Senpolia (Violet) - varieties, care features, reproduction, growing problems

Gesnerium family. Homeland of the Senpoli Uzambar Mountains of Africa. This plant is a favorite of many florists. Natural Uzambar violets are distinguished by a variety of colors and shapes of flowers and leaves. But thanks to collecting and breeding, which lasted more than one century, such diverse and numerous varieties of violets were bred that whole catalogs were created to describe them. We will try to present the most necessary information about these wonderful plants. Although many who begin to breed senpoli wonder which variety has blossomed on their windowsill.

Room violet

Violets are classified primarily by the color and shape of the flowers and by the type of flower:

Simple violets have a five-petalled corolla, the color can be very diverse. The classic violet has two upper petals somewhat smaller than the lower and side ones:

Bicolor violets - these varieties always have two colors on the background rounded spots, without clear boundaries:

The bordered senpoli are bordered along the edge of the petal. The width and color of both the petals themselves and the borders are different (one or two-tone). The width of the border is affected by the room temperature. In hot conditions, the border may disappear altogether, and when the plant is placed in cooler conditions, the border will appear again:

Chimera - such varieties of violets have stripes of different colors, diverging in the middle of the petal from the center of the flower. When propagating with leaf cuttings, the pattern is not transmitted, these violets are propagated by dividing the bush or lateral stepsons:

Fantasy senpoli - have a variety of interspersed different colors and shapes on their petals. But such violets are very demanding on the conditions of detention. When these conditions are violated, the flowers of fantasy violets acquire a monochromatic color. In addition, when propagating fantasy violets with a leaf stalk, the color of the flowers is also lost or it is not fully manifested:

Star-shaped type - petals are all the same size, slightly pointed at the end, the flower resembles a star in shape:

Some varieties of violets have additional underdeveloped petals in the center of the flower, and depending on the number of these moldings, violets are classified as:

Semi-double violets - have 1-2 additional petals in the center:

Terry violets - having a large number of additional power outlets. The location of these moldings is different for different varieties, some acquire the shape of a ball, others are flatter:

In addition, senpoli are classified by leaf type. The leaves can be pure green, with a white border along the edge or spots - white or light green. Additionally, violets are distinguished as' boy '- the usual green leaf from the petiole, and' girl '- there is a light spot at the base .
In the varieties' lance '- the leaves are longer and sharper at the end, the leaves' spoon'have edges twisted to the top:

The leaves may also be even-edged, corrugated, serrated, or wavy. Leaf pubescence can also be different - there are smooth-leaved forms, there are densely pubescent and there are rarely pubescent.

Violets can also differ in the size of the entire plant. The most common "size" is 20-40 cm in diameter of the outlet, but there are also large varieties reaching from 40 to 60 cm, and there are miniature ones up to 15 cm, there are even microminiatures up to 6 cm in diameter. It should be noted that the size of the plant largely depends on the size of the pot and the soil mixture. On nutritious soil in a large pot, even a miniature violet will grow to a medium size. There are also ampel senpoli, their foliage is more voluminous, and the stems fall, hanging over the edge of the pot.

Senpolia care

The windowsill of the western window, in summer it is very hot, burns can remain on the leaves, so on sunny days from 16 o'clock a curtain of white fabric is lowered on the window. But it's already autumn, there is less and less sun, so shading is not needed - additional light is needed.

Temperature

Moderate, optimal for growth and flowering 21-24 ° C, without sharp fluctuations. Winter at least 16 ° C. Senpoli do not tolerate cold drafts and do not like extreme heat, temperatures above 28 ° C already suspend plant growth.

Lighting

Bright light, shaded by direct sunlight during the hottest hours. The best place is the window sill of the east or northwest window. On the south window it is very hot, as well as on the west - it will take shading from 12 to 16 hours. It is desirable that the light evenly illuminates the plant from all sides, for which they are periodically turned on the window. In order to achieve the flowering of senpoli, artificial lighting is used all year. It is best to use 40W fluorescent lamps or LED with a regular 7-14W base. They are placed at a height of about 20 cm from the shelf with plants. The duration of artificial lighting is 14 hours a day.

Watering

Violets are watered depending on the temperature - in hot weather in summer or winter, with heating turned on, the soil dries much faster than in spring and autumn, when the heating has already been turned off or has not yet been turned on, and it is quite cold and damp outside. Therefore, violets are watered as the earthen coma dries - before the next watering, it is necessary that it dries in the upper third of the pot. Water for irrigation is used at room temperature or 2-3 degrees higher, soft, standing for at least 12 hours. When watering, try not to get water on the leaves.

Violets can be watered from a pallet - for this they are immersed in a basin of warm water for 3-5 minutes, then they are allowed to drain, water should not remain in the pallet of the pot. But it is better to make a watering device: take an empty rod from the gel handle, cut off the tip. Pick up a drill bit of equal diameter and drill a hole in the lid from the plastic bottle, insert a tube into it. When watering, the tube easily enters between the leaves and water does not fall on them.

Air humidity

Senpoli love moist air (about 50-60%). But it is undesirable to spray them - only during a strong heat not the bushes themselves, and the air around them is very fine spraying. And for moisture, it is worth placing pots with plants on a tray with wet pebbles or wet moss so that moisture does not fall into the pot. If there are central heating batteries nearby - hang with wet towels - this becomes necessary on very cold days in winter, when the heating is fried to the fullest, and even hair and clothes begin to electrify from dryness.

How to transplant a violet

These violets are planted in too large a container, you need to seat the kids in separate pots.

For growing violets, sufficiently wide pots are used, small height, the size of the pot should correspond to the size of the plant. Young plants with only a few leaves (reproduction in spring) are planted in small pots, 5-7 cm in diameter. Then (already in summer), they are transplanted into large pots about 9 cm in diameter. Miniature violets are grown in pots 3-4 cm in diameter (they are sold for cacti in flower shops). The best pot for senpoli is the one with the same height as the width, since these plants do not grow deep.

If you cannot decide on the size, we give a hint - a pot is needed of such a diameter that the leaves of the violet bush placed in it go beyond it by half the length of the sheet or a little more. If senpoli is planted in too large pots, the likelihood of waterlogging is very high. The earth dries up for a long time, roots rot, soil pests (podurs, cattails or mushroom mosquitoes) start up.

The soil for violets should have an acidity of pH 5.5-6.5 - this is a slightly acidic reaction. There are many soil options for senpoli, here are approximate ones:

2 part of the leafy land, 1 part of the sod, 1 part of the coniferous, 1 part of the river sand, 1 part of the vermiculite .
2 part of the sheet earth, 1 part of the coconut substrate (from briquettes), 1 part of the well-rotted humus flour, 0.5 part of the chopped pine bark,
1 part of the turf land, 1 part of the coniferous land, 1 part of the vermiculite, 0.5 part of the coarse river sand.
5 parts of store soil for violets (or universal), 1 part of vermiculite, 1 part of cut sphagnum moss or chopped pine bark.

Leaf land is harvested in early spring, in the birch forest, as soon as the snow comes down, remove last year's leaf litter and scrape together the land. Turf land can be accumulated in a meadow by removing the top layer of turf. Coniferous land, respectively, in coniferous undergrowth. All soil must be sorted out from branches and leaves and must be sterilized in the oven (40-60 minutes) or in the microwave at full power (10-15 minutes). Sand should only be used large, washed, ideally it is very small pebbles 1-2 mm. Sand and vermiculite have a neutral reaction and act as a baking powder.

You can also use purchased mixtures "Violet" and the like - more about the soil for violets

Reproduction of violets

Usually leaf cuttings, part of a leaf and daughter rosettes.

The most common mode of reproduction is by leaf cutting. This requires a healthy, formed leaf (whether the mother plant blooms does not matter). The length of the petiole should be 3-4 cm, with an oblique cut. It is better to put the handle in water until the roots form. If the handle is immediately planted in the ground, then, firstly, the soil must be loose, not compacted, and secondly, the handle is placed in the soil to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, no more.

The pot with the cuttings is watered with warm water and covered with a plastic bag to maintain humidity, or put in a room greenhouse. The temperature must be at least 20-21 ° C. The formation of roots and the development of children lasts 1-2 months. It is convenient to put babies in yogurt cups - they are easy to miss, when transplanting it is easy to squeeze out and remove a small outlet without damaging the roots.

In each pot with rooted cuttings, you need to place a tag on which to indicate the type of violet and the date when it was put to root. The role of a room greenhouse can be successfully played by a plastic cake box.

Do not forget that violets need to be illuminated if there is not enough natural light.

Problems growing violets and care errors

Brown spots on the leaves - the plant was watered with cold water, the water for watering should be warm.
Leaves turn yellow - fertilizer overdose, air too dry or too humid, too much sun.
Light yellow spots on the leaves are sunburn, shading from direct sunlight is required in the hottest hours. Remove damaged leaves.
Leaves are sluggish, the middle of the rosette rots - rot of the root neck - occurs when the soil is waterlogged, while there may have been sharp fluctuations in temperature. The plant can only be destroyed.
Gray plaque on leaves and flowers - gray rot or powdery mildew, which usually occurs in case of violations of the conditions of detention. Stop spraying, remove affected parts, treat with systemic fungicide.
The leaves are pale green, the edges of the leaves are bent - the temperature is too low, it should not fall below 16 ° C, a cold snap may occur at night, in which case remove the flowers from the windowsill. Also, this can occur from excessive watering.
Violet does not bloom - in low light, lack of food in the soil, dry or cold air, frequent transplantation, untimely separation of daughter sockets, frequent rearrangement from place to place.
Instead of a peduncle, daughter rosettes appear in the axils - too many of them are formed if the plant is planted in a pot that is too large for it. If they are not removed, then the mother plant does not bloom, or blooms, but sparsely, the leaves grind. It also happens when the plant is overfed, next time give a fertilizer containing less nitrogen.