How to care for violets: a comprehensive guide

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Everything you need to know about proper watering, lighting, replanting and more.

Where to put the violet

Place Saintpaulia - this is the scientific name for this houseplant - on a windowsill or close to a window. Violets love diffused light, not direct sunlight. To shape the rosette symmetrically, rotate the plant 45 degrees to one side a couple of times a week.

It is good if the windows face east, west or north. If to the south, in spring and summer you will have to shade the plant.

To protect Saintpaulia, use, for example, light curtains, paper or bamboo blinds. But metal is not the best option. They heat up and act like a summer battery.

Another way to shade is with parchment paper or sunscreen, which are available at regular hardware stores. Close a third of the window for the spring-summer season, and remove it with the onset of autumn.

Where to keep a violet in summer

In the warm season, leave the plant on the windowsill. Do not take it to the balcony or loggia.

At a temperature of 27-28 ° C, turn on the fan, just do not point it directly at the violet.

If the room is air-conditioned, make sure that the temperature does not drop below 18 ° C, and the air flow does not hit the plant.

In the sunshine, if the room is more than 30 ° C, move the Saintpaulia to the floor. The temperature there is a couple of degrees lower. A short lack of light is not as bad as overheating.

Bottles of frozen water or cold generators for household cooler bags can also help cool the air near the plant. Place them next to the saintpaulia, but make sure that they do not come into contact with the leaves.

Where to keep a violet in winter

In the cold season, keep the plant at a temperature of at least 18 ° C. If it's too cold on the windowsill, move the violet to another place.

If the windowsill itself is cold, place the plant pot on a foam or foam pad. And make sure that there is no blowing from the window frames.

What water to water a violet

Use only prepared. Put tap water in a jar, let it stand for a day or two, and then boil it. So in the moisture there will be almost no chlorine and salts that are harmful to the plant.

You can use filtered water, but distilled water is not suitable at all.

Water the violet only with warm water, a few degrees above the temperature in the room. From a cool one, rotting of the roots can begin and the plant will die.

What irrigation technique to use

Through the pallet

Pour in water and after 15-20 minutes make sure the ground is damp on top. Then drain whatever is not absorbed.

Through the top

Pour the liquid gently into the pot. Make sure that the leaves and especially the center of the outlet do not get wet. After 10-15 minutes, remove the remaining moisture from the pan.

How often to water a violet

Touch the soil in the pot daily. If the top layer of the earthy coma is dry, the plant needs moisture.

Do not water the violet if the soil is still wet, no matter how many days have passed. She will tolerate excess water harder than light drying out.

How to humidify the air

Saintpaulias love moisture. They are comfortable with a relative humidity of 60%.

To provide such conditions:

• use a humidifier;
• put a small vessel with water near the violet;
• place the saintpaulia together with the pallet on a plate moistened with expanded clay or sphagnum;
• Spray water from a spray bottle near the plant, but not on it.

This is especially true in winter, when the air in the apartment is dry due to heating.

How to bathe a violet

Dust accumulates on the leaves of the plant. To get rid of it, once every couple of months arrange water procedures for the violet.

Before bathing, close the pot with an ordinary transparent bag so that moisture does not get on the ground. Over time, when you get used to it, you can refuse the package.

Turn on the water. Make sure it is fairly warm (at a comfortable hand temperature) and that the pressure is low. Take the pot and tilt it slightly towards the stream so that the water falls on the leaves, but does not drain inside.

In turn, gently rinse each sheet with your fingers. Do not use sponges and brushes, they will damage the plant.

Make sure that the center of the rosette with young leaves remains dry. If you accidentally get it wet, blot it off with a paper towel.

Do not return the violet to its original place immediately after a shower. Let it dry first. For example, it is convenient to bathe the plant in the evening and leave it in the bathroom overnight. And in the morning, place it on the windowsill again.

How to transplant a violet

When and how often to transplant a violet

Even if you don't like the pot you bought the plant in, don't rush to change it. Wait at least a month. During this time, the violet adapts to a new place, and the transplant will not increase stress.

It is necessary to transplant Saintpaulias every six months, maximum a year. If you do not do this, the plant will develop poorly and bloom.

The main thing is not to transplant violets at temperatures above 28 ° C.

What kind of land does a violet need

Saintpaulias like light and loose soil that retains moisture well. It is best to take store soil for violets. Other options are not always suitable in composition.

Be sure to add baking powder, such as perlite, vermiculite or sphagnum moss, cut into 1–1.5 cm pieces. Without them, the soil will quickly compact and dry out poorly.

Options for a soil mixture you can prepare for your violet:

• shop soil, crushed sphagnum, perlite and vermiculite in a ratio of 6: 2: 1: 1;
• shop soil, perlite, vermiculite, crushed sphagnum in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 1.

Also add about a teaspoon of charcoal to the pot (¹⁄₂ spoon will suffice for mini violets). Stir all ingredients.

The mixture should be airy and homogeneous. In it, the roots of the violet will receive both moisture and oxygen in abundance.

What kind of pot does a violet need

Not too big. Otherwise, Saintpaulia will grow for a long time and will not bloom soon.

The best option is a pot with a top diameter two to three times smaller than a violet rosette. In height, it should be about the same as in width, or even slightly less.

Both clay and plastic are suitable materials. The main thing is the presence of a pallet and drainage holes at the bottom.

How to transplant

Remove the plant from the pot and remove the old soil from the roots. Loose earth will crumble by itself, you just need to shake it off.

Pour 1–2 cm of expanded clay drainage into the same pot. Add soil and plant a violet in the center.

Do not tamp the soil too hard.

How to care for a violet after transplant

Moisten the potting soil a little. Water the next time after five to six days. During this time, the damage to the roots will heal.

How to fertilize a violet

Feed Saintpaulia if it has been growing without transplant for more than six to seven months. If you renew the soil every six months, you can do without top dressing - the earth already contains enough nutrients.

Fertilize no more than one to two times a month. For this, use special products for violets or flowering houseplants.

Do not feed the plants in heat (28 ° C), which is stressful.

What to do if the violet does not bloom

If the violet is outwardly healthy, and flowers do not appear, most likely it does not have enough light. This problem can be solved by choosing a more suitable place for the plant.

Another possible reason is too large a pot. A transplant will help to cope with this.

How to care for a blooming violet

If your violet begins to bloom when the room temperature is below 30 ° C, it is better to remove the flower stalks under the base. Blooming in this heat can be dangerous for the plant.

If the temperature is lower, just take care of the plant as usual. When all the flowers are dry, remove the peduncle under the very base - gently bend it to the side, it will easily separate. Do not leave a stump, it will rot.

If not everything has faded yet, but dry flowers spoil the view, just remove them with nail scissors.

What problems can arise during flowering

The buds dry up and die

The reason may be insufficient humidity. To solve this, use one of the tips above.

Another option is an abrupt change in conditions. This often happens after buying a flowering plant, especially in the cold season.

Flowers too small

They appear due to the high temperature in the room where the plant stands. And not only during flowering, but also during the laying of buds.

The color of the flowers has changed

A store violet may have inflorescences of a completely new color when it re-blooms. For example, from a delicate blue-white or white-pink, it can turn into a deep purple.

The reasons for this are not mistakes in care. Manufacturers, as a rule, consider such plants to be one-time live bouquets and do not care about color repeatability.

This does not mean at all that Saintpaulia will not develop normally and bloom again. But it is difficult to predict what the inflorescences will be.

How to treat a violet

Light spots

They are clearly visible on leaves, the elasticity of which is not lost. In general, the plant looks healthy.

Such spots appear from a draft during ventilation, and therefore are called draft. They are not dangerous for the plant, but they spoil the appearance.

They cannot be cured, only prevented. So when airing the room, cover the plants with foam wrap or newspapers.

Yellowing of leaves

The reasons can be different:

1. Overheating, direct sunlight or excessive lighting.
2. Lack of moisture.
3. Lack of nutrients in the soil.
4. Increased acidity of improperly selected soil.

Problems due to the sun are solved by changing the place. Otherwise, just transplant the plant.

Thickening the middle

It occurs for various reasons.

1. Cyclamen mite

Young leaves, on which the tick parasitizes, curl upward, become heavily pubescent, become fragile and noticeably lag behind in growth.

Peduncles are brittle and short, new buds practically do not develop. Even if some flowers open, they are also distorted in shape and with unnaturally colored areas.

There is no web. It is impossible to see the pest itself with the naked eye.

To combat ticks, treat the plant with acaricides four times at three to four day intervals. And for prevention, carry out the treatment once a year.

2. Excess light

A similar picture is observed with excessive illumination. This is especially true for plants that stand on the southern windows.

Find a new place for the Saintpaulia to relieve symptoms.

3. Problems with the ground

If the soil is selected incorrectly, over time it becomes compacted, and the plant lacks moisture. Another possible reason is the accumulation of salts in the soil due to irrigation with inappropriate water or an imbalance of nutrients.

The best solution in all cases is a transplant.

Limp leaves

If the leaves are soft even in wet soil, the plant has root problems. They probably rotted away. This could happen if the land was well dried, and then watered abundantly. Or, during the night airing, the soil cooled slightly, and the situation was aggravated by watering.

If these symptoms occur, remove the plant from the pot and inspect the root system. If white roots are visible, leave them, and remove all affected (brown) ones with a knife or razor.

Put the violet in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for about half an hour, and then transplant it into a new earthen mixture.

If the roots are completely rotten, trim them, remove the bottom row of leaves, and trim the trunk.

And then put it in water so that new roots form.

Another option is to sprinkle the barrel with an antiseptic (crushed coal) and dry it slightly. Then plant it in the ground and cover with a bag for a greenhouse effect.

Whitish and flour-like coating on leaves

This is powdery mildew, a fungal disease. Its development is facilitated by a combination of temperatures below 16–17 ° С and high air humidity.

If infestation occurs during flowering, remove the stalks.

Treat the violet twice with a penconazole-based fungicide, 10-14 days apart.

Increase the temperature in the room or move the Saintpaulia to a warmer place.

How to prevent a violet from getting sick

1. Provide the Saintpaulia with adequate lighting, but keep it out of direct sunlight.

2. Monitor the temperature in the room where the plant is.

3. Choose the correct earthen mixture and the right size pots.

4. Replant every six months to a year.

5. Water as the soil dries and bathe regularly.

6. Do not put bouquets of freshly cut flowers in the same room with violets. This can lead to parasite infestation.

7. Quarantine new plants for two to three weeks and keep them separate.

8. Isolate sick Saintpaulia for the period of treatment.

9. Inspect the violets periodically to identify problems in a timely manner.

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