Calibrachoa - An interesting plant that has recently appeared in the homes of florists. He is easily confused with petunia, which has long been settled in many apartments. In fact, until the 1990s, calarahoa was considered a type of petunia, but later it was proved that at the genetic level it is a completely different plant.
A lot of time has passed since then, but to this day many people do not recognize the new name and simply rank the karakhoa as a petunia. This article will acquaint you with this marvelous plant and will allow you to highlight enough differences and advantages that the calicracha has over petunia.
Difference from petunias caliber
Often the unlucky calibrahoa vendors are called "surfini" or "ampel petunia". This is done to attract buyers who are already familiar with petunia or surfini. Sometimes it is very difficult to say if it is a calabraha or another plant, so look at the main differences:
- We look at the mouth at the base of the corolla. If it is colored yellow, then it is a calabra. Any other color is fake.
- Leaf size is the best difference. In this caliber, the leaves are very small, about 1 cm wide, and not more than 4 cm long.
- Lignified stem. Calibrachoa has a denser stem, unlike petunia.
Did you know? The genus Calibracoa was established as early as 1825, but the most valuable species were introduced only in 1990, when it was found that Calibracians separated 4 chromosomes from their DNA from petunias.
Optimum growing conditions
Growing caliber is not troublesome. If you prepare a good soil for the plant and choose the right place for planting, then in the future the plant will not be "capricious" or ill.
Location and lighting
It is necessary to arrange the plant in such a way that the sun rays fall on it, and at the same time it does not suffer from drafts and the north wind. Calibrachoa does not like the midday sun, so try to shade the plant when the light is at its zenith. If you do not do this, then sensitive leaflets can burn out.
The wind not only cools the ground and roots badly, but can also break shoots or knock down flowers. Thus, if you live on the last floor in a high-rise building, then it is better not to place the caliber on the open balcony. Find a place where there is a minimum of wind and a maximum of the morning and evening sun.
Soil: composition and fertilizer
When picking up the soil, it is worth paying attention only to fertility. The flower loves loamy or sandy soils more, but other humus-rich substrates will do. The soil should include peat, humus, sod land and sand. The soil should be light, loose, with a neutral or slightly acidic pH reaction.
The size of pots for calibration must be at least three liters in order for the plant to feel comfortable. Be sure to put drainage in the form of expanded clay or small pebbles on the bottom of the pot. Take care that in case of overflow the moisture quickly leaves the ground in the pot tray.
Important! Calibrachoa reacts negatively to the introduction of fresh manure, so if you want to enrich the soil before planting, use humus or complex fertilizer.
How to care for Calibrachoa to achieve abundant flowering
Every housewife wants to see her plant healthy and flourishing. At the same time a large number of flowers and long flowering bring extraordinary pleasure.
Just a few tricks and simple actions will allow you to get a blooming "waterfall" on the balcony.
Watering and spraying plants
Immediately draw a wide line between watering and spraying, as the moisture-sensitive flower just loves the moist air. If the room is hot and stuffy, then calibrahoha should be sprayed 3-4 times a day. The main thing - do not spray the root area to protect the flower from rotting.
Water the plant should be so that the soil was slightly wet. Calibrahoa will take a much better dry soil than wet land.
Important! Watering and spraying should be carried out when the sun's rays do not fall on the plant.
Top dressing of a flower
Calibrachoa loves top dressing, which must be applied regularly to achieve good flowering. As part of complex fertilizers should be phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. Fertilizers need to be applied at least once a week.
During the planting period, it is necessary to give calarahoa more nitrogen, but during flowering add more phosphate and potash fertilizers.
Important! If the plant is stunted, then it should be fed with a stimulant.
If there are difficulties in choosing the right mineral fertilizer, take the complex that is used for petunias, because in terms of top dressing, the plants love the same thing.
Pruning and shrub formation
A spreading flower should be cut from time to time to preserve the aesthetic appearance and save the plant from diseased shoots.
First pruning carried out immediately after flowering. As soon as the first flowers began to fade, cut them to give the plant additional strength to the laying of the next buds.
Subsequent pruning and pinching do in the middle of summer: they shorten by half all shoots in order to achieve greater branching of the plant. Also remove diseased or dry runners and leaves.
Do not be afraid to cut a little more, the plant will not suffer from this. On the pruned shoots, buds will start to appear en masse, which will further contribute to abundant flowering.
Did you know? Calibrachoa comes from the Solanaceae family, which includes the well-known tomato, eggplant and paprika.
Wintering (rest period) Calibrachoa
Although Calibrachoa is considered a perennial, after a period of rest, the plant seems to lose strength and begin to bloom poorly. The hibernation of Calibrachoa begins after the last bud has withered (or one week after).
In order for the plant to feel comfortable in a dormant period, it must be maintained at a temperature of + 10-12 ° C, occasionally moistening the earth. Most often, this time is used to obtain cuttings and planting a new plant to replace the old one.
Reproduction Calibra
Many housewives are interested in which method of breeding calibra is the easiest. The plant can be propagated both by seeds and cuttings from an existing plant.
Cuttings
Calibration spend in the rest period (so as not to injure and weaken the plant), when the flower is asleep, and the metabolism at the cellular level slows down several times.
However, this does not affect the quality of the cutting, so you can cut off the shoots for grafting in late summer or early autumn. We cut off the tops of the shoots 5-6 cm long, on which there are at least 4 leaves. We cut off the lower sheets, leaving two-three upper which should be shortened by half.
Pick up a light substrate enriched with peat, and plant an escape in it, immersing the cutting in the ground. After that, you need to create a young plant greenhouse conditions. This is done with the help of a can or a film that covers the pot.
Under the "cap" creates its own microclimate with high humidity, which promotes rooting. You can also use special preparations that accelerate the germination process.
Important! Cuttings after cutting should be immediately planted in the ground, because after 2 hours their ability to rooting decreases to almost zero.
From the moment of planting, create favorable conditions for the plant: temperature at 20 ° C, sunlight (except midday), protection from drafts and sudden changes in temperature. Do not forget to take shelter once a day and air the plant so that it does not “suffocate”.
Moisturize the soil no more than twice a day using a spray gun, and the soil should not be very wet. After two weeks, the cuttings should germinate, and the need for a "greenhouse" is no more.
It should be noted that until the roots reach a length of 1.5-2 cm, it is impossible to transplant young plants. The roots are too weak and easy to break.
After a small “house”, the calibrahoa is transplanted into flowerpots with a diameter of 5-6 cm. If you want to get a very bushy flower, pin an escape over the fifth leaf. A month later, already adult plants are determined in pots with diameters of 10-14 cm.
Interestingly, the cut-off top of the rooted cutting (after pinching) can also be used to plant a new plant.
Seeds
Growing Calibrahoa from Seeds perhaps, however, causes some difficulties. The thing is that a plant that grows out of a seed may not be at all like its parent.
Sometimes it even turned out that a “wilderness” grew, which did not bloom well, and the buds themselves were very small. Therefore, calibrago try to propagate in a vegetative way. If you do decide to grow the seed from seed, then be patient and follow the instructions.
Calibrahoa seeds can be obtained from the boxes, which are formed after flowering. Then take pills from peat, soak in water and spread the seeds on their surface.
For germination of seeds need a constant temperature of + 18-20 иC and a mini-greenhouse (covered with foil, can or plastic cup).
Next you need to take care of the lighting. Install a desk lamp near the seeds and turn it on for 15-16 hours a day. At night, the lights are turned off. A week later, the seeds will begin to spit. If this does not happen - wait another 2-3 days.
After germination, air sprouts and gradually accustom to sunlight (but do not overdo it). If the seeds grow and there are no visible deviations, then after 4 days the shelter can be removed.
Next, wait for the formation of the first leaves. After removing the "greenhouse" peat tablet moistened with water with a small amount of potassium permanganate. As soon as the first leaf has protruded, it is poured with water with the addition of vitamin B12(1 300 ml ampoule).
Carefully take care of the young plant, alternating warm purified water, fertilizing with vitamin and ready-made complex feeding (entered ¼ from the norm of an adult plant).
If you notice that the roots began to bulge through the mesh of the pill - transfer the calarachoa seedlings into a small cup, without separating the roots from the pill. Add a special complex primer and slightly shorten the top of the plant.
For the first month, keep the plant warm, water carefully and do not leave for a long time in the sun.
It is important to understand that if you plant sprouted seeds in a plastic cup, then there will be no place for excess water, and they can lead to root decay. Also take care of the young plant from drafts and strong winds, make feeding in time and monitor the general condition.
Important! If you buy breeding seeds, then there are more chances that the plants will turn out exactly as the manufacturer stated.
When to sow caliberraha is up to you. Seeds are well preserved and do not lose their germination with time.
Wherein better to plant in early springto enjoy beautiful flowering in summer.
Calibrahoa resistance to pests and diseases
With proper care and timely fertilization, calibrahoa does not get sick and very rarely is affected by pests. However, if the plant has a painful appearance, blooms poorly or dries, then an urgent need to identify the cause and engage in treatment.
A flower with improper care is affected by the following diseases:
- root rot;
- blackleg;
- powdery mildew;
- chlorosis.
In addition to diseases, the plant may turn yellow, dry or curl leaves.
Let's start with root rotwhich is represented by a microscopic fungus. It occurs when excessive watering or in very heavy soils that do not pass moisture. Also, root rot can be brought to the ground if you took it in the garden.
This disease affects the root system, which rots and dies. The plant becomes sluggish, loses color and poorly kept in the substrate. If you tighten with the treatment, then the calibrahoa will die.
This disease is treated only with fungicides.. The problem is that root rot has many varieties, and you need to pick a certain fungicide.
Due to the complexity and duration of treatment, the diseased plant is simply disposed of along with the contaminated soil. The best option in the early stages will be grafting of calrachoa, but this should be done at a time when the shoots are still strong and have leaves on them.
Black leg or bottom neck rot, affects only germinated immature plants. The mushroom pathogen is located in the upper layers of the earth and parasitizes the germ at high humidity. As a result, the thin stem turns black and cracks, the plant dies.
Important! Black leg does not affect germinated cuttings.
Planting seeds in a peat tablet 100% protect against fungus. If you get a defective peat tablet without fungicides, then watering with water with potassium permanganate will surely kill the parasite. Calibrachoa, rotten, can be cured with the help of fungicides like "Fitosporin" or "Baktofit".
Mealy dew is a huge mushroom mycelium, which covers the leaves, painting them white. Causes of the disease: sudden changes in temperature and humidity, overdose of nitrogen fertilizers after pruning or pinching.
Sick leaves stop growing, become lethargic and die off. If time does not stop the spread of the fungus, then you risk losing the flower.
Fighting at home is better using biofungicides, which are environmentally friendly. The best representatives are "Fitosporin-M" and "Alirin-B". It is strongly not recommended to use fungicides at home, as they are very toxic to humans.
A disease like chlorosiscaused by a microscopic fungus. The causes of infection are varied: iron deficiency, overmoistening of the soil, insect vectors and dirty tools. The plant loses its usual color, becomes pale and blooms very badly.
You can see an example of chlorosis-affected flowers of Calibrahoa in the photo below.
To cure chlorosis, you need use the profile drug "Antikhlorozin". However, before using, try simply to feed the plant and prune dry shoots, pour the soil or, conversely, dry it.
Chlorosis - an ambiguous disease that can be caused by many factors. Not always drug treatment will be the way.
In addition to disease, dry or twisted leaves may appear due to the lack of any substances. So, if the leaves turn yellow, it is a reason to check the temperature in the room, to apply fertilizer (if you have not done this before) or to water the plant less often. Dry and curled leaves are the consequences of poor lighting or dry air.
Unfortunately, in addition to the above diseases and illnesses, pests can parasitize caliberhoa, namely:
- spider mite (sucks the nutrients from the leaves and stem, weakens the plant and leads to its diseases);
- aphid (it feeds on plant sap. When it is severely damaged, calibrahoa fades and dries out);
- thrips (insect larvae grow on leaves and feed on juices, eat holes and lead to the death of parts of the flower);
- whitefly (small white butterflies and their larvae feed on calarachoa sap, slow down growth and harm leaves).
To completely remove spider mites, you will need to carry out 2-3 treatments with an interval of 1 week. Other parasites disappear after the first use of an insecticide. When choosing from this list, give priority to the least toxic drugs, since many of them are not designed for home use.
Now you can not only plant and grow a variety of calibrahoa at home, but also cure or rid your pet of parasites. Do not forget that the best medicine for disease is the right care.
