Violet Maria
Content:
Indoor plants help to create coziness in the house and violets in this case will be irreplaceable. Small neat bushes with colorful flowers look very cute and touching. The richness of the choice of varieties is amazing, but the violet "Maria" is guaranteed to attract your attention due to its voluminous terry inflorescences, a bit reminiscent of the shape of a star, and an unusual color. Despite its somewhat exotic look, this violet is rather unpretentious. How this plant appeared and how to care for it - this is what we will talk about in this article.
Violet Maria: variety description and characteristics
Violet Maria: photo of the variety
If you follow the exact terminology, then the violet Maria is Saintpaulia, which they used to call the Uzambara violet. Therefore, further in the article, we will call this plant a violet.
Tatyana Lvovna Dadoyan does not really like it when she is called a breeder, since she was engaged in breeding new varieties exclusively as part of her hobby. Violet Maria is one of ten new varieties that have emerged as a result of her activities and were introduced in 2012 in response to the fact that there can no longer be new discoveries in the field of violets. All violets are striking with an interesting shape of inflorescences and a bright color, but it was the violet of the Maria variety, in our opinion, that turned out to be the most unusual.
The flowers of the violet variety Maria Dadoyan are light pink in color with a bright crimson edge and green "ruffle". The size of each flower is about 5 cm (for violets, these are rather large inflorescences), the shape of the terry inflorescences resembles a star or a blossoming small rose. How bright your violets will have flowers depends entirely on what conditions you create for the plant (temperature and humidity, lighting, regular ventilation).
Violet Maria rosette of dark green leaves is not very dense, leaf petioles are long. If the plant is placed on a windowsill, then the leaves will be lowered, and if you put a flower pot with a violet at some distance from the window, then the leaves will rise - this is a feature of the variety, depending on the degree of illumination.
This variety is rather unpretentious, moreover, it grows rather slowly, therefore, it should be transplanted less often than many other violets.
Sometimes the violet Maria is confused with another variety - the bright pink terry violets of Elena Lebetskaya Maria Mirabella, but these are two completely different varieties.
Remember! Violet Maria and violet Maria Mirabella - 2 different varieties
Violet Maria: cultivation
Violet Maria: photo of the variety
When Maria Dadoyan points out in the description of the violet that it is unpretentious, this does not mean that you can not take care of the flower at all. This only indicates that when the necessary conditions are created, the plant will develop well and regularly delight you with its flowering. Let's discuss exactly what conditions need to be created for the Maria violet:
- do not take a pot that is too small, because despite the slow growth of the aerial part, the violet grows roots rather quickly, therefore, even for a young plant, you should take a container with a diameter of at least 10-12 cm. A flower pot can be either plastic or ceramic, the main thing is the presence of a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
- the ideal option would be to put a flower pot with a violet on an east or west window sill - this way the plant will receive enough light, but will be protected from direct scorching rays. When placing the plant on the windowsill, do not forget to periodically turn it so that the light comes from all sides, and the plant does not stretch in one direction.If you are an experienced florist and have a phytolamp on the farm, then you can place a violet under it.
- the air temperature in the room where the violet is located should be within + 18 ... + 22 degrees.
- in addition to direct sunlight, which can leave burns on the leaves, you should beware of drafts - this rule is relevant for any kind of violets.
- do not experiment with soil, if possible, then purchase ready-made soil for Saintpaulias. If you prefer to prepare the soil mixture yourself, then mix the leafy soil with peat and sand, adding a little baking powder (fine expanded clay or vermiculite).
Violet Maria: care
Violet Maria: photo of the variety
The most important part of caring for a violet is watering. Violet Maria is recommended to be watered twice a week (of course, following this recommendation, it is necessary to take into account the air temperature in the room and, if necessary, edit the irrigation mode). You can water the plant in the usual way, but since violet leaves do not like contact with water, it is better to pour water into the pan and wait for the plant to absorb as much moisture as it needs. Water for irrigation must be defended for several days, without covering it with a lid. The water temperature should be at room temperature. It is absolutely impossible to water plants with cold tap water.
During the flowering period, the violet will definitely need to be fed with special fertilizers for Saintpaulias (they can be purchased without any problems in large flower shops, greenhouses or garden centers).
With the end of flowering, feeding is stopped, and the amount of watering is also reduced for the winter months. But the violet Maria will still need a long day of light, so you will need additional lighting in the morning and evening hours.
Reproduction
Like other varieties of violets, the violet variety Maria Dadoyan can be propagated in several ways: rooting cuttings, sowing seeds and pinching. In the case of violets, the seed propagation method is practically not used, it is more suitable for breeding new varieties, but grafting and pinching are quite simple ways that even a novice florist can handle.
- In the first case, you will need a leaf stalk (in other words, a violet leaf). Choose a healthy and large leaf with a long petiole, cut it off with a sharp knife or scissors (you must first disinfect the instrument). Then the leaf must be placed in a container of water or deepened into wet soil a couple of centimeters. Roots appear quite quickly, but "babies" or daughter outlets are formed only after a couple of months.
- When pinching, the daughter rosette is also separated from the adult mother plant using a sharp sterile instrument (the cut can be sprinkled with chopped charcoal or activated carbon). It is necessary to separate an outlet that has two or three leaves, while it is very important not to damage the mother plant. Then build a mini greenhouse and root the outlet in it (with regular moistening of the soil and airing) for 1-1.5 months. As soon as new leaves begin to grow, rooting can be considered successful, then the plant should be transplanted and the Maria violet should be looked after as an adult plant.