Why does a violet have a dense rosette. Formation of a beautiful rosette at a violet. How and what leaves to remove so that the violet blooms

Indoor violet with fragile delicate flowers of various shades leave few people indifferent. If one flower appeared, then surely their number in the apartment will grow, given all the variety of Saintpaulia in nature. FAQ beginner flower growers: “How to propagate indoor violet without spending money on buying a full-fledged flower in a pot?”. You will find the answer in this article.

Under what conditions do violets reproduce?

If it is possible to create certain conditions, then you can breed Saintpaulia at any time. Violet is a capricious enough houseplant that will not tolerate negligence.

Time

The best time to get new plants is spring and summer. At this time, the sunny day is quite long.

The flower itself, which is at rest all winter, begins to gradually come to life and actively grow.

Daylight hours for rapid reproduction should be more than 12 hours. In winter, it is necessary to illuminate with fluorescent lamps or special fitolamps.

Humidity

Violets do not like dry air, especially during the breeding season. To maintain a suitable level, a pot with a rooting leaf, peduncle or seeds of this houseplant must be created as a "greenhouse". The optimum humidity for the propagation of violets is 50-60%.

Temperature

Violets do not tolerate temperature extremes. Mature plants themselves can tolerate cold at 10℃ and heat at 35℃, but they thrive well at 22-24℃. The optimum temperature for growing violets is 24-27℃. Moreover, this temperature should be on a permanent basis: violet does not like temperature fluctuations.

The soil

The soil for the most favorable growth and reproduction of violets must be of a certain composition. It should be slightly acidic, breathable, loose.

Therefore, the soil taken in the garden will not work: it may be too dense.

For beginner flower growers, there is an option to choose a special soil in the store. There is a large selection, the main thing is to ask a competent seller to choose the right one.

But flower growers with experience say that the purchased land can be very different from what is written on the package itself.

To be sure of the quality, they make the potting mix themselves. The composition of this mixture includes components:

  • washed sand - 1 part;
  • slightly acidic peat - 3 parts;
  • leaf humus - 1 part;
  • green moss - 2 parts;
  • sphagnum (peat moss) - 1 part;
  • charcoal (or perlite, vermiculite) - ½ part;
  • sod land from the garden - 1 part.

Perlite or charcoal is added to maintain the optimum level of moisture, bactericidal properties, soil disintegrator, to prevent the soil from drying out too much or being too wet.

The moisture regulator is sphagnum, which cannot be overdone: it can cause putrefactive processes. It is better to take the land in a mixed forest where coniferous trees, alder, linden grow, but garden land is also suitable.

Pot


For a leaf, peduncle and seed taken for reproduction, any small container 4 cm in diameter and with holes at the bottom for good soil drainage will do.

The grown plant needs to be transplanted into a larger pot when the violet is twice the size of the previous pot.

If its size is not more than 6 cm, the violet is simply rolled over, adding a little earth around the edges and below. A little expanded clay is needed at the bottom to prevent stagnation of water.

Reproduction methods

Violets are easy to propagate with the help of a leaf in the ground and water. Rare specimens can be propagated using a leaf fragment. In this way, you can not only expand the collection, but also save a plant that cannot be helped.

There are ways of reproduction with the help of seeds, peduncle and stepchildren. Consider each of the methods of reproduction separately.

leaf reproduction

This method of rooting in water or immediately in the ground is most often chosen by flower growers. This method is explained by simplicity and relative ease. The main thing is to be careful and patient. The main stages of breeding:

  • choice planting material(sheet);
  • rooting a leaf in a special soil or in water;
  • separation of children;
  • transshipment of young rosettes.

If everything is done correctly, then the room violet will surely delight you with new healthy offspring.

How to choose a suitable leaf for propagation


From right choice planting material depends on the final result.

For breeding, it is better to use a sheet not from the bottom row, but from the middle one, an example is in the photo on the right.

It should not be lethargic, unnatural in color, with spots. It will be difficult to get a good baby from such a sheet. It is better to choose a brightly colored leaf that matches the variety, resilient and strong. Do not take old leaves.

Important! If the cut violet leaf has become lethargic, then you can put it in boiled water, slightly tinted with potassium permanganate, for several hours. Then you need to cut the leaf 3-4 cm from the base and use it for further breeding.

How to cut a leaf

You need to cut off a suitable sheet with a sharp knife, scalpel, blade. Treat the cutting part itself with an antiseptic. The cutting angle should be about 45⁰. The length of the stem on the leaf remaining after cutting should exceed 3 cm.

Rinse and dry completely on a towel or clean cloth for about 20 minutes. This will stop the secretion of juice and avoid further rotting of the leaf. You can skip the drying stage when rooting in water. Apply powdered charcoal to the cut site. More details can be seen in the video below.

How to root a leaf in water

Step-by-step instructions for rooting room violets:

  • Take a suitable container: a dark glass jar (for example, an empty medicine bottle) is best.
  • Pour water into it room temperature, boiled or distilled. Dissolve an activated charcoal tablet in it.
  • Lower the violet leaf into the water so that the immersed part is no more than a centimeter. To do this, it is convenient to fix with a paper sheet with a slot.
  • Carefully monitor the water level so that the cut does not dry out due to insufficient water. Support optimum temperature Avoid drafts and direct sunlight.
  • After about 2 weeks, the first roots will appear. The plant needs to be transplanted into the ground when their length reaches one centimeter.

Important! If the sheet began to rot, you need to cut off the affected part, rinse the container and change the water.

Rooting directly into the soil

Another way to root the violet leaf, which is popular. The procedure here is as follows:

  • Take a suitable pot no more than 100 ml in volume (flower growers often use a plastic cup with holes);
  • Fill a third with expanded clay or crushed foam for drainage. Fill in pre-purchased or self-prepared soil. Make a hole.
  • Dip the cut leaf into Fitosporin solution to protect the plant from fungal diseases. Pour the same solution into the hole for additional disinfection.
  • Deepen the stalk of room violet by one and a half centimeters, do not tamp strongly.
  • Put in a bright and warm place, protect from drafts. Do not place under bright sun. To maintain humidity, cover the pot with a plastic bag, a larger jar. Water as soon as it dries upper layer soil.


It is not necessary to make a greenhouse from a bag or container, especially when it comes to unpretentious varieties of violets. But it is better not to experiment with rare plant species and follow all the recommendations.

How to seat violet babies

The first leaves appear in one and a half to three months. You need to start planting violet babies after the appearance of 4-5 leaves. The height of the plant (if it is not a mini-violet) should be about 5 cm.

You need to take a pot of a suitable size (about 7-8 cm), fill up the drainage (expanded clay or polystyrene), fill it with special soil for violets by about two-thirds. The acidity of the soil should not exceed pH 6.5 (slightly acid soil).

Put the grown outlet in the center of the pot, sprinkle with a new portion of the earth. It is important not to cover the growing point, otherwise the plant may die. After that, water the soil well and provide the transplanted children with high-quality lighting and comfortable temperature. You can see more details in the video below.

Reproduction by a leaf fragment

Reproduction in this way is appropriate with a limited number of planting material, when the violet variety is quite rare, and when a single leaf begins to deteriorate and rot. The stalk of the leaf is cut off completely. The leaf itself is divided in such a way that at least one vein remains on it. More often flower growers root the upper third of the leaf.

The cut is allowed to dry and then treated with crushed charcoal. You need to plant a fragment of a violet leaf so that the cut is in close contact with the soil. It is even better to plant in this way in sphagnum, which has bactericidal and water-retaining properties.

Interesting fact! When propagating violets using a leaf fragment, there will be more children than with any other method.


How violets reproduce with peduncles and stepchildren

This method should be used when you want to preserve as much as possible all the signs of this violet variety. For example, chimera violets have a beautiful color of petals. These methods will help keep the color of the petals as bright as that of the parent plant.

Reproduction by stepchildren occurs as follows: the lateral stepchildren (rosettes), which form in the sinuses around the main rosette of the plant, are separated. The process of rooting occurs in the same way as the leaves. Then, after rooting and the appearance of new leaves, they are transplanted into a suitable pot. In chimera violets, the color potential does not appear in the first flowering, so you should not be upset if the first flowers did not live up to expectations.

Reproduction by peduncles is also used for chimera violets. Bloomed or faded will do. For this method, unblown buds are not suitable. With disinfected scissors or a sharp blade, the peduncle is cut off along with the stipules, planted in sphagnum, creating a greenhouse over the peduncle. You need to wait for rooting (a new outlet appears) and transplant into a pot.


Reproduction by seeds

First you need to choose a pair of violets-parents with suitable signs. Plants should be healthy, blooming luxuriantly. Pollen is carefully collected from the flowers of one plant, and the pistils of another flower are pollinated with it. After 4 months, the seed pods are fully mature and dry. In this form, they are collected and sent for storage for a couple of days.

Violet seeds are planted as follows. We moisten the soil with a high content of perlite. Seeds are mixed with sand and planted. It is not necessary to cover with a layer of soil. We cover the container with the planted seeds with glass, put it in a warm place under special lamps.

It is necessary to water from a spray bottle, carefully monitor and prevent drying out. When the sockets reach 0.5 cm in diameter, they need to be dived into separate containers with special soil and grown as seedlings. Periodically, violets need to be transplanted into larger pots.


Proper planting of violets step by step

In order not to damage the plant, not to worsen its condition, the plant must be properly transplanted. We will analyze in detail all the nuances, we will tell you step by step how to plant a violet correctly:

  1. The frequency of transplanting violets is from six months to 9 months.
  2. For a sufficiently strong plant (no longer a baby, but not an adult plant), a pot is needed with a diameter of 8-9 cm, the maximum size for an adult violet is 11 cm. Miniature violet grows well in a 5 cm pot. The ratio of the diameter of the new pot to the diameter of the plant itself should be 3:1. The size of the holes on the bottom should be about 3 mm. They need several. The pot, if used repeatedly, must be decontaminated, do not use from under diseased plants!
  3. Pour drainage a quarter of the height of the pot, then sand (to cover the drainage layer with a thin layer), then the prepared soil mixture for violets.
  4. When replacing with a more spacious pot, the violet is simply rolled over, adding new soil around the edges. If the old pot is used, the depleted earth should be shaken off the roots a little. Remove damaged roots and sprinkle cuts with crushed charcoal. Place the flower in a pot and, holding the root neck, carefully introduce the soil in parts, carefully distributing it between the roots. Lightly tamp the top.
  5. The transplanted violet is well shed. The first 2 weeks the plant will adapt. During this period, you need to carefully monitor it: keep the temperature slightly above 24 ℃, if necessary, create a greenhouse around the flower.

Possible errors during reproduction

The list of the main mistakes made by flower growers:

  • wrong soil: too dense, with wrong acidity;
  • low humidity and temperature, direct Sun rays;
  • weak or too abundant watering;
  • strong deepening of the root collar;
  • lack of disinfection during rooting.

Such errors arise due to ignorance of the rules for caring for violets, its features. They lead to a slowdown in rooting, rotting of planting material, inhibition of flowering and the formation of new leaves.

Scion care

Caring for rooted shoots of violets is similar to standard care for mature plants.

  • After rooting, the temperature is reduced from 27℃ to a comfortable 22-24℃ for violets. Humidity is needed within 50⁰.
  • The difference between watering shoots and adult violets is more frequent watering.
  • More perlite can be added to the soil for cuttings so that young tender roots do not rot.

Useful video

Find out more from the video below:

Summarize

Breeding violets is quite an exciting activity. In addition, self-propagation will help save money by not buying a ready-made plant in pots at an overpriced price in a flower shop.

Knowing the rules and methods of breeding violets, you can easily cope with the task of increasing the number indoor violets and replenishment of the collection of this plant with new varieties.

For a long time, as a garden, and then a room crop, they began to grow beautiful flowers with velvety leaves - violets. How to care for a beautiful representative of exotic flora to bloom has been of interest to flower growers since that time. Because the violet, scientifically known as saintpaulia, is a plant with a capricious character.

The absence of flowers in violets, as a rule, is associated with a violation of the rules for caring for a crop:

  • deficiency or excess of nutrients;
  • large pot sizes;
  • unsuitable soil;
  • non-compliance with watering rules;
  • incorrect temperature regime;
  • lack of lighting.

Important! Flowering may also depend on the variety: there are varieties that can bloom year-round, and those that, after a short flowering, need a long rest.

Requirements for growing a flower

A low perennial with racemose inflorescences of beautiful small flowers, it is a fairly demanding plant.

How to choose a pot?

Proper selection of the pot is an important component of successful cultivation of violets, the roots of which do not develop deep, but are on the surface. The main parameters that you should pay attention to when choosing a pot include:

Dimensions

Three standard sizes pots depending on the size and age of Saintpaulia:

  • The 9 x 9 cm pot is the largest pot possible and is suitable for a full-grown plant.
  • Pots 7x7 cm are used for cultivating specimens of medium size.
  • Saintpaulia babies or compact varieties are grown in containers 5x5 cm.

When growing a flower in a pot with a diameter of 9 cm, transplantation is carried out in containers of similar sizes, since the use of larger diameter dishes adversely affects the state of the culture. This is expressed as follows:

  • lack of flowers for 24 months;
  • building green mass to the detriment of the formation of flowers, which are small and in small quantities;
  • the development of fungal diseases and pests in the excess part of the soil that is not braided by the roots of the culture.

Material

The pots used for Saintpaulia are made of plastic and ceramics, which have their own characteristics:

  1. If the grower opted for light, practical plastic, he will need to make additional holes on the sides of the pot for air access so that the root system is freely ventilated and the soil does not turn sour.
  2. When buying a ceramic container, which is notable for its fragility and heaviness, you should pay attention only to containers that are not covered with glaze, which are capable of passing air.

Correct soil

Currently, specialized flower shops offer a wide range of substrates designed for growing violets. But due to the light structure, when watering, water does not impregnate the soil mixture, but flows between it and the walls of the pot. To avoid such difficulties, you can prepare a loose substrate that allows the roots to breathe, independently from garden soil and sand in a 2: 1 ratio. Before filling the pot, it is worth calcining it to destroy harmful organisms and placing it in a container on top of the expanded clay drainage layer.

How to take care of violets?

Violet subject to necessary conditions content is an excellent home decoration.

Lighting

To place the pot, a well-lit place is chosen without access to direct sunlight that can leave burns on the leaves of the flower. Window sills on the north, northwest and northeast sides of the house are well suited for this. In the absence of such an opportunity, artificial shading will have to be created by placing the violet on the sunny sides. In order for the violet to bloom profusely for a long period, it needs to receive light for 10-12 hours, which in autumn winter period can be achieved using artificial lighting with fluorescent lamps.

Advice! Constant monitoring of Saintpaulia will allow you to determine the sufficiency of lighting: with an excess of light, the foliage of the culture droops down, and with a deficit, it stretches up.

Temperature regime

The optimum temperature for flowering varies between 20-22°C. If you keep a violet in such conditions, a wide and bright edging is clearly manifested, the green becomes more saturated. While the flowering that occurs in the summer, at hot temperatures from 28 ° C, is not as intense, with small flowers, pale greens and the absence of a border on it. Being in such conditions is detrimental to violets. To reduce the depressing factor, you can use air conditioning, a fan or ventilation.

In winter, hypothermia of the culture should not be allowed, which can cause root rot, in which only re-rooting can save the plant. It is also worth protecting the violet from cold air currents, due to which the culture loses its decorative effect: beige spots appear on the leaf plates.

Watering

For moistening, which is carried out after the soil has dried, warm and settled water for 3 days is used. Violet does not like excessive watering, but the complete absence of moisture negatively affects the condition of the plant.

Humidification can be done in several ways:

  1. Water is poured into a pan, where a flower pot is placed for half an hour.
  2. At temperatures above 22°C, the flower is carefully watered from above so that drops do not fall into the outlet.

Carefully! Violet can not be sprayed, but must be maintained high level air humidity by placing a container of water next to the flower.

Feeding violets

Additional nutrition is provided during the period of intensive development:

  1. For young plants, top dressing is carried out with the help of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
  2. Adult specimens need potassium and phosphorus, which contribute to intensive budding and flowering.

Important! An excess of nitrogen-containing fertilizers in the substrate can cause a lack of flowers.

Proper care of violets in winter

In winter, the main care procedures remain:

  1. Providing additional lighting and temperature regime not lower than 20°C without hypothermia during ventilation.
  2. Watering three times a week with warm water.
  3. Maintaining high humidity in the room where the flower is located.

Care after flowering

If Saintpaulia pleased the grower with abundant and long flowering, you should take care of restoring its vitality by cutting off the lower rows of leaf plates and transplanting it into a new substrate. In the absence of such an opportunity, you can limit yourself to fertilizing.

Important! During flowering, one should not forget about the timely removal of faded inflorescences.

How to propagate violet?

Saintpaulia can reproduce in a generative and vegetative way. Since it is impossible to preserve varietal characteristics with the seed method, cuttings are the simplest and most productive method.

Leaf reproduction is carried out throughout the year, while:

  • A well-developed leaf blade is separated along with the petiole and placed in a container with water.
  • After the formation of roots, the cutting is planted in a pot with a soil mixture.

Or:

  • The sheet is placed immediately in a special substrate, after which the dishes with the handle are covered with glass and a warm room with good lighting is moved, where there is no access to direct sunlight.
  • The substrate is systematically moistened with a spray gun.

Root formation may take long time, so do not rush to get rid of the handle for this reason.

How to seat children?

Adult plants, growing, form children, which often hamper the development of the maternal outlet. In such situations, it is necessary to carry out the procedure for separating the child bushes, which is best done in the summer in order to mother plant enough time to recover for the winter.

For this:

  1. The baby carefully digs out with a sharp object so as not to damage the mother's outlet.
  2. With a lot of leaves and a small number of roots, some of the leaves on a separated outlet are cut off.
  3. The baby is placed in flower pot with a substrate similar in composition to the soil mixture in a container with a parent specimen.
  4. The new plant is moderately moistened and moved to a warm place with big amount scattered light.

Plant diseases and pests

Despite the resistance of the violet to diseases, manifestations of the late blight fungal disease in the form of brownish spotting are often noted on the tropical representative. There is practically no point in fighting it, so it is necessary to prevent the possibility of spreading to healthy specimens by destroying the affected plant and substrate. Of the pests, the most dangerous are nematodes: damaging the root system, they make it impossible to further feed the flower, after which the latter dies. To prevent the possibility of infection of violets, the substrate for pots should be purchased in stores or well calcined in an oven.

So, the violet flower, being a representative of the tropical flora, has a rather capricious disposition. However, subject to the rules for care, the florist will receive a lot of positive emotions from a profusely flowering plant that adorns the home with its beauty almost all year round.

The first experience did not start very well, for a long time I could not figure out how to straighten the violet stem, I have one individual, it lay almost on its side. I decided to tilt it in the opposite direction so that it would straighten up under its own weight, but then a problem arose, the leaves also began to bend strongly under their own weight, so this method had to be abandoned (there would have been even more problems).

The second point, I tried to straighten the violet and put something under the leaves so that it could not return to its original position, but this method is extremely rough and can simply break the violet, I also did not use it.

It remains just to transplant, or re-root, but this method has a number of disadvantages: you can lose a lot of leaves during the rooting process (which we do not need), and after transplanting, the problem is likely to remain. I decided not to immediately transplant the violet, but first put it in water so that new roots appear on the bare stem, while I didn’t cut the old ones, this is what happened:

About a week later, new roots began to grow. This method, unlike re-rooting with cutting off old roots, does not injure the violet, it does not wither and does not lose leaves, in the future, when the stem is very long, but covered with roots, it will be possible to partially shorten it without depriving the violet of the roots completely and not at the risk of ruining her. (observation: with this method a very powerful root system is formed)

After landing, the corrected stem looks something like this:

He became completely even! So that the violet does not lie on its side, I deepened it a little when planting, so it will not be able to bend over until it outgrows its pot and all the leaves of the lower row fall off (this will happen no earlier than six months, or even a year, with good care )

Hence my conclusion: making a bracket for straightening the stem turned out to be unacceptable and not expedient, if it exists, it will not be suitable for all varieties of violets, or it will be with a complex design that does not justify itself. If you have your own opinion or observations, write!

Brackets for leaves are still in development.

At first glance, violet seems to be a very unpretentious plant. It is quite easy to transplant this flower, and it blooms at proper care, almost 10 months a year, except for the hot summer period. But still, in order for the flower to meet your expectations, follow our advice on choosing a placement, a pot for a plant.

Step 1 Place for violets.

Make sure that the plant does not stand in the shade, it loves the light. But keep in mind that violets do not tolerate scorching sunlight. Therefore, on hot summer days, it is better to curtain the windows. Some experts argue that it is advisable to put pots in the northern part of your home. Consider these conditions to ensure maximum flower comfort.

Step 2 Pot size.


Violet flower will grow even in a fairly small container with a little soil. But for a plant to have beautiful view, as well as large well-groomed leaves and large flowers, the size of the flower pot should be 10-15 cm in diameter and reach a height of about 10 cm. You do not need to plant this flower in huge pots, it will grow and lose a beautiful neat appearance. In addition, the correct size of the pot can help ensure proper care of the violet flower.

Step 3 Land for violets.


The stores sell special land mixtures for saintpaulias. You can also make the right mixture yourself. To do this, fill the pot to the middle with expanded clay, put a small block charcoal, and fill the remaining space with ordinary dry earth. It is important to remember that the earth must pass moisture and air well, not stagnate, otherwise the plant will begin to rot.

Step 4 Fertilizers.


For flowering plants specialized stores sell special fertilizers. Fertilize given plant recommended once every two weeks when the violet is in active bloom and once every four weeks when the plant is dormant. You can add special fertilizers directly into a bowl of warm water, where you lower the pot for the bottom watering of violets.

How to properly care for violets so that the plant has plenty of moisture and continues to grow? Take care of proper watering and, if necessary, a quality transplant.

Step 5 Watering.


Do not get carried away with frequent and intensive watering of violets, since a large amount of moisture is contraindicated for them. Ideally, if you water the violet from below, that is, put the pot in a container with warm, settled water. When the soil in the pot becomes evenly moist, this will mean that the violet has absorbed as much water as it needs. This method of watering will prevent water from getting on the leaves and flowers, and, in addition, will protect the plant from decay.

Step 6 Transplanting violets.


Transplantation of violets, like most indoor plants should be done approximately once a year. Just change the soil and drain. You can transplant the violet into the same pot in which it grew earlier, if the plant was comfortable in it. Periodically, it is necessary to wash off the dust from the leaves of violets. This must be done very carefully, for example, with a weak shower jet with warm water. Never expose a wet plant to direct sunlight, as this will cause spots on its leaves, or it will simply “burn out”.

BUSH FORMATION AND REPRODUCTION


.Correctly cut and form a violet bush.

How do you care for violets to keep them nice and compact? A violet rosette should have three to four rows of leaves. The leaves located at the bottom sometimes do not look “vigorous” enough, so they need to be cut off. But be careful, because in the axils of the leaves there are buds that are just emerging.

The stem of the plant becomes longer over time, and the violet loses its original appearance. Therefore, it must be deepened into the ground. Or you can cut the "column" to right size, put the plant in a container with water and wait until the roots grow. Next, you should re-plant the plant in the ground. Remove dry, yellowed or wilted leaves. In order for the flower to grow evenly on all sides, periodically change the place of the pot or turn it towards the light.

.Reproduction of violets.


It is very easy to propagate them. To do this, tear off a healthy leaf and plant it in the ground. Perhaps for a long time the plant will not show any signs of life. The transplanted leaf may even dry out. However, do not worry, because the process of nucleation takes place underground, at the bottom of the leaflet, at its root. There is another simple way to propagate - hold the leaf in a jar of water until the roots appear, and then transplant it into the prepared soil. Both methods will almost certainly bring you "offspring".

HOW TO CARE FOR VIOLETS IN WINTER


Video on how to care for a violet so that it blooms 10 months a year

At different times of the year, violet, like most indoor plants, requires a different approach. If your home is not warm enough for winter time, then it is better to remove the flower from the windowsill. You can also resort to another option and create a "greenhouse effect" by covering it with a jar. This method is not suitable for everyone, if the plant is not small, damage is possible.


Violet flowers, which are not properly cared for in winter, suffer from a lack of moisture in the air. Therefore, it is important that there is always water near the plant. Since the daylight hours are significantly reduced, the plant may not have enough light. To avoid this problem, you can use artificial lighting, such as fluorescent lamps, which must be turned on above the flower for several hours a day.


A video tutorial can help you understand various information on how to care for violets. Here are collected important facts and little tips for lovers of a marvelous flower. After applying the recommendations showing the care of violets in the video, these wonderful plants will delight you with their beauty and create a wonderful atmosphere in your home.

Hello, dear forum users!

Due to technical problems on the site, many articles from all blogs have disappeared. I bring to your attention one of the restored articles of my blog on a very relevant topic.

So let's get started!

I recently received this letter:

Hello, dear Olga Alexandrovna! I got carried away with violets not so long ago, a year and a half ago. I often visit your site, I learn a lot of new and interesting things. But, unfortunately, my knowledge is not always enough. I recently received my first order for cuttings of varietal violets. I want to bring them to bloom safely. And with that in mind, I have a question for you:

How to distinguish the "correct" socket from the socket with clogged leaves? (Can I see this somewhere clearly? Surely, this topic has been raised more than once?) What affects the correct formation of the outlet? And what to do with the already formed "wrong" outlet?

Thanks in advance for your reply. Irina Plekhanova.

I answer you, Irina.

Every fan of violets is rooting for his "kids". The soil plays an important role in the growth of violets. It should be loose, hygroscopic, but not retain water. You can do a lot of additives to it, I will not dwell on this. Soils are sold in each region where the collector lives different brands so the choice is great.

Here the soil is composed using sphagnum moss:

If the soil is constantly "flooded" (watering is frequent and plentiful), then already in childhood an irregular rosette is formed - the leaves are bent, the middle is "compacted", a brown coating is possible on the youngest leaves, the cuttings are hardly straightened for growth. Here it is necessary to replace the soil, add more perlite or agrovermiculite to it and reduce watering. The photo below shows that the soil is slightly flooded, there is a slight red color on the moss. But this is only the initial stage, watering should be less water.

The photo below clearly shows that the center is clogged - this is already acidified soil, a transplant into new soil and a larger pot size is needed (archive, photo 2008):

The correct outlet is flat, the leaves grow freely:

If the leaves grow on a very long stem, then pay attention to the illumination in this place. In this case, there is not enough light.

If the middle is very dense, then in this case there may be overexposure - an excess of lighting. You need to change the place on the windowsill or shelving.

In the next photo there is a slight overexposure - the leaves hug the outlet. But the plant feels good, blooms profusely, so let's forgive him this small flaw:

And there are varieties of violets that grow with "hands up" cuttings. Sometimes these are the characteristics of the variety, but most often it is a lack of lighting. In this case, you need to look for a place where the outlet will be more comfortable. You will have to move it to a new place more than once to find the best one. In my collection, this is the YAN-Metelitsa variety:

Violet diseases also affect the growth of the middle of the rosette, but in this case you will immediately see damage to the leaf plate. I don't have such a photo.

With further growth, temperature plays a role in the formation of the rosette. The higher it is on the racks or windowsill, the denser the middle of the outlet becomes. There are varieties that correctly form an outlet only in a cool place. These varieties include violets by E.V. Korshunova. The varieties of her selection are on my rack on the lowest shelf 3 cm above the floor. Variety EK-Lacy Stars. A wonderful flat correct socket. But the center is clogged, a transplant into fresh soil was needed:

Pay special attention to varieties of violets with curly leaves. At elevated temperatures, the middle of these rosettes will grow like a head of cabbage. Sometimes you have to disassemble the middle of the outlet with your hands, since they will not succeed in straightening themselves. It is better to put such varieties in the coolest place.

The photo below shows signs of overwatering, lack of nitrogen and overexposure, and elevated temperatures. Buds are difficult to get out from under the leaves.

On the shelves, and on the windowsills too, in different places of the shelves, violets grow in different ways. In my photo below (2008), it is significant that in a darker place (along the edges of the rack), the children are stretched out. It can also be seen that children grow faster at the walls than children at the edges of the shelves. From time to time I had to rotate the pallets to equalize the height.

I showed all the shortcomings in my photos of different years.

On the racks, sockets grow more evenly and more accurately, there is overexposure, but in smaller sizes than on the window. I have several rosettes on my window, they grow evenly. We also have blinds, but, in addition to them, we tinted the windows, since we have a south side and the sun all day until evening. The tinting was only 10%, but this is also felt for the colors.

Watering, even in extreme heat, should be more often, but not more. The plant drinks a certain portion of water, but it evaporates differently due to the increased temperature.

The most important thing in the soil is lightness and friability. I really like to add agrovermiculite to the soil.

Fertilizer can be any, but you can not use only one fertilizer component, such as nitrogen. The plant will begin to grow vigorously, the leaves will be brittle, and nutrition will not be enough. Therefore, you need to feed with complex fertilizer, for example, Kemira-Lux. Now it has been renamed, but the composition has remained the same. It is necessary to water with fertilizer in very small doses, precisely for "health improvement".

In summer, violets do not bloom well for everyone because of the heat. But in September-October you will have a garden in your apartment.

With the participation of violets at exhibitions, a symmetrical rosette with the maximum number of leaves is evaluated. If you do not take part in exhibitions, then the number of leaves on the outlet does not matter. But there may be another option here - frequent leaf breakage makes the violet grow new foliage faster and the trunk quickly becomes long. You need to remove the leaves from the violet only the first children's and then the subsequent old ones. It is believed that the rosette of violets after transplanting into a normal pot to the deepest aging can grow up to 7 years. She will not live such an age with you, you will often have to cut off the crown and re-root.

Flowering depends on many factors. Sometimes, due to the excessive efforts of the hostess, the violet will come out with chic leaves, a huge rosette, but there will be no flowers. So look for best option Don't force the socket to always be the size of the starter.

On my photo from the archive - a variegated rosette prepared for the exhibition:

Both before and now, many lovers of violets appreciate the wild flowering with hats. And here there was beauty only from the leaves, and he stood on my shelves and grieved because of the lack of demand. In the end, I filled it and the pot ended up in a bucket. Now sometimes I remember this variety - unpretentious, the leaves were fresh for a long time and did not age. Exhibition socket. Flowering "crown" - a corolla, but there were always few flowers. Here is such a story.

Do not overfeed violets. Let them be watered with plain water than overfeeding. I already wrote above that sockets should not be placed close to each other, especially in the summer. Because of this, they get sick more often and vascular bacteriosis, possibly, begins due to the increased content of ammonia on the shelves (the cuttings are soft, brown and transparent).

Previously, the pots on my shelves stood like this:

0cm;line-height:14.7pt;background:#EAEAEC"> color:black">Then, when the exhibitions began - like this:

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0cm;line-height:14.7pt;background:#EAEAEC"> And now they stand tightly pallet to pallet, but once every 4-5 months I cut off all the leaves that are unnecessary on the sockets, in the summer after 3 months. Just for better ventilation.

Wires go to each shelf to each lamp, and the lamps are attached to the bars. On this large shelving unit, there are 2 lamps above each shelf. Above the topmost shelf, the lamps are also attached to the ceiling on a bar. Since this rack was built a very long time ago, at first it had twin industrial lamps (on Makuni's recommendation). You may remember that there used to be such in the shops. But they were with chokes, which just hummed terribly and got very hot. Therefore, we replaced them with chokeless lamps. The switches are also left over from choke lamps. Now we have put a timer on each rack, but the switches have not been removed, they do not interfere. The wires are also attached to the bars near the wall, the husband did the wiring himself, very carefully, so the wires are not visible.

The length of the lamps is 132 cm, fluorescent lamps of 36 watts. I bought lamps different color- yellow and blue. Lamps used to be German, now Chinese. They fail at the same time. The lamps are sold already assembled, it remains only to connect them to the timer and to the network. Lamps yellow color I did not like it - there is little light and you yourself walk in a gray-green room.

By time, the timer is turned on for 12 hours without a break. I used to take a 15 minute break every hour. The lamps broke down very often, so we set the timers just for 12 hours.

For miniatures, the width of the shelves is 36 cm, the lamps are the same, 1 lamp above the shelves. The distance between the shelves is 30 and 35 cm.

The light turns on almost all year round everyone is the same. The exception is summer heat. In this case, I turn off the electricity 2-3 hours earlier. In winter, when the air is very dry, I turn on the humidifier. We have an air humidity meter, so everything is under control.

Watering through trays is faster. Over time, you will calculate such an amount of water per outlet that it will be completely drunk from the outlet tray and you will not have to drain the rest.

I don't have a drain. Previously, in the first years of compiling the collection, I used expanded clay - sockets often died due to waterlogging, since expanded clay absorbed a lot of water and a swamp turned out at the bottom of the pot.

Then I used finely chopped foam. Here it was different. If you put a little more than 1 cm of polystyrene on the bottom of the pot, then when watering the soil from above, the water first goes into the pan, and the foam does not let it through. The outlet is suffering again. Therefore, it is allowed to grow violets without drainage.

Dear forum users! In this article, the answers to your questions in the former comments were used. I will be glad to your new questions.

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