How to grow an abutilon flower from seeds at home
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The natural habitat of abutilon Juliet is the tropics and subtropics. In areas with cold climates, the crop is grown exclusively as a houseplant. People call it "indoor maple" or "cable car". The plant is distinguished by long flowering. Beautiful bells, replacing each other, decorate the tree for up to six months.
Abutilon indoor maple - home care
For indoor breeding, hybrid varieties of the domestic maple crop are used; you need to know how to care for a plant in winter and summer from the very beginning of cultivation.
Abutilon
Lighting, temperature and watering mode
The cable car is a thermophilic plant, but when growing at home, it is very important to observe seasonal content. That is, in summer the temperature is high - +20 ° C - +26 ° C, and in cold weather - +12 ° C - +15 ° C. Temperatures below these values will lead to shedding of foliage.
Too high temperatures and drafts will also negatively affect the culture. In summer, abutilon grows well outdoors or on a terrace, loggia.
The culture is photophilous, but direct sunlight can cause leaf burns. It is preferable to keep flower pots in lace shade (shade). This is especially important for varieties with patterned (variegated) leaves. Therefore, the south windows are too dangerous, the east, west, southeast and southwest are best suited. With a lack of lighting, the plant will have to be illuminated. Otherwise, flowering will be poor.
The hybrid needs abundant watering. For this, settled water at room temperature is used. Melt water is also great. The soil in the pot should always be moist. Additional humidification may be required when heating appliances are turned on. Additionally, it is advisable to spray the plant.
Insufficient watering during flowering can lead to dropping of buds and even death of the flower. But overflow is no less dangerous. The accumulation of water leads to root rot. A sign of overflow is a withered type of tree. During the dormant period, soil moisture is sharply reduced.
Features of caring for indoor maple
Abutilon grows very quickly. Unlike other indoor flowers, it needs more frequent feeding. Fertilizers need to be applied every two weeks. Fluorine and potassium supplements are especially needed.
Homemade maple flower care is different in winter and summer. For the dormant period, watering, dressing (done on the sheet) decrease, the temperature decreases. In this case, lighting is required the same as during the growing season.
Abutilon - features of reproduction
Abutilon is a fairly simple plant to propagate. A large number of cuttings can be obtained from one bush when pruning. You can also grow a new flower from seed, but there is no certainty about obtaining parental qualities.
Abutilone seeds
How to grow abutilone from seeds
It is advisable to check purchased seeds for germination. To do this, before planting, they must be germinated, that is, scattered on a damp cloth and placed under a hood.At a temperature of about 25 ° C, sprouts will appear in 5-7 days. Without waiting for growth, they need to be transferred to a nutritious soil.
If there is no doubt about the quality of the seed, it can be sown directly into peat tablets or enriched substrate.
The seedlings should be dived at the stage of the first pair of leaves. To avoid strong overgrowth of the root system, the planting container should be small. As it grows, the plant needs to be transplanted into larger pots.
Reproduction of abutilon by cuttings
Reproduction of abutilon by cuttings
If you have an adult abutilone, it is very easy to get cuttings from it for propagation. This type of cultivation is also good because new plants will inherit all the varietal properties of the mother bush. This applies to colors, shape of buds and shades, leaf patterns.
When rooting a cutting, it will be much faster to get a flowering plant. The process itself is simple, the survival rate is excellent. Pieces of the stem, freed from the lower leaves and dried buds, are suitable for rooting. They should be put in water in this form and covered with a cap. At a temperature of about 22 ° C, root buds will appear in 3-4 days.
When the roots grow 5-7 cm in length, the seedling can be planted in an individual container. It is important to follow these rules:
- pick up a pot of small diameter;
- line the bottom of the container with drainage;
- add a small layer of nutrient soil;
- transfer the seedling to the pot;
- carefully pour in damp soil.
The final rooting of the cuttings will take place in 2-4 weeks. It will be possible to understand this by the appearance of new leaves. At the time of acclimatization, it will not hurt to create greenhouse conditions for the seedling, that is, cover it with a glass or plastic cap. The optimum room temperature is 20–22 ° C.
After another month, young flowers can be transplanted into larger pots. On this, the process of growing a young plant from a cuttings can be considered complete. After 2-4 months, it will bloom. Moreover, after the end of the growing season, this plant itself will become a source of new cuttings.
Different varieties of homemade maple
Pruning abutilone in spring
Indoor culture grows and branches very quickly. Without pruning, the tree can grow up to 1.5 m. Considering that the buds appear only at the ends of young shoots, such a plant will not look very beautiful. Therefore, it is pruned in spring and autumn. Of course, all damaged, dried out shoots growing inward are removed. Other branches are also shortened by a third or half. Such a procedure will give the crown an attractive appearance, help the lateral shoots develop, and wake up dormant buds. The flower will become compact, lush flowering.
We form abutilon standard
When forming a standard plant, you cannot do without pruning. To get a spherical crown at the top of the tree, you need to remove all the lower branches, and cut the upper ones, giving the crown the shape of a ball.
Stamp abutibones
Primer for abutilone
The soil for the culture should be loose and light. From ready-made, universal for home colors is suitable. Only it needs to be supplemented with sand and vermiculite. The optimum pH is 6-7.
You can prepare the soil mixture yourself. It will require:
- garden land - 2 parts;
- humus - 2 parts;
- river sand - 0.5 parts;
- coconut flakes.
Expanded clay or pebbles are used for drainage. This layer will not hurt to cover with sphagnum. It will help trap and retain moisture.
Disease and pest control
With proper care, the flower is not afraid of pests and diseases. But sometimes even a healthy flower becomes infected. The culture is especially vulnerable in the spring, when insects become hungry after winter, and the plants have weakened immunity after a dormant period.
Maple's main enemies:
- scabbards. Pests suck the juices from the leaves. Their presence can be recognized by the sticky substance and dark spots. The treatment of the bush with "Aktaroy", "Aktellikom" will help to defeat the shield. You can try washing the leaves with soapy water;
- spider mites. The main sign of the presence of a tick is a cobweb. A careful glance will also notice dark specks on the inside of the leaf plate. For treatment, Fitoverm and Agrovertin are used. One time won't be enough. With a break of a week, the treatment should be repeated. Sometimes you have to carry out processing three times;
- aphid. The insect is a carrier of viral diseases. Aphids are also destroyed by Agrovertin. With a small lesion, you can use an infusion of garlic or a solution of laundry soap.
Why do the leaves of abutilon turn yellow
This question is often asked by beginners. Basically, the leaves turn yellow when there is insufficient light or a lack of fertilizer. Sometimes the cause is pest infestation. The situation can be corrected by feeding and providing an optimal place of detention. Insecticides will help against harmful insects.
Why do abutilon leaves curl
The leaves of the plant curl when exposed to direct sunlight. Also, insufficient watering at too high a temperature affects the deformation of the leaf plate.
What to do if Abutilone leaves fall
Leaves can fall off for a natural reason - a period of rest has come. You just need to continue with proper care: infrequent and poor watering, temperature drop.
If the leaves fall off during the active growing season, then the flower needs to be fed with complex fertilizer, protected from drafts and the correct irrigation regime should be established.
Every florist tries to breed home maple as soon as possible. Especially appreciated is the abutilon hybrid mixture of bellevue; growing from the seeds of a young plant is available even to beginners. The cost of care is minimal, it grows quickly, it begins to bloom within 4-5 months after planting. The crown, covered with lush buds, pleases from early spring to winter.
Growing indoor abutilon and caring for the culture at home will bring a lot of positive emotions to both the amateur and the specialist.
