Brunfelsia is found in our homes much less frequently than ficus, violets or ferns, but its appearance cannot leave indifferent a true connoisseur of houseplants.
Each type of this flower has its own decorative advantages: in the article we will consider their features and rules for caring for bruunfelsia at home.
Plant description
The description of a brunfelsia flower should begin with a study of its general characteristics, which relate to all its varieties and have a direct influence on the choice of grower.
Botanical features
Brunfelsia is a member of the Nursing family, whose homeland is the subtropical territories of South and Central America. In the natural habitat, bushes can grow up to 3 m or more, but domestic specimens rarely grow to 2 m. Most often these are plants with sprawling shoots and large white, yellow or light purple flowers appearing in several stages: when the first batch is showered, in its place a new one is formed immediately. Most of these flowers are odorless, although sometimes they still exude a sweetish scent. Flowering of various species begins at the end of February and lasts until May. 
The leaves of the plant are no less decorative than its flowers. In shape, they are oval-elongated, with slightly pointed ends. The surface of the sheet plates is smooth to the touch, rich dark green color. All leaflets are attached to the short stalks in a sequential order, which gives the impression of a very lush crown.
Did you know? In the places of their traditional growth, the traditional ausk drinking, which can cause hallucinations, is made from the leaves and flowers of a large-flowered or one-flowered variety of bruunfelsia.
Main types
The most successful option for the home is brunfelsia of few flowers, which is most often found in indoor floriculture. It has a small size and is characterized by year-round flowering bush. However, the flowers at the same time a little, and this distinguishes the described plant from other varieties.
Among other types of Brunfelsia, suitable for home cultivation, we can distinguish the following:
- Large-flowered (or cupped francisceia) - the most beautiful variety, presented in the form of a small shrub, up to 1 m in height. At a young age, the stem is always green and very smooth to the touch, but with age (about 3-4 years after planting) a scaly bark of a dark yellow color forms on it. The few lanceolate leaves are located on the stem in alternate order and are held on whole short petioles. The lower part of the leaf plates is painted in a light green color, but the upper part always has a more saturated dark green color. Sky-blue flowers - single (4-5 cm in diameter each) or combined into small loose clusters. Faded specimens turn blue-violet. Flowering begins in May and lasts until the end of summer.
- Broadleaf - it is characterized by wide lanceolate dark green leaves and blue flowers, which change color to white on the 4th day after the appearance. They are formed by oval wide open petals, which add elegance to the plant.
- Australian - A great option for planting in home greenhouses or gardens with a sufficient amount of free space. With a relatively small size, this type of Brunfelsia forms large flowers, up to 6 cm in diameter. They all consist of five purple petals that perfectly complement the green pointed leaves.
- American (or "nightly beauty"). This variety is different from the previous ones by the formation of a persistent floral scent at night. Initially, the flowers are painted white, a little later they become cream-colored, and before they dry out they become yellowish. Sheet-shaped plates of the American-type rich green, narrowed to the petiole, widened in the middle part and pointed at the very end.
- One-flowered - one of the largest representatives of the genus under consideration, characterized by thickened dark green leaves reaching a length of 10 cm. Single flowers grow up to 2.5-3 cm in diameter and during the time they spend on a bush they change their color from lilac or light blue to almost white.
Important! Regardless of the species you choose, all plants need the same growing conditions, therefore, in order not to disturb the natural flowering, you will have to adjust the temperature in the room, reducing it in winter to + 10 ... + 15 ° С.
Benefit and harm
The main advantages of growing brunfelsia are its high decorative qualities and comparative simplicity in care, which significantly simplifies the task of growing a plant.
As for the flaws, the most significant of them is only one - the high poisonousness of the flower, because of which any manipulation of the bruunfelsia should be performed only with gloves. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and if such substances get into the human body, nausea, vomiting, indigestion and even respiratory arrest are possible (especially dangerous for people suffering from asthmatic attacks). 
Conditions for growing at home
If you still decide to acquire an exotic flower, then you should take into account a number of features of its cultivation, which will contribute to the long-term preservation of the high ornamental value of an unusual plant.
Location
Brunfelsia feels great even in the twilight, so for some time it will be able to develop perfectly on the shaded window sill with poor lighting most of the day.
Airing the room with a plant can be done in the mode customary for other flowers, but to avoid possible trouble, it is still necessary to remove the flower away from cold air currents. In the summer, a pot of brunfelsia can be placed on the balcony, a little priten from the scorching sun in order to avoid the cessation of flowering.
Important! If the flower still does not have enough natural light, he will report this by blanching the lower leaf plates and reducing the intensity of flowering. This happens when prolonged cloudy weather or prolonged stay away from light sources.
Temperature conditions
A suitable air temperature is the main condition for the magnificent flowering of Brunfelsia, therefore, from early spring until autumn, try to maintain its indicators within + 18 ... + 20 ° C, with a maximum increase to + 22 ° C. 
In the cold season (starting from October), these values should be gradually reduced to + 9 ... + 14 ° С, controlling them over the next 8-12 weeks. The level of coverage for this period remains the same.
Air humidity
Considering the origin of Brunfelsia, the plant prefers high air humidity, especially at elevated growing temperatures. In the summer, 2-3 times a week, you can spray the pot from the spray gun, but not during flowering. A safer solution to the problem of dry air in this case would be to place the pot on a pallet with moist expanded clay, moss or pebbles. Installation of special air humidifiers will also be useful.
Home care
It is no more difficult to care for Brunfelsia at home than for other varieties of room vegetation; the main thing is to organize watering correctly, select suitable nutrient fertilizers, timely cut and replant the flower.
Watering
For good growth and continuous flowering of the plant, it requires regular and dosed watering, preventing moisture stagnation or excessive drying of the substrate in the pot (in this case, no more than 2-3 cm are considered acceptable values). The frequency of soil moistening in the summer is 2-3 times in 7 days, but in winter it is reduced to 1-2 times. 
When grown in soils with a neutral reaction, it is useful to add a little sulphate of iron, colloidal sulfur or other mineral fertilizers to the irrigation liquid to increase this value. In other cases, the use of conventional clean, filtered and settled irrigation liquid at room temperature is allowed.
Top dressing
They fertilize domestic brunfelsia throughout the year, only the concentration of nutrients will vary depending on the current season. In the warm period, every two weeks, plants can be fed with complex mineral fertilizers for flowering ornamental crops, orienting themselves to the norms specified by the manufacturer.
Read about feeding indoor plants with iodine.
From November to February (dormant period) fertilizers should be used no more than once every 3-4 weeks, reducing the dosage to ⅓ or ½ from that recommended by the manufacturer. In addition, once every three days, ammonium nitrate can be added to the substrate, dissolving 1.5 g of the substance in 1 liter of water. 
Pruning
Pruning an exotic flower is needed mainly only at the end of flowering, which helps to prevent the exposure of branches. In this case, the shoots are shortened to ⅓ of their length, allowing the remaining fluffy branches to grow, bloom and bring new seeds.
In the summer, you can also pinch the tops of the plants, while removing dried flowers and leaf plates. Sanitary pruning of rotten or dried parts can be done at any time.
Did you know? In Brazilian territory, where Brunfelsia is widespread in the wild, it is often called fancy names, which literally translates as "yesterday - today - tomorrow." This is due to the ability of plants to change the color of their flowers, almost every day, acquiring a new shade.
Transfer
Young brunfelsia plants will have to be transplanted annually, because of the active growth of the used pot quickly becomes small. Adult specimens (after 3 years) can be replanted 1 time in 2-3 years, annually updating only the top layer of soil in the pot. New landing capacity should be greater than the previous one only by 2-3 cm and with the obligatory presence of a drainage layer. 
The substrate for an exotic flower should be loose and light, with a slightly acidic or acidic reaction. For its preparation, you can mix in equal proportions of leaf, turf and coniferous soils and add sand to them along with a small amount of bone meal. You can also mix garden, leaf soil and coarse sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. If possible, a small amount of peat that floats the ground will not be out of place. The process itself is best done in early spring, focusing on the following sequence of actions:
- Prepare a new pot, put a drainage layer on the bottom (for example, crushed bricks) and put the soil in the container to about half of its volume.
- Moisten the substrate.
- Gently remove the bruunfelsia from the old pot (you can pre-soften the earthen ball with plenty of watering).
- Examine the root system and, if necessary, cut the rotted roots (it is advisable to sprinkle the place of the cuts with crushed activated carbon).
- Place the plant in the center of the new planting tank and fill the rhizome with the remaining substrate so that there is about 1 cm of free space up to the edge of the pot (in the future this will greatly facilitate irrigation).
- Slightly compacted soil, you can move the flower to its permanent place of growth.
Important! The transplanted plant needs time to adapt in the new soil, so try not to disturb it with irrigations and dressings for at least 3-4 days.
Breeding
To obtain new plants of Brunfelsia, two main methods are used: vegetative (grafting) and seed. The first allows you to quickly get a new flower, but more laborious. The second is a little simpler, but the shoots will have to wait longer. We analyze each of them.
Cuttings
Plant propagation by cuttings involves the following actions:
- Choose a woody shoot on the donor bush and carefully cut off a part of it so that at least three internodes are left on it.
- Dip the cutting in the growth stimulator (for example, "Kornevin") and leave it for at least 3 hours.
- Prepare a small pot, fill it with a nutrient substrate (the mixture used for transplanting bruunfelsia will do) and make a small depression in the center.
- Place a cut-off sprout into the soil and fill it with soil practically to the very edge of the pot (there must be at least 1 cm of free space between the surface of the substrate and the end of the planting container).
- Moisten the soil and cover the pot with plastic wrap or a cut bottle, which will help speed up root formation.
The rooting process takes on average 4-6 weeks and all this time the seedling should be in a room with air temperature not lower than + 25 ° C. In addition, the cutting will have to be constantly ventilated (1 time per day) and moisten the soil, preferably with a spray.Seeds
The seed propagation method is much simpler than vegetative, especially if you already have ready seed. In this case, to get a new plant, you must perform the following steps:
- Fill the planting containers with soil and make small indentations in them (up to 1.5 cm).
- Plant dry seeds (it is not necessary to soak them), keeping a distance of 2-2.5 cm between adjacent seeds.
- Moisten the soil and cover the box with plastic wrap.
- Take the seedlings to a room that allows you to maintain the temperature in the greenhouse at + 18 ° C.
Growing problems
All the difficulties that may arise during the cultivation of Brunfelsia, are due either to a violation of the rules of caring for exotic, or the development of diseases, although it is not necessary to exclude the possibility of a flower being damaged by pests. Some violations affect the flowering of the bush, but more often it fades and dries. Consider the most common problems.
Why does not bloom
Normally, the flowering of Brunfelsia can be observed all spring: from the end of February to the end of May (sometimes it lasts until the beginning of June). However, in some cases this does not happen, because of which the decorativeness of the plant is significantly reduced. The reasons for this phenomenon are several:
- The excess nitrogen in the substrate - while only green mass is well developed. To eliminate the problem, review the dressing mode and replace the nitrogen-containing compounds with potassium-phosphorus nutrient mixtures.
- The absence of a pronounced rest period in the cold - in order for natural flowering to begin at the end of winter, the plant should overwinter at reduced temperatures and limited watering. With the beginning of the next cold season, try to follow all the recommendations regarding the wintering of the flower.
- The presence of certain diseases and pests - for example, root rot does not contribute to the active development of the aerial part. Carefully inspect the plant and try to determine exactly what you had to deal with in order to use the necessary preparation for the treatment of the flower.
- Waterlogging of the substrate or low temperatures at the beginning of the flowering period - if the ovaries of flowers were formed, but soon they completely crumbled, probably due to improper temperature conditions. Check the condition of the soil and the root system itself - you may need to leave the plant for several days without watering or transplant it into another soil.
Read about 11 folk remedies for feeding indoor plants.
Diseases and pests
Diseases of the plant are not as annoying as the pests, therefore, from the ills, the grower can only be faced with root and stem rot, which are often associated with the activity of insect pests. The most common ones are the following:
- Spider mite You can notice its presence on the characteristic web in the zone of internodes, fading and falling leaves. In addition, if you look at the bottom of the sheets or the surface of the stem, you can often see the insect itself is of a dark color. In the fight against it, soap solutions are usually used (the leaves are rubbed with them), they increase the humidity in the room with the plant and spray it with insecticidal preparations (for example, "Aktellik"). As for chemicals, they can be used only after the flowering of brunfelsii.
- Mealybug. This small gray-white insect is noticeable to the naked eye, since many individuals often gather in the zone of internodes. The pest sucks the juice from all parts of the plant, because of which the indoor flower quickly dries out.In case of partial damage, the leaf plates and the stem of the plant can be wiped with an alcohol solution, but during mass distribution one will have to resort to processing an emulsion of karbofos.
- Shchitovki. In this case, under the leaves are well visible brown flaps, which hide a small sucking pest. A black fungus quickly forms on its secretions, which is also clearly visible from the outside. In the fight against insects, folk remedies are used (for example, infusion of potato tops) or insecticidal preparations that have already been tested by time.
- Aphid - when it is present, young leaves and buds wilt quickly, and small dots can be seen on the surface of the leaves (puncture sites with proboscis). To get rid of aphids on plants will help drugs "Aktara", "Spark" or "Confidor".
It is important to begin pest control immediately after their detection, since every day insects become more and more, and it will be harder to get rid of them than at the initial stages of their activity.With properly organized care and compliance with all requirements for the planting process, as well as further monitoring of growing conditions, there should be no problems with cultivating Brunfelsia at home. Decorative qualities of a healthy plant always remain on top, which is good news for any grower.
