General distinctive features of kufei, recommendations for growing in the garden and rooms, reproduction, overcoming difficulties, facts to note, types. Cufea (Cuphea) belongs to the genus of representatives of the flora, which are included in the family Lythraceae. Scientists have also assigned there another 275 varieties of plants that have a herbaceous or shrubby form of growth, with a one-year or long-term life cycle. The native area of distribution of the plant falls on the territory of America, where a temperate, subtropical, and also tropical climate dominates.
This green inhabitant of the planet got its name thanks to the ancient Greeks, who noticed the shape of the flowers of kufei, and since in their language “curved” meant “kufeya”, without further ado, the plant began to bear this name.
It is usually customary to grow kufeya as an annual crop, but if the warm climate allows it, then it tolerates winter well and can grow as a perennial flower.
The plant reaches meters in height and width, however, with indoor cultivation, its parameters are from 40 cm to 60 cm in height, it has the same dimensions in width. Stems can take both upright and drooping form (creep along the ground). The arrangement of the leaves is opposite. They have short petioles. The color of the deciduous mass is usually rich, dark green.
The flowering process is quite long, it stretches from the beginning of spring to the end of September, however, there are varieties in which only severe frosts will stop the appearance of flowers. However, each of the buds is short-lived, but since their number is very large, a feeling of continuous flowering is created. The color of the petals can be white, pink or lilac. The corolla is bell-shaped or tubular; there is a six-lobed limb at its apex.
It is preferable to grow the plant in pots and containers, but species with ampelous, drooping shoots look beautiful in hanging baskets and pots. The maintenance and care of this flower is relatively easy if you adhere to the following rules.
Outdoor and home care for kufei
- Lighting and location. If it is decided to plant the kufeya in open ground, then you should choose a sunny place with a little shading. It is important to remember that if the plant does not have enough light, then flowering may not come, or it will not be so abundant and long. If the level of illumination is increased, then this will lead to the fact that the edge of the leaves turns red. For indoor growing, it is recommended to place the pot with the plant on the windowsills of windows facing east or west.
- Content temperature. It should be remembered that although many varieties of kufei can bloom before the first frost, the plant is still thermophilic and room heat indicators are maintained in the room (within 20-24 degrees). In winter, you need to gradually bring the temperature to 5-10 degrees and not lower. A bush needs rest to gain strength before a new wave of growth and flowering.
- Air humidity. Kufa is a loving plant when moisture levels are quite high, so spraying should be carried out at least three times a week.
- Watering keffiyeh is almost the same at any time of the year. This flower loves abundant moisture, every 3-4 days. The substrate in the pot needs to be watered with enough water so that it begins to flow out of the drainage holes of the pot. Between waterings, the soil should dry out a little, but complete drying of the earthen clod should not be allowed. With the arrival of autumn, the moisture must be slightly reduced, but the soil must always be kept moist. But if the plant is grown in open ground, it should be remembered that kufeya tolerates drought quite persistently, but it is recommended to water it abundantly immediately after planting and when the dry and hot period is long in summer. The kufeya will react to drought by dropping the buds.
- Fertilizer. In order for the plant to feel comfortable and please with flowering, then organic fertilizer is introduced into the hole during planting - manure. Even if fertilizer was applied during planting, then when the first buds appear on the kufei, it is worth fertilizing with preparations for flowering. When the plant is grown in room conditions, it is necessary to feed its flower from spring to autumn. The regularity of fertilization every 14 days. Complex preparations with a high content of potassium and phosphorus are used. Fertilizers for deciduous plants are also used, and during flowering they are used for flowering plants.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. Naturally, it is necessary to change the pot to a new one and the soil in it is only for perennials. For young specimens, this operation is performed annually. The size of the new container should be 2–3 cm larger than the previous one. When the diameter of the pot reaches 25 cm, then such a kufei is transplanted once every 2-3 years. At the bottom of the pot, be sure to put a layer of 2-3 cm of drainage material. It is better to transplant by the transshipment method - the earthen lump does not collapse. When replanting, the soil is selected with good drainage and nutritional value. You can use commercially available general purpose mixtures with a slightly acidic reaction. Also, the substrate is compiled independently from garden soil, coarse sand or perlite, wet peat or humus (leafy soil acts as it), while all parts are taken equal. After transplanting, the plant is protected from drafts, since foliage can be dumped. Frequent watering should also be avoided, otherwise root decay may occur.
- Pruning kufei is held annually with the arrival of the spring months. It consists in giving the crown the required size and shape. Since most often in our area you can see a fiery red kufei as decoration for balconies, when pruning, it is necessary to shorten only the too elongated branches of the plant, and, for example, a different procedure will have to be done for hyssopolis kufei - for this variety, a rather careful crown molding will be required. When the last winter days come, it is recommended to cut the shoots by 2/3 to stimulate flowering and further growth.
Reproduction and planting of kufei with your own hands
Get a new plant with beautiful flowers, perhaps by cutting or sowing seeds.
When grafting, blanks are cut in March-April. The length of the cutting should be within 7–8 cm, the lower leaves are recommended to be removed, and the cut should be treated with a rooting stimulator (root or heteroauxin). The rooting mixture is made up of sand and peat. Cuttings planted in pots are covered with a plastic bag or placed under a glass container. Rooting is best done at room heat. As soon as roots appear on the cuttings (that is, new leaves begin to form), then transplantation is performed in separate containers with a suitable substrate. But in order to get a fluffier bush, 3-4 cuttings should be planted in one pot.
When seed propagation, it must be borne in mind that seed germination is rather low. Seed material is distributed over the surface of peat-sandy soil, poured into a bowl, slightly pressed into the soil. Do not sprinkle with another layer of substrate. The container with crops is covered with a piece of glass or a plastic bag. They put the bowl in a warm place (with a heat reading of 21 degrees) with diffused lighting. Do not forget to air the seedlings every day and moisten it when the soil dries.
When the seedlings appear (after 7-10 days), the shelter is removed. When a pair of true leaves on plants forms, they are dived into separate pots. It is important to carry out the formation of the crown on time; for this, pinching is carried out on the seedlings of the required height, when the third pair of leaves unfolds.
If the plants with any method of reproduction have grown sufficiently strong, then they can be planted in open ground when the threat of spring morning frosts has passed. On a flower bed, at least 30–35 cm should be left between young kufei. In this case, flowering can already be expected at the end of July or by mid-summer. Plants will delight with their flowers until the first frost.
Difficulties in growing kufei
When growing this plant, problems can arise when the soil is flooded and high humidity, then dark spots appear on the stems and leaves, which have provoked gray rot or various fungal diseases. If such symptoms are noticed, then treatment with fungicidal preparations should be carried out.
Of the pests of kufei, the whitefly, spider mite or aphid annoy. If a pest is found, then the deciduous mass should be sprayed with insecticidal agents.
If the plant is exposed to a draft, it can cause foliage to fall.
Interesting facts about kufei
There are tropical varieties of kufei, which are grown only in order to obtain oil from the seed, which in its properties is very similar to coconut or palm oil. Also, seeds are used as raw materials for the production of laurel acid. Many other species are cultivated for their highly decorative appearance, and the plant also serves as an excellent honey plant. The flowers of the kufei can attract hummingbirds.
There is a belief that if you place this flower indoors, then it is able to unite people. It is often recommended to put a kufeya in office premises, so that it helps to establish contacts with employees. In the house where this delicate plant blooms, there is always a sensitive atmosphere full of benevolence.
Types of kufei
- Prostrate Caféa (Cuphea procumbens) has a rather original appearance, however, it is an annual, which can reach only 40 cm in height. The stems have rather strong branching, they usually grow, extending along the soil surface. The color of the leaf plates is dark green. The color of the petals in flowers is lilac, but there are specimens with a purple or white tint. The flowering process begins in mid-July. After flowering, the seed material ripens. The seeds are very small - there are up to 300–350 units of them in 1 gram, and this sowing weight is enough to get a hundred new kufei. It is possible to see this representative of the flora only in the wild or in botanical gardens, since it is not possible to acquire seeds. The cultivar is rather difficult to cultivate than other species.
- Pale kufea (Cuphea pallida). The classification of this plant is difficult, since sometimes there are several names for the same representative of the flora. This variety is not listed in any reference book, but it is well known to flower growers and has a fairly widespread use. Shoots are located in different directions and form a bush with dense and compact outlines. On the twigs, multiple small flowers with wine-red petals are beautifully visible. The peculiarity is that the buds of this variety continue to open, despite the onset of frost, and only real winter frosts can be the death of kufei.
- Kufea hyssopifolia (Cuphea hyssopifolia). The native area of natural growth is in Mexico and Guatemala. The plant loves warmth, but also tolerates rainy and windy weather. Size - low, not exceeding 50 cm. Growth form - shrub or semi-shrub, compact. Accepted to grow in containers on balconies or patios and patios. The branches are very bushy, which makes this variety suitable for growing as a bonsai. On the shoots, leaf plates are placed in opposite order, crowning with short petioles. The length of the leaf is 2.5 cm with a width of 0.5 cm. The color of the leaf mass is dark green, the shape of the leaf plate is lanceolate. When flowering, single very small buds are formed, they are located in the axils of the leaves. The diameter of the flowers is 1 cm. The color of the corolla petals is white, pinkish or lilac.
- Lanceolate kufea (Cuphea lanceolata). It is a decorative annual. The height of the plant ranges from 70–90 cm. Stems are strongly pubescent, covered with a purple shade of soft hairs. The form of the shoots is whip-like. On the branches, leaf plates of lanceolate outlines, light green in color grow. When flowering, tubular buds are formed, the corolla and petals of which have a dark purple color. The length of the flower is 3 cm. They gather one-sided rare inflorescences that take the form of spikelets. The flowering process begins at the end of July. After this, the seeds are ripened. One gram contains up to 200-250 units. The most popular cultivar among florists is Purpurea. Shoots of such plants reach up to 80 cm, upright, strongly leafy. The shape of the flowers is rather unusual, as two of the five petals are directed vertically upward. The corolla tube is very elongated. Their surface is decorated with longitudinal light-colored veins. The rest of the flower is cast in crimson color.
- Cuphea miniata "Firefly" can also be found under the names Cuphea lavea var. miniata "Firefly", Cuphea x purpurea "Firefly" or Cuphea lanceolata "Firefly". This plant is an interspecific hybrid of Cuphea llavea and Cuphea procumbens, which has its own name. The most common is considered to be its "Firefly" variety, the flowers of which are cast in a fiery red color. The plant is an annual, ampelous shoots, lodging. Abundant flowering, occupying the entire summer period. If you carry out timely pruning of the stems, it can be grown as a small bush with a height of 30 cm. In garden floriculture, it is used to create a bright spot in a flower bed.
- Cufea micropetal (Cuphea micropetala) takes a shrub form of growth and can reach 30–40 cm in height. The leaf plates are small and narrow, somewhat reminiscent of kufeya hyssopolite. From a place located slightly above the leaf sinuses, buds begin to form, which bloom in waves one after the other. The cup has a yellow color, and closer to the base it changes to a scarlet hue. The pharynx has a green color. The color of the stamens is predominantly red. The corolla contains six petals, but they are so small that they are completely hidden behind the teeth of the calyx. That is why the specific name of this plant appeared. Basically, there is reproduction with the help. Cherenkov, despite the fact that a very large number of seeds are formed.
- Fiery red kufea (Cuphea ignea) may occur as Cuphea platyctntra. It has shrub or semi-shrub forms, reaches 40 cm in height. Leaves are ovate-lanceolate. Their arrangement is opposite, the petioles are short. The parameters of the sheet are 6 cm long and up to 2 cm wide. The color is dark green. In the leaf axils, small flowers are formed with a diameter of about 3 cm. Their corolla is painted in red color with a purple limb.
More about growing kufei in the following video:
