Planting methods and maintenance points of Gloxinia bulbs

Gloxinia is also called falling snow mud, six snowni, hibiscus, etc. It is a common perennial bulbous flower. The plant is small and has bright colors, making it very suitable for indoor potted viewing. It can be grown by planting bulbs in pots. So what are the specific methods and key points? Let’s learn more about it below.

1. Cutting the bulbs

Choose dormant bulbs that are 2 to 3 years old, bury them in the soil in autumn or from December to March of the following year, water them thoroughly and keep the room temperature at 22℃ to germinate. When the buds grow to about 0.5 cm, dig up the bulb and cut the bulb into 2 to 4 pieces with a sharp knife, each with a bud.

2. Disinfection of bulbs

Place the processed Gloxinia bulbs in the mild sun for about an hour to dry the moisture and wounds on the bulbs. Do not dry them for too long to avoid dehydration of the bulbs. At the same time, prepare disinfectants such as carbendazim or potassium permanganate and apply them to the wounds of the bulbs to prevent infection.

3. Pot soil selection

Since the roots of Gloxinia are not tolerant to water and moisture, the cultivation soil must be loose and breathable. In addition, in order to improve the nutritional value of the soil, various finely divided humus materials can be selected, such as peat soil, leaf mold, coconut bran, sawdust, rice bran, etc. However, in actual cultivation applications, the most widely used nutrient soil is a mixture of peat soil, vermiculite and perlite in a ratio of 3:2:1.

4. Planting in pots

Dig a small hole in the middle of the potting soil, put the cut half of the tuber with the cut surface facing down and bury it in the soil, including the root end. Don't bury it too deep, leave almost half of it exposed outside. After planting, place it in a cool and ventilated place, or a place with scattered light, and keep the temperature above 15℃.

5. Maintenance points

(1) Light: Gloxinia prefers partial shade and is afraid of direct sunlight. It cannot be exposed to the sun. In summer, it needs to be properly shaded and cooled, and placed in a cool, ventilated environment with scattered light for maintenance.

(2) Watering: Watering can be done by immersing the pot. This not only makes the soil more loose, but also prevents the leaves from coming into contact with water. Another thing is that during the rainy season, you need to move the African violet to a sheltered place to avoid water accumulation in the pot.

(3) Fertilization: You can combine watering with applying some dilute nutrient solution mainly containing phosphorus and potassium. For water-soluble fertilizers such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate, the dilution concentration should be controlled at more than 1:1000 times.

(4) Pruning: Gloxinia is resistant to pruning and can be shaped as needed. Dead branches and leaves should be cut into pieces to ensure light transmission so that the flower soil has better ventilation.

In general, if you want the big cigarette butt seedlings to be strong and bloom more, you must make sure to select and process the bulbs before planting, and at the same time strengthen maintenance and management after potting, so as to effectively increase the amount and quality of the plants' flowers.