To the genus Aeschynanthus Jack (Aeschynanthus Jack) belongs to up to 170 plant species belonging to the family of Gesneria. Their distribution was received in Asia, namely in India, also on the islands of the Malay Archipelago and in the tropics in the eastern part of Asia. The genus received its name for the shape of a flower, which has a very unusual shape, in Latin it means "distorted" and "flower".
If we talk about the plant itself, it is an evergreen shrub, climbing type, epiphyte. The leaves are leathery-fleshy and opposite. Also, the plant has a short stalk; flowers axillary or located in the apical scutes, the color is orange or bright red, a corolla with a tube of curved form and with a two-lipped bend. This is an ornamental plant.
There are about 15 species, the most common of which are four types used for scenery. The most common was the view - Aeschynanthus beautiful (gorgeous) (Aeschynanthus speciosus).
Care of the plant.
Lighting. About light preferences we can say that houseplants: eschinanthus prefer bright and thus diffused light. The best place for cultivation is in the western and eastern directions, however, as in most plants. On the southern side, you must not forget to protect the plant from direct sun rays, and on the north it is better not to place - there may not be enough light.
Temperature regime. In the spring-summer period, Eschinanthus prefers a temperature of +23-26 degrees, and from September it is better to lower the temperature. In winter it is desirable not to let the temperature drop below +18 degrees during the day, and at night - not below +16 degrees, spraying the plant from September, too, cease. During the first half of the winter, when flower buds are laid, the temperature should be slightly reduced by 3 degrees, as this will have a good effect on flowering. But it is necessary to monitor the plant, because if the temperature appears too low, the plant will discard the leaves.
Watering. In the period from spring to late summer, it is desirable to water the plant abundantly when the top layer of the soil is dry. And in the rest of the year to reduce watering, and watered not immediately, but one day after the drying of the substrate. Water should be well-kept, soft and at least room temperature. Allow drying and waterlogging of the plant is undesirable, because it can damage the plant - eschinanthus can lose flowers and kidneys.
Air humidity. Since the birthplace of the plant is the escinanthus of the tropics, it imposes similar requirements on the humidity of the air, i.e., prefers increased humidity. Also eschinanthus and daily spraying with soft water of room temperature will be glad. In winter, do not spray, especially if the plant is in a cool room, but if you need to increase the humidity, you can put a pot of plant on a pallet with expanded clay.
Top dressing. Twice a month, when eschinanthus is actively growing, it must be fed, this is the period from spring to the end of summer. Suitable liquid mineral fertilizers.
Transfer. Every spring, eschinanthus needs to be transplanted into a new earth mix. At the same time, the volume of the pot should not be greatly increased, since tightness stimulates its growth; it is enough to increase the capacity by a couple of centimeters in diameter. In nature, eschinanthus has a semi-epiphytic existence, therefore it is necessary for it to drain from a loose substratum - stagnation of water can not be tolerated.
The substrate for the plant is made light, loose to allow good air flow; acidity is low or neutral. Earth mixture can be prepared from leaf and humus earth (two and one part respectively), also add peat and sand on one part; If there is charcoal and cut sphagnum, then you can add them.
Reproduction. Eshinantus - plants that reproduce in two ways: seeds or vegetatively.
Propagation of eschinanthus with seeds is analogous to other plants of this family. Seeds have a dusty appearance, they should be poured on white paper, then carefully sowed on the surface of the prepared soil, which should be well moistened and leveled; then the container is covered with glass. Watering should be carried out through a pallet. When the seeds ascend, the glass must be moved to the edge. These seedlings need to be piqued. Plants, which are already a little grown up, you need, like cuttings, to plant a few pieces in a pot. These young plants will blossom the next year.
If you want to propagate these houseplants vegetatively, then it is done by stem cuttings, having a length of about 8 cm or leaf, with the leaf to be cut with one kidney.
Pots in which cuttings were planted, it is necessary to install in the lorry box. As a soil is a mixture of peat and charcoal; At the bottom of the box you need to put the moss, and already put the cuttings on it, then fill it with earth. The temperature in the boxes must be maintained at + 26-28 ° C. After appearing in the cuttings of the roots, they are planted in flat pots. The earth in this case will consist of a mixture of fibrous peat land, which must be crushed, also of fibrous sod land and sand, all the ingredients are taken in equal parts; in this case, the bottom should be placed shards, and then a layer of sand.
Possible difficulties.
If you use cool water for irrigation, and for this plant is water with a temperature below + 20C, light brown spots are likely to form on the surface of the leaves.
Also, the plant can begin to discard the leaves. The reasons can be several, to determine better by what period of the year it happened. If this happened from September to the end of winter, then the reason is the low temperature of the content; if it is in the warm season, then the plant is overdried, or rather its root system.
If the plant is kept at a high temperature and the humidity is low, the tips of the leaves of the eschinanthus are likely to turn yellow and begin to dry.
If the plant still does not bloom, then the reason, apparently, in an unsuitable temperature. In the period when the kidneys are laid, and this is about 4 weeks, the temperature should be kept slightly lower than usual.
When watering, when eschinanthus blossoms, care must be taken, also when spraying. Do not allow large drops to fall on the flower, as it may burn and fall off.
If the plant has a gray rot, then the plant has excess moisture.
To damage the plant can mites, scutes, thrips and aphids.