Wick watering violets - how to do it yourself

In home gardening, violets, or saintpaulias, are among the most popular plants. About 8,500 varieties have been created and breeders are regularly working on new hybrids. These flowers are picky enough to care for. For successful growth, they need wick watering, so it is important to master this method of moisturizing the flower.

The essence of the method of watering violets with a wick method

Wick watering is a way that makes life much easier for flower growers, since these plants are not very fond of overhead watering. Using the traditional method, you can pour the flower, and the water will get on the leaves, and the violets categorically cannot stand this. Therefore, wick irrigation suits them perfectly. Its essence lies in the fact that with the help of a special wick or cord that leaves the soil at the bottom of the pot, the plants immediately receive moisture from the vessel from below. This way, they can only take the amount of water they need.

Violets on wicks

Pros and cons of transferring Saintpaulias to wick irrigation

The advantages of transferring violets to wick irrigation:

• Providing better conditions for the growth and development of violets - flowering will begin earlier and last longer.
• No need for individual watering.
• If you choose the right proportions of water and fertilizer, there will be no oversaturation or lack of necessary substances.
• A flower grower does not have to worry about the state of the Saintpaulias for quite some time and can safely go on vacation.
• The plant cannot be overfilled, since it will take the required amount of water by itself.
• Mini and microfiolets grow well only on a wick.
• The smaller the diameter of the pot, the more intensively the violet develops.

Reasons why you should not transfer plants to wick irrigation:

• With the wrong wick, the root system can become oversaturated with moisture, causing the roots to rot.
• With this method of watering, the leaf rosettes become larger, therefore, take up more space.
• In winter, violets watered in this way should not be kept on the windowsill, as the water can be overcooled.

Wick watering violets: how to make - preparation

To organize the correct wick irrigation for violets, you will need: properly prepared soil, a pot, a water container and the wick itself.

Soil preparation

With wick irrigation, you will need loose, moisture and air permeable soil. In addition to peat, it must include a baking powder - sand, perlite, moss. A good drainage layer is also needed, located under the soil layer.

Soil composition for violets

Selection of containers

The flower pot should be small, but not too tight. It is better if it is plastic - it is the lightest material that will not add weight to the watering container.The container itself can be one for several pots or individual for each violet.

One container for several flowers

What to make a wick for violets

It is most convenient to use a synthetic cord as a wick, since natural fabrics will quickly rot. The selected material should absorb water well. The thickness of the wick varies and is selected individually for each pot. As a rule, a 5 mm thick cord is chosen for a pot with a diameter of 5-8 cm.

How to transfer violets to wick watering: step by step instructions

It is obvious that wick watering is preferable for Saintpaulias over usual. But you need to transfer to it, observing certain rules so as not to harm fragile plants.

Mature plants

Adult flowers can be easily transferred to wick watering. For this you need:

1. Prepare all the necessary components for the implementation of the process.
2. Pour the previously prepared soil mixture into the pot, transplant the violet using the transshipment method, spill it with water so that the soil becomes wet and the donkey.
3. Drain off the remaining water that has not been absorbed and place the pot on a container with prepared warm water.
4. The distance between the pot and the liquid level should be 1-2 cm.

Now violets do not need top watering, they will receive water through the wick. Therefore, you do not need to worry about water getting on the leaves, sunburn and overflowing flowers. By experimenting with different types of containers, you can find an option that is more convenient and beautiful.

Preparation of materials for wick irrigation

Sockets

1. Prepare the necessary materials to be used in the bottom watering process.
2. Check for a hole in the flower pot.
3. Prepare the wick. For one pot, you will need a cut about 20 cm long, one end of which is placed in a spiral on the bottom of the pot, and the other is placed in a vessel with water.
4. A layer of sphagnum is laid out on a circle laid in a spiral, which will further contribute to the potential separation of children. A layer of prepared substrate is poured over the moss.
5. Cuttings of violets are planted. Each stalk in a separate container.
6. In order for young plants to be saturated with moisture, the pot must be completely immersed in a solution with a growth stimulator.
7. Cups are placed on vessels with water so that they are a couple of centimeters above the liquid level.

If everything is done correctly, then in a few days the cuttings will take root. The green leaves that have risen up will be evidence of this.

What dressing to add when wick irrigation

For watering violets using the wick method, it is recommended to use complex mineral fertilizers, which are sold in liquid form. They are mixed with water in the required proportions and poured into the vessel itself, from which the Saintpaulia receives water. During the flowering period, it is better to use potash-phosphorus fertilizers, which will provide more lush and longer flowering. You can use different formulations and watch how violets react to them.

How often to add water to the container so as not to pour the violets

Water is added to the container as it is consumed. The lace must always be in the water. It is best not to let the liquid level drop more than 2 cm from the bottom of the pot.

In hot summer months, you will have to add water more often than in autumn or spring. In winter, it all depends on where the flowers will be located. If they stand next to a central heating battery, the moisture level will have to be monitored.

Wick irrigation of violets is a system that should not be feared. Plants watered in this way grow faster, bloom more luxuriantly and lasting longer.For Saintpaulias, this type of watering is most beneficial, since they can consume exactly the amount of moisture and nutrients that they need. As a result, neither overflow nor underfilling can be feared. The composition of the liquid in the container can be adjusted by checking the reaction of the flowers to various types of fertilizers.