Today, the senpolia can often be found in modern houses and apartments. This is a very beautiful flower, with petals of lilac, pink and purple. They can have a white border, contrasting stripes on the petals or a yellow core. Saintpaulia can be presented as a gift to relatives and friends. This long-standing culture belongs to the Gesneriev class. The leaves of the plant, as a rule, differ depending on the variety. They can be rounded or elongated, smooth or fleecy. Flowers usually consist of five petals of various shapes and colors. Let's consider in more detail what the senpolia looks like, home care and photos, as well as the subtleties of the growing process.
Growing Features
So, what is the most important thing you need to know about this? Many beginner gardeners today are interested in Saintpaulia. Home care for this plant is not particularly difficult. To grow a full-fledged blooming senpolia, you need to have some knowledge and experience.
Firstly, the plant needs good lighting and moderate watering. The saturation of flowers and leaves of violets will depend on this . Saintpaulia does not like sudden changes in temperature and drafts. In winter, the plant is recommended to provide rest, but they can bloom throughout the year. With insufficient care, it can die. Try to use the advice of experienced gardeners. Growing conditions also depend on the variety you choose.
How to plant a senpolia?
Let's dwell on this issue in more detail.
There are several methods using which you can grow senopoly:
- cuttings;
- by seeds;
- peduncles;
- leaves without cuttings;
- stepchildren;
- outlet.
Growing senpolia from seeds is quite difficult. They are quite small, with this there are many difficulties. Various methods can be used to increase seeds. This will allow you to evenly distribute them in the ground.
In order to grow senpolia, you need to use leaves with a petiole or just one plate. If it grows strongly, you can apply the method of dividing the bush. If you want to rejuvenate the plant, you can plant the violet with a rosette. For breeding varieties with an unusual color, as a rule, planting a peduncle is used.
Branch outlet sockets are also called pinching. They usually appear from the buds between the leaves. When using this method, the plant will have the same color of flowers and leaves as the mother. However, it should be borne in mind that when a senpolia is planted with a leafy stem, a young plant may not inherit the original signs. The processes and corollas may have a different color.
How to choose the right time for landing?
It is best to plant Saintpaulia violet in spring or summer. For a plant to take root better, it needs a lot of bright lighting. With insufficient air temperature and high humidity, the young flower may die or rot.
How to choose the soil for growing?
Many beginner gardeners have many questions about the Saintpaulia violet. Home care for this flower should be carefully planned at all stages. For planting, you need loose soil with plenty of nutrients and low acidity. The soil should absorb water well and let air through. A landless soil type consisting of perlite, peat and vermiculite is also suitable. In such a mixture, the flower will grow very well. You can also use a combination of moss, peat, turf land and charcoal. It is good to combine garden soil, needles, sphagnum, ash and sand. You can also use purchased soil designed specifically for violets. However, the primer must be sanitized before use. To do this, sprinkle the earth on a baking sheet and put in the oven. You can also simply steam the earth over boiling water.
How to plant?
Violet bloom depends on how well the root system is developed. For the senpolia, a small pot is best. To plant a small shoot in the form of a stepson or an rooted stem, a small container with a diameter of up to 5 cm is suitable. Before planting, be sure to sterilize the pot. As the flower grows, the capacity can be increased. For an adult transplant, you can take a pot about 10 cm wide. You need to plant the violet very carefully. The flower should be located exactly in the center of the pot. The roots need to be straightened properly. Make sure the bottom leaves are flush with the soil. Thus, when the green shoots are formed, they will go out of the pot by half. Take care of the landing process. It is from him that the further development of the plant will depend.
Lighting requirements
How to grow a Saintpaulia violet on a windowsill? Home care must necessarily include the organization of proper lighting. A flower needs bright but diffused light. You can put a pot of violets on any side except the north. In addition, it is worth using artificial lighting. The advantage of this method is that it allows you to control the level and duration of light.
Saintpaulia's violet needs light most of all in the morning and in the evening, because it is then that photosynthesis is more active. If you provide the violet with artificial light, it will continue to delight the buds in the winter. If year-round blooming is not particularly necessary, you can hold the senpolia in ordinary light. A flower needs protection from direct sunlight at any time. Try to arrange several pots with the plant so that their leaves do not touch.
Air humidity
What else is important to consider when planting Saintpaulia violets? Home care and cultivation should be carried out at a humidity of 50%. The flower does not require additional spraying. To remove dust from velvety leaves, an ordinary dry brush is suitable. If flower washing is required, then after the procedure it must be thoroughly dried.
Temperature mode
How not to make a mistake in it? If you are going to grow Saintpaulia violet, home care in the winter should definitely include temperature control. A plant, of course, can tolerate higher degrees. However, it is still not recommended to keep the flower at temperatures below 15 and above 30 heat.
Watering scheme
What does it provide? How to water Saintpaulia violet? Home care and a description of the species confirm that the plant needs irrigation with settled soft water. The main rule is that the temperature of the environment and the liquid should be the same. The difference is 4-5 degrees. It is important to prevent the gulf of the plant. One of the reasons for the death of Saintpaulia is stagnant water. In this case, the trunk and roots can quickly begin to rot. If a similar problem occurs, it is recommended to transplant the plant into dry soil. Violet should be watered only as the soil dries. To avoid stagnation of water in the pot, be sure to use a pan and a container with holes in the bottom.
Fertilizers and fertilizing
Many beginner gardeners today are interested in the violet of Saintpaulia. Home care, illness and treatment - all these issues are definitely worth exploring before you start growing this plant. All house flowers need top dressing. For violets, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other trace elements are most needed. You can use dry fertilizers, introducing them into the soil during the transplant process. If you use liquid, then they must be diluted to the desired concentration with water. For the preparation of the composition, the instructions indicated on the packaging must be used. In the period from the beginning of spring to the very autumn, violets are fed every two weeks. In cold weather it will be quite enough to fertilize once a month. In order for nutrients to combine optimally, it is necessary to use complex nutrition. In such formulations, everything is present for the proper development of the plant substance. If you use fertilizers with a high content of one or another component, then they must be alternated. Natural formulations may also be used. For example, fertilize the soil with humus, ash, sand and sawdust. All these components must be mixed and placed in the soil. Remember, the duration and abundance of blooming violets directly depends on the amount of useful and nutrients in the soil.
Pruning
How to grow Saintpaulia violet? Home care, photos of flowers confirm that from time to time the plant needs pruning. After all, the decorative properties of Saintpaulia are due to the compactness of the outlet. To make the bush look neat, you need to trim it regularly. The full development of the violet will depend on the correct removal of excess elements. The processes can take on the lion's share of all nutrients, as a result of which the violet begins to grow inharmoniously. Use a clean and sharp cutting tool to remove excess plant parts.
One of the species popular for home breeding is considered to be the violet of the otambara senpolia. Home care for this crop necessarily involves pruning. The fact is that young leaflets often appear in the center of an adult plant. In order for them to fully develop, it is necessary to remove the old basal leaves. For this purpose, it is necessary to select the largest plates and cut them together with the handle. Cut the leaves neatly at an angle so as not to damage the plant. For the correct growth of the violet, only three rows of leaves are enough. Also obsolete peduncles that may appear over time are also subject to removal. They violate the symmetry of the flower. Each grower must decide for himself which he wants to see the rosette bush outlet.
Transfer
How to grow flower Saintpaulia? Home care and bush propagation necessarily include a transplant process. Young plants need to be replanted as they grow. Old flowers are enough once or twice a year.
Why is this procedure carried out:
- transplanting allows you to completely or partially replace the soil in the pot;
- during the procedure, the volume of the tank can be increased;
- transplantation can be carried out in order to rejuvenate the flower.
If you plan to transplant the senpolia into a larger pot, it is best to use the transshipment method. To do this, remove the violet from the old container with an earthen lump and simply move it into another pot. After this, it remains only to add the necessary amount of soil. Especially often, this method is used when transplanting young plants.
If you plan to partially replace the soil, then the plant extracted from the pot should be slightly freed from the old soil. Only remove parts that themselves easily fall behind the root system. In this case, you can avoid damage. With a complete replacement of the soil, you will have to unravel and clean all the roots. Too long parts can be trimmed a little. For the plant, this procedure will be painless. But flushing the roots is optional. When the violet is ready for planting, just place it in the right position in the pot and fill it with soil. This method is especially suitable for old plants.
Novice gardeners may be interested in what the rejuvenation of a plant means, for example, Saintpaulia mix. Home care for this flower should include this procedure. For this purpose, the violet is removed from the pot, old and unsightly leaves are removed. Also, along with the ground, you can trim and half the roots. After that, the violet is placed in a prepared pot with a drainage system and the required amount of soil is applied. There is a more radical method. With it, the root is completely cut off, leaving only a small part of it. After that, the bush is placed in water so that it does not reach the leaves. When the violet is finally rooted, it can be planted in the ground.
Conclusion
In this review, we examined the main features of the Saintpaulia flower. Home care for this plant is not particularly difficult. It is enough to create the right conditions for her, and the violet will delight you with bright inflorescences for a long time.