Streptocarpusspp.
have ’s be honest , there aren’tthatmany flowering houseplant .
I love a pretty orchidaceous plant or a pacification lily as much as the next nurseryman , but even though they have long - last blooms , they do n’t compare to the floral show of a Cape primrose .
Also ordinarily calledStreptocarpusafter their genus name , not only do they flower with colorful blossoms , but some Cape primroses flower twelvemonth - unit of ammunition or repeatedly throughout the twelvemonth .
It ’s like accept a non - stop flower garden in your base .
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I ’d be unforced to pamper Cape primrose to keep the sempiternal video display going , but you do n’t have to .
They ’re tough petty plants , despite their elegant appearance , and they ’re seldom troubled by pests or disease .
Ready to get to know these underappreciated beauties ? Here ’s what ’s come up in this guide :
What You’ll Learn
The biggest challenge in growing Cape primula is finding them !
You ’re more probable to get across their tight relative , the African violet , but keep your eye peeled and you might get lucky .
Now , without further ado , let ’s discuss whereStreptocarpuscame from .
Cultivation and History
Streptocarpusis indigenous to southern Africa . In the 19th century , English plant scientist James Bowie of Kew Gardens explored the Cape responsibility of South Africa and Brazil looking for raw plant metal money .
He came acrossS. rexiiwith its bluff dreary prime and brought it back to Kew Gardens in England in 1827 .
A few differentStreptocarpusspecies were identified in the decades that followed , then in 1861,S. saundersiidebuted at Kew Gardens , followed byS. parviflorusin 1882 .
It was n’t until 1946 that the first namedStreptocarpushybrid was cultivated .
It was bred at the John Innes Institute by William Lawrence and was nominate ‘ Constant Nymph . ’
But prior to that , breeders create many new and interesting nameless Cape primrose hybrids that originated from the specimens brought back ab initio .
There are over 150 species within theStreptocarpusgenus , but you ’ll rarely come across a species plant on the marketplace . Most of the plants for cut-rate sale are hybrids .
Despite the name , Cape primroses are n’t bear on to true primrose . They just have standardised - looking leaves .
While they were antecedently classified in separate genera , the closely - related African reddish blue ( formerlySaintpauliaspp . ) is now included in theStreptocarpusgenus . The plant life look somewhat standardised , but they have dissimilar growing requirements .
you could say them aside because Cape primroses usually have long , primrose - like leaves , while African reddish blue leaves are more oval , though there are some hybrid with the more rounded leaves .
If you ’re looking for information on African reddish blue , please shoot the breeze our comprehensive guide .
In the wild , Streptocarpusspecies grow in forested country under trees where they experience mottled sunlight .
There are two types ofStreptocarpusplants . The first group ( subgenusStreptocarpella ) is made up of stemmed plants . This grouping includes the speciesS. saxorum .
The second is the stemless , rosette type ( subgenusStreptocarpus ) , which include the speciesS. rexiiand a absolute majority of the hybrids on the market .
The attention is the same , they just have a slightly different growth use .
Streptocarpus Propagation
As mentioned , most ness primrose cultivars on the market are hybrid . These wo n’t grow lawful from seed and the come might even be sterile . So , if you opt to go the seed route , please keep that in mind .
If you want to propagate a clone , there are other methods . Let ’s begin with starting seeds and go from there :
From Seed
mantle primrose seeds should be started in late wintertime or early spring . The plants will take up to 20 weeks to flower , so plan ahead if you have a specific flowering date goal in judgement .
Fill a germ tray with a come - start premix . I ’m a big fan of Tank ’s Pro - Lite Seeding and Potting Mix because it has spate of coconut husk and perlite for water retention and airiness .
Tank ’s Pro - Lite Seeding and Potting Mix
Arbico Organics carriesthis in 16 - dry quart bags .
Sprinkle the seeds on the airfoil of the grunge . Streptocarpus seeds are teeny - tiny . When you open that seed packet or seed seedcase , you might opine you ’re dealing with rubble .
If you ’ve never mould with o.k. seeds before , it ’s easiest to take a piece of paper and fold it in half . Pour the semen onto the paper and then sprinkle them out of the edge of the paper , which acts as a funnel .
Spray with a water bottle to wash the seed premix . Place the tray on a heating mat and in morning light source or under supplementalgrow light . Cover the tray with glass or plastic to maintain humidness .
Be patient , sprouting takes a long time . You might not even see growth for two week and once they emerge , it will take a while for them to develop .
Once the Cape primrose seedlings are a quarter of an in grandiloquent , slim them to about three inches apart . When they have true leaves , you may move the seedlings into individual pots .
From Leaf Cuttings
In outflow or early summer , fill a seed tray with a soilless seed - starting mix . Look for young , healthy leaves toward the mall of the industrial plant . slay the leaf with a clean , sharp duad of scissors and sheer the folio in one-half along the mid - costa .
come in the base of each of the leaf halves an inch deep in the potting mixture , with the leaves at least three inches aside . Set the tray in an area with burnished , collateral visible radiation , direct dawn sparkle , or under grow lights .
Moisten the seed mixture without agitate the leaves . Cover the tray with charge plate or methamphetamine hydrochloride to keep humidity . If need , place a reefer or confused chopstick in the tray to help prop up the top so it does n’t touch the leave .
After a calendar month or so , you will start to see plantlet forming on the edges of the leaf . look for these to grow and evolve source . Once they do , you could transplant them into item-by-item pots .
By Division
Older Cape primula specimen can be divided into section and repot . This is a smart way to deal with a plant life that has outgrown its pot but you do n’t need to go up a size .
Remove the original Cape primrose from the pot and with your hands , gently twit it in one-half or thirds .
You want each department to have at least one stem and roots attached . You might need to habituate a clean pair of scissors hold to tantalize the piece aside .
Brush aside some of the old soil from around the root and pot them up as describe below .
Transplanting
When you add your Cape primroses home and repot them , they will be in a state of shock . They plausibly wo n’t adapt to their new condition and start to grow for at least two weeks .
It ’s nothing to interest about , I ’m just a monition that you should n’t expect too much from your plants ab initio .
Whenselecting a container , the stuff does n’t weigh much . glassless earthenware like terracotta tend to dry out quicker than metal , charge card , or glazed earthenware .
That can be good or spoilt , depending on your watering habits . you could also use hanging planters for the rosette type .
To accommodate the root structure , wide , shallow pots are good than bass ones . Whatever you choose , it need to have a drainage hole in the bottom to allow the water to flow out . Cape primroses wo n’t tolerate torpid roots .
Fill the container with any water - retentive potting soil . They care somewhat acidic to achromatic pH , which is about what most potting soil are .
If you ’re looking for suggestions , I ’m the unofficial squad cheerleader for Fox Farm ’s Ocean Forest potting mixture . I ’ve yet to discover a houseplant that does n’t flourish in its mix of bat guano , crawler castings , fish and crab repast , humus , and moss .
FoxFarm Ocean Forest
cull up a one and a half quart old bag in packs of one , two , four , five , eight , or tenat Amazon .
To transpose into a container , dispatch the industrial plant from its survive mess and gently sweep away the soil from the roots . Spread and detangle the roots a little .
Place the roots in the new container and fill in around it with potting soil .
Firm the soil around the base and weewee well . If the pot medium settles , add a piece more . You want the plant to be sitting at the same altitude that it was in the original container .
How to Grow Cape Primroses
Providing Cape primroses with passable twinkle is tricky . They want lots of shining light , but the high temperature of direct light in the afternoon is too strong .
If you have a location in an east - facing windowpane or a due south - face windowpane with sheer curtains , that ’s idealistic .
you may also use a W - face window if you do n’t live in an domain that experiences swelter summers .
In the winter , you ’ll either require to move your Cape primrose to a south - facing windowpane ( without drapery ) or provide auxiliary luminosity .
If you experience in an field with icy winters , move the pot a few feet by from the windowpane while still keeping it in lineal light . Otherwise , your flora will be exposed to dusty temperatures .
speak of , mantle primroses should never be exposed to temperature below 45 ° F .
The soil should remain systematically dampish from March through September , with just the airfoil earmark to dry out between waterings . From October to February , the top one-half of the soil should dry out out before you water again .
You should always test the soil with your finger before lacrimation . plant take up wet at different rate bet on the fourth dimension of year , the age of the specimen , and the condition of the soil .
During the March through September growing period , provender yourStreptocarpusevery 2d hebdomad with a balmy , balanced fertilizer or a stronger fertilizer diluted by half . If you overfeed , the plant life will produce fortune of big folio but no flower .
The elision in both the lacrimation and fertilizing timing is with those hybrids that bloom yr - round . These should be fed and water as you would in the summer for as long as they are blooming .
Dr. Earth micturate a nice , balanced , mild plant food in a handy 16 - ounce pump container .
Dr. Earth Pump and Grow Fertilizer
If you ’d care to pick some up , head to Arbico Organics .
Plants that are overfed or grow in alkaline soil will be given to have foliage that become purple . Aim for a pH of around 6.0 to 7.0 .
mantle primula needs a good amount of humidity to thrive , specially in the winter when the air lean to be drier . Do your best to keep the humidity above 50 percentage .
If your home is n’t that humid , you’re able to keep your Cape primula in a lavatory , by the kitchen sink , or practice a small humidifier near the plant .
I wish to use humidifiers that let loose a o.k. mist rather than those that have larger droplet . You want to produce the humidness , not irrigate your works . quash those that inflame the water .
Something like the top - filling humidifier from Levoit , which can hold two and a one-half liters of body of water and has an auto shut - off when the water runs out , is ideal . Nab oneat Amazon .
Levoit Humidifier
If you ca n’t bring home the bacon enough humidity , you ’ll believably see some browning of the foliage sharpness and peak .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
Other than trim off any stagnant , pathological , or deformed leave of absence , your main line with trimming is to remove spent flower at the root . As they mature , the old , outer parting will conk out . Snip these off .
You will demand to repotStreptocarpusevery few years , whether you kick upstairs the mickle size or not . That ’s because soil tends to become depleted , compacted , or hydrophobic over the year .
You ’ll need to move up a Mary Jane size or separate the industrial plant if you pop out to see roots come out of the drainage muddle .
If you adjudicate to go up a size , take a container that is one size up from the existing one . If you go up great than that , you range the risk of your plant suffering from ascendent rot .
For instructions on repotting or dividing , visit the propagation section above .
Streptocarpus Cultivars to Select
As I mentioned , Cape primroses can be a little hard to notice unless you visit specialty retailers .
If you do notice them at a with child retailer , they ’re usually lean under the generic name with no info about the parentage . That does n’t make them any less lovely , though .
Remember how we talked about the two case of growth habits ? They can be either stemmed or stem canker types , but most will be rosette . We ’ll call out any that are stem eccentric .
Let ’s talk about Boysenberry Delight first .
Boysenberry Delight
With cheerful purple peak and a sweet , arching emergence habit , ‘ Boysenberry Delight ’ is beg for a flow basket to highlight it .
‘ Boysenberry Delight ’
contribute one home in a two - and - a - half - column inch potfrom Walmart .
Crystal Series
This serial publication is exceptional because the plants often continue to flower throughout the year , even in the fall and winter when other Cape primula quit blooming .
The series include cornflower blue and deep purpleness ‘ Crystal Beauty , ’ pink ‘ Crystal Blush , ’ white and fuchsia ‘ Crystal Dawn , ’ white and reddish blue ‘ Crystal Ice , ’ pure whitened ‘ Crystal Snow , ’ and carmine - violet ‘ Crystal Wonder . ’
Eternity
Streptocarpus efflorescence are beautiful , but ‘ Eternity ’ takes thing to the next level . The full-grown , bluff magenta bloom are large and three-fold , with pallid pinko between the venous blood vessel .
A hybrid sport of ‘ Dimetris , ’ a democratic cultivar with vibrant reddish blue and white flowers , this rosette - eccentric will blossom intermittently all year long .
Gold
‘ Gold ’ is a gorgeous hybrid that features bright yellow blossom with white throat .
The edges of the petals are rippled and the flowers are heavy fragrant . A repeat fuckup on rosette - arranged leaves , it is one of the few truly bright yellow loanblend .
Harlequin Lace
depend for a flush that resemble the most elegant reddish blue ? ‘ Harlequin Lace ’ is it .
The large bloom are low , violet , emollient , and yellowed , with the colour following the vena of the bloom circumvent the emollient and yellow Department of the Interior . At a coup d’oeil , the pattern seem to be lace - alike .
This cultivar was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit in 2013 for its impressive bloom that persist for months and month .
Wow
‘ Wow ’ is competently named . The large , two - column inch spacious blossoms on this stem canker type are brilliant crimson pink on top and creamy yellow on bottom , with cerise pink edging along the ruffled flower petal .
It will flower intermittently throughout the year .
Managing Pests and Disease
One of the best things about Cape primula is that they are marvelously untroubled by blighter and disease , peculiarly when you grow them indoors .
A few of the old conversant houseplant pests might snipe them , and we ’ll verbalize about those first .
Pests
The chances that blighter will take to champ on your Cape primrose are low if you keep your plants healthy .
Those kept in low loose conditions or that are underfed will be more susceptible to pest problems .
If you grow houseplants long enough , youwillencounter aphids . Do n’t stress too much . If you act before the bow are entirely covered in aphid , they are n’t too damaging or difficult to deal with .
If you note yellowing foliage , a sticky , clear nub on your mantle primroses , or the minor , oval insects themselves , snap up the plant and put it in your cesspool or tub . Then , spray it with a stream of water to knock the aphid loose .
Wash them down the drain and put your plant in a time out . You do n’t want it hanging out with your other houseplants and spreading the problem around .
Do the atomiser wash once a week until you do n’t see any further grounds of hemipterous insect .
If you do n’t need to go this itinerary or you have a freehanded plague , spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap to pop the little saccade .
you may learn more about how to apportion with aphid in our guide .
wanderer mites are itty - teentsy tick relatives that feed on the muggins of many different houseplants . Most of the time , you ’ll notice fine webbing on your plants before you ’ll see the pests themselves .
If you attend close , the web might be filled with rubble , which is the exoskeletons left behind as the mites molt .
Treating them takes a multi - pronged approach , which you’re able to learn about in our guidebook .
It involve isolating your plant , spray it with water to knock the sucker loose , and an insecticide to kill any that remain .
When it comes to Cape primroses , whitefly are more vulgar in nursery than the nursing home , but they love to hitch a ride on newly - purchase Cape primroses .
That ’s why you should always visit your new addition before introducing them to the kin .
If sapsucking whitefly do manage to find your plants , wash away them off with a secure flow of urine , andvisit our guide for more information .
Disease
This flora is one knotty cookie when it comes to disease . It ’s uncommon that you ’ll chance a trouble , but if you do , it ’s belike going to be rot :
root and leaf rot is n’t a disease but a physiological issue . It happens when body of water splashes on the foliage and the wet pools at the base of the leaves , do them to decompose .
If you see this , remove the rotting folio or stem discussion section immediately and be extra heedful in the future to water the soil at the base of the plant and avoid wetting the foliage . In general , this is good advice for all works .
Best Uses for Cape Primroses
Whether you pot them up singly as a single specimen or group them for a gravid display , these flowering smasher are going to stick out out .
You could also put those with an curve growth wont ina hanging basketor bulwark - mounted pot for something a picayune different .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Stick With Streptocarpus for a Year-Round Flowering Display
Like I say , I ’d be uncoerced to spoil a Cape primrose just so I could delight the flowers , but as you could see , you do n’t really have to . They ’re pretty easygoing .
Then , if you want to learn about a few friends for your Cape primrose , considerchecking out these houseplant guidesnext :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL rightfulness RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photos via Arbico Organics , FoxFarm , Levoit , and Walmart . Uncredited photo : Shutterstock .
About
Kristine Lofgren
