Features of flowering, growth and reproduction
How long does it take to grow an adult plant?
Violet Penny can be grown in 10 months.
Penny grows quickly. When growing this variety from a cuttings, you will need to wait about 10 months until the first buds.
The flowers are small, up to 4 cm in diameter. After opening, they are light, but over time they gain richness of color.
Reproduction methods and features
Breeding method:
- We cut off a healthy, beautiful leaf from the second tier;
- Cut the stalk at an angle;
- We root the cutting in the ground, the diameter of the pot is no more than 6 cm;
- We cover with a greenhouse;
- We are waiting for the baby to appear in a couple of weeks.
A leafy cutting can be rooted in boiled water and then transplanted into soil.
Is it possible to achieve nodding flowering?
There is no nodding or bouquet bloom. Flowers fall off very quickly, not having time to form a bouquet.
Violet Penny does not bloom magnificently.
Features of home care
Unlike true representatives of Violet, Saintpaulias require special attention and environmental conditions. To achieve the preservation of all varietal qualities, you need to adhere to many content standards.
The optimum temperature for a representative is in the range from 22 ° C to 24 ° C, and the maximum importance is 60%. Sudden temperature changes are detrimental to the plant, and a decrease to 20 ° C and an increase to 30 ° C are not allowed. It is recommended to organize ventilation, because the dark violet does not like stuffy rooms.
Important! You should not allow the flower to be found in an open draft in order to avoid negative consequences.
Lighting is the key to plant well-being
Important! You should not allow the flower to be found in an open draft in order to avoid negative consequences. Lighting is the main condition for the well-being of the plant.
It needs bright light without direct sunlight.
An excellent location would be a west or east window. If this is not possible, and the pot had to be placed on the south window, then it is necessary to create a shadow, or better diffused lighting, since the lack of natural light will inevitably lead to wilting and death of the flower, which does not have the ability to increase the green mass
It needs bright light without direct sunlight. An excellent location would be a west or east window. If this is not possible, and the pot had to be placed on the south window, then it is necessary to create a shadow, or better diffused lighting, since the lack of natural light will inevitably lead to wilting and death of the flower, which does not have the ability to increase the green mass
Lighting is the main condition for the well-being of the plant. It needs bright light without direct sunlight. An excellent location would be a west or east window. If this is not possible, and the pot had to be placed on the south window, then it is necessary to create a shadow, or better diffused lighting, since the lack of natural light will inevitably lead to wilting and death of the flower, which does not have the ability to increase the green mass.
Watering homemade pearls also requires special attention. The roots of the plant love warm and moist soil. You can create such conditions for him within the apartment using the wick irrigation method. To do this, take a 5 mm synthetic lace and place it in a pot, and put the other end in water.
Experienced growers prefer overhead irrigation, during which water is distributed under the foliage using a watering can with a thin spout.
Important! Water must not get into the outlet itself, otherwise it will lead to rotting. The lowest watering method is considered the simplest: for half an hour, the plant is lowered with water, which will get inside through the drainage holes
The lowest watering method is considered the simplest: for half an hour, the plant is lowered with water, which will get inside through the drainage holes
The lowest watering method is considered the simplest: for half an hour, the plant is lowered with water, which will get inside through the drainage holes.
Ready-made substrate for Saintpaulia can be bought at any flower shop. You can independently prepare a mixture for a comfortable state of a black violet from the following components:
- 3 parts of peat;
- 1 part sand;
- 5 parts of coniferous-deciduous turf (10-15 cm of the top layer of soil in the forest);
- 10% of the total volume of loosening components (sphagnum moss, perlite, wood ash).
Top dressing for the Black Pearl is required throughout all biological processes: during the formation of the rosette, nitrogen-containing fertilizers must be applied; during the formation of buds, compounds containing potassium and phosphorus are needed. Fertilizers are applied only after abundant watering, since a clean solution will burn the roots. The feeding procedure is unacceptable when the plant:
- sick;
- suffers from insect pests;
- was transplanted less than 1.5 months ago.
The frequency of fertilization is directly dependent on the permanent location of the violet. In the presence of natural light, top dressing is applied for 9 months, taking breaks of 20 days. Otherwise, she needs support all year round.
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 not to make a mistake when buying violets
When the choice fell on a violet for growing flowers at home, then you need to know how not to make a mistake when buying.
Of course, to purchase seeds, you can explore the assortment offered by various stores.
In this case, you need to pay attention to the expiration date and the manufacturer. It would be nice to first read reviews of a similar product on the Internet.
You can also heed the advice of experienced friends or florists. But the best option would be to purchase these seeds from people who are breeding viols. In most cases, they take a responsible approach to collecting seeds, which will give good flowering in the future.
If you decide to buy ready-made violets in a flowerpot, then you can use the following tips:
- The plant should have dense leaves, no spots.
- The ends of the leaves should not be dry.
- Lethargy should not be present.
- The violet should be in bloom.
- There should be no smell of rot or delight from the soil.
Choosing the right violet for the interior, you also need to take into account some features:
- Color combination.
- The size of the flowerpot and the outlet itself.
- Lighting of the intended place (the pale flower will become even paler if it stands where there is little light).
- If the walls of the room are dark in color, then the flower should be lighter and brighter.
- The color and style of the flowerpot also needs to be considered.
Perennial violets can be selected in the photo below:
Viola of any kind can successfully blend into a variety of interiors. These flowers look equally harmonious both outdoors and indoors. The main thing will be determined where is the most suitable place for their placement.
Is it possible to breed a new variety at home?
For those who want to try themselves in the role of a breeder, it is worth knowing the intricacies of breeding varieties in each of the popular ways:
-
seeds:
- select two Saintpaulias, for this, the dominant and recessive characteristics of each variety are taken into account;
- pollination;
- the resulting seeds are sown;
- in the process of growth, unsuitable varieties are sorted out - the wrong rosette, ugly flowering, too small flowers (most of the features manifest themselves completely on the second flowering);
- selected varieties are checked for resistance, propagating by leaf to the third generation;
- varieties that repeat themselves can be called new, provided there is no such variety previously bred by others.
One way to get a new violet variety is by seed propagation.
-
fixing a random variety - if during reproduction a new variety accidentally comes out (especially often when propagating chimeras with leaves):
- sports are propagated by several generations, at least three (most often by a peduncle);
- after receiving a stable repetition from generation to generation, the variety is considered newly bred.
Important! Every novice breeder should familiarize himself with the list of varieties already bred in the world, because often having studied only domestic, inexperienced growers ascribe to themselves someone else's variety.
