Signs of the plant, place of growth, tips for care, recommendations for transplanting and reproduction, problems with indoor cultivation, species. Khirita (Chirita) is a part of flowering plants from the Gesneriaceae family, which combines about 180 more species of flora. Today the genus of Hirita is divided into three groups: Chirita, Microchirita and Gibbosaccus. The homeland of this delicate flower is considered to be the territories of Mexico, the central and southern regions of the American continent, as well as the West Indies. The genus bears its name in honor of Konrad Gesner, a physician, philologist and naturalist from Switzerland, who lived in the 16th century.
The earliest written description of hirita was made in 1822 by the scientist D. Don, who combined a small group of plants from the Himalayan mountains. It was based on an unpublished Bucchan-Hamilton manuscript. The flower is named after the local name of one of the representatives of this genus. Often this plant can be found under different synonyms, so it is mentioned "chirita", "herita", "cherita", but sometimes it is called "primulina", probably because of the similarity of flowers. For a long time, hiritu and such a plant as didimocarpus were not distinguished. It was only in 1954 that Byron Lawrence Burt (B. L. Burtt) chose Chirita urticifolia among all varieties as a typical species for the genus. In 1980, another description of all hiritis was made and it is still not finished yet.
Khirita is a plant of various forms of growth: it can be herbaceous or bushy representatives of the flora of the planet, they grow as one year, and are perennials. The leaf plates form a large or compact rosette. It can have one or more growth points. The height of the rosette varies from 5 to 10 cm. The plant may have a stem, or its complete absence occurs. The leaf plates also have various shapes from elongated lanceolate to oval-elongated. Most often, they have gentle pubescence, but there are forms with a glossy sheet surface. The size of the leaves can be measured as 8 cm and up to 15 cm.
The flowering of hirita begins when it already has 4–5 pairs of leaf plates. First, flowering stems appear in their axils, and then numerous buds form on them. The flower has a tubular-elongated shape with a limb at the top. Usually there are 5 rounded lobes. The bud looks like a bell. Its color is very diverse: snow white, creamy yellow, bright yellowish, lavender or pink, there are varieties with contrasting stripes or spots on the lower petals or a brightly colored pharynx.
After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a box, which is similar in shape to the fruitlets of streptocarpus. In length, it reaches 5-6 cm. Inside there are small seeds.
The popularity of growing this gentle and unpretentious plant is gaining momentum, as it attracts not only with its flowering, but also with the beauty of decorative leaves.
Tips for growing hirita, home care
- Lighting and location for the flower. The plant loves diffused light, but bright sunlight can cause burns on the leaves. Therefore, for cultivation, it is necessary to install a pot of hirita on the window sills, facing the east and west sides of the world.
- Content temperature in the summer period it should vary within 20-25 degrees, and in the winter months it should not fall below 15 degrees. At lower heat values, the plant will simply die. It is required to protect from drafts.
- Air humidity when caring for hirita, it plays an important role, but it is necessary to refrain from spraying the plant, since it is covered with pubescence and drops of moisture falling on the leaves can leave stains or lead to decay. It is required to spray the air around the bush or put the flowerpot in a deep container, at the bottom of which a layer of expanded clay is poured and a little water is poured, but the bottom of the pot should not touch it.
- Fertilizer carried out once a month from spring to autumn months with liquid solutions, the dose is diluted in two.
- Watering hirita during flowering is done every 2 days, but the soil should dry out a little. In the autumn-winter period, moisturize only once a month. Use soft warm water.
- Transplantation and choice of substrate. The plant does not need a transplant, especially if it is annual, adult specimens need to change the pot and substrate every 2-3 years. It is recommended that the container size is smaller than the diameter of the rosette. The container is chosen wider than deep. In the flowerpot, a layer of expanded clay or pebbles must be laid on the bottom, and drain holes must also be made in the bottom.
To change the substrate, light soils with good water and air permeability are selected. You can use ready-made soils for synpoli, but many growers make up their own soil mixtures:
- leafy soil, soddy soil and river sand (in a ratio of 2: 1: 0, 5);
- leafy soil, sod, humus soil and coarse sand (in proportions 2: 3: 1: 1).
Breeding recommendations for chirits
A new plant is obtained by planting seed or vegetatively (blackening).
If the chirita is an annual, then it is quite possible to reproduce by planting seeds. The operation of planting seed is best carried out in February. The seeds are placed in a moist substrate and are not covered with soil, since germination occurs on the soil surface. The container with crops must be covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in plastic wrap - this will create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with high levels of moisture and heat. If the temperature is kept constantly within the range of 24-26 degrees, then the first entrances will appear already on the 12-14th day. If the temperatures are not so high, then the seedlings can hatch after only a month and their growth is not very friendly. It is necessary in the process of germination not to forget to regularly moisten the dried soil from a spray bottle and ventilate the seedlings.
When the seedlings are old enough, they need to provide them with a day length of about 12 hours and the lighting should be diffused, without direct UV fluxes that will burn young leaves. When the seedlings grow well, it is better to moisten the soil using a syringe or syringe so that moisture droplets do not fall on the delicate leaves of the hirita, otherwise they can rot.
When the seedlings develop cotyledonous leaves, it is recommended to carry out a neat pick in separate containers, but if the number of seedlings is not large, then transplantation can be carried out when each plant appears and develops the first true leaf blade. When diving, care must be taken, since the leaves are very fragile, but if there is a break or break, then you need to remove this leaf or part of it, and sprinkle the place of the break with activated or charcoal crushed into powder.
Perennial plants can be propagated by seed or new hiritu can be grown from leaf cuttings. To do this, you must use a healthy and well-formed leaf, but not an old one. Cut with a blade and leave to dry. After that, the cut part is treated with a fungicide and planted completely in the substrate vertically or its top is cut off (this is to stop the growth of the leaf itself). From above, the stalk is covered with a cut plastic bottle or plastic bag. If several leaves are planted, then you need to make sure that all of them are sufficiently illuminated. After about a month and a half, the first shoots appear. When the young hirit are grown enough, they are transplanted into separate pots.
Reproduction is also carried out with a piece of a leaf plate. To do this, it is laid with the back side up on a flat surface, and with the help of a blade, strips about 5 cm long are cut perpendicular to the midrib of the plate. Each of the particles should contain a piece of this vein (it will be a kind of petiole) and two wings. The midsections are planted in shallow grooves at the base of this vein, at an angle of 45 degrees. The distance between the parts is maintained at 3 cm, the earth around them can be slightly compacted with your fingers. It is recommended to treat the container with a fungicide against fungal diseases, wrap it in polyethylene and put it in a warm, bright place - at a temperature of at least 20 degrees. This mini-greenhouse is ventilated daily and the soil is moistened through the pallet. After one and a half to two months, the first shoots will appear. When propagating, the upper and lower parts of the leaf are not used.
Difficulties in growing hirita and ways to solve them
The plant is distinguished by good resistance to diseases, all problems arise from violations of the conditions of care:
- if the primulina rots, it means that the soil has been flooded;
- light brown spots appeared on the leaf plates, this is a consequence of watering with too cold water, the temperature should be at least 20 degrees;
- the plant grows only on one side, it lacks light;
- light spots on the leaves are a consequence of sunburn.
Of the harmful insects that can infect hirita, spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs, whiteflies and thrips are isolated:
- In case of defeat scabbard brown dots (pest eggs) are clearly visible on the leaves on the back side, and all leaves begin to become covered with a sticky bloom. If you do not take any action, then this plaque will provoke the development of a sooty fungus.
- Mealybug identified by formations in the form of miniature lumps of cotton wool that appear in internodes or on the back of the leaf, as well as sticky formations covering the stems and leaf plates.
- Spider mite begins to pierce the leaf from the back with its proboscis and sucks out the vital juices from the plant, after which the deciduous mass turns yellow and dries out. The entire surface of the leaves that have not yet fallen is covered from the back side with a thin cobweb.
- Because of thrips the leaves turn yellow, and the growth of the bush stops, punctures on the leaf blade and whitish dots from the eggs of the pest are visible.
- When the appearance whitefly whitish dots (insect eggs) appear on the reverse side of the leaf plates and then whole clouds of small white midges.
To prevent damage, it is necessary to regularly inspect the plant and if harmful insects were found, then treatment is immediately carried out with a soap, oil or alcohol solution of a hirita bush. You can apply the product to a cotton swab and remove pests and their plaque manually, but if these drugs do not help, then it is better to spray the flower with a systemic insecticide.
If the leaves began to cover with whitish damp spots, then the plant is affected by gray rot. In this case, it is required to remove the affected parts and treat the remaining bush with a fungicide.
Types of hirita
- Chinese Khirita (Chirita sinensis Lindl.). You can often find this plant called Hirita silver. Naturally, the homeland of this variety is the Chinese territories. Chirita of this species can reach only 15 cm in height. From the leaves, which are located opposite, a basal rosette is assembled. Their color is either bright greenish or with silver tints. The entire surface has some pubescence with light hairs, and along the edge there is an edge of teeth. The leaf is elongated-oval in shape, reaching 8-10 cm in length. Inflorescences are collected from the flowers, the buds are very reminiscent of gloxinia flowers. The shade of the petals is lavender-lilac, the diameter of the open part of the flower reaches 4 cm. The bud is located on the peduncle of a greenish-red color, covered with hairs. The flowering process occurs in the summer, and with the arrival of winter, the plant requires lower temperatures, but the indicators should not fall below 15 degrees.
- Chirita lavandulacea Stapf. The homeland of this variety is the territory of the Malay Archipelago. The plant has a herbaceous form of growth, is an annual. The stem is usually upright, succulent and reaches a height of 30 cm to half a meter, it is covered with soft sparse hairs. The leaf plates are located opposite, their shape is oval-elliptical, the color of the leaves is pale green. A clear venation appears on the surface from above. The upper leaf plates are usually smaller than the lower ones. Flowers are located at the tops of the stems or in the axillary buds of the leaves. The corolla of the flower is 2–3 cm across, the color is snow-white with a bright yellow throat. The bend at the bud with five lobes is painted in violet-blue tones, which resembles a buckwheat. The fruit ripens in the form of a capsule 5–6 cm long, and is similar in appearance to streptocarpus. This species is quite unpretentious and a novice florist can cope with its cultivation. As soon as daylight hours become longer, the plant begins to produce abundant buds. If you make supplementary lighting with fluorescent or phytolamps, then the flowering process can occur at any time of the year.
- Khirita microbanana (Chirita micromusa B. L. Burtt). This variety is widespread in Thailand, it grows in tropical climatic zones. It is an annual with a high growth rate. It has a short stem and large leaf blades. The color of the leaves is bright green, the surface is glossy, the shape of the leaf is heart-shaped, there is a coating with fine, delicate pile. The flowers measure 3 cm in length, are painted in pale yellow, like diamond shades, inside the pharynx has a dark orange color. This combination of colors served as the name of the plant, in its homeland this type of chirita is called "small banana". Watering in the winter is extremely accurate.
- Khirita Tamiana (Chirita tamiana B. L. Burtt). The plant grows in areas of East Asia. It is half-miniature in size, the leaves form a rosette. The leaf plate is similar to the violet, but differs in fleshiness and great pubescence. The flower-bearing stem reaches 20 cm in height, usually from 5 to 7 flowers bloom on it, the buds of which resemble bells in appearance. They are painted white with blue markings on the neck. The flowering process takes place at any time of the year and depends directly on the level of illumination. There is no rest period as such.
- Hirita Aiko. Can be found under the name T. Okuto. A plant with large bell flowers. They are colored bright yellow with a wide mouth and throat with orange-red spots. It is a hybrid variety. It has leafy plates of an elongated elliptical shape, medium green in color with slight pubescence. A compact outlet is assembled from them.
- Chirita Betty. The plant of this variety is considered almost the most beautiful. The color of the leaf plates shines with silvery shades, and along the edge there is a green strip, like a lace edging. The buds are painted in delicate lavender tones. Compact leaf rosette. The plant is easy to grow.
- Chirita Diane Marie. The rosette made of sheet plates has a symmetrical rounded shape. Castings are painted in green tones with silvery veins. The flower buds are large, their color is lavender-blue, the neck is golden.
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