The characteristic features of the rivina, the rules of care for indoor cultivation, the reproduction of shrubs, diseases and pests, curious facts, species. Rivina belongs to the Phytolaccaceae family or Lakonose. It also includes up to one hundred varieties of dicotyledonous plants (that is, those in which two cotyledons are located opposite each other in the embryo of the seed). Basically, all representatives of this genus grow on the territory of those regions of the planet where there is a tropical or subtropical climate, although the main lands of the distribution of rivina fall on the American continent.
The plant got its scientific name thanks to the German botanist A. Rivinus (1691–1723), who first described this representative of the flora. There are only three varieties in the genus, but in home cultivation it is practiced to cultivate only Rivina humilis. You can often hear how the plant is called "home red currant" due to the fact that the fruits are collected in a brush resembling currant.
Rivina is a small shrub or semi-shrub, but there are varieties that have a herbal form of growth. The height of the plant is approaching meter indicators, but when growing at home, it is recommended to mold the crown. All species are distinguished by rather decorative foliage. Stems are straight-growing, with a dichotomy (branching into two equal parts at a node), branches also have angularity, their surface is bare, but pubescence may be present. Leaf plates with long petioles, their shape is ovoid, the base is rounded or obtuse, there is a sharpness at the top.
During flowering, racemose inflorescences are formed, which are located in the leaf axils. Their shape is straight with a bend, thin, the length does not exceed 10 cm. Flowers in the inflorescence are bisexual, small in size. There are 4 stamens in a flower. The fruit is a red color berry. It is because of the berries that rivina attracts the attention of flower growers, since with proper care, brushes of bright fruit-berries can decorate the bush all year round. In nature, birds feed on berries, but according to some sources, the fruits are toxic to humans.
During flowering, self-pollination occurs, and then the seeds that are in the berries fall off and germinate quickly, there is always young growth near the bush. When rivina is young, the intensity of its growth is moderate, for a year the shoots of the bush can grow by 10-13 cm. It is not difficult to grow this specimen of Lakonosaceae, and the plant will delight the owner with its appearance for many years.
Indoor plant care rules, watering rivin
- Lighting and location selection. A pot with a bush is placed on the windowsills of windows facing east or west, since rivina prefers bright, but diffused light. If you put a flowerpot in the shade or in a northern location, then the shoots and petioles of the foliage will begin to stretch out and the shrub will lose its decorative appearance. Then it is necessary to carry out supplementary lighting with special phytolamps. However, it is also not advisable to put rivina on the south side of the windows, since in the summer noon, being in direct sunlight, the foliage can get sunburn. Therefore, shading is recommended in such a place, as light fabric curtains, homemade gauze curtains or tracing paper glued to the glass can be suitable.
- Content temperature in summer, it should not go beyond 24 degrees, but with the arrival of autumn, the thermometer is reduced to 12-15 units so that rivina can rest before a new wave of flowering.
- Air humidity. It is recommended for the plant to maintain high humidity. In this case, spraying with soft water of the leaf crown or placing the pot in a pan with pebbles and a small amount of water. Due to the fact that the foliage of the plant has pubescence, you can spray the air from a spray bottle next to the rivina or put household steam generators or humidifiers next to the wahong.
- Watering. In the spring-summer period, it is recommended to water the rivina abundantly. Since she is a "resident" of the subtropical and tropical regions of the planet, drought is undesirable for her. As soon as the soil on top of the pot dries up, it is necessary to immediately moisten. With the arrival of autumn, when the temperature begins to decrease, they try to make watering moderate, especially if the plant is kept at low heat indicators. If the rule is violated, then rotting of the root system is possible. Use only soft and warm water. The temperature should be 20-24 degrees. You can use river or collected rainwater, but if this is not possible, then flower growers water the shrub with distilled water. In the simplest case, tap water is filtered, boiled and allowed to stand for several days. Then it is drained from the sediment and used for irrigation.
- Fertilizers for rivin, they are introduced from late spring to early autumn. The regularity of top dressing once or twice a month. Low nitrogen liquid preparations are recommended, or half dose can be taken. It is convenient to dilute such products in water for irrigation. This is due to the fact that nitrogen will contribute to the growth of deciduous mass, but inhibit the processes of bud formation and fruit ripening. With the arrival of September, they stop feeding the plant, since the dormant period begins in the rivina.
- General care. Pruning is carried out in the spring (in the month of March) - this will help stimulate branching of the shoots, since the formation of buds occurs on the branches of the new growth. It is recommended to remove those parts of the shoots that grow deeper into the crown, as they can interfere with others during the formation of flowers and fruits. After pruning, watering should remain moderate for a while. After pruning, the remnants of the branches can be used for propagation, as they take root rather quickly. If desired, rivina can be grown in the form of a trunk - when only one of its trunk remains during molding, and the deciduous mass will be at the top. When you want the bush to be more luxuriant, then during reproduction or transplantation several plants are placed in one container. Often, when growing rivina, when the specimen has reached a large size, props or support will be required, since the brushes with fruits are quite heavy and the plant cannot hold them on its own.
- Transfer and selection of soil. In order for the bush to delight with its beauty, it is recommended to change the pot to a larger one annually and update the substrate. However, do not increase the size of the container too much, as this will affect the appearance of the rivina - only by 1–2 cm in diameter. It is noticed that when transplanting, the shrub will bloom and bear fruit more abundantly if the pot is cramped for it. In a new container, holes are made in the bottom so that the remnants of moisture that have not been absorbed by the root system drain off. A layer of drainage material is laid at the bottom of the flowerpot so that the soil does not become waterlogged. Expanded clay, pebbles or broken ceramic or clay shards are used as drainage of medium size.
The substrate can be used as a universal purchase, or you can compose it yourself. To do this, mix:
- equal parts of sod soil, leafy soil (it is collected from under birches, capturing a little rotted foliage) and river sand;
- river sand or perlite, leafy soil, sod soil, humus (in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 1).
It is noticed that if the soil for rivina is too fertile, then this will directly affect its growth. The bush will actively increase the green mass, but at the same time the number of flowers, and as a result of the fruits, will be much reduced. And since the decoration of the rivina is its berries, the decorative effect will be much reduced from this.
Rules for self-breeding rivina
Propagated "indoor red currant" as cuttings and sowing seeds.
With the beginning of spring time, it is recommended to sow seeds in a loose and fertile substrate (peat-sand mixture or peat with perlite - parts of the components should be equal). Then the container with the crops is placed under glass or covered with transparent plastic wrap. This will help create conditions for a mini-greenhouse, with high humidity levels. The pot is placed in a bright place, but shaded from the direct rays of the sun. The temperature is maintained within 24-25 degrees. Germination care should consist of daily ventilation and moistening of the soil as it dries.
The seeds do not germinate very quickly, but as soon as the sprouts hatch, the shelter must be removed and the young rivins must be accustomed to indoor conditions. When unfolding a pair of real leaves on seedlings, you can dive (transplant) into separate pots with a more fertile substrate. Often, several plants are placed in one container in order to subsequently have a beautiful lush bush.
In the process of pruning shoots, parts of the branches remain, which can be used for cuttings or cut blanks for propagation from the apical shoots. The length of the cutting should be 8-10 cm and the presence of 2-3 nodes is mandatory. Planting is carried out in a sandy-peat substrate, and the pot is covered with a glass jar or a plastic bottle, in extreme cases, a transparent plastic bag is used - this will provide conditions with high humidity. You will need to ventilate for 15-30 minutes every day to remove accumulated condensation. Rooting temperature should not be lower than 20-24 degrees. Once the cuttings are rooted, they can be transplanted into large pots with soil suitable for growing rivina.
Plants obtained in this way can delight with their flowers the next year.
Diseases and pests harming rivina when cultivated in rooms
Although the shrub is considered quite strong and strong, and is practically not susceptible to damage by harmful insects or fungal (bacterial) diseases, but with a systematic violation of the conditions of detention, spider mites, thrips or scale insects may appear:
- When a thin cobweb appears on the foliage or in internodes, yellowing and deformation of the leaf plates, their subsequent fall, it is said about infection with a spider mite.
- The formation on the back of the leaves of dark plaques of a brownish color, a sugary sticky plaque indicates the presence of a scale insect on the plant.
- The appearance of brown or brownish spots on the leaf blades, which eventually turn silvery (as the leaf tissue dies off) indicate the presence of thrips.
It will be necessary to immediately take measures to remove pests, otherwise the leaves will soon die off and the whole plant may die. It is recommended to wipe the sheet plates with the following solutions, which you can prepare yourself:
- soapy, for him in a bucket of water, dissolve the grated laundry soap (about 300 grams), then for several hours the drug is insisted, drained, filtering through cheesecloth and the rivin is processed;
- oil, in a liter jar of water, dissolve 2-3 drops of rosemary essential oil;
- alcohol, which can be a pharmacy tincture of calendula.
There are many other folk remedies used to combat these pests - garlic or onion infusion, a solution made on tobacco, and the like. However, not always such non-chemical agents can help to cope with the attack of harmful insects. If, after a week after the treatment with a gentle agent, there is no improvement, then it is recommended to use insecticidal and acaricidal preparations. Re-processing must be performed after a week, and so on until the disappearance of pests and products of their vital activity (plaque - honeydew).
There are also the following problems when caring for rivina, which you should pay attention to:
- with insufficient lighting or high temperatures in winter, the berries of the plant can fly around;
- if the substrate is constantly in a flooded, waterlogged state, then decay of the root system begins, which will entail falling foliage;
- with too high heat indicators in winter and insufficient lighting, the sheet plates are dumped;
- when rivina is constantly in direct sunlight, its leaves get sunburn, and yellow spots are formed on their surface, and as a result, the foliage burns out.
Curious facts about Rivin
Important! Information about the plant is rather contradictory. Some sources claim that rivina is completely harmless, but most of them are inclined to believe that fruits can be useful only for birds that feed on them. If a person eats large quantities of "home red currant" berries, they can cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms that threaten health and even life. They also talk about the toxicity of the rivina foliage, which is unpleasant, since you will have to take safety measures when caring for the vine - working with gloves and washing your hands with soap at the end of all actions with the plant.
Be that as it may, but it is better to refrain from such experiments and not to put the plant in an accessible proximity for small children or pets, which may encroach on bright fruits.
An interesting fact is that, since the fruits of rivina contain a pigment that is identical in action to that of beets, in the southwestern regions of America, the local population uses berries as a dye.
Types of rivina flower
- Low Rivina (Rivina humilis). This evergreen shrub can grow to a height of a meter and a half, although the minimum recorded height is 30 cm. The most popular variety in home floriculture. The shoots are distinguished by strong branching, they are covered with tree bark, since over time they tend to partially lignify. When the branches are very young, they have pubescence. The shape of the leaf plates is ovoid, they are located on the shoot in the next sequence, there is a sharpening at the top. In length, each leaf does not exceed 12 cm with a width of about 4 cm. The color of the foliage is green, but there is a dense pubescence of short hairs. When flowering, nondescript buds are formed, which open into flowers of a pale pink color. The petals around the perianth are elliptical or oblong obovate. Their length is 2–2.5 mm. The flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences, located at the tops of branches, with a length of no more than 10 cm. The fruits ripening in the form of berries give the plant a great decorative effect. The shape of the fruit is spherical or pear-shaped, not exceeding 3-4 mm in diameter. The berries are colored bright red, but there are varieties with a yellow or cherry tint. Inside there are seeds that measure about 2 mm in diameter. The plant is native to the provinces of Fujian (Fuzhou), Gaoundong (Gaunzhou), Zhejiang (Hangzhou). It can grow as a weed, settling in garbage heaps or around houses.
- Rivina Brazilian Nocca (Rivina brasiliensis Nokka) was first described by Domenico Nokka and can also show off the bright orange color of the berries.
