Jacobinia is an amazing decorative flower that has gained popularity among gardeners for its versatility. Both in the presence of flowers, and in their absence, the plant attracts with its beautiful appearance and is an unusual, “living” decoration of the home interior. How to properly grow a culture and what conditions to create for its full growth are described in the article below.

Botanical description of the plant

Jacobinia or justice is an evergreen, perennial culture in the form of a shrub or grass, which is a member of the Acanthus family. The homeland of the plant is considered the tropical rainforests of Central and South America.

In nature, Jacobinum can grow from 1.5 to 2 meters high, at home its growth is much lower.

Justice has a strong, erect stem, the surface of which is covered with smooth pink-green skin. The root system is represented by numerous, highly branched root processes. The shoots of the culture are distinguished by the presence of a large number of lateral processes, which gives the shrub splendor.On the stem, petiolate, ellipsoidal leaves are formed, arranged in pairs. The color of the leaves can vary from bright green to dark green. To the touch, deciduous plates are strong, bumpy, with a large number of veins; they have a serrated edging along the edges.

Justice blooms from February to April. During this period, tubular flowers are formed on the plant, consisting of multi-tiered petals. The buds form drooping spike-shaped inflorescences. The color of the petals can be different: pink, red, white, coral, orange. Active flowering lasts for two weeks.

Did you know? Some types of justice, for example, Jacobinia Adatoda or vascular, are used in European countries for the production of homeopathic medicines. In particular, they are used as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiemetic agent for bronchitis, tuberculosis, colds.

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In nature, there are over 40 types of justice, however, only a few are suitable for home cultivation:

1. Jacobinia Fields. A dense, powerful shrub, which is characterized by the presence of large, lanceolate, with a glossy surface and a bluish-green color of leaves. In height, the plant can reach one and a half meters. From the very top of the stem, spike-shaped inflorescences are formed, on which lush pink flowers mature.

2. Small-flowered Jacobinus. A characteristic feature of this justice is its low growth - up to 30-60 cm and a highly branching stem, the surface of which is covered with a large number of oval light green leaves with sharp edges. The leaves have a leathery structure and grow up to 7 cm long and 3 cm wide. During flowering, a single tubular flower forms on the stem, resembling a small candle. The color of the petals is two-tone: a pink base that flows smoothly into a yellow edging. Flowers are formed abundantly, which creates a spherical crown on the plant.

3. Justice is meat red. It is an attractive shrub, which is distinguished by the presence of large tubular-shaped flowers of the original meat-red or pink color. The plant has an upright, low-branching stem, which stiffens over time and reaches a height of up to 1.5 m.The leaves of a representative of this species are large, large, opposite, with a diameter of up to 20 cm, with uneven edges and a slight acuteness at the end. The color of the foliage is dark green, the surface is rough, with streaks. On the top of the stem during flowering, inflorescences 10–13 cm long are formed.

4. Jacobinia Brandege. The culture grows as a densely branched, strong shrub, on the top of which large inflorescences flaunt. The stems of justice, reaching 1 m, are densely covered with dark green oval-shaped leaves. On the underside, the leaves are covered with a small edge and have a pale pink color. At the top of the stem, a spike-shaped inflorescence almost always grows, consisting of numerous two-lipped buds. The flower petals are yellow and located in the middle of the brown sepals.

House growing conditions

Jacobinia is an exotic plant, therefore, for a comfortable living in an apartment environment requires compliance with several rules.

Lighting

Justice belongs to the group of photophilous plants, for which it is important to adhere to bright but scattered light. As an optimal location, it is better to choose the southern or eastern part of the room. In summer, when sunny weather prevails on the street, it is recommended to take the flower pot out into the fresh air, but at the same time protect it from direct sunlight, which can cause burns on the leaves.

Important! You should gradually accustom the Jacobin to the street, regularly taking it out for a few minutes to the balcony or terrace. Also, it is impossible to place the plant in bright light immediately after purchase, it is better to give time for adaptation.

In winter, when the culture experiences a shortage of sunlight, it needs to organize artificial lighting, otherwise the crown will begin to lose its decorative effect.

Ventilation

One of the main enemies of justice is a draft, so categorically it is impossible to place a plant in the place of formation of cold gusts of wind. At the same time, the culture should be regularly ventilated, which will accelerate metabolic processes and enhance its growth. In winter, there is no need to ventilate.

Temperature mode

The temperature in the range from + 20 to + 25 ° C is considered to be comfortable for the Jacobin, therefore, starting from spring, when the period of active growth of the plant begins, experts recommend that these temperature indicators be kept in the room. In summer, the flower should be taken out into the open air.In the autumn-winter period, it is desirable to reduce the temperature to +15 ... + 17 ° C, but not lower than + 15 ° C, since a cold microclimate can cause rotting of the root system.

Important! During flowering, justice is recommended to be kept at moderate temperatures +15 ... + 18 °WITH.

How to care at home

Despite its tropical origin, caring for justice in an apartment is easy. It is enough to adhere to the basic rules for caring for decorative flowers.

Watering

Justice, as a “native” of the humid tropics, needs regular and plentiful watering, a signal to which is the complete drying of the upper soil layer. With the onset of cold weather, the frequency of moisture is reduced, but do not allow the complete drying of the soil.

It is important to ensure that the moisture in the pallets does not stagnate, since increased humidity can provoke rotting of the roots.

Water the culture with warm, settled, soft water, not containing chlorine, directly under the root. Often practice bottom watering in pallets. In the summer, when the weather is hot, the flower should be placed on trays with wet moss, pebbles or install additional sources of moisture, for example, decorative fountains, near the pot with the plant.

Spraying

It is also important to maintain good flower health in the room to maintain a sufficient level of humidity - about 65–75%, so regular spraying with a tropical beauty will benefit. Justice especially needs humidification on hot days when there is dry air around.

In such periods, the stems and leaves of the culture should be moistened with a spray bottle. It is also allowed to wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. From time to time, experts recommend arranging a Jacobin full, real shower using soft room-temperature water.

Top dressing

In addition to good hydration, justice needs intensive nutrition during intensive growth. In the period from March to August, fertilizers should be applied, combining them with watering once every 10 days. Organic and mineral-based products in liquid consistency can be used as top dressing material.

In order not to harm the root system and not burn the roots, it is recommended to fertilize the fertilizers well in irrigation water.

Important! When feeding a plant, do not forget about the dosages. An excess of fertilizers will lead to an active growth of greenery and a complete absence of flowers.

In the autumn-winter period, feeding is enough 1 time per month. Before flowering, you can "please" the culture with fertilizers based on phosphorus.

Pruning

Justice is a plant that needs to form a bush, and therefore requires regular pruning of branches. In the absence of this procedure, to obtain a lush, beautiful, with a large number of buds, the bush will not work.

Pruning is carried out at least once a year in the spring, before the start of the intensive growth phase. During the event, all shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the length, but at the same time several internodes are left on each. Also remove old, dried or weak branches. Circumcision begins to be carried out in the second year of Jacobinus growth.

Transfer

Since justice refers to plants with a densely branched root system, it should be transplanted into a more spacious tank once every 1-3 years, as the bush grows.

You can’t take a large pot for transplant.Too much capacity will have a lot of land, and therefore a lot of water, which will provoke acidification of the soil and, as a result, the development of ailments in the Jacobin.

The plant should be transplanted in the spring, in the month of March.

For this:

1. A small layer of drainage is poured into the prepared pot, which can be pebbles, expanded clay.
2. A soil mixture consisting of equal parts of garden soil, humus, river sand and peat is covered with soil. It is also allowed to take ordinary universal soil.
3. The culture, together with an earthen lump, is placed in a container by the method of transshipment, sprinkled with a small layer of soil, slightly compacted.
4. The surface of the earth is abundantly moistened.
5. After transplanting, the pot is placed on a permanent habitat of the culture.

Important! It is forbidden to transplant blooming justice.

Breeding

The process of propagation of Jacobin will not cause difficulties even for beginner growers, if you follow simple basic rules. There are two ways to get a new plant: cuttings or using seeds.

Cuttings

Cuttings are the simplest, most effective, and fastest method of propagating justice. Planting material can be shoots obtained from trimming. For rooting, it is recommended to take lateral processes 7-10 cm long, on which at least 2-3 internodes are located.

Further:

1. Cut cuttings are planted in a specially prepared soil mixture consisting of peat and sand in equal proportions.
2. A container with cuttings is placed in a warm place, with a temperature of +20 ... + 22 ° C and provide them with regular hydration.
3. When roots appear on the cuttings, they are planted in separate pots.

Seed cultivation

The seed method of propagation of justice is more troublesome and time-consuming. Seeds for sowing are recommended to be purchased in specialized stores or from collectors. Material is sown in the spring, in February-April.

To get new shoots, you must follow this algorithm:

1. Capacity for future shoots is filled with soil, which includes peat and river sand, in a ratio of 1: 1.
2. The soil surface is abundantly sprayed from the spray bottle with water.
3. Seeds are evenly distributed over the surface, without deepening, then sprinkled with a small layer of soil.
4. A pot of seeds is covered with plastic wrap or glass.
5. The capacity is placed in a warm room, the temperature indicators in which vary at + 20 ... + 25 ° С.
6. As soon as the first shoots appear, after 5-10 days, the film is removed.
7. Sprouts, which formed 2-3 full leaves, are transplanted into separate pots.

Did you know? In some countries of the world, it is believed that Jacobin is a flower that allows you to maintain harmony in the family, and also helps to develop intuition and mutual understanding.

Growing difficulties

Jacobinia is a plant that has excellent immunity, in rare cases, gets sick and is exposed to the harmful effects of pests. However, with improper care, justice can lose its external aesthetics and even die. Symptoms may include the following symptoms:

• falling leaves and yellowing - may indicate excessive dryness of the air and lack of moisture. For resuscitation of a plant, the humidity level in the room should be increased and an irrigation scheme should be established;
• leaves turn yellow in winter - suggests that the culture is not enough lighting. It is recommended to place justice in a brighter place or install artificial light sources;
• the lack of flowering and the active growth of greenery is a sign that too much fertilizer has been applied.

• the leaves turn yellow, cobwebs appear on the underside - a consequence of the harmful effects of the spider mite;
• the presence on the sheets of sticky mucus - the “machinations” of the scab;
• falling leaves, the presence of brown spots on the leaves - the effect of aphids.

Experts recommend combating pests with the help of insecticidal drugs, for example, “Karbofos”. To avoid pests, it is necessary to carefully inspect foliage and stems regularly for lesions.

Jacobinia is an easy-to-care, unpretentious, but absolutely exclusive in its beauty plant that will delight you with bright, brilliant greenery in the summer and lush flowering in the fall. Observing the simple rules of caring for justice, even an inexperienced flower grower will be able to grow an unusual tropical miracle on his balcony.