| Life form | Half-shrub |
| Family | Gesneriaceae |
| Origin | Tropics of Central America, Brazil |
| Ease of cultivation | Easy with small difficulties. |
| The size | The drooping shoots are 20-30 cm in height. |
| Growth rate | Fast enough. For a year, shoots extend by several centimeters. |
| Lifespan | The plant is perennial, but over the years it loses decorativeness and requires rejuvenation. |
| Temperature | In the summer: up to 73,4-77 ° F, in winter – 53,6-57,2 ° F. The low temperature in winter stimulates flowering. |
| Humidity | Not less than 50%. Although the plant is relatively stable to dry air, it is better to keep it in moist pebbles, regularly spraying. |
| Lighting | Bright diffused light. The west and east windows are suitable. |
| The soil | The soil must be breathable and fertile. Suitable soil for Saintpaulia. 1 part of coarse sand or perlite, 1 part of peat, 1 part of humus (leaf land). You can use pieces of bark, last year’s leaves, charcoal. Good drainage is required. Always use a pot with an opening. |
| Watering | The soil must be constantly moist, but you must not allow overflow. The plant can withstand short-term too dry, but if it is delayed, may fall off the leaves. Use soft water.After flowering watering slightly decrease. In winter, water less often. |
| Fertilizer | During the growing season from April to October every 3-4 weeks to feed a half-dose fertilizer. You can use fertilizer for orchids. In winter, do not fertilize. |
| Reproduction | The apical cuttings in spring, which are easily rooted in a mixture of peat and sand. It is better to take the cuttings from the old shoots, to cover the rooting with a glass or a film. |
| Bloom | It blooms from June to September, tubular, small bright orange flowers. |
| Transfer | It is rare enough in the spring or autumn, tk. the root system is not very powerful. The pot should be shallow. |
| Features of care | In April, it is desirable to trim all branches by one third. |
| Difficulties | It can be affected spider mites, whitefly, aphids and scale and insects. Leaves and buds can fall off in the cold with excessive watering. In bright light, the leaves turn yellow, their edges curl. Brown spots on the leaves are the result of a burn if the plant is sprayed in the sun. With an excess of fertilizers, the plant may wilt from a root burn. |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | – |
