Place in the landscape
An early flower is most beautiful in spring and summer; designers and landscape planners of city panoramas use this. These perennials are grown by winter forcing, and planted in flower beds, curbs, on slopes.
Violets perfectly set off the trunk spaces of trees and shrubs: conifers, fruit trees, ornamental.
Feel free to plant viola near ponds and small bodies of water. The fragrant variety, placed around the perimeter of the gazebo, terrace and path, will delight the sense of smell.
Flower beds made up of violets alone are no less spectacular than group plantings from different plants.
Gardeners use these flowers for landscaping alpine slides and rabatok, in the front garden. It is better to put them in the foreground, due to their small stature.
Needless to say, the garden perennial violet is easy to cultivate in a container and hanging pot, as well as on a balcony.
Viola is especially attractive in Japanese rocky gardens or in the middle of boulders and artificial stones in a small area. It looks so harmonious and natural, because many varieties grow in the mountains, in the cracks of rocks.
Reproduction
There are several ways to breed and grow lobelia:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- dividing the bush (direct seeding on the ground).
Let's consider them below.
Plants obtained by planting seeds are better able to tolerate frost and arid conditions. Planting is much easier - you can get more seedlings. There are also disadvantages:
- the plant is obtained without varietal characteristics of the "parent";
- flowering appears after only the second or third year of planting.
The next step depends on which seeds you purchased.
Dragee in granules can be safely planted without picking.
But unprepared seeds will have to be transplanted in different containers, having previously treated them with a fungicide.
Let's move on to the seed planting procedure:
- mix seeds with coarse sand and distribute evenly over the surface of the soil;
- cover with foil, create room temperature conditions;
- ventilate daily, moisten the soil with warm water;
- with the appearance of the first shoots, we ventilate the sprouts and seeds twice a day, constantly increasing the time by 10-15 minutes;
- moisturize the sprouts;
- we select only the best specimens and put them in different containers;
- we maintain the temperature at about 20 degrees;
- we take out the seedlings outside, gradually increasing the time spent there. We start with 15-20 minutes;
- after the plants are fully prepared, we plant them in open ground.
Let's consider a method (by cuttings), in which flowering occurs one year after planting. It is light enough and affordable for everyone. In this case, varietal characteristics will be preserved. However, there are times when the cuttings can root poorly, in some they even die.
It is also necessary to plant with care so that the seedling does not break.
When choosing cuttings, it is necessary to ensure that there are no signs of disease. Soil preparation is carried out as follows:
- we dig a bush in the fall, before the onset of frost;
- we transplant into a pot, place in a cool place;
- water the soil rarely (about once a week);
- in the spring we cut off new shoots as soon as they appear;
- put in Kornevin's solution for 2-3 hours, then in water.
After about 2-3 weeks, the first roots will appear. Now we start planting them:
- we lay out the drainage layer (expanded clay);
- Cover with soil by about a third;
- we put the stalk, fill up the earth, tamp it and pour it with settled water;
- we put in a bright cool place.
Now let's consider the last method of planting - in the open field. We need to choose a location that is sufficiently sunny. The soil is suitable loamy, or sandy soil.
For abundant flowering, it is best to add humus to the soil.
Landing takes place as follows:
- In the dug earth, make holes 20-30 cm deep.
- The distance between the holes is about 15 cm.
- Then move Lobelia there along with the ground.
- Cover the roots with soil and tamp.
- Moisten the earth.
Among the diseases, the danger is represented by such types as:
- rust;
- root rot;
- powdery mildew;
- spotting.
Fungicides are used to eliminate these pests. It is a chemical or biological substance that is used to suppress the growth of fungi
Care should be taken when using such substances, since fungicide concentrates are quite toxic to humans and animals. Read the instructions carefully for your safety
Memo for a beginner!
The Uzambara (Uzumbar) violet is a plant of the Gesneriev family; it grows in the natural environment of the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Eastern Australia, South America and the islands of the Indian Ocean.
Saintpaulia is a plant named after the father and son of Saint-Paul, who brought a plant unknown to Europeans from the Uzambara district (modern Tanzania) in the 19th century, presented for the first time at the international flower exhibition in Ghent in 1893.
Indoor violet is one of the most popular plants in indoor floriculture since 1927. By 1949 more than 100 varieties were bred, and today their number exceeds several thousand.
Rooting - possibly in water, substrate, moss.
Priming - purchased soil or a mixture of leaf, coniferous, turf and peat land in a ratio of 3: 1: 2: 1 with the addition of disintegrants (perlite, vermiculite, river sand, crushed sphagnum moss.
Lighting - it is best to put flower pots on the western or eastern windows. In order for the plant to be evenly illuminated from all sides, the pots are periodically turned. In winter, when daylight hours decrease, you can use artificial lighting - fluorescent lamps.
Care is a real art and serious painstaking work at the same time, including watering, feeding, creating a favorable humid climate. Water the saintpaulias as the soil dries. The soil should be regularly moistened, but excess moisture should not stagnate in the roots. When watering, care must be taken so that water does not fall on the leaves. Do not water the uzambar violet with cold water. Top dressing is carried out with a complex mineral fertilizer every two weeks. Saintpaulia reacts negatively to the lack of nitrogen in the soil. The optimum air humidity is about 50%, the temperature is 20-22 ° C, without sudden fluctuations and drafts. The leaves of the plant should not touch the window pane. Removal of faded flowers and damaged leaves is carried out regularly.
Reproduction - planting a leaf cutting, part of a leaf, a daughter outlet. The most popular way is to root a leaf cuttings. Root formation and development of babies lasts 4-8 weeks.
Pests are one of the problems of the grower. There are many different types of pests and it is very difficult to classify them. Among the pests of Saintpaulia, several groups can be distinguished: ticks (spider, flat, transparent, etc.), insects (aphids, thrips, springtails, podura, worms, whiteflies, scale insects, etc.), worms (nematode).
Diseases - distinguish between infectious (gray rot, powdery mildew) and non-infectious diseases (decay of the stem and root, wilting of the lower leaves, yellowing, leaf spot, incomplete opening and premature drying, falling flowers) of plants. The causative agents of infectious diseases are bacteria, fungi, viruses. To prevent an infectious disease, it is necessary to strictly observe the regimes of watering, temperature, humidity, illumination.Noncommunicable diseases usually arise from agricultural practices. They may appear on one copy and not apply to others.
How to propagate at home?
More often, the Panakota violet is propagated with a cut leaf, that is, a cuttings, but in some cases, when the plant grows strongly, it can be propagated by dividing the bush or disconnecting the children. Let's consider each of the options.
Cuttings
Violet cuttings involve carefully cutting a healthy medium-sized leaf from the mother plant and rooting it in water or soil, with further planting in a separate pot. It is advisable to look for a suitable stalk in the middle of the leaf outlet, choosing only a clean and even slightly shiny specimen, without the slightest signs of damage by diseases or pests.
After cutting with a sharp knife (dust the cut with crushed charcoal), it is lowered into water and placed in a shaded place to form roots. It is desirable that the container for rooting the cutting be made of dark glass, and inside it there was cooled boiled water with a tablet of activated carbon dissolved in it.
The stem of the leaf is immersed in the liquid by no more than 1 cm, and if after a few days it becomes less, you can always add more clean water. It will be possible to transplant the cutting into the soil when the roots that appear from the cut grow up to 1 cm in length.
If you are afraid that the cut leaf will begin to rot in the water, and you will lose the harvested planting material, you can try to root part of the violet directly in the soil poured into disposable glasses with holes in the bottom. It is necessary to place the cutting in such a container at an angle of 30–45 °, for which the covered soil is slightly tamped and the sheet plate is supported with a toothpick.
To speed up the germination process, it is important to cover the glasses with a plastic bag, thereby achieving a greenhouse effect. The grown violet is transplanted to a permanent place of growth only when its new leaves reach a diameter of more than 3 cm
By dividing the bush
When growing, the violet Panacotta forms the rudiments of new bushes, and in some cases, young rosettes even interfere with the main bush, taking up the space intended for it. In such situations, the reproduction of the plant by dividing the bush is not only justified, but also necessary, since it ensures the further development of the maternal form.
The process of reproduction of a flower in this way consists of:
- Carefully remove the rosette of the mother plant from the pot.
- Separating the young outlet (you can gently break it off at the junction with the mother bush) and remove the lower long leaves.
- Transplanting the seized planting material into a new substrate or container with water, if the root system on the rosettes is poorly developed.
Violets planted in this way will grow much faster than specimens obtained by rooting a leaf, the main thing is to protect young plants from exposure to direct sunlight and maintain a temperature in the room sufficient for rooting (at least + 25 ° C).
Growing at home
To grow a flower on the site, extra efforts are not required. It is enough to know the main points.
The soil
Phloxes prefer fertile loamy loose soils, slightly acidic or close to neutral. When planting, humus (rotted manure) and ash should be used as fertilizers. Fertilizers need to be applied to a depth of no more than 30 cm, since this is how the roots of the plant develop.
Phlox Gzhel
Important! Phlox does not tolerate both excessive watering and a lack of moisture: the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off, the flowers become smaller, the inflorescences become loose
Transfer
It is better to plant the bushes in a well-lit place, but not in the sun. It is better to transplant phlox Gzhel, like other varieties of this plant, in the spring in the first half of May. The bush will bloom in the same year, but 10-12 days later than usual.In autumn, plants can be transplanted from the second half of August to the end of September, but it is better not to delay with this, so that the phlox has time to take root and survive the winter. In one place, the bush can grow for 7-10 years.
Blooming phlox can be transplanted if necessary. In this case, the plant will need abundant watering, and it is better to cut the flowers, otherwise the bush will spend energy not on rooting, but on the continuation of flowering.
Important! If several bushes are planted side by side, then the distance between them should be 40-60 cm.When transplanting, a hole is dug about 20 cm deep
The exact dimensions must be determined so that they fit the root system. The resulting landing site is well spilled with water. Humus, ash, superphosphate are poured at the bottom of the pit, sand can be added to loosened clay soils and, conversely, loam can be added to sandy soils, which will save the plant from excessive drying out
When transplanting, a hole is dug about 20 cm deep. The exact dimensions must be determined so that they fit the root system. The resulting landing site is well spilled with water. Humus, ash, superphosphate are poured at the bottom of the pit, sand can be added to loosened clay soils and, conversely, loam can be added to sandy soils, which will save the plant from excessive drying out.
Further, the transplant itself: the roots are placed in a hole and straightened, soil is poured between them, the soil around the plant is slightly compacted and watered. When planting, the root collar should be 3-5 cm above ground level. If you raise it higher, then the bush may not overwinter, and if it is lower, it will not bloom and “go into growth”, spending energy on the formation of a branched root system.
Most importantly, 2-3 weeks after planting, do not allow the plant to dry out.
Important! In windy areas, unrooted phlox, especially a young seedling, should be tied to a support
Annual feeding
Phlox responds well to feeding. They can be applied 5-6 times per season:
- In the spring after the snow melts and in the second half of May, for the growth of the green mass, it is better to use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content or water the plant with slurry, mulch the ground around the bush with humus. Excess nitrogen will make the bush too loose, requiring it to be tied to a vertical support.
- During the budding period, the application of nitrogen fertilizers must be reduced. Along with complex flower potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, ash rich in minerals, especially potassium, can be applied. It can be dissolved in water for irrigation (1 tbsp for 1 bucket of water) or sprinkled around the plant as mulch - useful substances will be absorbed during rain and watering. The increased potassium content in fertilizers will make the flowers brighter and prolong the flowering period.
- The fourth feeding is carried out with phosphorus fertilizers in liquid form or superphosphate granules (10-15 g) are embedded in the ground.
- After flowering, they return to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water). Superphosphate is poorly soluble in water, so it is better to use either a liquid complex fertilizer, or embed the granules in the ground, or dissolve them in a water bath in a uniformly heated dish. The last feeding will help phloxes prepare the root system for wintering and form buds for the next year.
Fertilizer superphosphate
Watering
It is advisable to water the plants in the evening or in the morning, spending about 15 liters (1.5-2 buckets) per 1 m² of planting. When watering, it is better not to pour on the leaves, especially with cold water in the heat. You need to spill soil around the plant or put a hose between the bushes.
After heavy rains and watering, you need to loosen the soil (about once every 2-3 weeks). This should be done carefully, since phlox are plants with a shallow root system.
Important! Phlox are moisture-loving plants that grow well in areas with high air humidity, so heat and weak watering will have a bad effect on the flowering of the bush
Breeding history
This is an amazing flower with a hundred-year history of development and selection. For the first time in Africa in the mountains of Tanzania, near the village of Uzambar, Saint-Paul Iller discovered a beautiful, previously unknown plant. He collected the seeds and sent them to Germany, where his father Walter gave the planting material to the botanist Hermann Wendland. This is how a new variety with the name Saintpaulia Uzambarskaya appeared.
In appearance, Saintpaulia looks like a violet. However, they actually differ in genus in the classification. Nevertheless, even today, many continue to call senolia just a violet. Breeders are constantly breeding species of this culture, incredible in beauty and diversity. So the Moscow breeder Alexei Pavlovich Tarasov brought out a unique series of AB violets. This group also includes "AV-Panakota", the description of which we will consider below.
