The night violet flower belongs to the violet genus of flowering plants. It lives on many continents, in different natural zones, and each of the 500 species amazes the imagination and pleases the eye with the unusual beauty of its flowers and tart aroma.
One of these species is matthiola rosea, night violet , which was used in ancient times to decorate houses on holidays. The flower belongs to the genus Matthiola and is sometimes called gillyflower.
Gardeners grow night violet not because of its special appearance or rare medicinal properties, but because its smell when flowering is so strong that the plant becomes desirable in every yard and flower bed.
Description of appearance and features
Violet flowers are not of great interest; they are small and inconspicuous in comparison with other ornamental plants. They look like a scattering of pink and lilac stars on tall thin stalks with bright, closely spaced green leaves.
There are about 500 different types of night violet
Matthiola grows from 20 to 90 cm in height. The plant is annual. The fruit is an elongated pod with many small seeds. The main feature of violets is that they bloom at sunset.
As soon as the sun begins to set over the horizon, the buds of the night violet flower bloom, and a tart aroma spreads throughout the yard where the plants are planted. For such dignity, flower growers love matthiola so much and certainly plant it on their plots.
You can buy night violet for a small price in the form of seeds or seedlings. In addition, matthiol is used to complete the composition of a bouquet, giving it a special aroma.
In the evening, night violet exudes a pleasant aroma
Planting Matthiola rosea
Growing matthiola rosea does not require any special skills. The flower is unpretentious, healthy matthiola seeds with a high percentage of germination, which lasts 3-4 years.
Seeds are immediately planted in open ground. Experienced gardeners advise mixing the seed mass with dry, fine sand just before sowing: 1 part seeds to 10 parts sand.
The seed mass mixed with sand will be well distributed over the entire planting area, the seeds will sprout evenly
The area for sowing should be open to sunlight and sufficiently protected from the wind. The flower loves loams and sandy soils, does not tolerate stagnant moisture and humus fertilization.
The soil on which cabbage or other representatives of the cruciferous family previously grew is not suitable for matthiola. There is a high probability of infection of the root system with fungus or other types of diseases.
It is better to prepare the soil for planting night violets in the fall:
- Dig up the ground, deepening the blade of the shovel by 30–40 cm.
- Apply complex fertilizer for annual flowering plants.
In the fall, before planting seeds in the spring, you need to dig up the soil, burying the shovel 30–40 cm into the ground
Landing:
- Thoroughly loosen the soil prepared last year.
- Use a special hoe to make grooves 0.5 cm deep.
- Moisten a little.
- Gently, sifting between your fingers, evenly distribute the mixture of sand and seeds along the furrow.
- Sprinkle with soil, but do not compact.
- When shoots appear on 2-3 leaves, thin out the plant.
- Moisten with a spray bottle or a thick watering can with thin holes so as not to wash the seeds onto the surface of the ground.
Caring for night violet is not difficult - the main steps are: watering, disease prevention and timely feeding
Due to the fact that matthiola is a little inconspicuous in appearance and is planted mainly for its aroma, in order to preserve the decorative appearance of the flower garden, night violet can be sown mixed with other flowers of the same height.
The flowerbed will become more attractive if you sow a mix of night violet varieties
How to collect night violet seeds:
- after flowering, wait until the seed pod dries;
- carefully break it off;
- gently rub with your hands over a sheet of paper or a box with low sides;
- Lightly blow off the remaining pod;
- Place the seeds in a dark, dry, cool place before sowing.
Store seeds in a cool, dark place
Planting and propagation of night violet
No particular difficulties are foreseen in caring for and planting night violets . The plant is not picky in the climate and easily tolerates different weather conditions, but the soil on which the seeds are planned to be planted should be fertilized, black soil and sawdust should be added, and oxidized soil should not be used.
Avoid areas previously planted with cabbage. If a violet has to grow in such a neighborhood, it will easily catch various diseases (fungus) and die.
The planting soil is prepared in advance, preferably in the fall, by carefully loosening it and plowing it so that it is saturated with the necessary oxygen. Night violet seeds are planted in a sunny area in two periods, taking a break for three weeks. Moderate shade is also suitable, but complete darkness should be avoided, as the plants will grow thin and weak without fragrant buds.
Night violet seeds form in small pods
It is also possible to plant seedlings. In this case, it is better to start in March, after adding a layer of wood and sand to the soil. The seeds are not watered until the first shoots sprout. The best temperature for seedlings is 10-120 C, and the room in which they are located should be sufficiently illuminated by sunlight.
If one of the conditions is violated, the sprouts do not sprout. After the shoots are ready, they are transferred into the ground like seeds. Already an adult matthiola, which has taken root in the ground, can survive severe frosts.
The best places to grow matthiola pink night violet are near people, near benches and borders, on balconies, so that a person can enjoy the smell without being overshadowed by other types of flowers.
Night violet is often planted along paths and next to benches for relaxation.
In the future, when the plant produces seeds after flowering, you can collect them yourself for replanting. The seeds are hidden in pods and should be collected exclusively in the autumn.
How to grow seedlings correctly
Usually the flower is not propagated by seedlings; it is better to grow matthiola from seeds. The flower has weak roots and does not tolerate transplantation well. However, if a gardener wants to get wonderful aromas already at the beginning of summer, then it is better to use the seedling method.
Before sowing seeds, you need to prepare containers and soil. The soil used is nutritious, loose, with excellent water and breathability. Containers and soil need to be treated with potassium permanganate.
Rules for planting matthiola:
- Seeds are sown in early February. Another sowing is carried out in March, then matthiola will bloom at different times.
- Since the seeds are quite small, they are scattered over the prepared soil, keeping a distance of at least 4 cm, and sprinkled with a little earth. There is no need to deepen the seeds. Carefully water them with warm water and cover them with glass or film.
- Containers should be placed in the sun. Before the first shoots appear, it is better not to water.
To grow seedlings from seeds, special conditions must be met. When the first shoots appear, it is necessary to create excellent lighting and reduce the temperature to +12°C, otherwise the seedlings will stretch upward.
If seedlings are grown in boxes, then they need to be picked every 2 weeks. Keep in mind that with all caution, some of the seedlings will die.
To minimize the risk of damaging the roots, the soil must be well watered before planting. Carefully remove each plant, trying not to injure the delicate roots. In the container where we will replant the plant, make a hole, place the seedling and cover it with soil up to the cotyledon leaves. So that the seedling can immediately contact the ground, we slightly squeeze the soil around it. After this, the plant must be watered.
Professional flower growers who have been growing matthiola for many years grow seedlings without picking them. An egg or chocolate box is perfect for this. After filling the cells with soil, plant 2-3 seeds in a separate hole. As the seedlings grow, they leave one sprout, the strongest.
Plant the flower in a permanent place, without destroying the lump of soil, as soon as the warm season arrives. Most often this is done in late spring - early summer. Planting is carried out keeping a distance of 15-30 centimeters, it all depends on the variety. In order for the plant to take root faster, it needs to be shaded.
Conditions for sowing seeds directly into the garden bed:
- The soil is spilled with potassium permanganate, loosened and grooves no more than 0.5 cm deep are formed, otherwise the sprouts may not break through to the surface.
- To distribute the seeds evenly, they are mixed with sand in equal proportions and scattered into furrows.
- Cover it with 0.5 cm of soil. Do not compact it, you just need to sprinkle the soil a little with water.
Night violet, which is sown in autumn or spring, emerges in late May - early June.
How to choose a landing site
In order for the plant to grow healthy and not stretch in height, it is planted in an area where there is enough sunlight. When planting, matthiola must be protected from the wind. By observing these conditions, you can be sure that the plant will grow in a short time, produce tassels and delight you with a wonderful smell.
If we talk about the soil, then it should be loose and fertile . However, it is not recommended to fertilize the plant with manure, as it may contain late blight spores. The plant grows well on loamy and sandy soil . The acidity of the soil should be neutral.
It is not recommended to plant night violet in a place where cruciferous plants previously grew. This can cause the plant to become infected with clubroot or fungus.
The soil needs to be prepared in the fall. Digging makes it possible to prevent fungus or blackleg. The earth must be dug at least 40 centimeters deep. You can dig while adding manure to the soil.
How to properly care for seedlings
Matthiola two-horned will grow healthy even among amateurs, if you follow all the rules for planting and caring for it.
- When 2-3 leaves appear on the plant, the plants dive. You need to leave a distance of 15-35 centimeters between the sprouts. It is also necessary to take into account the peculiarities of growth. Dense seating can cause fungus.
- Mattiola loves watering, but does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil; the rhizomes can rot. Weeds must be removed immediately after they appear. They can weaken plants and also provoke fungus.
- After watering, the soil must be loosened so that air can penetrate to the roots.
- Faded inflorescences must be removed so that they do not absorb nutrients.
- Matthiola needs to be fed after planting. Usually, nutrient mixtures for indoor flowering plants are used for this. The first time feeding must be done 3 weeks after planting in open ground. It is especially necessary to feed the plant during the formation of buds and flowering.
Night violet care
Although violets are easy to care for compared to other flowers, in order for the plant to actively grow and bloom, it is better to provide the necessary comfortable conditions.
It is worth maintaining sufficient soil moisture, watering as needed, and not planting the plant in dark places. But it is dangerous to overdo it with the volume of water, flooding the roots; it is possible that they will rot.
It is necessary to weed violets from weeds and remove excess shoots. If this is not done in time and the flowers are abandoned, weeds can destroy the flowers, sucking all the nutrients and water from young shoots and even strong plants. Gardeners cut off wilted flowers; this has a positive effect on the growth of violets.
Mineral fertilizers are the best solution for maintaining health in plants. But manure, which unscrupulous gardeners love to fertilize, should be neglected.
The thing is that natural fertilizers take too long to decompose, unlike industrially produced substances, and the plant takes a long time to receive the necessary vitamins.
Mineral fertilizers quickly saturate violets with the required elements, accelerate growth and flowering, and also do not have the unpleasant odor that is typical of manure.
If flowers have a negative reaction after fertilizing, you need to change the components or type of substance or recalculate the dose. It should be remembered that in large quantities, fertilizer, instead of being beneficial, can destroy the plant and the surrounding soil.
Another danger to matthiola is harmful insects and diseases. Signs of infection may include painful leaves: wilting, bald spots, dryness.
Flea beetles often gnaw holes in the leaves, causing the plant to suffer greatly. Coating violet leaves with ash, which insects do not like, can help prevent it. In extreme cases, when matthiola is precipitated by butterflies and caterpillars, all plants are treated with insecticides.
The shoots of the night violet are soft and thin, which is very popular with various insects
Beneficial properties of night violet
Probably the main useful property, which is clearly visible in the photo of the night violet , is its attractive, but not too pretentious, appearance. It will always delight the eye and organs of charm with its wonderful aroma.
Violet also has medicinal properties; the flower is used in the treatment of bronchitis and as a rub for pain in muscles and joints. Baths with violet flowers are also used. They heal skin from rashes, relax and soften rough areas of the body.
Of course, the use of violet flowers is not a panacea; it cannot cure completely, only provide a temporary effect or relieve symptoms. Treatment with matthiola is considered as complementary to other means.
Diseases and pests
The plant has few pests and diseases, but they do exist. The most famous are clubroot and fusarium. These diseases belong to fungal diseases and reproduce using spores that overwinter well.
Among the pests, we can note the cruciferous flea, cabbage and whiteweed. Fleas and caterpillars can destroy the plant. To prevent death, it is necessary to inspect the seedlings. At the first signs of illness or the appearance of pests, you need to spray the flowers with certain compounds that can be purchased at a specialty store.
