Usambara violet or Saintpaulia is one of the most common plants among lovers of indoor floriculture. Its popularity is explained by the small size of the plant itself, the variety of colors of leaves and flowers, fairly simple care, and long flowering.
This plant belongs to the Gesneriaceae family and is native to East Africa, where it grows in the lower layer of jungle plants. This explains that violet prefers diffused lighting conditions and sufficient soil moisture.
Description of the variety
Violet Blue-Eyed Russia has a standard socket. It has large double and semi-double flowers of a delicate blue color with elongated, slightly wavy petals. The edges of the petals are outlined with a purple edging. In the center there is a beautiful rich blue shading, and the edge has a strawberry frame - a border with a splash.
The rosette is green, exhibition. The leaves are pointed and grow slowly. The bushes are perfectly formed, they turn out beautiful, even, and compact. The size of the rosette depends on the size of the pot.
Violet Blue-Eyed Russia is a repeated winner of domestic exhibitions. The color and shape of the flowers is simply unique. The purple edging and expressive shades add elegance to the variety. Flowering under a lamp and under natural light is almost the same. However, in natural light the flowers are brighter and the flower stalks last longer in the bouquet.
Reviews and advice from flower growers
Elena. They gave me violet leaves of the Passion variety. I didn’t even see the photo and description at that time, and after the first flowering I was disappointed. I decided to leave it for one more flowering, and did not regret it. Many flowers the color of ripe cherry blossomed. I advise you to grow the variety on a shelf and away from the lamp.
Read what care the Petersburg violet needs and how to grow it correctly.
We offer you to read a detailed description of the violet variety Greenhouse effect with photos.
Larisa. The description of the variety did not match what I received from the leaf. My violet Passion has grown simply terrible. The rosette was like a horse, the leaves were tangled together. Among this disgrace grew inexpressive flowers. I broke up without regret - I sent my daughter to school. It grows there without special care and blooms all year round.
Bloom
Violet Blue-Eyed Russia blooms with beautiful double and semi-double stars of a bright blue hue. Flower size is 6-7 cm. Flowering is long-lasting, each lasts up to five weeks. In the heat, the size of the flowers decreases and the color becomes paler. The variety is stunning with an abundance of flowers and a huge number of buds. The flowers are holding up well. The cap of this variety, bred by Elena Korshunova, has a regular shape and retains its grace for a long time. Her flowers do not fade for a long time, maintaining their color. However, during the flowering process the border fades a little.
In order for the EK Blue-Eyed Russia violet to show itself in all its beauty, it is necessary to prepare and select the right substrate and provide coolness. In such conditions, it will show its color and a border will appear.
This variety is hardy and unpretentious. She is easy to care for. The variety lends itself well to propagation. It blooms in the tenth month from planting the leaf.
Information about the breeder
Charming violets with large corollas of exquisite colors and shades were formed in the process of breeding development of Saintpaulia varieties by Kursk violet grower Natalya Skornyakova and have the common abbreviation “RM” in their name.
For about two decades now, since the first decade of the new century, an experienced master has been cultivating and breeding his own varietal violets.
The selection line of her Saintpaulias is dedicated to her mother, Raisa Mikhailovna , whose name appears in the branded prefix. All varieties are different:
- Extraordinary decorative configuration of the rims;
- And quite stable repeatability of varietal characteristics.
ATTENTION! Specimens of violets of these two varieties described are among the participants in countless exhibitions, take prizes, deserve favorable reviews from specialist violet growers and enjoy the trust of many domestic flower growers.
Light
According to the description, the Blue-Eyed Russia violet needs plenty of lighting, but without direct sunlight. South windows are not suitable for the plant. If there is no other placement option, then shade the violet. It is best to place the plant on east and west windows.
In winter, it is recommended to remove violets from cold glass to prevent hypothermia of the roots.
If the plant is not placed on a windowsill, then it must be illuminated. With a lack of light, the violet stretches upward, the color of the leaves is lost, they become soft, and the development of the rosette is disrupted.
In order for the plant to develop correctly, it is provided with 14-16 hours of daylight.
Air humidity
To successfully grow violets, you need to monitor air humidity. In their homeland, plants grow in conditions of high humidity. If the air in the room is too dry, then moisten it by installing trays with water, or install an air humidifier next to the violets.
Traditional foliar spraying is not suitable for violets. The droplets do not evaporate, but roll down the leaves to the center of the rosette. As a result, she becomes infected with a fungus.
Watering
The most common cause of violet death is improper watering. These plants do not tolerate drying out or waterlogging of the soil. It is considered optimal to water violets twice a week in the warm season, and once a week in the cold season.
For irrigation, use settled water at room temperature. You can water at the root, making sure that water does not get on the leaves. You can use watering from a tray, wick or drip methods, as well as water the plant by immersion.
Violets love to swim. After this procedure, they should be dried thoroughly, allowing the water to drain completely.
Pot
For any plant it is necessary to choose the right pot. And violet is no exception in this regard. These plants are capricious. If the diameter of the pot is not selected correctly, the flower will not be able to develop or bloom normally.
Violets have a small root system and do not need much space. The pot should be three times smaller than the rosette. You cannot use the pot “for growth”, as in this case it may rot. If you use a pot that is too large, the plant will not bloom until its roots have covered the entire soil.
You can use hanging flower pots, as well as ordinary ones, with a diameter of 8-12 cm. Violets feel comfortable in such pots.
Main features of cultivation
Differing in the shape of the bush and long flowering, trailers of Saintpaulia have slightly different requirements for the processes of their formation and maintenance than ordinary violets. Some care methods differ in minor nuances.
But there are also specific features - planting methods and bush formation , which is mandatory for many varieties of trailer violets.
Planting methods
You can plant the only child of the plant in the center of the flowerpot , pinch off the growing point, and then form a violet trailer with the required number of flower centers, removing excess stepsons and leaves. This planting is good for plant varieties that produce abundant shoots .
It is advisable to plant varieties of the bush group in one flowerpot, several at a time, preferably in a circle near the edges. And be sure to control the initial size of the children - it must match. The plant's children will give rise to stepchildren and form a smooth clearing.
When planting a leaf with children, a ready-made trailer violet bush will gradually form in the center of the flowerpot.
Features of growth and development
The main distinguishing feature of the processes of contour formation and growth of the trailer violet is its ability to form numerous shoots in the leaf axils, as well as grow elongated stems.
A large number of axillary children, mercilessly removed from ordinary varieties of violets, allows the trailer forms to create their own unique contour of the bush group. Each child has its own growth point, which means it produces strong, slightly elongated stems that grow straight upward. All stems together provide a convex volume.
Stepchildren are not removed from trailers.
The formation of violet trailers of the ampelous group occurs according to a slightly different scenario. They are able to form cascading plant contours due to the growth of elongated stems with axillary children. In this group, the shoots fall down in the form of lashes or are distributed over the surface of the substrate.
The more additional shoots are formed, the more abundant and longer the flowering will be.
Basic care
Comfortable growth of trailer violets requires careful adherence to all basic regimes for keeping plants indoors:
- providing long-term diffuse spectrum lighting and backlighting in winter;
- maintaining the temperature at +20 + 24°C with minor daily differences;
- protection of violet trailers from drafts and sudden temperature fluctuations;
- maintaining proper and regular watering of the plant, avoiding overwatering or drying out of the soil;
- applying fertilizers for adult trailer violets at a time determined by visual monitoring of the plant;
- replanting the plant using the transshipment method as the trailer violet grows out of the pot.
Formation of a flower bush
Many varieties of trailer violets require the formation of a bush outline, otherwise they can grow into a shaggy and awkward plant. There are several ways to create a beautiful specimen , and each gardener chooses the one that suits him:
- You can get the right trailer violet bush from a single child with about 10 leaves . The growth point of such a plant is pinched, due to this the axillary shoots begin to grow. After they are sufficiently decorated, the lower leaves of the plant are removed, and at the same time, damaged or non-standard leaf plates are cleaned. For a beautiful volume of the trailer violet bush, only a few of all the axillary children are left (ideally 5);
Children of the trailer violet.
- when planting several plant children in a circle in one pot, they eventually form a clearing, which requires formation by removing excess leaves and directing shoots to empty spaces;
- It is ideal to form ampelous varieties of trailer violets in a flowerpot on a high leg or in a hanging pot . In this case, part of the plant’s stems are directed downwards, and the remaining stems growing next to them are pinched to create volume in the flowerpot itself;
- Another way of forming ampelous varieties of trailer violets involves laying out the stems of the plant on the substrate - gradually, with the help of new children, an even carpet will be obtained.
ATTENTION! For all methods of forming the outline of a violet trailer, it is necessary to thin out the leaves, control the uniform elongation of the main stems of the plant, and fill the bare areas with newly formed shoots. When these rules are followed, trailer violets turn out to be even, symmetrical plants with evenly filled space with leaf blades and buds.
Reproduction
The simplest and most convenient method of propagation is cuttings. The resulting cutting can be planted immediately in the ground, without waiting for roots to appear. With this method, the plant is buried 1-2 cm into the soil at an angle of 45 degrees. To create optimal germination conditions, the container with the planting is placed in a greenhouse.
You can root the cuttings in water. To do this, place the leaf in clean water; be sure to add an activated carbon tablet to prevent rotting. The handle should not touch the bottom of the walls and bottom of the vessel. After 2-3 weeks, roots will appear and the cuttings are transplanted into the ground. During this procedure, it is important not to damage the delicate roots. When planting, you cannot bury the cuttings, otherwise you will have to wait a long time for the babies to appear. It is optimal to plant at a depth of 1-2 cm.
Transplanting violets Blue-Eyed Russia
If the violet becomes cramped in the old pot, replant it.
Over time, the violet ages, the lower leaves turn brown and dry out. Such leaves are removed from the plant, which exposes the lower part of the trunk. Such a plant can be rejuvenated by replanting it in fresh soil and deepening the trunk to the base of the rosette leaves.
It also happens that a young plant has grown and becomes cramped in the pot it occupies. In this case, it is also necessary to replant the violet. It is necessary to replant young plants grown from leaf cuttings from small pots into pots of larger diameter.
The best time to transplant a flower is early spring to mid-summer, when the plant is actively growing. You cannot replant plants in late autumn and winter when all life processes are slow and the plant is in unfavorable conditions - low light, temperature changes, low humidity. The diameter of the new pot prepared for replanting should be slightly larger than the old one.
Soil mixture composition
It is important to correctly compose the soil mixture for replanting. You should not take humus from a compost heap, as pathogens of fungal diseases may persist there. It is also not advisable to use soil from garden beds on which vegetables and flowers grew for the same reasons. It is best to use soil from a meadow or forest on which cultivated plants have never grown.
In addition, such soil has high acidity, which is also very good for violets. The optimal soil acidity for planting violets is ph equal to 5-5.5. Acidity can be determined using litmus paper, which can be purchased in specialized stores.
To prepare the soil mixture, use forest or meadow soil, preferably clean river sand, and peat soil for violets from the store in a ratio of 1:1:3. To improve moisture holding capacity, you can add sphagnum moss, which retains moisture well and also has antibacterial properties.
Violets cannot be replanted in soil taken from vegetable beds.
To make the soil mixture looser, add a little perlite or vermiculite. It would be a good idea to add a little crushed charcoal. You can use activated carbon from a pharmacy for these purposes. All components are thoroughly mixed.
Using drainage
We place a drainage layer of about 2-3 cm at the bottom of the pot. A layer of crushed polystyrene foam or the same sphagnum moss can be used as drainage. Before planting the plant or immediately after planting it, the soil can be watered with a solution of Fitosporin or Previkur.
Diseases, pests
Caring for any violet flowers at home comes down to proper watering and timely replanting. If the rules of care are violated, the violets get sick. They are affected by infections, fungal diseases, and pests appear. Most often, violets are affected by gray rot, powdery mildew, and fusarium. Burns may occur on the leaves. Often plants are affected by insects: aphids, nematodes, thrips, mites.
If the plant is sick or has been attacked by a pest, it should be treated immediately with chemicals, following the instructions.
