungal disease. The plant must be treated with fungicides.
Of the pests, the most common are: spider mite, scale insects, mealybug. Insecticides are used to combat them.
Types of homemade episodes with photos and names
In indoor culture, the following species are most prevalent:
Copper or Copper Red
A view with large, velvet leaves with a silver pattern. The main color of the leaf plates is deep green with a characteristic copper tint. Flowers about 2 cm in size, bright red with an orange lip.
Silver shine
The leaves are silver in color, large, well pubescent with pronounced veins of light green color. The flowers are orange-red.
Purple
Reddish-violet leaves. The flowers are quite large, pale lilac or lavender.
Blue nile
Varietal variety of violet. It differs in large flowers of soft lilac color. The leaves are very pubescent with a specific venation of olive color.
Silver skies
A fast-growing variety with original silver foliage. The flowers are bright orange.
Carnation or Carnation
Ampel variety with leaves of a bluish-green color. Leaf-shaped ovate plates no larger than 3 cm in size. Due to the characteristic dissection of the petals, the flowers look like miniature carnations.
Creeping
Ampel form with long flexible stems. Leaves are oblong up to 10 cm long. In partial shade, the leaves are silver in color, with more intense light, they acquire a brown tint.
Pink Panther
Varietal variety, appreciated for the undemanding to growing conditions. The leaves are large, saturated emerald color. In intense light, they get a copper tint.
Chocolate soldier
A very interesting variety with chocolate shade leaves. Silver stains are present on the surface of the sheet plates. The flowers are maroon, small.
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