| Life form | Herbaceous, creeping |
| Family | Melastomataceae |
| Origin | Tropical America, Brazil |
| Ease of cultivation | For an experienced florist |
| The size | From 60 cm to 2 m in height in a pot |
| Growth rate | High |
| Lifespan | 5-10 years with proper care. |
| Temperature | In summer: best 68-77 ° F; in winter + 46,4-53,6 ° F, not below + 41 ° F. |
| Humidity | Very high humidity is required – at least 70%. It is best to use an air humidifier or spray the plant several times a day. Otherwise, it may not bloom. |
| Lighting | Bright diffused light, requires shading from direct sunlight. Suitable western or southern window with a shade in the summer. In winter it is desirable to provide the brightest possible illumination. |
| The soil | 1 part of deciduous land, 1 part of sod land, 1 part of peat, 1 part of sand, you can add charcoal. |
| Watering | During the bookmarking of flower buds and flowering, watering should be frequent – about every 3 days. Do not completely dry the soil. After flowering in winter, not more often than 1 time a week. Between watering at this time the soil should dry out, and leaves little to lose turgor. |
| Fertilizer | From April to October every 2 weeks with liquid fertilizer. |
| Reproduction | They propagate by semi-extruded cuttings in June-August at a temperature of 77 ° F, the cuttings should have 2-3 interstices: they are rooted in sand or peat at a constant temperature and high humidity. Rooting is difficult enough for about a month. As the rooted cuttings grow, it is necessary to hold 1 pinch. Can be propagated by seeds. They are sown in February-March in a mixture of peat and sand and kept in a warm place. Seeds are not deep, only half the size of the seed. They are covered with moss from above. Seeds must be fresh. |
| Bloom | Blue-violet five-petalled flowers with a diameter of 7-10 cm at the ends of the shoots. Blooms from August to November. |
| Transfer | Young plants are transplanted annually, the plant does not need too large pots, an adult cubercle 1 meter high needs a pot with a diameter of 30 cm. The spring transplant should be combined with pruning of overgrown plants. With a strong pruning of old plants, they can be transplanted into smaller pots. |
| Features of care | Tibuchin needs support. During flowering you can not move the plant, otherwise the flowers may fall. The disadvantage of the plant is a fairly rapid growth and stretching. For better branching pruning and pinching are necessary. After flowering, the shoots on which there were flowers should be cut off immediately and then reduce the watering. |
| Difficulties | On the plant often appear red spider mites and mealybugs and possibly the appearance of a scabs. Leaves, especially old ones, can fly pretty quickly, with insufficient watering and drying of the soil. Leaves dry winter at low temperatures and excess moisture in the summer, if too hot and dry. From a draft or if you move and often turn the pot, the plant may have buds and flowers blooming. Flowering usually does not occur if the winter was not provided with a rest period. At low temperatures, the edges of the leaves can turn red. |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | – |
