Flowering maple "Organza" (Indian mallow) mix

Indian mallow "Organza" - Abutilon hybrida.
It is impossible to find a more unpretentious flowering plant for bright rooms than Flowering maple.
Abutilon or "indoor maple" is a beautiful, abundantly branching evergreen shrub from the Malvaceae family. The leaves are three-five-lobed, reminiscent of maple leaves in shape, softly pubescent, green, up to 12 cm long. Delicate drooping flowers of golden, white, pink and red colors, located singly or in pairs in the leaf axils.
An unpretentious, light-loving plant for indoor floriculture, does not require special heat and air humidity. In winter, it is kept in a bright, cool room, and in summer it is recommended to take it out onto the balcony in partial shade.
Abutilon is easily propagated by seeds. The seeds are evenly distributed over the surface of a pre-moistened peat-sand mixture (1:1), and then sprinkled with a layer of the same, but dry soil, 3-5 mm thick. Shoots appear in three weeks. After the development of the second pair of true leaves, the plants are dived into separate pots. Abutilon blooms already five months after sowing. In summer and spring, during the growth of shoots, abundant watering is necessary. In winter, it is enough to prevent the soil from drying out. For lush and abundant flowering, it is recommended to cut the shoots by half their length in spring.

Eng.: Flowering maple, Indian mallow. Bot. syn.: Abutilon darwinii x Abutilon pictum.

Flowering Season: Summer.
Light Requirements: Sun to afternoon shade.
Flower Color: Yellow, white, red, orange.
Height: 18 to 30 inches.
Spacing: 18 inches.
Potting of abutilon.
Flowering Maples can be grown in the tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres. These plants are mainly suitable for growing along warm, sheltered walls, cool greenhouses or sunrooms, although Abutilon suntense, Abutilon vitifolium and their varieties are suitable for growing as freestanding plants in sheltered, sunny locations. Flowering Maples do well in average, dry soil though rich soil consisting of two-thirds loam, one-third leaf mold and decayed manure is the best. When they are grown indoors, repotting should be done in the spring, as soon as new growth begins, at which time they are transplanted to slightly larger pots. Keep them in a warm and humid atmosphere for a few weeks and sprits them with water often. When they ve formed a sufficient root system, they will flourish in full sun and good air circulation. Give them biweekly applications of liquid fertilizer. If they aren t receiving enough nutrients, the lower leaves will die. The soil should be kept drier during the winter, but not so much that the stems wither. Plants that are growing in pots or tubs in the greenhouse should have the topsoil replaced, in the spring, with the soil mixture described above. When this plant is grown as a climbing plant, the side shoots on the main branches should be cut back in March to within two or three buds of the base of the previous summer s growth. Old, weak branches are cut out. During the summer, the new shoots are tied to wire supports as they grow. Plants in pots are pruned in March, the shoots of the previous year s growth being pruned in half and kept warm and moist in a 55- to 60-degree temperature.
Propagation of abutilon.
Cuttings can be taken at almost any time of the year. They should be taken in March to produce pot plants in the fall and winter or in August to grow into plants used for summer bedding outside the following year. Side shoots, about 3 inches long, are taken off with a piece of the branch attached and placed in a propagating case in a warm greenhouse. Roots should form in three or four weeks. When they ve formed roots, they should be potted individually in 3-inch pots and later, into larger ones. They ll bloom in 6- or 7-inch containers. When they are grown from cuttings in August, they should be repotted into 3-inch pots in which they ll remain until February, when they re transplanted to 5-inch pots. They should gradually be hardened off and planted outside when the weather is warm and settled. Flowering Maples can be grown from seeds sown in pots of finely sifted soil, in the spring, in a temperature of 55 degrees. The baby plants are potted and treated in the same way as cuttings, but they won t flower until the following year.