Violet Winter smiles

For several decades, violet growers and flower growers have bred a huge number of beautiful varieties of Saintpaulia. The famous violet grower and breeder Makuni B.M. brought out the violet described in this article. Winter smiles. Violet Winter smiles unpretentious in care and, following simple recommendations, the culture will delight you with flowers at any time of the year.

Violet Winter smiles: description of the variety and characteristics

Violet Winter smiles: photo of the variety

Violet Winter smiles Macuni in fact is a sempole, it is derived from two types of culture. It was the parents of the variety that gave, when crossing, the magnificent pink color of the petals with a double edge around the perimeter of different flowers. Boris Mikhailovich bred over three hundred species of sempolias and violets, but the violet variety Zima smiles remained his favorite child, which, in his words, became the highest achievement in the selection of violets.

For more than a dozen years, all violet growers have been striving to preserve the characteristics of the parent plant in breeding sempolia as much as possible.

Violet Winter smiles is not a variegated plant. The leaf plates of the culture are not of dark shades, but of a faded green color. Leaves do not fold, heart-shaped. The plate is covered with obvious veins, and the area between them is convex, and the edges of the leaf seem to be torn off. There is a characteristic feature of the variety, the back side of the leaf plate is 80% pink. The described variety at the time of flowering is decorated with large inflorescences that stretch up to five and a half centimeters. The color is even, one color, but the border varies in the following colors: green, lilac, lemon and red.

The peduncle contains at least three flowers, but no more than five. Violet "Winter smiles", will delight your eyes with a voluminous cap of flowers throughout 365 days, the flowering period is not affected by temperature conditions or the period of the year. Having blossomed, the flowers remain in this state for quite a long time, and the flowering is repeated, on the contrary, in a short time again. The first flowers will form and bloom within seven months after the rooting of the cuttings.

The rosette is not large, but with positive quality maintenance and care, it can develop to a large one.

Violet Winter smiles: growing and care

Violet Winter smiles: photo of the variety

• Lighting.

Saintpaulias thrive in natural light in indoor conditions. Give preference to the windows located on the east side of the house; for the winter, it is better to transfer the pot with the plant to the south window. It is important not to forget periodically, to turn the flower towards the light, it is enough to move the violet 45 degrees every seven days. Performing such a simple action, the leaves will grow evenly around the entire perimeter, otherwise there will be a bias to the sunny side. A sign of a lack of light will be a deterioration in the condition of the flower, damage to diseases and an arrest of the flowering process. In such a situation, artificial lighting will help you.

The best way to cope with this task will be lamps of a fluorescent lighting system, with a power of forty watts. Do not use warm lamps, prefer cold ones. In order to supply the required amount of light from 2 to 4 violets, you will need two lamps, but fluorescent ones cannot provide plants with red rays. To replenish them, it is worth purchasing a special lamp responsible for this function. So to create the perfect light for 2-4 violets, you use 1 cold fluorescent lamp and 1 fluorescent lamp.

The light should be diffused from the center to the edges. Varieties that have a dark color of leaves and flowers, put them in the center, and those in which the inflorescences are snow-white or pale pink, develop well and grow, located on the sides. Lighting fixtures are set about twenty-five centimeters from Saintpaulia. By the number of hours, the lighting scheme is as follows:

- 8 hours rest in the dark

- from 12 to 16 hours artificial lighting

• Temperature conditions.

Violets of the Winter smiles variety can be called heat-loving plants, they prefer the "golden mean" temperature range from 18 to 24 degrees is perfect for them. Moreover, in the daytime the temperature should be 2 - 3 degrees higher than at night. Avoid sudden changes, and in case of severe frosts, it is better to remove the pot from the window at night, as the glass freezes, which can negatively affect the culture. It is important to strictly observe the above specified temperature gap and not to allow a drop below sixteen degrees and an increase over 27.

With a lack of heat, you may encounter the following problems:

• Defeat with diseases that can destroy the violet.
• In combination with excess moisture, rot is formed in the soil.

If you find the violet lacks warmth, move it to a higher temperature room, remove any affected parts of the flower, and temporarily stop watering.

Under too hot conditions, the green mass of "Winter smiles" stretches out and begins to dry out. If such signs appear, lower the temperature to twenty-one degrees, and revise the soil moistening scheme for a better one.

• Air humidity.

Violet Winter smiles Makuni loves well-humidified air, sixty to eighty percent are excellent conditions for her. In the modern world and technology, it is quite easy to get this level of moisture, use a humidifier. In addition, there is a popular way: put a pot with a plant in a container (tray) filled with pebbles and water. Some violet water humidifies oxygen by spraying water with a spray bottle, but in this case, in no case should water get on the leaf plates, this will lead to the formation of rusty spots.

• Irrigation scheme.

It is necessary to moisten the soil only as it dries out. With too frequent watering and excess water in the soil, the process of rotting of the root system and the formation of mold may begin. The water must be clean, as, for example, tap water contains bleach, which is not suitable for a flower. The watering scheme is once every three days, and as we wrote above, do not allow the green mass of the violet to get wet. The water temperature should be lukewarm. If you notice that after half an hour there is still water in the pot, drain it.

Violet Winter smiles: photo of the variety

When choosing a pot for the violet variety Winter smiles, pay attention to the following criterion:

• The material of the container can be any, but with the obligatory presence of drainage holes, otherwise the roots of your beauty will begin to rot.

Experienced violet growers advise using the bottom watering technique or moistening the soil through a wick. In either case, you do not touch the topsoil.

Bottom watering is when the violet receives moisture from the tray of water on which the pot is installed, so the flower does not take excess, and you always control the amount of water.

The wick method is when the wick serves as the transporter of water. One end, which is placed in the soil, and the other in water. With this option, the violet also takes only the amount of liquid that it needs for normal growth and development.

When using both methods, be sure to moisten the topsoil every 14 to 20 days to remove accumulated salts.

• The soil.

The substrate for planting violets of the Winter smiles variety should contain the following components: peat moss, perlite and soil with a high content of clay and sand.All components are mixed in equal proportions. Loam is used only in conjunction with the other specified components, otherwise the plant will lack oxygen, the liquid will stagnate, and the root system will suffer from this.

• Transfer.

Violet Winter smiles Macuni needs periodic sanitary pruning of yellowed leaves and old shriveled stems. It is very important to remove dead shoots in time, as they are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and rot. About once a year, the violet needs to be transplanted into a new larger container, since it outgrows the size of the old pot. When choosing the diameter of the next container, simply add two centimeters to the previous one.

There are only two signs that the violet has outgrown the pot:

• The roots began to sprout from the drainage holes
• Sheet plates extend beyond the edges of the container

When transplanting "Winter smiles", it is better to throw out the old soil and place the plant in a new substrate. Check the root system for dead roots and, if present, cut off.

• Food.

Since the variety of violets Zima smiles for high-quality growth, it is planted in soil with a good drainage layer, the nutrients necessary for the flower are quickly washed out. For this reason, fertilizers are applied once every seven days, in which case the plant remains in good condition. When choosing a feeding option, give preference to water-soluble fertilizers. In 90% of cases during the winter period of the year, the violet does not need additional fertilizers. The exceptions are those representatives of the Zima smiles filka variety, which are grown using artificial lighting.

When preparing a solution for fertilizing the soil, keep in mind that its concentration should be four times lower than recommended on the package. This action is explained by the fact that feeding the soil at a higher frequency, a more concentrated solution can harm the flower. Dry mixes are used only on soil well-saturated with water and with increased attention to the process in order to exclude damage to the root system.

The best fertilizers for Saintpaulia will be phosphorus-containing.

Diseases and parasites

Violet Winter smiles: photo of the variety

With proper care, Violet Winter smiles. Makuni is very resistant to diseases and parasites. As with any other plants, it is better to take preventive measures than to deal with lesions later.

Here is a list of recommended activities:

• Quality and necessary care.
• Providing the flower with the right amount of light and warmth.
• Monitor the condition of the soil, avoid stagnation of water.
• Do not allow water to get on the green mass of the plant, and if this happens, remove it with a paper napkin.

The most terrible problem for violet growers is bacterial, with such a lesion, the flower almost always dies, for this reason, in order to avoid mass disease, the bush is destroyed.

The main danger among insect pests is: bedbugs, bladders, aphidoidea and ticks. All of them consume the vital juices of the flower, and thrips prefer pollen on flowers with a lilac color. In the fight against the pest, the affected flowers are cut, and the plant is treated with a solution with crushed laundry soap. A shower with warm water is also used, these insects die.

Periodically, the violet Winter smiles can be infected with fungal diseases:

• ash
• rust
• fusarium

All of them are fought with the help of specialized chemical agents, which are sold in huge quantities in gardening stores. When the last disease "fusarium" occurs, in addition to processing, it will be necessary to transplant a violet of the Winter smiles variety into a new pot and soil, as well as to thoroughly clean the entire root system.