Content
Rhodochiton is a perennial vine of the Norichnikov family. In the natural environment, flowers live in the Central regions of America. To grow and develop, the creeping shoots of Rhodochiton need support. Delightful exotic flowers are characterized by long flowering and a delicate aroma.
The delicate surface of the exquisite rhodochiton flower is covered with tiny fibers of an unsurpassed wine shade.
Description of colors
Liana rhodochiton is an amazing representative of the world of flora, which is distinguished by the following characteristics:
- shoot length - up to 4 m;
- leaf shape is heart-shaped;
- leaf color - green (purple in the sun), with red veins;
- the shape of the inflorescences is a tube up to 2.5 cm long on a flexible peduncle with a five-petaled bell;
- the color of the inflorescences is rich burgundy, wine.
The rhodochiton perianth is characterized by a lighter shade and retains its original color throughout the long flowering period
How to grow rhodochiton from seeds at home
Growing rhodochiton (Chinese lanterns, Purple Rain and other exotic varieties) from seeds is possible at home. In order to cultivate a flower as a houseplant, you can sow the seeds at any time of the year. In order to plant vines in open ground, seedlings are sown at the end of February or at the beginning of March.
Algorithm for growing Rhodochiton Rhodes, Purple Bell, Ruby Bells and other popular varieties from seeds:
- For vine seedlings, choose a low, small box or container with cells.
- The soil for sowing rhodochiton seeds requires loose, nutritious soil, consisting of equal volumes of garden soil, humus and coarse river sand.
- Rhodochiton seeds are first kept in a weak (0.5-1%) solution of potassium permanganate for 10 minutes, rinsed and dried.
- The seed material is distributed over the surface of the soil using a wooden skewer, toothpick or tweezers, lightly pressed into the ground and sprinkled with a thin layer of sand.
- The crops are moistened with a spray bottle.
- The container with the sown rhodochiton seeds is covered with plastic film or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
- For successful germination of rhodochiton seeds, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of up to 24 ⁰C and daily ventilation.
- When the first sprouts appear (1-3 weeks after sowing the seeds), the container with the seeds should be moved to a room with a lower air temperature (up to 18 ⁰C), which will harden the seedlings and prevent the sprouts from stretching upward.
- After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed for several hours, gradually teaching the plant to do without greenhouse conditions.
- Seedlings are planted in pots up to 10 cm in diameter when 2-3 permanent leaves appear.
- For painless rooting of pickled seedlings, rhodochiton seedlings need a slightly shaded place, gentle watering without excessive moisture, with a return to a sunny and bright place after final rooting.
In a few weeks, the rhodochiton root system will become stronger, and a larger pot will be needed for indoor culture.
When planting seedlings in open ground, hardening of the vine seedlings may take about 2 weeks. Rhodochiton is planted in well-moistened holes along with a lump of earth, providing sufficient distance between individual bushes.
Direct rays of the sun can cause burns on the delicate sprouts of rhodochiton, so it is not recommended to place containers with seedlings on the south side
How to care for indoor plants
Caring for indoor rhodochiton does not have exotic requirements. It is enough to provide the plant with high-quality soil, a comfortable pot, and choose the right microclimate, watering and fertilizing regime.
With proper care, indoor rhodochiton will delight you for a long time with the flowering of magical and alluring inflorescences of fabulous beauty.
Lighting
Indoors, the Rhodochiton will be most comfortable in the back of a bright and spacious room with sufficient sunlight.The best option is to place a container with a vine on the windowsills of windows facing west and east.
Indoor rhodochiton prefers bright lighting
Pot and soil
For indoor vines, you should choose large pots or flowerpots with a diameter of more than 20 cm. Fertile, air- and water-permeable soil with drainage is suitable for plants.
For rhodochiton flowers, loose soil rich in organic matter is of particular value.
Fertilizers
As an additional feeding, mineral fertilizers with a high phosphorus content are suitable for home crops. Plants need to be fertilized once every 2 weeks.
There is no need to feed rhodochiton flowers in winter
Watering and soil moisture
Indoor vines should be watered regularly, avoiding stagnation of water. Tropical culture requires constant maintenance of high air humidity. Regular spraying, the use of air humidifiers, and placing an aquarium or container of water near the vine are ideal conditions for rhodochiton to live indoors.
In autumn and winter, watering rhodochiton flowers is reduced
Bloom
Since Rhodochiton is a type of tropical vine, the plant cannot grow and develop without support. In indoor conditions, you should take care in advance of what can serve as a support for creeping shoots.
Indoors, the tropical vine blooms mainly in the summer, but even in winter it can produce single flowers.
Rhodochiton flowers are bisexual, they form an ovary with seeds
Caring for rhodochiton in the garden
Garden vines are a delightful decoration of the local area. With proper care, rhodochiton blooms without pause for almost the entire season, illuminating the area with the alluring wine shade of unusual inflorescences.
Rodochiton - an exquisite choice of modern landscape design masters
Where to plant
To obtain the effect of abundant flowering, the crop requires the constant presence of natural sunlight throughout the day. An exception to the rule is placing the vine in the small partial shade of trees and buildings.
Rhodochiton is a light-loving crop, so plants should be planted in open, well-lit areas
The soil
Rhodochiton flowers, like any tropical plant, require sufficiently fertile, air- and water-permeable soil with an effective drainage system.
For garden crops, you should choose slightly acidic soil rich in humus. Swampy, difficult terrain is categorically not acceptable for the crop.
When transplanting seedlings into open ground, humus is added to the hole to make the soil more fertile.
Pre-fertilized soil before planting flowers does not require special fertilizer throughout the growing season
Fertilizers
For normal growth and development of tropical vines, periodic fertilization with complex mineral preparations with a maximum phosphorus content is necessary. The timing of fertilizer application is 2 times a month.
Flowers bloom most profusely in soil pre-fertilized with preparations containing a predominance of phosphorus, since the increased nitrogen content stimulates the forcing of shoots and the formation of foliage
Watering
Rhodochiton needs regular watering. The plant needs the soil around the vine bush to be kept sufficiently moist, but without stagnant water. During dry summers, flowers need additional, more abundant watering.
Dry air provokes leaf fall
Flowering period
Under favorable environmental conditions, the first rhodochiton inflorescences bloom in June-July. The bud opens gradually, revealing an exotic 5-petal bell with pointed tips of the petals, which are shaped like a Chinese lantern.
The flowering period is the entire summer, during which the perianth remains on the flowers.
With the onset of the first cold weather and as daylight hours decrease, the heat-loving vine completes flowering
Reproduction
Tropical flowers reproduce in two ways:
- seed (by sowing seedlings);
- vegetative (using cuttings).
Rhodochiton seeds are sown as seedlings at the end of winter or early spring for subsequent replanting in open ground.
To grow vines indoors, seeds can be sown at any time
Propagation by cuttings is carried out in autumn or spring. Cut shoots of rhodochiton are rooted in nutritious soil in greenhouse conditions with periodic ventilation. Autumn cuttings are transferred indoors for wintering. Spring ones must be replanted in open ground.
Flowers grown from cuttings quickly develop and begin to bloom
Trimming
Rhodochiton flowering begins in summer and ends in autumn. In the spring, before the beginning of the flowering period, and in the fall before wintering, the vine should be pruned (remove 1/3 of the length of the shoots, which can be rooted as cuttings).
In addition to seasonal pruning, the apical buds of flowers need regular pinching. This will allow you to form a lush and dense bush.
A sanitary “haircut” is carried out with a sharp, sterile garden tool as needed.
Wintering
Tropical plants cannot tolerate ambient temperatures below + 10 ⁰С.For wintering, the garden vine is moved indoors. The optimal temperature for wintering rhodochiton is up to 18 ⁰C. During this dormant period, the plant requires reduced watering and shortened daylight hours (up to 14 hours).
If flowers are grown as a perennial, the plant is replanted annually in spring in open ground after wintering indoors
Diseases and pests
Excessive dry air in the rooms where the indoor flower grows can cause leaf fall. The tips of the leaves dry out, gradually die and crumble. To prevent this phenomenon, you should follow the basic rules of watering and air humidification for indoor tropical crops.
In addition, rhodochiton can become infected with a disease such as mildew - downy mildew, the causative agent of which is the downy mildew fungus Plasmopara viticola from the class of oomycetes.
To combat the disease, the affected leaves are removed and the plant is treated with insecticide solutions.
Plants growing in open ground can be attacked by the following pests:
- Slugs — gastropods that destroy leaves and shoots and cause irreparable damage to plants.
Manual collection of slugs is used as a natural pest control measure.
- Aphid - tiny insects that settle on Rhodochiton in huge colonies. Pests suck the juices, as a result the crop weakens, the foliage and inflorescences are noticeably deformed. If aphids are detected, the vine should be treated with insecticide solutions.
As folk methods of combating aphids, you can use infusions of nettle, wormwood, onion, tobacco, and dandelion.
- Whitefly manifests its presence on flowers by the presence of small light spots on the leaves, followed by yellowing and falling of the foliage.Chemicals and insect traps are used to spray plants.
An effective measure to combat the whitefly butterfly are folk remedies: tinctures of tobacco, garlic, wormwood, soap solutions
Conclusion
Like all tropical vines, rhodochiton is characterized by rapid growth. By sowing seeds for seedlings in March, you can already get a magnificently flowering plant in early June, which decoratively decorates any obstacle (fence, wall, fence, arch, tree) with creeping stems and an abundance of green foliage.
