Clerodendrum Thompson is a beautiful and unusual plant that is gladly grown at home, and it, in turn, is pleasing to the eye and adorns the windowsill. This article talks about the care, reproduction, and other features of Thompson's Clodendrum.
Biological characteristics
Clerodendrum Thomsonia (Clerodendrum Thomsoniae) - a species of flowering liana from the genus Clerodendrum, family Verbena. This is an evergreen plant that can reach up to 4 m in height. Its leaves are bright green, oblong, up to 17 cm long, on average 13-14 cm with pronounced veins. Five-petalled flowers with a diameter of up to 2.5 cm are formed in brushes from 8 to 20 pcs. on one in sympodial inflorescences. Color ranges from pure white to lilac and raspberry shades. Corolla red with 5 petals and a length of 2 cm.
Clerodendrum Thompson
Plant name
Translated from the Greek "Kleros" - "fate, lot, luck", and "Dendron" - "tree". You can call a flower in different ways: bleeding glory, grapes with a bleeding heart, begflower, however, these names can also be applied to other 400 species of the genus Clerodendrum.
It is not known where the name comes from. There are several versions:
- In the nineteenth century. lived the Scottish missionary D. Thompson, who came to Cameroon to collect a collection of flowers for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the British Museum.
- George had a nephew of W. Cooper Thompson, who was also a missionary, but already in Nigeria, and it was in his honor that the plant was named (originally a bleeding heart, after it was renamed Thrompson's clerodendrum).
- William was married, and after his wife died, he asked to name a flower in her honor. Therefore, sometimes you can hear the name of Mrs. Thompson's clerodendrum.
In general, there is no exact version, but it is clear that the name revolves around one family of missionaries.
Note! The genus of plants is very rich, but they mainly grow clerodendrum Mehonsol, Thompson, Wallich, Ugandan, Filipino, specozum, tripartite and Bunge.
Natural habitat
The plant was brought from western Africa, and more precisely from Cameroon to the west to Senegal. In some regions, it was not possible to cultivate it, so it is naturalized.
Clerodendrum Thompson: Home Care
Thompson's Clerodendrum is one of the few species of the Clerodendrum genus that can take root at home. However, for this to happen, certain conditions must be met.
Proper lighting
Clerodendrum needs a lot of light, direct sunlight will not damage the flower. Therefore, the plant coexists well on the eastern, southern and western sides. However, in the north he may not have enough light to form buds.
Clerodendrum Thomsoniae
Watering and dressing regime for flowering
It is necessary to water the plant regularly and abundantly (especially in spring and summer), since clerodendrum loves moisture.
Important! Watering is necessary after the topsoil has dried. Clerodendrum dislikes both drought and the bay. In winter, the plant stops growth and absorbs water a little, so during this period it is important to ensure that there is no excess amount of water. You can water it with running, settled water at room temperature.
The plant will also feel good with regular spraying, especially in summer, when it is very hot or if powerful batteries or heaters are working in the room. Otherwise, the leaves will turn yellow, and the plant will dry out.
In winter (during dormancy), the liana can simply drop the leaves. If this happens, do not worry and try to increase the humidity. This is a natural process. Although it would be nice to protect the flower from direct hot air.
Note! During the active growth phase (spring-summer), the plant must be fertilized with liquid top dressing for flowering indoor plants. This should be done regularly: every week. Enough in the fall 1-2 times a month, in winter this is not necessary at all.
How to propagate Thompson's Clodendrum creeper at home
There are two ways to propagate a vine: cuttings and seeds.
Cuttings
To do this, cut off the stem, semi-lignified cuttings of about 8-10 cm long and remove the lower pair of leaves.
Clodendrum seedlings
After it is necessary to prepare the soil mixture. It should consist of peat land and perlite (or coarse sand). Mix should be in proportions 1: 1. Plant, cover with plastic wrap and put in a well-lit place with a temperature of 20-21 ° C.
Note! It is necessary to maintain a constant soil moisture, otherwise the plant will not take root.
If everything is done correctly, then somewhere in 4-6 weeks it will be possible to transplant the sprouts. Pots should be filled with compost soil. When transplanting, the container should not be large.
During this stage, it is also necessary to carry out the procedure of pinching the tops of the shoots to induce the flower to tiller. After it grows a little, it will be possible to transplant already into wider containers.
Seeds
Seed collection from the mother plant is necessary when the flower is wilted, and the seeds are solid and dark in color. The soil is needed the same as for cuttings, after making a greenhouse. Here you need to especially carefully monitor the temperature, humidity and lighting, because the seeds are much weaker than the cuttings, so they can not germinate. Somewhere in 7-10 days, seedlings will be visible, if everything is done correctly. After 6-8 weeks, the plant can be planted in a large pot.
Seeds of the mother plant
Even if reproduction does not occur, it is necessary to transplant both young and adult plants. The former need to be transplanted every year, increasing the pot, and the latter - 1 time in 2-3 years. The pot can not be changed, but it is important to replace the earth. This is done in the spring before the stage of active growth.
Thrompson Clodendrum Primer
The soil for the good growth of clerodendrum should be:
- nutritious, otherwise clerodendrum will lack minerals for growth and vegetation;
- slightly acidic, otherwise the plant will rot;
- easy.
You can either buy ready-made mixtures (for roses and azaleas, mix in a 4: 1 ratio) or cook yourself. To do this, sand, peat, humus, leaf and soddy types of land in equal quantities will be needed. At the bottom you need to lay out a good layer of expanded clay or broken brick.
Bush formation
Shrub formation is a very interesting procedure, and Thompson's clerodendrum is well suited for this. It can be grown as an ampelous flower, or it can, for example, be planted along the perimeter that the plant owner himself wants. That is, you can make some kind of frame and grow it, either around the room, or in any other form.
Note! It is also possible to give it a racemose or a standard tree with the help of forming pruning.
Why Thompson's Clodendrum Does Not Bloom
Clerodendrum may not bloom because it lacks light, nutrients, and water. In general, artificial conditions are not so close to natural. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the vitally important characteristics for clerodendrum. You can also perform the following operation: after the formation of the crown (somewhere in February), you need to leave the shoots (about 60 cm in length), and cut the leaves, in turn. In late March - early April will be the first flowers. But for this procedure, the plant must be an adult.
Lush green of a flower
Clerodendrum Thompson needs to arrange conditions that are as close as possible to natural in order to get flowering and proper flower development. However, this will not require much time and effort. Clerodendrum Thomsoniae is an interesting, not very whimsical plant, which is easy to care for and which will delight residents of the house with its appearance.
