Saintpaulia is one of the favorite plants of many gardeners. Her small green bushes are covered with beautiful flowers. You can make a beautiful composition from them, because it is very difficult to stop at one grade. Uzambara violet, it is also the Saintpoly belongs to the Gesneriev family. Its homeland is the tropical rainforests of the African continent, where it settles near waterfalls and mountain streams. It’s easy to take care of the senpolia at home, even a beginner grower will cope with it.
Description of Saintpaulia
Saintpaulia is a grassy evergreen perennial that lives on plateaus and rocky terraces near Tanzania. Its thin roots are located in the upper soil layer and are able to cling to small stones. Above the ground are short fleshy shoots. The curtain is usually 2-20 cm high, and 20-40 cm in diameter.
Rounded or oblong leaves are painted dark green in color and can be covered with lighter shapeless spots. On the back of the sheet pink or burgundy shades prevail. Petioles and leaflets densely covered with villi. Relief veins stand out clearly on the surface of leaflets.
Flowering can occur throughout the year. In the center of the leaf rosette, a racemose inflorescence, consisting of several flowers of a rounded shape, blooms. Each bud has 5 simple or double petals. The diameter of blossoming flowers is 3-8 cm. Their color can be very diverse. The box-shaped fruit contains many small elongated seeds.
Species and varieties
There are about 32,000 varieties and decorative varieties in the genus Saintpaulia. Some were obtained as a result of long scientific work, others as a result of random experiments by flower growers.
Saintpoly Duchess. A rosette of bright green pubescent leaves is decorated with a bouquet of large flowers. Terry white petals are covered with spots of raspberry and blueberry flowers.
Saintpaulia Mirror of the night. The plant has medium-sized dark green leaves and rounded terry flowers. Saturated blue petals are edged with a thin border and resemble large stars.
Saintpaulia Carnival. The species is characterized by abundant and long flowering. The color of the petals at the edge has a lilac color and gradually changes to light pink.
Saintpaulia Madame Pompadour. Very beautiful dark blue flowers bloom above the shock of small bright green leaves. Petals have a wavy edge outlined by a thin golden line.
Saintpaulia is ampelous. The plant is distinguished by elongated (20-50 cm) shoots with several growth points. Falling stems adorn lush flowers.
Saintpolis mini. A group of varieties with small (up to 15 cm) outlet sizes. Above the tiny leaves, a whole cloud of flowers unfolds that do not fade for a long time.
Saintpoly Chimera. These bushes are distinguished by a contrasting strip on the petals or leaves. Like two completely different plants combined into one. The view is particularly popular and is one of the most expensive.
Propagation of Violets
Propagate violets in a vegetative way. To grow the senpolia from the stem, you need to choose a healthy leaf and make an oblique cut on the petiole, leaving 3-5 cm. Rooting is best done in boiled water. You can also root the plant in the soil. It should be loose and wet. The petiole is buried no more than 1.5-2 cm. The seedling is covered with a film, periodically ventilated and moisten the soil. The pot should be placed in a warm room (at least + 20 ° C) with diffused light. Rooting takes 4-6 weeks.
For rooting, you can cut not a single leaf, but the stepson - a small shoot with 3-4 leaves. It is separated from the mother plant with a knife and rooted in sphagnum moss or sand and peat soil. During the rooting period, the plant should be covered with a bag or a glass jar and transferred to a warm place with diffused light. The process takes 1-1.5 months.
A large senpolia bush with several leaf rosettes during transplantation can be divided with a sharp knife and planted in different pots with soil for adult plants. Usually violet easily tolerates this procedure, but it is recommended to reduce watering within a few weeks.
Transplant Rules
Senpolia prefers light, nutritious soil at home. In order to provide the plant with access to the necessary elements, transplantation is carried out every 1-2 years and they try to replace part of the earthen coma. Pots should be selected shallow and wide enough. A drainage layer is poured onto the bottom. The following components are used to compose the soil mixture:
- turf land;
- peat;
- vermiculitis;
- sheet earth;
- sand;
- moss sphagnum.
Too deep the plant into the soil and tamping the soil is not recommended.
Care Features
Taking care of the senpolia at home is quite simple. It is only necessary to observe some rules so that delicate violet often delights with beautiful flowers.
Lighting. The plant needs bright diffused light. However, the direct rays of the midday sun can cause burns on lush foliage. It is recommended to place pots on the windowsills of eastern and western orientations, as well as on tables in the southern rooms.
Temperature. Adult Senpolia is grown at an air temperature of + 20 ... + 23 ° C. Younger violets are recommended a warmer content (+ 23-26 ° C). In order for the plant to develop normally, it needs to provide a daily temperature fluctuation of 2-4 ° C.
Humidity. Saintpaulia loves rooms with high humidity, because in the natural environment it settles near water bodies. The fleecy surface of the leaves does not allow spraying the plant from the spray. If you have an aquarium or a fountain at home, it is better to put the senpolia closer to it. Pallets with wet pebbles or water are also suitable.
Watering. You can water the violets with settled tap water at room temperature. So that the liquid does not accumulate near shoots and leaves, upward watering is recommended. The soil should dry only in the upper third, otherwise the plant will begin to dry and drop leaves.
Fertilizer. Senpolia needs to be fed twice a month throughout the year. After transplantation, take a break for 4-6 weeks. You can use mineral fertilizers for flowering plants.
Possible difficulties
The most common diseases of the senpolia are rot (root rot, late blight, powdery mildew, gray rot). In cool and damp rooms, when water stagnates in a pot and gets into the center of a leaf outlet, brown or gray spots may appear. If, when pressed, the shoot becomes soft and smells of mold, then the violet is infected with a fungal infection. It is necessary to try to remove all damaged areas, replace the soil and carry out fungicide treatment.
Parasites are not so common in the senpolia. Only sometimes can you find on the leaves of a mealybug or cyclamen tick. Pests are treated with insecticide sprays.
