Varieties and varieties of GloriosaIt belongs to the Melanthian family, the order of Liliacevet, and its second name is the flower of glory. On the shelves of stores, young plants look unremarkable, but with proper care and maintenance, they turn into bright flowers with long, spectacular shoots. However, in order for the gloriosa plant to feel well in a temperate and even cold climate, it is worth knowing in advance all its requirements. Gloriosa - what is this plant?
Gloriosa is a perennial plant. It is not very popular with gardeners, so it has a small number of varieties. Basically, they fall on the shelves in the form in which grow in nature in tropical forests. Breeders did not make efforts and did not make their own adjustments, so everyone has the opportunity to grow a real jungle vine on the windowsill.
Gloriosa can be recognized on several grounds:
- stems are straight, light green, can reach 1-2 m in length;
- rhizome - tuber;
- leaves have an elongated lanceolate form;
- at the ends of the shoots are antennae, with which the plant can be attached to the support;
- flowers are bright, large, single, fastened on long pedicels;
- in an unfavorable period, the above-ground part of the plant may dry out, and during warming the vegetative processes are restored.
The photo of glorioso looks bright and spectacular, but to admire its flowering is better from afar, and when working with it you should follow the safety instructions. The fact is that the plant is poisonous to animals and humans. It contains colchicine alkaloid, its concentration in tubers and seeds is especially high. For an adult, it is enough to eat 6 mg of a substance for the onset of death. After working with gloriosa, it is strictly forbidden to touch the mouth and other mucous membranes.
Despite the fact that in nature gloriosa can reach 2 m in height, it is grown in pots at home. It is not suitable for planting in open ground, since even minor seasonal fluctuations in temperature will be disastrous.
Growing at Home
With proper care at home, Gloriosa will look impressive. The main thing to consider is that the plant is accustomed to a hot tropical climate and abundant watering during the rainy season, so it will not be able to tolerate frost. There are several ways to grow a flower, but the easiest way is to buy a young plant in a store.
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When growing gloriosa at home, there is a way to plant it in open ground. In the summer, when the air temperature stably stays at a level of 25-27 degrees, it can be placed outside, and with the first cold snaps it can be removed into a house or greenhouse with rhizome and earthy clod.
It is recommended to move the plant in a pot - this reduces the chance of damaging the roots.
Reproduction Methods for Gloriosa
In the photo of gloriosa, when you take care of yourself at home, it may differ. This plant can grow large or give small straight shoots. If there is already one such flower on the windowsill, it can be propagated in two ways. In nature, after a period of flowering, seeds form on the tips of the shoots. They crumble into the ground, take root, and the next year they make small shoots.
Reproduction tubers
The easiest way to reproduce gloriosa - using rhizomes. It belongs to tuberous plants, and when dividing a tuber, each of the parts forms full-fledged long shoots. Reproduction is carried out in the spring, during the transplant of a flower in a new container. The procedure is simple:
- rhizome is removed from the ground and carefully cut with a knife into several equal parts;
- cut-off area should be treated with crushed charcoal;
- each tuber is planted in a separate pot and sprinkled with earth a few centimeters;
- watering can be started only when the first sprout appears, and before that you can warm up the plant, putting it on a warm surface.
With the spring transplant of gloriosa, you can see that the old rhizome has formed new small tubers. They just need to be carefully separated and transplanted into a new pot. After a while they turn into full-fledged individual plants.
Seed reproduction
The method of growing gloriosa from seed is longer. It grows for a long time, and even though the shoots appear quickly, the first flowering period will come no earlier than 3-4 years after planting. However, if it is not possible to get tubers from an adult healthy plant, you can also grow a full-fledged vine from the seeds.
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For seed reproduction, it is necessary to pollinate the plant. Gloriosa refers to self-pollinating flowers, and the procedure can be carried out at home:
- pollen with a brush is transferred onto the flowers of the same plant;
- after flowering seeds will be tied;
- must be harvested and planted in fertile soil;
- before rooting sprouts should cover them with glass and periodically ventilate.maintaining a temperature of at least 20 degrees.
When small leaves appear on the seedlings, the plants can be transplanted into separate pots and the irrigation system can be adjusted. With proper care, gloriosa is growing rapidly, but at home its height rarely exceeds 50-60 cm. It is possible to grow large plants if you take them out in the summer. In the third year it will be possible to observe how the first bright flowers appear.
Care instructions
Indoor gloriosis is a plant that requires special care. It is adapted to the hot tropical climate with irregular but abundant irrigation. The flower grows well in fertile soil. It is worth adding humus, compost, peat and sand to the purchased mixture. Fertilizers are periodically applied again - it is convenient to carry out the procedure in the spring, when the plant is transplanted into a larger pot.
There are several recommendations on how to grow large and healthy gloriosis, as well as wait for flowering faster:
- arrange the pot with a flower on the well-lit side, and gradually adapt to the sun before making it outside in the summer;
- period of active growth occurs at the end of spring and the beginning of summer - at this time the flower needs abundant watering at room temperature;
- fall processes of life slow down, it is worth reducing watering and rearrange the pot in a less lit place;
- gloriosa prefers to grow in conditions of high humidity, so you can additionally spray the leaves with a pulverizer.
Gloriosa needs additional support, but it does not encircle it, like many other plants, and is attached with tendrils, which are located at the end of the shoots. The branches should be tied up so that they do not fall and are not damaged under their own weight.
How to choose a pot for gloriosa?
The rhizome of the flower is not too large, so a small but deep pot will do. At its bottom there must be holes for the outflow of excess moisture and for ventilation of the roots. In addition, before making the soil should be sure to arrange the drainage layer. For these purposes, suitable purchased expanded clay drainage or small pebbles. A high support is placed in the center of the pot - the plant will stick to it with special tendrils, since its shoots are long and not strong enough.
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Varieties and varieties of gloriosa
In nature there are no more than 10 varieties of gloriosa. For home cultivation most often offered 3 main varieties. They grow in different regions, but they feel good at home in pots.
Gloriosa Luxurious
Gloriosa Luxurious is a species that is most commonly found in natural conditions. It grows in the tropics, preferring a humid climate, can rise to 1.5 km above sea level. This is a large flower - its shoots reach 2 m in length, but they are not strong enough and must be attached to the support. The flowers are large.individual petals grow up to 8 cm. Outside they are pink, inside their color changes from yellow( closer to the core) to bright red at the ends. The second name of the variety - gloriosa gorgeous.
Gloriosa Plain
This variety is widely distributed in the tropics of Africa. Its shoots grow to 1.5 m, the leaves are characteristic of the gloriosa species. The flowers are not large, the petals reach 3-5 cm, at the base their width is about 3 cm. They have a yellow-green color with a transition to red, straight, almost not bent inward.
Gloriosa Rothschild
Glorios Rothschild is another variety of this plant that is suitable for growing at home. Unlike other varieties, it has branched shoots, each of which must be attached to a support. The petals are quite large, each can reach up to 10 cm in length. They are red, covered with purple spots, slightly curved outward at the ends. Gloriosa's
is one of the few exotic plants that can be grown at home. It is not very capricious in the care and maintenance, it is enough to maintain the optimum temperature and regularly moisten the soil. Different varieties of gloriosa belong to perennial plants, and the first flowers appear only a few years after planting seeds in the ground. However, when performing all work and contact with the flower it is necessary to follow the safety instructions and use protective gloves. Also it is necessary to limit the access of pets to it - in the green mass and tubers contain strong poison.
