Home care
There are no author's recommendations on the content of the variety, so it is best to rely on general recommendations for growing violets.
Conditions of detention
Saintpaulias need bright, diffused light, because the ancestors of indoor plants grew in the shade of shrubs:
- the easiest way to achieve suitable lighting is on a south, east or west window, covered with blinds to protect from direct sunlight;
- on the northern windowsills, violets gain green mass well, but rarely bloom.
Proper watering and feeding
Watering is an important part of grooming. You need to water it about once a week with clean, settled water. Can be watered from above or into a tray.
In winter, reduce watering so that the soil in the pot has time to dry out a little between waterings.
Top dressing is carried out together with watering, fertilizers are added half as much as in the instructions, every second watering. Special fertilizers are suitable for violets. A poor but constant supply of minerals is the best way to feed Saintpaulias.
Advice! In summer, at the hottest time, cut off the buds, try to humidify the air and transfer watering to the evening. These measures will protect the plant from depletion.
Lighting and temperature
If the leaves are stretched up and look at the ceiling, the violet does not have enough light. In winter, you can use additional lighting with a lamp. In summer, it is enough to rearrange it closer to the window, not forgetting about protection from direct sunlight.
Violets over two years old bloom profusely at 20-25 ° C. Before that, the violet will grow better in a warm place - 23-25 ° C. If we consider the coolness of 18-20 degrees, and the heat 30-35, the coolness is definitely better.
Memo on the temperature of the content of violets.
At lower temperatures, growth slows down, in the heat the plant can get burned leaves, the peduncles grow short and deformed.
Attention! Sudden changes in temperature are destructive for Saintpaulias! Be careful with the vents in winter.
Air humidity
A humidity level of at least 50% is recommended. The best option is a humidifier. An extra container of damp sand or a mini sphagnum aquarium can also increase the moisture level well.
What kind of soil does he prefer?
Loose, slightly acidic soils with good water and air permeability. Composition:
- peat;
- charcoal or ash;
- vermiculite or perly;
- the basis is leafy earth.
Pruning and hygiene
It is necessary to regularly remove the lower leaves, which have turned yellow and lost their elasticity, so that fungi do not develop on them.
The violet can be washed under a weak, slightly warm shower stream no more than once a month.
After bathing, leave the saintpaulia in the bathroom for a couple of hours until the leaves are dry. Ugly brown spots - burns - may remain in the light from water droplets.
Reproduction methods
Children
The easiest breeding method. Babies are a tiny plant that grows on a stem, break off with their hands and plant in a small pot with moistened soil. This plant is called a starter. To better take root, they build a greenhouse from a transparent cup or bag.
Leaf, cuttings
In each vein of the leaf blade there is a growth point from which a new Saintpaulia can grow. The sequence of the procedure:
- Prepare a container with wet soil and a material from which you can make a shelter (film or cellophane);
- Immerse the leaf stalk into the ground by about a centimeter (if necessary, you can prop it up with a match so that it does not fall);
-
To get many starters from one sheet, it is cut into fragments so that each has a vein section, and pressed with a cut to the ground;
- The greenhouse is covered with transparent material for constant humidity;
- In three to four weeks, sprouts will appear from the ground - these are new violets;
- When they get stronger and grow five to six leaves, it's time to plant them in an individual container.
Advice! For starters, choose small pots, no more than 6 centimeters in diameter, to see the first flowers faster.
Not all starters will be like the mother plant. Those that are very different are called sports from the variety.
Transplant rules, rejuvenation
The stalk of Saintpaulia grows all life and one day the crown begins to fall out of the pot. Then it needs to be rejuvenated.
To return beauty and youth to the outlet, the top must be cut off at an angle and planted in a container with new soil. It will soon take root and start blooming in about three to six months.
Adult violets pick up nutrients from the soil in about a year, so every spring they need to be transplanted into fresh soil.
Violet LE-Vivien Leigh (E. Lebetskaya)
Origin story
The variety was created by E. Lebetskaya, an excellent breeder of violets. It is named after the actress who played the unforgettable Scarlett in Gone With the Wind.
Photo and description of the variety
Gorgeous flowers of pure cream shade with curly pink border, with light green "lace" at the very tips. Petals of exquisite corrugated texture, very terry, complex whimsical shape.
Peduncles grow in the center of the rosette. Just a few large buds, about seven in number, create a luxurious bouquet. The flowers are just huge, 7 centimeters in diameter!
The leaves are even, rounded, with a convex pattern of veins and denticles along the edges. In a young plant, they stretch upwards, but with age they fall beautifully.
Variegation, prints
From the center of the bud, star-shaped rays of a crimson hue scatter over the petals. Such prints are a special advantage of the colors of this variety.
Violet Trailers
What does it mean?
Violets-trailers achieved a special status and more and more distribution among florists and decorators-gardeners due to the peculiarities of their structure.
Let's figure out what a trailer is and how does it differ from the usual varietal violet?
Trailers are able to form a large number of axillary babies attached to the mother plant by very shortened stems, which leads to the formation of a voluminous bush.
Or they can slightly lengthen all existing stems, due to which a cascading plant shape is obtained.
IMPORTANT! The presence of whip-like stems and, mainly, the large number of children determine the formation of a large number of buds and a significant flowering of trailer Saintpaulias in terms of duration.
How to define them?
Learning to distinguish the trailer violet from the standard forms of this plant requires a little experience in growing Saintpaulias and an understanding of the main distinguishing features of trailers. They are characterized by:
- a large, even volume of the outlet due to the development of children in each axil of leaves;
- increased length of all main stems, giving the specimen a cascading outline;
- simultaneous formation of many flowers;
- almost year-round flowering.
Trailer violets (photo of Senk's Azalea Trail variety).
Classification
The division of violet trailers into classification groups is carried out in two directions. Like the standard shapes, all Saintpaulia trailers can be distinguished by their size, not the rosette, but the leaf.
This refinement occurs due to the impossibility of accurately determining the diameter of the rosette due to the presence of a large number of growth points. There is also a specific classification feature, suitable only for trailer varieties - according to the method of forming a bush.
By the size of the leaf blade
The method helps to distinguish four groups of violet trailers:
-
standard - means the size of the sheet in the range of 3.8 - 5 cm and larger. Of the domestic varieties, these include:
- "Moskva river";
- "Amur river";
-
Irtysh River.
-
semi-miniature - a sheet plate is placed in the boundaries of 3.8 - 2.5 cm.As an example, varieties can be called:
- "White pearls";
- "LE-Curly hop";
-
"RS-Zapovedny forest".
-
miniature - with a leaf blade size from 2.5 to 1.2 cm.This group includes:
- Senk's Azalea Trail;
- "LE-Zhemchuzhinka";
-
"N-Blue Linen".
-
microminiature - these varieties have a leaf size of less than 1.2 cm.The group includes:
- "H-Gossip Girl";
- Dianty Dynamo;
- "Teeny Bopper".
Teeny Bopper.
By the nature of growth
Depending on the contour of the violet bush formed in the process of development, trailers are divided into two groups:
-
ampelous - form cascading forms of a bush due to freely hanging whip-like stems or volumetric serpentine contours due to the fastening of the stems with hairpins in the form of a pattern on the surface of the substrate. The length of shoots can exceed 0.5 m. Ampelnye varieties are mainly related to foreign selection, but recently domestic masterpieces have also begun to be registered:
- "Rechka-Severka";
- «2000»;
-
"Volga river".
-
bush or semi-trailer - form a neat volumetric bush in height due to the location of elongated strong stems in a vertical plane. For greater splendor and bushiness in young Saintpaulias, pinching of the apical growth points is recommended. Among the bush violets are:
- "Chanta-Mara";
- "White Robi";
- "Teen Trail".
White Robi.
INTERESTING! The subdivision of violet trailers according to the diameter of the rosette is not performed - all classification groups can be grown in any size. It depends only on the comfort of the plant and the imagination of the grower. A large bush will be considered microminiature, provided that the size of the leaf plates corresponds to the necessary indicators of this group - less than 1.2 cm.
Variety care at home
Like any Saintpaulia, the PT-Fiona variety needs to follow some rules. It is imperative to remember them.
Lighting
First of all, it is important to provide the outlet with the right amount of light. Lack of lighting leads to tearing of leaves and poor flowering, or even its absence.
The optimal lighting time is 8-10 hours. If the plant lifts the leaves up, you need to add the lighting time, if the center of the rosette thickens, decrease it.
Watering
Watering is carried out when the top layer dries up by 1 centimeter. If suddenly the plant is dry, in no case should you immediately water it with plenty of water! You should literally unsolder the socket drop by drop until the root system starts working again.
Pot selection
The size of the container for violets is 3 times smaller than the outlet. This means that the maximum pot size for an adult outlet is a maximum of 9, a baby or starter will develop perfectly in 100 ml cups.
In a large container, the risk of overflow and root decay increases significantly.
Temperature
The temperature regime is extremely important for the setting of buds and the correct bright color of Saintpaulia. The PT-Fiona variety prefers temperatures up to 20 degrees maximum. In hot weather, the green border may become completely invisible.
For a large collection, it is optimal to install an air conditioner or a fan in the room in the summer, but if this is not possible, put the violet in well-ventilated places with a slight draft.
Top dressing
Fertilizers are essential for the development and growth of Saintpaulia. During the period of leaf growth, focus on nitrogen preparations (once a month), as soon as buds begin to form, you should switch to feeding with a high potassium content.
Air humidity
As for moisture, excessive dryness can lead to the appearance of pests (mites), and excessive moisture can lead to decay.
If the leaves begin to crack or stand next to heating appliances, use a humidifier, jugs of water, or battery-powered bowls.
In high humidity, ensure good drainage and enough rippers in the soil.
Air humidity is of great importance for violets.
ATTENTION! Dilute the preparation for feeding a little less than indicated according to the instructions!
Priming
And the most important point is the composition of the soil. Violets do not tolerate heavy substrates. The ideal composition is 50 percent high-moor peat and 50 percent ripper (perlite, foam balls).
Wick irrigation implies an additional 15 percent increase in rippers. Using this growing method, do not forget about the correct planting - the center should be slightly raised.
Pest infestation
Of the pests, the violet is most often affected by ticks and scale insects. You can use traditional methods, but the effect is stronger from industrial drugs.
Dilute them strictly according to the instructions and take precautions
Care features
According to the conditions of keeping them in room culture, Saintpaulias of trailer forms differ little from ordinary varieties of violets: they are not too demanding in the care process, only sometimes they show their character, do not like transplants, but they definitely need to form a decorative contour.
It is enough just to study their life attitudes and follow the advice of experienced florists to get decorative bushes.
Content rules
The main conditions for the comfortable growth of any plant are:
- correct placement of the copy in the room;
- creation of the required light regime;
- maintaining temperature indicators at the desired level.
When it comes to lighting, violet trailers have some requirements. Due to the constant formation of buds, they need a long day of light (ideally, half of the daily time) without prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.
These conditions are met by placing the pots on the windowsills of the east or west side and creating additional lighting with fluorescent lamps in cold seasons.
Blooming for a long time in trailer forms of violets is impossible without small differences in temperature indicators at different times of the day and night.
The optimal temperature characteristics for them will be +20 + 24 ° С during the day and about two degrees less at night. It should be noted that the age of the trailer violet affects its temperature preferences: young specimens are more demanding for heat than adult plants.
CAREFULLY! All varieties of trailer Saintpaulias, cultivated in the home environment, are especially afraid of drafts and sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, ventilation of the premises should be carried out under careful control of the movement of air flows in dangerous proximity to violets.
And in no case should you allow direct breezes to hit them.
Watering requirements
Compliance with the irrigation regime assumes regular irrigation without overflow and overdrying of the soil at any time of the year. The amount and frequency of watering depends on the room temperature, the dryness of the air, the size of the flowerpot and the trailer plant itself. It is optimal to water once every 7 days, but for mini and microminiature groups - a little more often due to their small size.
Microminiature varieties are watered more often than standard ones.
For a violet trailer, it is imperative to create a good drainage system in the vessel. You should also drain excess water from the pan to prevent root rot.
Top dressing
Trailer varieties of violets are in bloom most of the year, so they need regular, but not frequent feeding to get sufficient nutrition.
Fertilizers should be applied once a month after the preliminary shedding of the plant. The dose indicated on the package should be reduced several times. It is possible to alternate feeding with organic and mineral fertilizers.
It is forbidden to feed recently planted or transplanted specimens (the standby mode is about 2 months) - there is a danger of a chemical burn of the plant from an overdose of fertilizer.
It is not recommended to feed young plants until the age of two.
Transfer
Rapidly growing young specimens can be transplanted twice a year, provided they grow out of an old flowerpot. With each next transplant, the pot is taken slightly larger in diameter, but its depth does not need to be increased.
As the violet-trailer grows older, it begins to relate more and more negatively to interfering with her life rhythms. Therefore, transplants are reduced to once every 3 years, using the transshipment method. Gradually, you can switch to a partial replacement of the upper layer of the substrate.
Adult trailer violets do not like frequent transplants.
ADVICE! To enhance the decorative effect that trailers of ampelous violets have, you should choose flowerpots with a high leg or hanging vessels. So it will be more convenient for the plant to form its contour.
After transshipment and a little compaction of the substrate, old, damaged and irregular leaves must be removed to allow the violet trailer to grow more babies faster and form a lush green mass.
Reproduction methods, transplantation and rejuvenation rules
The variety can be propagated by stepchildren or leaves.
In the first case, the stepsons are carefully separated from the mother's outlet and planted in loose soil (50 ml glass). It is recommended to place it in a greenhouse. Under the right conditions, within a couple of weeks, the daughter plant will take root.
Leaves can be rooted both in water and in the ground:
- in the first case, you should use a dark container (medicine bottle) and boiled water. You can add a drop of hydrogen peroxide or an activated charcoal tablet to prevent stem rot. As soon as the leaf has given roots, it is planted in the ground and children are expected to appear;
- for the more advanced florist, you can use the method of rooting leaves in the ground:
- a leaf is placed in plastic glasses with light soil (cut of the stem at 45 degrees) and lightly sprinkled with earth;
- it is optimal to use a bag or greenhouse for rooting. In the early days, the leaf may lose turgor, this is not scary;
- the soil must be moistened immediately after planting, then you can water it drop by drop if it dries up.
Once every six months or after flowering, you need to transplant the outlet into fresh soil. The old substrate is quickly depleted, which harms the plant.
After flowering, the violet should be transplanted.
If the rosette has grown a lot, transplant it from a glass to a pot 8 or 9:
- We put drainage (expanded clay) at the bottom;
- We pour a little earth (see the composition above);
- Place the plant carefully;
- Sprinkle with earth and tamp a little.
It takes about 10 months from the leaf to the blooming young rosette. The first flowering is most often not too abundant, the subsequent ones already give caps of flowers.
IMPORTANT! The violet must not be buried in order to prevent the growth point from decaying!
Features of growth and flowering
Development at home
Room temperature and humidity are comfortable enough for violets. Take care of diffused lighting and they will bloom most of the year. In winter, it is enough to slightly increase the humidity and protect it from drafts - that's all a violet needs.
How long does it take to grow an adult plant?
The starter grows foliage and root mass for about a year, then begins to bloom and can be considered an adult violet.
Attention! Violets do not bloom in large pots! The diameter of the pot, no more than 9 cm, will quickly fill with the root mass and then the buds will go.
The specifics of flowering in hot and cold conditions
At temperatures up to 22 ° C, flowers with a more contrasting color are laid - there are more greenery on the edges of the petals, specks and prints are brighter.
The brightest bloom occurs at temperatures below 22 ° C.
The heat is very bad for the plant. Peduncles are underdeveloped, short, buds of irregular shape. It is better to stop these attempts to bloom and cut off everything until better times.
What do peduncles look like?
In good conditions, the peduncles are long, stand upright and do not lie on the leaves.On one branch there are 4-6 buds, which open in turn and are simply gigantic, up to 7 cm in diameter.
Is it possible to achieve nodding flowering?
Peduncles grow in the middle of the rosette, flowers are large, close to each other. The blooming rosette looks like a cute bunch, beautifully framed by leaves.
Features of flowering, growth and reproduction
The main feature of this variety is incomplete dissolution of flowers in some cases. But this drawback more than redeems the dignity - flowers can keep on peduncles for up to 3 weeks! PT-Fiona is ideal for those who love stable flower stalks and long flowering.
PT-Fiona flower.
As for the nodding flowering, the variety is extremely willing to bloom in suitable conditions. A mandatory rule is the availability of sufficient lighting and fertilization at least once every 2 months. All efforts are compensated by a luscious green rosette and lush flowers with bright green ruffles.
In the heat (temperature over 21 degrees), PT-Fiona loses the brightness of its flowers. To obtain a green ruffle, coolness is important during the period of budding and further development.
