How to carry out the right care at home for Thompson's Clodendrum?

There are many decorative and beautifully blooming clerodendrums. But not every flower can take root in our house.

But one is always ready to delight you with beautiful and unusual flowers - this is Thompson's clerodendrum. Even the most beginner grower will cope with his care.

You will learn how to grow this amazing flower and what it needs for full growth and flowering in our article. We also recommend a useful video on this topic.

Description

Clodendrum leaves are shiny dark green in size from 10 to 12 cm. They have the opposite arrangement on not long cuttings. The leaf is ordinary oval, the tip is slightly elongated and bent down. Leaves have clearly visible veins.

Has elongated peduncles. Buds grow in clusters on the side of the shoots. An inflorescence is a brush of 10-20 flowers. The flowers are complex and beautiful, consist of five-lobed bracts of 2-3 cm, which have a snow-white color.

The next are the red corollas, which are smaller in size and consist of 5 petals each. And last long stamens no longer than 3 cm long. The fruit of the plant is an orange berry up to 1 cm with one seed inside.

Watch a video about the features of Thomson's Clodendrum:

How to make bloom?

In order for the plant to bloom magnificently, it is necessary to perform:

• The rest period is September - February. Relocate clerodendrum to a cooler place, provide scarce and rare watering.
• In the spring, as soon as green leaves appear, increase watering, prune and rearrange the plant to its former bright place of cultivation.

It blooms from early spring to September. If clerodendrum rests well during dormancy, then in early March, buds will begin to appear. Clodendrum blooms from 3 to 5 months.

Why doesn't the plant bloom? This means that you did not provide him with the necessary conditions during the rest period. So that it begins to bloom again, put it for 2-3 weeks in a cool and dark place. After this, you need to cut the shoots and transplant into a new nutrient ground. These procedures will restore flowering.

Features of growing at home

1. Lighting and temperature. In winter, the plant partially discards the leaf - this is a natural process. This means that the plant has a dormant period. Organize the bush temporarily in a bright, cool place with temperatures up to 15^aboutC. For spring and autumn, use the eastern and western sections. Summer temperature maintenance 18-25^aboutFROM.
2. Watering. In spring and summer to provide plentiful watering. Wait until the top layer of soil between the irrigations is dry. The plant reacts negatively to a lack of moisture, does not tolerate waterlogging. During dormancy, the flower absorbs a lot of water, and the soil holds moisture for a long time. Water it gently no more than 1 time in 7-10 days. For irrigation you need settled water. Her temperature should be 22-24^aboutFROM.
3. Pruning. With the help of pruning, it is possible to achieve not only abundant, but also quite long flowering. It is necessary for an adult plant. The best time for pruning is early spring. To carry it out, it is enough to shorten the stems by 1/3 of the length. In a young plant, you just need to pinch the tips.
4. Air humidity. It tolerates spraying especially in the hot season. Spray the flower regularly in summer and winter. In winter, do not spray.
5. Top dressing. Feed the plant weekly in the spring and summer, using liquid fertilizers for indoor plants that bloom beautifully. In the fall, top dressing is reduced to 1 time per month. In winter, they must be completely stopped.

Watch a video about the features of caring for Thompson's clerodendrum at home:

Photo

Here you can find a photo of the flower.

How to form a bush?

The plant is easy to shape. It can be in the form of a bush or a standard tree:

• Stamp form - For a young plant, one strong shoot is enough. Tie it to the vertical support. Cut off other shoots. When the plant becomes half a meter high, trim the top. For intensive branching, pinpoint growth points. Periodically remove shoots that are below the desired crown level.
• Bush - Shorten the shoots to your desired height when pruning. To get a thicker bush - pinch the side branches.

For a beautiful bush, observe the following rules:

1. The first pruning should be done with the arrival of spring. Shoots that are lignified should be shortened by a third. This will give an incentive to flowering. The desired type of plant will be formed by subsequent pruning and pinching.
2. The plant will form the ampel form on its own, without your help. Shorten the shoots before the dormant period for good growth. Do this in early March or when the plant has already dropped its leaves.
3. For the bush, leave 3 strong lignified shoots. cut the rest. The remaining ones are shortened by a third. Pinch the tops of the green twigs when they appear. It promotes tillering. The bush will be thicker and more magnificent if you do not cut the root shoots. If the bush is very thick - just cut a few shoots from its middle.

Breeding

Cuttings

Propagation by cuttings - the main method of propagation of clerodendrum. Harvest them with the advent of spring, then it will be easier and faster to take root.

This process is quite lengthy and takes several months, just as not all seedlings can take root. This process takes place in different ways and depends on the type of flower.

Regardless of the type of plant, rooting of the cuttings is carried out in water or moist soil at a temperature not lower than 22^aboutFROM. For carrying out in the soil:

1. Prepare a substrate from equal parts of turf land, sand and humus.
2. Plant young plants 3-4 pieces in pots that have a diameter of 7-11 cm.
3. Cover the container with foil.
4. Water abundantly for good growth.

Watch the video about the propagation of Clerodendrum Thompson:

Seeds

This is a more difficult process. Sowing should be in early spring - in March, best in the middle of the month. Mix the earth with peat and water. Seeds require good lighting, suitable air temperature and regular watering. Shoots that appeared after a few months, you need to dive and transplant into bulk containers.

Possible problems and illnesses

The flower is very painful and touchy, so troubles with it are very common:

• In summer, leaves fall - not enough moisture or poor humidity, possibly a lack of nutrients in the soil.
• Does not bloom - there is little light or the correct winter conditions are absent.
• The appearance of yellow and brown spots on the leaves - burns from sunlight.

Pests

1. Spider mite - on the leaves there is a slightly noticeable web, and the back of the sheet has white dots. For treatment, spray once every 3 days with Aktellik's solution (1 ampoule per 1 liter of water). Repeat 3-4 times. As a preventative measure, maintain the required level of humidity, do not forget to regularly and plentifully spray, once a month take a shower with a soap solution.
2. Whitefly - the sheet is covered with a white shiny coating, on the back of the sheet you can see an insect. Control measures and preventive measures as with a spider mite.
3. Shield - leaves quickly fade, brown pustules of insects on the stems are visible. Scraping remove the scabs, treat the plant with soap and water, rub with alcohol. Treat with the drug and you need to repeat it every seven days for a month.
4. Mealybug - the plant stops growing, it discards leaves, dirty-white balls similar to cotton ones appear on leaves and shoots. It is necessary to wipe the leaves and shoots with alcohol, spray with insecticides. For prevention, control humidity and spray.

Conclusion

To grow a beautiful flowering plant in the house is easy, just follow the rules for caring for it and its contents. Then Thompson's Clodendrum will bring you joy with its unusual flowering for several months.