Achimenes

Family. Gesneriaceae.

Origin. The plant is native to Central America. 

Achimenes description. The genus "Achimenes" consists of more than 40 wild species, differing significantly from each other. Modern hybrid achimenes grown as indoor flowers are often quite different from the wild species originally found in America.

This exotic African flower is usually grown as an annual plant. There are both ampelous and vertically growing species.

Velvety leaves of a dark green color are arranged oppositely, up to 8 cm in length, with a serrated edge; often the underside of the leaf blade has a lighter shade.

The shoots of ampelous varieties are long - they hang over the edge of the pot.

The color of the flowers is varied - from white to red through all shades of pink, purple, violet or yellow. The flowers are fragrant, similar to petunias, appear on short axillary stems, tubular, up to 5 cm in diameter, with 5 petals. 

The flowering is abundant and widespread; the flowers open alternately over a long period of time. Some varieties have flowers similar to gloxinia, while others are more reminiscent of pansies. 

There are variegated varieties, the leaves of which are often streaked with color or colored brown or purple.

During the dormant period, often the entire above-ground part of the plant dies off, and only a modified stem remains underground - the rhizome of achimenes.  Externally, rhizomes resemble fir cones - they are oblong or covered with small scales.

In different flower varieties, rhizomes can have completely different appearances - they can be very long - up to several centimeters in length and almost round, about 1 cm in diameter, and can also be painted in different shades - from almost white to green and brown.

Height. House plants reach a height of 30 - 60 cm. The final size of the bush will depend on maintenance conditions, pruning and varietal characteristics.

Achimenes - care and cultivation

Reproduction at home 

There are certain agricultural techniques for propagation at home; often, propagation of achimenes does not cause difficulties even for novice gardeners.

Plants are propagated by tubers - rhizomes (oblong or round) usually in late winter - early spring and vegetatively - by cuttings.

When plants are removed from the soil after the above-ground part dies in the fall, around each adult nodule - rhizome - you can find several small, daughter rhizomes - usually from 2 to 8. Sometimes rhizomes can appear directly on the stems - in the axils of the leaves.

There is no need to immediately separate them from the mother plant - you just have to wait until the above-ground part dies off - in this case, the rhizomes will have time to fully mature. 

• If you need to obtain an impressive number of plants and there are not enough daughter nodules, then each rhizome can be divided into 2 - 3 parts using a sharp, sterile knife.
• The wound surface formed during this division will need to be treated with crushed charcoal or ash for disinfection and drying.
• Daughter tubers are planted 3 - 5 in separate pots.
• The soil for planting is made up of leaf humus, loose turf soil and coarse sand.
• The nodules are covered with a 1-2 cm layer of soil. As growth begins, watering increases and keeps the soil evenly moist.
• The temperature should be at least 19°C even at night.
• The first signs of growth after planting rhizomes usually appear within 1-2 weeks.
• After the leaves appear, you can plant the plants in different pots.
• After transshipment, the plants develop lateral roots and bloom profusely. 
• When the 4th pair of leaves appears on the sprouts, they begin pinching the shoots (they are used for cuttings).

By apical and stem cuttings in early spring.

1. The cuttings are separated from the mother plant with a sharp sterile pruner or knife so that each of them has 3 internodes.
2. The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings and the bases are dusted with growth hormones, and lightly dried in fresh air for 1 - 2 hours. It is also necessary to remove buds that may be located in the axils of the leaves.
3. Keep pots with planted cuttings in a warm, brightly lit place with a temperature of about 22 - 24 ° C until rooting.
4. To maintain a uniformly high level of humidity, the cuttings are covered with a transparent plastic bag, glass or plastic at this time.
5. The first signs of new growth - young leaves and shoots can be seen within 1 - 2 weeks. The appearance of new growth will indicate the successful completion of the rooting process.

2 - 3 months after planting, one or more rhizomes appear in the root system, with the help of which these plants can be propagated in the future.

Rooting goes well even in a simple glass of water. Add an activated carbon tablet to the water and change it every 3 to 4 days. When the first small roots appear, the plants can be planted in the soil.

Even leaf cuttings of achimenes can be successfully rooted, but this process will take a longer period of time.

The leaves are separated from the mother plants with a small cutting.

The first flowering of such plants will occur only in the next season, in the second year.

The main problem with this method of reproduction is the onset of the dormant period.

The fact is that if rhizomes have not had time to form in the root system, then instead of sleeping, the plants may die. In order to avoid such a sad fate, they try to delay the onset of the dormant period as long as possible, continuing to regularly water and feed the young.

It is also worth maintaining long daylight hours using fluorescent or phytolamp lighting.

For seed propagation, you can use your own collected seeds.

To form fruits - seed pods, flowers are pollinated and wait for flowering.

The seeds ripen in boxes for about a couple of months. Seeds should only be extracted and used for propagation from fully ripened and dry fruits.

1. Achimenes seeds are only lightly pressed into the soil and provided with at least 12 hours of light per day.
2. The seeds are too small and for convenience they can be planted using a moistened toothpick or mixed with an equal amount of river sand.
3. Seedlings are covered with polyethylene, transparent plastic or glass on top to create a greenhouse effect.
4. The shelter is raised daily and the seedlings are ventilated.
5. Germination occurs at a temperature not lower than 23° C for 2 - 3 weeks.

From the moment the sprouts appear, the shelter is removed, accustoming the plants to new conditions.

Keep the soil surface moist at all times by misting with a fine spray bottle instead of watering.

The first picking is carried out with the appearance of true leaves - about 2 months after the emergence of shoots - the bushes are planted in separate small cups.

The plants are fed each time 10 - 14 days after picking, using a very weak solution of mineral fertilizers.

With the slightest lack of light, the sprouts tend to stretch out and become ugly - be sure to supplement the flowers with artificial light, extending the daylight hours.

Young plants bloom at the age of three months, but they may not inherit the varietal characteristics of the parent bushes. 

Dormant period, storage, pruning

Periodically pinch - break off the ends of the stems - this will force the plant to branch abundantly and form side shoots, which means flowering will also be more abundant.

When cultivated without pinching, young plants bloom 10 days earlier, but flowering will be more sparse.

Remove old, fading flowers in a timely manner to encourage the bushes to form new, fresh buds.

Achimenes must be given a period of rest in winter by lowering the temperature, stopping watering and fertilizing, and placing the pot with tubers in a dark place. 

The dormant period usually begins in October and lasts about 2.5 months. A cool and dry winter will preserve the rhizomes until spring without any problems. Sometimes the first signs of new growth can be seen as early as February.

When achimenes fades, reduce watering.

Trim old, wilted stems at the base - by the onset of winter they will die anyway and only the plant rhizomes will remain in the ground. The first signs of wilting of the green mass can be observed already in September.

You should not cut off the stems and leaves too early - they will continue to feed the rhizomes until the last moment and the rhizomes will have time to accumulate a supply of nutrients for the winter and for subsequent growth and flowering. 

In winter, the rhizomes are freed from soil, allowed to dry thoroughly at room temperature and stored cool and dry until March. You can also save rhizomes until spring in a pot with the substrate in which they grew.

Achimenes are often found as indoor plants - they grow intensively, so in good conditions the plants bloom after 4 months if they were obtained by dividing large rhizomes and at the age of 3 months when cuttings.

If possible, place plants outdoors during warmer months, away from strong winds, rain and direct sunlight.

With the onset of cool nights, the bushes must be brought into the house - these flowers cannot tolerate too strong daily temperature fluctuations. 

Flowering time 

From early summer to late autumn, flowering is very long and can take up to six months.

The specific timing of flowering may vary among different varieties, and also depends on the conditions of detention.

The flowering period is very long, as new buds constantly appear and replace old, fading flowers.

With good care, you can often observe a second wave of flowering in the same season, although it will be less abundant compared to the first.

Diseases and pests 

• If water stagnates near the roots or becomes waterlogged, the roots may rot.
• Root rot often occurs when there is overwatering or insufficient drainage.
• When watering with too cold water, leaf spotting occurs.
• Achimenes stretches out when there is a lack of lighting, the bushes become loose and ugly. 
• Drops of water on leaves and buds cause unsightly brown spots to appear.
• The plant does not bloom in insufficient light; flowering will also be less abundant if there is an excess of nutrients, especially nitrogen, in the soil.
• Nitrogen causes the flower to abundantly grow green mass to the detriment of flowering. 
• If the leaf blades turn light green or even yellow, but the leaf veins remain green, then chlorosis has occurred. This disease occurs when there is a lack of nutrients such as iron in the soil or when unsettled tap water is used for irrigation.
• A fungal disease such as gray rot occurs when the contents are too cool and humid.
• If too few new buds appear and flowering becomes sparse, then the plants may not have enough moisture or space in the pot.
• The tips of the leaves and young shoots dry out and turn brown when there is insufficient air humidity.
• The flower may be susceptible to invasion by aphids and thrips, spider mites, and sometimes whiteflies appear on the leaves.

How to transplant achimenes

Rhizomes of achimenes are planted in pots in the spring - in March and April, they are planted in a pot with fresh peat-based soil (slightly acidic).

If planted earlier, the plants will develop in short daylight conditions and will need to be additionally illuminated using phytolamps.

With a later planting, the development and timing of flowering will shift to a later time and these flowers will also fall asleep later, accordingly, next year it will be necessary to adapt to these timings.

Pots for achimenes should have large drainage holes that will allow excess moisture to quickly leave the soil.

As a pre-plant preparation, rhizomes should be treated with a fungicide.

Ideally, rhizomes should already have small sprouts before planting - such roots are ready to develop. If you plant rhizomes without signs of new growth, they will be more likely to rot at the slightest overwatering.  

An interesting feature of the plant is that flowering will be abundant only in a fairly spacious pot, while most flowering plants prefer cramped conditions. For each bush (rhizome), the minimum pot volume should be from 0.8 to 1 liter.

The shape of the pot should be wide rather than deep, since the root system of the flower is located quite close to the surface of the soil.

One or 2-3 shoots may appear from each rhizome.

Before planting, a drainage layer in the form of expanded clay, river pebbles and broken bricks is laid on the bottom of the pot. You can also use broken clay pots as a drainage layer.

1. Soil is poured onto the drainage layer, filling the height of the pot by about 2/3.
2. Rhizomes are placed on the surface of the substrate and covered with a layer of earth 2-3 cm thick. As a general rule, the larger the rhizomes, the deeper their planting will be. 
3. Sometimes plants develop so rapidly in the spring that they have to be transferred again into an even larger pot.
4. Before transshipment, the bushes are thoroughly watered until the earthen ball is completely soaked and they are removed together with the substrate from the old pot.
5. The flowers are transferred to a new pot along with the old lump of earth without destroying it.

After planting, the plants are placed in shade from direct sunlight, and the first fertilizing is carried out only 3 - 4 weeks after planting. Earlier application of fertilizers is not advisable, since fresh soil already contains a sufficient amount of nutrients.

Soil 

Potted plants do not tolerate heavy soils; they like well-drained and loose soil made from equal parts of peat, coarse sand or perlite, and vermiculite to improve drainage.

Also, for additional nutrition, a small amount of organic matter is added to the substrate - humus, well-rotted cow or horse manure.

Mixing in small pieces of charcoal will help loosen the substrate and add mineral nutrients.

Components such as sphagnum moss or coconut fiber will also help loosen the substrate.

From ready-made substrates, you can purchase a ready-made mixture for violets at a flower shop.

The substrate should have a slightly acidic pH.

Temperature

The optimal temperature is 18 - 24 ° C. During the period of active growth, you should not expose achimenes to lower temperatures - they will begin to get sick.

In the winter months, a cool winter should be arranged, which the bush should spend in a dry room with a temperature of about 15 ° C.

Achimenes will tolerate a decrease in temperature to 12 ° C, the heat is destructive for it - the plant can drop its buds.

When the temperature rises above 25 ° C, air humidity and frequency of watering should be increased.

The flower will not tolerate sudden changes in temperature, so even the plants should be accustomed to the dormant period gradually, lowering the temperature. 

Feeding achimenes 

Flowers in pots have a limited feeding area and need regular feeding.

During the growing season,  every week achimenes are fed with liquid fertilizer with a high nitrogen content to help achimenes grow green mass. When buds appear, apply a flowering fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium, diluted to 1/4 strength.

To feed these plants, it is better to use a weak solution more often than to feed them rarely, but with a very concentrated fertilizer.

Since too strong a nutrient solution can harm the root system, fertilizers are applied only after abundant watering and only in moist soil.

After flowering, fertilizing is reduced, but not stopped altogether. Plants should be fertilized before the above-ground part begins to die.

Mineral fertilizers in the form of slowly soluble sticks or granules have also proven themselves well.

Content of achimenes - lighting

The plant prefers bright light with shading from direct sunlight, which can cause leaf burn.

In autumn, you can place a flower pot on the most illuminated windowsill - at this time the sun's activity is low and it is often hidden behind clouds.

In winter, the entire ground part dies off and lighting will not play any role in the development of achimenes.

Optimal conditions are those in which the bushes take sunbaths daily for 2 - 3 hours in the morning and evening, but remain in the shade during the day.

It is believed that the darker the foliage of plants, the more light they require.

Every week, turn the pot with the plant a quarter turn around its own axis so that the achimenes develops thick and symmetrical and does not tilt towards the light source.

The most suitable for maintenance are window sills facing east or west. When grown on the south side, the plants are deepened into the room, and when kept on the north window, artificial lighting is provided with fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps.

Unlike most other plants, variegated or variegated varieties are more shade-tolerant - they hardly tolerate direct sunlight.

Watering 

Proper watering is the key to successful flowering of these ornamental plants. Immediately after planting, it is impossible to force watering suddenly - the rhizomes may rot.

Watering begins regularly only with the emergence of seedlings. As soon as the first shoots appear in early spring, the flower begins to be watered abundantly, completely soaking the earthen ball.

If the soil dries out even for a short time, the plant again enters a dormant period.

After flowering, the intensity of watering should be gradually reduced, and with the first signs of dying leaves, stop watering altogether.

In winter, rhizomes are stored in almost dry soil. If you add excess moisture to the soil during the winter months, the rhizomes will wake up and begin to develop, and in short daylight conditions, the emerging shoots will be weak and elongated. The situation can be corrected by supplementing the plants with light during this period.

Water the achimenes only with warm and well-settled water.

Excess moisture that appears in the pan after watering is drained immediately.

When watering, try to apply moisture along the edge of the pot or directly under the root, since drops falling on the pubescent leaves can cause rotting.

Spraying 

Constant and fairly high humidity is ideal for keeping flowers in the house.

Do not spray the plant - it is better to use a room humidifier to maintain humidity or place the pot of achimenes on a tray with wet pebbles. Make sure that the bottom of the pot does not come into direct contact with the surface of the water.

Placing several plants in a confined space helps increase humidity well.

Achimenes prefer to be in a constantly ventilated room with good air circulation, but without exposure to cold drafts.

Purpose

An indoor decorative flowering plant, it will feel great outdoors in the shade of trees in the warm season.

Depending on the specific species, achimenes are grown as indoor, garden and hanging plants.

Currently, breeders have also developed varieties with large, double flowers that resemble roses. 

Varieties of achimenes:

Achimenes longiflora

Perennial flowering shrubs with long, often drooping shoots up to 60 cm high. This variety is often used as an attractive hanging plant, grown in a hanging pot so that the long shoots hang over the edge. The leaves are glossy, green, and have short petioles. The leaf blades are covered with pubescence and have a finely toothed edge. In the warm season, plants decorate themselves with long tubular flowers up to 5 cm in diameter with rounded, fused petals of a blue, lilac or white hue. Flowering is very abundant and long lasting. 

Achimenes grandiflora

Attractive bushy perennials with drooping or erect stems up to 45 cm high. The leaves are green, glossy, richly pubescent, arranged in opposite pairs. On the underside, the leaf blades can be painted in a lighter shade. The flowers are axillary, solitary, showy, on a long floral tube. Flowering is abundant and can last throughout the summer and into late autumn. 

Achimenes erecta

A spectacular variety with thin, pubescent, erect shoots. The leaves are emerald green, lanceolate, coarsely toothed. The flowers are bright scarlet, funnel-shaped, solitary, appearing mainly in the upper part of the shoots during the summer and until mid-October. 

Achimenes "Purple kimono"

         A very spectacular variety with large flowers up to 5 cm in diameter, bright purple in color with an orange throat. The flowering is so abundant that the stems can bend under the weight of the buds. 

Achimenez "Blue Temptation"

     Achimenes variety with bright lilac tubular flowers. During the flowering period, the flowers almost completely hide the leaves of the plant. 

Achimenes Double

      This plant is distinguished by drooping double flowers in delicate tones - white, lilac or pink. The rounded petals are arranged in several rows - for this property achimenes got its name.