From the rainforests of Brazil, this attractive flower came to Russia. At home, it is found as a shrub, shrub, herbaceous plant, and even in the form of an epiphyte plant living on another plant, but not feeding on it. It grows in nature up to 70 cm tall, at room conditions - it is a compact bush no higher than 25 cm with erect or slightly drooping stems.
The glacial hypocirrh, or naked, belongs to the Gesneriaceae family. The name "Hypocyrtos" comes from the Greek words: "hypo" - "bottom" and "cyrcos" - "curved", which is explained by the shape of the flower. It looks like a double: from the first with open petals, the second grows - tubular with fused petals.
Glaucus hypocyte blooms
The plant looks very decorative in the interior of the office, decorates the balcony in the summer, creates an atmosphere of comfort in a city apartment and a private house.
Short description
A guest from Latin America, who conquered lovers of flowering houseplants, is a flower of the hypocirot glabra. Its attention is drawn to its dark green, as if waxed, shiny dense oval leaves, on the underside of which there are hardly noticeable streaks of lilac tones. And the original form of a bright orange flower in the form of elongated sponges is striking in its resemblance to a goldfish. Flowers, the aroma of which is barely audible, are located on short pedicels in the axils of leaves with inflorescences of up to 3 pieces. In place of fading flowers, small boxes are formed in which small seeds ripen.
The plant has a highly branched thin, creeping shallow root surface of the earth.
Interior decoration - ampel variety
There are erect and ampelous varieties of a flower.
Home Care
Hypocirrh plant home care which will not be burdensome and does not take much time, is not too demanding.
Like any flower, he needs attention and care.
Caring for him includes:
- The right habitat for the season;
- Adequate watering;
- Full feeding;
- Frequent spring transplant;
- Compliance with the conditions of the rest period;
- Timely pruning of stems.
After flowering is easy to care for. Stalks are trimmed, removing half of them, which stimulates the appearance of new shoots and an increase in the number of flowers - buds are formed only on the stems of the first year of life.
Note! Missed pruning can cause a lack of flowering.
A properly organized dormant period is a guarantee of abundant flowering.
Sometimes the glaucus hypocyte is attacked by pests:
- Whiteflies;
- Spider mites;
- Scaffold.
The fight against them is carried out by insecticides: Karbofos, Akaritsidom.
The appearance of white plaque on the leaves signals the infection of the plant with powdery mildew. The salvation of hypocytes will be the removal of infected areas, the cessation of watering and treatment with fungicide.
Illumination
Bright, but diffused light is the main requirement for the illumination of a flower. Direct sunlight will harm him, placing in the shade will exclude flowering. Window sills of windows oriented to the southeast and southwest will be suitable for it. For ampelous varieties, room walls are suitable, where enough light falls.
In the summer of hypocirrh, the glabra will feel great in the shade in the fresh air. In winter, it is installed at home in a well-lit place. It is at the beginning of winter, when a very short daylight hours, flower buds are laid. The flower needs 12-14 hours of daylight, so it is extended using artificial illumination.
Additional Information. If the lighting is insufficient, the stems become long and thin, such a plant will bloom weakly. Installation for a long time in direct sunlight will cause yellowing and wilting of the leaves.
Watering
Hypocyte care for which includes watering, requires its abundance in spring and summer heat. When autumn comes, it is gradually being reduced. In winter (dormancy period of the plant), insignificant and careful watering is continued so that there is no complete drying out of the earthen coma.
For irrigation use only soft, settled water at room temperature.
Important! When watering, make sure that the water does not stagnate at the roots.
Excess moisture in the soil or fluid stagnation will lead to the appearance of brown or gray spots on the leaves, which indicates the occurrence of fungal diseases. Treatment with fungicides, removal of affected parts and placement of the plant in a drier and lighter place will solve the problem. The flower will respond to excessive watering by dropping leaves. Dropping buds also indicates excess watering.
Using too cold water and irregular watering will cause brown spots on the leaves.
Additional Information. The plant tolerates inadequate watering more easily, overflow of water will lead to serious problems.
Humidity
Tropical rainforests are the birthplace of the glacial hypocirrh; therefore, houses create conditions close to natural (with high humidity). This is achieved by placing nearby fountains, pallets with wet expanded clay, moss or water containers. A flower can serve as a decoration for the kitchen, a bright bathroom will also be a suitable place of residence, where all the necessary components are present: humidity, light, heat.
Growing new specimens from rooted cuttings
You should not resort to spraying too often. At low humidity, sparse flowering and yellowing of the leaves are observed. Excessive spraying of the leaves can cause fungal diseases.
Temperature
In the summer, a suitable temperature for the content of the flower is 20-25 ° C. In winter, the temperature is maintained at 12-14 ° C, it should not fall below 12 ° C.
Important! The main condition is to eliminate drafts and sudden changes in temperature.
Additional Information. Do not place the flower in a room with a working air conditioner or fan.
The hypocirr will drop buds or bloom weakly when the room is too cold.
If the dormant period took place in a warm, darkened place, flowering will also be sparse, and aphids will appear on the plant.
Drafts and sharp drops in temperature will cause dropping of leaves and lead to diseases.
Fertilizing and soil
From April to September, during intensive growth, fertilizing is carried out once every 10 days, using a solution of universal mineral fertilizers for indoor flowering plants.
Oversaturation of soil with fertilizers will lead to yellowing, loss of color of the leaves.
In spring, hypocyte is transplanted, the earth is selected for this moisture-permeable, light and loose, enriched with nutrients.
A mixture is prepared consisting of peat, leaf soil, coarse river sand, taken in a ratio of 1: 3: 0.5. It is advisable to add fern roots or crushed bark and charcoal.
Tip. Suitable for this purpose is the purchased primer for Saintpoly.
Transplant Features
Once every 2-3 years, always in spring, a slowly growing flower is transplanted. The pot is selected with holes on the bottom, flat and wide - the roots of the plant are located close to the surface.
A bulk layer of drainage is necessarily laid at the bottom to avoid stagnation of water. The soil purchased at the store or self-prepared soil mixture is poured. By way of transshipment transplanted into a new pot. Water and slightly compact the earth.
Breeding methods
A new instance is obtained in two ways:
- From cuttings;
- The seeds.
It’s easier and faster to grow a flower from a stalk. The seed method is much more difficult and time consuming.
Cuttings
The vegetative method of reproduction is more convenient and simple. Cuttings for this purpose are harvested from an adult plant in spring or early summer, when there is active growth, cutting off the upper part of a young non-flowering shoot with 4-5 internodes and removing 2 lower leaves.
Attracts attention with the original form of hypocirrhoid flower.
You can root the stalk by putting it in water until roots form, or directly plant it in moist soil from a mixture of peat and sand. The shank is deepened to the first sheet and covered with a film or a jar. The care is usual, as with any rooted cuttings: creating a greenhouse, airing, maintaining the temperature at 22-24 ° C.
After the appearance of long roots, the rooted stem is carefully transplanted into a separate container. To form a lush bush, pinch the top of the shoot, later the upper 1 or 2 internodes are sometimes cut off.
Seeds
For propagation, seeds purchased at a store or collected by one’s own hands are used.
Note! Seed germination is maintained for only six months.
For planting take a light substrate of peat. Seeds are laid out in shallow grooves, sprinkled with earth a little, sprayed with water from a spray bottle, covered with a film. Set in a bright, warm place. The emergence of seedlings is expected in 2-3 weeks. Upon reaching the height of 2-3 cm seedlings, they are thinned out and regularly ventilated, accustoming to fresh air. After a month after germination, the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.
An attractive plant with original flowers - Glotsa hypocirta, home care is extremely simple, and breeding is not difficult, is of interest to experienced professional growers and indoor plant lovers. The glossy surface of succulent dark green leaves sets off the brightness of the yellow-orange flowers of the beloved Tropicana.
