Sphaeralcea

Family. Malvaceae.

Origin. South America.

Description. Sphaeralcea is a perennial plant. The stems are erect, powerful, branched, sometimes woody at the base. Young shoots have white pubescence. The shape and size of the leaves depend on the specific species - they can be simple, heart-shaped, rounded or palmate - divided into 3 - 5 segments. Leaf shades also vary and can include green and silver-green. The leaf blades are pubescent and rough to the touch. The flowers appear at the top of the stems, with 5 rounded petals, in shades of pink, orange. Individual buds are short-lived, but they continually replace each other.

Height. Depending on the variety, it reaches 60 - 120 cm in height.

Home care

Temperature conditions

Sphaeralcea is thermophilic and during the period of active growth it is kept at normal room temperature. Withstands extreme heat with ease. During the dormant period, the plant is placed in a cool room with a temperature of 5 - 10 ° C.

Lighting

Light shading is required only during the daytime in spring and summer; the rest of the time, provide the bushes with maximum lighting, including direct sunlight.

Care

Sphaeralcea is extremely unpretentious and tolerates neglect very well. Pinch off faded flowers promptly to extend flowering time. Trim stems that are too long before the growing season begins. 

Substrate

Adapts well to most types of soil with good drainage. Representatives of this species can be successfully grown even in soils with low nutrient content; they are not demanding even to the pH level.

Feeding

Feed with water-soluble fertilizer at half strength twice a month in spring and summer. In the fall, feeding is stopped and resumed only with the beginning of new growth in the spring. 

Purpose

Quite a large, but very impressively flowering plant for landscaping spacious and bright rooms.

Flowering time

The flowering period is long and takes up most of the summer. 

Air humidity

It tolerates fairly dry air in heated rooms and often does not need additional humidity. Prefers ventilated rooms with good air movement. 

Soil moisture

Watering should be plentiful - until the soil is completely soaked, but rather infrequent. Sphaeralcea easily tolerates drought, but does not tolerate excess moisture. The top layer of soil should dry out between waterings to a depth of about 5 - 7 cm. Excess water from the pan is drained immediately after watering. 

In the fall, as the temperature drops, the frequency of watering is reduced, and in winter they simply protect the soil from drying out completely. 

Transfer

Adult specimens are replanted approximately every 2 years into fresh soil. When replanting, try not to damage the delicate root system - use transshipment. If replanting is difficult due to the large size of the plant, replace the top layer of substrate with fresh in the spring.

Reproduction

Propagated vegetatively - stem cuttings 10 - 15 cm long using rooting agents. Young seedlings are not exposed to direct sunlight. Seeds are sown in the spring, but require preliminary pre-sowing preparation in the form of stratification and soaking in warm water.

Pests and diseases

Rust. Plants rot when overwatered and insufficiently drained. Excess nutrients in the soil negatively affect flowering.

Insect pests rarely attack sphaeralcea; sometimes aphids, scale insects and spider mites appear.