Violet Summer Twilight
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Violet Summer Twilight is one of the most popular ornamental indoor plants. It has many other names - saintpaulia, uzambar or African violet, but among Russian gardeners it is best known as violet.
Violet of the Summer Twilight variety was created by the breeder K.L. Morev in 2007. He is a student of the Soviet breeder B.M. Macuni. By breeding violets K.L. Morev began to study in 1994, the main direction of his breeding activity is the development of new varieties of multicolored violets. The Summer Twilight variety is a vivid confirmation of this.
Violet Summer twilight: description of the variety and characteristics
Violet Summer twilight: photo
One of the main distinguishing features of this variety is the color of the leaves. The leaf plate is slightly concave, green, with a white stripe running along the edge of each leaf.
Inflorescence type - rosette. Peduncles are short. The plant blooms for a long time and abundantly. Blossom on a level with old and young first-year rosettes.
Flowers grow large up to 5-6 cm in diameter, double or semi-double. The main color is white with large blue-violet spots in the center of the petals. The petals have uneven, most often wavy edges. Thanks to him, the flower becomes lush and voluminous.
Violet Summer twilight: care and cultivation
Violet Summer twilight: photo of the variety
Variety of violets Summer twilight Moreva is unpretentious in care and grows well even among novice gardeners. The plant has practically no requirements for the place of growth; it will grow well both on the windowsill and on the shelves. It is necessary to shade the place where the violet will grow, in order to avoid sunburn of the foliage.
For better growth and rich color, it is advisable to keep the plant at room temperature. But also high temperatures, with proper watering, the plant tolerates well. With a prolonged stay of a plant in a hot climate, its variegation decreases.
Violets CM Summer Twilight respond positively to fertilization. The plant is fed during the period of active growth, which falls on the period from mid-spring to mid-autumn. It is important to monitor the amount of fertilizer applied. The most easily assimilated by violets is liquid fertilizers based on vermicompost.
The soil
When planting and transplanting violets of the Summer Twilight Moreva variety, most gardeners choose already prepared specialized soils, which are based on peat. The most popular soils suitable for violets are Saintpaulia and Greenworld. Before transplanting or planting a plant in new soil, it must be sieved. After that, flower growers recommend sterilizing the soil by steam or in a microwave oven for 10-15 minutes.
When the soil has cooled, it is necessary to add a baking powder to it. The most popular are vermiculite and perlite. Baking powder should be added in a ratio of 2 to 1, 2 parts of soil and 1 part of baking powder. Adding a baking powder will help the soil to crumble less and increase air permeability to the soil.
The soil can be made independently, at home. To do this, coconut fiber, moss, peat are added to ordinary leafy soil. At the same time, it is important that all the components added to the soil are well washed, and the soil is further sterilized.
Pot selection
When choosing a pot for violets Summer twilight Moreva, it is better to give preference to plastic pots, not ceramic ones.This is explained by the fact that plastic pots are easier to clean, they do not clog with salts, they better maintain a stable temperature of the plant's root system, and it is also easier to pull the plant out of them for transplanting. When growing violets, it is very important to choose the right pot, since the diameter of the pot must correspond to 1/3 of the diameter of the rosette.
If the pot is more than 1/3 of the diameter of the outlet, then problems with an excess of moisture and acidification of the soil may arise. And this is due to the fact that the root system of violets is small and it is not able to master a large amount of land. For a violet variety "Summer Twilight" you need a pot with a diameter of 9-11 cm.
Lighting
For the favorable growth of the SM violet variety Summer twilight, dim, slightly diffused lighting is necessary, about 12 hours a day. If you notice that the leaves have begun to fall, this indicates an overabundance of light. Violet Summer twilight in this case, it is necessary to move or shade the place of growth. You can use gauze or paper as shading material.
With a lack of lighting, the foliage begins to fade, the peduncles become weak, unable to keep the flowers upright, the petioles begin to stretch. To eliminate these problems, it is necessary to create additional artificial lighting for the plant or move it to a place with a lot of natural light.
The optimum air temperature for growing violets is 23-25 ℃. At lower temperatures, the color of the foliage and flowers is brighter in this variety of violets. In the summer, the plant will be as comfortable as possible on the northern, slightly darkened side. It should also be noted that at temperatures above 25 ℃ in violets, the process of photosynthesis slows down and growth stops.
It is worth paying attention to the air humidity when growing violets and the Summer Twilight variety, including. This is a big problem for most Russian flower growers. Due to the changeable climate, especially in central Russia, it is necessary to carefully monitor the humidity of the air. To increase the level of humidity, many specialized devices have been created, but suitable tools can also be found at home in order to avoid additional expenses. For example, you can put in a room several of the most common containers of water. For a greater effect, you can use expanded clay, which must be wetted or put in a container with water.
Violet Summer twilight: photo of the variety
Reproduction
The main breeding method of summer twilight violets is vegetative, in which different parts of the plant are used. In the case of violets, these are leaves. For reproduction, you must choose the strongest and healthiest leaves of the plant.
Before planting, the cuttings must be slightly dried, after which they can be planted. For cuttings, it is advisable to choose plastic pots, no more than 5 cm in diameter, or ordinary 100 ml edible plastic cups. It is imperative to put drainage and moss in them on the bottom, as well as make holes to remove excess moisture. For cuttings, use the same soil as when transplanting a plant, with the addition of perlite. It is advisable to plant the cuttings one at a time in a pot, in order to avoid intertwining the root systems of plants, at a slight angle, no deeper than 8-10 ml. The temperature regime for cuttings is the same as for adult plants, 23-25 ℃.
Watering
The most important part of caring for violets is watering. Here it is important to observe several specific rules for watering and not to allow the soil to dry out or overflow.
The most important thing when watering SM violets Summer twilight is accuracy, namely, not allowing water to get on the leaves of the plant. Water the violets with a small amount of soft water at room temperature while drying the top of the soil in the pot. When the air temperature drops, you should not water the plant abundantly.And you should also ensure that there is no draft in the room during watering.
If the violet Summer twilight has not been watered for a long time, then in this case it is necessary to put the pot in a container with water and if the plant is still viable, then it will independently saturate the soil with water. If in the same situation it is possible to pull out an earthy clod of plants from the pot, then an earth clod must be placed in a container with water, this will somewhat speed up the process of saturating the soil with water.
In any case, it is not necessary to water the plant abundantly, this will negatively affect the life processes of a healthy plant and will not in any way affect the revival of an already dead plant.
Plant transplant
It is necessary to transplant a violet of the Summer Twilight Moreva variety when the diameter of the plant is 2-3 times the diameter of its pot. When transplanting, it is necessary to put drainage on the bottom of a new pot, move the plant to a new pot and add the amount of soil necessary to fill the pot. We wrote about the size of the pot and the soil for growing violets in this article a little higher.
Also, plants that begin to wither for unknown reasons or that have noticeable souring of the soil will need to be transplanted.
When replanting, you need to pay attention to the root system of the plant. If diseased or rotten roots are found, they should be removed. Florists recommend treating the root system of violets that have rotted with charcoal.
Diseases and pests violets CM Summer twilight
Violet Summer twilight: photo of the variety
All diseases of violets Summer twilight is associated with improper care. The most common disease in Saintpaulia is fungus. It appears when irrigation rules are violated, namely with frequent abundant watering or, conversely, in its complete absence, as well as in the presence of regular drafts in the room.
The most common insect pests in violets are mealybugs, flower mites and thrips. To combat them, many specialized tools have been created, for example, Fitoverm.
Also, in violets SM Summer twilight, a disease such as fusarium is often found. With it, the root system of the plant is affected, and the aboveground part begins to fade. Such a plant must be destroyed, and the pot in which it was located must be disinfected with copper sulfate.
Powdery mildew can also be found on the leaves of Saintpaulia. For this disease, special remedies have also been created, for example, "Skor".
If it detects a sign of disease or the presence of pests on a plant, it must be immediately isolated to prevent the mass spread of the disease or pest.