Gloxinia is an attractive home plant that is distinguished by lush, long flowering. The flowering phase takes away a lot of energy from the plant, so when gloxinia has blossomed, a number of supporting measures must be carried out that will allow you to keep the weak tuber that remains to winter in the ground - more on this later in the article.

Gloxinia Flowering Dates

The beginning of flowering gloxinia occurs in May-June and ends in July-August. But if ideal conditions were created in the room, gloxinia can leave the dormant phase already in early February, then in early March it will enter the flowering phase and leave it in June. On average, the phase lasts 2 months, under favorable conditions - all summer.

Did you know? In the language of flowers, introduced by Charles II in the 18th century, gloxinia means "love at first sight."

Features of the period under review

With the appearance of 2-3 pairs of leaves on the plant, flower buds begin to form. The type of flowering of the described plant is cap. On one sprout, about 10 buds can be laid. Inflorescences can take the form of a bell or shoe. Flowers are simple and double, depending on the variety.

In the former, the petals are arranged in one row, in the latter, in 2–5 rows. The color palette is diverse, mainly shades of red, purple, white prevail. Petals can be monophonic or two-tone.

During this period gloxinia requires more thorough care. A flowering plant needs to be shaded from bright light. The room should maintain a temperature within + 22 ° C and air humidity above average - 60–80%.

Faded buds with pedicels should be removed immediately so that they do not interfere with the development of new ones. Plants need daylight hours of 12-14 hours. If the light day in your climate zone does not correspond to the specified parameter, use phytolamps to illuminate flowering plants.

If the phase has begun in standard terms, most instances can bloom repeatedly. The flower needs help by cutting off the top of the outlet after the last flowers wither. The plant should have 2–4 leafy shoots.

With repeated flowering caused by artificial or occurring naturally, the bushes need top dressing. Secondary shoots form on a shortened outlet. Of these, you need to choose 2–4 of the strongest, the rest cut off. Then watering is carried out with the addition of “Uniflor-growth” top dressing.

Important! Without the introduction of stimulant drugs and careful care, gloxinia can die after repeated flowering.

As soon as the first bud ovaries appear, the flower must be fed with Uniflor-Flower fertilizer. Repeated flowering will be less abundant than the first.

What to do and how to care for a flower after flowering?

When gloxinia has faded, the main task of the plant grower is to organize proper care, which involves the following activities:

• pruning
• enrichment of the soil with nutrients;
• watering.

Most often, in September-October, the flowers themselves prepare for the dormant period, dropping the foliage.

But especially active specimens will need to be helped to enter the phase of preparation for the winter - for this:

• reduce the intensity of watering;
• gradually reduce the air temperature to + 15 ° C;
• reduce daylight hours to 8 hours.

Pruning

When the leaves with cuttings go down, sanitary pruning is carried out. In this case, you need to use a sterile instrument. The cut is made even, leaving stumps about 2-4 cm high.

Learn about the features of planting and caring for gloxinia at home, as well as how to properly propagate gloxinia, how to prepare and care for gloxinia in winter.

Fertilizer application

After the last flower withers, winter fertilizing is carried out with fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen: in this regard, potassium monophosphate is well suited. 2 g of water will require 5 g of substance. 400-500 ml of working solution are consumed per bush.

Watering mode

After trimming, the stump is watered once a week for a month, then the tuber is left alone until awakening. Humidity before awakening should fluctuate between 60–70%. This can be achieved by installing a container with moistened gravel near the plant.

Why does gloxinia not bloom?

There are several reasons why gloxinia does not bloom:

• deficiency or excess moisture - adjust watering;
• when the flower is kept in the room at a temperature below + 15 ° С, the buds do not bloom - restore the optimal temperature regime;
• an excess of nitrogen in the soil - choosing fertilizer, give preference to compositions with a high content of potassium;
• the plant stands in direct sunlight - change the location of the pot.

The tuber survival depends on how the plant grower will act after flowering gloxinia.

Did you know? Astrologers attribute gloxinia to talisman talisman flowers. When growing such a plant at home, the representative of this zodiac sign will be able to fully reveal his potential.

If all the rules have been observed, in spring the plant will enter a phase of active vegetation with renewed vigor.