Abutilon

 

Mallow family. Homeland abutilone South America. Abutilon or Rope, can be found with the name Room Maple. The genus has about 100 species (Abutilon theophrasti The rope of Theophrastus grows in Russia - not decorative), about 10 species are grown in culture.

Ornamental abutilones are evergreen trees with maple-shaped green or variegated leaves. There are semi-ampelous and ampelous species, such as "Abutilon megapotamicum." But on sale, most often, you can find Abutilons hybrid Abutilon hybridum (interspecies hybrids) - they are distinguished by lush flowering, a variety of forms and colors of flowers, stability and rapid growth.

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Abutilons are prized for their original leaf and lush color. The leaves are alternate, on long petioles, the stems and petioles often covered with short pubescence. The leaves are large - 17-20 cm long and 10 cm wide, three to five lobed, green, but there are varieties and variations with variegated leaves. The flowers are single or collected in 2-3 flowers in axillary inflorescences, large, five-lobed. The cable car blooms from spring to autumn. With a room temperature of 10-15 ° C, flowering continues in winter. Plants are spreading, easily shrubbery. When flowering, each shoot is densely covered with flowers and buds. Abutilon is a fast-growing plant, and when planted in the ground it reaches 1.5 m in height and up to 1 m in diameter. So if you need a plant that will quickly grow and fill the room, then it is better not to find abutilone.

Abutilone care

At home, abutilone can grow a small tree 1-1.2 m tall with a spreading crown. It is formed by pruning and pinching shoots at the required length.

Temperature

Abutilon is more greenhouse than a houseplant - it loves a cool room. Very often it is grown in kindergartens, where there is rarely heat, and in winter it is cooler than in apartments. And Komnatny maple grows there perfectly, for it the temperature in winter is quite comfortable not higher than 21 degrees, optimally 12-13 ° С, at least 5-7 ° С. If you take the pots out to the balcony, the plant can be kept there until late autumn, without watering or with very limited watering until the end of October, as long as the temperature does not drop below 5 ° C.

In a room with working heating in winter it will be hot, the only way out is to fence off the windowsill along the entire window opening from the room with greenhouse film.

Lighting

Abutilon is a light-loving plant that needs bright but diffused light. It is optimal if during the day it receives several hours of direct sunlight - especially in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is less aggressive.

In winter, when there is less natural light, abutilone requires additional lighting to maintain health and maintain decorativeness.

The ideal place for a room maple is near the south window, where it can get maximum light without the risk of leaf burns at noon. If the windows face north or east, the plant can be further illuminated with phytolamp.

Watering

Abutilon requires abundant watering during the period of active growth - from spring to autumn. At the same time, it is important that the top layer of soil dries a little between watering, preventing excessive moisture.

In winter, especially if the plant is kept at a low temperature, watering is reduced - it should be moderate, rare and superficial. The main thing is not to allow either drying or stagnation of moisture in the soil, since abutilone does not tolerate both drying out of an earthen coma and excessive humidity.

Avoid flooding the plant, as excessive waterlogging can lead to rooting and deterioration of the overall condition of the flower.

Fertilizer

From April to August, it needs regular feeding for active growth and abundant flowering. It is recommended to use special mineral fertilizers for flowering domestic plants with an interval of about every 3 weeks.

As for organic fertilizers, they should be used no more than once a season. Usually organic matter is introduced during transplantation - for example, well-rotted compost, which improves the soil structure and nutrition of the roots. Or organic fertilizers are added with irrigation 1-1.5 months after transplantation to avoid an overabundance of nutrients and possible root problems.

This approach helps ensure a balanced diet and keep the plant healthy.

Air humidity

The plant loves moderately humid air - optimally about 50%. In summer, in the heat, be sure to spray the plant when direct sunlight does not hit it. It is important that water does not fall on the flowers, as this can spoil their appearance. Protect batteries from hot air in winter.

Abutilone transplant

The soil for abutilon is the 1 part of the sod, the 1 part of the leaf or peat land, the 1 part of the humus, the 1 part of the sand. The abutilon needs a pot that is spacious enough, but for abundant flowering, the earthen lump must be well braided with roots. In spring, in March, the plant is cut off and transplanted into fresh earth. If abutilone grows greatly over the summer, you can make transshipment in July.

Abutilone propagation

Abutilones are easily propagated by seeds that germinate in three weeks, it is better to sow in a mixture of leaf earth (or universal soil) and vermiculite (or sand). Seeds need to be sprinkled with a layer of earth 2-3 mm. Moisten by spraying, cover with glass or film until seedlings appear. Strengthened seedlings, when the first real leaves appear, dive into pots with a diameter of 8-10 cm. Do not delay the planting of seedlings from a common area with seedlings - their roots grow energetically and become very intertwined, injuries are inevitable during transplants.

Abutilon also reproduces well with cuttings, cut them in March-April, root them in water. Choose cuttings still green, without wood. If there are buds for shoots, they need to be removed and the crown cut 12-15 cm. There are usually no special problems with rooting, but there are some tricks, for example, cuttings cut from the lower branches root better and faster, as well as cuttings from young bushes or shoots of growth of the current year.

Why doesn't abutilone bloom?

Sometimes it happens that abutilone ceases to bloom or does not bloom at all. Let's analyze the main causes of this problem and ways to solve it.

  • Lack of light. Abutilon is a photophilous plant. If it stands in the shade or on the north window, a lack of bright light can cause a lack of flowering.
    What to do: move the plant to a more illuminated place - best at the south or east window. In winter, phytolamps can be additionally used.
  • Incorrect watering mode. Both lack and excess moisture negatively affect flowering. If the soil is constantly damp, the roots can rot and the plant will stop flowering. If watering is too rare, abutilone is stressed and may not bloom either.
    What to do: water the plant regularly, preventing waterlogging, and allow the top layer of soil to dry out between watering.
  • Lack or incorrect feeding. Abutilone needs nutrients for abundant flowering, especially phosphorus and potassium. Lack of these elements or incorrect fertilizers will lead to poor or no flowering.
    What to do: feed the plant with special fertilizers for flowering indoor plants from spring to late summer, about every 2-3 weeks.
  • Temperature too high or too low. Abutilon does not tolerate extreme heat and cold. Above 28 ° C or below 12 ° C, flowering can stop.
    What to do: provide the plant with a comfortable temperature regime - 18-25 ° C during the period of active growth and a little cool in winter (12-15 ° C).
  • Incorrect pruning. If timely formative pruning is not carried out, abutilone may become too thick and flowering will be weak.
    What to do: Cut off shoots in the spring, shortening them by a third - this stimulates the growth of new flower buds.
  • Stress after transplanting or moving. Abutilon may "ache" and not bloom after a transplant or seat change due to stress.
    What to do: Give the plant time to adapt, ensure stable conditions and avoid drastic changes.

In order for abutilone to delight in flowering, you need to provide it with good lighting, proper watering, regular feeding and timely pruning. Watch the temperature and do not forget about adaptation after transplantation.

By the way

When kept in a warm room in winter, with a temperature above 20 ° C, abutilone quickly grows - it loses leaves in the lower part of the shoots, over the winter, by spring it can turn very bald.

Room Maple grows quickly, especially if it is satisfied with lighting and care. After a while, the tree may not fit on the windowsill, you will have to put it in the room. Here it is important not to put the pot next to the batteries or in too dark a place.

With excessive watering or drying of the earthen coma, the fall of leaves, flowers and buds can also occur.

Abutilone formation

Abutilon pruning lengthens the flowering period. In the middle of summer, all stretched, lost leaves or dried shoots are cut. Healthy shoots are shortened by half or 1/3 of the length. Flowering duration is a varietal feature, for example, varieties of abutilones with large flowers - Bella Vanilla, Bella Deep Coral, Bella Yellow, etc. usually last longer than bell-shaped.

Abutilon can be grown as a bush simply by pruning the shoots when they grow to the desired length. You can grow a stamp tree, but since the stem of the plant is thin, support and garter are needed (a bamboo stick is suitable). The trunk of abutilon is poorly thickened, a strong strain forms for a long time. In the lower part of the trunk, a growth of branches constantly appears, they must be plucked immediately.

Another option for shaping the appearance is the plexus of the trunks. The shoots of the flower are thin and flexible, you can plant several plants in one pot, young rooted cuttings or seedlings, at such a distance that there is a distance of 3-5 cm between the trunks. Focus on the degree of flexibility, and weave the trunks into a pigtail.

Pests of abutilone

Unfortunately, abutilone at home is often attacked by pests such as spider mites, scale insects, thrips.

A sign of pests will be the appearance of gray or silver spot-strokes or dots on the leaves, sticky drops or whitish husks. Thrips are characterized by black sticky drops on the surface of the leaves, and the tick sucks all the juices from the most tender parts - the tops of the shoots are deformed, twisted. The leaves turn pale and rapidly turn yellow.

If any pest is found, you need to carefully examine the leaves on both sides. All pests with the exception of the tick can be destroyed by actara or confidor. And only to destroy the tick it is necessary to use acaricides (Apollo, Vermitek, anticlesh, etc.).

If it is impossible to determine the pest, it is worth cutting off all the affected leaves and buds, wipe the leaves on both sides with a soap sponge. Then spray the plant with decis or actellic.

Read more about indoor plant pests in the pest section