| Life form | Shrub with drooping shoots (ampel plant) |
| Family | Solanaceae |
| Origin and distribution | South America: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia. Streptosolen Jameson (Streptosolen jamesonii) – the only representative of this genus. |
| Ease of cultivation | Relatively unpretentious plant |
| The size | Shoots can reach a length of more than 2 m. |
| Growth rate | High, up to 30 cm over the summer |
| Lifespan | Perennial |
| Temperature | The plant is thermophilic. The temperature of the content in summer is + 77-82,4 ° F, in winter the temperature should be somewhat lower – up to + 59-62,6 ° F, but not less than + 44,6-51,8 ° F. |
| Humidity | Streptosolen easily adapts to conditions of low humidity (about 35%). However, it is useful for him to regularly spray, preferably in summer in extreme heat or in winter, if the plant is contained in an intensively heated room. |
| Lighting | For normal growth and flowering a very bright light is needed, at least 4 hours of direct sun. The vase should be placed on the windows of the south, south-west, west side of the house. In winter, the lighting should be moderate when kept in relatively cool conditions. |
| The soil | A light permeable, fertile substrate is needed on the basis of leaf land, humus, peat, sand, perlite. You can use loose store substrates (pH5,5-6,5). Drainage required. |
| Watering | Watering is moderate, in hot weather conditions – abundant, up to 3 times a week, the soil between watering should dry to a depth of about 3 cm, but the substrate should not completely dry out. With insufficient moisture initially hang the leaves if the soil dries out completely, plant clears the lower leaves, the trunk laid bare. In winter, the intensity of irrigation reduces. |
| How to fertilize | Fertilize during the growing season with a complex fertilizer with an elevated phosphorus content approximately every 3 weeks. Particularly in need of additional fertilizing are young plants. Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content lead to an abundant growth of the vegetative mass, but flowering may not occur or be weak. At the end of the growth period, the top dressing is gradually reduced. |
| Reproduction | Propagate neodrevesnevshimi or semi-prefixed stem cuttings, which are cut in spring and rooted in a mixture of peat and sand, covered with polyethylene. Can be propagated by seeds, which are sown in a mixture of peat and sand to the depth of about 3-4 mm. Place in a bright place, but not under direct sunlight. It is necessary to constantly moisten the substrate. Germination lasts approximately 3-4 weeks. After 1-2 months the seedlings can be placed closer to the light, but still not under direct rays and only on the 4th month they are put on a bright sun. |
| Bloom | It begins to bloom in the spring, blossoms abundantly throughout the summer. The flowers are yellow at first, then they turn bright orange. For a bright color of flowers streptosolen called “marmalade bush”. |
| Transplant and care | Needs a fairly frequent annual transplantation as the roots fill the pot. Sometimes it is possible to carry out transshipment in the summer, if the roots have appeared through the drainage hole. It takes a regular pruning by one third every spring, it will promote better branching. You can also trim after flowering, new flowers appear on the shoots of the previous year. During growth, it is necessary to pinch. The paws need support. You can use a ladder for the plant or shoot the shoots on the supports on the wall. You can use wire supports in the form of a circle, braiding around them shoots. Sometimes a plant is formed in the form of a binder. |
| Difficulties | The main pests – aphids, spider mites, whitefly, scab. The lower leaves turn yellow and fall off with insufficient watering. Also, the leaves can turn yellow due to the low nitrogen content in the soil. The lack of flowering is mainly due to a lack of fertilizers or lighting. |
| Beneficial features | – |
| Toxicity | The plant is poisonous. It is undesirable to grow in an apartment where there are animals and children. |
