Violet Frosty cherry captivates with the brightness and contrast of the flower, as well as unpretentiousness and long, lush flowering. This variety was presented to the world by Russian breeder Konstantin Morev.
Appearance
As with other representatives of the Gesneriev family, the leaves of the violet are covered with soft short hairs. Saintpaulia The frosty cherry has a neat rosette with simple quilted green leaves that become a little darker with age.
Violet Frosty Cherry (Morev)
But the flower of this variety can not be called simple. Cherry strokes effectively stand out against a bright white background, the wavy edge of the petal gives the composition airiness. The duration and abundance of flowering will please any grower.
To get a new variety, breeders cross and select the best specimens, and then check the plant for resistance signs. It took Konstantin Lvovich 11 years to get the desired result, and in 2005 the violet Frosty Cherry was introduced as a new variety.
Since then, for a long time, "cherry" has not lost popularity and is in constant demand among flower growers.
It is interesting! In the same color scheme, a variety of another breeder - Elena Korshunova. Her violet EC Winter cherry is distinguished by darker cherry-red flowers and a subtle white border. Over time, bright flowers fade a little.
Violet EC Winter Cherry for comparison
Features of violet care Frosty cherry at home
The well-being and appearance of the violets depend on the skill of the gardener to provide their needs for watering, lighting and nutrition. Under optimal conditions, the violets bloom for nine months a year.
Temperature
Violet can tolerate a short-term drop in temperature to 12 ° C, but for normal development it needs warmth. The plant feels comfortable if the thermometer shows 20-22 degrees of heat.
Sharp fluctuations in temperature are contraindicated in the flower.
Lighting
To place violets, windows of eastern or western orientation are most suitable. To get an even outlet, the flower is periodically rotated. If the Saintpaulia is placed far from the window, it is provided with additional illumination.
Important!Properly selected lighting is the key to the abundant flowering of violets.
With a lack of lighting, leaf cuttings stretch and rise, and the color of leaves and flowers loses saturation and brightness. Direct sunlight can cause burns on the leaves, so the plant shade from excessively bright light.
Watering
You can provide violets with moisture in different ways: use wick watering, water in a pan or on top.
Wick watering will help save time for the grower. At the same time, a lace is placed in the pot, passing it through the drainage hole. Outward part of the wick is lowered into a container of water.
Violet on wick watering
When using the "lower watering" method, water is poured into the pan for 20 minutes, then the excess is drained. Most often, this method is used in greenhouses for the mass cultivation of senpolia, but can also be used in indoor floriculture.
Most often, the townsfolk watered home violets from above, gently moistening the earthen lump. In this case, certain rules must be observed:
- Water if the surface of the earth in the flower pot is dry. At different times of the year, the frequency of watering is different. In winter, you can moisten the plant 2-3 times a week, and in summer this procedure is carried out daily.
- It is advisable to use settled water at room temperature.
- Humidify the plant evenly, trying not to create moisture stagnation and not to leave dry areas.
- Excess water from the pan is drained after a quarter of an hour.
Humidity
The most suitable humidity for growing senpolia is 50%. In a drier atmosphere, the flowers will be slightly smaller and the leaves will be denser.
The critical time for Frosty cherries is the heating season, especially if the flower is located near batteries. Streams of hot air negatively affect the plant, its leaves begin to turn yellow.
Attention! Violets, like other flowers with pubescent leaves, do not like spraying. Therefore, when growing these flowers, other methods of increasing humidity are used.
To moisten the air, plants are placed in a tray with wet expanded clay or moss, or placed next to the pots containers filled with water.
The presence in the apartment of a humidifier or air washing completely removes the problem of achieving the necessary humidity.
Priming
The delicate roots of violets are very sensitive to soil. Therefore, when choosing a substrate, you need to remember that it must be loose and nutritious. When compiling a land mixture, water reservoirs often use peat and agroperlite with the addition of crushed moss. Peat (or light garden soil) is a filler. Perlite (like vermiculite, sphagnum, sand) acts as a baking powder, providing good moisture capacity and breathability. You can also add nutrient compost soil or humus.
Ground for violets
As for the exact proportions, there are many recipes. For example, in the book of the famous breeder Boris Mikhailovich Makuni, such a description:
- rough coarse peat - 2 parts;
- moss sphagnum and turf land - in one piece;
- river sand - 0.5.
Attention! With independent preparation of land for violets, it must be sterilized without fail.
To do this, you can shed the soil with boiling water or a strong solution of potassium permanganate. Sometimes the land mixture is frozen, which also helps to get rid of harmful insects.
Florists who do not have a large margin of time, use purchased components, sterilized industrially, or ready-made mixtures for senpolia.
Top dressing
Violet cherry, like other plants that are in a limited amount of substrate, needs regular feeding. However, it should be noted that too concentrated solutions are harmful to plants. Lack of fertilizer violets tolerate better than excess. For senpolia, the optimal solution is a concentration of 1 g of complex mineral salts per 1 liter of water. Such top dressing is carried out once every 2-3 weeks.
In addition, an excess of potassium leads to stunting, and an excess of nitrogen, on the contrary, contributes to the growth of green mass to the detriment of flowering. Therefore, nitrogen fertilizers are suitable for children, and phosphorus ones are chosen for plants with buds.
Usually complex violets with a low nitrogen content are used for violets. It is useful to alternate mineral and organic nutrition. After transplanting into fresh land for two weeks, fertilizer is not applied. During dormancy, the plant also does not fertilize.
For reference! Peters fertilizers give a good result. This manufacturer has proposed different formulas for flowering and growth of violets.
Saves time and gives visible effect with the use of Osmocote long-acting fertilizers. The granules are placed in a pot during transplantation and within several months, under the influence of water, microelements are released and nourish the plants.
Flowering frosty cherry
The variety that is not blooming pleases with beautiful flowers almost all year round. In winter, it is recommended to create a rest period for a couple of months, reduce watering and not expose it. After this, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for growth - and soon an elegant bouquet will be formed. Peduncles appear in the axils of the leaves, each bearing several flowers. Adult plants are prone to cap bloom.
Violet bloom of this variety
Terry flowers, quite large, with wavy petals. Large cherry spots stand out against a white background. Bright, contrasting color is the hallmark of the variety. Frosty cherries, like Winter Cherry violet, react to high temperatures.
It is interesting! In the heat, the burgundy color spreads over almost the entire petal, the flower darkens. When the temperature drops, the plant returns to the official varietal hue.
To extend the flowering time, do not forget a few simple rules:
- It is important to provide the violet with good lighting. With a lack of light, flowers fade, and leaves and peduncles are pulled out.
- Withered peduncles must be removed.
- For flowering plants, the daylight should be 12 hours.
- During budding and flowering, violets need top dressing and frequent watering.
Very rarely there are specimens with a deviation from varietal flowering, the so-called sports. Some flowers are completely filled with cherry, losing white color. Occasionally there are deviations in the color of the leaves - there is variegation. There is a beautiful sport of frosty cherries with dark velvety petals and a thin white clear border.
The nuances of reproduction and transplantation
Seed propagation of violets is a very time-consuming process. Pollinate a flower, wait for the seed box to ripen and sow tiny seeds in the greenhouse. It will take at least a year to wait for flowering, and the result is unpredictable. Seedlings can repeat the flowering of parents, but often flowers appear that differ in color and terry.
Interesting!According to esotericists, violet is a Taurus plant and has energy that brings material prosperity.
The most common method of propagation is by leaf cuttings. A healthy large leaf is cut with a clean knife and placed in a glass of water or immediately into the ground. It is recommended to cover the sheet with a bag or jar. When the appeared babies reach 1/3 of the mother's leaf in size, they are planted in separate pots. Such plants retain all varietal characteristics and bloom for 8-9 months from the moment of rooting.
Leafy cuttings with kids
If the roots of the senpolia filled the pot, it is transplanted into a container of slightly larger diameter. Adult plants are transplanted once a year, young plants every 3 months. Fresh violet substrate is loved and responds to the transplant by active growth or laying buds.
Possible problems in growing
Healthy violets are pleasing to the eye and cause a lot of positive emotions. Unfortunately, weakened specimens are susceptible to diseases and attacks of harmful insects.
The most common pests are cyclamen tick and thrips.
- The tick is not visible to the naked eye. It settles at the growth point, as a result, the center of the outlet is deformed and covered with a gray fluff. Flowers wither and leaves become brittle. To combat ticks, use Actellik or Nisoran.
- Thrips is a small, rapidly multiplying insect. Signs of defeat by this pest are spots, plaque and holes on leaf plates. They get rid of thrips with the help of "Akarin", "Confidor" preparations.
Frosty cherries can be affected by powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease in which white plaque appears on the leaves and stems. The plant is treated with the drug "Fundazole".
The reason for the appearance of spots on the leaves may be improper care. Too big a pot, bright direct sunshine, excessive watering - all this causes a malfunction in the development of the senpolia. Bringing normal conditions of detention solves this problem.
Violet Frosty cherry requires some effort to organize optimal conditions for it. But it pays off with interest bright and plentiful blossoming for many months.
