Saintpaulia is a very common indoor plant and is known by the name of the Saint baroque violet. Over 32 thousand varieties of this plant exist today. But as soon as you buy a violet, the question immediately arises: "How to properly care for it?".
Choosing the best place for Saintpaulia
The first problem that arose immediately after the appearance of violets in the house is the choice of its habitat. Violet grows well in a bright place without direct sunlight and drafts.
If possible, it is better to place it on east side. In this case, the morning sun is not so aggressive and will contribute to better flowering of the plant.
If there is no choice, and the window sill is constantly illuminated by sunlight, then to prevent burns on the leaves of violet, it is necessary darken the window using blinds or thick curtains.
However, insufficient lighting leads to weak flowering of the plant. You can fix this by moving the violet to a lighter place or using artificial lighting. As the lighting elements, you can use a fluorescent lamp or phytolamp, which is included for 10-12 hours per day.
Violets, like people, feel more comfortable with an average temperature of 18-180WITH. In order for the flower to be symmetrical, the pot must be turned from time to time toward the sun by different sides.
How to choose a pot for violets
Choosing a pot for violets, you need to pay attention to its size and material production. In size, the pots for violets are divided into small (diameter and height 5 cm.), Medium (7 × 7) and large (9 × 9). It is not recommended to plant saintpaulia in very large potsbecause: firstly, it does not look aesthetically pleasing, and secondly, we want to get flowers, not a bush with leaves.
Important! In large pots violets do not bloom until two years.Violet roots are always close to the surface. This contributes to good ventilation and easy absorption of nutrients by the root system.
If you have reached the 9 × 9 pot, then the transplanting process should be carried out in the same pot. Shake the bottom of the third part of the ground, plant in a pot, add more ground to the top. For the germination of new roots, a place has been made, since the violet roots grow at the top and the lower ones gradually die off.
Pots can be plastic or ceramic. Plastic - light, cheap, flexible, durable, but badly breathable. To eliminate this drawback, they are made with a special plastic tray.
It has a ribbed surface that allows you to keep the bottom of the pot in a raised position. This contributes to the flow of air to the roots of the plant.
Clay pots come with or without frosting. Glazed versions have the same drawback as plastic, although they are more beautiful, but their cost will be appropriate.
Unglazed pots are less aesthetic, heavy and short-lived, but the violets in them feel great. Aesthetic drawback can be eliminated by purchasing pots or a beautiful pot of a slightly larger size. Installation of plants carried pot in the pot.
Requirements for soil for growing violets at home
Soil for violets, as a rule, can be purchased at a flower shop, but some growers prefer to cook it themselves, as they consider the purchase too easy. First, drainage is installed on the third part of the pot (charcoal, expanded clay, small pieces of brick).
The soil should be light, nutritious and breathable. The components of the nutrient group of the soil include: leaf humus, sod land, compost, rotted manure, biohumus, and for ease of soil and air permeability such fillers are used as peat, coniferous humus, light garden soil, peat briquettes, sphagnum moss.
Also, soil looseners are often used: sand, perlite, vermiculite.
Did you know? Violet helped discover a large zinc mine in Europe. On the lands rich in zinc, grow the largest flowers of violets.
Features of watering and spraying
Watering saintpaulia has a special place in the care and cultivation of plants. It does not like excessive watering and arid soil. Therefore, water in a few days and keep the soil moist.
Watering should be separated or boiled water at room temperature. For watering, use a watering can with a thin long nose, because the violet does not like water to fall on the leaves or the growth point in the center of the bush.
At the bottom of the pot, there must be a hole through which the remainder of the water goes. Half an hour after watering, the excess water must be drained. If water gets on the leaves, you should blot it with a napkin.
You can water the violet and through the pan. Pour water into the container and wait half an hour. Violet will take the required amount of moisture. Drain excess water.
The leaves of the plant are not so much afraid of water, as the development of bacterial and fungal rot, and water only contributes to this process. Therefore, you can not spray the leaves of the plant, but you can humidify the air, for example, by spraying the air around the plant or using a damp towel on a hot battery.
Violets prefer moist air with a relative humidity of 50-60%.
When and how to feed the violet
For normal growth and flowering, you need proper care for violets and a sufficient number of micro and macro elements. Major macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. All of them must be in the required amount, because their excess or shortage leads to a decrease in flowering, yellowing and death of the leaves.
Trace elements also play an important role in plant growth. These include iron, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, zinc, copper, boron. Their role in the life of the plant is to ensure the synthesis of enzymes that make it possible to effectively use the energy of the sun, water and nutrients contained in the soil.
Vitamins and amino acids stimulate the uptake by the plant roots of micro and macro elements.
Violets must be fertilized once every 10-14 days with fertilizer for violets or with universal fertilizer using the root dressing method. Read the fertilizer instructions and prepare a solution for watering. We carry out fertilizer in the same way as regular watering following all instructions.
Important! Different fertilizers have different concentrations. Therefore, be sure to read the instructions and strictly follow the dosage. Violets very poorly tolerate a surplus of fertilizers.It is better to have several types of fertilizers and change them from time to time. For example, for more intensive growth, a universal fertilizer is best suited for ornamental flowering plants with a high nitrogen content, and for violet flowers and caring for them - special fertilizer for saintpaulia, with a high content of phosphorus and potassium.
It should be remembered that fertilizers violets should not be in such cases:
- within a month after transplantation;
- with a strong weakening of the plant by pests or diseases;
- with a strong increase or decrease in air temperature.
How to trim a bush
Often the question arises: “How to care for violets at home?” To get a beautiful symmetrical plant. First of all, it must be remembered that the rosette of a violet should look proportionate, pretty and consist of about three rows of leaves.
The center of growth and development of violets should not be clogged foliage. This is due to the lack of useful elements for the development of new leaves, and they become small.
If this happens to you, simply remove the lower leaves that look a bit yellow and not quite alive. It is easy to separate them from the stem, just press with a fingernail at the base, and then twist all the unnecessary leaf in a twisting motion.
If the violet, as a result of such actions, bare trunk, then it can then deepen or sprinkle with earth. In order for the bush to be symmetrical, it is necessary to periodically turn it towards the light by different sides.
Breeding rules Saintpaulia
The simplest and most common method of reproduction of violets is leaf propagation in water or soil. In this method, the correct choice of sheet plays an important role. It must be taken from an adult violet under the peduncle.
Sheets from the center of violets for breeding are not suitable, because they have not yet gained enough strength and nutrients. The leaf should be without damages and defects, bright green color. Extreme sheets have few nutrients, so they are better not to take.
Carefully break off the selected leaf, leave a cutting about four centimeters in length and cut off the excess part with an oblique cut. Dry the cutting for 15 minutes.
Reproduction of senpoly leaf in a container with water produced in the following sequence:
- For each sheet, prepare dishes from the dark glass with a narrow neck.
- Fill the dishes with distilled or ordinary water with the addition of activated charcoal. This will prevent the rotting process.
- Place a cutting on 1 cm in water. Watch out for direct sunlight.
- Water can be poured, but not changed.
If decay of the cutting suddenly occurs, shorten it to the healthy part and powder it with activated charcoal. Water in the dishes change. Follow the process of formation of roots. It can last up to a month. With a root length of 1-2 cm, the leaf can be planted in a plastic cup.
Reproduction of senpoly leaf in the ground is as follows:
- Prepare plastic cups. Make a hole in the bottom.
- In the lower third of the cup, place the drain. Use foam or expanded clay as drainage. Fill the rest of the place with a ground for violets.
- Make a hole in the center, add a little perlite mixed with the ground, and plant a cutting to a depth of 1.5 cm.
- Keep the soil constantly wet and not dry.
Other breeding methods are very laborious and have a small percentage of a positive result.
For example, chimeras they reproduce by stimulating the formation of stepsons, and when they multiply by a leaf, their color is lost. Dumplings on the plant, often appear due to the high nitrogen content in the soil. They are raised to the size of babies and carefully cut off from the mother outlet.
Rooting growth stepson can be held in a greenhouse, placing it in sphagnum moss. The whole process takes about two months. As a result, you get a fairly large varietal plant. Stimulation of stepsons in violets-chimeras can be carried out by cutting the top.
The breeding of violets with peduncles or seeds is done only by breeders.
Did you know?The ancient Romans called the violet the flower of Jupiter.
Violet Transplant Sequence
The annual transplant of violets stimulates the flowering of the plant and makes it possible to lower the lower part of the stem. The best care for violets in the spring is their transplant. It can be done at any time, but not during the flowering period. Flowering violet transplanted in case of emergency, and then only to save the plant.
Transplantation can be done in one of the ways: with a complete replacement of the soil, a partial replacement of the soil, the method of transshipment.
Replacement with full soil replacement is used mainly for adult violets. The advantage of this method is the almost complete replacement of the soil, as well as the inspection and cleaning of the root system of the plant. After removing the plant from the pot, shaking off the ground, and removing the lower leaves, peduncles, old roots.
At the bottom of the pot we put drainage, then some soil. We place the plant in the center and from all sides we fall asleep with soil to the lower leaves. Watering is carried out on the second day. In case of subsidence, fill it up. We make sure that the leg of the violet is in the ground.
Transplantation with partial replacement of the soil is carried out mainly for young violets. For this method, you must have a large pot. Transplantation is carried out similarly to the previous method, only the ground is shaken off only that which is crumbling.
Transplanting by transfer is the most gentle for the plant. To do this, take the pot a little larger. Drainage pour a small layer of soil, and in the center set the old pot.
The area between the pots covered with earth and shaking tamp. Remove the old pot and place a violet with an earthy clod in the funnel. The surface of the soil should be equal.
Caring for these beautiful plants, you will get a lot of pleasure and gratitude in the form of a magnificent bouquet on your window sill. 
