No exception - Ugandan clerodendrum, a representative of the plant world of East Africa. In nature, the culture has the appearance of an evergreen shrub with long, sometimes reaching two-meter-long shoots. As they grow, woody stems are rather thin and, climbing up to neighboring plants or other objects, turn the clerodendrum into a graceful liana. The look is easy to recognize:
- by sharpened-elliptical, somewhat wrinkled leaves of green color;
- medium-sized, but very attractive blue flowers, resembling butterflies squatting on the rest.
The flowering of the Ugandan clerodendrum presented in the photo continues from mid-spring to autumn. Corollas, consisting of five delicate petals, are collected in loose paniculate inflorescences that appear on the upper part of the shoot from the sinuses of the blooming leaves.
In the southern regions, where winter temperatures allow, the culture can be grown under the open sky, in the middle zone, the Ugandan clerodendrum is grown at home, and experienced gardeners and novice flower growers can take care of the plant.
Conditions for growing Ugandan's klerodendrum
Despite the exotic appearance and origin at home, the Ugandan klerodendrum is simple to maintain, but still not very well known to Russian growers.
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The main conditions for successful plant growth are:
- in choosing a well-lit place for a flower;
- in creating a kind of wintering with lowering the temperature of the content;
- in maintaining high humidity;
- in abundant watering;
- in mandatory pruning;
- in transplantation to support the development of large decorative culture.
The plant is not afraid of bright light, so the Ugandan clerodendrum, as in the photo, can safely be grown on windows that look not only to the east or west, but also to the south. But the northern side is detrimental to the decorative appearance. Although the stems will grow, they become thinner, the internodes become longer, and it is not possible to wait for flowering at all.
If a suitable place for culture cannot be found, it is more correct to use special lamps and additionally highlight the pot with the Ugandan guest.
There is no special requirements for the temperature conditions of the klerodendrum. In the warm season, the plant is satisfied with the room atmosphere, feels great when taking the pot to the loggia or garden.
But to bookmark the buds, the Ugandan clerodendrum needs a cool wintering. For 2-3 months a container with a flower is taken out to a room with an air temperature of 12–16 ° C.If this is not done, the bloom will suffer serious damage, as with excessively dry air. At home, the flower is regularly sprayed with warm distilled water and in every possible way increase the content of water vapor in the atmosphere.
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Features of Ugandan clerodendrum care
In the period of growth and mass flowering, the Ugandan clerodendrum requires frequent and abundant irrigation with soft settled health that requires frequent and abundant flowering. The frequency with which it is necessary to moisten the soil depends on the rate of drying of the substrate on the surface. The plant tolerates dry soil well and quickly restores the briefly lost turgor, but excessive moisture inside the substrate can be disastrous for the culture.
After completion of flowering, klerodendrum can be watered less. And during the rest period, when the plant is in a cool state, it should be done extremely rarely, and very carefully, trying only to slightly moisten the earthen room.
The dressing mode of the Ugandan clerodendrum, in the photo, differs little from similar care for other flowering plants. At home, twice a month make a comprehensive tool for ornamental crops.
At the beginning of the growing season, top dressing may contain an increased amount of nitrogen, stimulating the growth of greenery and shoots. And by the summer it is more correct to use drugs with a predominance of potassium and phosphorus. In this case, clerodendrum will give the maximum number of flowers and grow well.
Young plants do not require special pruning, but it is worth the klerodendrum to give several long shoots, as the question arises of the need to maintain the shape of the crown. In nature, the stems of this culture grow to 2 meters in length. At home, caring for a uteri clerodendrum of this size will not be easy.
In the spring, before the beginning of the active growing season, and in the fall after the wilting of the inflorescence, the shoots are shortened to half the length. This procedure allows you to induce tillering of the plant and increase its decorative effect due to the buds formed on the tops of young stalks.
can provide good care for the Clerodendrum of Thompson. Using pruning, experienced growers turn decorative culture into a compact standard tree. To this end, a trunk is formed from a strong shoot, successively cutting off all lateral branches and providing the Ugandan clerodendrum with additional support. Then pinch the stem, and from the beginning to grow young branches create a crown.
Transplantation and reproduction of the Ugandan klerodendrum
. An African plant needs a nutrient, weakly acidic substrate, eliminating the possibility of moisture stagnation. The easiest way for planting and further caring for the Ugandan clerodendrum is to purchase ready-made primer for home-grown flowering crops and add some crushed bark and charcoal to it.
The plant belongs to the fast-growing species and requires quite frequent transshipment into a larger diameter container. If over the summer the bush has greatly increased in growth, do not deny him a new pot. It is possible to transplant klerodendrum both in spring and in autumn.
Pruning at the same time can provide excellent planting material for shrub reproduction. These are apical cuttings that root in water and are planted in a loose, light substrate. For the second year, such plants are ready to bloom and delight the owner with flocks of blue moths over lush greenery.
Ugandan Clerodendrum in the room - video
