Slippers, kalceolaria — Calceolaria
Two species are cultivated from plants belonging to this genus in Poland: garden slipper (Calceolaria herbeohybrida) and a whole-leaved slipper (Calceolaria integriofolia).
Growing a garden helix
The garden slipper is characterized by elliptical-ovoid leaves with distinct recessed veins. Double-lip flowers with pouch-distended lips (the lower lip is significantly more developed than the upper lip) are gathered in inflorescences. There are varieties with white flowers, yellow ones, orange or purple, plain or with darker spots. It is grown as a houseplant, which is covered with flowers in April, in May.
Siew. The garden slipper is reproduced by sowing seeds, which are very small (w 1 g is between 2 and 2.5 thousand. pieces), irregular, wrinkled, tinted beige or brown. They are sown in June and in the first half of July in boxes filled with leaf soil with the addition of sand. Due to the small dimensions of the seeds, it is recommended to mix them with sand, to spread evenly over the surface. Lightly squash the seeds and sprinkle them, then we cover the boxes with glass and shade them. Spray the sowing 2 times a day. When sprouts begin to appear, which usually takes 10-14 days, At first, slightly open the glass, and after 2-3 days we take it off.
Plant care. The seedlings are growing fast. If they rarely came up, we're eating once, if densely - twice. In the cotyledon phase, they are picked up every 2 cm for boxes, and after a further three weeks in spacing 3 X 3 cm or 3X4 cm to the mixture used for sowing. In mid-September, we plant calceoloria in pots with a diameter 9 cm, into the leaf-frame soil with an admixture of peat and transfer to a cold greenhouse at a temperature of 4-6 °. We keep the temperature low throughout the winter, because only in such conditions the garden slipper forms flowers.
We ventilate the greenhouse abundantly, water the plants moderately. Water the freshly replanted slippers every 2-3 days. In January or the first days of February, the calcelloria is transplanted into pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm. It blooms from late March to June.
Growing the whole-leaved slipper
The whole-leaved slipper has highly branched stems, elliptical-ovary leaves, wrinkled, tiny flowers, yellow tinged, collected in inflorescences. It is often planted in flower beds and flower beds, on which it blooms throughout the summer.
Planting. The whole-leaved slipper can be propagated from seeds, usually, however, we propagate it through shoot cuttings. The most appropriate time to prepare them is mid-August, but they can still be cut in September. If we do not have mother material on the farm, it is for seedlings that you can cut the tops of the shoots 5–7 cm long from the plants on the flowerbeds. The seedlings are placed in the sand multiplier in rows distant co 4 cm. Tables can be covered with windows. Whole-leaf calceoloria takes root easily. It requires a heavier soil, Therefore, the plants are planted in the compost-frame soil into pots with a diameter of 8-9 cm.
Plant care. During the winter, we deal with it as with garden calceoloria. In the first half of April, transplant it into pots with a diameter of 10-11 cm and lower it in frame boxes for 70 pcs. in the window. In the second half of May, plant the whole-leaf slipper on the flowerbeds every 20-25 cm.