Violet bridal bouquet - flower description
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More than 100 years have passed since the time when Baron Adalbert von Saint-Paul, walking in Africa among the Uzambara mountains, discovered a previously unknown beautiful flower. In honor of its discoverer, the flower was named saintpaulia. The second name is given by the place of discovery - the uzambar violet. Connoisseurs of flowers immediately fell in love with this beautiful plant. At the moment, there are a huge variety of Saintpaulia species.
What does a violet wedding bouquet look like?
Violet Wedding bouquet is an incredibly effective flower. It was bred by K. Morev, a famous breeder. From this variety, a sport called Our Wedding was fixed, as well as a seedling - a violet Bridal Bouquet.
Violet Wedding Bouquet
A seedling may be outwardly practically indistinguishable from a varietal flower, but it would not be correct to compare them. Violet Bride, in contrast to the Bridal bouquet, has unstable varietal characteristics. At the moment, two varieties of this variety are known. They are distinguished by the shape of the leaves.
The flower got its name due to the large white flowers, similar to the bride's bouquet. The diameter of the flowers ranges from 5 to 6.5 centimeters. The flowers themselves look like double stars with a corrugated edge, white on top and silvery on the back. There is a green border on the petal, which disappears over time.
If such a border reappears in the middle of flowering, then the air temperature in the room is too low. It will be enough to make the air temperature higher for the flowers to become perfectly white again. When the bouquet blooms completely, it looks like an airy snow-white cloud over a green rosette.
Features of care for a violet Wedding bouquet
This variety of violets is very unpretentious to care for. It does not need special conditions, you just need to follow a few simple rules.
In summer, the air temperature should not be higher than 24 degrees. Otherwise, the appearance of the colors will change. They will become simpler to look, lose their play and shape.
In winter, the temperature should not drop below 18 degrees. Otherwise, the plant will begin to freeze, and with abundant watering, it will rot. The bridal bouquet loves light, but the flower must be protected from direct sunlight. Do not put it on a south-facing window, because delicate flower leaves can get burned, and the roots overheat.
Burned on the leaves
If in the house all windows face south, then the flower must be shaded. If there is a lack of lighting, additional lighting will be needed. It is best to install the flower on the east and west windows.
Water for irrigation must first be defended, and then frozen so that it becomes soft. The water is thawed and heated to room temperature before use. Too cold water is bad for the root system of the plant.
During the period of growth and development of the plant, when the rosette begins to form, it is necessary to provide the flower with fertilizers containing nitrogen. As soon as the buds are formed, you need to exclude nitrogen and include phosphorus and potassium in the bait. You do not need to fertilize more often than once every 2 weeks. If the flower is sick, you should postpone the feeding.
When and how it blooms
From the cutting to flowering, an average of eight to ten months pass. The violet blooms from one to three months. Flowers replace each other quickly enough. Some bloom, while others bloom. Therefore, we can say that the violet Wedding Bouquet blooms almost all year round.
The rosette itself is very compact, with four to five buds on each peduncle. The leaves are green, rounded. Flowers are always dense, with a lot of petals. Perfectly shaped rosette.
How to propagate a violet Wedding bouquet
There are several breeding options for violets Bridal bouquet. One of them is with cuttings. You need to use the leaves of the middle row of the rosette. You can immediately place the leaf cutting in the prepared loose soil, or you can first put it in water and wait until the roots appear.
Rooting the cuttings in water
After a month, babies appear on the handle. Do not immediately separate and transplant them. You need to wait until the leaves become 3-4 centimeters in diameter.
To protect the young rosette, it is recommended to cover it with a transparent cap during rooting. After the appearance of new leaves, the cap can be removed.
Another breeding method is growing from a stepson. Violet Wedding flower often throws out daughter rosettes that need to be removed immediately. There should only be one socket in the pot. If both mother and stepson grow in the same pot, then the flower will not bloom. The stepson is carefully separated from the flower and transplanted into special soil.
Growing from seeds
You can also grow a violet from seeds. For this, the seeds must first be prepared.
First, they are mixed one to one with crushed charcoal, and then, in the same proportions, with sand. In this case, the mixture must be shaken well.
For planting seeds, special phyto cassettes with a lid are best suited. First, drainage is poured into the container, then sand, sphagnum moss and at the end of the soil. Next, the seeds are planted on a moistened, pre-prepared soil. They are covered with a lid and placed in a warm place, out of direct sunlight.
Transplant after purchase and during reproduction
At the first transplant and up to three years, a violet with a part of the old earth is placed in a new pot. At the bottom of the pot, drainage is first laid, which should fill it by a third. Next, the flower is carefully installed, and the soil is poured. When the violet is three years old, the transplant is performed with a complete replacement of the soil in the pot.
It is necessary to renew the land and change the pot for a larger one every spring. Many types and brands of ready-made soil for violets are now sold in stores. It is quite suitable for a transplant.
However, if you have the time and desire, you can prepare the mixture yourself. This will require:
- five parts of leafy or soddy soil;
- three parts of peat;
- one piece of sand.
Verniculite (10% of the total), ash and sphagnum moss are also added here.
Gradually increasing the size of the pot by 1 centimeter when transplanting, you must eventually stop at a pot with a diameter of 11 centimeters. No further enlargement of the pot is required. Ideally, the rosette of the flower should be three times the diameter of the pot for the flower to feel comfortable.
Before transplanting, you need to carefully examine the plant. If, on examination, dry or sluggish leaves, flowers and rotten roots are found, then they must be removed. All cuts are best done with a sharp knife. Next, you need to crush a couple of tablets of ordinary activated carbon into powder and process all sections with it. If, after transplanting, the leaves of the plant do not touch the ground, but at the same time are located almost at the same level with it, then everything is done correctly.
Possible growing problems
If you do not follow the simple rules for caring for a violet Wedding bouquet, you can expose the plant to many diseases.
The main causes of the disease of the Wedding Bouquet are excessive watering and non-observance of the temperature regime. Violation of care can lead to the development of fungal and bacterial diseases such as:
- late blight,
- fusarium,
- gray rot,
- rust,
- powdery mildew.
Gray rot
It will be possible to save the flower only if the disease is immediately recognized. A sick flower needs to be transplanted urgently. Cut off the affected leaves and roots, and sprinkle the cuts with charcoal, after crushing it.
In addition to diseases, the violet can be attacked by pests:
- scabbards,
- aphid,
- whitefly,
- nematodes,
- worms,
- ticks.
Summing up, it is worth noting that the violet Wedding bouquet, which K. Morev brought out, is suitable even for those who are very far from floriculture. It does not require special care, and if simple rules are followed, it can delight others with beautiful snow-white flowers almost all year round.
