Everyone tries to make his home as comfortable and cozy as possible. After all, it is here that he rests and relaxes after work. And what gives the apartment more comfort than indoor flowers? In addition, their presence in the house is useful, because plants purify the air. According to pollen found in ancient caves, archaeologists have proved that even in the Stone Age people decorated their homes with flowers.
Today, indoor floriculture is a separate science. After all, green pets are one of the important components of the design of our houses and apartments. They not only decorate the interior, but also have a positive effect on the microclimate. Moreover, many of them disinfect the air from harmful microorganisms and clear them of negative substances. But their main purpose is to please the eye and improve mood.
And first of all it concerns flowering indoor plants. One of them is indoor cineraria. Growing from seeds, photos of this culture, the rules of care and reproduction - all this information is presented in this article.
Description
On cold winter evenings, this flowering plant will create a special atmosphere in the house. In the photo cineraria, the room looks like a bouquet of bright flowers, somewhat similar to daisies, is placed in a small flower pot. And if you grow several varieties at once on the windowsill, you can admire the variety of colors of this perennial plant. Indoor cineraria, the care of which requires certain knowledge and skills, is an ornamental herbaceous plant from the Astrov family.
The Canary Islands are considered her homeland. At home, subject to all agrotechnical conditions, indoor cineraria grows to 60 centimeters. It has an upright stalk, heart-shaped leaves with serrated edges located on short petioles. An inflorescence is a flap collected from tubular reed flowers. Interestingly, the buds can be in any shades of pink and purple, red, white. With proper care, indoor cineraria can bloom profusely from December through June. During this period, the plant looks like a bright and incredibly beautiful ball.
Kinds
Indoor cineraria is appreciated by a lover of home plants because it blooms in the winter and spring, when most representatives of the flora in pots relax. This flower is often called a purple daisy.
There are several decorative varieties of indoor cineraria:
- A double that grows to 35-50 cm and blossoms flowers up to 5 centimeters in diameter with two-color petals.
- Grandiflora, blooming large inflorescences-baskets.
- A stellate whose buds are indigo.
Indoor cineraria - growing
And although Cineraria is a perennial, in domestic culture it is grown as an annual. Therefore, not many plant this plant at home. And it is completely in vain: even one season of its flowering will present such indescribable sensations that many other indoor pets cannot boast of. In order for indoor cineraria to please the owner with its lush, bright bouquet in winter, you don’t need to make much effort, but you still need to know some features of the cultivation for a beginning grower.
Lighting and temperature
Cineraria, like any other flowering plant, needs bright light. However, it should not be placed in direct sunlight. They can burn her delicate leaves. Therefore, indoor cineraria is not recommended to be placed on the south window. Although the plant is able to tolerate high temperatures, a mode of 16-20 degrees of heat is comfortable for it.
If the room is very hot, you should spray the air around the pot. At the same time, drops of water should not be allowed to fall on the flowers or leaves, since indoor cineraria can get sick. An ideal option would be to install an indoor humidifier. The room in which the cineraria is located should be regularly ventilated. This plant is very fond of fresh air, but drafts are harmful to it. Therefore, before opening the window, it must be removed from the windowsill.
Care
I must say that watering is one of the main conditions for the normal growth of any plant. The water supply regimen for room cineraria should be optimal: the culture will be equally bad from waterlogging and from drying the substrate in a pot. Therefore, you should try to maintain balance when watering. Indoor cineraria loves a lot of water, but its excess will lead to decay of the root system. Therefore, planting a bush in a pot, you need to take care of good drainage.
Water the plant should only be under the root, trying to be careful and not fall on the leaves and flowers. Water should be used settled and slightly warm. Culture loves moist air, so it’s best to put the pot in a tray with moist expanded clay or pebbles. In addition, it is advisable to spray the area around several times a day, while avoiding getting on the bush itself. During flowering, indoor cineraria does not require special care. The only thing that needs to be done additionally is to remove all dried flowers.
Soil and fertilizing
In order for indoor cineraria to bloom for a long time and magnificent, they plant it in the summer. In many ways, the growth and development of this culture depends on the substrate. The fact is that cineraria needs a special soil, consisting of equal ratios of peat, river sand and humus. You can also add a little mineral fertilizer with prolonged action to the soil. But even with such a nutritious composition of the soil in summer and spring, indoor cineraria requires top dressing. It should be fertilized every two weeks with a special fertilizer intended for flowering plants. Top dressing is especially relevant during the laying of future peduncles.
How indoor cineraria multiplies
Growing from seeds is the only way. The complexity of this process lies in a rather long period of vegetation. From the time of sowing to the appearance of the very first inflorescences, about 9 months pass. Indoor cineraria from seeds is grown as follows: in spring, best in April, planting material is placed in a wide and deep container.
The substrate should consist of equal proportions of river sand, peat and humus. Some experts believe that seeds can be planted at any time, depending on when the owner wants to see his flowering pet. If planting is carried out in April or May, then all winter the indoor cineraria will be a bright bouquet, and if in July, then the buds will appear only in the spring. After placing the seed in the soil, carefully pour the soil from the sprayer, cover the container with film or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
The air temperature in the room where the seedlings are located should be 20-22 degrees heat. After the appearance of two or three real leaves, a pick is carried out. Then the sprouts can be transplanted into permanent pots with a diameter of about ten centimeters.
Diseases and Pests
Unfortunately, indoor cineraria is often exposed to diseases such as rust or gray rot.
To combat such ailments is difficult enough. Apparently, therefore, the plant, which is a perennial, is grown as an annual. In addition, indoor cineraria is often attacked by pests such as whiteflies, spider mites or aphids.
Secrets
This flowering plant, judging by the reviews, is a great gift. Often on March 8, men give their halves pots with cineraria of various inflorescences: blue, white, blue, raspberry, etc. If the plant is purchased in a flower shop, the buyer needs to carefully examine the bush to assess its condition. If you detect even the slightest signs of disease, manifested by the presence of pests, as well as withered baskets or discolored foliage, you need to refuse. Such a plant is not worth buying. In addition, you should pay attention to the ratio of buds and blooming flowers. You need to choose the cineraria on which there are many of the former, and few of the latter.
For those who prefer to grow this plant on their own from seeds purchased in the store, experts recommend having patience. Despite the apparent ease of care, cineraria is considered a rather capricious representative of the Astrov family. If the plant does not bloom for a long time, it must be stimulated by putting the pot in a room with a lower temperature - up to 10-15 degrees. In such conditions, cineraria should be left for 2-3 months. Then again, you should transfer it to a warmer room (up to + 20 degrees) and begin to pour liberally with slightly warmed water. Soon buds will appear on the bush, and it will be covered with a magnificent color.
In addition to its incredibly attractive aesthetic data, this plant also perfectly cleans the air of harmful substances, so growing it at home for asthmatics and allergy sufferers will be an ideal option.