Uzambara violet - home care

Saintpaulia, or another name - Uzambara violet, is a wonderful plant that can decorate any living space or office. Breeders have developed a large number of varieties of this plant. It is very easy to look after him.

The history of the appearance of a home flower

Saintpaulia is a species found in the wild in Africa. The plant has the name Saintpaulia because at the end of the 19th century, Baron Saint-Paul noticed it near the Uzambara mountains, described it. After a while, the flower attracted attention during an international exhibition.

What does an Azambara violet look like

For a long time, breeders worked with the plant, who bred a large number of varieties. They are happily bred by amateur flower growers as an indoor flower.

What does an uzambara violet look like?

Amateur flower growers are interested in knowing what saintpaulia is. Violet Saintpaulia leaves no one indifferent, because its flowers have a huge number of shades. The flowering period is long, which is important in indoor floriculture. Plant classification - it belongs to the Gesneriev family.

Common varieties of Saintpaulias

The following varieties of Saintpaulias are widespread:

1. The beauty queen. It is distinguished by petals of the same size, evenly spaced around the core. The flowers are purple-violet.

The beauty queen

2. Violet Zephyr variety gives large double buds of cream or white color, with pink blotches. Differs in large and large peduncles and light green leaves. It blooms very quickly.

Violet Marshmallow

3. The Pauline Viardot variety is distinguished by its large wine-colored flowers. The edge of the petals has a white border. The outlet is very compact and bright.

Pauline Viardot

4. The Black Pearl variety is distinguished by thick and large double flowers. The violet, purple color of the petals is also surprising. Leaves are oval and dark green in color.

Black Pearl

5. The Lovely Creole is a velvety, dark blue variety. There is a white border at the end of the petals.

Beautiful creole

6. Viscount is a variety of Saintpaulia violets with large blue flowers with corrugated edges.
   

   Violet Viscount

   Leaves are rich green.

Care

Caring for the uzambar violet at home consists in observing the proper temperature regime, lighting, humidity, watering, and feeding.

Temperature

For uzambara violets, a temperature of about 24 degrees is suitable. It is necessary to ensure that the thermometer readings do not differ much during the day or at night.

Lighting

For the plant, you need to choose a place where there is a sufficient amount of sunlight. In summer, the violet grows well on the east or west window.

If the apartment does not have an east window, then on the south one you need to shade the plant at noon. A good option is to use a side table.

Watering

Usambara violet saintpaulia can be watered with settled tap water. Melt will do as well.Rainwater can only be used in ecologically safe areas. During watering, make sure that water does not get on the leaves and on the rosette of flowers. This can be achieved by watering the plant at the root.

When the air temperature rises, the number of irrigations is increased. On the contrary, if the weather has become a little cooler, then you need to water the plant less often.

The plant itself signals the need for watering by the state of the leaves. If they are elastic, then the violet is normally provided with water. If they are sluggish to the touch, then the number of watering must be urgently increased.

Watering Saintpaulia

If the soil is dry, then the roots of the plant die off, absorbing moisture. When the soil becomes waterlogged, the root system of the plant rots.

Spraying

It is not recommended to spray violet saintpaulia. If the air in the room is very dry, then you can direct the spray jet from a distance of about 2 meters.

Humidity

It is necessary to ensure that the room has a high relative humidity. In dry air, it is not recommended to spray the plant. You can increase the humidity by placing containers of water near it or using humidifiers. This is especially true in winter.

Priming

There are certain requirements for the soil into which the uzambara violets are transplanted. All of them are to provide oxygen access to the root system.

The soil must always be loose. This helps to retain sufficient moisture. It must include:

• humus leaf;
• sod land;
• sand;
• sphagnum moss.

Coconut substrate, perlite is added as a filler in small quantities. You can collect some land from a coniferous forest.

Top dressing

Complex fertilizers are used that contain not only nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium, but also trace elements. They contribute to the normal flowering of the plant, the development of leaves.

Fertilizing the uzambar violet is prohibited in such cases:

• within a month from the day it was transplanted;
• with extreme heat or, conversely, cold;
• when it is affected by pests;
• if she stands in the sun.

The frequency of fertilization is once every 2 weeks. Carefully adhere to the concentration of the substance indicated on the label.

For young violets, you need to give fertilizer enriched with nitrogen. This will give the plant bright, strong and green leaves.

When and how it blooms

There are many varieties of flowers, depending on the variety. They can differ in shape, shade of petals, size.

Types of flowers

The flowers of this plant are numerous, up to 4 cm in diameter. They are collected in inflorescences, which contain from 2 to 7 flowers. They can be simple, semi-double and terry.

Depending on the variety, the color changes: from snow-white and cream to blue, dark blue. There are also two-tone varieties.

Violet powdery mildew

Flower shapes

The flowers of this violet have 5 petals collected in a brush. There are 2 stamens. The flower has a pistil. The calyx has 5 sepals. After flowering, a capsule with a large number of seeds is formed.

Flowering period

With proper care, the Uzambara violet can bloom for about 10 months a year. Her rest period occurs only on the hottest days of the calendar.

Flowering care

During flowering, you should carefully adjust the amount of water for irrigation, carefully make sure that the soil is not flooded. It is important to ensure the constancy of the temperature regime. In winter, cold air should not enter the pot, so you need to insulate the windows.

During flowering, you should not overdo it with fertilizers. The plant should be fertilized thoroughly and regularly if the leaves wilt and the number of flowers has decreased.

How uzambar violets are propagated

Reproduction occurs by seeds, pinching, rooting.

Germinating seeds

The Uzambara violet is rarely grown from seed. You need to do the following:

• sift the top layer of the soil mixture;
• water the ground with a fungicidal solution;
• make small furrows in the ground, sow seeds in them;
• cover them with earth;
• water the earth.

Rooting cuttings

Cuttings are taken from leaves of healthy plants. The leaf is cut obliquely with a sharp knife. The length of the cutting is about 5 cm. The cut should be sprinkled with activated charcoal and placed in water. After about a week or 10 days, the first small roots appear on the cuttings.

Leaf propagation

Then the stalk must be planted in a glass with earth. A month later, the first leaves of a young plant appear.

Other options

Bush division is often used. The detachable socket must have a kidney. Further, the separated part of the plant is rooted by planting it in the ground. The first days for the seedling need abundant watering.

Transfer after purchase

The plant is small, so it is grown in appropriate pots. As the violet grows, it needs to be given more space.

Planting is complicated by the fact that the Uzambara violet has delicate roots, so it is difficult for it to endure a complete replacement of the soil. The plant must be transferred to another container and filled with the required amount of soil. Transplant only when it became noticeable that the violet had slowed down growth. The same is done if the roots of the plant are rotten.

Possible problems

Due to improper care, the plant can be sore and affected by pests.

Diseases

Most often, the houses of Saintpaulia are affected by such diseases:

• rot of leaves and roots;
• gray rot;
• powdery mildew;
• fusarium;
• late blight;
• bronze.

Pests

In the process of growing, violets are capable of infecting such pests:

• aphid;
• nematode;
• thrips;
• mealybug;
• sciarids.

Other problems

Sometimes the leaves of the plant can fade and turn yellow. The problem is solved by turning on additional lighting, feeding.

The Uzambara violet is the real queen of the windowsill. With its beautiful and long-blooming flowers, it gives positive emotions, decorating any room.