Violet home care. Violets: planting and care at home. Infectious plant diseases

How to care for indoor violets? This question still arises among many indoor plant lovers. And although these flowers are no longer uncommon on windowsills, it happens that they rarely bloom. They sit in pots for years, the owners dance around them, but there are still no buds.

For some reason, it is believed that Saintpaulia is a rather capricious plant. This is a misconception. Indoor violet is completely unpretentious. For normal growth and good flowering it requires certain conditions, but they are not exorbitant or super special. Quite doable in a city apartment or house in the countryside.

In order for violets to delight you with annual flowering, you need to pay attention to:

• lighting
• soil and pot size
• temperature
• watering
• feeding
• diseases and pests

A classic set for caring for an ordinary plant. Let's figure it out, and in the end we'll find out the secret of shock therapy for the rapid release of buds and the onset of flowering at any time of the year.

Lighting

Indoor violets love light. Lots of light. They begin to bloom when the length of daylight hours becomes at least 14 hours. But they don't like straight lines at all sun rays. They cause severe burns on the leaves and discoloration for the worse. What to do?

Grow indoor violets on a windowsill, but shade them from direct sunlight. This can be a light light curtain or white paper.

Or even put the flower on a rack in the back of the room. But then you will have to use a fluorescent lamp.

Advice. If the house has a north window, then indoor violets can be placed there. Just shade them a little in winter. Because the sun reflected from the snow can burn the leaves.

Soil and pot size

Plants have very capricious roots. Moreover, the entire root system is relatively small. Therefore, for an adult bush, pots or cache-pots with a diameter of no more than 12 cm would be ideal. For young plants, even less.

If you plant an indoor violet in a hefty pot, it will begin to grow green mass with special zeal and produce a lot of children. But it will categorically refuse to bloom. Choose what is more important - a huge burdock bush or a variety of beautiful flowers.

The soil should be loose. Good combination It turns out if you mix fertile soil, moss (peat) and clean sand. The proportions are 1 to 1 to 1. This is a very breathable mixture, exactly what violet roots love so much.

Drainage must be poured into the bottom of the planting pot. From a third to half the volume. This is necessary so that excess moisture drains out of the container as much as possible. Thanks to this planting, the roots will not begin to rot.

The pot itself can be made of any material except glass. Because the roots of indoor violets should be in the dark. It is advisable to provide warmth to the roots, even in the hot season. To do this, place a foam plate, a woolen napkin or a wooden stand under the flowerpot. This way the bottom of the plant will be protected from the cold.

Advice. Do not put such fashionable fabric or knitted “cup holders” on the potty now. They absorb excess moisture and take a very long time to dry. Despite their beauty, they prevent the access of heat from the outside, so the roots may be cold.

Temperature

The most lush, beautiful and long-lasting flowering occurs when indoor violets are constantly at the same temperature, 21-23°C. These are mature plants. Young people prefer a little higher: 24-25°C.

When these values ​​are exceeded, the flowers begin to become smaller and deformed, the leaves curl down towards the pot, and the petioles are shortened. If the air temperature rises above +35°C, indoor violets begin to die. To help them during the hot period, be sure to humidify the air around them, or move the flowers to a cooler place.

When the temperature drops below +19°C, Saintpaulias stop growing and the buds dry out without opening. At +15°C the roots begin to rot, the plant becomes sick and dies. To save flowers they provide additional heating. Sometimes an incandescent light bulb is enough.

Advice. Try to ensure that there is no sudden temperature change or draft near the indoor violet. This is part of proper care.

Watering

Everything is simple here. Settled water at a temperature slightly above room temperature. Place the pots in a large container and pour this water so that it reaches half the height from the outside. After 20 minutes, the pots are removed and returned to their place.

Watering into trays is incorrect, because half the pot is drainage, and it does not absorb water. You don’t have to bother with dragging indoor violets into the basin and back. Then just very carefully, in a thin stream, water it from above. They try to ensure that the liquid does not get on the leaves and the growing point. If due to carelessness this does happen, then blot the plant with a napkin as quickly as possible. Don't wipe! Namely, they blot so as not to damage the villi on the leaves.

You need to pour water from above so much that it begins to release in the pan. After 15 minutes, excess liquid is removed.

Watering should be done as needed. How to determine when it's time? We put our finger in the ground. If you feel moisture, it's too early. If you take your finger out dry, then it’s time to water the violets. The method is a bit dirty, but reliable.

There is one more secret. It is suitable for those who have a lot different varieties. Skip the usual watering time for 2-3 days. There are varieties that, when drought occurs, begin to droop their leaves. This is clearly visible. Find such a plant in your thickets and navigate by it. The leaves are tilting, which means water all the violets. After all, the conditions of detention are the same for everyone.

Advice. Now special beacons have appeared on sale. They are stuck into the soil to the required depth. As soon as the ground at this level dries out, the beacon changes color. A very convenient thing, pay attention to it.

Feeding

Violets need to be fed regularly, but not often. Once every three weeks from spring to autumn, and once a month in winter. It is advisable to alternate between organic and mineral water. There is no need to be zealous in this matter. The flower will begin to fatten, you won’t see buds. But there is no need to wait for signs of plant depletion (as written in some sources). It is better to feed your pet little by little than to wait for her to starve and only then fertilize.

A special mixture for Saintpaulia or any complex mineral water will do. Just read the ingredients carefully. Too much nitrogen will cause leaf growth to the detriment of flowering.

Advice. Fertilizers should be added on the second day after watering, while the soil is still wet. When fertilizing in dry soil, it is very easy to burn the roots.

Diseases and pests

Any suspicious change in the color or shape of leaves, buds, or the entire rosette is a sign of damage or disease. First you need to determine what exactly is bothering your pets. As a rule, pests are clearly visible. All visible enemies are removed manually, the plant is quarantined so that it does not infect others. And use any suitable fungicide, strictly observing the dosage.

After getting rid of pests, the indoor violet must remain in quarantine for another 15 days. During this time, it is advisable to completely replace the soil with a new one. This is done to be sure. And only then does the pot return to its usual place.

Diseases. All violet diseases, except late blight, can be easily treated with systemic fungicides. Quarantine conditions must be observed. In case of late blight, the plant will have to be thrown away and the pot sterilized.

The most common stimulus for the occurrence of the disease is excessive waterlogging of the soil and cold at the roots. Watch this closely.

Advice. Ventilate indoor violets often, but without drafts. And periodically wash the leaves under a gentle stream of warm water.

How to make indoor violets bloom

Well, now - a description of the method that was promised above. It was discovered completely by accident. One woman was going to disinfect the soil and for some reason decided to do it right on the windowsill. Well, such a strange woman. She warmed up some water, up to 70-80 degrees, and went to the window with the mug. Here the beloved pussy desired love and affection, rushed to the lady’s feet, saying, stroke me immediately and this very second.

Naturally, this “dexterous” woman stumbles and safely splashes the entire mug of hot water onto three bushes of indoor violets. Out of fear that she had burned the plants, she quickly rinsed them with cool water and began to wait for the speedy death of her favorites.

Imagine the surprise when all three bushes released buds almost simultaneously. Although before this, despite all kinds of care, they just didn’t want to bloom! Apparently they thought that the owner had decided to destroy them by scalding and that before they died they had to leave offspring.

The experiment continued on the remaining bushes, only now with full preparation. Two mugs: one with hot, the other with cool water. Quick dousing and immediate rinsing. It works, and how!

Therefore, if you are already desperate to wait for flowers from your favorite indoor violets, just “scare” them. Just do everything quickly so as not to cause harm.

Well, a cat? What about the cat? At first I giggled for a long time behind the chair, looking at the hostess running. And a week later she received her well-deserved portion of the treat. After all, thanks to her, the violets bloomed.

Advice. The method refers to shock therapy, so it is not recommended to use it more than once a year. Otherwise, the plant will weaken from endless flowering and die. He also needs to rest periodically.

Useful subtleties

1. Despite all your efforts, the root system has begun to rot? To save the plant, you need to start acting as early as possible. Using a sharp blade, in one motion, cut off the entire rosette at a height below the last tier of leaves, about 1 cm. Then it is rooted in soil or water. To speed up the process, use a root formation stimulator strictly according to the instructions. After the young roots reach a length of 1.5 cm, you can transplant the rescued violet to a permanent place.
2. If the rot has already affected the stem, and you missed it, then all that remains is to save individual leaves. But, with proper care, you will have several young and healthy violets.
3. Promptly remove faded flowers and old yellowed leaves. This will allow the indoor violet not to waste its vitality on them. From such operations the trunk is gradually exposed. During subsequent planned replanting, simply deepen the flower a little.
4. In order for the rosette to be beautiful and uniform across its entire width, it is recommended to rotate the flower pot once a week by 35-40° around its axis.

How to care for indoor violets? It turns out to be very simple. More heat, less fertilizing and proper watering - that’s the whole difficulty.

Video: how to properly care for violets

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

Flowers of natural species are small, five-petaled, colored only blue or purple. They are rarely found in collections, since they are much inferior to cultural forms in terms of decorativeness.

Varietal or hybrid violets are stunning in their beauty, variety of colors and shapes of flowers. Their popularity is facilitated by small sizes and ease of maintenance.

Variety of violets

The mass fascination with violets as indoor plants began in the mid-20s of the last century.

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

Their exact number is unknown; there is no single international classification. Most often, violets are divided according to the following characteristics:

• socket size;
• bud shape;
• bud coloring;
• number of petals;
• leaf color;
• leaf shape.

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

Care after purchase

You purchased Saintpaulia at an exhibition or in a store and brought it home. What to do next?

1. Examine the violet with a magnifying glass to see if there are any thrips or mealybugs on it. If necessary, treat the plant with an insecticide to avoid infecting the entire collection.
2. Remove any dried or broken leaves and flower stalks.
3. It is better not to replant a violet immediately after purchasing, but if it was grown in peat, you should not hesitate.
4. Water the bush only if it is dry.

It is correct to isolate the violet for 2 months so that diseases or pests that are not detected in time do not migrate to other plants. In practice, quarantine is rarely tolerated.

Important! Place Saintpaulia separately from other flowers and observe it for at least two weeks. There were cases when they even brought home scale insects with their purchase.

Growing conditions

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

Temperature

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

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

If you have an extreme temperature regime for violets - cold or too hot, there is a way out. Select 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 tolerate at all is temperature changes. No amount of effort will make it bloom and look attractive if the room where it grows is either cold or hot.

The flower cannot be taken outside or onto the balcony in summer; even the slightest draft will harm it.

Humidity

In Saintpaulia's homeland, in the Uzambara Mountains, it rains every day, hence the plant's requirements.

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

Soft, pubescent leaves cannot be sprayed - 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 may be wise to invest in a humidifier. Place a single plant on a tray with damp expanded clay or sphagnum moss, just don’t forget to add water. You can place bowls of liquid between the pots or spray the air near the flowers several times a day.

Lighting for a flower

At home, Saintpaulia grows close to the equator, where all year round day equals night, she need lighting 11-13 hours a day.

On the other hand, it is not located in an open area, but under the protection of trees and bushes. So the lighting of violets should be long, but not too intense.

Saintpaulia is one of the crops that thrives in artificial light. If there is little space on the eastern and western windowsills or you have collected a large collection, flowers can be grown on racks using fluorescent or phytolamps.

In order to illuminate a shelf measuring 50x130 cm, 2-3 lamps with a power of 40 W are sufficient, 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 raised up leaves; with too much light, the rosette, on the contrary, becomes flat.

Important! You cannot illuminate 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 period of more than 6 hours a day, the flowering will be incomplete.

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

Accommodation at home

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

South windows require light application, while north windows require lighting. Flowers must be accessible fresh air, but they cannot be placed under a window, as in other places where the plant will suffer from drafts. The temperature should be even throughout the day.

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

Photos of different indoor violets

Variety LE “Mistress of the Copper Mountain”

Variety “Yan Sultan”

RS variety “Countess de Monsoro”

How to care for it to bloom?

With proper care, Saintpaulia can bloom without a break for a whole year, but in order for it not to become depleted, 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;
• proper watering;
• regular feeding;
• protection from drafts;
• timely removal of withered flower stalks and daughter rosettes that appear in the leaf axils;
• transplant 2 times a year;
• a cramped pot, since in a spacious one it will not bloom at all or will produce few weak peduncles.

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

Seasonal care on the windowsill

As such seasonal care behind the violet does not exist. You independently determine 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 that are “on their well-deserved rest.”

If your flowers are on racks, they will be cared for the same all year round. For violets grown on windowsills in heating season you must adhere to the following rules:

• be sure to provide lighting - at this time the plant does not have enough sun;
• Place the pots so that the leaves do not touch the cold glass, otherwise they will freeze and disappear;
• cannot be placed heating devices in close proximity to plants;
• if there are batteries under the window sill with flowers, they need to be shielded using foil or another method;
• 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 replanted 1-2 times a year, young ones - as the roots master the planting capacity.

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

Experienced violet lovers make up planting mixtures on their own, while beginners buy special soil in stores. There must be drainage at the bottom of a cramped pot; its absence is a sure way to destroy the plant.

Saintpaulia can be replanted 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 new pot be sure to tear off the flower stalks.

Landing

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

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

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

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 propagated vegetatively by rooting leaf cuttings or daughter rosettes. To do this, they are placed in water, planted in light soil, perlite or a peat tablet.

The same leaf can be rooted several times. U especially valuable varieties they even cut the leaf blade and plant it in a peat-sand mixture using phytohormones. Trailers are propagated by stem cuttings.

The resulting babies are placed in a separate container only when they grow to 3-5 cm.

Proper pruning and rejuvenation

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

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

How to water correctly?

Saintpaulias are watered only with warm, settled water. The soil surface should be slightly moist; neither overwatering nor drying out of the earthen clod is allowed.

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

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

Carefully! Never pour liquid into the center of the rosette - the violet will rot and die.

A large collection consisting of hundreds of specimens is difficult to care for; 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 that nitrates should be excluded from the Saintpaulia diet).

Every 2 weeks they are fertilized with special fertilizer for violets, dissolved in water according to the instructions. For children 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 of nutrients are added with each watering. During the period of forced dormancy, violets are not fed.

Diseases and pests

Almost all diseases of violets are caused by improper care.

Most often they suffer from late blight, powdery mildew and gray rot, the pathogens of which enter the plants due to poor ventilation along with dust or overflow.

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

The most dangerous pests are aphids, nematodes, springtails, mites, thrips, and whiteflies. Suparids (fungus gnats) appear when the soil moisture is high or when fertilizing with organic matter. They do not pose a danger to the plant. To get rid of pests, violets are treated with insecticides, and plants affected by the nematode are thrown away.

Common mistakes

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

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

Properly care for violets - this will eliminate problems or reduce them to a minimum.

Answers to popular questions

All flower growers face problems from time to time. We will give answers to the most frequently asked questions when growing violets.

Why is it growing poorly or slowly?

Saintpaulia may not grow well for the following reasons:

• too low or high temperature– bring it back to normal;
• lack of nutrients - feed the plant;
• depleted soil - replant the violet;
• plant older than 3 years - root a leaf or rejuvenate a 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 fertilizers 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 have mastered the entire earthen lump and there will be no flowering;
• if the buds appear, but then fall off or dry out - perhaps low humidity;
• flower older than 3 years – root a leaf or rejuvenate a bush.

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

Why do 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 in the video below:

Conclusion

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

When purchasing a long-awaited plant, we always look forward to the first flowers. But then a month passes, two months later, and the violet does not please with abundant flowering, let’s try to figure it out and understand how to care for violets.

For the growth and development of each plant, certain conditions are required. For violets, light is of paramount importance. In rooms with insufficient lighting, violets may die.

If the apartment has enough windows, then you need to choose one where the light is soft and diffused. South windows should be used with caution, as direct sunlight is contraindicated for violets. In this case, the windows can be closed short curtains or sheets of white paper.

How to choose a pot?

Indoor violets are small compact plants, and even varieties with abundant foliage have a small root system, so the plant requires a small container. Saintpaulias do not grow and develop well in large pots. The optimal container size for young plants should be 5-6 cm. For an adult violet, a flowerpot of 10-12 cm will be sufficient.

Correct soil

A mixture of soil for violets is available in every specialty store, but it is not always of high quality.

Since these plants require an acidic substrate, the following components must be present in the composition:

• Leaf soil -5 parts;
• Peat-3 parts;
• Sphagnum, charcoal -10% of the total mass;
• Coarse river sand - 1 part

Caring for violets at home

Caring for indoor violets is not difficult; you just need to follow certain maintenance conditions and properly care for the plant.

Illumination and temperature conditions

The violet is placed in a well-lit place where direct sunlight does not reach. It should be noted that violets with dense, dark green foliage need more light than plants with light, wavy leaves. It is also not advisable for plants to touch the window glass. If the daylight hours are short and less than 15-16 hours, then the flowers are provided artificial lighting using a fluorescent lamp.

In summer, a comfortable temperature for violets should be about 20-24 °C, in the autumn and winter months about 18°C.

Watering and feeding violets

The plant is watered as the soil dries with settled water. room temperature.

Several watering methods are acceptable for violets:

• Water is poured into the pan;
• The container with the flower is immersed in water for one hour;
• If the house is too hot, you can water more than +25 °C from above, but so that the water does not get on the leaves.

Violets do not like spraying, but need moist air. To do this, place a saucer with wet expanded clay or sand next to the plant.

Violets are fed several times throughout the year. In spring and autumn they add mineral fertilizer twice, in winter they use organic matter once. In the summer, if the plant is in good condition, there is no need to feed it; in other cases, complex fertilizer for violets is used, which is available in every gardening store. To avoid burns, you need to dilute fertilizers in more water than indicated on the package, and fertilize only on moist soil.

Propagation of violets

The most favorable time for breeding Saintpaulias is spring and summer. Healthy leaves of the second row from an adult plant are suitable for this. They are cut off with a sharp, clean scalpel. The cuttings can be placed in a container with warm water with the addition of coal or a biostimulant, or planted in cups with a prepared substrate. For this purpose, take small plastic pots or ordinary cups with drainage holes. Fine expanded clay is poured onto the bottom, then earth with the addition of perlite (3:1), which will provide better breathability. Deepen the cutting by 1.5 - 2 cm. After the leaf is planted, water the soil with warm water and cover the container with a plastic bag with holes, this will help faster rooting and adaptation.

How to seat the children?

As soon as small rosettes about 3-5 cm in size appear at the base of the leaf, the plants can be replanted. The children are separated so that at least one pair of leaves with a developed growth point and a root system remain.

To minimally injure the plants you need to:

• Moisten the soil well;
• Remove the plant along with a clod of earth;
• Gradually remove soil from the roots.

Containers measuring 4 cm in diameter are prepared for children. The substrate should be light, with the obligatory addition of vermiculite and sphagnum. The plant is transplanted into a depression in the center of the pot. In this case, the growth point should not be buried. In about 30 calendar days The children will grow up, and the size of the rosette will exceed the diameter of the pot three times. Next, I replant the plants together with a lump of earth, which is placed in the center of the container, and soil is added to the sides.

Reasons why violets don't bloom

Violets may not bloom due to improper care, unsuitable living conditions, due to disease or attack by pests. Let's look at all the cases in more detail.

Light. Lack of light is common cause, lack of flowering in violets. Flowers placed incorrectly in an apartment suffer from lack of light. This is easy to find out if you look at the foliage of the plant; it always stretches upward. But the sun is also contraindicated for violets, otherwise burns will appear on the foliage.

For abundant flowering these indoor plants need 12 hours of continuous lighting every day.

Fertilizers. When feeding plants, you cannot use predominantly nitrogen compounds, as this promotes the active growth of the green part, and the formation of flowers will be delayed. If there is excess potassium in the fertilizer, the violet may stop growing and turn yellow.

Water. There may be no flowers on the plant due to improper watering. Do not allow the soil to dry out completely, become waterlogged, or use hard, cold water.

Air humidity. In ordinary city apartments, especially during the heating season, air humidity is only 20-30%, while violets need 50% for normal development. Therefore, it is worth placing a saucer with wet expanded clay next to the flower.

Priming. Regular garden soil will not work. It is important that it is light and well breathable. But over time the most good soil can cake, so once a year or a year and a half the plant needs to be replanted.

Capacity. Flowers may not appear at all if the violet is planted in a large flowerpot.

Age. If the plant is more than three years old, then most likely it will not bloom. Violets bloom on young rosettes aged 1-3 years. They renew the violet in winter by planting daughter rosettes; by spring it will adapt and bloom.

Plant diseases and pests

Diseases:

• Powdery mildew. The infection appears when insufficient quantities light, air temperature less than +18 degrees, dusty room. looks powdery mildew, like a white coating on the stems of a plant. Slightly damp cloth wipe the violet stems, ventilate the room, use the drug “benlat”.
• Gray rot. It occurs due to temperature changes and frequent watering with cold water. It looks like a gray, fluffy coating on the petioles and leaves of violets. For treatment, “thiram”, “phytosparin”, “agate” and other fungicides are used.
• Fusarium. This fungus leads to rotting of the root system; it occurs due to improper care ( frequent watering, cold water). The plant does not bloom, the foliage turns gray and falls off. For treatment and prevention, a solution of benomyl and fundozol is used.

Insects are pests often found on violets

In order for the violet to delight with good and long-lasting flowering, it is necessary to comply with the conditions of maintenance, properly care for it and check the plant from time to time for the presence of pests.

The discovery of the Usambara violet or Saintpaulia dates back to end of the 19th century century, when, at the foot of the Uzambara mountains, purple flower The governor of the East African state, Baron von Saint-Paul, was fascinated. He sent the seeds of the plant to his father, a flower collector in France. There it was registered under a double name in honor of the discoverer and the area where it was discovered.

And after the international flower exhibition in Belgium, Saintpaulia gained worldwide popularity. Initially, these were only close to natural lilac, violet and blue colors. Thanks to interested breeders, red-violet, pink, white, burgundy shades and even rare yellow and light green varieties were developed. Among them there are simple, double, corrugated, speckled, striped, multi-colored and many other inflorescences. The configuration and color combinations leaves. Plants vary in the size of inflorescences and leaves, the size of rosettes, and the number of flowers collected in them.

With careful attention to the plant, you can get admirable flowering

But with all the variety of shapes and shades, these perennial house flowers can be unmistakably recognized; representatives of the large Gesneriaceae family cannot be confused with other plants. All hybrid varieties under favorable conditions, they bloom for up to 9–10 months a year, taking only a short winter break to rest.

Saintpaulia cannot be called unpretentious, because its usual habitat is shady, moderately humid tropical forests, where the sun shines only once a day. Therefore, for successful growth and flowering, they need to create conditions as close as possible to natural ones.

Varietal diversity of Uzambara violet

The number of hybrids created far exceeds the basic types of violets. They are classified according to the type, color and shape of the flower. These are classic, star-shaped, bordered and chimera violets.

It is difficult to describe all the characteristics of the classification of Uzambara violets; here, any of the parameters of flowers and leaves are taken into account, the selection of which is constantly ongoing. This small sample gives an idea of ​​the diversity of Saintpaulia varieties.

Currant dessert

Flowers, similar to stars, semi-double with a fringe in the shade of jam from black currant around the edges. The leaves are velvety and green, the plant is unpretentious and suitable for cultivation by novice gardeners.

Violet growing in one bush Currant dessert blooms for a long time

Baltika

The foliage rosette is compact, bright green with jagged edges. Semi-double flowers are large, blue-violet with a fuzzy but wide white edge.

Baltika violet will grow to impressive sizes

Alice Blizzard Baths

Star-shaped small snow-white flowers belong to semi-double varieties. The heart-shaped leaves are deep green. The variety is extremely popular and is found in many collections.

The popular violet variety Alice Blizzard Baths combines simplicity and grace

Bride's bouquet

Belongs to breeder Konstantin Morev. Large, soft white flowers with wavy edges resemble stars. They are collected in a large bouquet of even shade without inclusions or patterns.

Large white violet flowers The bride’s bouquet seems to glow from within

Georgia

Fabulous beautiful variety with large double flowers pink color with lilac specks at the ends of the petals. Their wavy edges are bordered by a thin light green stripe. Abundant flowering on powerful peduncles.

The Georgia violet variety is characterized by stable flowering and slow growth of leaf mass.

Beloved daughter

Rich lilac, lush flowers with a dark purple border. At first they are dark and inconspicuous, but as they bloom they lighten. The serrated, rounded leaves are also interesting. On one side they are emerald green, and on the other side they are crimson.

Easy to care for violet variety Beloved daughter gives many children

Blue Lagoon

Large semi-double star-shaped flowers in a deep blue hue. Tri-color: the middle is blue, and the edges have a purple stripe. A very unpretentious variety, even an inexperienced gardener can care for it.

Violet Blue Lagoon with erect peduncles gladly pleases with abundant flowering

lemon snow

The variety is interesting for its unusual coloring of flowers - snow-white with diverging lemon rays. The middle and edges of the flowers have a bluish tint. Variegated variety - white border on a green background.

When propagating variegated violets by cuttings, there is a possibility that the original color of the leaves will change

Gift for a loved one

Unusual green leaves with sharp edges and a pink and white border. The flowers are deep blue with a purple border. The variety is very unpretentious.

Despite the variegated foliage, the violet variety A Gift from a Loved One is not capricious

Mini varieties Avatar and N-Angel my

Avatar - semi-double pale blue flowers and variegated leaves. My angel has powerful pink peduncles, and the leaves are soft green in color and have a wide snow-white stripe along the edge.

To date, breeders have bred about two thousand mini varieties of violets.

Max Southern Springtime

A semi-miniature variety with a lush head of white and red flowers. They are very large and change color from burgundy to pale pink. The double petals have wavy, jagged edges.

None of the Max Southern Springtime violet flowers are repeated in color

Chimera Chain Reaction

It is interesting in that large pink, double flowers have a light lilac stripe in the center. And the petals are dotted with dots of the same color.

Chimera violet petals may have stripes radiating from the center

Winter smiles

The variety of the oldest domestic breeder B. Makuni. Violet is represented by large double flowers of light pink color with crimson strokes. The fringed edge looks like frost in a delicate yellow-green tone. Olive-colored leaves with serrated edges.

The Winter Smiles violet got its name from the coating on the inflorescences.

Bullfight

A domestic variety with huge double star-shaped flowers. Its main feature is its thick burgundy shade, which is very difficult to achieve. The leaves are light with pointed tips.

The color of the bullfight violet changes depending on the lighting

Flowering period

Flowering usually occurs early spring and continues until late autumn. In a comfortable environment, flowers rest for no more than three months a year.

Faded flower stalks must be trimmed. This must be done carefully so as not to damage neighboring flowers.

Causes of poor flowering

The reason for poor violet flowering is unscrupulous care:

• The leaves are small, pale, stretch upward, the petioles are long - lack of lighting, illumination with phytolamps is necessary.
• Leaves are lethargic, growth is slow - low humidity in the room. It needs to be artificially increased with the help of air humidifiers.
• The bush is lush with many shoots, but the buds do not set - the pot is too large, it must be cramped for flowering.
• The plant is vigorous and outwardly healthy, but the soil is dense with a whitish coating - soil depletion, the roots are squeezed by dense soil and develop poorly. The plant needs to be transplanted into a new pot with fresh, loose, breathable soil.
• The plant develops slowly, looks healthy, but the leaves are yellowish or pale - lack of nutrients. Saintpaulia needs regular feeding with a special fertilizer, which includes phosphorus and potassium. Moreover, overfeeding with nitrogen leads to a lack of flowering and excessive development of green mass.
• Slow formation of flower stalks, curling of leaves - the soil is too acidic, salty, or the plant is over-watered.
• Light spots on the leaves may indicate that the water for irrigation is at an uncomfortable temperature - too cold or hot. This may also indicate a burn when the sun hits a wet sheet. Therefore, in good daylight, it is better to water the plant after sunset.

Special conditions for lush flowering

To flower, the African plant needs conditions close to those in which it grows in nature.

Optimal temperature

Violets - heat-loving plants. A comfortable summer temperature for them is +18–25 °C, and in winter it should not fall below +16 °C.

The importance of lighting and location

Light is one of the leading stimulators of flowering. P The correct selection of light conditions is necessary for the plant to synthesize energy. In insufficient light, the leaves become small and stretch upward on long petioles. The optimal distance for Saintpaulia to the window is 30–45 cm. Violets love bright light, but cannot tolerate overheating. Therefore, lighting must balance these two factors.

If there is a lack of light, you have to use artificial lighting. The basic rule for such lighting:

• Daylight hours should be 10–12 hours.
• Distance to light source - 25–30 cm.

Location significantly influences the flowering of violets. The best direction is the western or eastern windows, where it is dosed. On a southern windowsill, shading is needed, but on a northern one, the plant will not have enough heat and light.

How to care for a violet so that it blooms

Proper care stimulates violet flowering, so you need to know the basic requirements.

Watering

Any varieties of violets require moderate watering with settled water at room temperature or slightly warmed. Water the plant 1-2 times a week. The frequency of watering depends on the time of year, soil quality and room temperature.

In summer, violets benefit from spraying from time to time, but the sun's rays should not fall on wet leaves, otherwise burns cannot be avoided.

At proper watering the soil is moist, but not wet; in dampness the rosette and roots rot.

There are 4 methods of watering violets:

• Watering into the tray under the pot. After absorption by the plant required quantity excess liquid is poured out.
• You can place the flowerpot in a wide basin of water, and after half an hour return it to its original place.
• Top watering - in this case it is important that water does not fall on the flower rosette and leaves.
• Wick. Used by collectors for large quantities flowers. A thin cord is laid between the drainage and soil layers, one end of which comes out through the drainage hole in the bottom of the flowerpot. The flowerpot is placed on a container of water, covered with a lid, with only the wick placed in it. In this case, you need to periodically add water to the lower container.

Wick watering greatly simplifies the care of violets

Top dressing

To feed Saintpaulia, special fertilizers (liquid or granular) are used; their label contains the designation NPK. The soil should not be too dry.

Young plants need mainly nitrogen fertilizers to form a leaf rosette.

But for the formation of buds and lush color, the plant needs potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. They need to be applied strictly according to the instructions; excess fertilizer is harmful to the flower.

Overfeeding with nitrogen to the detriment of other minerals, which can be judged by the overgrown lush foliage, leads to a lack of flowering. And the leaf blades of variegated varieties lose their individual color because of this.

Caring for the plant during the dormant period

IN winter time The violet rests; the dormant period lasts 2–3 months. At this time, it should not be allowed to freeze. If the window sill is cold, then the pots are insulated by placing them on polystyrene foam. Feeding and watering the plant are kept to a minimum. It must not be allowed to cold air when airing it fell on tender leaves.

It is very important not to overdry violets near heating devices. They suffer from low humidity. The optimal figure for them is 60%. To increase the humidity in the room, place a vessel with water next to the flower or periodically spray moisture around it from a spray bottle.

Mistakes when growing violets that affect their flowering

Violet responds to improper care by not blooming. Common mistakes:

• Lack or excess of lighting.
• Failure to comply with the watering regime.
• Low humidity.
• Soil depletion or excess nitrogen in it.
• Lack of air due to the lack of raising agents in the soil - perlite and vermiculite.
• Lack of drainage layer in the pot.
• Uncomfortable temperature.
• Pot too big.

Video: How to care for violets so they bloom

Transfer rules

For violets to bloom, the size of the pot is important. Transplantation is done at least once a year. For young rosettes, pots with a diameter of 5–6 cm are suitable, while adults need containers twice as wide. A good pot is one whose diameter is three times smaller than a violet rosette. In this case, the plant does not need high pots.

Saintpaulia has special requirements for the soil composition.

A delicate root system requires a light, acidic environment enriched with raising agents. It should be based on peat. Best option- special soil composition for Saintpaulias.

Most often, flower transplantation is carried out when it is necessary to increase the volume of the pot.

You can make the soil yourself from 3 parts peat, 5 parts leaf soil and adding a small amount of sand, sphagnum and charcoal.

The bottom of the new container must be lined with drainage made of small pebbles, perlite or vermiculite. In this case, one should not forget about a drainage hole of sufficient size through which excess water will be removed.

How to form a rosette

To form a rosette, cut off the lower old leaves. In addition, leaves that are too thick are thinned out so that the plant has the opportunity to flower.

Periodically, the plant should be rejuvenated by cutting off the top. The cut site is treated with Stimulin or Kornevin, and the rosette is rooted in a new place. The babies formed on the trimmed stump are used to propagate violets.

One of the usual and widely used methods of propagating violets is leaf rooting

Rooting a leaf

1. Cut leaf cuttings with a petiole up to 4 cm long are placed in water or in a small pot with vermiculite. A good environment is sphagnum moss. It is better to cover the container with a jar.
2. The medium is periodically moistened.
3. After rooting, the greenhouse is removed and the baby shoots are awaited. If the leaves are placed in water, then wait until 4–7 cm roots appear.
4. After this, they are planted in small pots. At good care You can wait for flowering next year.

Dividing a bush, or pinching

1. Small young plants with 3–4 leaves are carefully separated from the mother stem using an awl or scalpel.
2. They are rooted in a peat-humus tablet or peat pot.
3. Then they are transplanted to a permanent place with a greenhouse above it.
4. After a few weeks it is removed.

Seeds

1. When growing from seeds, fit cassettes with lids are used. The soil is pre-sterilized with steam or in the oven.
2. The seeds are very small, so they are moistened and panned, gradually mixed with charcoal and then with sand. Shake them each time for better mixing.
3. Then scatter the seeds on moist soil and, closing the container with a lid, keep them warm (up to +25 °C) for 2-3 weeks until the seeds germinate.
4. After this, the cover is removed and the soil continues to be sprayed as it dries.
5. Half-centimeter seedlings are planted at intervals of 2 cm.
6. After a couple of weeks, the picking is repeated, placing each bush in a glass.
7. Stronger plants are planted in shallow pots with a diameter of 3–5 cm.

Diseases and pests, how to deal with them

Failure to comply with the watering regime and dry air can cause plant diseases and the appearance of pests. The main ones:

Indoor violets (Saintpaulias) are, without a doubt, the most popular and favorite flowers of many gardeners and housewives. In many countries, violet blossoms mean the arrival of spring. Their inflorescences, although small, are delicate and graceful, reminiscent of our unity with nature. Indoor Saintpaulias do not take up much space on windowsills, are not a source of allergies and are completely unpretentious. You just need a little love and knowledge of her preferences for these cute flowers to grow and continuously bloom in your home. We will share secrets about caring for violets at home. From this article you will learn how to properly water a flower using the wick and drip method, what soil to replant in, and even how to prepare the substrate yourself.

Violet is a heat-loving flower. The optimal ambient temperature, comfortable for its cultivation, should be in the range of 20 – 25 °C. If in the summer, during flowering, the temperature tends to 30 °C, the violet will suffer from overheating. Its flowers will become smaller, the color of leaves and flowers will fade, varietal characteristics, in the form of variegated foliage and a bright border - will disappear. Use all the temperature-reducing devices you have - air conditioning, split system, fan, or ventilate the room.

But violets do not like sudden changes in temperature, cold drafts and scorching rays of the sun. They should be protected from this. In winter, the air temperature should be about 20 °C. (strictly not lower than 16 °C).

Location of the Saintpaulia pot

It is better to place the flower pot on the windowsill near the east or west window. In the summer, window sills in the northern direction are also suitable, and in winter, on the contrary, violets will be more comfortable on the windowsill of a southern window. If your windows are not of European standard, in winter it is better to remove the flower from the cold windowsill. Place the pot on a shelf or table next to the window and use additional lighting. Or you can use a foam or wooden flower stand, 3 cm thick. Then the root system on the windowsill will not be overcooled. Otherwise, at low temperatures, violet flowering will stop.

Ambient humidity

Under natural conditions, violets grow in places with high humidity air. If the air in your home is dry, it must be humidified to 50–60% or higher. It is best to place the flower in a tray with damp expanded clay or pebbles. Make sure that the bottom of the pot is not in water - the roots of Saintpaulia should not come into contact with moisture. You can install a household humidifier near the windowsill.

Regular spraying of leaves is not suitable for violets. Its pubescent leaves trap water droplets on their surface, as a result of which it can develop. It is especially dangerous to spray violets at night, when the room becomes cooler and the water does not evaporate for a long time. In autumn-winter, wet towels placed on heating radiators will help increase the humidity in the room.

Solar and artificial lighting

Indoor violets love good, but diffused lighting. Direct rays of the sun are destructive for them; from them, the leaves of the plant get burned, get sick and fall off. But without enough sunlight, the violet will not bloom. For normal growth it needs good lighting for 10 - 14 hours a day. Note that Saintpaulias with dense, dark green foliage require more intense and prolonged lighting than those with light, curly leaves.

If necessary, arrange artificial lighting for the flowers using a fluorescent lamp, phytolamp, or LED strips, violets grow beautifully under such light.

Lighting a plant from one side can distort the shape of the flower rosette - because the leaves are drawn to the light. Therefore, periodically rotate the flower pot around its axis. Then the bushes will be compact, symmetrical, with lush greenery and lush flowering.

Night darkness is also important for violet growth, otherwise its leaves become faded and it refuses to bloom.

Methods of watering violets

Always approach watering responsibly. Be sure to follow the golden mean, avoiding either excessive drying or waterlogging of the substrate, since deviations in one direction or the other will equally adversely affect the health of the plant. Watering violets should be done with settled tap water at room temperature. Boiled water is also suitable, since when boiled, most of the harmful salts decompose and precipitate.

Once a month, you can acidify the irrigation water with acetic acid (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water) or citric acid (5 crystals per 1 liter of water).

We remind you that the temperature of the water used is no less important than its quality. Too cold or hot water will harm the root system of the flower.

We do not recommend using it for indoor violets. traditional way watering - into an outlet. Water should not get on the leaves and the growing point, so as not to provoke a fungal disease of the flower. In addition, leaves through window glass can get sunburned from wet spots even in winter. It will be better if you water the violets in other ways. Here are some of the most commonly used methods of watering Saintpaulias.

Watering through a tray

Pour water at room temperature that has been standing for 24 hours into a tray or other container to a depth of a quarter of the height of the pot. Place the violet pot in water for about half an hour so that the soil is saturated with moisture. You will see that the required moisture level has been reached when the ground darkens. If you combine watering with fertilizing, the flower will receive the necessary nutrition in addition to moisture.

If you have a wide tray and you place several violets in it at the same time for watering, it is important to ensure that all the plants are healthy, otherwise the disease of one will spread to the others.

Take water quality seriously. If you water your violets with unsettled tap water, then the numerous impurities in it will each time rise to the top of the substrate during bottom watering and remain there. The soil will very soon become unusable due to salinity. The root system will stop absorbing beneficial microelements. You will see this by white plaque on the surface of the soil and the sickly appearance of the plant. Violation of the quality of the water used will result in a disadvantage of watering through the pan.

Drip irrigation

For drip irrigation, use a watering can with a narrow spout or a large syringe bulb so that you can easily get to the soil, bypassing the rosette of violet leaves. The growth point should also not be filled. If you don’t have a watering can or a syringe, you can take a regular plastic bottle and make a hole in its lid into which to insert a straw. Water the soil drop by drop until excess water flows out of the drainage holes into the pan. Then stop watering, and after 15 minutes. drain excess water from the pan.

If you accidentally spill water on the leaves, nothing bad will happen, just blot the moisture with a dry cloth.

Immersion method

On especially hot days, during the next watering, a pot with a flower can be immersed in a basin of settled water at room temperature for about an hour. The plant will be saturated with moisture, take a break from the heat, and its root system will cool down. After this, let the excess water drain and return the plant to its original place.

Wick watering of violets

As a wick, use a string or a narrow strip of cotton fabric, which should be passed at one end into the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. The other end of the wick is lowered into a container of water for irrigation. The flower pot is placed on this container, and moisture rises inside the wick due to the capillary effect. The essence of wick watering is that the violet will take as much water as it needs. The level of moisture in the ground remains stable and is regulated by the violet itself depending on the ambient temperature. Below is detailed video about wick watering, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with it.

Wick watering is not suitable for all violets, because it has several disadvantages:

• This method can only water plants when warm time year, because in winter the water cools quickly, especially if the container with water and the pot are on a cold windowsill. Violets do not like their roots to be in the cold. A supercooled root system is susceptible to disease and may die.
• For uniform watering, only small pots, 7x7 in size and no larger, are suitable. Uneven soil moisture will lead to the growth of green mass to the detriment of flower blooming.

What soil is suitable for Saintpaulias?

Violets like soil that is loose, light, and breathable, so that the root system does not suffer from a lack of oxygen. It is also important that the soil is moisture-absorbing and retains moisture well. And yet, when choosing land for violets, you should take into account the acidity level. These plants thrive in slightly acidic soils, with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. If there is a strong deviation in acidity in one direction or another, the flower ceases to normally absorb mineral and organic substances from the soil, and nitrogen-phosphorus starvation may occur. The growth of the plant will slow down, the bud will fall off without even opening. If the substrate is too acidic, the young leaves will curl, and in an alkaline environment, they will lose their bright color, turn pale, and their tips will turn brown.

From chemical elements The soil for violets should contain nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, potassium salts and macro- and microelements: iron, boron, calcium, chlorine, sulfur, zinc, molybdenum and others.

In small pots, which violets love so much, the soil is quickly depleted - do not forget to fertilize it and promptly replant the plants in new pots. It is best to use ready-made soil for Saintpaulias or indoor Violets, which it is advisable to purchase in specialized stores. Unfortunately, purchased soil often suffers from poor quality. Florist specialists add perlite, vermiculite and coconut fiber to prepared soils as raising agents. But a little bit of everything, so as not to cause root rot.

How to prepare your own substrate for violets

If you are a fan of making your own soil mixtures, we will tell you the proportions suitable for violets:

• high-moor peat - 1 part;
• coniferous soil - 1 part (harvested under coniferous trees after removing the top layer of pine needles);
• leaf soil - 3 parts (harvested under deciduous trees and shrubs);
• turf soil - 2 parts (harvested in areas where perennial grasses grow);
• coarse river sand or perlite - 1 part.

For drainage, use expanded clay with pieces of charcoal of different fractions, which will regulate soil moisture and adsorb harmful impurities.

All components should be disinfected - steamed or frozen.

How to test soil for acidity

Soil acidity is not a constant value; it changes over time. Any change in the appearance of the plant, the shape and color of its leaves, slower growth and lack of flowering should alert you and prompt you to check the acidity.

The acidity of the substrate is checked using special device. If you don't have one, try determining the acidity of your soil traditional methods. We'll show you how to do this.

1. Take two small containers, glass or ceramic, it doesn’t matter. Place the same small amount of soil in them, slightly damp.
2. Add vinegar to the first container. If the environment is alkaline, the earth will hiss.
3. In the second container, fill the soil with soda. If the environment is acidic, gas bubbles will begin to form.
4. If there is no reaction, your soil is neutral.

You can reduce acidity at home using dolomite flour, and increase it with peat.

Pot size and material

It should be remembered that the flower does not like large pots. Conventionally, all violets can be divided into large, medium and miniature types. All have a superficial root system and do not require large volumes of soil. In nature, Saintpaulias grow quietly even on rocky soils. Therefore, even for a large adult plant, a pot with a diameter of no more than 12 cm is sufficient. Make your choice based on the information presented in the table.

For young violets, pots with a diameter of no more than 5 cm are suitable, preferably plastic ones, as they are light, cheap and durable. One bad thing is that they do not allow air to pass through. Therefore, we advise you to add, in addition to good drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, holes in the lower part of its side walls so that the root system of the plant breathes, is freely ventilated, and the soil does not turn sour.

If you only had a large pot and you planted your small violet in it, it will not bloom. And there are several reasons for this:

1. IN big pot the flower will begin to increase primarily the green mass of leaves to the detriment of flowering.
2. Until the root system of the flower entwines the entire volume of substrate offered to it, the violet will not bloom. It will take a year or two before you see the first bloom.
3. Excess soil that is not entwined with roots does not dry out for a long time and can turn sour. There will be a danger of a fungal infection and the appearance of insect pests, which you may simply not detect in time in the huge mass of leaves, and you may lose the flower.

Available for sale plastic pots with special plastic pallets, which have a ribbed surface that allows the container to be in a raised position above the pallet. This also helps the root system breathe air.

Ceramic pots glazed ones are very beautiful, but they have the same drawback as the plastic ones - they don’t breathe. In addition, they are expensive and heavy. If you still like ceramics, we advise you to opt for unglazed ceramic pots. They are less aesthetically pleasing, heavy and short-lived, but they allow air to pass through the walls, and violets feel great in them. And you can eliminate the aesthetic defect if you buy a flowerpot or a beautiful pot a little larger size, in which you will hide the ugly clay one.

Fertilizers and fertilizers for violets

Young violets need fertilizing with a predominance of nitrogen so that the green mass grows faster and the leaf rosette is well formed. Saintpaulias that are ready to bloom should be fed with fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium. In addition, flowers also need vitamins and other microelements for healthy growth and abundant flowering. Therefore, we recommend purchasing liquid complex fertilizers with a wide range of components for decorative flowering indoor plants.

Fertilizers should be used no more than twice a month. Combine fertilizing with watering through a tray. Do not use fertilizers in larger doses than indicated in the instructions - it is better not to feed more than to overdo it and ruin the tender roots of the violet. Fertilizing should not be neglected. You will immediately notice a lack of nutrients by the appearance of the flower - its growth will slow down, the leaves and stems will lose their elasticity, there will be no flowering, or it will be weak.

After planting or transplanting nutrients disappear from fresh soil within two months, and after this period you need to restore the nutritional value of the substrate with the help of fertilizers and fertilizing.

Violets are not particularly demanding certain types fertilizing If there are no special fertilizers for Saintpaulias, they can be fed with complex fertilizers for vegetables, which include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, cobalt, magnesium, copper, molybdenum and boron. Their role in the life of the plant is to ensure the synthesis of enzymes that make it possible to effectively use the energy of the sun, water and nutrients contained in the soil. Vitamins and amino acids stimulate plant roots to maximally absorb micro- and macroelements from water and soil.

To prevent fungal and bacterial diseases, root and stem rot, we recommend occasionally (once a month) watering violets with Fitosporin solution. This drug can be bought in garden or flower shops in the form of a powder or briquette in the form of plasticine. How to breed them is indicated on the packaging. The diluted drug has a long shelf life; just a few drops should be added to the water for irrigation. One package is usually enough for the whole season.

Transplanting violets at home

Indoor Saintpaulias grow and bloom best in small pots. Experienced flower growers know that optimal size The violet container should not exceed a third of its outlet. The supply of soil in them is not large, therefore, as the rosette grows, it is advisable to first transplant the flower into a slightly larger pot. Adult specimens do not need to increase the size of the pot; the same pot is quite suitable for them if you remove a third of the soil from under the roots and replace it with a fresh nutrient substrate.

The following facts indicate the need for a transplant:

• plant growth has clearly slowed down;
• a white salt coating appeared on the surface of the substrate;
• exposed a lot bottom part violet stem, it clearly needs to be deepened;
• the root system of the flower filled the entire space in the pot.

Blooming violets are replanted only in emergency cases, when there is no time for flowering, just to save the flower. A healthy plant should not be replanted during flowering - wait until it finishes. Also, this should not be done in winter, wait until spring. But the rest of the time, the violet can be replanted without fear of harming the plant in any way.

The transplant is being done in different ways: by transshipment method and with full or partial replacement soil.

Transplantation by transshipment method

Since the root system of violets is poorly developed, sometimes the roots are not freed from the old soil so as not to damage them. Then they use the most gentle method of transplanting plants - transferring them to another pot. In this case, a new pot is selected a little larger than the previous one. A layer of drainage and a layer of new soil are placed at the bottom. Now place an earthen ball with violet roots in the center, and fill it with new substrate on the sides. Then they water the flower and put it in a permanent place.

Replanting with soil replacement, step by step

If the reason for the transplant lies in the painful condition of the flower, for example, there is a suspicion of rotting of the roots, the violet urgently needs to be transplanted into another pot by completely replacing the old soil with new one. Replanting with complete soil replacement is also used for adult plants. The advantage of this method is that by freeing the root system from the soil, you inspect its roots and remove diseased and damaged ones. You also remove the lower leaves of the rosettes and old flower stalks. We will tell you how to do this in order:

1. first moisten the substrate in an old pot with violets to make it easier to remove it from there;
2. Prepare a pot of suitable size. If you use an old one, clean it well from salt deposits on the walls and disinfect it;
3. on the bottom place a layer of expanded clay or other drainage material, also pre-treated with manganese or boiling water;
4. Place a layer of new substrate on the drainage with a slide in the center of the pot;
5. free the root system from the old substrate and carefully inspect it;
6. remove rotten and damaged roots, powder the wounds with crushed activated carbon; in case of serious damage, treat healthy roots with a fungicide against root rot;
7. place the root system of the violet in the new pot in the center and fill it with new substrate up to the lower leaves, shaking the pot slightly so that the soil fills all the voids inside;
8. leave the treated and replanted plant in partial shade for a day. During this time, the violet will get used to its new place of residence a little, and its wounds will heal. Now the flower can be watered with the addition of some fungicide against root rot. If necessary, if the stem becomes bare, add a little more soil.

Replanting with partial replacement of the soil is carried out mainly for young violets. It is assumed that they need to be transplanted into a slightly larger pot. And in this case, replanting occurs using a method similar to the previous one, only the soil that crumbles off itself is shaken off. Everything that is retained is placed, along with the root system, in a new pot and covered with fresh substrate.

Pruning violets

Sometimes, trimming violet leaves is not only possible, but also necessary. Let's start with the fact that the rosette of an indoor violet should look nice, proportional and consist of approximately three rows of leaves. The center of growth and development of Saintpaulia should not be overgrown with foliage.

If this happens to you, then simply remove the lower leaves, which have already begun to turn yellow and do not seem quite alive. Correctly plucking violet leaves from the stem is not difficult, just press with your fingernail at the base, and then use a twisting motion to completely remove the unnecessary leaf. If there are several such leaves, and as a result of such actions the flower’s trunk is exposed, then you can add fresh soil on top of the soil or transplant the flower deeper into new nutritious soil.

Do the same for pruning violets in the following cases:

• to remove excess leaves to stimulate lush flowering;
• to remove the top of an old violet to rejuvenate it - after a certain time, babies will appear on the remaining stump, which you use to propagate your specimen;
• to remove diseased leaves so that the disease does not spread to healthy ones.

What to do with violets after flowering

During flowering, faded peduncles should be regularly removed from the plant so that they do not interfere with the blossoming of new buds and do not spoil appearance blooming violet. When the last flower fades, let the plant rest. Trim damaged, diseased or shriveled leaves. Take care of recovery vitality well-worked violet - tear off the lower rows of leaves at the rosette, transplant it into a new pot with a nutrient mixture. If you do not have this event planned, start feeding the flower again with fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen components so that the violet begins to grow new leaves to replace the ones you torn off.

How to care for violets in winter

In winter, the main procedures for caring for violets are:

• Good lighting of the flower using fluorescent lamps or fluorescent lamps for up to 12 - 14 hours a day, alternating with the dark for up to 8 hours.
• Maintaining the ambient air temperature in the room at least 20 °C, without sudden fluctuation in one direction or the other, without drafts during ventilation.
• Regular moderate watering warm water up to three times a week.
• Increased air humidity in the room where your Saintpaulia lives. All methods of increasing humidity are welcome - household appliances, containers with water, trays with wet expanded clay, wet towels on all radiators and other tricks that you can come up with.
• On cold windowsills under pots of violets there should be thick, at least 3 cm thick, plastic or wooden coasters, protecting the roots of the flower from hypothermia.
• Violet leaves should not touch cold glass windows, be careful about this.

Conclusion

We are sure that you will have a lot of fun caring for these cute plants. Grateful violets will delight you with magnificent blooms several times a year. If your window sills are filled with pots with different varieties violets, your home will be filled with a powerful positive aura. After all, the subtle aroma of flowers stabilizes heart rhythms and has a beneficial effect on the mental state of not only the owner of this splendor, but also on all members of his family. If you have mastered the rules of caring for this beautiful flower, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with .