Pumping stations

Calceolaria home care after flowering. Calceolaria - bright shoes

The calceolaria plant belongs to the norichnikov family, despite the fact that representatives of science from England attribute this subspecies to a separate family of plants. The genus includes about 400 varieties of the plant, which has found distribution on the South American continent and in the central part of America.

The flower was awarded a name, which in translation means a shoe. The genus includes herbaceous, semi-shrub and shrub plants. Also among them are perennials, annuals and biennials.

At home, a calceolaria flower can grow like an indoor one, as it involves growing like a herbaceous plant.

The most common plant species are hybrid calceolaria and wrinkled calceolaria. The calceolaria flower can reach a height of up to half a meter. Calceolaria leaves can be up to 10 cm long and are of the lanceolate, corrugated type. The color of the leaves is juicy green, and fluff can be seen on the lower part of the plate. You can grow calceolaria from seeds in specially created conditions, as well as in a room.

The plant is famous for its main advantage, thanks to which it became so famous - its flowers. Visually, they have a shape similar to a clog-type shoe. The flowers have a very juicy color of a catchy yellow hue, but can also be bright orange, white, red. You can find both flowers of a single tone of color, and with all sorts of inclusions.

The shape of the flower looks very curious. It is very reminiscent of lips: one of them is full, slightly swollen and rounded, and the second is smaller and almost invisible. When growing a plant at home indoor flower calceolaria begins to bloom in spring (April-May). Flowering lasts from several days to five weeks. One plant in this period is capable of producing about 50 open flowers, each of which will have a size of 3 to 6-7 cm.

How to care for a plant at home

When thinking about how to care for this plant, the most problematic issue is to ensure the most comfortable conditions for growing.

Caring for a calceolaria flower becomes even more difficult due to the fact that the plant categorically does not welcome hot weather and dry air. If we talk about an apartment that is not equipped with air conditioning or another air humidification system, in the summer the plant will suffer greatly from heat and drought.

Calceolaria at home responds positively to growing in the penumbra zone, and when choosing a place, you should stop at the north, east or northwest windows. Plant care should be carried out at a temperature of no more than 15-17 degrees. The air must be humidified, therefore we advise you to place pots with calceolaria as follows: put a pot or other container with a flower on a tray with a cushion of wet pebbles.

Watering the plant should be done with settled water with such regularity that the soil does not have time to dry completely.

At the end of the flowering period, you need to water the plant less and less, slowly reducing watering to the very minimum. So that the indoor flower does not wither from the dryness of the air, the container with calceolaria should be placed in a capacious pot, and a peat pad should be placed in the space between the sides of the container and the vase. Make sure the peat is saturated with moisture on an ongoing basis.

How to properly fertilize plants at home

Caring for this plant involves supplying it with additional feed using soluble mineral-containing fertilizers. The regularity of the procedure is at least twice a month. Care should be started in the form of top dressing after a few weeks from the day the calceolaria is planted until it blooms.

Care in the autumn and winter months is different in that the plant does not need to be fertilized. At the end of flowering, it must be cut off, then transferred for a month or a little more in a dark and humid place. It remains only from time to time to moisten the earth in a container with a plant.

As soon as the next shoot begins to grow at the calceolaria, it is imperative to increase the regularity of moistening the plant and slowly increase portions of water. In the future, the calceolaria should be put back in its original place and care should be started again in the form of mineral supplements.

How to transplant a plant?

Everyone should know this: if the plant has overwintered, it begins to go through a flowering period as much as 2 months earlier than the office grown from seeds this year. Wherein decorative properties last year's plants are strikingly lower than those of a newly planted or purchased one. It is for this reason that the masters of floristry and floriculture strongly advise adherents of this plant to purchase annually or independently engage in the cultivation of a new stationery.

Very often there is a controversial question on the topic: how to transplant a purchased plant? After all, it is planted in a technical pot, and you want to see it in your own - beautiful and decorative.

Solving this problem is not difficult:

take a new container for the plant, put drainage in it, not sparing;
after that, you need to carefully transfer the office and the earthen layer, which are in the technical mixture, into your decorative pot;
be sure to pour some heather earth or geranium substrate, this will allow you to eliminate unwanted holes;
soil can be purchased ready-made, but you can make a soil mixture yourself.

In order for the plant to adequately perceive care and not experience discomfort, it is necessary to include leaf and sod types of soil in the mixture, adding peat soil and ordinary sand to them.

whitefly.

Aphids on magnification

To combat aphids, you can try the most effective way - mechanical, that is, simply collect it and destroy it. If the damage to the plant is total, it is still worth giving preference to the chemical treatment of calceolaria. The chemical widely used by flower growers, Aktellik, will definitely help you with this. It is very effective against both the aggressive attack of aphids and the attack of the whitefly.

If the damage to the plant is fatal and the initial treatment does not give results, an additional spraying should be carried out after a few days. But keep in mind that the frequency of such approaches is strictly limited: you should not process the plant more than four times at a similar interval.

The plant does not attract many diseases, but it is worth taking care of it carefully. The only known dangerous disease for him is gray rot. Its development takes place at a time when the plant has been constantly consuming too much for a long time, and the temperature regime has been reduced.

Growing calceolaria involves the strictest adherence to the established rules of care. Otherwise, adverse consequences for the plant cannot be avoided. It is also worth monitoring the concentration of nitrogen, which is part of fertilizers. Even a slight excess can significantly weaken the plant. Rotting areas of calceolaria should be removed immediately with a sharp knife. After that, the plant must be well sprayed with Bordeaux composition. Oxyx, topaz, kuproskat and any other copper-containing agent are also suitable.

Growing calceolaria from seeds

You may not be aware, but grow given plant can be from seeds. You just need to purchase them at a retail outlet or prepare the mixture yourself. You will need sand, peat, subject to a ratio of 1 to 7. Then add ground chalk (in a very small amount) or dolomite flour. Calculate in the ratio of 10 g per 500 g of the mixture.

Growing calceolaria from seeds is not troublesome. The seeds of the plant are widely available commercially. They can be found at any specialized outlet, but it is even easier to order them on the Internet.

It is necessary to sow the seeds of calceolaria in April, and on a mixture that has been disinfected in advance by calcining and moistening. In the process, you should not embed them in the ground - you should cover the container with seeds with glass or film. Then, as needed, a layer of condensate is removed from them;
Seedings must be provided temperature regime up to 18 degrees, be in a place with good access to light. The room should be constantly ventilated, and the soil should be moistened by spraying;
After a few weeks, as soon as the first shoots appear, inter-row watering should be carried out (thin stream of water);

After a month, you need to carry out a primary dive, when the next 2 months pass and rosettes come out - a secondary dive. In its process, seedlings are planted in separate containers (diameter up to 8 cm), watered at intervals of 2 weeks;
When September comes, the seedlings need to be transplanted into containers of a larger diameter (up to 11 cm), and then put in a place with a temperature regime of up to 10 degrees and good lighting.

From this herbaceous perennial native to the warm regions of Central and South America during its flowering, it is impossible to take your eyes off. Calceolaria flowers are unusual in shape, reminiscent of a purse or a miniature slipper, and infinitely varied in color. In translation, its name sounds like this - “little shoe”. Planting and caring for calceolaria has its own characteristics for home conditions and for open ground, but in general they are not burdensome and, with a certain diligence and knowledge, a novice amateur can do it.

General description with photo

The genus Calceolaria belongs to the family of the same name. Despite the fact that in nature this plant is a perennial, in our climatic conditions it does not live long. When grown in open field used as an annual or biennial. In nature, calceolaria, depending on the variety, can take the form of not only grass, but also a shrub and even a shrub, but in our country it always grows compactly and usually does not exceed 30 cm (in rare cases 50 cm) neither in width nor in height .

The arrangement of bright green corrugated leaves is opposite or whorled. The flowers are bright, two-lipped, while the upper lip is tiny, and the lower lip is large, spherical, like a swollen hollow ball. Inside are only 2-3 stamens. On one bush there can be up to fifty small buds. Flowering is medium long, from 3 to 5 weeks. After it, in the place of each bud, a seed pod with very small seeds ripens.

Varieties of calceolaria with a photo

In total, in this rich family, biologists have up to four hundred varieties, the choice of which for home breeding, however, is very limited. Let's consider them in more detail.

Calceolaria wrinkled

A variety originally from Chile, very elegant and original. It is she who is most often found in home breeding. The stem of the plant is strongly branched, erect. This original flower can often be found on garden plots, where it is planted as a flowering summer. The flowers are bright yellow, sometimes with dark brown spots. With normal planting in the ground, flowering occurs in early summer, with seedling cultivation it can bloom almost a month earlier.

The best varieties of wrinkled calceolaria: Goldbukett (large inflorescences), Triomphe de Versailles (higher shoots and small flowers) and Sunset with its orange or deep red flowers, dwarf growth. This is a cold-resistant variety that can survive short-term frosts down to -5C.

Calceolaria purpurea

A large variety that grows up to half a meter. The basal leaves are toothed, the flowers are flattened-oblong, with a dark purple color.

Calceolaria mexican

In shady moisture-intensive places, this species can also stretch up to half a meter in height. The flowers are yellow, with a well-defined "bag" of the lower petal.

Calceolaria hybrid

This variety includes flowers obtained by the selection method with a large palette of colors. In addition to the variety of the basic tone of the petals, they have spectacular strokes, stains, dots, blots and other contrasting inclusions. The Dundee hybrid, which blooms in bright red, is very popular.

The plant is susceptible to fungal diseases, for this reason it is recommended to treat the plot or land in a pot with fungicides as a preventive measure.

Landing and care

For planting in open ground, you should choose a place that is moist and relatively shaded; calceolaria does not like the bright sun. IN wild nature it grows on wooded mountain slopes, but at the same time loves warmth.

Humidity

The moisture requirements of this crop are increased, and this moment presents a certain difficulty home cultivation, since this flower cannot be sprayed, this adversely affects appearance plants. High humidity will have to be provided by other methods, for example, by installing a tray with water or wet expanded clay next to it.

Temperature regime

Despite the fact that calceolaria is considered a heat-loving plant, it does not like heat in the apartment. Content within + 16 ... + 18C will be ideal for her. At elevated temperatures the plant is easily exposed to diseases and insect attacks, and can also turn yellow and lose foliage. In winter, it is advisable to lower the temperature by a few more degrees, for example, place a flower on a veranda or on a closed and relatively insulated loggia.

Lighting

The open sun for calceolaria is contraindicated. On the site, it is better for her to take a place with partial shading. And at home, place on the north, northwest or east window. She will feel good not on the windowsill, but not quite in the back of the room, because complete shading will lead to a lack of flowers. In winter, the plant should stand on the window or have artificial lighting.

A pot of calceolaria can be taken outdoors in summer, but drafts and wind should be carefully avoided.

soil mixture

As a houseplant, calceolaria can be planted in ready-made soil for flowering herbaceous crops. When preparing the soil mixture yourself, you need to take care of its moisture capacity and nutritional value. Good soil amendments are vermiculite, gutted moss, wood ash, or chopped pine needles.

Watering

Moisturizing should be moderate, but permanent. The maximum allowable drying of the soil during the budding period is 2 cm deep. At home, water should be warm and settled, especially with a sharp drop in its temperature from room temperature. During flowering, the bushes need to be watered once a week, but more frequent watering may be required in the heat. Water should not stagnate in the pan, this can lead to rotting or fungal infection of the roots. When flowering is over, watering becomes more moderate. If the flower is in the sun or grows in an open area, it should be watered frequently.

top dressing

An ideal fertilizer for calceolaria would be a liquid mineral complex. It should be applied no more than 2 times a month. After transplantation, the flower can be fertilized for the first time no earlier than 2 weeks later. In autumn and winter time top dressing is not required and can be harmful.

Reproduction of calceolaria

There are two simple ways planting this flower - seeds and vegetative division.

seeds

You can plant calceolaria at home at any time, but this is usually done in March or late summer. The soil should not be acidic and peaty. Before planting seeds, it must be calcined or spilled with a manganese solution. The seed material is very small (several thousand pieces for only 1 gram), so you just need to scatter it over the surface and not cover it with earth. It is enough to put a sheet of paper on top, which is periodically moistened so that the seeds do not crowd, but lie evenly. At this stage, the plant needs heat of at least + 19C. Watering should be done from a spray gun, the soil should not dry out. You will have to wait up to 2 weeks for seedlings.

As soon as the first pair of true leaves blooms, it is necessary to make a pick. The time for the second picking will come in 2 months, this time it should take place with pinching, and the transplant should be carried out in a container with a diameter of about 10 cm (several pieces). No more than three pairs of leaves should be left on each seedling to stimulate the awakening of new shoots. The final transplant to a permanent place is made when the plants are finally strong. The first flowering can be expected after 8-10 months.

cuttings

Cuttings are cut immediately after flowering, but they are best taken in February-March or late summer, in August. Cutting and planting is carried out according to the traditional scheme. Using a root biostimulator powder will speed up the process. Rooting time - about 2 months.

To get lush flowering, calceolaria is planted with several seedlings in one pot.

molding

For the beauty and splendor of the flower, calceolaria is recommended to be molded. This is done before the buds begin to form, by pinching the tops of the shoots. The lateral branches growing from the deciduous sinuses are subject to removal. The second method of molding is pinching the lateral shoots not to the very sinus, but with the preservation of a pair of leaves. This method will produce more buds, but they will be smaller. It is recommended to mold the plant every year or at least once every 2 years, since buds do not form on old shoots and flowering can become extremely scarce.

The botanical origin of calceolaria is South America, where over 400 species of this plant are found. In indoor gardening, several varieties are used, which are traditionally classified as norichnikovy family.

Description

Due to the intricate shape of the flower, the people called calceolaria "Magic Shoe" or "Slipper". The bud consists of two closed petals, the lower edge is in the form of a large bubble, and the upper part covers it. One gets the impression that the flower is a solid shape.

Calceolaria looks like a bush up to 40 cm in diameter with inflorescences from alternately opening buds. Flowering lasts from May to June, approximately 4 to 5 weeks.

Coloring can be very diverse:

Light yellow solid color
orange,
bright red
Cherry purple.

Many varieties are decorated with dark dots, splashes, small spots.

Bush - compact, with pubescent leaves of a rounded shape. At home, it is used as a biennial plant. However, growing calceolaria in apartments can be difficult because the flower loves coolness., this is not always possible at home.

Species and varieties with photos

Of the many botanical species in indoor floriculture several varieties are popular:

Calceolaria wrinkled,
Mexican calceolaria,
Calceolaria purpurea,
Calceolaria hybrida,
Calceolaria multiflora.

wrinkled calceolaria - Calceolaria rugosa

Spreading flexible shoots hang randomly within a radius of 40 - 50 cm. The leaves are small, narrow, pale green. The stems are decorated with spongy small flowers.

At varieties Goldbuckett bright buds yellow color, closely adjacent to each other.

Sunset Hybrid differs in large and loose flowers on compact shoots up to 30 cm long. Coloring is fiery orange.

Mexican calceolaria - Calceolaria mexicana

The bush forms strongly branched stems, on each of which, several inflorescences of yellow color bloom. The shape of each flower is two-lipped, consists of two tightly closed petals. The size of the bud is 5 cm in diameter.

It is successfully used in garden gardening as an annual. Often planted in borders, with a strip of 30 - 50 cm.

Calceolaria purple - Calceolaria purpurea Graham

Of all indoor species, this is the largest, bush height - 50 cm.

The dark green leaves are rounded, with serrated edges and a sharp end in the center.

Flowers with an elongated lower lip are distinguished by a lilac-purple color.

The size of the bud is 2 - 3 cm.

Calceolaria hybrid - Calceolaria herbeohybrida

The most numerous species, or rather a collection of varieties, which combined several spectacular breeding hybrids with white, yellow, red flowers.

Some have two- and three-color spotting.

They are the most popular in indoor floriculture.

For example, hybrids include such varieties as calceolaria crenate-flowered, calceolaria deinti mix, Danti F1.

Calceolaria multiflora - Calceolaria multiflora

Fully corresponds to the name, because it has the largest and most dense flowers of all varieties and species. The color of the slightly open spongy petals is a monochromatic carmine color, with bright yellow fluffy stamens.

Growing from seeds

Usually calceolaria is used as a disposable plant. Throw it away after flowering. If there is a desire to save a flower, it is propagated by seeds. Sowing time - mid-June, then the calceolaria will bloom in May next year.

Sowing is carried out in this order:

Mature grains are sown in a dish 10 cm high, which is pre-filled with a substrate of leafy soil, grassroots peat, humus, sand in a ratio of 2:2:2:1.
Seeds are carefully applied to the surface of the moistened mixture without sprinkling them.
From above, the sowing is covered with glass or plastic wrap and left in a well-lit place with a temperature of +18 0 - +20 0.
Seedlings are constantly ventilated, preventing moisture stagnation.

Carefully! Do not allow condensation to inside covers (or films) fell on the seedlings, otherwise they will rot!

Shoots appear in 10-15 days. When the second true leaf appears on the sprouts, the first pick is carried out. The next time the procedure is carried out, it will be needed in one and a half, two months.

Landing

The plant is planted in an individual pot 100-120 days after sowing. Flowering occurs after 8 - 9 months.

For growing calceolaria prepare soil substrate, which includes:

Ground peat - 7 parts,
Coarse-grained sand - 1 part.

The mixture is thoroughly mixed and placed in a pot, at the bottom of which there is a drainage layer of expanded clay. It removes excess water when watering.

Care

Calceolaria needs gentle watering, timely feeding, observing the light regime and maintaining optimal humidity air.

It reacts painfully to unsuitable conditions - it does not bloom. Under unfavorable conditions, it dies.

Lighting

Like any flowering culture, it requires enough light, but categorically does not tolerate direct rays and the scorching sun. Optimal location- this is the northeast or northwest side, where there is a natural shadow in the morning or in the afternoon.

It is better not to use the southern window sill at all. If there is no other way out, you need to arrange shading or create diffused lighting.

in winter calceolaria is illuminated with fluorescent lamps up to a total duration of 8 hours.

In summer they take it out to a shaded balcony, under a terrace canopy.

Temperature

All types and varieties do not tolerate excessive heat. At +23 0 and above, the plant suffers and rapidly ages. With prolonged drought, it dies.

During the period of active growth from March to June, maintain the temperature + 15 0 – +18 0 .

From autumn to spring, it is necessary to create conditions from +12 0 to + 17 0 .

Humidity

One of the most important conditions for successful growth and flowering is maintaining relative humidity.

Attention! Sharp fluctuations should not be allowed. Indicators are supported within the limits from 45% to 70%. Lower or higher are detrimental to the plant.

With a humidity of less than forty-five percent, the plant quickly withers and dries. With an excess of moisture, the leaves are affected by aphids, and the roots rot.

Watering, fertilizer

Optimal irrigation is keeping the substrate moist. Sharp changes in dry and wet soil are unacceptable. The bush is watered abundantly so that the water completely moistens the earthen ball and goes into the pan. Excess moisture must be drained, sometimes it has to be done several times.

The next session will be needed when the top layer of the substrate dries out.

Important! For irrigation use soft, settled water, at room temperature.

When planting young plants, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are added to the substrate for rooting. They are successfully replaced by wood ash.

In autumn, feeding is stopped until the end of February. With the onset of spring, they make a complex fertilizer for flowering indoor plants. Sessions are repeated every 2 weeks.

crown formation

As soon as the lower leaves grow densely, I hang from the pot, they are removed. Petioles break off to the base of the outlet. If this is not done, the green mass will take away nutrients and flower buds will not form.

Calceolaria has a tendency to roll over on its side. To prevent this from happening, the bush is propped up with special pegs that support and guide the crown.

When buds appear, you need to make sure that the leaves do not crawl on the inflorescences. If necessary excess plates are carefully broken off.

Transfer

Here's how it's done:

With the advent of sprouts, the calceolaria is transferred to a larger container for transshipment. At the end of summer, beginning of winter put on the windowsill. Then flowering occurs in March of the next year, 2 months earlier than that of the sowing plant.

Reproduction by cuttings

Vegetative propagation is started in August or carried out in February, March of the next year.

The green stalk is dusted with root powder or soaked in a solution for 9 to 12 hours.
In a peat-sand substrate 1: 1, with a pencil, make indentations of 1.5 - 2 cm.
The cuttings are placed in the holes and pressed lightly.
The greenhouse is covered with a transparent lid or film.

Sprouted plants are planted in pots when the third, fourth real leaves appear.

Possible difficulties

Calceolaria is prone to infection with fungal diseases, especially gray mold.

To prevent the spread of infection, you need to adhere to optimal watering, prevent stagnation of moisture and oversaturation of the soil with nitrogen.

In case of disease, it is better to cut off the damaged areas of the plant and transplant it into another soil. For the prevention and control of pathogens, EM drugs (effective microorganisms) are used. They improve the quality of the soil substrate, and inhibit the growth of pathogenic flora.

Necessary strictly adhere to the rules of care, prevent dry soil or stagnant water, provide good lighting and low temperature.

From the video you will learn about the secrets of amateur flower growers for growing this beautiful plant:

Calceolaria is 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 for 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 a year later the plant is completely pruned, and the pot is placed 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 planted already in fixed capacity- pots 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 troublesome, 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:

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.
Flowering can occur only 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.
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.
Watering should be moderate - when pouring big amount water root system will begin to rot, and the shoe 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.
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.

Calceolaria is an exotic plant native to the forests of Central and South America, which has about 400 varieties. "Calceolaria" in Latin means "slipper". Indeed, calceolaria flowers, unusual in shape, look like a slipper or a wallet. Among the people you can hear another name for this plant - "office" or "clerk".

Herbaceous plants of the genus Calceolariae are shrubs and semi-shrubs, annuals and perennials, garden and indoor plants. Indoor calceolaria is usually an annual plant, it can bloom in the second year, but not so plentifully, with a loss of decorativeness. Subject to the rules of care and maintenance, Calceolaria will please with abundant flowering and a beautiful decorative look.

Calceolaria forms a bush about 30-50 cm high and wide. The leaves of the plant are lanceolate, corrugated, bright green in color, slightly pubescent on the reverse side, 5-10 cm long (see photo).

Flowers in shape resemble shoes, each consists of two parts - one large, spherical, and the other small, barely noticeable. Flowering occurs in April - May and lasts from 3 to 5 weeks. Up to 50 flowers can appear on one bush, ranging in size from 2.5 to 6 cm. The color of the flowers is varied - yellow, red, white, orange, plain, speckled or striped.

There are two groups of calceolaria:

Herbaceous annual (biennial) calceolaria with large bright flowers of various colors. They are suitable for indoor use.
Shrub perennial calceolaria with small flowers are suitable for indoor and balcony maintenance, as well as for planting in open ground.

Varieties of Calceolaria

Calceolaria hybrid. This is the most common type of plant for growing at home. Is different beautiful flowers varied coloration. They can be yellow, white, red and orange. Often, flowers adorn dots, stains, spots of a contrasting color. And it also happens that flowers of different colors bloom on one plant. They are the most capricious and require a lower temperature; in a warm room, the flowers become plain.
Calceolaria purpurea. Herbaceous perennial, reaching a height of up to 50 cm. The flowers are small, purple-red in color with an oblong furrowed lip.
Mexican calceolaria. Its flowers are very small about 5 mm, yellow in color, they look like small Chinese lanterns.
Calceolaria wrinkled or whole-leaved. Its feature is abundant flowering and plant height - up to 1.5 meters. The red color of the flowers gradually turns to yellow. This perennial species, which in southern regions grown in open ground, and in the northern room conditions.
Calceolaria multirooted. It has a liana-like creeping stem, yellow inflorescences, can be grown both in the garden and indoors.
Miniature Calceolaria Darwin. It grows no higher than 12 cm, the flowers are yellow with brown spots.
Calceolaria thin. Differs in lemon-colored flowers and an average height of a bush - 35-40 cm. It can be grown in open ground and at room conditions.
Calceolaria is tender. The plant is miniature in size - 6-8 cm in height. Golden yellow flowers with red dashes coming from the center.

Choice of location and conditions of detention

Calceolaria is a very capricious plant, it needs light, but not direct sunlight, it needs a constant temperature of about +15 degrees, so flower growers advise placing plant pots on the northern, eastern and western window sills. In summer, they can be put on a balcony or loggia in places protected from sunlight.

The plant loves diffused light, it must be blocked from the sun with paper or mesh cloth. During flowering, the plant should be in the shade, and in winter period it must be illuminated with special lamps.

Temperature in summer time should not rise above +15-+17 degrees, otherwise the plant will begin to age quickly and diseases and pests may appear on it. In winter, the air temperature should not be lower than + 9- + 15 degrees. At higher temperatures and dry air, leaves and buds may fall off the plant.

Around the calceolaria, you should try to maintain high humidity. To do this, it is recommended to spray the air around the flower with water at room temperature from a spray bottle. At the same time, water droplets should not be allowed to fall on leaves or flowers. The pot can be placed in a bowl or pan with expanded clay and water poured to the bottom. So the flower will receive the necessary moisture.

It is preferable to choose clay or ceramic pots for planting, with a capacity of 0.8-1.2 liters with drainage holes.

The potting mix can be purchased at the store or you can make your own with 2 parts leafy soil, 2 parts soddy soil, 1 part peat soil, and ½ part sand.

Reproduction methods

Calceolaria is propagated by seeds or cuttings. indoor views most commonly grown from seed. Seeds are purchased in specialized stores, and the soil mixture for sowing is also bought there. You can cook it yourself by mixing sand with peat in a ratio of 1: 7.

Sowing seeds is carried out in April according to the following scheme:

The prepared substrate is calcined and moistened.
Seeds of calceolaria must be mixed with talc before sowing.
Pour the seeds on top, without digging into the ground, and cover with glass or film.
Periodically remove the resulting condensate.
In a well-lit room with crops, maintain a temperature of +18 degrees.
Air and moisten the soil by spraying from time to time.
After 2 weeks shoots appear, and they should be watered in a thin stream between the rows.
A month later, the seedlings dive.
After 2 months, dive again into separate pots with a diameter of 7 cm. They should be watered once every 2 weeks.
In September, the seedlings are transplanted into pots with a diameter of 9-11 cm and placed in a bright and cool room with a temperature of +8-+9 degrees before planting.

Cuttings are obtained after pruning calceolaria for the winter. They can be cut in August or in February-March. The cuttings are rooted in nutrient soil mixture in pots. Roots usually appear in 4-5 weeks. To get a beautiful thick bush, several cuttings are planted in one pot.

According to the observations of flower growers, plants obtained from seeds bloom faster and produce more buds than those obtained from cuttings.

Landing

Grown from seeds or acquired seedlings, or rooted cuttings are transplanted into a pot or planter in January-February:

At the bottom of the tank it is necessary to pour a layer of drainage from expanded clay or broken brick, 1 cm thick.
Then the seedling is transferred with a clod of earth and the prepared substrate is sprinkled.
Lightly tamp and water.
Seedlings pinch, leaving 3-4 leaves.

Care

Watering is done often and little by little, preventing the clod of earth from drying out in a pot. Water should be at room temperature, previously settled. Excess water from the pan must be drained immediately. In summer, during the flowering period, the plant is watered more often, in winter, during the dormant period, less often.
Top dressing is carried out 2 weeks after planting or transplanting a flower. 2-3 times a month they are fed with special mineral mixtures. At the end of flowering, top dressing is stopped.
Cutting is done with early age calceolaria to obtain a beautiful strong plant with large numerous flowers. Calceolaria can be grown in pots, as ampelous plant, then you need circular supports. At the end of flowering, the plant is pruned, leaving shoots 15-20 cm high.
Care after flowering. The maximum life of calceolaria in room conditions is 2 years. But usually in the first year after the end of flowering, it is thrown away and sown or bought a new one. If it is decided to leave the plant for the second year, then after the end of flowering, the bush is cut off, leaving 15-20 cm each, and transferred to a cool room until spring. Periodically moisten the soil, preventing the earthen clod from drying out. In the spring, when new shoots appear, the flower pot is transferred to a permanent place. In the second year, calceolaria usually blooms earlier, but flowering is no longer as abundant as in the first year, the flowers are smaller, the shoots are longer, it decorative look thereby worsens.

Diseases and pests

Most dangerous disease for calceolaria it is gray rot. It occurs if the plant has been too moist for a long time, has been in a room with a low temperature and high humidity air. To maintain the health of the plant, it is necessary to strictly follow all recommendations regarding the conditions of detention.

If there is too much nitrogen in the soil, then the plant can be affected by gray mold. In this case, the diseased areas are removed sharp knife and burned, and the plant is treated with Bordeaux mixture or other copper-containing preparations.

Of the insect pests, the most dangerous for calceolaria are aphids and whiteflies. It is possible to collect aphids with your hands, and treat the plant with Actellik. Whiteflies can also be killed with this drug. If one spraying was not enough, then you can repeat the procedure.

With insufficient watering and strong heat, the leaves of calceolaria can wither. In this case, it is necessary to increase watering.
At high temperatures in the room, accelerated aging of the plant occurs. We must try to reduce the temperature environment using an air conditioner or transfer the flower to a cool room.
Waterlogging the plant leads to rotting of the roots, yellowing and falling of the foliage. It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the soil and avoid excessive watering.
For better hydration, the calceolaria pot is placed in another larger pot. And in between lay peat with expanded clay. In this way, the required degree of moisture of the plant is achieved.
Strict adherence to all recommendations for care will save you from troubles, and allow calceolaria to have a beautiful view and delight in lush flowering.