During the cold season, Gloxinia need a lot of attention. Because only those who overwinter them properly will enjoy the plants for a long time.
Gloxinias (Sinningia) are cultivated as houseplants and please the flower window with rich blooms. The garden gloxinia in the bed performs the same task. So that you can enjoy your plants for a long time, you have to overwinter them properly. Because that's the only way they won't break in the cold season. We have made a note of how to proceed correctly during the winter here.
Overwintering gloxinias in indoor culture
From September onwards, the luxuriant flowering will be over. The plants are then often disposed of carelessly. It is quite possible to overwinter the plants and successfully flower them again next year. Because it is in the nature of the plant to withdraw into the tuber after the flowering phase. The leaves will gradually turn yellow and the foliage will die off. This is nothing to worry about, it is a completely natural process.
You should leave the tuber in the plant pot at this point. The foliage should then die off as quickly as possible. This is important for flowering next year. The plant should therefore no longer receive any nutrients when the leaves begin to wither. The tubers then only overwintered dry and dark at temperatures of around 15 degrees.
The tubers of young plants in particular tend to dry out and should be watered lightly every week, even in winter. With older plants it is sufficient to give a little water every 14 days so that the tuber does not dry out completely.
❍ The wintering of the indoor gloxinia in keywords:
- Plant retreats into its tuber from September
- remove dried plant parts
- Reduce watering slowly
- Stop watering after yellowing
- Overwinter tuber at about 15 degrees dry and dark
- occasionally water lightly so that the tuber does not dry out
Overwinter garden gloxinia properly
The garden gloxinia is quite robust. It is therefore possible to leave the tubers in the ground. You need tojust cover the ground with leaves, brushwood or compost. If the soil is light and permeable, the garden gloxinias overwinter outdoors without any problems. With heavy soils, on the other hand, there is a risk of waterlogging. So there is less risk that the garden gloxinia will freeze to death in the bed. If the plants do not form new shoots in spring, it is more likely that the soil has become waterlogged and the gloxinia in the soil has rotted.
If you want to dig up the tubers in winter, proceed in a similar way to dahlias. The tubers are first removed from the ground and then left to dry in the fresh air for a few days. The tubers are then packed in boxes or crates on straw and overwintered in a dry, dark and cool place.
❍ Overwintering of the garden gloxinia in keywords:
Light and loose soils:
- Tubs can be left in the ground
- Cover the soil with leaves, brushwood or compost to protect against frost
Heavy soils prone to waterlogging:
- Dig up tubers
- let dry for a few days in the fresh air
- bed on straw
- overwinter cool and dry in crates or boxes
What happens after winter?
Gloxinias in indoor culture:
In spring it's time to get the tubers out of their winter quarters. Now is a good time for indoor plants to be repotted. To do this, take the tuber out of the planter and remove most of the old substrate. Then choose a slightly larger plant pot so that the roots can spread well. However, the plant pot should not be too big, because pots that are too large encourage the Gloxinia to expand their roots. However, this is often at the expense of flowering.
If the root system has not yet fully penetrated the soil, you can use the old planter again. In any case, you have to completely replace the soil. In this way, the plant is again supplied with sufficient nutrients. Then put the planter back in its traditional location and slowly get the gloxinia used to the warmer temperatures. Now you can slowly start watering again and apply a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants (e.g. available from Amazon) while the flowers are forming.
Glowinias:
If you left the tuber in the ground, the first shoot tips should appear in spring. If this does not happen, there is a suspicion that the tuber has rotted in too wet and heavy soil.This can be checked by digging up and examining the tuber. It can often be helpful to place the tubers in a fresh, well drained and dry substrate.
Tubes that have overwintered indoors can be released from their winter quarters as early as late winter. Place the plant pots in a warm place and give the plants a head start in growth. If you plant the gloxinia outdoors in May, it will already have sprout and perhaps even buds.
Gloxinia wintering: advantages and disadvantages
+ Benefits:
If the plants are overwintered, with a bit of luck they will sprout again in spring. So you don't have to buy new flowering plants. The tubers also require little additional care during the cold season and only need to be lightly watered occasionally.
- Cons:
First of all you need to find a cool, dry and dark place for the bulbs. Furthermore, hibernation is often not worthwhile for small plants, as the tubers dry out quickly or rot. If you overwinter the tubers outdoors, there is also a risk of the tubers rotting due to contact with waterlogging.