Violet conquers with its touchingness and insecurity. However, the outwardly fragile flower actually has a very persistent character and unpretentiousness. Surely in every house this lovely plant grows, and if someone does not already have it, then it is imperative to purchase a violet. She will decorate the interior of the apartment and will not require special care.
Violet, plant description
Domestic violet, or Saintpaulia, is a herbaceous perennial with a poorly developed fibrous root system. Depending on the type, its stems, which have a fleshy structure, can be either shortened with basal leaves in the rosette, or branched and longer with several hanging rosettes, the diameter of which varies from 6 to 60 cm.
The leaves of the senpolia are diverse in shape: round and elongated, with a sharp tip and with a rounded, with a simple base and heart-shaped. The edge of the sheet plate can be serrated and rounded, and the surface of the sheet is flat, wavy or corrugated, concave or curved, glossy or matte, but it is necessarily covered with villi.
The leaves of home violets are also colored differently. It can be all shades of green, can be interspersed with olive, beige, lettuce, yellow and even pink. The underside of the leaf is mostly green with a silver coating, but it happens in some varieties and red shades.
Violet flowers can be dyed in all colors of the rainbow spectrum due to continuous selection. Saintpaulia is perhaps the most numerous plant in terms of the number of varieties. The sizes of the flowers, which are collected in cystiform inflorescences, are in the range from 2 to 9 cm.
According to the type of structure of the flower, the violet can be simple (petals are arranged in one row), semi-double (two full rows) and terry (from three rows or more). The seeds of a plant ripen in a seed box, which has the shape of a round, ovoid or spindle-shaped.
Care requirements
In order to have an idea of how to grow a violet from a leaf, you need to know some rules for caring for this plant, i.e., the preference of the flower for watering, light, temperature, air humidity and top dressing.
Senpolias do not like temperature extremes, especially sharp ones. During the spring-summer period, the optimum temperature for them will be +22 ° C with slight fluctuations in one direction or another. In winter, violets will benefit from a certain decrease, but not lower than +16 ° C. These delicate colors are categorically undesirable drafts.
Domestic violets are photophilous, but they do not tolerate direct sunlight and burn out, so they need to provide diffused sunlight or eastern and western windows. From time to time, the pot with senpolia should be turned to the light either on one side or the other side for uniform illumination. And if the violet is illuminated during a short day, the flowering time can be extended.
Senpolis are moisture-loving, but stagnation of moisture in the soil is contraindicated for them. They need to be watered with well-defended water at room temperature as the top layer dries directly under the root or in the pan, preventing moisture from entering the leaves.
During the flowering period, which lasts up to 10 months of the year, the violet must be fed with mineral fertilizers once every two weeks, the rest of the time once a month.
For a comfortable existence, the senpolia needs increased humidity, but it is strictly forbidden to spray plants, in order to avoid decay of the leaves. It is necessary to emphasize this point, it will come in handy when the question arises of how to properly grow violets from a leaf.
It is better to put a flower pot in a tray with expanded clay or moss, which must be constantly moistened. If the violet is located on the windowsill next to the central heating battery, then it is better to hang it with a damp towel.
Breeding methods
As the senpolia grows, it must be transplanted, while simultaneously separating the daughter sockets. The violet pot will fit low but wide. Optimum soil is a mixture of turf (3 parts), leaf (2), coniferous (1) land and peat (1) with sand (1).
Propagated by violet by dividing the bush (daughter sockets) during transplantation, seeds (which is quite laborious and long) and leafy cuttings. Next - about how to grow a violet from a leaf at home. I must say that this is not as difficult as it might seem. It is only necessary to make a minimum of effort and possess some knowledge.
On the Internet, you can find many materials on how to grow a violet from a leaf. Advice and methods of reproduction by this method are described by both amateurs and professional gardeners and breeders.
In order for the leaf stalk to take root and develop into an adult plant, it is necessary, first of all, to choose the right planting material and determine exactly how the rooting will occur. There are two ways. But about how to grow a violet from a leaf, step by step outlining the entire uncomplicated process, a little later. First, about planting material.
How to prepare planting material?
The process of growing violets from leaf cuttings is quite time-consuming, so you have to be patient. From how well planting material is selected, 90% of the success of the enterprise will depend.
Experienced flower growers often give the necessary advice on how to grow a violet from a leaf correctly. And if you follow their recommendations, you can greatly simplify and shorten the process of turning the cuttings into an adult, abundantly flowering plant.
So, a few basic rules regarding how to grow violets from a leaf, choosing the right planting material.
Rules for planting material
- The first rule. Do not choose leaves from the bottom row of the outlet, as they are closest to the ground and are often the weakest and sickest. Cut for reproduction is better instances located in the upper rows. The higher the soil, the less susceptible to disease and fungus is the violet leaf.
- The second rule. The shank should not have any damage on its body.
- The third rule. If the planting sheet went by mail for a long time or survived another lengthy transportation, then to resuscitate it, you should place the stalk in a weak warm solution of manganese, which is prepared from boiled water. After two hours, remove the leaf from the solution and cut with the sharp, disinfected potassium permanganate, scissors the lower part of the handle three to four centimeters from the leaf plate.
How to grow a violet from a leaf: ways
There are two ways to grow from leaf cuttings: in water and in the ground. For rooting in the soil when preparing planting material, it is better to cut the stalk at an angle of 30 °, and then leave it on the table for five to ten minutes to dry the cut.
Growing violets from a leaf in water
Many people know how to grow violet from a leaf with the classical method of root formation “in water”. But here there are some points to which you should pay attention.
- For this method, it is better to use a transparent dish in order to notice the decay of the tip of the handle in time. If trouble nevertheless has occurred, then the affected area must be cut off, dried and placed in the newly prepared water.
- To minimize the risk of decay, before placing the leaf in water, dissolve a tablet of activated carbon in it, which will settle, leaving the water clear and clean.
- The shank should be immersed in boiled water 2 cm, which must be added as it evaporates.
It takes two to four weeks to form roots in the water, depending on the variety.
Growing violets from a leaf in the ground
Further, how to grow violet from a leaf with the method of root formation in the soil.
- Prepare the soil at the rate of: 1 part of the nutrient earth and 2 parts of vermiculite, since friability and maximum breathability are necessary.
- Place the prepared cuttings with a dried slice in a transparent cup, deepening into the soil by 2 cm, no more, so that it is easier for young leaves to grow to the surface. Gently apply soil around the leaf.
- When the young outlet grows up, cut off the old sheet.
- Water regularly as the soil dries, preferably in a pan. To do this, make holes in the bottom of the glass in advance.
Follow the photo, how to grow a violet from a leaf, you can continue.
In order to grow a healthy, lushly blooming violet from a small shank, you need to listen to the needs and preferences of a small delicate flower and try to follow the recommendations of experienced gardeners.