Gloxinia – Blooming Period

The more lusty tubers will he in bloom four months after they were placed in the starting medium. Others will come along at a slower pace. Buds may continue to appear for several weeks. Invariably the growing instructions which accompanied your purchased tubers will advise you to decrease the amount of water rapidly after the plant has bloomed, until the top dies down and the tuber is dormant and ready to be stored. I suggest that those instructions be ignored at that point. If they are followed you will miss out on a second crop of flowers about .three months later. Often these will be as plentiful as before.

Continue to water the plant as usual. A few leaves may turn yellow and die, but new leaves will begin to form. After a few weeks a fresh group of little buds will appear. You’re set for another glorious show.

If the whole gloxinia top dies down, as it may now and then, quickly reduce the amount of water to induce the tuber into dormancy. Without top growth a continuation of watering would result in tuber rot.

Don’t try to get a third crop of blossoms. I’ve proved to my satisfaction that no plant enjoys a rest more than the gloxinia.

After the second flowering period the tuber is returned to a dormant state by rather drastically reducing the quantity of water and the frequency of its application. When the top is completely ripened, break it loose from the tuber. If you have room, the tubers may be left as they are in the soil, and the pots stored in some dark, cool place where the temperature will not fall below 45°. Or the tubers may be shaken free of soil and stored in boxes of dry sand, peatmoss or vermiculite for at least two months’ rest. Tubers left in open pots should have a few drops of water sprinkled over the top now and then so they do not shrivel. My basement is humid enough so I never have to do this.

From January on, check through the dormant tubers to see if any show signs of new life. Then place them in trays of the starting medium again. If you are impatient, you may start any that have been dormant for eight weeks. Those tubers stored in pots should be shaken free of old soil before they are placed in the starting medium.

There seems to be no house plant so free of pests and fungus diseases as the gloxinia. In my many years of growing gloxinias I’ve never seen a pest or disease of any kind. I’ve read of the possibility of cyclamen mites and mealy bugs, but these would be most likely to appear under crowded growing conditions.

More on Gloxinia care and growing at the below Links:

• The Modern Gloxinia
• Growing Gloxinia Tubers
• Germinating Time – Temperature – Light Requirements – Feeding Plants
• Gloxinia Vegetative Propagation

• Gloxinia – Vegetative Propagation
• Growing Gloxinia Tubers
• The Modern Gloxinia
• Add Gloxinias for Indoor Color