Heliconia

Family. Musaceae.

Origin. Brazil.

Description. Heliconia is a perennial herbaceous plant with huge shiny green leaves located on narrow, erect stems. The leaf blades are slightly bent along the midrib. The underside of the leaf blade often has a contrasting shade to the upper side. Tall upright flower stalks bear spectacular golden, purple, pink or red bracts with yellow flowers, often tipped with dark green. The flowers are tiny, hidden inside bracts that look like a parrot's beak. Flowering can last from several days to several months.

Height. Indoors it reaches 0.9–1.2 m in height, the flower stalks of some species reach a height of 3 m. The bush develops quickly in suitable conditions.

Home care

Reproduction, growing from seeds 

Heliconias reproduce by dividing rhizomes or by seeds. Seed propagation is a long and labor-intensive process - the seeds should first be scalded with boiling water or soaked in water at room temperature for several days. Seed germination can take up to a year. When replanting, the rhizomes of large specimens are divided with sharp sterile pruning shears so that each division has its own root system. 

When does bloom? 

The buds decorate the bush in spring and summer, sometimes flowers form again during the year with good care.

Containment temperature

The optimal daytime temperature range is 18 - 27°C. The minimum acceptable temperature is 16°C. Most plants cannot tolerate cold weather and will suffer at temperatures below 13 ° C. 

Lighting

Bright light, heliconia should definitely spend several hours a day in direct sunlight. Shading becomes necessary only on very hot summer days.

How to care

Buds do not form in low light. Keep the plant outdoors if the temperature allows. Trim old flower stalks to extend the flowering period. By removing damaged and dying old leaves and stems, you promote good air circulation and also maintain a neat bush shape.

Soil

Prefers well-drained soils with a high organic content. The substrate should easily allow moisture and air to pass through.

Fertilizer

Feed 2 times a month in spring and summer with liquid fertilizer diluted to half the specified dosage. Do not use fertilizers in the cold season, when the plant enters a dormant period and stops its growth; it is good to use organic fertilizers. 

Watering 

Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the growing season. Between waterings, the soil can be dried only to a depth of 1 - 3 cm. In autumn and winter, plant development slows down and the frequency of watering should be reduced in accordance with the room temperature. Do not allow the earthen coma to dry out - the heliconia will die.

Transplant

Adult specimens are replanted in the spring, every 2-3 years, young ones - annually as they grow. To plant an adult plant, use a wide, heavy container, as it can tip over under its own weight.

Spraying 

Moderate to high (50 - 70%). Low air humidity can cause brown spots on leaves. Spray heliconia several times a week with water at room temperature. Misting helps prevent pests such as red spider mites, which thrive in dry conditions. The flower does not like drafts. Try to carry out the procedures in the morning so that moisture does not remain on the leaves at night.

Diseases and pests 

Plants rarely get sick, but overwatering, especially in winter, can cause root rot. In conditions of insufficient lighting, heliconia withers - it becomes painful and weak, the leaves acquire pale shades, and the shoots become elongated and thin. 

Of the insects, the most dangerous are red spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs, and nematodes.

Purpose

Heliconias are large plants and a winter garden or greenhouse is more suitable for growing them. 

Varieties:

Heliconia indica

An evergreen herbaceous plant with a height of 120 to 250 cm. The leaves are large, paddle-shaped, on long thin petioles. The leaf blades can reach a length of 2.5 m and have a glossy surface. The color of the leaves varies and can be green, burgundy or brownish. During the flowering period, the plants form thin, erect, leafless peduncles, on top of which there are small flowers with bright orange or scarlet bracts. 

Heliconia bicolor

An evergreen herbaceous perennial with dark green, glossy, oblong-oval leaves on long, straight petioles. As plants age, they can develop thin, graceful stems. Peduncles are leafless, thin, erect, often hidden in the foliage. At the tops of the peduncles an inflorescence is formed with tubular light flowers and bright bracts, colored with pink, reddish, and orange shades.

Heliconia rostrata

A perennial herbaceous evergreen plant, which in its natural habitat reaches a height of 1.5 - 6 m and has thin, unbranched, smooth stems. The leaves are paddle-shaped, on short petioles, green, glossy. Leaf blades often have transverse cuts. The peduncles are thin, gracefully curved in the form of an arch. The inflorescences bear bright, reddish-yellow bracts and small yellowish flowers.