Three questions were provided in this week’s Root Awakening column.
The first dealt with the growing of the florist’s gloxinia. It is a common misconception that the florist’s gloxinia has the same growing conditions as the African violet. This is especially true with regards to its light requirement. Unlike African violets, the florist’s gloxinia require more light to grow well. It thrives under semi-shaded areas outdoors and indoors, it should be exposed to filtered sunshine for at least 6 h daily. Plants grown under shadier conditions will etiolate, i.e. become lanky and vine-like.
The flowers of the florist’s gloxinia are easily affected by fungus disease when the buds or petals are wet. When one is watering a plant, avoid splashing water onto the flowers or buds. It is also recommended to grow a plant in an area with ample air circulation. Affected flowers and buds should be removed promptly to reduce the likelihood of the problem from spreading.
The next question was about the appearance of mealy bugs on a dracaena plant. Mealy bugs can infest plants that are not healthy or they can come from surrounding plants. First and foremost, make sure your plant is grown under optimal conditions. Healthy plants are less prone to problems. To eradicate pests from plants via pesticide spraying, make sure you cover every part of the plant thoroughly, including the leaf undersides as well as any spaces between leaves. There is also a need to repeat application of the pesticide several times to ensure all progeny that hatch from eggs laid earlier are also eradicated. It is recommended to also check surrounding plants for any signs of infestations as well. Pests from these plants can migrate over at times. They should be sprayed as well if there is any signs of infestation.
The last question was about the growing of mango trees from seeds. It is vital to know that fruit trees, such as mangoes, grown from seeds need to attain their full height and size before they flower and fruit. The fruiting habits of trees grown from seeds can vary as some are more rewarding whilst others may not. It is more reliable to grow grafted fruit trees as these trees have the growing stock of a good fruiting specimen. Grafted trees are generally able to fruit earlier too.
