Episcia is a plant that can easily be classified as an old-fashioned indoor plant. Velvet leaves with prominent veins, somewhat untidy bushes of creeping shoots may indeed seem uninteresting. But only if you do not examine this beauty closely. After all, the unique textures of the leaves, the beautiful serrated edge, and the amazing patterns of the veins can be examined endlessly. And during flowering, episcia seems to be completely transformed, covered with a scattering of bright flowers. Unfortunately, this plant is not so widely represented in flower catalogs and shops. But episcia can also boast of an enviable undemanding nature in terms of care.
The velvety beauty of an unusual relative of Columnea and Achimenes
Episcia, which belongs to the most beautiful representatives of the Gesneriaceae family, is classified as an ampelous plant. True, the plant is sold both in hanging pots and in regular pots: its shoots are long, but not so long that it cannot be grown on windowsills. In tall containers, episcia forms amazing cascading bushes, as if scattering plants to the side and looks charming on a dining, kitchen table or windowsill, slightly capturing the area around the pot. In nature, this beauty is a creeping herbaceous perennial, and echoes of the “wild” past are felt in indoor culture.
Despite the fact that episcias are grown not only in ampels or hanging baskets, this plant does not develop in the form of a bush at all. Young plants are upright, but then the bushes lie down, scattering developed shoots with daughter rosettes in all directions. Episcia shoots are creeping or drooping, quite thick and strong, reaching 30 to 50 cm in length. The rhizome is tuberous, creeping, thick, with a modified underground shoot, and sometimes with underground tendrils.
The leaves are either single or opposite, oval, quite wide, with very dense pubescence. The luxurious foliage of episcia seems fabric, velvety, and the colors are more than varied. The greenery of the plant can be dark with a grayish or silvery tint, and pearly green, and brown, purple, copper, bronze, classic green, reddish. Shiny or matte, with prominent lighter veins, in which the shade of the color of the leaf blades seems to be enhanced, the leaves of this crop look invariably luxurious, but often old-fashioned.
From June to the end of September, the dull velvety episcia is transformed. Small but very striking scarlet tubular flowers with an almost invisible lighter throat flash like bright stars on the plant. The peduncles are short, the shape of the flowers is swollen-tubular. Classic episcias are painted red, but today you can find episcias with orange flowers on sale, and original specimens with white, blue and even pink colors.
Types and varieties of episcia
In indoor culture, one type of episcia is most often found – “fiery violet” Episcia coppera, or copper-red (episcia cupreata) Its creeping shoots easily take root in the soil, the leaves are almost heart-shaped, oval, large, up to 15 cm in length. The dense pubescence and colored back side give the plant no less a smart look than the unusual tones of the color of the upper side of the plates. The scarlet-scarlet flowers with a yellow throat, although reaching only 2 cm in length, are very decorative.
The more graceful one is just beginning to attract the attention of flower growers Episcia carnationalis (episcia dianthiflora). It has two types of shoots – long, whisker-like, bearing daughter rosettes and shortened leafy branches that form bushes. The leaves of this episcia reach only 3 cm in length, with a beautiful serrated edge, dark color, purple line in the center and dense pubescence. The flowers are snow-white, with a fringed-carved bend and beautiful purple specks along the throat. Thanks to the bright, dazzling color of small leaves, it seems much more graceful and exotic.
It is even rarer to find one grown only in hanging baskets for sale. Episcia repens (Episcia reptans) with long oval leaves up to 10 cm, with a variegated silver, olive-green or brown color, decorated with stripes and spots. This species has red flowers. Creeping episcia is perceived as a more variegated form of classical episcia.
But today, more attention is drawn not to species episcias, but to various varieties and hybrids. The best fashionable novelties include:
- bronze-green variegated episcia ‘Ember Lace’;
- a unique variety, ‘Pink Brocade’, in which the basic olive shade has been almost completely replaced by a “ragged” white border with bright pink dots;
- spotted variety ‘Cleopatra’ with a dark green base colour and light pink spots that often cover most of the leaf blades;
- ‘Pink Smoke’, a variety decorated with pink spots along the edges of the leaves and deep pink flowers;
- ‘Cantons De L’est’ variety with scarlet leaves with a bronze tint;
- the brown-green variety ‘Chocolate Cream’, decorated with white and silver marble veins;
- pink-flowered, with beautiful leaves that lighten towards the center and white veins, Episcia ‘Flame Violet’;
- a more modest and classic episcia ‘Pink Рanther’ with light pink flowers with a ruffled edge;
- Episcia ‘Moonlight Valley’, which combines white and green patterns with a red border;
- A fluffy-looking, bright green episcia of the ‘Country Kitten’ variety with light lilac flowers.
Episcia care at home
Episcias are one of the rare indoor plants that require virtually no adjustments to winter conditions. They only require slight adjustments to watering and fertilizing. The only difficulty in growing the plant is its love for high air humidity.
Lighting for episcia
Choosing a suitable location for episcia is not so simple. This plant produces equally beautiful, albeit sometimes losing its variegation, leaves both in partial shade and in good lighting. But even in light shade, the plant will bloom much more sparingly. At the same time, episcia does not tolerate direct sunlight, and does not feel well on too bright southern windowsills. Therefore, diffused, soft lighting is chosen for the plant.
For this culture, eastern and western windowsills with diffused lighting are most comfortable.
Comfortable temperature conditions
Episcia can be classified as a heat-loving indoor plant. This beauty does not tolerate air temperatures below 18 degrees, but does not like heat either. Episcia is most comfortable within the range of 20 to 24 degrees Celsius, in stable conditions throughout the year. If the temperature rises, exceeds 25 degrees, then the plant needs more frequent watering and increased air humidity.
Episcia loves fresh air, but only in the form of airing the rooms. This unique beauty will not be afraid of drafts in the warm season, but in autumn and winter it can suffer from them no less than from direct sunlight and over-wetting of the substrate.
Watering and air humidity
The main thing in growing episcia is to maintain uniform substrate moisture. The plant does not tolerate stagnant water in the tray and complete drying of the substrate. But the frequency of watering is very easy to regulate, allowing the top 1-2 cm of soil in the container to dry out before the next watering. In spring and summer, episcia is watered up to 2 times a week. Water from the trays should be drained immediately after watering.
Winter watering is reduced depending on the temperature and drying rate of the substrate: the soil in the pot should also dry out by 1-2 cm. When watering, you need to carefully wet the soil lump, without pouring water directly at the roots or shoots, and especially without soaking the leaves of the episcia. The bottom watering method is also perfect for this crop.
Episcia is also demanding of air humidity. This beauty is recommended to be grown in flower display cases or greenhouses, but comfortable conditions can be provided in a regular apartment. It is enough to install special humidifiers for the plant – both industrial and home, in the form of trays with wet pebbles, moss, decorative soil, expanded clay. Spraying episcia, like other densely pubescent plants, is prohibited.
Feeding for episcia
Despite its fairly large leaves and bright inflorescences, episcia does not require intensive feeding. But since it likes stable growing conditions, it is better to feed the plant evenly even during the dormant period, reducing the dose of fertilizers as much as possible. During the active growing season, from March to October, episcia is fed every 2 weeks with a half-sized dose of fertilizers. In winter, the plant is fed with a three-fold reduced dose once a month.
Complex fertilizers for indoor plants are suitable for episcia. The plant also responds well to foliar feeding, but not during the flowering period.
Trimming episcia
For fast-growing episcia, which tends to “spread out” in different directions, it is necessary to carry out shaping. Without it, the plant easily loses its neatness and looks neglected. Pruning is carried out after flowering is complete, shortening all shoots to form more lush bushes. For the same purpose, cut daughter rosettes are rooted in the same pot where the mother episcia grows.
The plant needs to be carefully monitored: creeping shoots of episcia easily take root in the containers of neighboring plants.
Transplanting episcia, containers and substrate
It is better to replant even young episcias as needed, only if the plant has completely mastered the previous pot and it becomes cramped. Replanting can be done not only in the classic terms, in February-March, but also throughout the spring and June. Since episcias grow quickly, they are usually replanted annually. During the procedure, a high drainage layer must be laid on the bottom. After replanting, episcias are adapted to new conditions in partial shade, air humidity is increased, and only after complete adaptation are the plants returned to their permanent location.
With each transplant, the diameter of the container should be increased by several centimeters for young plants, stopping at maximum pots with a diameter of 18 to 20 cm. Wide but low containers are more suitable for episcia.
For episcia, it is better to choose a substrate based on leaf soil with half the content of sand and peat. For this plant, the soil mixture must necessarily contain chopped moss and charcoal. Substrates for violets are suitable for episcia (pH from 5,5 to 6,5 is preferable)
Diseases and pests of episcia
Episcia very rarely attracts indoor pests. Only in a very neglected state and extremely dry air or if poor-quality, infected substrate is used, it can suffer from mealybugs, aphids and root nematodes. They need to be fought with insecticides. But rot on episcia occurs both with improper watering and with over-moistening of the soil lump. It is difficult to fight them, you need to carry out an emergency transplant and trimming of the affected shoots. But it is better to immediately cut the cuttings and grow new plants, throwing away the old ones.
Common problems in growing episcia:
- yellowing of leaves in direct sunlight, with excess fertilizers or in dry air;
- the appearance of brown spots on leaves when watering with cold water;
- drying leaf tips in dry air;
- loss of characteristic color due to improper lighting;
- curling of leaves due to irregular watering or drought;
- lack of flowering due to improper lighting, humidity, violation of the feeding regimen or the use of non-complex fertilizers.
Episode reproduction
Despite some capriciousness, episcia is an easy-to-propagate indoor plant. You can get new specimens by simply separating shoots from the mother bush, like chlorophytum. Daughter rosettes quickly take root in the soil in a separate pot, and then they can be separated from the mother plant.
The method of propagation by apical cuttings is also effective. For this, lateral, well-developed shoots with 3-4 pairs of leaves without branches are used. By immersing the cuttings in water by 3-4 cm, you can get a rooted plant within a month.
Growing episcia from seeds is considered a complex process, it often leads to the loss of varietal characteristics. Seeds germinate in a slightly damp substrate in conditions of high humidity and high temperatures. As the shoots grow, it is better to transfer them to individual containers as quickly as possible, and provide the plants with high air humidity and very careful care.
Episcia can also be propagated by individual leaves and stem cuttings.
