Uzambara violets or senpolias trace their history to wild-growing violets growing in the mountainous regions of Kenya and Tanganyika. This story has more than a hundred years. During this time, thousands of different varieties were bred, which have gained immense popularity and love among millions of lovers of indoor flower growing.
Growing violets requires careful care, and then they will delight you with their beautiful healthy appearance and plentiful flowering almost all year round. Violets cannot be called capricious flowers, but some features of their growth should be taken into account.
Propagation of violets for me, as for many novice lovers of violets, was quite problematic. The first attempts were unsuccessful. But the experiments continued. Classics of the genre prescribed the propagation of violets by the traditional method of leaf propagation. To do this, you need to prepare a sheet of your favorite variety. It is necessary that it be a mature leaf without any signs of disease, a good green color, which indicates the presence of a sufficient supply of chlorophyll in it. It should be taken from the second row of leaves or from under the peduncle. On the leaf petiole, a fresh cut should be made with a new blade of a safety razor. And for rooting, put in a glass of boiled water, in which half a tablet of activated charcoal is added. After two weeks, the roots should appear on the stalk. When they grow to 1-1.5 cm, the stalk should be planted in a pot. And put in a microparic - an ordinary plastic bag, only a new one and loosely tied.
After repeated attempts, having gained some experience, I came to the conclusion that the propagation of violets in single quantities can be done by rooting them immediately in the ground. To do this, you just need to assemble the following "design". In a pot with a sliding bottom with a diameter of 8 cm, I pour the finished soil mixture of the type "Terra Vita". It should be sufficiently loose and moist. I carefully insert a leaf with a petio cut to 2-3 cm into the ground. I crush the soil around the petiole. And from above all this is very neatly covered with the trimmed top of the plastic bottle. I select the diameter of the plastic “suit” to the diameter of the pot so that the structure is held tight enough, there is free space inside, and the leaf does not touch the plastic. At the same time, I unscrew the stopper from the neck. Watering is carried out sparingly through a pallet or along the rim of a plastic bottle, while water does not fall on a leaf, but moistens the soil well. Inside the “spacesuit” that necessary micro-atmosphere is created, which has a beneficial effect on the rooting of the cuttings.
After 1.5-2 months (sometimes more), children appear on the leaflet. After their germination, the “spacesuit” can be removed. Having grown up tiny creatures a little, so that it would not be scary to pick up, they need to be planted. It is very convenient to use small plastic cups (100 ml) for this purpose. The hole at the bottom is easy to burn with a hot nail or an old fork. And for a “collective” pallet, I usually use a plastic container from under the preserves - the liquid level is clearly visible and it is easy to determine the need for additional watering. Such a collective pallet for a couple of weeks to adapt, you can hold the microparic from the package.
Propagation of violets can be carried out by stepsons, germinating in the axils of the leaves. But this should be done when they already have their own small outlet formed of at least 4-5 leaves. It is necessary to very carefully separate the stepson from the stem with a scalpel or blade of a dangerous razor. Allow the slice to dry for 10-15 minutes and, dusting the slice with activated carbon powder , put it in the ground. When planting children or stepsons, it is recommended to use the same ready-made soil mixture as for rooting the leaves. After that, they should be placed in a micro-steam container from the bag.
So that rooted stepsons or seated children grow well, you should remember the basic rules for caring for violets.
- you need to water the plants with soft water along the edge of the pot so that moisture does not fall on the growth point, it is better to do this through a tray;
- Senpolies do not like bright direct sunlight, but prefer diffused;
- drafts and low temperature are fatal for them, in winter it should not be lower than 18 degrees;
- plant should be fed every 8-10 days, especially in spring and summer;
- so that the bush is symmetrical and accurate, it should be periodically rotated around the axis.
Sometimes the question arises of how to transplant a violet when it has become quite old, and the lower part of the stem begins to become bare. The plant should be transplanted periodically, approximately once a year, preferably in the spring. The stock of nutrients in the soil during this time has already, as a rule, been exhausted, which can adversely affect flowering. Pots for transplantation can be both plastic and ceramic, but their diameter, even for adult plants, should not exceed 10 cm. If the planted plant has several adult stems, they must be carefully separated with a scalpel so that everyone gets his portion of the roots. The slice should be powdered with activated carbon powder and dried well. After the cut is dried, the plants can be planted by deepening to the first leaves of the rosette. If any of the deletion roots still did not get, do not rush to throw it away. Remove excess leaves, dust the cut with activated charcoal and dry well. It can also be rooted in a small pot in a microparc.
Of course, there are other features from the "aerobatics", but not all at once. Let the skills of breeding violets allow you to admire your pets, their beautiful flowering. Let the plants please you at any time of the year.