Description: annual (some species are perennial ), flowering, shrubby plant of the nightshade family. Growing in natural conditions, it can reach a height of 1 m, and as a garden-room culture – a compact bush up to 35 cm tall with flowers formed in the leaf axils. Brovally leaves are up to 5 cm long, depending on the species from light to dark green. The drooping thin shoots are strewn with tubular-funnel-shaped asterisk-shaped flowers, the color of which is from snow-white to purple in various shades. Perfect for growing in flower beds, in vases and as a pot plant.
- Origin: Central and South America.
- Family: nightshade
- Illumination: bright diffused light.
- Content temperature: summer – +20 +28°С, winter – +10 +15°С.
- Watering: plentiful in summer, moderate in winter.
- Propagation: seeds and cuttings.
Brovallia – cultivation
The plant takes root well in almost any soil, but it is best to grow in a substrate of sand, leafy, humus and soddy soil in equal proportions. Brovallia needs bright sunlight when grown, but does not tolerate direct sunlight. In summer, the air temperature should be within +20 +28°C, and in winter from +10 to +15°C. It is recommended in the warm season to keep in the garden or on the open balcony. Watering in the period spring – autumn should be plentiful, in winter – keeping the soil moist. When waterlogged, the root system rots almost immediately and the plant dies. You need to spray only on the hottest days.
Brovallia – plant care
The main care is to periodically remove old yellowed leaves and faded flowers, as well as pinching the ends of the shoots to enhance branching. Also, browallia needs care, which involves the application of fertilizers for flowering plants from the beginning of spring to the end of summer 1 time in 10-12 days. And 1 time in 30-35 days, you need to make a complex mineral fertilizer with water 10 g per 8 liters. To prolong the flowering period, it is necessary to add phosphates to the water when watering.
It does not need a transplant, as a new plant is planted in the spring.
Propagated by seeds and cuttings cut from an adult plant in late spring or during the summer.
The main pests are scale insects, spider mites, whiteflies, but most often browallia suffers from powdery mildew.
Brovallia – growing from seeds
Seeds can be planted at different times, in spring, summer or winter. The flowering period of the plant will depend on the time of sowing. Brovallia – growing a plant from seeds is carried out as follows: in a bowl prepared with loose peaty and moistened soil, it is rarely necessary to sow the seeds without covering them with earth. Spray the crop daily with a spray bottle of warm water. The bowl must be closed with glass or transparent polyethylene and placed in a well-lit place, not forgetting to ventilate at least 1.5-2 hours every day. If the sowing is kept in a room with a constant temperature of +22 +25 ° C, seedlings will appear in 10-12 days. After they germinate, they need to dive into pots 5-7 cm in diameter. And when warm weather sets in in the spring, you can transplant the seedlings into pots, containers or into the ground.
Browllia seeds can be sown in spring in open ground, and in order to speed up germination and increase the percentage of germination, the seeds must be soaked in warm water for 2-3 days before sowing. To obtain earlier and more abundant flowering, seeds must first be sown in a closed greenhouse, and in settled warm weather, planted in a permanent place – the plant will bloom throughout the summer, until autumn frosts.
Brovallia American (Browallia americana) or pubescent
An annual plant native to Peru. Brovallia americana is a compact, highly branched shrub up to 60 cm tall, abundantly blooming with many single small flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter, with dark green leaves. Flowers blue or purple. Blooms from July until frost.
Brovallia magnificent (Browallia speciosa) or beautiful
Potted, long-flowering ornamental plant. Brovallia is magnificent – a shrub up to 40 cm tall, with a dense crown of dark green leaves up to 6 cm long. Large, up to 5 cm in diameter, tubular-funnel-shaped and star-shaped flowers of white, blue or purple color are formed in the axils of the leaves. Flowering begins 10-11 weeks after sowing.
Browallia Blue Bell (Browallia speciosa major)
Unpretentious, cold-resistant, long-term look for interiors and premises. Brovallia Blue Bell is a well-developed, highly branched, with flexible shoots of a regular, spherical shape, a bush up to 30 cm tall and 35 cm in diameter, with dark green leaves. It blooms profusely with blue, axillary or star-funnel-shaped flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, collected in loose racemose inflorescences.
This species requires top dressing with fertilizers for cacti with a low nitrogen content. In summer 1 time in 2 weeks, and in winter 1 time in 6-8 weeks.
Brovallia Silver Bell (Brovalliya silver Bell)
Perennial indoor plant in the form of a bush up to 30 cm tall, strongly branched, with flexible stems, well formed. Brovallia Silver Bell has dark green leaves, up to 6 cm long and with a strong texture, star-funnel-shaped, up to 3 cm in diameter, axillary white flowers.
This species can be grown as an annual in flower beds, in flowerpots in places protected from the wind.