Saintpaulia or Uzambara violet has long won the hearts of flower growers. Today, there are more than 900 varieties of this plant. Among them, there are specimens with unusual coloring and bright leaves. Caring for a home violet is easy, as it is quite unpretentious, but this flower has its own characteristics.
Growing violets at home
To make the plant feel comfortable and enjoy flowering, be sure to create a suitable microclimate for it. Violets prefer fairly moist air. In the natural environment, they grow on the banks of rivers and near waterfalls. The plant loves coolness and low light.
Location and lighting
Equally important is the location of the pot with the plant in the room. Saintpaulia prefers light, but without direct sunlight, which leave ugly spots on its delicate leaves. It is best to put a flower pot on the east or west windows. In the depths of the room it is not necessary to have a violet, as a lack of light leads to slow growth and lack of flowers. On the southern windows, the plant is shaded from the scorching day sun or cleaned on a table in front of the window.
For full growth and development, the plant will need ten hours of lighting. If the plant is located on the northern windows, then additional lighting with phytolamps is sure to be equipped.
Temperature mode
Violet does not tolerate cold air, strong winds and drafts, so carefully ventilate the room, removing the pots from the windowsill. In summer, the flower feels comfortable at a temperature of about 25 degrees, and in winter 18C is enough. It is not recommended to take a pot of plants to the garden.
Important! It is impossible to contain violet on a cold windowsill in winter, the roots of the plant may freeze. Use a wooden stand that you place under the pot.
Air humidity
The higher the humidity level, the more comfortable the senpolia will be. For full development, air humidity is maintained at the level of 60-70%. In the summer, the pot is placed on a pallet with wet moss or expanded clay. In rooms with central heating in winter, it is also necessary to humidify the air around the pot with the plant.
Spraying Saintpaulia is not recommended. Drops of water leave spots on fluffy leaves, which not only impairs the appearance of the plant, but leads to damage to the leaves.
Planting and caring for a home violet
Violets prefer a loose and nutritious substrate. Today, ready-made soil is available for sale, which is designed specifically for the senpolia. You can prepare the soil mixture for planting home violets yourself. For this, the following components are mixed in a proportion of 3: 5: 1:
• peat;
• sheet earth;
• sand.
A little moss and charcoal are added to the finished substrate, but not more than 10% of the total mass.
It is very important that the soil is breathable and retains moisture well, then the roots of the plant will develop normally.
Planting and replanting home violets
For planting, plants select a not too spacious pot. The fact is that the senpolia blooms only in a close capacity. For a young outlet, a pot with a diameter of up to 6 cm is suitable, and an adult plant is transplanted into a larger container.
Before planting, holes must be made in the bottom of the pot to drain excess fluid so that the roots of the plant do not rot. In addition, drainage is poured into the bottom.
When planting a home violet, you must observe the correct depth. High planting leads to poor flowering, the roots of violets are gradually exposed. If you deepen the flower too much, the growth point will decay.
Transplanted home violet every three years. But a young plant is transplanted annually during the period of active growth, while the soil mixture is completely changed, but the pot is left unchanged. When transplanting Saintpaulia, damaged leaves are removed. Transplant in the spring.
Advice! Do not transplant Saintpaulia if it has buds!
Top dressing
With proper care and timely top dressing, homemade violet blooms throughout the summer. Plants are fed with complex mineral fertilizers for indoor flowers twice a season.
• The first top dressing is carried out in the spring, during the period of active growth and development.
• For the second time, fertilize the senpolia in the fall, immediately after flowering.
Fertilizer must be applied every two weeks. In winter, violets do not feed.
How to water a violet
Violet is very moody to watering, so beginner gardeners have problems. In different conditions, the watering regime will be different. It depends on the level of humidity and temperature of cultivation.
For irrigation of home violets use only standing warm water. How to determine the need for watering? In the intervals between waterings, the earthen lump should completely dry. In winter, the plant is watered every three days, and in the summer you need daily watering.
Important! Too wet earth in a pot provokes rotting of the roots, which is detrimental to violets.
Uzambara violet is watered in several ways:
• top watering method;
• applying watering to a pallet;
• wick way.
Each method in its own way is good and is widely used in floriculture when growing domestic violets.
Top watering
This method is considered the most difficult, since it is necessary to water the plant with a thin stream, trying not to erode the ground. In addition, when watering, water should not fall on the "heart" of the flower, otherwise the growth point will die. For top watering use a syringe or watering can and a thin nose.
Watering in the pan
The best option for watering, suitable for beginners and professionals. But the bottom watering also has its subtleties. Water is poured into the pan and the pot with the plant is lowered into it; after 30-40 minutes, the remaining liquid from the pan is drained. During this time, the flower will already absorb enough moisture, and the topsoil will become wet.
Wick watering
This method of irrigation is used infrequently, but if you need to go on vacation for a long time, then wick watering will do just fine.
In fact, wick watering is a type of bottom watering. Moisture to the plant is supplied from below through a hole in the pot.
Bring a piece of rope or a strip of cotton cloth out through the hole. Dip the end of the rope into a glass bowl of water. Place the pot on top of the container so that its bottom does not touch the water, as shown in the photo.
How to propagate a home violet + photo
A beginner grower has a question, how does the violet propagate and is it possible to get a new plant from a favorite variety?
Propagate the violet in different ways, each of which has its own subtleties:
• sheet;
• stepsons.
Cutting violets is the most difficult way, it is important to consider all the little things. For a successful procedure, the leaves are cut from an adult plant, while those that are located in the second row are selected. The lower section is made oblique, treating it with crushed coal or drugs to stimulate root formation.
Root leafy stalk in water or loose substrate. When rooting in water, make sure that the bottom cut of the handle does not begin to rot. A leaf is planted when the roots grow to 0.5 cm.
The most successfully rooted senpolia in loose soil. The cutlery is immediately placed in a moist substrate and covered with a bag. In a humid environment, root formation is faster. You can judge the success of the procedure after 1-1.5 months, when young rosettes of leaves appear on the surface of the soil.
An adult plant often gives stepsons, which are separated during transplantation and planted in separate pots.
As you can see, planting and caring for a home violet is simple. To stimulate the appearance of new flowers, timely remove dry inflorescences. Turn the pot 90 degrees regularly so that the plant stretches evenly towards the light.
