Brovallia flower: home care and breeding methods
Content:
Brovallia flower is not the most frequent inhabitant of Russian gardens and window sills. Nevertheless, in many countries, its popularity among flower growers is very high. Most often, brovallia flowers are grown as indoor plants, but if climatic conditions permit, the culture will be no less comfortable in the open field.
Main types
Brovallia belongs to the Solanaceae family, but unlike its relatives such as potatoes and tomatoes, it is not used in cooking.
The homeland of the plant is South America.
There are five main varieties in the brovallia genus:
- Beautiful;
- American (pubescent);
- Sticky;
- Blue Bell;
- Silver Bell.
Brovallia is a very beautiful flower
Brovallia is beautiful
The height of Brovallia, beautiful in the wild, can reach one and a half meters. On the windowsills of apartment buildings, the plant usually grows up to 35 cm. The shrub branches well, does not require pruning to form a beautiful silhouette, and blooms very abundantly. The flowers are purple or blue.
American brovallia
This indoor annual plant contains small flowers that are predominantly purple, sometimes blue. The leaves are dark green, very expressive in color. Flowering continues from mid-summer to late autumn.
Brovallia sticky
Farmed brovallia sticky is not the most common cultivar. The epithet "sticky" in the name she received for the stems covered with a sticky liquid. The flowers of the plant are small, dark blue or white.
Brovallia Blue Bell
Blue Bell eyebrow is characterized by unpretentious care. Due to this, the variety is more often grown in apartment conditions than others. The bush has a spherical shape and grows in height to an average of 30-35 cm. Three months after sowing in the soil, the variety begins to bloom with flowers colored in different shades of blue. The variety is hybrid.
Brovallia Silver Bell
Another popular hybrid variety, Silver Bell brovallia, has flowers in the shape of a five-pointed star. Their size is 3 cm in diameter, the petals are white. Brovallia Silver Bell leaves have a rich dark green color. On average, they grow up to six cm.
Brovallia Silver Bell looks very festive
This variety is often grown as an annual in flower beds and in flowerpots outside.
Home care
To successfully carry out brovallia seed cultivation at home, the culture must be properly cared for.
Lighting
Brovalia from seeds at home will grow only if the plant is provided with enough light.
Location
If possible, it is recommended to place the plant pot by an east-facing window.
Temperature
Despite its tropical roots, brovallia indoor flower does not like too high temperatures. If you do not pay due attention to the temperature regime in which the plant will be kept, you can forget about how the flowers of the culture look.
The brovalia flower feels most comfortable when nursing and reproducing at +20 degrees in summer and at +15 degrees in winter. In cool conditions, the plant inevitably slows down its growth, but its lifespan is somewhat extended.
Watering and humidity
The flower, regardless of the variety, does not tolerate dry air, therefore it is unacceptable to keep it indoors without additional spraying. It is necessary to moisturize the plant daily.
The plant should be watered regularly, but not too abundantly. Do not allow the soil to dry out in the pot, or the accumulation of excess moisture in it.
The soil
To grow brovallia indoors, the easiest way is to purchase a universal soil. If the plant is planned to be planted not in the house on the windowsill, but in open ground, the substrate can be prepared by mixing turf, leafy soil and sand in equal parts.
Planting a flower in an overly moist and nutrient-rich soil is not recommended. In this case, even if the plant is properly looked after, it is unlikely that it will be possible to wait for flowering - only greenery will actively develop.
Seedlings should be planted at a distance of at least 30 and no more than 35 cm from each other - only in this case it will be possible to form a border without bald spots. If there is a need to delimit the bushes a little, the distance between the bushes can be increased to 40-45 cm.
Diseases and pests
In general, brovallia has good immunity to most diseases. But when growing a plant in an excessively humid environment or at too high a temperature, there is a high probability of developing signs of powdery mildew. Having found a grayish bloom on the shoots and leaves, you should immediately treat the flower with fungicides. It is better to initially follow the rules of care and provide the culture with optimal conditions for growth.
As for harmful insects, spider mites, aphids and scale insects are especially dangerous for the indoor flower. It is most effective to deal with them with the help of insecticides and spraying (washing) with a solution of laundry soap.
Reproduction methods
Brovallia can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
Most often, brovallia is grown from seeds.
Seeds
The step-by-step process of propagating a culture by seeds looks like this:
- Soak a cloth in a growth stimulator and place the seeds in it.
- Leave the planting material for a couple of days in a warm room.
- Seeds are dried to a state of flowability.
- Planting material is sown in a previously prepared container.
- The container is covered with plastic wrap and try not to open it unnecessarily.
- Twice a week, the crops are aired under the film.
- After emergence, the film is removed.
- Water the plants through the pallet.
- Upon the formation of several leaves, the seedlings are transplanted into different pots.
- After the growth of seedlings, pinch the tops above the sixth leaf to increase bushiness.
- In the spring (optimally in mid-May), they are transplanted into a permanent pot or open ground.
Cuttings
The propagation of a culture with the help of cuttings has one undoubted advantage - cuttings are allowed to be cut throughout the entire growing season. The description of the procedure is as follows:
- Choose stems without buds, giving preference to the upper parts of the trunk, as they are easier to root.
- Remove foliage from cuttings.
- The cuttings are buried in the ground to a depth of 2 to 3 cm.
- Planting material is treated with a growth simulator.
- To preserve moisture, the container is covered with polyethylene.
- After the processes take root, they are transplanted to a permanent place and pinched.
The poisonousness of the plant
Having decided to plant a brovallia in an apartment, you should not forget for a second that this flower is poisonous. Without exception, all parts of the plant contain a poisonous substance that has a negative effect on the human body when ingested or on the mucous membrane.
Even not the most experienced florist can grow brovallia
This does not mean at all that one should abandon the cultivation of a beautiful flower at home. You just need to be very careful when interacting with the plant. If there are children or pets in the apartment, the culture pot must be placed in a place where there will be no access to it.
You should take care of the plant with rubber gloves and do not allow juice to get into the eyes and on unhealed wounds when pruning and transplanting. If, as a result of negligence, a poisonous substance nevertheless gets on the skin, you must immediately rinse the body area under running water.
Most often, brovallia is grown in pots, and not outdoors.
With safety, it is easy to avoid any problems associated with breeding brovallia and enjoy its incredibly beautiful blooming appearance.
