Growing gloxinia from seeds at home
Gloxinia or Sinningia speciosa are very popular with flower growers. Most often, this plant is propagated vegetatively, but there is another way - to grow gloxinia from seeds at home.
Although it will take a little more effort, the result will live up to expectations. This is the only way a florist can:
- become the owner of self-created hybrids;
- see on your windowsill the flowering of rare varietal specimens that local lovers of indoor plants do not have.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the patience and perseverance to get adult flowering plants from gloxinia seeds. Sometimes annoying mistakes in germination and care interfere with success. How to avoid them and where to start if you want to propagate this indoor culture using seeds? First you need to take care of the seed.
Read also:gloxinia home care!
How to get gloxinia seeds at home?
After the pollen from one flower is transferred to the pistil of another, after a few days the corolla wilts, and the future seed capsule remains on the peduncle. The development and maturation of seeds, depending on the variety and conditions of maintenance, takes from 6 to 9 weeks.
The seeds are very small. Therefore, before planting gloxinia with seeds, you need to try to collect them. As soon as signs of opening of the capsule appear, it is cut and carefully transferred to a separate dry container. This will make it easier to collect the brown, pointed-oval seeds needed for planting.
How to plant gloxinia with seeds?
Sowing is carried out on the surface of a moist loose substrate without embedding into the soil. At this stage, there is no need to make a special mixture, it is enough to add a little vermiculite and crushed charcoal to the ready-made universal peat-based soil. Gloxinia seedlings feel good in small peat tablets.
The soil for gloxinia grown from seeds at home must be sterilized using a microwave oven, oven or freezer. In the latter case, it takes at least 1-2 days to get rid of pathogens and pests.
Getting gloxinia seedlings from seeds at home can be carried out in shallow containers. During the growth period, the senses dive several times, so a layer of soil no more than 3 cm is sufficient for sowing.
When the seeds are evenly distributed over the surface of the substrate, it is additionally sprayed with a spray gun, taking care not to wash out the small seed material. Then the container is tightly covered with foil to prevent moisture evaporation, and placed in a warm, bright place for germination.
To facilitate growing from seeds and caring for gloxinia in autumn and winter, when development is hampered by a lack of light, you need to take care of additional lighting room greenhouse.
Daylight hours, regardless of the season, should be at least 12-14 hours, and the temperature should be 20-24 ° C.
After 7–10 days, tiny green shoots appear on the surface of the substrate, and later gloxinia from seeds at home need watering and several picks.
How to grow gloxinia from seeds?
Getting tiny gloxinia seedlings is not as difficult as then growing them into independent plants that can bloom. Receiving enough light, heat and moisture in a greenhouse, the sprouts continue to develop until after about a month real leaves appear on them, and individual gloxinia begin to press each other.
At this time, young specimens should be dived. This procedure, which is important for growing and caring for gloxinia, activates the growth slowed down due to the density of plantings, as a result, the plants will get stronger faster.
From sowing to planting young rosettes in separate pots, 3 to 4 picks may be required. Their number depends on the varietal characteristics of the plant, the conditions created and the density of sowing.
The gloxinia seeds obtained from the seeds are carefully removed from the old container, being careful not to damage the roots and crown of neighboring outlets. The first transplant is carried out in a fresh substrate, 10-15 pieces. And after that, the plants are again placed in the greenhouse under the lamps.
At the stage of the second and third picking of gloxinia, it is already possible to transplant individual pots with a volume of no more than 50-100 ml. Such outlets are already strong enough to harden them, gradually accustoming them to air in the room.
Additional feeding of young gloxinia from seeds is not required, since during picks they are transferred to a nutrient substrate that meets the needs of small seedlings.
By ten weeks of age, young bushes are transplanted into their own pots. It is better to take small containers with a diameter of 9-10 cm, in which the width is equal to the height. For constant soil moisture, you can use a simple wick passed through a drainage hole, or a room drip irrigation system.
With good care, growing gloxinia from seed gives consistently high productivity. And already at the age of three months, the strongest seedlings are gaining the first buds.