Violet is one of the most common indoor plants. This flower rightfully deserved admiration from gardeners and breeders, since the abundance of its varieties allows everyone to choose their favorite variety. So the violet “magic tulip” has become one of the favorites of people planting this plant.
Breeding
The violet "PM Magic Tulip" was brought out by breeder Natalia Skornyakova. She, along with another breeder Tatyana Pugacheva, is creating new varieties of this flower in Kursk.
All varieties of the Natalia collection have the prefix RM in the name. These letters are the initials of her mother, to whom all the breeding developments of the master are dedicated.
A distinctive feature of all varieties of violets bred by Natalia is the presence of abundant and prolonged flowering, the complex shape of the flowers, their large size and unusual color. In addition, all representatives of her collection are highly resistant to burnout from direct sunlight.
This violet belongs to the varieties that have received recognition for the bright color, splendor of flowering and its duration.
Description and photo of violet "magic tulip"
Natalya Skornyakova directs her breeding activity to breeding unusual plant specimens. Her violet variety “magic tulip” also has some appearance features. The petals of this flower are formed into a tulip, the bud of which has not fully opened. The flower has a beautiful pink color with a white eye, and the border of the petals has a light raspberry dusting. The violet "magic tulip" photo is presented in the article.
This plant belongs to the Gesneriaceae family and the genus Senpolia hybrid.
Flower features
Violets "magic tulip" underwent a huge selection work. That is why they have a number of distinctive features:
- Large flower size (compared with other representatives of the senpolia).
- A special color - three different colors in the color of the petals, contrasting edging and mottling.
- The complex shape of the flowers is corrugated, multilayer, double.
- Long flowering time (more than 1 month).
- Increased resistance to fading of leaves.
- Hassle-free growth subject to the rules of care.
Lighting
One of the main conditions for the care of violet "magic tulip" is the abundance of light in the absence of direct sunlight. Lighting for the normal growth of such colors should be bright and diffuse. In the event of a lack of light, they bloom either poorly or there is no flowering at all. If the plant stands on the western, eastern or southern windows, it should be shaded, as the leaves and flowers will be covered with burns. The northern window is an ideal place for such a plant, where it will grow well and bloom abundantly from spring to summer.
The lack of lighting causes the leaves to stretch up, and its excess leads to their bending over the edge of the pot. The key to the abundant flowering of such violets is a sufficient amount of light for 10-12 hours daily. If this condition is not met, full flowering will not occur.
In order to provide the violet with proper lighting all year round, most often they use a special rack over which fluorescent lamps will be used as artificial lighting.
Optimum temperature
The most suitable temperature for violets is considered to be no higher and no lower than 20-22 ° C. The stability of this temperature is the key to the growth of strong and abundantly flowering plants.
Growing this sort of violets in colder conditions leads to a wider and brighter border on the petals. In the hot season, exceeding the temperature norm causes a decrease in the abundance of violet blooms, a decrease in the size of the flowers, and the absence of a characteristic border, as well as specks. A long stay of a plant in a room with such a temperature adversely affects its growth.
Fresh air from a window, a fan or air conditioning can help to cope with high temperatures. However, you should be very careful that there are no drafts, since foliage and petals can become covered with spots or stains of light beige color. This will not lead to the death of the plant, but aesthetically ruin its appearance. In addition, hypothermia can lead to the fact that the violet root system begins to decay. In this case, the only salvation for plants will be re-rooting.
Watering
In watering violets of the “magic tulip” variety, the photo of which you can see in the article, you should also follow some rules:
- It is possible to moisten the earth in a pot with tap water, however, before it is necessary to stand for 2 days in an open container to remove chlorine. After this, the water must be boiled, this will help get rid of excess salts. Only after boiling and cooling can water be used for irrigation.
- When watering, the water should be warmer than the temperature of the soil in the pot and the environment. In practice, it was determined that room temperature water is too cold for violets, especially in winter, when the shelves with light are warmer than in the room itself. The earth in the pot is also warmer, so it turns out that the water at room temperature turns out to be cold, which leads, as mentioned above, to rotting of the root system and death of the plant.
- When watering, it is necessary to avoid getting liquid on the flower's growth point. In addition to the "top" irrigation, you should pour a little water into the pan of the pot.
- 15 minutes after watering, the liquid remaining in the pan should be removed so as not to cause rotting of the roots.
- This variety of violets is easier to tolerate a slight drying of the soil than excessive moisture. Watering the flower is necessary when the top of the soil is dry to the touch.
- Once every 1.5 to 2 months, the leaves of the plant should be washed under warm water to remove dirt and dust, while making sure that the water does not get into the pot.
Air humidity
For the full growth of the violet “magic tulip” high humidity is required, which should not be less than 50%. In apartments, especially during the heating period, it is very difficult to achieve the necessary and stable humidity. In order to rectify this situation, a container of water must be placed near the pots with the plant. A great option would be to have a humidifier.
In adult plants, compared with "babies", the level of adaptation to the humidity level in the apartment is increased. Transplanted plants or germinated leaves especially need high humidity, as this contributes to their better rooting and growth. To solve this problem, they are most often covered with polyethylene or placed in special greenhouses.
In those cases when condensation appears on the shelter, it is necessary to ventilate the flower. However, one should not be too zealous for humidity, since when the mark of 70% is exceeded, active reproduction of fungal diseases begins.
Soil selection
The normal growth of violets also depends on the proper selection of soil. They need a loose and nutrient rich land. In addition to the fact that it can be purchased in specialized stores, it is possible to do it yourself. To do this, mix:
- 3 parts of peat;
- 5 parts of sheet land;
- 1 part perlite;
- up to 10% of the total mixture of charcoal and vermiculite.
Such a composition will provide good absorption of moisture and air.
Pots
Before transplanting the violet "magic tulip", you must correctly select the size and material of the container. The best option would be a plastic or ceramic pot. Despite the lightness and durability of the plastic container, it prevents air from entering the soil.
The size of the pot also plays an important role, since in a large capacity the violet will develop only the root system and will not bloom. Abundant flowering guarantees a small pot with holes in the bottom for the outflow of excess fluid.
Violet Diseases
The full development of this plant can be prevented by parasites and various diseases, the most common of which are: gray rot, brown rot, late blight, powdery mildew.
Blight on the foliage and rot on the roots are characteristic of late blight. A plant affected by this disease should be completely eliminated and the pot disinfected. In order to protect the plant from late blight, superphosphate must be added to the soil.
Gray rot manifests itself in corresponding color spots on any part of the plant. To combat, the "diseased" parts of the flower are removed, and the plant is transplanted with fungicide treatment.
With powdery mildew, whitish marks in the form of dew drops appear on the leaves of the violet. You can fight it with the help of "Fundazol".
The cause of violet diseases is always improper care, so you should responsibly approach the arrangement of the place where this flower will grow, because it is easier to prevent the disease than to fight it.
Possible pests
Violet "magic tulip" can be exposed to the following pests:
- mite;
- aphid;
- thrips;
- scale shield;
- whitefly;
- nematode;
- false shield, etc.
For clarity, the article posted a photo of the violet "PM Magic Tulip", affected by aphids.
Acaricides will help get rid of ticks, Agravertin will help get rid of ticks, and Actar insecticide will help get rid of thrips.