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There are such flowering plants that are not given to everyone to grow, and not at all because they are very difficult to sow or need some special, super-complicated care. Just when growing them, first of all, patience and patience again. But, if it turns out to bring the growing process to a victorious flowering, then a person can “get sick” with these flowers for a very long time. This is how they become fans and collectors of many unique and exotic plants. Among such representatives of the plant kingdom, we can mention saintpaulia, gloxinia, fuchsia and many other charming flowers.
Of course, one of the clearest examples of such plants is calceolaria. Many consider it not just an annual, but even a one-time flower, which should be thrown away after flowering, since nothing more can be expected from it. But it is not so. Indeed, in order to preserve calceolaria after flowering, and even more so to achieve repeated flowering from it, it is necessary to exert a lot of effort and patience. And this is not possible under all conditions. And growing calceolaria from seeds at home is also not the easiest thing to do, which will require patience and thoroughness from you. Nevertheless, having studied all the features and requirements of this non-standard flower, someone, perhaps, will be able to provide the calceolaria with exactly the conditions in which it will be comfortable and well without unnecessary stress.
Description of the plant
The genus Calceolaria belongs to the Norichaceae family and several hundred different species are known in it. However, at home and in the plots, usually only calceolaria gonate-flowered and numerous hybrid forms are grown. The homeland of plants are the countries of South and Central America – Argentina, Chile, Ecuador. Most varieties grow exclusively in Ecuador.
The name of the genus can be translated from Latin as “little shoe”. Indeed, the original shape of the flower evokes some associations with this shoe. Calceolaria plants can be of different heights – from 10 to 50 cm. Sessile leaves, located on an erect stem quite often, form something like a rosette. The leaves can be of various shapes, but are necessarily covered with pubescence on both sides. The flowers seem to consist of two lips, and the upper one is so undeveloped that it is almost invisible, but the lower one resembles a slightly flattened balloon. The colors are very bright and varied. Yellow, orange, cream and various shades of red predominate, but lilac, pink and blue shades can occur. The color of calceolaria can be uniform, but more often different shades with original patterns, as in the photo (brindle, marble, with spots of different sizes against a background of a contrasting color).
Seeds remain viable for a very short time, from one to two years. Therefore, it is best to grow calceolaria by sowing your own freshly harvested seeds. The seeds are not just small, but the smallest – in 1 gram they contain about 60 pieces. Therefore, many seed manufacturers sell them in special granules for ease of sowing.
Seed cultivation
Perhaps growing calceolaria from seeds is akin to some kind of art, since the result is often very unpredictable. Sprouts may die in the process of development, they may develop at very different times, and if they bloom, then the size, shape and color of the flowers may be very different from what you expect. But in any case, this process can bewitch. Moreover, from the moment the shoots of calceolaria appear to the flowering of the first buds, it can take from 4 to 8 months and you need to be prepared for this. Species forms bloom about six months after sowing, but hybrid calceolaria are so volatile that it is very difficult to predict the time of flowering. In addition, it greatly depends on the conditions of detention, and on the actions of the amateur grower himself. But now about everything in order.
Seed sowing
It is unlikely that anyone would think of sowing calceolaria seeds in open ground. First of all, because of the microscopic nature of their size, and also because this plant is somehow not customary in our country to grow in flower beds. Usually it is grown to decorate rooms, balconies, or planted in summer in flowerpots or special outdoor flowerpots, but already in a flowering state.
Calceolaria is grown exclusively through seedlings also because, as mentioned above, it has an exceptionally long growing season. Therefore, you will have to be patient, otherwise you can simply not wait for the flowering of calceolaria grown from seeds.
- For sowing seeds of calceolaria, it is necessary to prepare a very light and breathable soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. Peat tablets are ideal for sowing seeds.
- In ordinary seedling soil, it is desirable to add fine vermiculite in a ratio of eight to one. Before sowing, the soil surface must be moistened and preferably sprinkled with fine calcined sand.
- Sowing containers can be quite small and shallow, since calceolaria seedlings can hardly be seen with a magnifying glass.
- Try to evenly spray the seeds on the surface of the soil / sand, in no case sprinkling with earth or shading them.
- If you are sowing seeds in granules, then it is best to moisten them abundantly with a syringe after sowing. Otherwise, the shell may be so strong that the sprouts will not be able to break through it and the seeds will not sprout. Calceolaria seeds need light to germinate!
- From above, the container with crops must be covered with a transparent lid or polyethylene. In such an impromptu greenhouse, seeds and seedlings will have to live for quite some time, so it’s better to make it convenient for you to observe the seedlings and ventilate them regularly.
- After sowing, the container with calceolaria is placed in a bright, not necessarily warm place. It germinates well even at +18°+20°С, and even if the temperature drops to +12°+14°С.
- On average, seeds germinate quite quickly, sprouts from freshly harvested seeds appear already on the 4th-5th day, it makes sense to wait up to two weeks for germination. If after two weeks they did not appear, then it is useless to wait further – most likely, the seeds were expired. This often happens with store-bought seeds.
Terms of sowing seeds
When is the best time to sow calceolaria seeds? There is probably no definite answer to this question. If you want to try planting calceolaria in the garden to decorate the site, then it would be best to sow seeds for seedlings in one of the winter months, no later than March. However, remember that calceolaria really do not like direct sun and heat, so if you can provide it with shade and comparative coolness during the summer period, then this makes sense.
In general, it is customary to sow calceolaria in the middle of summer for flowering in spring and in March-April for autumn flowering. It is during these periods that there is usually a lack of flowers, so the flowering of calceolaria will be most welcome.
But, you can sow it at almost any time of the year, depending on when you want to have flowering plants. It is best to focus on a period of 6 months, which usually takes place from sowing seeds to flowering. But plants can bloom for several weeks, or even months earlier or later than the scheduled date. Such are calceolaria – and it is difficult to do anything about it.
Care of crops before flowering
When shoots appear, you can only rejoice – there is no need to take any additional actions. Polyethylene or the lid from the seed container should never be removed, but it is imperative to ventilate the “greenhouse” once or twice a day, removing condensate from the lid.
It is necessary to water very carefully, preferably from a pipette or syringe along the edges of the container so that water does not get on the sprouts. The first time you can water not earlier than a week after sowing and in the future be very careful with this procedure. Since calceolaria sprouts can die from both waterlogging and drying. Moreover, the leaves of even adult plants from the bay or drying are no longer restored.
But perhaps the most important thing is the observance of the correct temperature regime. Calceolaria feels best at a temperature of + 14 ° + 17 ° С. If the ambient temperature does not exceed + 18 ° C and you do not remove the polyethylene shelter, then you can water it no more than once a week and very moderately.
Additional lighting from February to October, even on the northern windowsill, most likely will not be required. But from November to January, highlighting can improve the condition and development of calceolaria.
Calceolaria love high humidity, but they absolutely can not be sprayed. Since pubescent leaves can quickly rot. Therefore, keeping young plants under the film for as long as possible, up to picking, is more than justified – this allows you to worry less about their proper development.
About a month after germination, after the appearance of two true leaves, the sprouts must be picked. They are still quite tiny at this age, so you can use tweezers. But despite its gentle appearance, calceolaria tolerates a pick well. It is necessary to deepen the sprouts of calceolaria when picking at the very first leaves. Any transplant helps plants develop much faster. Already 5-8 days after picking, the calceolaria noticeably grows.
Just keep in mind that the picking pots should be very small. For the first time, 100 ml cups are suitable. At the bottom, do not forget to put a large layer of drainage – expanded clay, foam. The soil can be used the same as for planting seeds.
If you try to plant calceolaria immediately in large containers, then most likely it will not be able to immediately master a large amount of soil and will quickly die. But after a month and a half, calceolaria will again need a transplant-transshipment into fresh soil, already in a 200 ml container.
No top dressing is required for the first two to three months of calceolaria growth.
In general, the first two months of growth are the most difficult for calceolaria. During this period, it seems that it does not grow at all and does not develop. But if you survive this time, then after the second transplant, the calceolaria will develop well and delight you with its appearance. In favorable conditions, already at the end of the third month, buds may appear on the plants. They are formed at the top of only the most central sprout, and at first there may be few of them, but over time on the calceolaria it can form a whole bouquet of several dozen flowers.
From the appearance of the first buds to full bloom, it can take several weeks. If more than three months have passed since germination, and the calceolaria is in no hurry to bloom, then you can try to transplant it into a slightly larger container with fresh earth. Each transplant has a beneficial effect on the development of calceolaria and can stimulate the formation of buds. From the moment the buds appear, it is advisable to feed the calceolaria once a week with a half dose of fertilizer.
Calceolaria is able to bloom rapidly and for a long time up to 6-8 months in conditions of light shading, high humidity and coolness. Under other conditions, you are unlikely to be able to enjoy its flowering for more than one month.
Care after flowering
Even before the formation of buds, small additional sprouts – stepchildren – can form between the leaves of calceolaria. They are recommended to be removed, because after this procedure, the buds become larger, and the flowers increase in size.
After flowering, the leaves of calceolaria often dry out and wrinkle, but fresh sprouts and rosettes usually appear in the axils of the leaves. Immediately after flowering, the calceolaria should be cut off and placed for several months in a dark and cool place, up to + 5 ° C. Regularly inspect the plants and, when new young shoots appear, put the pots with calceolaria in a brighter place. Resume the previous care, and the calceolaria will bloom again, although the flowering will not be as plentiful and long as the first time.
Calceolaria can be fairly easily propagated by cuttings. To do this, carefully separate the young shoots or cut off the uppermost part of the central shoot and plant it in a mixture of sand and peat. From above, it is better to cover the cuttings with a glass jar for better rooting.
Of course, it may seem that growing calceolaria is not worth the effort expended on it. But if you are able to provide it with suitable conditions of partial shade and coolness, then you will definitely succeed, and during its flowering you will not even remember the difficulties that you had to go through at the beginning of the journey.
