Ruellia (Dipteracanthus) is a flowering plant in the Acanthus family. It is very similar to the streptocarpus of the Gesneriev family, but unlike them, who prefer cool conditions, it is thermophilic. The name was given in honor of the French scientist who first discovered it - Jean Ruelle.
The distribution range of the tropics, subtropics of America, forest zones of Africa, southern Asia. In everyday life, it is called Mexican petunia.
Description of Ruellia
The genus of depteracanthus includes grassy species, shrubs and shrubs.
Distinctive features:
- The stem is branching, there is a straight, creeping, lodging.
- The foliage is long, elongated-oval shiny or matte, the top is emerald with body veins, the bottom is purple-burgundy.
- Flowers (5 cm) are white, beige, purple-pink, appear no more than 6-7 hours from the processes at the base of the leaves.
- A seed box formed on the spot of flowers shoots with seeds. The flowers bloom again the next morning, so for several months (August - December)
Varieties of Roullia for indoor cultivation
At home, only a few varieties of dipteracanthus are grown.
| View | Shoots | Leaves | Flowers and the period of their blooming |
| Portella | Lodging (45 cm). | Oblong, dark green top with white veins and brownish bottom (7 cm). | Bright pink (diameter - 2.5 cm). End of summer. |
| Devos (blue) | Branched up to 40 cm. | Ellipsoid, velvety, emerald with light veins, purple below (7 cm). | Light lilac with white petioles (2 cm). Autumn winter. |
| Large flowered | Erect, branched up to 2 m. | Ovoid (10-15 cm) grassy. | Rose-purple bell-shaped. Length - 10 cm, width - 8 cm). Autumn is the beginning of winter (with good lighting until spring). |
| Britton (Brittonian) | Straight 1 m, lignified at the base. | Long narrow grayish with a blue tint (5-12 cm). | Violet, reminiscent of petunia flowers, there are raspberry, pink, purple, white varieties (5 cm). The end of spring is the beginning of autumn. |
| Pleasant (red) | Upright up to 1 m. | Oblong oval, glossy (12 cm) with tall stalks. | Tubular bright red (3 cm long, 1 cm in diameter). Almost all year round. |
| Makoya | Branched (60 cm). | Thick green with silver stripes (about 7 cm), bottom with purple villi. | Pink (2 cm). August - January. |
| Karolinskaya (less whimsical). | Grassy, long bare (50 cm). | Pointy dark. | Blue-violet (6 cm). The end of summer is the beginning of winter. |
Roell care at home
Basically, indoor species are not particularly whimsical, they need good illumination during flowering, and that is not all (Makoya, Karolinskaya).
| Factor | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
| Location / Lighting | On the east window, while on the south, protect from the sun. | In the south, with a lack of backlight phytolamps. |
| He does not like drafts. | ||
| Temperature | + 20 ... +25 ° C. | + 16 ... +18 ° C. |
| Watering | 2-3 times a week abundantly. | 1 time in 2 weeks moderately. |
| Humidity | Elevated. Placed away from heating appliances. Do not spray, put in a pan with wet gravel, next to the aquarium, humidifier. | |
| Top dressing | 1 time in 2-3 weeks with liquid mineral fertilizers for ornamental plants, half the dose. | Not required. |
Landing, transplanting, forming room ruellia
Young plants are transplanted every year, starting from 3 years as the root system grows. Do it in the spring (March - May).
The soil is light, breathable. Use purchased universal soil or composition: garden and leaf soil, coarse sand (perlite), peat (2: 3,5: 2: 2,5).
The prepared soil mixture is heated in a water bath for 10 minutes to disinfect.
Step-by-step process:
- A new pot is being prepared: the diameter is 3-4 cm larger, the presence of a drain hole and a drainage layer (small pebbles, vermiculite, expanded clay).
- Carefully remove the flower from the old container.
- Inspect the roots, remove the damaged ones (with a sharp knife, boiled for 10 minutes in water and treated with alcohol). Slices sprinkled with charcoal. Get rid of dry and bare branches.
- Pour 3 cm of soil onto the drainage layer, place the plant and sprinkle with the rest of the substrate.
- Watered, put in the chosen place.
- For better acclimatization during the growing season, young seedlings are fed with fertilizers (Uniflor-bud, Flower happiness) once every 2 weeks.
To make Ruellia with creeping shoots grow upward, it is supported.
Forming a beautiful bush, pinch the flower regularly, remove bare shoots, this stimulates the branching and emergence of young shoots.
Reproduction of Mexican petunia at home
Four methods are used to obtain new plants: cuttings, seeds, layering, dividing the bush.
Cuttings
The easiest way:
- Take the cut branches after the next pruning (10-12 cm).
- Put in a glass with a solution that enhances root formation (root, epin, heteroauxin) for 24 hours.
- In the presence of large sheets, shorten them by 1/3.
- Planted in a moistened substrate (peat, sand 1: 1).
- Cover with a glass container or polyethylene.
- Every day they air.
- Contain in temperature + 21 ... +22 ° C.
- When the roots are formed (half a month), they are transplanted into a pot with the usual soil for ruellia.
Layering
This method also does not require much effort:
- The stem is tilted to the ground so that one of its parts comes into contact with it, a little deepened, sprinkled with earth.
- When the roots are separated from the mother bush and planted separately.
Seeds
Compared to other indoor plants, this method for ruellia is also not complicated.
After ripening the fruit-boxes, they are torn off, pressed on them, the fallen seeds are planted according to the following scheme:
- They are distributed over the surface of a prepared wide tank with soil (peat, sand 1: 1), lightly sprinkled with earth.
- Cover with glass or film to ensure a temperature of + 21 ... +22 ° C.
- Periodically ventilate.
- After the appearance of sprouts (after a month) create good lighting.
- When growing 4-5 sheets dive into pots.
Bush
When transplanting an adult, a very large plant, it is divided into parts. Do this carefully so as not to damage the main thick root system. New bushes are planted each in their pot. They take care, observing all the regimes and rules for caring for rullia.
Difficulties in caring for rullia, diseases and pests
The plant is not particularly susceptible to disease and attacks of harmful insects, but if you do not follow the rules of maintenance, a number of troubles arise, which requires urgent intervention.
Symptoms External manifestations on the leaves | Cause | Repair methods |
| Yellowing, falling. | Drafts, lack of watering or excess moisture. | Establish irrigation regimes, rearrange away from wind flows. |
| Twisting, drying out the tips. | Dry air. | Provide hydration. |
Stretching and exposing stems. Fading. | Lack of lighting. Old age of the plant. | Rearranged in a lighter place or illuminated with phytolamps. Rejuvenate the bush. |
| Spotting. | Strong open sun, high temperature. | Move away from sunlight, obscure. |
The appearance of the web. Yellow spots, curling, drying out. | Spider mite. | Spray with Actellic (4 times after 3 days). |
Invasion of white small insects. Yellowing, falling. | Whitefly | |
Small green, black pests. Stickiness, change of shape. | Aphid. | Washed with soapy water. Processed by Fitoverm. |
White coating. Drying. | Powdery Mildew | The damaged parts are removed. A fungicide (Bordeaux liquid) is used every 10 days three times. |
| Fluffy plaque and dark spots on the flowers. | Gray rot. | They cut off the diseased areas, the sections are sprinkled with charcoal. The whole plant is treated with immunocytophyte. |
