Gesnerium family. Homeland - tropical areas of America. About 50 species are common in nature.
These are herbaceous plants with straight, and with age, receding stems. They have a scaly underground rhizome, thick elongated, light brown. The leaves are large, opposite, ovate-oblong in shape. Leaf coloration in different species may be dark green with reddish pubescence along the leaf margin, as in Coleria hairy Kohleria hirsuta; light green, like Coleria digitaliflora; silvery green with purple stripes along the veins, as in Coleria pleasant Kohleria amabilis.
The flowers are either solitary or collected 2-3 on an axillary peduncle. Corolla bell-shaped with a tube up to 5 cm long, and five wide petals. The color of the flowers is from soft pink, bright orange, to purple-brown. Usually the color of the flowers is mottled, interspersed with a different color.
Coleria - Care and Cultivation
Caring for corelia during the growth period is no different from growing senpoli, the same soil and top dressing, watering frequency and illumination. But unlike the Uzambar violet, coleria has a pronounced period of rest. It requires cold maintenance, otherwise, over the winter, plants are overgrown, stretched out a lot, hierated, rhizomes lose their viability.
Temperature
Like all gesnerium, in the growing season, which lasts from late February to November, coleria prefers moderate temperatures of about 20-25 ° C, does not like dryness and heat above + 28 ° C.
Coleria has a dormant period in which it is not necessary to prune the aerial part of the plant. You can just rearrange the pots in a very cool place. The optimal temperature during rest is about + 12-15 ° C, at least 10 ° C. But you can also dig up korelia rhizomes and put them in an airtight bag in sawdust or coconut substrate, slightly moist but not raw. Place the bag in a dark place at 8-10 ° C and store without any watering until the end of winter.
Lighting
Coleria is photophilous. It requires bright light, with shading from direct sunlight only during the hottest hours in spring and summer. It grows well on light, not hot windows, or under the shade of a mosquito net or tulle. Good growth and flowering requires about 12 hours of good bright light, morning sun or after 5 pm - very useful for the formation of a dense bush.
Watering and humidity
In summer, the coleria is watered quite abundantly, but by the next watering, at least half the height of the pot, the earth should have time to dry out - remember that the rhizome of the korelia is a water-storing organ, with excess moisture it rots. In autumn, with a cold snap, watering is reduced, the soil is well dried. In winter, with cool maintenance, they are watered occasionally, preventing only a complete re-drying of the earthen coma. If the plant continues to be kept in a warm room in winter, it must be watered.
Coleria loves high humidity, but does not tolerate water on the leaves. Therefore, the air is humidified in other ways: turning on the humidifier, placing the pots on pallets with wet pebbles or sphagnum moss. But usually this need arises only on very hot days in the summer, when the humidity is below 40%.
Fertilizing
From April to August, coleria should be fed with senpoli fertilizers in full dosage or fertilizer for flowering indoor plants, at a dose two times less than recommended. Feeding is carried out once every two weeks. In autumn and winter they do not feed.
Flight connections
For growing coleria, fairly wide pots, small heights, hanging baskets are used. Be sure to make large holes at the bottom of the pot and pour drainage, about 1.5 cm high. Plants are transplanted annually in spring, you can start in February. Soil mixture: 2 parts of leafy land, 1 part of coniferous, 1 part of baking powder (coarse river sand or vermiculite). Shop soil for senpoli or universal Terra Vita will do.
Coleria reproduction
Coleria is propagated by apical cuttings, seeds and rhizome. It is better to root apical cuttings no earlier than March. Cut off the tops of the shoots, about 7-10 cm long, cut off the two lower leaves and put them rooted in water or in the ground.
Rooting in the soil as follows: sterilize the prepared soil (as described above) (mandatory!) And cool. Pour over the drain into the pot. Make a recess with a pencil and insert the ends of the cuttings there. It is advisable to plant at least 3-5 cuttings in one pot, so the bush will be lush. Then lightly compact the soil around the stems and moisten. No need to water abundantly - the soil should be slightly wet - spray from the spray bottle under each handle. Place the pot in a clear bag. Inflate, tie. Ventilate twice a day for about 20-30 minutes. Rooting usually takes 4 to 6 weeks.
Coleria is propagated by rhizomes during transplantation. You need to cut off a piece of rhizome with a growth kidney. Coleria rhizomes are similar to thick hairy worms, if they are dormant (no shoots and leaves), cut off about 10 cm of rhizome. If there are already shoots, cut off a smaller piece with a sprig. The soil for planting must be sterilized. Bury the rhizomes in the soil no more than 3 cm, place them horizontally. Water very gently until young leaves appear. There is no need to cover the pot with planted rhizomes.
Seed coleria
- Coleria seeds are sown in late January or February, scattering on the surface of the earth (leaf earth in half with coarse sand, or universal peat soil for seedlings, also in half with sand).
- Seeds are not sprinkled on top with earth, but sprayed and covered with glass or film and ventilated 2-3 times daily until seedlings appear.
- Seeds germinate at a temperature of 22-24 ° C. After the appearance of two pairs of leaflets, the seedlings dive, planting one specimen in small pots. It is better to take pots about 8-10 cm in diameter, not tall.