A compact indoor perennial barely a foot high, gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa) opens its bells above evergreen leaves from late spring right through to mid-autumn. Brazilian by origin, it is grown for that long run of flowers, and it asks for one thing above all: plenty of light but never direct sun, and the show lasts for months.
| Name | Sinningia speciosa |
|---|---|
| Family | Gesneriaceae |
| Type | perennial, indoor plant |
| Height | 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) |
| Exposure | part sun |
| Soil | rich enough, soil mix |
| Foliage | evergreen |
| Blooming | late spring to mid-autumn |
Planting, care, watering and repotting are parameters that influence and will lead to successfully growing your gloxinia.
It is recommended to plant the tubers in spring in a blend of garden soil and heath soil.
Repot in spring, generally mid-spring does the trick.
Favor a bright spot but without direct sunlight, especially during the hottest hours.
You can put saintpaulia in the immediate vicinity of this plant because they both share the same growing conditions.
Remove wilted flowers often to spur appearance of new buds.
Gloxinia needs fertilizer during the entire vegetation phase, from early spring to early autumn.
This will ensure you have a beautiful blooming during this entire period.
early autumn, slowly stop adding the fertilizer and stop it completely in mid-autumn.
Gloxinia runs on a yearly cycle of growth, flowering and rest. Knowing which stage the plant is in tells you how much to water, when to feed and how warm to keep it.
| Period | Stage | What to do | Temperature / position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring, generally mid-spring | Planting and repotting | Plant or repot the tubers flush with the surface, in fresh soil mix | Bright spot, no direct sunlight |
| late winter/early spring | Waking up | Start watering again | 65 to 72°F (18 to 22°C), luminous room |
| early spring to early autumn | Vegetation phase | Liquid flower plant fertiliser about every fortnight | Bright, out of direct sun |
| late spring to mid-autumn | Blooming | Water regularly, mist the leaves, remove wilted flowers | May be brought outdoors, still not in direct sun |
| mid-autumn | End of flowering | Reduce watering, then stop it entirely; stop fertiliser | Cool, shaded and rather dry spot |
| Winter | Rest phase | Keep the leafless tuber dry and hibernating | 57 to 60°F (13 to 15°C) |
Follow the cycle and the same tuber will start a new round of blooming each year.
Once the flowers have died off, you must reduce the watering until the leaves as well have also withered and died.
Once there are no more leaves left, transfer your gloxinia to a cool, shaded and rather dry spot.
Ideal temperatures for this rest phase are around 57 to 60°F (13 to 15°C).
At the end of winter, repot the tuber in new soil mix and begin watering regularly again.
As soon as the first buds appear, water abundantly and there you go, your gloxinia is ready for a new cycle of blooming.
Most gloxinias sold as pot plants belong to a handful of long-established cultivars and seed series, which differ mainly in flower colour, flower form and how compact the plant stays. The table below sums up the ones you are most likely to find on offer.
| Variety | Flower colour | Flower form |
|---|---|---|
| ‘Hollywood’ | Deep purple, unmarked | Single bells |
| ‘Kaiser Wilhelm’ | Deep violet-blue, white edge | Single bells |
| ‘Kaiser Friedrich’ | Crimson red, white edge | Single bells |
| ‘Tigrina’ | Pale ground, spotted throat | Single bells |
| Avanti Series | Red, pink, blue, white | Single bells, free-flowering |
This very beautiful perennial, native to Brazil, will grant you an abundant flowering during a large portion of the year.
Caring for it is relatively easy if the guidelines mentioned above are properly followed.
In the early 19th century, in 1815, this flower was introduced in England under the horticultural name Gloxinia. However, research showed that this “Florist’s Gloxinia” is only distantly related to the actual Gloxinia family (or genus).
That’s why the real name of the flower was later corrected to Sinningia speciosa.
Rather vulnerable to aphids, one solution is to plant 1 or 2 cloves of garlic at the foot of your plant to repel them.
How to get more bulbs tubers from one gloxinia bulb? Any other way to create more bulbs?
Hi Kishore, a healthy, well-fertilized plant will start producing side tubers around the main original tuber. Gloxinia is a tuber more than a bulb because the inside of the tuber is homogenous, like a potato. Bulbs, on the other hand, are more like layers in an onion or cloves as in garlic. This means you can separate secondary tubers from the original one. You can even, with some success, split a large tuber into two halves. It’s important to deal with fungus, since open wounds on the tubers would make the plant sick. Here are a few tips on how to manage fungus on seedlings and cuttings.
More of a question. How much LED lighting do gloxinias need per day? Started this mixed variety in February and just bought 6500 lumen LED grow lights. They are all in 4 inch pots now and 22 of 24 are doing well using lights on 12 hours.
Hi Rick, there isn’t really a standard answer to that since, for instance, distance from light bulb to plant isn’t always the same. Also, the type of reflector you have channels more or less of the light to the plant depending on the design.
The Alabama Cooperative extension recommended 14 to 16 hours of lighting for gloxinia, with a brightness of 200 footcandles at soil level. It’s important not to place the light too close to the plants, or you’ll burn them. Not enough light leads to up-reaching leaves that are leggy. Light too close will kill the green in the leaves and you’ll be left with yellow, condemned leaves. It’s always possible to save a leggy plant, but a burnt one is harder!
You can also try rotating your plants to different spots under the light, say every couple days or once a week. That might explain why the two are having a harder time, maybe they’re too close or too far from a hotspot.
Where can I buy liquid flower plant fertilizer?
Hi Patrick! Almost every garden store or horticulture center should have liquid plant fertilizer for sale. Sometimes flower shops sell them, too. Just follow recommended doses, don’t ever increase them or you’ll “burn” the plant. You can reduce them without problem, though, since usually only very little is needed.
However, you can also make your own if you’ve got a pail or bucket. Indeed, many types of fermented tea prepared from weeds make excellent fertilizer.