Caring for a violet at home. Home violet (Saintpaulia)

Home violet (Saintpaulia, indoor violet, Usambara violet) (Latin Saintpaulia) is one of the most common flowering plants used in indoor floriculture. IN english language Saintpaulia is also called African violet. It belongs to the order clear-flowered, the Gesneriaceae family, the genus Saintpaulia.

The first scientific description of Saintpaulia was made by the botanist Hermann Wendland, who singled it out as a separate genus. He also gave her the international name Saintpaulia in honor of the President of the German Dendrological Society, Baron Saint-Paul and his son, who gave him the seeds of the home violet. The name entered the Russian language as a free reading of the Latin term. Due to the fact that the Saintpaulia flower resembles in appearance the flower of a real violet (Viola), it is called the African or Usambara violet in the area in which it was first found.

Home violet (Saintpaulia, indoor violet): description and photos.

Saintpaulias are perennial herbaceous plants with an underdeveloped root system of the fibrous type. Depending on the species, the fleshy stems can be shortened with basal leaves forming a rosette, or elongated and branched with many hanging rosettes. Their diameter ranges from 6 cm to 60 cm.

The leaf blade can be round, ovoid, oblong in shape with a sharp or rounded tip and a heart-shaped or simple base. Its edges are devoid of relief, slightly rounded, and also in the form of small or large denticles. Saintpaulia leaves can be flat, slightly wavy, heavily corrugated, or have the shape of a spoon or a backward curved spoon.

Saintpaulia leaves are usually colored in various tones of green, sometimes with the addition of ash or golden hues. There are types of indoor violets, in which the leaf may have areas painted in cream, olive, salad, yellow or pink. Usually, such multi-colored areas are located at the base, along the edges of the leaf blade, or form various mosaic patterns on its surface. The seamy side of the home violet leaf is in most cases silvery-green, although some varieties or types of violets often have different shades of red in its color.

The leaf veins of home violet are of two types in their shape: resembling a herringbone or with a longitudinally parallel arrangement like a plantain. In addition, the surface can be glossy or matte, which is varying degrees covered with a hairy edge. The sheet can have a bubbly or “quilted” texture.

If the petals in a room violet flower are located only in one row, it corresponds simple type buildings. In the presence of two full rows - semi-double type, and three or more - double.

Simple violets

Most often, the violet Saintpaulia has petals, the surface of which is covered big amount tiny shiny balls. However, there are types of domestic violets, in which the flowers are covered with a delicate edge, making their surface matte. Such flowers are called velvet violets. In addition, the edges of the petals can be slightly wavy or heavily corrugated.

The size of the flowers, forming lush racemose inflorescences, range in diameter from 2.5 cm to 8-9 cm. The color of the petals of Saintpaulias, which grow in natural conditions, usually has all shades of blue, purple and purple. The species and varieties of violets bred by breeders have a variety of colors, including pure white color and the entire tonal range of the rainbow spectrum.

The seed capsule of Saintpaulia, which contains many small seeds, has a round, ovoid or fusiform shape. After ripening, it is destroyed by moisture.

Classification and types of violets, names and photos.

There is no definite strict scientific classification of Saintpaulias yet. Under natural conditions, there are 20 types of uzambar violets, the classification of which is within the power of only a specialist. In addition, through the efforts of breeders, more than 32 thousand varieties of indoor violets were bred, which differ in the size of the rosette (miniature, semi-mini, standard and giants), in the appearance of the leaf blade, in color, shape and structure of flowers.

Types of wild-growing uzambar violets (saintpaulia).

• with serrated rounded dark green leaves, 4-5 cm in size. The reverse side of the leaf has a red tint. The inflorescence is lush with small blue-violet flowers with a dark center.

• - ampel type plant with rounded pubescent leaves of bright green or purple color up to 6 cm long and about 5 centimeters wide. Small blue-lilac flowers of an uzambara violet with a dark eye and a border do not exceed 2.5 cm in diameter.

• with purple-blue flowers on short succulent stems and heart-shaped dark green leaves. Their length does not exceed 8 cm, and the diameter of the rosette reaches 60 cm.

Varieties of violets with names, photos and descriptions.

Depending on the size and position of the petals, there are 5 types of indoor violets:

• pansies;
• star;
• bell;
• bowl;

Violet "pansies" (eng.Pansy) - its corolla consists of 5 petals, and the sizes of the two petals of the upper row are smaller than those of the three lower ones. In this form, the following varieties of home violets are distinguished:

• Violet Lyon ‘ s Pirate ‘ s Treasure (Lianz Pirates Treasure) (breeder S. Sorano) with bright pink flowers with a wide raspberry border around the edge. On the border of the main color and the border, the petals are strewn with a scattering of small dots of dark crimson color. The leaves of the room violet, forming a rosette, have a bubbly texture.

• Violet Melodie Kimi (Melody Kimi) (breeder Sunnyside / Levy) with a symmetrical rosette composed of "quilted" corrugated leaf plates. A white simple violet flower has two blue upper petals and a border of the same color on the main background.

Violet "Star" (eng.Star) characterized by the same size of petals located in any row, and their uniform arrangement around the center. In this form, the following varieties of Saintpaulias can be distinguished:

• Violet EK-Goddess of Beauty (breeder Korshunova) with a large basal bush consisting of dark green leaves. The inflorescences are formed by bright pink double stars with tints of purple-violet tones.

• Violet Austin's Smile (Austins Smile) (breeder LLG / P. Sorano) with a large dark green rosette and large single coral pink star flowers with a dark pink eye and a crimson border.

Violet "Bell" (eng. Vell) has petals fused at the base. This feature does not allow the flower to open completely, as a result of which it acquires a resemblance to a bell. This species includes the following varieties of indoor violets:

• Violet EK-Admiral (breeder Korshunova) with large cornflower blue semi-double bell flowers with a wavy edge. The pointy, dark green leaves of the home violet have a creamy purple edging.

• Violet Saintpaulia Rob's Dandy Lion (Robs Dandy Lion) (breeder R. Robinson) with large greenish-cream-colored bell inflorescences, resembling snowdrops in shape. Violet rosette consists of dark green leaves with slight white variegation.

Violet "Bowl" (eng.Bowl) has petals that have not accreted at its base, however, the flower never fully unfolds and retains its shape throughout the entire flowering. In this form, the following varieties of Umazbar violets are distinguished:

• Violet Boo Man (Boo Myung) (breeder S. Sorano) is distinguished by double or semi-double cupped flowers. The violet flowers are pale blue, the upper petals are white, sometimes with a slight green, 2.5-3 cm in diameter. The leaves are spoon-shaped, dark green.

• Saintpaulia Ming Dynasty ( Ming Dynasty ) (breeder I. Fredette) - a variety with strongly corrugated, cup-shaped flowers of a snow-white color, the edges of the petals of which have a pink or lilac hue. There are terry and semi-double violets. The leaves of the rosette are wavy, characterized by pronounced variegation.

Violet "Wasp" (eng.Wasp) has completely separated petals, two of which roll up into a tube, and three elongated ones hang down. In this group, the following varieties of indoor violets are distinguished:

• Violet Lunar Lily White (Lunar Lily White) with a small basal bush and light green leaves of "quilted" texture. Violet inflorescence consists of 3-8 white simple and semi-double flowers, about 4 cm in size.

• Saintpaulia PL-Zemfira (breeder L. Pchelovodov) with a medium rosette of green leaves with variegation in the center and simple or semi-double lilac tubular flowers with corrugated edges.

• Saintpaulia Spootnik (Satellite) (breeder J. Dates) with a rosette about 15 cm and light green leaves up to 5 cm long. Violet flowers are red-purple in color.

Varieties of violets with names, photos and color division.

According to the color of the petals, saintpaulias, or home violets, are divided into monochromatic and painted in two or more colors.

Typical varieties of one-color indoor violets:

• (breeder J. Dates) - blue violet with bright flowers - "wasps" with upper tubular and elongated lower petals. The fleecy leaves of the home violet, which make up the rosette, are rolled into "little bags".

• (breeder D. Ferguson) has white large double flowers that resemble in shape. The rosette of this variety of indoor violet consists of rounded "quilted" green leaves and can reach 40 cm in size.

Violet petals can be in the form of eyes located in the center, or fingers. These colors include the following varieties:

• Violet Rob ‘ s Penny Ante (Robs Penny Ante) (breeder R. Robinson) is beautiful variety violets with semi-double white flowers, similar to bells, with a dark blue eye in the center. The size of this variety of violets does not exceed 2.5 cm. A compact rosette of about 9 cm consists of even light green leaves.

• Violet Pink Sensation (Pink Sensation) (bred by Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses / Sorano) is a semi-double white violet with flowers that look like stars. Large spots of pale pink color are clearly visible in the center of the petals. The rosette is made up of variegated white-green leaves.

Home violet petals may have a border that runs along the edge. Its width and color can be different and even fancy:

• Violet Natalia's Extravagante (Natalis Estravagante) (breeder N. Pineault) - a variety of home violets with lacy white-pink flowers and a border, the tone of which can be green, chocolate or pink. The rosette is assembled from green leaf plates with marginal variegation of pink-white color.

• Saintpaulia AE Modern Talking (Modern Talking) (breeder E.A. Arkhipov) - a variety of violets with white semi-double ruffled flowers " pansies»And a border of pink-blue-violet hue. The bush of this room violet standard size with light green flat foliage.

Room violet petals may have streaks different colorsdiverging from the center of the petal to its edges. This is a chimera violet, the varieties of which are presented below:

• (breeder S. Sorano) - a variety of indoor violets, over a standard green rosette of which large pink flowers with a light purple stripe running through the center of the petal. The entire surface of the flower petals is strewn with blotches of lilac color.

• (breeder P. Sorano) has double coral flowers and thin purple stripes on each petal. The rosette is rolled up from small dark green leaves.

Home violet petals come with spraying or streaks of various colors and shades:

• (breeder E.V. Korshunova) is a variety of the uzambar violet with large creamy flowers in the shape of a star with a beam span of up to 7 cm.The surface of the petals is abundantly covered with blue streaks and splashes and has a wide border of soft lilac color.

• Violet Chimpansy (breeder E. Fisher) - a very beautiful variety with a small green rosette, composed of slightly serrated green leaves. The bright pink semi-double flower-stars have a wavy white border along the edge. Violet petals are strewn with strokes and swirls of bright blue.

Ampel violets of Saintpaulia - varieties, photos and description.

Today, it is very fashionable to breed ampelous Saintpaulias on a balcony or window, having a long (up to 50 cm) stem with several growth points. The following varieties of ampel violets are distinguished:

• Violet Ramblin 'Dots (Ramblin Dots) (breeder S. Sorano) is a beautiful variety of violets, the rosette of which is made up of light green leaves with golden-white variegation. Double star flowers are painted in light lavender shades, which show a mesmerizing light purple fantasy pattern.

• Violet Falling Snow (Fallin snow) (breeder P. Tracey) has numerous small snow-white wasp flowers and light green slightly pointed leaves.

Where does Saintpaulia (Usambara violet) grow?

The natural distribution area of \u200b\u200bwild violets of Saintpaulia is limited to certain mountainous regions of Kenya and Tanzania. For the comfortable growth of the uzambar violet, a lot of light is needed, but in direct sunlight the plant quickly dies. You can meet it along the banks of rivers flowing from steep slopes, not far from waterfalls that irrigate the surrounding area with water dust, at the bottom of ravines, and also in partial shade under tall trees.

Violets: care and cultivation at home.

If you properly care for your home violet, it will bloom all year round. To do this, you need to know only a few points: how to choose the soil (substrate) for violets, how to plant, water and cut a flower, how to fertilize violets for lush bloom and how to transplant the plant if necessary. Subject to simple rules care room violet will delight you with its bright colors for a long time.

Content temperature.

The optimum temperature of the content should be in the range of 20-24 o C. In order for the violets to bloom and feel comfortable, they need to be protected from drafts, scorching sunlight and sudden temperature changes. To do this, the flower must be exposed to the east or west windows.

Soil for violets.

It should be remembered that the violet flower does not like large pots: for an adult plant, a container with a diameter of no more than 13 cm is enough.The soil for keeping a home violet needs light and loose to provide the root system with air, and, at the same time, it should be good retain moisture. As a substrate, you should use soil for indoor violets, purchased in specialized stores, or you can prepare it yourself. The composition of the soil should be as follows: peat, coniferous, turf and leafy land in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 3, diluted river sand.

How to water indoor violets?

Watering violets must be approached responsibly. Not everyone knows how to properly and how often should be watered indoor violets. It is imperative to observe the golden mean, avoiding excessive drying of the substrate, but also not overmoistening the soil. Deviations in one direction or another adversely affect the health of the plant. Watering violets can be carried out with a warm well-settled tap water, making sure that liquid does not fall on the surface of the sheet plates. Better to water through the pallet.

Saintpaulias love high humidity, but it is impossible to spray with a spray bottle, since water that gets on the leaves can cause burns. To maintain the desired level of humidity, you can put the plant pot in a tray with wet rubble or pebbles.

With the onset of winter months, the duration of daylight hours decreases, so home violets need additional artificial lighting for up to 13 hours. It can be equipped with up to 40 W fluorescent lamps. In order not to overcool the root system, watering violets in winter should be slightly limited and the pot should be placed on a foam or wooden stand with a thickness of at least 30 mm.

Fertilizers for violets at home. How to fertilize Saintpaulia violets?

Many people wonder how to feed violets for abundant flowering at home, because some violets give numerous foliage, but do not bloom. To provide Saintpaulia with the necessary vitamins and microelements, you need to feed it with complex mineral fertilizers with a frequency of 1 time per 2 weeks. The concentration of the solution should not exceed 2 grams of fertilizer per 1 liter of water. To prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases, it is recommended to treat the soil of home violets with a solution of pale pink potassium permanganate.

Transplanting violets at home. How to transplant a violet?

As the flower grows, it must be transplanted into a large container. Empirically found that optimal size the violet pot should not exceed a third of the size of the rosette. If your home violet grows slowly and poorly, it means that it needs to be transplanted. Since the root system of the plant is poorly developed, it is not necessary to free the roots from the old clod of earth, so as not to destroy them. The flower is transferred into a new container and the substrate is simply added. After transplanting, it must be watered.

How to prune home violets?

Cutting violet leaves is not only possible, but also necessary. This is done in the following cases:

• when old lower leaves... As a result of this, a small bundle of leaflets is formed, growing on a low stem;
• to rejuvenate a home violet, the top is cut off from it and, after processing the cut site with drugs that stimulate root formation, it is rooted in a fresh substrate. On the remaining hemp, after a while, children sprout, which are used to propagate the violet;
• for lush flowering. The leaves are trimmed to make the violets bloom.

Reproduction of violets at home: breeding methods.

There are 4 main ways of breeding Saintpaulia violets, with the help of which amateurs replenish and renew their collections:

• Leaf (or cuttings)
• Stepchildren
• Children
• Seeds

Reproduction of violets by leaf (cuttings).

In spring, during active vegetation, a middle-aged violet leaf with a petiole length of 2.5-5 cm is cut from the second row of the rosette. You can root the violet stalk in water or in the ground.

To root a violet leaf in water the cut of the cutting is immersed in water to a depth of no more than 1 centimeter. This level must be maintained throughout the entire rooting period. To prevent the occurrence of pathogenic microflora in the water, it is recommended to add half an activated carbon tablet to it. When the roots appear, plant the violet stalk in a small container with good drainage and light soil... The seedling must be watered regularly to prevent the substrate from drying out. After 20-35 days, violet babies appear, which are ready for planting in pots.

To root a violet leaf in the ground the cut stalk is immediately planted in a prepared container, which is covered with a plastic bag with holes made in it. This is done to remove condensate from the mini-greenhouse. First, the violet seedling must be watered with a small amount of settled water.

Reproduction of violets by stepchildren.

The violet step-son (daughter rosette) is a small outgrowth that appears in the leaf axil. Stepsons spoil the appearance of plants, so they need to be removed. To separate the stepsons from the violets, you need to pin the point of their growth and wait for 4-5 leaves to appear. Next, you need to carefully cut and root the violet stepson in a container covered with film. When several stepsons are formed, one of them is left on the plant, while the others are grown and planted in a new container.

Reproduction of violets by children.

Violet baby Is an independent small plantthat has its own root system. Children of the uzambar violet begin to hatch in the place of the rooted cuttings in 2.5-3 weeks. There can be several of them at once - it depends on how strong the cutting was chosen for planting. The best option for further transplantation of the baby - wait until she gets two or three pairs of leaves and gains strength. After that, you can separate the violet baby from the mother leaf and plant it in the ground.

There are two ways to separate the violet baby.

• In the first version, the Saintpaulia leaf with the offspring is carefully removed from the pot, the earth is carefully removed from it, and the children are separated from both the cutting and from each other. Better to do it with your hands.
• The second method is "closed": with this method, the stalk is not taken out of the pot, and the violet children are separated from the group as they grow up. The largest baby, on which the roots have already fully formed, is cut off with a blade or sharp knife and placed in a pot with a special substrate for Saintpaulias. The last seating principle is considered more convenient, since several more generations of babies can be obtained on an intact mother's handle.

Violets are one of the most charming and beautifully flowering indoor plants that have long been deservedly popular in home floriculture. The botanical name for indoor violets is saintpaulia in honor of the name of the discoverer. Back in the 19th century, Baron Walter von Saint-Paul, who at that time was the governor of East Africa, accidentally found unknown very beautiful flowers while walking. Thanks to him, the seeds were sent to Germany, where they were successfully germinated. After the flower show, the whole world learned about the unearthly beauty and perfection of violets.

In 1893, for the first time, the indoor violet was demonstrated at an international flower exhibition in Ghent, where the plant aroused great interest and was recognized as the best novelty.

Biological description

Saintpaulia violet, commonly known as the usambar violet (indoor), belongs to the genus Senpolia of the Gesneriev family. IN natural conditions plants grow along rivers and near waterfalls in the Uzambara Mountains, which are located on the border of the two East African states of Tanzania and Kenya.

Domestic violet is described as perennial evergreenhaving:

• superficial root system;
• shortened juicy stem;
• root rosette of leaves;
• long petioles;
• covered with villi, leathery, wide-oval in shape with a slightly pointed tip, leaf blades up to 8 cm in size;
• numerous small flowers, collected in cluster inflorescences;
• a cup made of 5 sepals;
• fruit in the form of a box with small seeds.

Indoor violets are long-flowering indoor crops. Providing a flower with proper lighting and proper care, it will bloom for at least 9-10 months a year.

Varietal variety

In the middle of the 20th century, about a hundred varieties of these indoor plants were bred, and today there are already more than 30 thousand of them, with about 2 thousand domestic ones. Moreover, every year, thanks to the careful work of breeders, the varietal number is growing rapidly.

For convenience, varieties are classified into groups, therefore, when describing varietal violets, the type, color, flower shape, type and color of leaves, as well as the size of plants are noted.

Flowers

Flowers with a diameter of 3 to 8 cm are simple, semi-double or double, and the petals themselves, both of the same size, and of different sizes can be corrugated, wavy, fringed.

The color of the petals can be either monochromatic snow-white, pale pink, pale blue and deep blue, red, burgundy, purple, as well as two- and multi-color. Flowers of many varieties have a border of a different color or stripes, spots, blotches of various shades. One plant can bloom from several tens to hundreds of flowers.

Leaves

Most plants have light to dark green leaf color, although there are other variations such as pure white, bordered or variegated with various patterns. Inner side the leaf may differ from the outside, sometimes dramatically, for example, have a purple color.

The edge of the leaf blade is solid or serrated, wavy or corrugated. The surface is smooth or with pronounced deep veins, and according to the degree of pubescence it is smooth, rarely or densely pubescent.

By the type of leaf blades are distinguished - "boys" and "girls". The main difference between the "sexes" is in color: boys have a uniform green color, while girls have a light spot at the base of the leaf.

The size

On average, in violets, the diameter of the rosette of leaves varies from 20 to 40 cm, although there are miniature varieties of only 5-6 cm, as well as giants - 40-60 cm. Ampelous species with lush foliage that fall over the edge of the pot are very popular.

With age, some varietal violets on the petals may have a border that was not there during the first flowering.

Violets of Chimera

Chimera violets are considered the most unusual, fancy and expensive ones - the result of painstaking work of experienced breeders. Specialists get the grade empirically, repeatedly crossing and planting up to 1 thousand copies, and then selecting flowers that fit the description of chimeras.

Chimera is easy to recognize by its petals beautiful patterns... The abundance of colors is simply mesmerizing. Such exclusive plants do not propagate vegetatively, since subsequent generations completely lose the characteristics of the variety.

In addition, chimeras are characterized by increased susceptibility to various diseases and pests. Such varieties require increased attention and careful care. Although in order to admire such beauty it is worth following all the rules for growing them. Exclusive homemade chimera violets are a real treasure for collectors.

Today breeders are working on the scent of indoor violets, as their wild relatives, unfortunately, do not exude almost any smell.

Care features

Caring for violets is a fairly bright, but diffused lighting. The duration of daylight hours should be 11-13 hours, so in winter period plants are usually supplemented with artificial lighting (phytolamps, fluorescent lamps). Flowers can't stand direct impact sun rays, and also do not like drafts.

The optimum temperature regime is about 20 ° C, humidity is not lower than 50-60%. Watering is necessary regular, but moderate, while you need to ensure that moisture does not stagnate. Waterlogging can lead to root rot. Water only with settled water room temperature or slightly warmer.

Violets are fed with universal fertilizers 1-2 times a month, especially during the period of growth and flowering. Plants are replanted annually, usually in spring.

Faded buds and damaged leaves are removed if necessary. Flowers also need preventive examinations, as they are quite susceptible to various diseases of fungal etiology ( gray rot, black leg, etc.). The most common pests are mealybugs and aphids.

At home, flowers reproduce successfully by leaf cuttings, part of the leaf blade or daughter rosettes.

Indoor violet is a real decoration of any home, which gives its owner joy and a lot of positive emotions.

Violet or Saintpaulia is a genus belonging to the Gesneriev family. Grows wild in the mountainous regions of East Africa. It was discovered by the scientist Saint-Paul, after whom it was named. To date, many varieties have been bred from this plant, which are widespread in indoor gardening.

General information

The violet is a low perennial with a very short stem and many fleshy leaves. Flowers are small, simple, collected in clusters. Modern breeding has been able to develop varieties with the most varied colors and shapes of petals.

In fact, indoor saintpaulia this is not a violet at all, it is so called because of the similarity with the forest violet and tricolor - pansies, in fact, they are from different families.

The classification of Saintpaulias is rather complicated, so we will only transfer general characteristics... The traits behind which violets are divided are: the type of rosette, its size, the color of the foliage, the type of flower and its color, as well as the number of petals.

Most modern varieties are very different from the usual room violet, they have different shape leaves, and the petals look like corrugated or terry.

Among varieties with high decorativeness, popular are duchess , amadeus , frosty cherry , cinderella dream , isadora , angelica , lituanica other.

But she is also a representative of the actual violets, and not Saintpaulia. And the alpine violet is actually a cyclamen.

Violet home care

Taking proper care of your violet will help you enjoy its bloom almost all year long.

Saintpaulias are very fond of light, but they should not be placed in direct sunlight. It's not scary if the light falls on them in the morning or evening, but if the sun is turned towards them at noon, the leaves will burn.

In order for the violet to bloom fully, it needs about 13 hours of daylight. If you follow this rule, you can achieve flowering even in winter.

When the column on the thermometer falls below 15 ° C, the saintpaulia stops growing. In summer, the best temperature for a flower will be 24 ° C. In winter, the temperature may drop slightly, but not below this point.

Also, sharp temperature jumps and drafts should not be allowed. Because of this feature, it is better not to take Saintpaulia outside in the summer.

The violet needs high humidity, but at the same time it is impossible to get water on the foliage and inflorescences.

The capacity for planting needs to be selected small. If there is too much room in the pot, the violet will not bloom until it fills it with roots. For this plant, small plastic pots are quite suitable, the size of which should be 2-3 times smaller than the outlet.

Soil for violets

Ordinary indoor violets are not particularly whimsical to the soil, but for varietal ones you should select the right substrate. You can buy it in a store, or you can make it yourself by mixing half a share of sod land, two parts of leaf, and one each of humus and sand. You should also add a spoonful of superphosphate and some bone meal.

But the most important thing is that the soil is loose and slightly acidic. A drainage layer should be placed on the bottom of the pot.

Watering violets

When planting, the flower is placed in the center of the container and gradually filled with earth so that there are no voids left. Water the plant after planting.

It is not necessary to water violets often, about once every 7-10 days. It is best to use bottom watering. When doing this, use settled, warm water.

Violets can be sprayed and washed if the leaves are dirty. But before carrying out these procedures, the flower must be removed from the windowsill. After spraying or showering, you should also not rush to put the violet in place - wait until it dries, otherwise stains will form on the foliage.

Fertilizer for violets

Also Saintpaulia needs to be fertilized. To do this, take complex fertilizing, which they begin to make during the period of growing green mass. Fertilization continues until the onset of a dormant period, the frequency is once every 10 days along with watering.

It is advised to use a lower concentration of fertilizers than stated in the instructions.

Transplanting violets at home

Indoor violets need annual replanting, as they deplete the soil in a year. In this case, you need to replace the pot only if you observe signs that the flower does not have enough space (shallow foliage, weak flowering).

It is best to replant the plants in early spring by transshipment, so that the roots do not suffer much.

Pinching violets

Violets bush well, but to increase their decorative effect, they need to be pinched. This is especially true for the lower leaves. They can be torn off with petioles, as they quickly fade and only take away the strength of the flower. You should also get rid of sluggish inflorescences and ugly and yellowed foliage.

Sometimes turn the plant in a circle so that the bush grows evenly.

Gradually, after removing the lower leaves, the trunk of the Saintpaulia will become visible and over time it will only become more noticeable. To keep the flower beautiful, as before, it can be transplanted by deepening the trunk into the soil, or by cutting off all the leaves, leaving only a couple of centimeters of the stem.

After that, the stump remaining after pruning is placed in water until a root is formed and planted in the soil, thus creating another plant.

Reproduction of violets by division

Saintpaulia can be propagated by seeds, rosettes and leaves. The seed method is practically not used due to its complexity, and also due to the fact that as a result the flower will lose varietal characteristics and you will get an ordinary violet.

If your plant has grown a lot and new sockets have begun to form on it, then they need to be separated and planted in other containers. Division can be performed even during flowering.

Violets leaf propagation

The most common and easiest way is to grow violets from a leaf. To do this, take a strong leaf together with a petiole and put it in water to form roots. But you can try to immediately plant the leaf in a substrate of sand, leafy earth and peat (4: 2: 1). Such a container is covered with glass and kept warm and in good lighting, but so that direct rays do not fall on the container.

Sometimes the soil needs to be watered, but only so that they are slightly moist. It happens that the leaf begins to wither or does not change at all. If this happens, there is no need to rush and throw away the material - sometimes it takes a long time for a new plant to form.

If, with the appearance of young foliage, the old leaf is in good condition, then it must be cut off. After that, you can even try to use it for reproduction again.

If you root a leaf in the ground, then you cannot observe the formation of roots, but the speed of their appearance and the chance to get a new violet increases.

Diseases of violets

Common Saintpaulias are quite resistant to disease, but varietal species not so strong in this regard.

• One of the most common diseases affecting violets is powdery mildew. It manifests itself as a white bloom on the leaves plants. If a disease is detected, we recommend using Fundazol or Bentlan.
• Late blight leads to root rot and the formation of brown spots on the foliage ... If the plant is sick, it must be destroyed and the container in which it was grown should be sterilized.
• Gray mold forms gray spots on the body of the plant ... If any are found, they should be cut off immediately and treated with a fungicide. The soil in which diseased plants grew can no longer be used.
• Furaziosis appears with excess moisture. is he leads to rotting of the stem and leaf stalks ... If you notice these symptoms, treat the violet with a fungicide.
• Rust appears as small orange spots on the leaves ... To cure a flower, use a 1% solution of copper sulfate.

Possible difficulties

The most common questions about indoor violets are related to lack of flowering, yellowing of foliage and leaf spot.

• If your violet doesn't bloom , then, in addition to pests, this can be a number of reasons: lack of light, short daylight hours, excess nitrogen fertilization, excessive amount of moisture in the soil or lack of it in the air. Also, this problem is caused by a large growing capacity and an unnecessarily dense substrate.
• Yellowing of the leaves may indicate the aging of the flower. ... This also happens when placed in direct sunlight. This can be observed when the acidity of the soil deviates from the norm, as well as with an excess of phosphorus dressings.
• Most often stains on the leaves are the result of pests and diseases, but sometimes they appear due to drafts.
• Spots from the edges of the sheet indicate a lack of potassium in the soil, which means that the substrate is depleted and it is time to transplant the flower.
• Dry spots are formed if the violet is in direct sunlight.

In our climate, violets are house plants. Violet also has another name for Saintpaulia.

They attract lovers of flowering indoor plants with their bright flowers and fluffy leaves. Moreover, this home flower is not a source of allergies. But the violet is not easy to care for, it is capricious enough to the conditions, and in order for it to bloom, the florist needs to try.

The most frequent question asked by novice growers is why the violet does not bloom?

This can happen for various reasons:

• lack or excess of nutrients;
• a pot too large for a plant;
• unsuitable soil;
• violation of the watering regime;
• unsuitable climate for the plant;
• insufficient light level.

On a note! Some varieties of violets bloom for a long time, while others require rest after flowering, and the flowering period can be much shorter than the recovery period.

Growing and care

Planting violets

Violets or Saintpaulias are very capricious and demanding on growing conditions.

Firstly, you need to choose the right pot for the plant. The roots of violets grow along the surface of the soil, and not in depth, so the pots for violets are selected quite compact. Pot sizes range from 5 x 5 cm for small varieties or baby violets to 9 x 9 cm for overgrown plants. Moreover, if you decide to transplant the plant, then you should not change the size of the pot upwards.

Planting violets in a pot larger than 9 x 9 cm leads to a negative effect, which is expressed in the following:

• the flower may not bloom for two years due to the fact that all the power will go to the formation of leaves to the detriment of the formation of inflorescences.
• in places where the soil is not braided by plant roots, fungal diseases can develop and subsequently harm the plant.

The material from which the violet pot is made also matters. If you are choosing a lightweight plastic pot, it is helpful to make holes in the sides of the pot so that air can penetrate into the soil and ventilate the roots of the violet. This will also keep the soil from souring. If the grower's choice fell on a ceramic pot, you need to choose pots without glaze, as pots without glaze allow air to pass through and allow the roots of the plant to breathe.

Secondly, you need to choose the right soil for violets.

Violets love slightly acidic soil. If the acidity of the soil deviates greatly from the pH 6-6.5, the violet may stop growing normally: the buds will fall off without even blooming. This can happen due to the fact that the plant stops absorbing useful material from the soil and nitrogen-phosphorus hunger sets in. By plant condition experienced florist find out what soil is in this moment by the violet. If the young leaves are curled, then the soil is acidic; if the leaves turn pale and the tips turn brown, then the soil is alkaline.

Nowadays, many manufacturers produce special soil for different types of plants. Violets are no exception. But even purchased soil is not always ideal - it happens that it is so light that when watering, water seeps into the gap between the soil mixture and the walls of the pot, without soaking the soil. Therefore, it is better to prepare the soil yourself, taking two parts of the garden soil and combining it with one part of the sand. Next, you need to ignite the soil prepared by yourself in order to destroy pests and painful bacteria. Now you can pour soil into the pot and plant violets. After planting, it is better to pour expanded clay on the surface of the earth, which will retain moisture and protect the soil from drying out.

Caring for home violets

To achieve maximum decorativeness, violet needs a very bright place, but without direct sunlight. Therefore, most often blooming violets can be seen in the houses of flower growers on the windowsills from the north, north-west, north-east side. If in the florist's apartment the windows face only the south side, then the pots with violets will have to be shaded with something in order to avoid sunburns by the leaves and flowers of Saintpaulia. To make the sunlight soft and diffused, you can close the window with light curtains or sheets of white paper. Violets need 10-12 hours of light during the day. In winter, when natural light is not enough, you can illuminate the plant with phytolamps.

On a note! So that the violet bush grows evenly and does not twist from the fact that it is illuminated from only one side, from time to time turn the pot with the plant in different directions to the window, so the Saintpaulia rosettes will be symmetrical and neat.

I must say that those violets with dark green leaves need more lighting than plants with light green curly leaves.

Important! How to determine does your violet have enough light? Observe the plant: if the leaves are down, then there is enough light, if they are stretched up, then Saintpaulia suffers from a lack of it.

High-quality care for home violets is ensured by maintaining a comfortable temperature regime in the house. The ideal temperature for growing violets is 20-22 degrees, in this comfortable climate the violet blooms profusely and the greenery looks bright. If the plant blooms in the hot summer period, and the air temperature in the house rises above 28 degrees, then the violet flowers become small, pale, in varieties with a bright border around the edge of the flowers, this feature disappears. Such a temperature can destroy the plant, you can only help by lowering the temperature by installing an air conditioner, split system, fan, or by airing.

No less destructive is the hypothermia of Saintpaulias, which can result in root decay. If this happens, the plant can only be saved by re-rooting it. Draft is also contraindicated in violets, it is not only dangerous for appearance plants (light spots on the leaves), but it can also cause significant harm to their condition and even lead to death.

In winter, if the window sill in the apartment or house is cold, the violet must be protected from hypothermia of the root system. There are two options for solving the problem:

• you can put a thick wooden or foam stand under the flower pot
• you can rearrange the plant from the window sill to a table or stand next to the window, but then you need to remember to illuminate the plant with a phytolamp, since plants usually suffer from a lack of light in winter.

The capricious violet loves moderation and watering. She will not like very abundant watering, but its long absence also negatively affects the plant. One of the conditions for proper care of violets is watering the plant with settled water at room temperature. Once a month, you can water the violet with acidified water. To do this, add acetic acid to the water (one teaspoon per one liter of water) or citric acid (5 crystals per liter of water).

Attention! Violet spraying is contraindicated. Its shaggy leaves retain moisture for themselves, which is why the plant can develop a fungal disease.

You can moisten it by pouring water into a pan and placing a pot with a plant in it for thirty minutes. If the house is very warm (above 22 degrees), the violets are watered from above, but you need to make sure that the water does not get into the outlet. Well, another solution to the problem is to install a humidifier in the room, which will be useful for both plants and humans.

Attention! If you water a violet by dipping a pot into the pan and you have a large pan where you place several pots of plants at once, be attentive to the state of the plants. Since in this case it is very easy to infect through the water healthy plant from the patient.

Fertilizing and feeding violets

During the growth period, young plants are fed with nitrogen supplements. On a note! Capricious violets will not bloom if you overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers. Violets this time tell us that they need moderation in everything. Grown up and flowering plant you need to fertilize with potassium and phosphorus, which are necessary for the formation of buds and flowering.

How to care for violets in winter

The basic rules for maintaining the life and well-being of Saintpaulias in winter are in four main points:

• Providing a long (10-12 hours) daylight hours using supplementary lighting;
• Ensuring the room temperature is not lower than 20 degrees;
• Watering three times a week with water at room temperature;
• Providing high humidity in a room with a flower.

Note! During flowering, you need to remove faded buds from the violet, so the plant will have more strength to ensure the current flowering. After the flowering period is over, to restore the strength of the violet, the lower leaves are removed and transplanted into fresh soil or, at worst, fertilize the ground.

Reproduction of violets

The violet blooms only at a young age. If the plant is more than three years old, then most likely it will no longer bloom. Time to think about breeding Saintpaulia.

The simplest and efficient way reproduction of violets - cuttings or leaf propagation. To do this, you need to take a good leaf from the plant along with the handle and put it in a glass of water. After a while, a root forms on the handle, then it is planted in a pot with soil.

Another way is to separate the violet babies. In the process of growing adult plants, children are formed in them. For the kids and mother plant did not interfere with each other, they need to be seated. It is better to do this in the summer, since an adult plant after the separation of the children needs strength to recover by winter.

For the reproduction of violets by children, the following manipulations are carried out:

• Carefully dig out the baby and use a sharp knife to detach it from the parent plant. In doing so, it is very important not to damage the outlet.
• If the baby has a lot of leaves, and there are very few roots, some of the leaves must be removed so that the plant does not waste energy on maintaining the leaves, but lets them develop the root system.
• Next, the baby needs to be placed in a separate pot, watered and placed in a place where it is warm and light, but there is no direct sunlight.

Diseases and pests of violets

• Violets are affected by late blight... On the violet appear brown spots... There is no point in fighting this fungal disease in the case of violets, therefore, in order to avoid contamination of other plants, the diseased Saintpaulia is disposed of, as well as the soil from under it. For the prevention of this disease, it is better to buy soil for violets in stores, or to calcine the prepared soil well in the oven.
• Violet can be affected by powdery mildew... In this disease, the trunks of Saintpaulia are covered white bloom... This disease appears in the following conditions: dusty room, air temperature below 18 degrees Celsius, lack of light. To cure the plant, you need to wipe the stems with a damp, clean cloth, ventilate the room and treat the flower with "benlate".
• Gray rot manifests itself as a gray fluffy bloom on the leaves and stalks of violets. The reason for the occurrence is that the plant is not watered with settled water at room temperature, as expected, but cold water and very often. To fight this ailment should be treated with drugs 2tyram "," phytosparin "," agate "and others, as well as the establishment of a normal irrigation regime.
• Fusarium fungus affects the roots of the violet - they begin to rot. This is due to frequent watering with cold water and gives this disease gray falling foliage and lack of flowering. For treatment, the plant is treated with a solution of fundozol and benomil.

On a note! No more than once a month, you can water the violet with phytosporin or a pale solution of potassium permanganate. it good prevention from fungal diseases.

Violet is a very capricious plant, but if the grower pleases her and provides her with quality care, she will delight him with beautiful flowers on the windowsill for most of the year.

Violet, or Saintpaulia, is found exclusively in the Uzambara Mountains, located in Kenya and Tanzania. It is an evergreen low-growing plant with a shortened shoot and a dense rosette of juicy pubescent leaves on long petioles.

Flowers of natural species are small, five-petal, colored only blue or purple... In collections, they are rare, since in terms of decorativeness they are much inferior to cultural forms.

Varietal or hybrid violets, on the other hand, amaze with their beauty, variety of colors and outlines of flowers. Their popularity is facilitated by their small size and ease of maintenance.

Varietal variety of violets

Mass fascination with violets like indoor plants began in the mid 20s of the last century.

Due to the fact that Saintpaulia is unusually plastic, and anyone can bring out a new flower in a couple of years, thousands of varieties have now been created.

Their exact number is unknown, a single international classification does not exist. Most often, violets are divided according to the following characteristics:

• socket size;
• the shape of the buds;
• color of buds;
• number of petals;
• leaf color;
• leaf shape.

In catalogs published by different countries, you can find the same flower under different names. This is due to the fact that varieties are created extremely quickly and easily. Breeders independently breed very similar violets, and each gives them their own name.

Care after purchase

At an exhibition or in a store, you purchased a Saintpaulia and brought it home. What to do next?

1. Examine the violet with a magnifying glass for any thrips or mealybugs. Treat the plant with insecticide if necessary to avoid infecting the entire collection.
2. Remove any dried or broken leaves and peduncles.
3. It is better not to transplant the violet immediately after purchase, but if it was grown in peat, you cannot hesitate.
4. Water the bush only if it is dry.

Isolate the violet correctly for 2 monthsso that diseases or pests not detected in time do not migrate to other plants. In practice, few people withstand quarantine.

Important! Set the saintpaulia apart from other flowers and observe it for at least two weeks. There were cases when even a shield was brought home with a purchase.

Growing conditions

Violet easily adapts to growing conditions and is easy to care for. With regular watering and minimal feeding she releases buds 2-3 times a year... But in order to get an exhibition copy with continuous flowering, you will have to pay more attention to it.

Temperature

Violet is an extremely heat-loving plant. It does not have a pronounced dormant period and requires an even temperature throughout the year.

Most comfortable conditions - 20-25 degrees. It is absolutely unacceptable to lower the temperature to 15, and at 30 and above, the saintpaulia becomes lethargic, stops blooming, stops growing.

If you have an extreme temperature regime for violets - cold or too hot, there is a way out. Choose the best leaves and grow your own plants from them. Saintpaulia is very flexible, and the next generation will be better adapted to your conditions.

Important! What the violet cannot stand at all is the temperature difference. No amount of effort will make it bloom and look attractive if the room where it grows is alternately cold and sometimes hot.

The flower cannot be taken out into the street or balcony in the summer, even the slightest draft will harm it.

Air humidity

In the homeland of Saintpaulia, in the Uzambara mountains, it rains daily, hence the plant's requirements.

You, of course, will not be able to create conditions for it with 95% humidity, as in nature, but you simply must provide 50-70%.

You cannot spray soft, pubescent leaves - they will simply rot, you need to raise the percentage of water in the air in other ways.

If you have a large collection of violets, it is wise to buy a moisturizer. Place a single plant on a pallet with wet expanded clay or sphagnum moss, just do not forget to add water there. You can place bowls of liquid between the pots or spray the air next to the flowers several times a day.

Lighting for flower

At home, Saintpaulia grows close to the equator, where day is equal to night all year round, it you need lighting 11-13 hours a day.

On the other hand, it is not located on open areaand protected by trees and shrubs. So the lighting of the violets should be long-term, but not too intense.

Saintpaulia is one of the cultures that thrive in artificial light. If there is not enough space on the eastern and western windowsills, or you have collected a large collection, flowers can be grown on shelves using fluorescent or phytolamps.

In order to illuminate a shelf measuring 50x130 cm, 2-3 lamps with a power of 40 W are enough, located at a height of 20 to 35 cm from the tops of the plants. Incandescent lamps are not suitable for illuminating violets.

A sign of a lack of light is the leaves raised up, with an excess of it, the outlet, on the contrary, becomes flat.

Important! You can not highlight the plant around the clock or in pieces. In the dark, the leaves accumulate hormones responsible for the creation and development of buds. If you do not give the violet a rest at a time for more than 6 hours a day, the flowering will be defective.

In order for the violet standing on the windowsill to be evenly illuminated, the bush should be turned 30-40 degrees 2-3 times a week.

Accommodation at home

So, the violet is best placed on eastern, western window sills or shelves with artificial lighting.

The southern windows require light application, while the northern ones require backlighting. Colors must be accessible fresh air, but they cannot be placed under the window, as in other places where the plant will suffer from drafts. The temperature should be even throughout the day.

You cannot put violets close to each other - this will lead to deformation of the bush. In addition, if one plant gets sick, there is a high probability that it will infect a neighboring flower in the crowded area.

Photo of different indoor violets

LE grade "Mistress of the Copper Mountain"

Variety "Yan Sultan"

RS grade "Countess de Monsoro"

How to care for blooming?

With proper care, Saintpaulia can bloom without interruption for a whole year, but in order for it not to deplete, a two-month break is needed. The violet will show itself in all its glory if you provide it with:

• sufficient, but not excessive lighting;
• correct watering;
• regular feeding;
• protection against drafts;
• timely removal of wilted peduncles and daughter rosettes that appeared in the leaf axils;
• transplant 2 times a year;
• a tight pot, since in a spacious one it will not bloom at all or will give few weak peduncles.

Do not forget that Saintpaulia is a short-lived plant and is considered old at the age of three.

Seasonal windowsill care

As such, seasonal care for the violet does not exist. You decide on your own when the plant will rest.

At this time, feeding stops, lighting and watering are slightly reduced. With a large collection, it is convenient to allocate a separate shelf for plants "on deserved rest".

If your flowers are on shelves, they are cared for the same year round. For violets grown on windowsills in heating season you need to adhere to these rules:

• be sure to provide backlighting - at this time the plant does not have enough sun;
• put the pots so that the leaves do not touch the cold glass, otherwise they will freeze and disappear;
• heating devices must not be located in the immediate vicinity of plants;
• if batteries are located under the windowsill with flowers, they must be shielded with foil or in another way;
• increase the humidity in the room - in winter, when the heating is on, the air is very dry, which negatively affects the condition of the violets.

Transfer

Adult violets are transplanted 1-2 times a year, young ones - as the roots master the planting capacity.

Healthy plants are passed over, trying not to disturb the fragile roots. The soil should be loose, slightly acidic.

Experienced violet lovers make planting mixtures on their own, beginners buy special soil in stores. At the bottom of a cramped pot, drainage must be present, its absence - the right way destroy the plant.

You can transplant Saintpaulia at any time of the year, but it is better not to touch it during flowering. If there is an urgent need to move the plant to a new pot, be sure to cut off the flower stalks.

Landing

The diameter of a pot for planting violets of common varieties should not exceed 9 cm. The plant should be cramped in it.

Flowering will not occur until the root system has completely mastered the soil.

Only the largest specimens are planted in containers with a diameter of 10-11 cm, for trailers and miniature varieties, 3-4 cm flowerpots are used.

Reference! The diameter of the rosette should be three times the size of the pot.

Reproduction

Seed propagation of violets is difficult and is used only by breeders when creating new varieties.

Plants are bred vegetatively, by rooting leafy cuttings or daughter rosettes. To do this, they are placed in water, planted in light soil, perlite or peat tablet.

The same leaf can be rooted several times. In especially valuable varieties, a leaf plate is even cut and planted in a peat-sand mixture using phytohormones. Trailers are propagated by stem cuttings.

The formed children are seated in a separate container only when they grow up to 3-5 cm.

Correct pruning and rejuvenation

In Saintpaulias, it is necessary to remove all faded peduncles and yellowed lower leaves, without waiting for them to dry out.

You can rejuvenate the violet. To do this, the stem is cut off at ground level, cleaned with a sharp sterile knife, sprinkled with a mixture of crushed activated carbon and heteroauxin, allowed to dry for 6 to 12 hours. Then it is placed in water or planted in light soil for rooting.

How to water properly?

Saintpaulias are watered only with warm, settled water. The surface of the soil should be slightly damp; neither overflow nor overdrying of the earthy coma is allowed.

But if you doubt whether it is worth moisturizing the violet, it is better to refrain - a short-term lack of water is less dangerous than its excess.

Experienced growers even wait until the top layer of the substrate dries a little, and the leaves begin to lose turgor.

Caution! Never pour liquid into the center of the outlet - the violet will rot and die.

It is difficult to care for a large collection of hundreds of copies; it is better to arrange drip irrigation.

Top dressing

Violet needs large doses of potassium and phosphorus, but it is better not to get carried away with nitrogen (this does not mean at all that nitrates should be excluded from the Saintpaulia diet).

Every 2 weeks they are fertilized with special fertilizers for violets, dissolved in water according to the instructions. For kids and starters, take half the recommended dose.

Violets, planted in purchased soil, do not feed for 2 months - the soil mixture already contains fertilizers. Sometimes half doses nutrients bring with each watering. During the period of forced dormancy, violets are not fed.

Diseases and pests

Almost all violet diseases are caused by improper care.

Most often, they suffer from late blight, powdery mildew and gray rot, the pathogens of which get on plants with poor ventilation along with dust or overflows.

To rid Saintpaulia of diseases, they are treated with fungicides.

The most dangerous pests are aphids, nematodes, springtails, ticks, thrips, whitefly. Suparids ( mushroom gnats) appear when high humidity soil or organic fertilizing. They are not dangerous to the plant. To get rid of pests, violets are treated with insecticides, plants affected by a nematode are thrown away.

Frequent mistakes

When growing violets, growers most often encounter the following problems:

• development slows down, and the petioles stretch and grow vertically due to lack of light;
• development slows down, the leaves turn yellow, and the rosette becomes flat with excessive lighting;
• spots on the leaves appear due to watering with cold water, from sunburn, drafts or because in winter the leaves were pressed against the cold window glass;
• the edges of the sheet plate are bent at low temperatures;
• stems rot from overflow.

Taking good care of your violets will eliminate or minimize problems.

Answers to popular questions

From time to time, all growers face problems. We will give answers to the most frequently asked questions when growing violets.

Why is it growing badly or slowly?

Saintpaulia can grow poorly for the following reasons:

• too low or high temperature - bring it back to normal;
• lack of nutrients - feed the plant;
• depleted soil - transplant the violet;
• plant over 3 years old - root the leaf or rejuvenate the bush.

Why doesn't it bloom?

Flowering may be absent:

• if there is a lack of potassium and phosphorus, or an excess of nitrogen, use only specialized feeding intended for Saintpaulias;
• in case of improper lighting - insufficient or without a 6-hour break;
• the flower is hot or cold, the difference between day and night temperatures;
• if the violet grows in a pot that is too loose, transplant it into a tight container, until the roots master the entire earthy clod, there will be no flowering;
• if the buds appear, but then fall off or dry out - possibly low humidity;
• flower over 3 years old - root the leaf or rejuvenate the bush.

The violet will not bloom if you decide to get seeds or simply do not cut off old flower stalks.

Why only leaves grow?

If the leaves grow well, but flowering does not occur, then there may be several reasons:

• excess nitrogen fertilizers;
• no mandatory daily 6-hour dark period;
• lack of light.

Useful video

Find out more about caring for violets from the video below:

Conclusion

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in caring for a violet - you just need to know some simple rules and strictly follow them.