Brovallia is a plant in the nightshade family. Distribution area - Colombia, solitary species are present in the south and in the center of America.
Description of Browllia
Indoor flower grows from 40 to 70 cm, shoots of the pubescent type. The foliage is lanceolate. Flowers are solitary, outwardly resemble stars, color - white, blue, purple.
Fruits are capsules with dark seeds that spill out through the leaves.
The most popular types and varieties of brovallia
In the rooms you can grow several types and varieties of browllium:
| View | Description | Varieties | Flowers Bloom |
| Beautiful | Compact herbaceous shrub, in nature grows up to 70 cm, with home cultivation - 40 cm. Shoots are short, not pubescent. The length of the leaves is 4-6 cm, rough, the shape is obovate, there are pointed ends. | White Bells, Jingle Bells, Blue Bells, Blue Troll. | Bluish-violet, center - white. From mid-summer to frost. |
| Hairy (American) | Grows to 70 cm, shoots are simple or felt. The foliage is broad-lanceolate, slightly hairy, about 5 cm long. | Are absent. | Reverse heart shape. Color - blue-violet, lilac, white. The diameter of the corolla is 1-1.5 cm. July - November. |
| Sticky | Reaches 25 cm. Sticky shoots. | Sapphir. | Small, sapphire blue. November - February. |
Browllia care at home
When leaving for browllia at home, you need to focus on the season of the year:
| Factor | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
| Location / Lighting | They are placed on the western or eastern side of the house, it is necessary to shade on the southern window. In summer, you can take out to the open loggia or to the garden. Bright, scattered. | Bright, for several hours it is allowed to leave in direct sunlight. Perform illumination with a phytolamp. |
| Temperature | + 18 ... +25 ° С. | + 16 ... +20 ° С. |
| Humidity | Level - 60-70%. The pot is placed on a pallet filled with moistened pebbles, peat and moss. Daily perform spraying with water at room temperature (drops should not fall on the buds). | The level is 55-60%. Spray once a week. The pot is installed away from heating appliances. |
| Watering | Once every 2-3 days. Do not allow the complete drying of the soil or stagnation of water. The liquid is soft and warm. | Once every 7 days. |
| Top dressing | Once every 14 days, mineral fertilizers are used. | |
Features of growing browllia at home and in the open ground
When growing browllium indoors, universal soil should be selected. You can also make a substrate yourself, for this, the following components are mixed in equal amounts:
- turf and leaf land;
- sand.
When grown outdoors, the plant is strictly forbidden to plant in excessively moist or nutritious soil. This is due to the fact that instead of flowering, an active development of greenery is observed. An excellent option is garden land with good drainage and moderate fertility.
When planting a flower in the garden, seedlings need to be planted at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other, this will form a continuous border. If you want to slightly distinguish between shrubs, the gap between them should be done at 40-45 cm.
Seed cultivation
When growing browllium from seeds, they follow a certain algorithm:
- Planting stock is kept for 2 days in a warm room for swelling (the cloth is pre-wetted in a growth stimulator and seeds are placed on it), and then dried to a state of flowability.
- The best growth is observed under the film. During this period, it is not necessary to once again open the crops to maintain a comfortable temperature and humidity.
- The greenhouse is aired 2-3 times a week.
- After the emergence of seedlings (after a few weeks) perform lower watering through the pan.
- When 3-4 leaves are formed, the plant is dived in separate pots of 2-3 pieces (in the case of ampel cultivation) or one at a time (for maintenance in the garden or room).
- As the seedlings grow, pinch the tops over the 5-6 leaf, this will increase the branching of the bush.
In mid-May, seedlings are transplanted into a permanent pot.
Propagation by cuttings
The advantage of propagation in this way is that the cuttings can be cut during the entire vegetative period. Most often they take those stems on which there are no buds. Use the upper part of the trunk, because it is easier to root.
The resulting process is freed from excess foliage and buried in the soil by 2-3 cm. Then it is treated with Kornevin or another similar growth stimulator. If there is no drug at hand to accelerate the rooting of browlia, then you can cook it yourself. For this, young willow shoots are suitable. They are crushed into sticks about 5 cm long and vertically placed in a container of water, the product is insisted for a day. In the prepared solution, the cuttings are placed for 6-12 hours.
As a substrate for rooting, pick up light sandy soil. Using a pencil, in this soil create indentations of 3-4 cm, it is in them that the processes of the flower are placed. Cuttings should not touch each other.
To preserve moisture, the container is covered with plastic wrap. After rooting, the processes are transplanted into the soil for adult plants and pinching is done for better branching.
Browllia care mistakes and their correction, diseases and pests
During growing, browllium can be attacked by pests and diseases, which is often facilitated by errors in care:
| Manifestation | Cause | Remedial measures |
| Withering foliage. | High temperatures, low air humidity, rare watering. | The plant is moved to a room with a temperature of +20 ° C. Spray daily and increase air humidity. Adjust the frequency of watering, the earth should not completely dry. |
| Thinning and stretching of shoots, blanching of leaves. | Bad light. | The flower provides bright diffused lighting. In the winter, carry out additional illumination with fluorescent or LED lamps. |
| Yellow spotting on foliage. | Burns. | Browllia is removed from the windowsill. Shade at noon. |
| Lack of flowering. | Poor care. | They are moved to a more lighted place, cut off before the start of growth, fed with fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. Timely wilted plants are removed. |
| The formation of white plaque on the trunk and leaves. Withering of affected areas. | Powdery Mildew | Remove affected flowers and leaves. Treated with Topaz or iodine solution. |
| The lethargy of the plant against the background of moistened soil. | Root rot. | The plant is removed from the pot and carefully inspect the root system. If most of the rhizome is elastic and white, then treatment is possible. The whole earth is washed off under the tap, the affected areas are cut with a knife. Remove wilted foliage and shoots. Brovallya is transplanted into a new container and treated with Fitosporin. They are placed in a warm and bright place. The plant is not watered until a new shoot begins to form. |
| Dark spots rot on the bottom of the trunk and on the leaves. | Stem rot. | Examine the root system, if it is healthy, and the stem is not affected near the ground itself, then it is cut off. The cut is treated with sulfur or charcoal. The part of the plant remaining in the pot is sprayed with any growth stimulant and covered with a bag. If the lesion is significant, then the flower is thrown away, and its neighbors are treated with fungicides. |
| The elastic foliage turns pale and yellow. | Chlorosis. | Sprayed and watered with Iron Chelate and Ferrovit until the formation of new leaves. Transplant into new soil. |
| A thin white web appears on the leaves. | Spider mite. | They are treated with systemic insecticides such as Actellic or Derris. |
| Withering leaves, on their inner side there are greenish larvae. | Whiteflies | The soil is watered with a solution of Aktar, the procedure is carried out at least 3 times, the interval is a week. The plant itself is sprayed with Confidor, covered with a bag and left in this state overnight. Processing is performed on the street, because the product has a specific smell. |
| Poor growth, sluggish foliage even after watering. There are white clumps resembling cotton wool. | Mealybug. | The plant is isolated from neighbors. Wet tissue performs manual removal of insects. Spray and wash with a soap-alcohol solution. If the defeat is severe, then treat with Actara or Actellik. |
Brovallia is quite susceptible to insects and diseases, so their appearance should be prevented. To do this, moderate watering is performed using only desalinated and settled water, moisturize and ventilate the room, and make nutrient components in a timely manner.
