How to care for clerodendrum: we tame the wayward "tree of fate"

Clerodendrum belongs to the verbena family. The genus includes more than 400 plants. Among them are semi-deciduous, evergreen shrubs, vines. The southern tropical plant grows mainly in the forests of America, Asia and Africa.

Description and Features

The leaves are simple, heart-shaped with a smooth or jagged edge. On the stem are opposite. The surface of the leaves is uneven, “quilted” due to deeply pressed veins. The color is a dense, rich green tone. Flowers bloom on the tops of young shoots. Peduncle erect. Shields or panicles are formed. The cups of the flowers are bell-shaped, five-lobed. Elongated stamens peek out from the cup. In home culture, blooming varieties of clerodendrum are grown. Formed in the form of bushes or ampelous plants. They are appreciated by florists for beautiful flowering, high decorative foliage. It requires shaping - the clerodendrum is regularly cut and pinched.

Popular varieties

Clerodendrum has several varieties suitable for growing in an apartment. Each of the species differs in coloring, leaf shape. The following types are considered popular.

• Clerodendrum Thompson. Most common in indoor culture. Deciduous creeper plant. The shoots are thin, lignified over time. The leaves are rather large, dark. The edges are even, veins stand out well. The surface is painted with uneven light spots. The flowers are white with a red nimbus, forming axillary brushes.
• Clerodendrum brilliant. Grows in the form of a bush with flexible long shoots. Leaves in the winter does not throw off. The base of the leaves is heart-shaped, the shape is almost round. The edges of the leaves are wavy. The flowers are red, form axillary inflorescences - racemose or thyroid. Flowering is almost continuous.
• Clerodendrum Filipino. Pretty rare variety. The leaves are wide, dark. The flowers are pink-like tender white-pink hue. The peculiarity of the variety is a pleasant jasmine aroma, intensifying by night.
• Ugandan Clodendrum. Creeper evergreen plant. Growing fast. The leaves are dark, wide lanceolate. Inflorescences are composed of a small number of flowers, loose. Blue flowers with blue stamens. Well amenable to formation - can be grown in the form of a bush or a compact tree.
• Clodendrum fragrant. Grows two meters in height. Foliage and shoots with slight pubescence. Leaves are ovate, wide, with pronounced denticles. The flowers are a delicate white-pink color. The smell is citrus or violet.
• Clerodendrum Wallich. Abundant flowering, snow-white flowers, unusual shape. Grows in the form of a compact bush. The tetrahedral branches, the leaves are lanceolate, wavy at the edges. Moody grade.
• Clerodendrum beautiful. The shoots are long - up to three meters, tetrahedral. The leaves are rather large, with a pronounced glossy sheen.Petioles are pubescent, dull reddish in color. The flowers are purple, inflorescences are paniculate. It blooms from early summer to autumn.

Carrodendrum Care: Basic Rules

How to care for clerodendrum in a pot? Clerodendrum rarely dies, but it will not work to achieve decorativeness and flowering without proper care. Experienced growers recommend a number of rules.

• Lighting. They are placed in a bright but not sunny place. Bright sunlight and strong shading act negatively. The optimal location is the western or eastern windowsill.
• Temperature. In winter and summer, the temperature conditions are different. From spring to mid-autumn, the temperature is maintained at 18-25 ° C. In winter, a dormant period sets in - the temperature is reduced to 12-15 ° C.
• Watering. The intensity and frequency of watering depends on the period of development of the plant and the time of year. In warm time, they are watered abundantly immediately after drying of the upper 2-3 cm of soil. Flowering usually falls precisely on this period. After flowering, water less and less. In the resting phase, watering is minimized. Do not allow the complete drying out of the earthen coma.
• Humidity. Dry air is harmful to the plant, humidity should be slightly increased. Regular spraying with warm filtered water is recommended. In winter, the flower is not placed next to heating appliances. Additionally, air humidity is increased by installing the pot in a tray with wet pebbles.
• The soil. Soil is made up of equal amounts of humus, sand, turf and leafy soil. Clerodendrum grows better in slightly acidic soil.
• Transfer. Transplanted in early spring as necessary - when the old pot becomes small for the root system. The transplant is combined with trimming stems to a third of the length to stimulate the growth of side shoots and the active laying of flower buds.
• Top dressing. Use fertilizers for flowering crops. They contain the most balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The fertilizer diluted in water is applied every 15 days.

Flowering theme

Beginners in floriculture often complain that clerodendrum does not bloom. Lack of flowering is the result of improper care. Most often, the following factors affect.

• Untimely, incorrect pruning. A few months before the proposed flowering, you need to trim the clerodendrum. The recommended pruning period is the end of winter or the very beginning of spring. Flower buds are laid on one-year branches. For the density of the bush, you can pin some side shoots.
• Lack or excess of nutrients. An excessive amount of nitrogen in the soil leads to an active increase in green mass, negatively affects the laying of flower buds. A lack of phosphorus and potassium weakens flowering.
• Warm wintering. Caring for clerodendrum in winter involves keeping it cool. The optimum temperature is 12-15 ° C.

You can make clerodendrum bloom with a dry winter. A flower pot is placed near the glass itself and fenced off from the room by a curtain. In an apartment, this is the only way to create a favorable temperature. Watering is minimized. The ground should be slightly moist, but not moist. Some gardeners recommend pruning not in the spring, but in the fall - immediately after flowering.

Breeding methods

Clerodendrum can be propagated in two ways - generative, that is, seed and vegetative. The plant from the cuttings develops faster. The vegetative method is suitable for all types. Seed - only for some.

Seeds

Features. It is not always possible to get quality seeds from your plant. It is better to use planting material purchased in a specialized store. Seeds do not reproduce all varieties. Most often, this method is used to reproduce Thompson's clerodendrum. The optimum sowing time is the end of winter. Seeds germinate for a long time - the first sprouts appear only after a month and a half.

Action algorithm

1. Seeds are sown in light sterile soil with the obligatory addition of peat.
2. The soil is moistened from a spray bottle, the container is covered with a transparent film.
3. The container is kept in a warm place in the light.
4. Ventilate and maintain soil moisture daily.
5. The pick is carried out at the stage of two pairs of true leaves.
6. Seedlings are planted in separate pots of small volume with a diameter of 6 cm. The duration of the second transplant depends on the growth rate of the seedling.

Cuttings

Features. Rooting clerodendrum is not difficult. Allowed year-round propagation by cuttings. The most favorable period for rooting is spring and summer. It is advisable to combine cuttings with pruning.

Action algorithm

1. The apical cuttings with three pairs of leaves are cut from an adult plant.
2. A tablet of crushed activated carbon is added to a glass of water. To speed up the rooting process, you can add a little root stimulant.
3. The handle is installed in a container of water.
4. After the roots appear, the cuttings are planted in separate cups with light breathing soil. A good substrate composition is a mixture of peat and river sand. They act neatly - young roots are very fragile.
5. The landed cuttings are covered with plastic cups or caps from cut cylinders.
6. When the root system is strengthened, new leaves will appear, young plants are transplanted into more spacious pots, the shelter is removed.

Probable problems

Clerodendrum is a moody plant. Under inappropriate conditions of maintenance, improper care, it quickly loses its decorativeness, ceases to bloom, and does not look so spectacular. To quickly identify the problem, the most common difficulties and their causes are collected in a table.

Table - Problems in growing clerodendrum

Pests

Pests are a common problem of clerodendrum. The main cause of pest attacks is dry indoor air. The weakening of the plant as a result of rare top dressing, dark content, warm wintering also affects. The pests most often encountered, signs of their appearance and control measures are given in the table.

Table - Pests of clerodendrum

Before purchasing a plant, carefully read how to care for clerodendrum. Assess your capabilities - can you create favorable conditions for the flower, is there enough time to care for it. Only with careful, proper care can regular, continuous flowering be achieved.