| Life form | Herbaceous |
| Family | Gesneriaceae |
| Origin | South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania |
| Ease of cultivation | Easy with small difficulties |
| The size | Usually from 20 to 35 cm in height and width |
| Growth rate | High. Streptocarpus planted in spring, will blossom in the same year. |
| Lifespan | Some years. After 2-3 years, the plants look tired, they should be replaced by young. |
| Temperature | In the summer: 64,4-75,2 ° F, in winter not below 59 ° F, if the temperature is lower, the plant should be watered less often, so that it goes into a state of rest. |
| Humidity | Spray the air around the plant, avoiding moisture on the flowers and leaves. It is better to put the pot in a tray with wet pebbles and do not spray the plant at all. |
| Lighting | Streptocarpus is suitable for diffuse light. It is best to keep it on the east and west window and shade from the direct midday rays. |
| The soil | A light breathable primer is suitable. For the soil of your own preparation, you can take 2 pieces of leaf land, 1 part of coarse-grained sand or perlite, 1 part peat, 1 part humus. It is mandatory to use drainage. |
| Watering | During flowering, regular watering, approximately every 3 days, the pot should never stand in the water, since from excess moisture the plant can rot. Use only soft water.With the onset of autumn, watering is reduced, in winter it is watered once in 8-10 days, especially rarely if the temperature is below + 59 ° F. It is better to water the plants from the pan so that the water does not fall on the leaves, especially on the flowers. |
| Fertilizer | From spring to autumn, once a month, a liquid fertilizer, diluted two-fold. |
| Reproduction | Leaf cuttings in summer at a temperature of 69,8 ° F. It is possible to germinate a fragment of a leaf in water, having powdered a cut of a sheet with coal and having placed a cut on 0,5-1 sm in water. On the whole sheet, it is possible to make incisions with a knife along the central vein and place the sheet “face” down on the surface of the ground, pinning with wire. Cover with a glass or a film and wait until new plants appear, regularly watering. You can pre-treat the sections with hormonal powder. The sheet can not be cut, but it is traditionally placed in the substratum. Germs will appear about a month later. Streptocarpus can be propagated in spring by dividing the bush during transplantation. It also reproduces seeds that are planted in January-February (for summer flowering of the plant, for the streptocarpus to bloom the next year, the seeds can be sown in June-July) and do not sprinkle with earth. Cover the container with glass and germinate the seeds at a temperature above 68 ° F. Shoots usually appear on the 10th-12th day. After about 2-3 weeks they are dived. Plants bloom after about 7 months at spring sowing and after 9 in summer. |
| Bloom | Blossom from May to September with tubular flowers of different colors. |
| Transfer | Streptocarpus is transplanted every year in the spring, without necessarily increasing the size of the pot. |
| Features of care | He likes airing, but does not tolerate drafts, gas combustion products and tobacco smoke. Leaves can be cleaned with a dry brush, but not with a damp rag. The leaves of the plant are fragile and easily damaged, so you should be careful. Sometimes after flowering, boxes with seeds are formed, but usually, in order not to weaken the plant, the fading flowers are removed in time in the base. |
| Difficulties | The aphids are affected. In winter, leaves can rot at a very low temperature and strong watering. Leaves curl if the plant does not water properly. Leaves turn pale when fertilizing is needed; on the flowers may occur stains from water. |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | – |
