Saintpaulia care, or little tricks for great success

Saintpaulia, or Usambara violet, or Sainpaulia sp., Is a fairly common plant, despite the fact that few people know all of its names. Caring for Saintpaulia does not require special equipment or maintenance of non-standard room temperature and humidity. That is why she is so loved by many growers; for beginners in plant growing, a detailed description of the features of violets will help.

Saintpaulia varieties

There is a division of violet varieties by color and doubleness of flowers, as well as by color of leaves. The current classification can be described as follows.

Separation by flower characteristics

• Simple violet. The corolla of its flowers consists of five petals, the two upper ones are smaller than the other three. The color is found completely different: white, pink, other shades of red.
• Bicolor Saintpaulia. Something similar plants resemble representatives of orchids: an asymmetrical corolla, the petals of which are painted in two colors. In this case, the spots on the main background do not have clear boundaries with it.
• Bordered Saintpaulia. The border can be one-color or two-color, its thickness varies depending on the ambient temperature: at a high border, it can disappear, at a decrease, it can reappear.
• Chimera. It differs from other varieties in that it has a central stripe of contrasting color on each petal. This trait is not transmitted when propagated by cuttings, only when dividing a bush or lateral processes.
• Fantasy violet. Like the chimera, it does not transmit its peculiarity when propagated by cuttings. The petals of such a Saintpaulia are painted in a very unusual way: many spots of different sizes and colors on the main background make the plant fabulous.
• Saintpaulia Star. Its petals are pointed at the ends and equal in size, due to which the whole flower really acquires a resemblance to a star.
• Semi-double Saintpaulia. This type of petals has more than five, internal ones are underdeveloped. These Saintpaulias are very similar to orchids.
• Terry Saintpaulia. There are even more inner petals than semi-double plants. Some varieties are characterized by an almost spherical shape.

By the color of the leaves

• Boy - leaf and petiole are completely green;
• Girl - a light spot departs from the petiole along the leaf;
• with a white, light green border.

By the shape of the leaf tip:

• Lance - elongated leaves, pointed towards the end;
• Spoon - the edge of the leaf is curled;

By the shape of the edge of the leaves:

• even;
• corrugated;
• toothed;
• wavy;

By leaf pubescence:

• smooth;
• densely pubescent;
• rarely pubescent.

The average diameter of a standard violet is about 20-40 cm, but there are "giants" - up to 60 cm, as well as "dwarfs" - no more than 15 cm.

Violet care

At home, it is quite possible to grow almost all varieties of Saintpaulias, only some require special treatment, but in the event of errors on the part of the grower, they do not die, but lose their "zest" - the border or speckled petals. In order for violets to feel comfortable, they need to provide the proper temperature, humidity, frequency and intensity of watering, and illumination.

Provides stable growth and regular flowering temperature of about 21-24 ° C, for winter time you can reduce it, but not less than 16 ° C. When the temperature reaches 28 ° C or more, the growth stops noticeably.

If the windows of the apartment face east or northwest, then it is enough just to put the violets there and turn it from time to time.On the windowsills of the windows facing south and west, it is necessary to shade Saintpaulia during the hottest hours (from 12 to 16).

To make the plant bloom all year round, artificial lighting is used. Both fluorescent and conventional incandescent bulbs will do. The glow time should be 14 hours, the distance to the violets from the lamps is about 20 cm.

Watering and humidity

It is always worth remembering that environmental factors act on living organisms in a complex manner, which is why, when watering, it is necessary to take into account the ambient temperature and air humidity:

• when the room is hot and dry, watering is required more often;
• at low temperatures and high humidity - less often.

You can determine the need for watering on the soil in a pot: when it is about a third dry, the plant needs moisture.

Water for irrigation must be used prepared:

• temperature not lower than room temperature, it can be higher by a couple of degrees;
• soft, without excessive content of calcium and magnesium salts;
• you need to defend it for about half a day, it is better to pour a new one after the next watering.

Important!

Saintpaulia leaves are not recommended to be wetted.

Low humidity is the enemy of violets. Therefore, it must be maintained at the level of 50-60%. But you cannot spray water on the leaves, and therefore it is better to humidify the air:

• place a container with water and pebbles or moistened moss next to it;
• hang wet towels on the batteries;
• purchase a special humidifier.

In any case, approximately the same air humidity is useful for the human skin and respiratory tract, and therefore it will be maintained based on concern for the health of the inhabitants of the apartment.

Transplanting Saintpaulia

Initially, violets are planted in very tiny pots - about 5-7 cm in diameter. Since this happens in spring, the first transplant occurs in the summer, the diameter is increased by about 2-3 cm. The general rule for choosing a pot for a violet: its leaves should go beyond the pot edges by at least half. It is impossible to plant Saintpaulia in large pots, in such cases, waterlogging of the soil often occurs, as a result of which pests start.

Soil for Saintpaulia can be prepared independently according to the recommended ratio.

• 2: 1: 1: 1: 1 - leaf, sod, coniferous soil, river sand, vermiculite.
• 2: 1: 1: 0.5 - leafy soil, coconut substrate, rotted humus flour, pine bark.
• 1: 1: 1: 0.5 - sod, coniferous soil, vermiculite, coarse river sand.
• 5: 1: 1 - ready-made storey soil, vermiculite, sphagnum or pine bark.

Or you can purchase a special violet primer.

Leafy soil is collected in birch groves in early spring, coniferous - in the forest, sod - in the meadow. The earth must be cleaned of large inclusions and sterilized in an oven or microwave. The final acidity of the soil should be in the range of 5.5–6.5 pH, that is, it should have a slightly acidic reaction.

Reproduction of Saintpaulias

Florists who grow violets often multiply them to share with other Saintpaulia lovers or to breed the plant into several pots.

This is most often done in three ways:

• cuttings with a leaf;
• part of the sheet;
• daughter sockets.

The easiest way to reproduce is by cuttings. To implement it, you must perform the following steps.

1. Choose a worthy challenger - a good, healthy leaf with a fairly long stem. You can also propagate a flowering plant.
2. Cut the leaf obliquely, leaving at least 3 cm of the petiole.
3. It is advisable to submerge it in water to form roots. If this item is skipped, then the leaf should be planted in loosened soil to a maximum depth of 1.5-2 cm.
4. Each jar into which the planting was carried out, equip with a tag indicating the variety.
5. Water the plant with warm water, cover with a bag to create a kind of greenhouse.
6. Place the Saintpaulia in a place with a constant temperature - about 20-22 ° C.

Typically, root development takes about two months. At the end of it, you can transplant the violet to a new place of residence.

If there is not enough light, then you need to fill this gap with artificial sources.

Possible problems and their causes

Despite the seeming simplicity of caring for Saintpaulia, flower growers often make mistakes that are important to recognize in time by the reaction of the flower and eliminate.

1. If the leaves are covered with brown spots, then the violet is watered with cold water. It is enough to change the temperature to a comfortable one, and the plant will recover.
2. When the leaves turn yellow, you should pay attention to the amount of fertilizers (there are most likely too many of them), an excess of sunlight or oppressive humidity (it can be both high and low).
3. When the leaves turn light yellow, this is definitely the result of overheating, practically - sunburn. The damaged leaves must be removed and the plant pot rearranged or shaded during peak heat.
4. The presence of a gray bloom indicates a fungus infection of Saintpaulia. All infected parts must be removed, healthy parts must be treated with a fungicide.
5. If the leaves have acquired a light green color and began to curl at the edges, then they are cold. Perhaps they are overcooled at night, then it is worth removing the pots from the windowsills. Another possible reason is excess moisture in the soil.
6. Flowering may be absent for various reasons: the pot is often rearranged, the plant does not have enough light or nutrients in the soil, the air is too dry or cold, and perhaps the daughter outlets are not separated by the grower in time;
7. Peduncle does not form or is formed, but small. This means the pot is too large. It is necessary to transplant the plant into a smaller one. It may also indicate overfeeding. In this case, you can skip one top dressing or use a less nitrogen-rich fertilizer.

Summary

Saintpaulia is known to few by its generic name. Most often it is called "violet". Nevertheless, she enjoys great success among indoor plant lovers, which is not surprising, because she has many positive qualities:

• unpretentious care;
• does not require special soil;
• beautiful and versatile;
• has many varieties that can be pollinated, getting new ones;
• small, which is very convenient in small apartments.

The variety of colors and shapes of Saintpaulia is perhaps its most important advantage.