The flower of clerodendrum represents lush shrubs and small trees. In ordinary nature, this plant can mainly be found in the tropical territories of Africa, South America and China. Its name, translated into Russian, means "tree of happiness", but it is also called "innocent love." Clerodendrum began to grow about two hundred years ago. However, as a home plant, it is known relatively recently, and for a short period of time the flower fell in love with both gardeners and landscape designers. Below, we will consider how to plant a clerodendrum flower, home care, and growing.
Clerodendrum: home care
If you adhere to some care requirements, you will be able to independently grow one or more representatives of this flowering vine. The flower will be a magnificent decoration in the apartment or in the garden on the open ground.
What does the plant look like
Clerodendrum is very often used as part of a design. An undemanding and easy-to-educate vine with which there are no problems at all.
You need to adhere to some tips for caring for clerodendrum flower at home:
- put a flower on the eastern or western windowsill, so that there is a lot of light, but direct rays do not fall on it;
- watering should be carried out every day so that the soil is a little damp from above, in winter you need to water it once a week;
- a suitable temperature in the summer for the plant is about 23 degrees, and in winter - 17, in which case it is possible to achieve a plentiful color;
- the pot should be placed on a tray or saucer with a small amount of water;
- every day you can wipe the leaves with a damp cloth;
- in the summer to give top dressing once a week;
- regularly prune the plant, it activates growth, and also gives the bush the right shape.
Pruning
In young individuals, the tips of the tops are nipped off. Adult vines require tougher pinching. There is no need to sting the plant - it grows easily after pruning, it will let out a lot of side shoots. All petals pinch on a third of their length. Inflorescences are formed on the lateral annual shoots.
The traditional form of clerodendrum is a liana. At home, it is usually grown as an ampel plant with freely hanging vines or they are attached to a support, setting the desired growth direction. The plant is easy to shape - it can be cut like a small bush or tree.
Tree shape
Tree shape. Only the single strongest shoot is left with the young clerodendrum, it is tied to a vertical beam, the rest are completely cut off. When the plant grows to half a meter, its crown is cut off. The growth sites of the following lateral shoots must be pinched off for more active branching. All stems below the recommended tip level are pruned from time to time.
To give the necessary shape every year, while pinching, all the stems of the plant are cut to their preferred height. Side branches are plucked so that the bush is thick and lush.
Transfer
Basically, indoor clerodendrum is transplanted in the summer after flowering about three times a year. It happens that they just change the topsoil. In winter, it is better not to transplant. The main reason is flowering. In order for the plant to bloom, a pinch is recommended. But transplantation cannot be carried out simultaneously with this process, since the roots can still be deformed during the “relocation”, and it will take time for the clerodendrum to start growing again, and only after that it can be trimmed.
If you plant a plant in a larger container, then the flowering time may shift. Until the roots reach the walls of the tank, the clerodendrum will simply grow further.
How to feed
Fertilizing clerodendrum needed. But how exactly to apply fertilizers, each grower decides independently. You can add phosphorus-potassium minerals in the form of granules or lumps to the soil mixture during the transplant. It is possible to apply top-dressing in the form of sticks. The most common are liquid dressings, they can be fertilized with roots and leaves.
Attention! Fertilizers can be given to the plant from spring (a few weeks after pinching) to autumn with a frequency of a couple of weeks. In the fall, the vines begin to rest, so all fertilizers cease.
Clerodendrum: how to propagate?
In clerodendrum, reproduction can be two methods: by grafting and using seeds. Two of these methods are described below.
Clerodendrum: how to propagate by seed
They are usually bought at a store or assembled by hand. You also need to know that the longer the seeds lie idle, the harder it is for them to sprout. Therefore, it is desirable to sow, firstly, only new seeds, and, secondly, with a margin. The best time for sowing is the end of winter. Planting pots must be prepared in advance.
Landing process
You can use medium-sized wooden crates, plastic containers and even glasses. Also, do not forget to make holes in the container to drain water. Now a few words about the soil in which the seeds will grow. It should be airy, nutritious and permeable. A mixture of two parts of soddy soil, peat and river sand is prepared. Everything is mixed and processed. The composition is placed for twenty minutes in the oven at a temperature of one hundred and eighty degrees. After this, the mixture is allowed to cool, poured into the landing containers and moisturized abundantly. Next, sow the seeds. Now the container can be put in a greenhouse or covered with glass. Condensate is collected in time.
Propagation by cuttings
How to propagate clerodendrum cuttings quickly and efficiently? Vegetative propagation refers to a lighter and more practical option, which gardeners are happy to use.
Attention! For stalks, healthy stems are taken, or those parts that were cut from the clerodendrum during the forming pinch are used.
The grafting process takes place from spring to early autumn. In harvested cuttings should be at least three rows of kidneys. Next, the shoots are placed in a glass with liquid and they are covered with glass. After a while, you can see that the cuttings formed the roots. But so far they are very fragile and delicate. For full development, plants are transplanted into the soil.
Rooting cuttings
The rooting process takes place in stages:
- first you need to cut off all the adult petals;
- cuttings immediately need to be placed in a container with clean water;
- put the container with cuttings in partial shade, where there is no direct sunlight;
- refresh the water from time to time;
- roots form within a few weeks;
- rooting the plant is quite simple, so even a novice florist can cope with this.
Clerodendrum: why not blooming at home
Clerodendrum Thompson: what care at home and why does not bloom? All problems for which the plant does not bloom relate to improper care:
- improper dormancy of the flower;
- the plant has not been transplanted for a long time;
- there are too few nutritious minerals in the earth or, on the contrary, an overabundance.
Ugandan variety
Attention! During the breeding period, the flower is pleasant to be at a temperature of up to 23 degrees Celsius. To make a flower grow quickly and bloom profusely, it needs lighting and constant watering. But by the end of November, like any deciduous plant, it must be sent to rest. His vacation is not long, about 2 months (from late autumn to January).
This will be enough for the plant to discard part of the foliage and save nutritious minerals for laying the buds. But if you do not give the plant peace, then it may simply not bloom.
To indoor clerodendrum pleased with its abundant flowering, all destructive factors must be removed, given the opportunity to grow in the right and comfortable conditions.
Why do leaves turn yellow and fall?
This is the most common plant problem. If the lower leaves turn yellow and this happens quite rarely - the flower gets rid of the old, spoiled greens. This is a normal reason and there is no need to worry in such a situation.
What else is causing the leaves to fall? There are several main reasons:
- frequent or rare watering of the plant;
- strongly stagnant water;
- cramped flower pot.
If yellow spots appear on the leaves, this may be:
- bad place for a flower (which means it needs to be rearranged);
- a cold wind blows on him;
- gets under the drafts.
If the leaves began to fall abundantly, then the reason is the dry air in the room. Also, the reason can be covered in an excessive amount of sunlight.
To begin treatment of a plant, first of all, you need to check the soil, adjust the irrigation regime and make fertilizers. The earth must be soft, water- and breathable. Too coarse soil prevents water from absorbing. It is necessary to water the plant only with filtered (settled) water, the temperature of which is not higher than 25 degrees. Watering takes place: in autumn a couple of times a week; in winter - once every three weeks; in spring and summer - immediately upon drying of the soil. If you properly care for the plant and follow these rules, then the disease will recede.
Clerodendrum: diseases that are inherent in it
The main problems and ailments for clerodendrum are spider mites, aphids and mealybugs. If the first signs of the disease are detected: if the leaves rot and twist, the indoor flower of the clerodendrum grows poorly, the shoots are crooked, you need to spray and cultivate the ground with fungicides. Depending on the severity of the disease, the treatment is carried out from one to several times a month. After spraying, the flower is placed in the greenhouse for 2-3 days, covered with glass, and eliminating direct sunlight.
Plant disease
Root and stem rot carries a great danger to blooming clerodendrum. These diseases are formed due to frequent watering. In this case, all damaged stems are cut from the plant, sprayed with Fitosporin, and reduce the amount of watering.
Due to rot, the plant may die at all. If the damage is too large, you need to take care of updating the flower in advance, taking a healthy and strong stalk.
In conclusion, it should be noted that it is quite simple to grow a houseplant carrodendrum independently at home, the main thing is to adhere to the rules for caring for the flower and prevent various diseases. Favorite varieties of gardeners are Thompson and Uganda.
