Description of the plant, tips for growing indoor synningia, recommendations for choosing soil, fertilizers and replanting, the possibility of self-propagation. Sinningia (Sinningia) is ranked among the very extensive Gesneriaceae family, which includes about 3200 species of dicotyledonous plants. Sinningia likes to settle in the forests on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, which are located in the central and southern regions of America, mainly in the areas of Brazil. There are about 65 species of this beautiful flower. It is often called gloxinia, as it happens in the scientific world, there is a lot of confusion here.
At the end of the 18th century, a beautiful flower in the form of a bell was discovered and described in the Brazilian forests, and the plant was named in honor of its discoverer, the Frenchman B. P. Gloxin - speckled gloxinia. Also "glocke" in translation from German means a bell, which well defines the shape of the flower. But later, another plant was found that very much resembled gloxinia, but had a root in the form of a tuber and some difference in the formation of a bud - it was called beautiful gloxinia. Then the same flower was described and as a new genus it was reckoned to the Gesnerian family and named synningia, in honor of the chief gardener in the botanical garden at the University of Bonn - Wilhelm Zenning, who lived in the 18th – 19th centuries. Later, it was accepted that all gloxinia, according to their characteristics, is fairly attributed to synningia, but since the plant has long been called "gloxinia", in many sources both names are still valid, but it is more correct to classify this flower as beautiful synningia.
The plant is considered a perennial and has a herbaceous and semi-shrub growth form. They are distinguished by rather large tubers and highly pubescent leaf plates. The diameter of the sinningia tubers can be measured as 40 cm, they give an annual growth of one-year practically non-branching upright shoots, reaching a length of one and a half meters in their natural environment. The leaf plates located on the petioles are most often elliptical or elongated. They are distinguished by their high density, sufficient pubescence, fleshiness and an edge with serrated teeth or irregularities. The arrangement of the leaves is very diverse: rosettes located directly above the tubers, in a group of 3 units, or leaves grow opposite each other.
In the process of flowering, a 15 cm long flowering stem begins to stretch right from the base of the leaves, which is crowned with buds of various shades: red, pink, orange, white or blue. Just like the leaves, the flowers differ in some pubescence, have the shape of a bell or a tube, which are divided into 5 parts closer to the edges of the petals. These parts appear lanceolate or triangular. In their shape, the flowers can be simple or double, and the color is not only monochromatic, it is speckled, with a yellowish tube bottom, with a contrasting edging and multi-colored halos.
After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a box with a cone-shaped shape, it is formed by a pair of carpels. The capsule contains multiple seeds of an elongated, dark color.
A certain classification has been introduced, according to which gloxinia are divided according to the height of the bush:
- Standard, leaf rosettes reach a diameter of 25–40 cm. The largest of the sinningia with a rosette of 60 cm was registered and it was distinguished by the simultaneous blossoming of 100 flowers. The pot must be taken in a section of 10–20 cm.
- Compact, the rosette can measure 15–25 cm in diameter, and the number of flowers in the release reaches 50 units. The capacity is selected from 10-15 cm in cross-section.
- Miniature or microminiature, with a diameter of a leaf rosette of 5-15 cm (for example, varieties Colorado Sunset, Ozark First Born). The container is taken with a diameter of 6-8 cm.
Creating conditions for growing sinningia indoors
- Lighting. Gloxinia loves most of all soft diffused light, it can withstand even light partial shade, therefore it is recommended to put the pot on all windows in the house, excluding only the southern direction. If the flower is on the windowsill of the southern exposure, then you need mandatory shading in the form of curtains made of light fabrics or you need to make curtains from gauze. You can also attach tracing paper or paper to the glass, which will help make the solar flux less aggressive. If the light for synningia is sufficient, then its rosette consists of leaves on short petioles and is compact. It is completely symmetrical, the leaf plates are upright, the flower buds open completely.
- Synningia content temperature. The plant feels very comfortable at room temperature values - 18-23 degrees. However, sometimes gloxinia can hold out even at +30 degrees, only for a plant this is a serious test and stress, while the turgor of the leaf plates is lost, they turn black, and the roots can simply boil and, as a result, rot. If this happens, then it is necessary to root the leaf so as not to lose gloxinia. The plant should be removed from the pot and check the condition of the tuber, if there are dead roots, then the flower must be freed from them and planted with subsequent control of watering and temperature.
- Air humidity. For gloxinia, moisture values of at least 20% should be adhered to. If the humidity is insufficient, then this can lead to the fact that the leaves begin to shrink and the tops dry out, and the buds fall off without opening. Since sinningia's leaf plates have a fluffy surface, it is not recommended to spray them. Dirt and dust are washed off under a shower of warm temperature, and after that the leaves must be thoroughly dried from moisture, blotting with paper napkins or towels. Until all the leaves are completely dry, the flower is not placed in the sun, so as not to cause sunburn.
- Watering gloxinia. As soon as the top layer of soil in the pot is completely dry, it is necessary to moisten. This operation should be performed in the morning hours, because if you water it in the evening, then overnight the heat indices may decrease, and this will provoke rotting of the roots. Often also use "bottom" watering, when the pot is placed in a bowl of water for 15 minutes, after this time the plant will absorb the required amount of moisture. Only in this case it is required that the drainage be made of moisture-retaining and moisture-conducting materials. Only warm water at room temperature (approximately 20-23 degrees) is used for irrigation. If additional fertilizing is added during moistening, then the temperature of the water should also be raised, then the nutrients will be better absorbed.
- Top dressing for a plant, it is necessary to perform only one and a half to two months after the change of the pot and substrate. Special dressings are required, in which there is a sufficient amount of phosphorus and potassium inclusions. Nitrogen compounds and trace elements are necessary to activate the growth of the flower. Phosphate fertilizers help gloxinia begin to bloom, otherwise its growth during this period may slow down. During active vegetation and in the process of flowering, fertilizing is applied regularly twice a month, alternating organic matter and mineral fertilizers. If you use vermicompost spraying in the evening on both sides of the leaf, then sinningia will grow well. However, if humus was added to it during the change of soil, then it is necessary to refuse liquid root fertilizing with organic matter. Generally, they choose complex fertilizers for flowering plants.
- Winter holidays" sinningia and storage of tubers. With the end of the autumn days, gloxinia stops blooming and begins to dry out gradually, this is due to a decrease in the duration of daylight hours. When the entire upper part of the plant dries up and withers away, the tubers must be dried at room temperature and stored in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator. It is important to withstand the temperature during the winter "dormancy" of 10-16 degrees, if it is lower, the nodules may freeze, and if it rises, they will not wake up in time. You can keep tubers in ziplock bags. During such storage, it is necessary to ensure that condensation does not collect in the bags. But many growers use different methods for storing gloxinia tubers: they can be wrapped in napkins, immersed in vermiculite, stored in coconut substrate, peat soil, and even sawdust. They also keep the tubers just in pots, but make sure that the soil in the flowerpot does not dry out and regularly moisten them with water at room temperature once a month to avoid drying out and their death. If sinningia is only one year old, then, as a rule, it does not dry out, but continues its growth, increasing the tuber mass. The storage time directly depends on the temperature of the content of the tubers, but usually it is up to 3 months. When roots appear on the tuber (more than 1 cm), then it is ready for planting.
- Change of soil and pot for gloxinia. When choosing a container, it is necessary to ensure that it does not exceed the size of the tuber by more than 3-4 times. If the pot is too large, then stagnation of water may begin in it, and as a result, rotting of the root system. But if the container is small, then the growth of the plant is inhibited, the earthen lump will quickly dry out and not saturate the flower with moisture. Most often, plastic pots are chosen for sinningia and only one tuber is planted in one container. The soil for transplanting gloxinia should be both loose and light, but also rich in nutrients. The primer is used with a slightly acidic reaction pH 5, 5-6, 5. You can use a commercially available substrate for Saintpaulias, for example "Violet".
Sometimes make up the soil mixture yourself from the following components:
- leafy ground, peat soil, any baking powder (perlite or vermiculite) in proportions 2: 4: 1);
- leafy soil, peat, river sand (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1);
- humus, leafy soil, coarse sand (in proportions 1: 2: 1).
Superphosphate is also added to the substrate at the rate of 1 tsp. for 10 liters of soil. If the peat soil is light and fibrous enough, then baking powder does not need to be added to the mixture.
Self-breeding gloxinia
You can get a new bush with beautiful flowers by planting seeds, using flower stalks, dividing a tuber or cutting a leaf or part of it.
Seeds can be obtained from the synningia of simple varieties, since terry plants simply do not have stamens, self-pollination does not occur. After this process, the fetus will ripen for 2-3 months. Peat is poured into the container and moistened a little, and then seeds are sown on top without covering them with a substrate. Seedlings appear very quickly, and as soon as the plant develops a pair of leaves, they must be dived into separate pots 6–8 cm in diameter. Flowering of such gloxinia occurs in 3-5 months.
When the flower dries up, the peduncle is cut off and placed in the water. After 3-5 weeks, tuber and small roots may form on it. Then the peduncle is placed in a sterile mixture (perlite or perlite with vermiculite and moss). After a month of growth, new synningia leaves will appear.
The tuber is divided into parts in spring, focusing on the number of dormant buds. It is cut into pieces with a sharp knife, so that each division has 1–2 points of growth. Places of incisions should be powdered with crushed activated charcoal or charcoal, and then dried for 10-15 minutes. The planting of the cut is done shallowly so that the sprouts are on top. But this method is very risky - you can lose the whole plant.
Leaves during grafting can be rooted both in water and in soil. When the roots appear, the cuttings are planted in a sand-peat mixture and stare into a mini-greenhouse (wrapped in a plastic bag). After 1, 5–3 months, “babies” will appear at the leaf cutting and they are seated separately after 3 pairs of leaves are formed.
Major Gloxinia Problems and Pest Control
Most often, synningia can be affected by a spider mite, scabbard, whitefly, mealybug. The plant immediately reacts with deformation and yellowing of the leaf plates, and a thin cobweb, sticky bloom or cotton-like formations appear. It is necessary to manually remove pests from leaves and stems using a cotton swab dipped in an oil, soap or alcohol solution. Then insecticide treatment is carried out.
Gray mold or powdery mildew can occur, and a whitish or gray coating appears on the leaves or stems. It is necessary to remove the parts of the plant that have been infected, and then treat with a systemic fungicide.
If the conditions of detention were violated, then the following may occur:
- brown spot on leaf plates after watering sinningia with cold water;
- yellowing of the leaves may be accompanied by an overdose of fertilizers, high humidity or too intense illumination;
- growth retardation begins with low light, a small amount of nutrients in the soil, air with low humidity and temperature, violation of conditions during the dormant period, excess nitrogen inclusions in top dressing;
- an elongated trunk, a rosette folding its leaves, their color becomes pale and unsaturated, the leaf plate becomes thinner, the peduncles droop and lengthen, and the buds do not fully open if there is not enough light;
- the appearance of a whitish spot on the leaf plates, their compaction (become very hard), the rosette seems to "thicken", the leaves do not completely straighten, and the peduncles cannot break through the leaf mass in too intense light.
Sinningia types
- Sinningia royal (Sinningia regina Sprague). In height, this variety of gloxinia reaches 10 cm. The stem is distinguished by some thickening and the presence of 4–5 leaf plates, oval in shape and velvety surface. Their color is deep emerald with a length of 20 cm. The upper part has a pattern of veins of a silvery shade, and the lower side is purple in color. Flowers drooping purple. Peduncles measure 20 cm in length and begin their growth from the leaf sinuses. The flowering process occurs in the summer months.
- Sinningia beautiful (Sinningia speciosa). It is similar to the previous species, but the shade of the leaves is more delicate and there is no pattern of silvery veins. The color of the buds can be purple, purple or bright scarlet.
- Sinningia tiny (Sinningia pusilla). This is a very small plant, reaching only 2.5 cm in height. The leaf plate is also oval and velvety, only 1 cm in length. The flowering stem is measured only 1.5 cm in height, it is crowned with only one bud. The color of the flower is purple on top, and whitish at the bottom. Blooming in the summer.
- Sinningia white-haired (Sinningia leucotricha). The plant has a bud in the form of an orange tube, reaching a length of 7.5 cm. The stem reaches 20 cm in height, the leaf plates measure 15 cm. The fluff has pubescence with silvery-white hairs. There are also small flowers of the same tubular shape, but their size is only 1 cm across in pinkish color.
How to care for gloxinia at home, learn from this video:
