An interesting plant - koleriya, settled in almost every house. I fell in love with flower growers for their extraordinary appearance and unpretentiousness in care.
About the history of appearance
Despite the fact that koleriya grows in natural conditions on the territory of America, yet its majority of species and varieties spread from Switzerland. Indoor flower kaleria (kaleria) is named after Michel Kohler, a scientist from Zurich who lived in the 19th century.
Some of the species that gained popularity were brought to the continent from Mexico. Hybrid varieties that are now being grown everywhere have been bred by European breeders. One of these varieties is the Flashdance line, which was bred by Swedish breeders in 2001.
Koleria
When and how it blooms
Beautiful and delicate flowers of the plant delight each owner with their long flowering. The unusual shape of the bud captivates the look.
Kind of flowers
An elongated tube crowned with 5 petals. Reminds a bell.
Useful! Young plants in the first years throw one flower from the peduncle, in subsequent years - from 5 to 8 buds.
Bloom
Flower shape
The flowers are oval, slightly elongated. In some varieties and species, the bud may be more elongated than in others.
Flower buds
Flowering period
The color blooms from late May to early September, some species and varieties can bloom until mid-October. With good care and adequate lighting, the flowering period can be from 10 to 12 months.
Common varieties and varieties
The herbaceous plant with pubescent leaves and bell-shaped flowers belongs to the Gesneria family. America is considered the birthplace of this unusual flower, namely its tropical zones.
Useful! Medium-sized leaves, from 12 to 16 cm long and 8-10 cm wide, have dense pubescence over the entire surface of the plate. Depending on the species, they can have a variety of shades: from dark green to olive green with veins and villi different in tone. Some hybrid varieties bred several decades ago may have silver and bronze tones.
Famous representatives:
1 Coleria of Bogotá. The plant is able to grow up to 60 cm tall. He likes to grow on soils close to forest ones, or with a large number of pebbles in a pot. The length of the sheet is average - up to 10 cm. The plate has a saturated green tone, its edge with small notches. The flowers are yellowish red with bright dots.
- The colony fluffy-flowered (it is also called pubescent-flowered) turned out to win the love of many gardeners, not only due to its interesting coloring, but also the pubescence, which covers not only the leaves, but also the flowers themselves. The leaves are small, only 7 cm long. They are green with a border around the edge. The flowers resemble bells, have an orange or deep red tone. Inside, they are yellowish with bright dots.
- Coleria Linden. Small shrub, up to 30 cm. Stems straight and unbranched. The surface is covered with small hairs of white tone. The leaf plate is small, slightly narrowish. The leaves are painted in green, they are brighter on top than on the bottom. The flowers on the top are lilac, inside are yellowish with brown spots.
- Coleria amabilis. The leaves are oval in shape, 10 cm long. The plates are completely green, have streaks of brown or silver tone. The buds in the form of tubes are red with dark purple dots on top and light yellow inside.
- Coleria bibbi. The flower differs from other members of the family by an elongated bud in the form of a tube. Outside, the color is red, and inside it is greenish or yellowish. On top of the flower there are small villi of a greenish tint. Because of the color of the flower, it is often called red. The leaf blade is green with a brownish vein.
- Koleria silver feather. Beautiful flower with silver pearl leaves. Small flowers are orange or yellowish, have pubescence and small red dots.
- Coleria ampallang (ampalling). A variety with large flowers of soft pink tones on top, inside - light with burgundy dots. The leaves are small, with bright veins.
- Coleria Lucky Lucifer. Variety with large pubescent flowers. The tubes have a pinkish-red hue on the outside, inside they are white, the same petals with pink specks. Depending on the lighting, they may become slightly yellowish. The leaves are medium in size, green in tone, have a slight pointedness and small denticles.
Koleriya Lucky Lucifer
- Coleria Manchu. A beautiful pubescent bush with a pink-orange tone of flowers. Inside the neck is a pinkish-yellow hue. It can bloom throughout the whole year.
- Coleria Rongo. Purple bud with burgundy splash. Leaves of olive tones with light veins.
- Coleria Sunshine. It has pink buds with petals of a darker tone. Around the flower are burgundy dots. The leaves are saturated green.
- Coleria Birka. Orange-red buds outside, inside - white in red speck. The leaves are bright green, have streaks of light tone.
Varieties of colors
Home Care
Caring for a kohleria flower is quite simple, as it is unpretentious to the growing conditions. In order for the plant to please with long flowering, it is necessary to take into account some nuances of care.
Temperature
In summer, for collieries, the optimum growth temperature is 25 degrees, in winter - from 13 to 16. In hot weather, it is necessary to ventilate the room where the plant is located, you can rearrange it away from the window.
Lighting
Koleria prefers to grow on the east or west window. Ideal for a flower is diffused sunlight. If the plant is located on the south window, it must be shaded so that the colaria does not receive burns.
Watering
It is desirable to water the flower with rainwater. Using tap water, you should give it time to stand (about 3-4 days). In the summer, watering should be carried out daily, in the winter season their frequency is reduced to 1 or 2 times a week.
Spraying
It is impossible to spray pubescent plants, as this will damage their appearance, and can also cause a number of diseases.
Humidity
The plant prefers air with a little humidity. In winter, it tolerates aridity in the air well, but at least 2 times a month it is necessary to moisturize it. To do this, pour water into the pan, expanded clay is poured, a flower pot is installed on top.
Priming
The substrate for the plant is made on the basis of peat soil (2 parts), leaf humus (1 part), turf (1 part) and sand (1 part) are added to it. Pebbles and expanded clay are used as drainage.
Top dressing
You should feed the coloration monthly with complex fertilizers with microelements. Ready-made mixes can be bought at a flower plant shop.
In winter (at rest)
Like other plants, this flower needs a rest. You can determine the resting period by wilting the lower part of the leaves: they begin to dry out and fall off. Before sending to rest at the plant, it is necessary to remove all dry parts, as well as buds. The flower pot moves to a cool room where the temperature is maintained from 13 to 16 degrees. Top dressing during this period is not carried out, watering is reduced to a minimum - a maximum of 1 time per week, or even less, depending on the speed of drying of the coma.
How does koleriya breed
Get new bushes of your favorite flower in several ways. Separation of the root into several parts is the most common way for kolerii. Care and reproduction at home is a simple procedure, you should only follow some rules.
Breeding
Rhizome division
A tuber is taken and cut with a knife into 2-4 parts (depending on the size of the rhizome). Each piece is placed in a separate container with a substrate. After planting, the rhizomes are watered until new shoots appear.
Apical stalks-cuttings
An escape is cut from the mother plant and placed in a container of water. In a week or two, the first roots will appear. It is necessary to wait until a good spine is formed, after which it can be planted in a pot.
Leaf rooting
Reproduction by leaves is carried out in the same way as stems. A leaf with a stalk is cut off. Then the leafy stalk is placed in a container of water until the formation of roots.
Seed cultivation
Seeds are sown in spring (late March or early April) in a substrate of peat and sand. The surface of the soil mixture is moistened. After that, the container is covered with glass or film. It is placed in a warm room until the first shoots appear.
Transplant after purchase and in the process of reproduction
After the purchase, you need to change the substrate and the pot. Before transplanting, all buds and the bottom of the leaves must be removed. It is best to carry out the purchase in the springtime of the year, then the plant responds better to the transplant, especially since it should soon leave the dormant period.
Koleria transplant
Possible problems in growing collieries
Improper care may cause problems with cultivation. If you timely respond to the signals of the flower, it can be restored.
Care for the color scheme
Leaf problems
The plant may experience death and decay of the leaves. This may be a consequence of a natural process that occurs at the beginning of the dormant period or when the plant is renewed.
You can also observe a change in the color of the sheet plate and drying when improper care is:
- Drafts
- Spraying over a leaf or buds,
- Excess moisture or fertilizing.
Frequent diseases
Pale leaves or yellowing indicates that the flower is not enough light. Also, in poor lighting, the plant can stretch very much.
In very dry air, leaf curl can be observed. In order for the plant to recover, and new leaves appear, it is necessary to moisten the air, remotely spray the room from the plant.
Advice! Root or stem rot may indicate that it is time to change the substrate. The plant must be inspected by removing damaged areas, then transplanted into a new pot, changing the substrate.
Errors in care
Kaleria is a flower, home care is simple, but improper actions can lead to the death of the plant. Some gardeners, neglecting the health of plants, pour cold water on them. This leads to darkening of the leaves and shoots, if the flowerpot is also in a draft, its death is inevitable.
Coleria may not bloom after a dormant period, or the buds may not bloom and fall. This problem arises from the fact that fertilizers are incorrectly selected, or they were introduced in large quantities. The main rule in nursing when feeding is “Better to underfeed than to overfeed”.
Coleria Jester
There are a very large number of beautiful varieties of colors that gardeners have come to love. Among them are Red (with red buds), Brimstone (with red-raspberry flowers), Jester (Dzhester's koleriya with raspberry-red buds). By choosing one or more of them, you can create a small winter garden right in the apartment. Immediately delight with the beautiful bloom of the koleriya, leaving at home will help to extend it for several months.
