Saintpaulia becomes everyone's favorite in the apartment. She takes up little space and is touching in her outfit. However, like any plant grown under artificial conditions, it is demanding in terms of maintenance. One of the important components of care is the timely replacement of the substrate in the bowl, replanting the plant and its propagation or rejuvenation. There is a lot of information on the website and in the video about how to transplant violets at home step by step.
Wick method. Peculiarities
Wick watering is the most popular method. A small piece of rope is inserted into the hole in the container with drainage, the other end of which is lowered into the water. The pot with the plant is placed above the water or on top of a container filled with liquid. A special effect occurs - capillary, due to which water rises to the roots of the plant. The violet, in this case, determines the amount of moisture consumed on its own. When the humidity or air temperature of the room fluctuates, the plant has the opportunity to independently determine the need for moisture.
in the photo - wick watering of violets
Wick watering is not suitable for all species. It is recommended to water some plant varieties through a tray. In winter, the wick method is not recommended, since the water on the windowsill cools, which is unacceptable for Saintpaulias. The diameter of the plant's container for wick irrigation should be no more than seven to eight centimeters.
How to plant violets at home?
It is very important for the owner of violets to know how and when to plant violets, since during the growth process violets form young rosettes - “babies”. As they develop, competition begins between them for nutrients and light. Small rosettes become deformed, and the weakest ones die.
The leaf on which the babies were formed devotes all its strength to their development, but itself dies. If there are a lot of such leaves, this affects the condition of the entire flower.
Deadlines
Determining whether a violet needs to be planted is not difficult - you need to inspect the plant. Young rosettes should have 2-3 pairs of well-developed leaves. In variegated varieties, the rosettes should have slightly more leaves. The process goes faster if the violet does not lack light.
New violets should be at least 3-5 cm in height.
If possible,
it is better to plant in the spring .
In winter and autumn it is difficult to create the necessary climate: due to the short daylight hours and the operation of heating devices, additional efforts will be required to comply with all conditions. Summer is also not a very good period for transplantation. Additional air humidification will be required. Tender plants will need to be protected from direct sunlight.
Experienced flower growers advise that when choosing the time when you can plant indoor violets, you should also check the lunar calendar.
Technology
To separate the “babies” from the mother plant , you need to perform a few simple steps:
- remove the entire bush from the pot, shake off the soil if possible;
- while rocking, gently pull to separate the new rosettes from the sheet;
- disassemble the young rosettes, carefully unraveling the intertwined leaves and roots.
Irrigation of violets by other methods
Flower growers practice irrigation through a tray. How often the procedure is performed depends on many criteria. In summer you need to water violets in the early hours. In the cold season - during the day. Adults need water less often than young ones. The need for liquid can be determined by the dried soil and its top layer. Young plants are irrigated more often. The soil of young bushes should remain moist at all times.
Not only the size of the pot is important, but also the material of manufacture. A clay pot does not retain moisture well, so you will have to water it more often. Pour water into the pan gradually until the substrate loses the ability to absorb it. It is better to use a tray with high edges to avoid water splashing.
Water Saintpaulia from above with a thin stream, at the edge of the container. Water should not get on the rosette, plant flowers and leaves. To avoid harming the plant, use a special watering can or a regular small syringe.
Saintpaulia must be watered until water begins to fill the pan. The advantage of the method from above is that harmful substances are washed out from the soil along with excess water. By pouring into the pan, harmful substances are absorbed. Unabsorbed water should be poured out of the pan fifteen to twenty minutes after watering. Without draining excess water, you provoke rotting of the roots.
Transplanting violets step by step with photos
To understand how to properly transplant a violet, check out the methods of replanting a flower at home:
- With complete replacement of soil. If the flower is sick or if it is necessary to replace the depleted substrate.
- With partial soil replacement. After purchasing in a store and when replanting adult plants, carefully shake off some of the old soil from the roots.
- Transshipment during flowering so as not to disturb the roots, and the violet bloomed well even after transplantation.
Whatever method is chosen, you must first select a suitable container, soil mixture and properly prepare the flower.
Choosing a pot
Which pot to transplant into depends on the age, size of the violet and the reason for transplanting:
- For healthy adult plants, choose containers 10 cm high. The width of the new pot should be 2-3 cm larger than the old one so that the roots have room to develop.
- Violets with bare stems are transplanted into a higher pot. Its height is selected taking into account the fact that the stem should be covered with earth right up to the leaves.
- For young rosettes, a diameter of 6 cm is enough. If you plant them immediately in a large pot, they will not bloom for a long time. Flowering will occur only after the roots have grown and filled the entire bowl.
- Sick specimens whose rotten roots have been cut off should be planted in the same container or a smaller pot.
Violets look very beautiful in ceramic pots. However, the soil dries out quickly. Therefore, plastic pots with drainage holes are preferable.
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Please note that pot heights do not include drainage. It is necessary to add about 2 cm more to the drainage layer.
Containers that will be reused are first washed with soap and rinsed with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Soil selection and preparation
The substrate for Saintpaulia from the store does not need to be prepared in advance. It is nutritious and completely ready for use.
The soil for violets is prepared independently using black soil and peat (5:3), to which one part of coarse river sand is added. A prerequisite for self-prepared substrate is preliminary disinfection in any way (for example, heat it in the oven, spill it with a solution of potassium permanganate).
You need to stock up on not very large drainage (perlite or expanded clay).
Preparation and transplantation
Water indoor plants at least two hours before transplanting. The earth ball must be completely moistened so that it does not fall off the roots and the flower can be easily removed from the pot.
Immediately before the procedure, the violets are carefully removed from the pot and examined:
- cut off the lower old, damaged, yellow or diseased-looking leaves;
- remove easily crumbling soil from the roots;
- very long roots are shortened by a maximum of a third of their length;
- in diseased plants, the substrate is completely removed, rotten roots are cut off and sprinkled with coal;
- There is no need to shake off the soil of blooming violets so as not to disturb the roots.
How to transplant a violet into another pot at home step by step:
- Place a 2 cm layer of drainage on the bottom of the bowl for large plants and 1 cm for small ones.
- Cover the top of the drainage with a layer of 2-3 cm of soil. In small pots a little more than 1 cm.
- Place a flower on top along with a lump of earth.
- If the soil has been removed from the root system, the roots need to be carefully spread out on the soil in the pot.
- Place soil around the roots and stem, under the leaves, down to the bottom leaves.
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- Water the soil a little at a time slowly. If it settles, add more.
- Check to see if the transplanted violet is wobbly. If necessary, compact the substrate a little very carefully, add a little more soil and sprinkle vermiculite on top. Sphagnum moss can be used as mulch.
Make sure that the core of the violet is not covered.
After transplanting, keep the flowers in the back of the room for 2-3 days, and then you can put them in their place. For better survival, put bags on top.
It is best to grow violets in a well-lit place without direct sunlight and away from heating radiators.
You can tell when you need to water the flowers after transplanting by the dried top layer of soil. Check carefully with your hand, and if the soil near the roots is still wet, it is too early to moisten it. In large pots, 2-3 cm of the top layer of the substrate should dry out, after which you can start watering.
Watering pets after transplantation
When the crop is propagated by leaves, shoots or seeds, the plant grows quickly and takes root well if the rules are followed. Saintpaulia must be replanted at least once a year. The suitable period for transplanting Saintpaulias is from May to October.
in the photo - wick watering of violets and watering into a tray
The violet should be replanted in previously prepared and moistened soil. On the eve of transplantation, the plant must be watered. The soil should be moderately moist and not stick to your hands. When replanting your pet with dry soil, you can easily damage or disrupt the plant’s root system.
It is not recommended to water immediately after transplanting. The surface of the soil should dry out. Then water the plant as usual.
What will you need?
To carry out the procedure for dividing an overgrown bush and further replanting, you need to prepare:
- small pots for young violets, 8 cm high and 8 to 15 cm in diameter (depending on the size of the plant);
- if necessary, a more spacious flowerpot for the mother’s rosette (if it has become very large);
- knife;
- light and nutritious soil;
- ash;
- drainage.
Soil for violets can be purchased at the store or made at home by mixing soil from the garden and coconut substrate in a 1:2 ratio. The drainage layer will be expanded clay or pieces of foam.
Basic requirements for water and what to do if the violet is flooded
Every good gardener knows how many times to water indoor violets so as not to expose the plant to the risk of disease and with what water. For Saintpaulias, soft water is important. Therefore, do not water your plants with rainwater or city water. Leave the tap liquid for two to three days. Do not close filled containers! To improve the quality of settled water, pass it through a filter that does not contain silver immediately before watering.
Regardless of the watering method, never use cold liquid, even in the summer. Watering with cold water leads to problems with flowering, often rotting of the roots. The pet completely disappears.
in the photo - a flooded violet
Water Saintpaulia with boiled water with a small amount of citric acid (several crystals per liter). During the boiling process, harmful substances precipitate or decompose. One such irrigation every four or five weeks is sufficient.
How to save a flooded violet if something like this happens?
- Remove your pet from the potty. Inspect the root system. Healthy roots should be wrapped in paper towels and wait until the liquid is absorbed. Change layers of towels if necessary. Return the bush to dried old soil or replant it into prepared new soil. Do not water until the top layer of soil has dried two to three centimeters.
- If the violet does not bloom and the roots are soft and darkened after removal, prune them. Clean the roots from any remaining soil. Cut off the soft and darkened ones with a sharp knife. Replant the plant in fresh soil, do not water the soil.
- Be sure to change the soil that smells rotten or moldy.
- To understand how many times to water a bush in the future, observe the plant and choose a method convenient for a given variety, taking into account the characteristics of each.
- To avoid flooding the plant in the future, purchase a device for measuring soil moisture.
When can violets be replanted?
Indoor flowers grow in containers with nutritious soil, which becomes depleted over time. If at first they can be fed, then this will not be enough for the overgrown specimens. There are other reasons that it is time to transplant the plant into another pot. A violet transplant is needed in the following cases:
- Store-bought flowers require replacement of the soil, as they are sold in peat. Violets are transplanted into a new pot and different soil two weeks after purchase.
- Adult specimens with an overgrown root system are transferred to another pot, which should be slightly higher and wider.
- Violets with children are placed in separate flowerpots.
- The plant grows poorly, does not bloom, the leaves wither - these are the reasons why it needs to be taken out of the container and the roots examined. If they are normal, then replace the soil. The rotten roots are cut off, sprinkled with crushed coal, and the bush is planted in a smaller pot.
- A constant white coating on the surface of the soil indicates that it is time to replace it. First, you can try to remove the top layer and sprinkle it with sand. But if this does not help, the substrate is replaced.
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Having realized that it is time for the flower to change the pot and soil, all that remains is to figure out when it is better to replant the violet. It is not recommended to disturb plants at home during the dormant period. Replanting can be done in spring, summer and autumn, since violets rest in winter. Replacing the soil in winter is carried out only as a last resort if the plants show signs of disease.
How to divide a violet when transplanting: choosing a planting container
How to divide a violet
When deciding on a container for placing children, you should give preference to disposable plastic cups. Firstly, this is a less expensive option, and secondly, their large assortment allows you to choose the optimal capacity in terms of volume. And finally, by choosing cups with transparent walls, you can always monitor the condition of the plant’s roots, promptly responding to signs of waterlogging, disease, or damage by insect pests. Flower growers note that cups with a volume of only 100 ml are excellent for these purposes.
Also, let us remind you what problems planting plants in large containers can cause. The soil in a large pot dries unevenly. As a rule, the surface layer dries out faster, while the bulk of the soil remains moist. Forgetting about this, focusing on the sufficiently dried top layer, you can quickly flood the young plant, since the thin and weak roots are not yet able to absorb the entire volume of moisture introduced.
In addition, the peculiarity of violet development is such that, first of all, it grows roots, and only then the above-ground part. Accordingly, the root system of a young plant planted in a large pot, which can hardly overcome the increased soil moisture, will lead to the rooting and development of the rosette being very slow.
Several methods of reproduction
Before growing violets, the leaves are rooted in an aqueous solution or soil. If this is not possible, then you can use a fragment of the sheet. This is how flower growers expand the range of violets and save plants that are doomed to death.
Experienced housewives propagate Saintpaulias by seeds, shoots, and flower stalks. It is worth considering all breeding methods step by step.
How to plant violets with leaves: stages of propagation
Most often, amateur gardeners use Saintpaulia leaves for propagation. They are rooted either in water or directly in the ground. The procedure consists of the following steps:
- A suitable leaf is placed in water or soil.
- They separate the children.
- Transfer young bushes to new pots.
Competently following all stages guarantees the appearance of bright, delicate inflorescences.
Selection of suitable sheets
A correctly chosen planting base - leaves, shoots, stems - is the key to a positive result. Only a healthy rosette is suitable for cutting leaves. You cannot take leaves from the lower tier: they take root poorly and do not produce children. A leaf from the middle tier is most suitable. It must be elastic and free from any errors.
Sheet cutting rules
For work, use a sharp knife, scalpel, blade. The cut site is treated with an antiseptic. Cut at an angle of 45°. The length of the stem near the leaf should be 4–5 cm.
Then the sheet is washed and dried for about half an hour. During this time, the juice from the stem will no longer be released, and it will not rot later. If the leaf is rooted in water, then drying is skipped. Ash is applied to the cut.
Rooting a leaf in water
Inexperienced flower growers will benefit from instructions on how to plant violets with leaves, rooting them in water:
- A suitable container - a plastic cup or a small glass jar - is filled with water at room temperature. It is better to use settled or boiled water. Dissolve an activated carbon tablet in it.
- The stem is lowered into the liquid by 1 cm.
- Monitor the water level every day and add more if necessary.
- With the formation of roots (after 2–3 weeks), wait until they increase to 1 cm.
- The rooted leaf is planted in the ground.
It happens that the stem of a leaf rots in water. Then the damaged part is cut off, the water is poured out of the glass and refilled.
