The dormant period of gloxinia tuberous. Gloxinia flower, growing from a tuber

This beauty from the world of flowers requires special treatment. Previously, not all flower growers knew that the inhabitant of the tropics, gloxinia, sheds leaves for the winter and waits out a dormant period in the form of a tuber, which is why this flower sometimes turned out to be thrown out. Now everything is different. We know that winter rest is needed, but how to provide it correctly?

In the photo gloxinia

Sinningia comes from mountain forests South America. Only not from the evergreen selva, but from the upper reaches of the Amazon, where the summer rainy months give way to winter dry relative coolness. Why does the physiology of Gesneriaceae require observance of a dormant period. Otherwise, you can not only weaken the plant, not allowing it to bloom next spring, but completely destroy it.

There are two main ways to store gloxinia tubers in winter.

  1. We store the tuber removed from the pot;
  2. The plant hibernates together with an earthy clod.

Video about gloxinia care

Let's take a closer look at them. So, the first one.

The foliage begins to fade - we slowly stop watering, complete the fertilizing cycle with fertilizers. Thus, we prepare the plant for winter sleep. Toward the end of September-mid-October, the sinningia drops its leaves. Its roots are dying. Only the tuber that has ripened over the summer remains. We are going to keep it. To do this, carefully remove from the soil.

The best way to do this is by transshipment:

  1. We take a large container for the soil, for example, a basin
  2. We turn over the planter with gloxinia over it
  3. Gently knead the earthen lump with your fingers until it breaks into several parts.
  4. We clean the tuber from pieces of soil and remnants of the roots

We can wash the tuber under running water, after which it is necessary to dry it. It is highly not recommended to lay a wet tuber for storage - this is fraught with the development of putrefactive processes.

We will store the developed spine in a bag with wet sand or wet sawdust. But sand is more preferable. You only need to use gray river, first we wash it from dust, and then we bake it in the oven with a thin layer on a baking sheet. Thus, we get rid of the infection.

Sand for storage should be slightly damp, but do not over-moisten it. Otherwise, the roots may turn sour from a lack of oxygen and excess fluid. Now we are preparing a strong bag, pour wet sand on the bottom, put the tuber, cover it with sand to hide it from sight. Now you need to decide on a place.

The wintering of the root systems of domestic Gesneriaceae must meet three conditions:

  • Lack of bright light
  • Temperature +3 °C to +15 °C
  • The air should not be drier than 60%, but not more than 90%

This provides normal conditions close to the natural ones of the places where synningia comes from. Winter storage works best at the bottom of the refrigerator, where we usually store vegetables and herbs. If you have a lot of free space and some gloxinia tubers, then put your bags there. But remember that the air inside is very dry. You need to periodically check if the sand is dry. Most likely, once or twice during the winter it will have to be slightly moistened.

Another option is to consider an insulated unheated loggia or balcony. It is important that the temperature does not rise to +20 °C. This can provoke tubers to wake up early from sleep.

It is also good to hide the plants in a warm deep cellar, where winter temperatures are around +5 ° C, high relative humidity, there are no or almost no fungal mold processes on the walls and shelves. Then you don't even have to check the humidity of the sandy or sawdust substrate - it will always be optimal.

You can also store bags under the tub. This is the most compromise option. Not everyone has a lot of space in the refrigerator, warm cellar or balcony. The humidity and darkness of the bathroom give hope for good wintering. Only the temperature is high.

Another option is to store bags of tubers on the mezzanine of the hallway. But you can forget about them, do not water on time. And this is bad for the bulbs.

It is recommended to periodically check the tubers for the presence of putrefactive formations. If any make themselves felt, cut them out with a sharp knife or razor to a healthy tissue. Be careful and careful. If you don’t notice rot in time, you risk losing the entire plant. The place of the cut for disinfection is powdered with ash.

We wait until spring. We watch when the first sprouts appear. After that, we remove the tuber, inspect for rot, clean it in which case, dip it into a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. You can then place it in the root - very nutritious for future flowers. Now we plant in a new substrate for leaf growth and flowering.

If you bought tubers in the fall, then we store them without soil with mandatory pre-winter and pre-spring treatment with disinfectants, such as potassium permanganate.

Storage in the ground

Gloxinia care in winter is greatly simplified if we leave the plant untouched. We also stop watering in the fall. We are waiting for the complete fall of the leaves. Then we put a pot with a wintering nodule closer to coolness. For example, if you have a cold balcony, then keep the pot closer to its door, away from the battery - this will ensure the required wintering temperature.

You can also take the wintering planters to the cellar, put them on the balcony if you have it insulated. It is important that gloxinia in pots experience temperatures significantly lower in winter than those + 30 ° C that are sometimes observed in apartments.

It is also required sometimes to moisten the top layer with water. Do not over-moisten, but do not over-dry the soil. By the way, potted storage is more appropriate in the bathroom. To create a lower temperature for the tuber, stack ice cubes on the surface of the soil. This will lower the temperature of the substrate surrounding the tuber to the most acceptable levels.

Video about peace in gloxinia

The tuber that remains to winter in the ground is much less exposed to putrefactive processes.

Pros and cons of off-ground and ground storage of gloxinia in winter

  • It is better to store young synningia without removing it from the ground. So less risk of drying out;
  • Pots with earth are bulky, if there is little space and a lot of flowers, choose off-ground storage;
  • Bags of tubers should be checked frequently for rot;
  • It is convenient to store packages in the refrigerator - the most suitable method of wintering a flower, named gloxinia;
  • Wintering in the bathroom is an option if there is no cellar, balcony, large refrigerator;
  • Moisten the top layer of the earth with ice the best way storage of gloxinia in winter in a warm room.
  • We store purchased tubers without soil with mandatory disinfection.


Velvet leaves and large gloxinia bell flowers are loved by many flower growers. And with the current abundance of varieties and hybrids, it is doubly insulting when, due to mistakes or lack of care at home, gloxinia blooms little and irregularly, and sometimes simply dies.

How to succeed in growing a house plant? How to care for gloxinia at home so that the culture consistently pleases the grower with powerful foliage and lush caps of bright colors?

Lighting conditions for growing gloxinia and caring for it

Like all members of the family, domestic gloxinia loves an abundance of light, but direct sunlight does not in the best way affect the health of the plant. Quite dense pubescent castings can wither, flowers wither much ahead of time. Therefore, when caring for gloxinia, they choose a place for it according to the season and climatic zone.


For example, in spring the flower grows beautifully and gains color on the south window, but in summer days and at the peak of flowering here it will need shading. In the heat, it is optimal to place pots with gloxinia on the eastern or even western windows, where the maximum intensity of the sun appears only in the evening or morning hours.

At the same time, we must not forget that the lack of light when caring for gloxinia threatens:

  • stretching of internodes;
  • loss of decorative foliage;
  • a decrease in the quality of flowering or a complete rejection of the formation of buds;
  • pallor of foliage and opening flowers.

In order for the plant to be comfortable in the created conditions, it is provided with daylight hours lasting 12–14 hours.

It is especially important to observe this rule during the period when the tuber has just taken root, and leaves appear above the surface of the substrate. Special ones will help with this.


Microclimate for the care and cultivation of gloxinia

Tuber rooting takes place at a temperature of 24-25 ° C. When gloxinia forms the first leaves, the temperature is reduced to 22 ° C during the day.

Night air can be even 4–5 °C cooler. If the room is hotter and the plant lacks light, which often happens when buds are set at the end of winter, even with proper care, gloxinia stretches out, losing some of its decorative effect, flowers and leaves on long petioles become smaller.

The lower temperature limit for gloxinia is 18 ° C. In colder air, the plant slows down the vegetation, and if care for gloxinia at home is not adjusted in time, it may die. Equally detrimental to the plant during the growing season and flowering is a prolonged increase in temperature above 28 ° C.

In addition to the temperature regime in the room, gloxinia is important for air humidity in the range of 60–80%. The discomfort associated with excessive dryness of the air is indicated by lowered, slightly tucked leaf plates.

How to care for gloxinia if the room is heated and the air humidity is much lower than the recommended values? The pubescent leaves of the plant do not tolerate spraying, often used to humidify the air. Therefore, in this case, it is better to put pots with plants on wet expanded clay or use household humidifiers.

If crown irrigation is necessary, it is better to do it in the bathroom at night, so that the leaves dry in a closed dark room, and the gloxinia gets completely dry on the window.

Planting a gloxinia tuber and caring for it

Depending on the storage conditions, the gloxinia tuber starts growing from February to March. At this time its important:

  • get it from last year's substrate, clean it from the remnants of old roots and soil;
  • hold for half an hour with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate or treat with any available systemic fungicide;
  • for 12–24 hours, immerse in a solution of heteroauxin or other growth stimulator so that the growth point in the recess is not exposed to the drug.

Most often, it is at the planting stage and during the subsequent, as in the photo, caring for gloxinia at home, there is the greatest risk of losing tubers. This happens due to their decay. Therefore, drainage must be made in a pot with a thickness of at least 3–4 cm, and the tuber itself is sprinkled with soil no more than a centimeter.

A pot for gloxinia is chosen depending on the size of the tuber. For a young specimen, a container with a diameter of 7–9 cm is suitable, and a long-blooming tuber is planted in a pot up to 15 cm wide.

As a substrate, a mixture of two parts of leafy soil, the same amount and one share of washed sand can be recommended. It is useful to sterilize the soil, as well as add a natural antiseptic to it, for example, a little crushed coal or sphagnum.

The planted tuber is covered with a film or bag and placed in a warm place in a well-lit place. In such a shelter, the plant remains for several days, during which, apart from regular airing, special care for gloxinia at home is not required.

Watering mode when caring for gloxinia at home

Watering when caring for gloxinia and growing it from a tuber is best done through a pallet or along the very edge of the pot.

It is extremely dangerous if moisture gets on the core of the tuber, or on young fragile foliage. The sun can leave permanent burns, and cool air combined with water leads to pockets of rot.

Water for irrigation should be settled and 2-3 ° C warmer than the air in the room. When moisture is absorbed into the soil, after half an hour, its remnants are removed from the pan under the pot.

The interval between waterings is selected in such a way that during the passing time the lump of soil is almost dried out. At the same time, during a cold snap or a long period of rain, it is possible to moisten the substrate when caring for a gloxinia flower at home much less frequently.

Top dressing when caring for gloxinia

Rapid foliage growth and lush flowering is impossible without additional support. Gloxinia is alternately fed with organic and every two weeks. It is best to carry out this procedure in the evening or during the day, as well as in cloudy weather, so that the sun does not damage the growth zone and foliage of the plant.

Before the appearance of buds, in addition to organic matter, the plant needs nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of green mass. But after the formation of buds, the ingress of nitrogen into the soil is limited and switched to phosphorus-potassium top dressing. They enhance flowering, and trace elements help maintain high decorativeness of plants.

When the mass flowering is completed, as part of the regular care of gloxinia after two weeks, fertilize twice with a potassium-phosphorus agent. This measure will help the tuber prepare for hibernation.

Gloxinia care during dormancy

The completion of the growing season of gloxinia occurs in mid-autumn.

When the aerial part dies off, the tuber gradually passes into a state of "hibernation", ceasing to develop and consume moisture. At this time, it is important to first reduce, and then completely stop watering.

For the entire period of rest, as in the photo, care for gloxinia at home is changing. First of all, it is important for the tuber to ensure safe storage. Do this in one of two ways:

  • the pot is transferred to a cool room where the air is not warmer than 10-15 ° C, and sometimes moistened to prevent the tubers from drying out;
  • after the foliage dies off, the tubers are removed from the soil, cleaned and sprinkled with sand or sawdust and placed in the cold.

In the second case, the storage temperature of gloxinia tubers is 5–8 ° C, and the substrate in which they are located must be dry or barely wet, otherwise rot and mold cannot be avoided. This storage method is convenient because the planting material does not take up much space, and caring for gloxinia comes down to examining sleeping tubers.


In winter, there is a high probability that gloxinia may die, so the plant is sent to a dark, cool place, placed in an artificial sleep for recovery. When to get gloxinia, so as not to miscalculate with the time of awakening? You will learn about this in today's article.

Gloxinia should wake up after a forced period of rest. For this to happen, the tuber of the plant must be stored correctly.

Gloxinia storage conditions in winter:

  • Cool and dark place;
  • Protection from moisture;
  • Rest no longer than 4 months;
  • Do not dry completely - water occasionally;

Already sent on vacation adult, a little tired gloxinia. Young flowers do not have time to form a sufficient tuber. It can noticeably rot, deteriorate or not wake up - there is a high probability of losing the plant.

When to get gloxinia out of a dark place: at the beginning or end of March. Look at when the sprouts will break through - a signal of the awakening of gloxinia. Before a possible awakening, it is not necessary to remove or disturb gloxinia.

How to wake up gloxinia after hibernation?

We take out gloxinia from a dark place, expose it to light. At the beginning of spring, the lighting will not be intense, so there is no need to be afraid for the condition of the flower. Start watering. Moisture will contribute to the formation of new shoots. You will stimulate their development and watch how the flower gradually forms a beautiful, flowery hat. Basically, gloxinia should form at least 1-2 shoots, but if this does not happen, it's time to look for reasons.

Gloxinia did not wake up: causes and remedies

Improper storage, as we noted above, can affect the awakening of gloxinia. Make sure even before the dormant period that you are familiar with all the rules for caring for the plant in winter.

Why gloxinia does not wake up:

  • Dry tuber;
  • Poor quality plant;
  • Young plant;
  • Rotted or flooded;

Put in a dark place- a closet, closet, under the bath - forgetting about moistening before the start of spring is not necessary. Periodically check the condition of the soil mixture, adding water as needed. An overdried tuber can be placed under polyethylene film or package. Pour wet sphagnum moss into the home greenhouse, tie it up. resuscitation should help gloxinia re-hydrate, but it is better to inspect the tuber.

Blackened or visibly rotted tuber Gloxinia is no longer suitable for cultivation. Most likely, the storage conditions did not fit. Perhaps heavy watering or a damp, cold place affected his condition.

A young plant or low quality tuber also slows down development. Young gloxinia is not sent for storage, but potentially low-quality tubers treated with "Fitosporin" before the dormant period. You can withstand it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to strengthen and protect against subsequent pest damage. Plant a gloxinia tuber after dormancy in a dark place in a nutrient substrate - the store land is depleted and not suitable for forcing.

↓ Write in the comments how do you navigate when to get gloxinia out of a dark place? When did your home beauty start to wake up?


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How to plant gloxinia with seeds?

Gloxinia is a herbaceous perennial native to Brazil. Flowers can be of various shades, they are called bells, gramophones. If you want to have a healthy gloxinia, home care must be done according to the rules. Even a beginner can cope with the cultivation of a flower, if he tries.

Among the varietal variety, single-row and terry varieties with a velvety surface stand out. In addition, the flowers themselves are not always the same color palette, most often they have several shades. You can create a real Garden of Eden on the window!

  • Drainage and soil are placed in a pre-disinfected bowl. A recess is made, planting material is placed in it with the sprout up. When filling up the soil, you need to ensure that the growth part is free. By planting gloxinia with a tuber, you can quickly get a new plant.

Reproduction of gloxinia at home

There are several ways to reproduce a flower, each of them has its own characteristics.

Breeding methods:

  • Vegetative - tubers and its parts, cuttings, leaves, leaf cuttings
  • Seed.

Vegetative propagation

Consider how to propagate gloxinia vegetatively in more detail.

  1. Reproduction by cuttings

When propagating gloxinia at home, you can use leaf cuttings, which are taken only from a healthy flower. A young leaf can be planted directly in the ground or germinated in water:

The cut stalk is left in the air for 50 minutes, then placed in a transparent glass. Water should be warm and clean. Accelerate the root formation of charcoal. You can use growth promoters. The appearance of roots is a signal for planting.

How to propagate gloxinia with a leaf that germinates in the ground. First, the soil is prepared from sand, peat, deciduous soil in a ratio of 3: 1: 1. Drainage is laid at the bottom of the tank, soil is placed on top. The earth needs to be heavily shed. Gloxinia leaf is placed vertically, a glass jar is on top. A constant temperature of + 22-25 degrees should be maintained. Germination lasts less than a month.

  1. Using part of a leaf to get a new plant

Gloxinia can reproduce with a leaf blade petiole. Veins are cut on the sheet, laid on the ground. It is necessary not to press the petioles strongly, a greenhouse is installed on top. From one sheet plate with proper care it turns out several small gloxinia. Small nodules should be planted in prepared containers.

  1. Peduncles - a good planting material

After flowering gloxinia, flower stalks remain. This is an excellent breeding material for gloxinia. The peduncle must be cut and placed in water for rooting. And planting is carried out in the usual way, as with leaf propagation.

  1. We divide the tuber

Reproduction of gloxinia by tuber division is the most common method. As a rule, several sprouts appear on it. When dividing, pay attention to the presence of two shoots in each part. After cutting, the resulting planting material is sprinkled with charcoal. Each piece is planted separately. So that the plantings do not stretch out, they are left without watering for a couple of days. But this method has a negative side, the occurrence of fungal diseases is possible.

  1. Have you tried stepchildren?

Stepchildren appear after the plant has faded twice. From them, too, you can grow a healthy flower. They need to be rooted in water. Gloxinia grown in this way bloom in the same year.

seed propagation

Seeds can be sown from November to February. It is not necessary to thicken the crops, as well as to deepen. Good seedlings are obtained by creating favorable conditions. Elongated material can create problems when transplanting. Therefore, the bowl with seedlings must be rotated daily. When the planting material is ready, it must be dived, moreover, this operation is carried out several times, not allowing the seedlings to stretch.

Growing problems

We talked about how to properly care for a beautiful plant with velvety leaves and bluebell flowers. But gloxinia, like other indoor flowers, have problems from time to time. Florists, especially beginners, need to know what to do.

Sometimes leaves begin to curl on the flower. Appearance plants become unpleasant. If the leaves of the gloxinia are twisted, then most likely the room is cold or dry, or the plant is overfed with nitrogen fertilizers. This problem is easily solved. Curling leaves appear when harmful insects settle on them. Will have to resort to pesticide treatment. Leaflets of any size can be wrapped.

No less worried about the question of why gloxinia does not bloom. There are many reasons too. Among the most common mistakes in organizing gloxinia care are lack of lighting, too large a pot. The presence of pests, improper watering, uncomfortable temperatures can also leave you without beautiful multi-colored gramophones.

Grow gloxinia, it gives considerable pleasure.

Attention: Winter for adult indoor gloxinia is a rest period. A plant that has bloomed at least once and managed to grow tubers enters a dormant state. The larger the tuber, the better it is stored. A young copy of the first year of life may not fall asleep for the winter.

When to retire? This should not be forced. Such gloxinia has a small tuber less than two centimeters in diameter, which, under wintering conditions without watering, can dry out and die. A young plant in the winter season needs special care:

  • Provide correct temperature regime . Indicators should not rise above + 20 ° C. If the room is too hot, the stem will stretch to the detriment of tuber growth.
  • Watered less often than in the summer season(read how to properly water and feed gloxinia for long-term flowering). Otherwise, waterlogging will lead to root rot.
  • Organize the backlight. Light day should last at least 12 hours a day. In the absence of additional lighting, the flower is strongly drawn out. To prevent this, the room temperature is reduced to +18°C. Or at the end of February, a long stem is cut, leaving only the lower leaves.

rest period

When to remove gloxinia for the winter, for rest? Usually in September-October, the plant goes into a midnight state, when the dry season begins in their homeland - in South America.

In the case when the plant has faded and does not want to fall asleep, it needs help. If gloxinia does not go to rest on time, the flowering time will shift, which should fall in the spring and summer months.

To prevent this from happening, at the beginning of autumn, the faded gloxinia begins to be prepared for wintering. With late flowering, wait for its end. After complete self-death of the aerial part, the tuber is ready for storage. If everything is done correctly, gloxinia will begin to wake up no earlier than January - February.

Detailed description

  1. In September-October, after flowering, place the gloxinia in a less lit place, for example, on the northern windowsill. Provide a temperature of +15°C. Feed once with potash fertilizer. Gradually reduce watering. Moisten the soil with small portions of water no more than once a week.
  2. When the leaves begin to dry, stop moistening the substrate. You can not immediately cut off the aerial part of the plant. Should be allowed nutrients gradually move into a tuber from the stem and leaves. If you cut off the green foliage, the vegetation processes can resume.
  3. After the complete independent death of the upper part, cut it off, leaving a small stump one and a half centimeters high.

Methods and conditions of storage

When the preparation is completed, you need to send the tuber for the winter. Storage methods:

  1. Leave the tuber in the pot. You can sprinkle with river sand. Cover the flowerpot with a saucer, place in polyethylene and place in a cool place with a temperature of +10 to +15°C. Make sure that the tuber does not dry out completely. Lightly moisten the soil by spraying several times during the winter.
  2. Two weeks after the complete death of the aerial part, dig out the tuber. Remove root debris. You can wash it in water, dry it and treat it with Fitosporin. Take a plastic bag with a zipper, pour slightly damp sawdust or river sand or crushed peat into it. Or take a mixture of substrate with vermiculite. Rinse the sand beforehand and hold it in a hot oven.
  3. Put the tuber in the bag. Store in a box in a cool place at a temperature of +10 to +15°C. The middle or bottom shelf of the refrigerator door will do. Take out and inspect the tuber monthly. If the substrate is dry, spray it with warm water and return the tuber to its place. Avoid excess moisture.

In the case when the grower has several gloxinia, make labels indicating the variety and date of dispatch for wintering.