Streptocarpus

By Holly Walker

 I grow under lights and really don't pay attention to how close or far away the plants are from the lights, but decided to measure for this article. My largest streps are about 8" from the lights, which are on for ten hours a day.

 I get all of my soil supplies from John Cook. My mix is one part each of perlite, vermiculite, and Pro Mix. I also throw in a handful of charcoal.

 Even though the experts say not to wick water streps, I do! I don't have enough time to water each plant individually. I use just one strand of yarn (single ply) because they definitely don't like to be overwatered. Most of the time I use Peters 20-20-20 fertilizer, or whatever is handy! I have read that streps like a fertilizer that is high in potassium but I haven't tried one of those varieties yet. (for readers who don't know, that would be the third number on the fertilizer label and that number should be double the first number.)

 As for pot sizes, I kind of use the same rule as for violets which is the pot should be 1/3 the size of the plant. Also, shallow pots are better than tall ones, as streps would rather be pot bound than over potted. I use green plastic pots purchased from John Cook.

 As the blossoms start dying, remove them. Once all the flowers on a stalk have been removed, cut the stalk as low as possible. Don't worry if the soil dries out and your plant wilts as it can withstand that. Just water the plant and it will perk right up again.

 I only divide my streps if it's a huge pot of many plants. When I repot, I take off some of the larger, outer leaves that have started to yellow a bit.

 As for propagation, I use one of the fresher, dark green leaves toward the center of the plant. I use a razor blade and cut the leaf lengthwise on either side of the "mid rib". Then, I cut those long strips into three or four smaller strips. I make a few rows of indentations in the soil and place the cut sides of the pieces down into the soil mix. I use the same soil for propagation as I do for other potting. I use clear plastic salad-type take-out containers that have tops. I make sure the soil stays moist. In about six weeks, small plantlets should start to appear. Once they're about 2" in size, you can separate them from the leaf and pot them up, individually, into small pots.