Avid Saintpaulia lovers have the opportunity to admire this miracle in a reduced size. This refers to mini violets, which will be discussed in this article.
Choose miniature violets like any other indoor flowers, should be guided by your own idea of beauty. All other criteria are far-fetched. Mini violets are practically no different from their relatives, classic Saintpaulias, except for their truly small sizes. Some parts of the flower are difficult to see without optical instruments.
Most varieties of miniature Saintpaulias were bred with the participation of Russian botanist Igor Milekhin. What goals he pursued by breeding half-mini and mini violets is unknown, but he fully managed to preserve the beauty of the Saintpaulias, reducing their size, because the diameter of adult miniature violets does not exceed twenty centimeters, and almost all Saintpaulias are associated with the name of Igor Milekhin custom size. Conventionally small flowers and semi-mini Saintpaulias can be divided into:
- Microminiatures with a rosette diameter of up to 60 millimeters;
- Miniatures with a rosette up to 150 millimeters in diameter;
- Semi-miniatures with a flower diameter of up to 200 mm.
Each of these varieties, despite the apparent similarity with their larger counterparts, requires certain knowledge, patience and skill when courting and breeding. But miniature violets will delight their owners bright colors unusual sizes.
How to care
Miniature flowers and semi-mini Saintpaulias require almost the same care as indoor flowers of usual proportions. Flower growers use a variety of methods for watering Saintpaulias. The simplest of them is when water enters the flower from above and from the edge of the pot. 
Depending on the time of year, semi-mini and mini Saintpaulias are watered in the cold during the day, and in spring and summer - in the morning. There should be enough moisture to wet earthen lump fully.
If the plant long time stands without watering, then the roots of the flower along with the soil are separated from the walls of the pot and water, when watering the violet, flows out of the hole at the bottom of the container where the flower is stored, without wetting the soil. Experienced florists in this case proceed as follows: Place the flower in a fairly deep bowl of water. The frequency of watering is directly dependent on the size of the pot and the climate in the room in which semi-mini and very small violets “live”.
It is advisable to water the “babies” with liquid that has settled for two days in an open container; it is important that it be warm. To maintain cleanliness and save time, you can place pots with half-mini and mini violets in one container (basin or tray), and keep them there for about half an hour, after which you can pour out the remaining water and return the Saintpaulias to their habitat.
True, with this method, harmful substances from the water enter the upper layers of the soil, which contributes to the appearance white plaque. But you can also fight against this, for example, by laying the surface of the soil with a layer of moss, which absorbs harmful deposits, after which it remains only to periodically change this layer without touching the rest of the soil. 
When breeding semi-mini and mini Saintpaulias, you must ensure that temperature regime in the room with the “babies” was between 20-24°C, neither hotter nor colder. Violets feel great in both artificial and natural light, the main thing is that there is enough of it for the process of oxygen formation inside the flowers. Particular attention should be paid to variegated plants; among miniature and semi-mini violets there are also such ones. It is recommended to keep dwarf Saintpaulias at the bottom of the rack under lamps because they require a lower temperature than regular violets.
For semi-mini and violet varieties with small flower It would be optimal to set a distance between the shelves of the rack of thirty centimeters, so that the spreading part of the flowers recedes from the light sources by at least 15-20 centimeters. Lamps available for sale daylight, accelerating plant growth thanks to special radiation.
It is important to know that excess light is harmful for semi-mini violets. At the flowers in a short time the foliage turns yellow, and the rosette may become flat shape. The young leaves in the middle of the violet close together, which prevents the appearance of flower stalks. However, lack of light also has a detrimental effect on Saintpaulias; their color becomes paler and noticeably smaller size s.
Reproduction
Among florists, the most common way to replenish your collection of semi-mini and miniature Saintpaulias is the propagation method indoor flowers using leaf cuttings. 
Its essence is extremely simple and consists of the following: a leaf of an adult, preferably healthy Saintpaulia is taken along with a cutting and placed in warm, settled water until the measles system is formed and subsequently transplanted onto the ground, and at the very end the plants are planted.
A properly composed planting mixture is one of the main keys to success when growing Saintpaulias. No “completely ready-to-use” purchased soils satisfy all the requirements of this plant and are not able to provide them with everything necessary for proper development, and soil from the street can cause infection and death. Even if sterilized, it will still be too heavy and dense for miniature Saintpaulias.
Like many collectors, I use soilless, peat-based mixtures. I prepare a planting mixture for children and adult plants from ready soil"Greenword" for indoors flowering plants and perlite, which I buy at the Violet House. Greenword already includes a small amount of rippers, but this is not enough for growing miniature Saintpaulias. You need at least three times more rippers than are contained in bags of ready-made substrate.
Here is an example of a planting mixture based on "Greenword" for adult rosettes of miniature varieties of violets:
Mix everything thoroughly, and during the mixing process, remove and throw away all debris and all large fractions - peat lumps and fibers, perlite granules that are too large, etc. For miniatures you need to choose good, even, moderately fine perlite. It is advisable to rinse and dry it before further use(read more about this in the article). There are usually no problems with vermiculite; it is always relatively clean, but it can also be washed if desired. Moss can be purchased at a flower shop, or you can collect it yourself in a swamp. You can also prepare coal yourself, but in general it is freely sold in exactly the same places as other substrate components.
In general, the above recipe is just one of many possible ones; it is not at all necessary to copy it with all care. So feel free to use this recipe as a starting point for your own - the most important thing is to understand the principle. The soil must be loose, very loose! And well aerated. Much depends on the quality of the peat taken as a basis: the fact is that even soils of even the same brand can vary significantly in composition and chemical properties from batch to batch. And soils from different companies - even more so! Some of them contain minor additions of cultivators and fertilizers, some are made on the basis of high-moor peat, others are based on low-moor peat, and in some places they even add sapropel (which violets do not like), and so on.
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I repeat - general idea The goal is to ensure that the finished mixture is light, airy and fluffy, allows water and air to pass through well, and does not cake for as long as possible. Perlite, vermiculite, and finely chopped sphagnum moss can be used as rippers. Someone is using coconut substrate(I do not like him). All these components can be mixed and their shares and proportions in the mixture can be changed. But before you use anything, ask yourself chemical properties of this component! Thus, perlite is chemically inert, but moss has an acidic reaction and when using it, it is necessary to increase the proportion of coal in the planting mixture. Remember that in nature Saintpaulias grow on lungs and are very loose soils with acidity 6-7 pH.
It is convenient to prepare the planting mixture in advance and store it in plastic bags, avoiding drying out or waterlogging. However, the expiration date is ready mixture limited: I try to use a fresh mixture within a month (although in theory it can last several).
Pots for Saintpaulias need drainage. I prefer to use a thin layer of sphagnum moss and no longer add moss to the soil itself. This material perfectly closes the holes in the bottom of the pots, preventing the soil from waking up. I put several small pieces on the sphagnum moss charcoal to neutralize acidity. It would be good to rinse the moss in water before use. room temperature, sort out forest debris and squeeze it out properly. Sometimes it is recommended to scald moss with boiling water, although they honestly warn that the smell of scalded moss is unpleasant. The amendment is not just unpleasant. He's disgusting! Have you ever smelled the aroma of a wet dog?.. Multiply it by two. In general, I don't recommend it. Moss itself has bactericidal properties and rarely does anything grow in it. Doesn't have special significance Whether you use fresh, live moss or dried, hay-like moss. Dry moss is more convenient to grind with your hands; live moss has to be cut with scissors or a knife.
Drainage can also be made from expanded clay or perlite. Go for it! Try different options!
Pots
I highly recommend using plastic pots for violets. The diameter of the pot for miniature varieties is from 5 to 5.5 centimeters, for semi-miniatures - from 5 to 6.5, depending on the size of the particular variety and the development of its root system. In incorrectly selected, too large pots, miniatures grow too large, sloppy and disproportionate - in general, these are no longer really miniatures. The exception is trailers: they like wide, low containers with good, abundant drainage.
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For planting cuttings, so-called cassettes for growing seedlings are convenient. Such cassettes have rectangular shape, and therefore occupy significantly less space than ordinary round pots. They usually have 9-12 landing cells; For our purposes, a cassette with the smallest cells is suitable. But I still prefer to plant cuttings in individual five-centimeter pots - “fives”.
Planting leaf cuttings
Miniature Saintpaulia leaves are usually planted directly into the ground without first rooting them in water. Those who have not dealt with miniatures before are often frightened - how is it possible to go straight to the ground? How will they wither? In fact, such planting is twice as simple and convenient as planting with preliminary rooting of cuttings in water: the roots appear immediately in the ground, and there is no need to injure them later during planting. However, if you wish, you can try rooting in water. Cuttings of varieties with large succulent petioles and powerful leaf blades especially love this method.Pots that have already been used are washed with soap and rinsed thoroughly. Then the bottom is covered thin layer drainage and filled with planting mixture, which is not compacted. For planting cuttings and for children, I use a mixture consisting of 50% Greenward and 50% perlite with the addition of crushed coal. The finished substrate will be loose and low in nutrition: just right for cuttings.
Choose a good healthy leaf without damage - not old, from the bottom row, but not too young. For variegated varieties, choose the greenest leaves possible. Leaf cuttings of variegated leaves with less than 30% green surface will either die during the rooting process, or do not produce offspring for a long time and then will still be rejected. 50% green is not bad. But you still need to try to choose the greenest leaf possible.
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The cuttings are carefully broken out by hand, and then... this is where opinions differ. Some recommend planting it straight away, others update the cut with a razor blade, leaving a petiole of a reasonable length. According to my observations, the most successful ratio of the length of the petiole and the length of the leaf platinum is one to two or two to three. With a longer petiole, the leaf may fall under its own weight, or may even wither. The cut can be made straight or slightly oblique, this is not at all important - the only important thing is that it is clean and even, that is, the procedure must be performed with a really sharp tool. The fresh cut is powdered with crushed charcoal powder. Now the cutting is ready for planting.
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It is carefully lowered at an angle of 45" into a small hole prepared in advance, without pressing or screwing them into the ground. Holding the leaf with one hand, carefully sprinkle the hole with planting mixture or pure perlite and water it very sparingly with lukewarm water. The depth of the hole is 0.5-1 cm, but no more (depending on the size of the leaf).I practice the following method: first, for stability, I plant it deeper, about one and a half centimeters, and after a couple of weeks, when the leaf has taken root properly and is fixed by its roots in the planting mixture, I remove it from surface of the earth.This way the babies will appear faster.
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Immediately after planting, the leaf cutting sometimes has to be additionally fixed “from the back”, propping it up with a piece of expanded clay, plastic stick or a lump of sphagnum. After a couple of weeks, the support can be removed.
Growing
Next, the plantings are sent to live in a greenhouse - in conditions increased comfort. Transparent cake boxes have proven themselves to be excellent greenhouses. To prevent the pots from slipping on the plastic bottom, you can lay a sheet of paper nonwoven fabric or line the bottom with a thin layer of sphagnum. The Violet House sells large rectangular greenhouses that hold exactly forty-five-centimeter pots - just a treat for a miniaturist! If there is no greenhouse or you only have a few pots, for which there is no particular point in fencing the garden, you can use ordinary plastic bags. Packages must be new and clean. Each pot is placed in an individual bag and tied loosely. You can place several pots in a common tray and pack them in a thin garbage bag - it sounds funny, I agree, but in fact it is very convenient! The dark material from which the bag is made slightly shades the violets from bright light if they are placed on a rack under lamps. In general, fresh plantings do not like bright light - for the first two weeks it is better to cover them with newspaper or something similar.Don't neglect quarantine! You cannot immediately place new acquisitions along with the collection - especially if you brought planting material from an exhibition or taken from a new, not yet verified supplier. Keep such plants separately for at least a month (in a separate greenhouse or next room) carefully monitoring their condition.
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Violets develop best, grow and bloom faster, and the rosettes turn out beautiful and symmetrical when kept under fluorescent lamps. Greenhouses with leaves are placed on the top shelves of the rack, where it is warmer. If you don’t have a rack, the greenhouses with cuttings are placed on the windowsill, carefully taking care that the plants do not suffer from cold and drafts. When growing Uzambara violets, you need to take care first of all that the soil in the pots does not get too cold at night. Temperature changes of more than 10°C during the day are absolutely unacceptable. If it happens in a cold and dark time year, autumn or in early spring, and you don’t have a shelving unit, it’s best to place the greenhouse next to the window on a utility table. Then there will be a central heating radiator between the violets and the window - it will create a protective thermal barrier.
Check the soil in the pot regularly with your finger: if it’s wet and icy, it won’t work! Even an adult violet will not last long in such conditions, and one cannot count on producing offspring at all. The soil should be kept moderately dry (slightly moist). The colder it is around, the greater the differences between night and day temperatures, the greater the danger to young roots from flooded soil. Accordingly, the colder the room, the more meager the watering should become. On the other side, heat- is also not a panacea for rotting, so in any case, violets should not be flooded and they must be ventilated regularly. On hot summer days, you will have to keep the lid slightly open throughout the day so that the poor fellows do not cook in the greenhouse. Summer heat - evil enemy Saintpaulium.
In my opinion, it is precisely in the violation of the delicate balance between temperature and humidity that lies the reason for the lion's share of all failures in growing Saintpaulias.
The first watering usually lasts for one to two weeks. At this stage, it is not necessary to ventilate the greenhouses, but the planted leaves need vigilant supervision. After the second watering, you can begin to ventilate a little. It is believed that it is necessary to remove condensation from the inner surface of the lid, although according to my observations it does not bother anyone - on the contrary, it looks very nice and has a positive effect on the microclimate in our little violet house. At this stage, it is enough to remove the lid for 10-15 minutes daily.
Saintpaulias are watered from above into the edge of the pot with water slightly above room temperature. I settle tap water in a large five-liter bottle, for watering I put a little in a watering can, and in the watering can I dilute it with boiling water, bringing it to optimal temperature. When watering miniatures, it is convenient to use a plastic bottle of hair dye with a thin applicator tip. Just wash it thoroughly before use, even to remove the smell of paint! You can also buy an enema at the pharmacy; an enema is even more convenient (but, of course, less aesthetically pleasing).
Sometimes it happens that soon after planting the cuttings wilt. This can happen for many reasons: the leaf was old or damaged, or it went through a long journey before planting. It could also lose turgor due to unsuccessful, too shallow planting or insufficient initial watering (this is the worst thing, it won’t produce children for a long time). Having discovered such a cutting, you need to immediately remove it from the pot, rinse it under running water at room temperature, renew the cut and let the leaf swim in a cup of warm water. boiled water for about an hour. Then repeat the planting procedure, paying attention Special attention watering and planting depth, and place the pot not in a greenhouse, but in an individual bag and do not ventilate for at least a week. If measures were taken on time, the leaf will restore turgor and, over time, will grow in the same way as its more successful brothers.
When two or three weeks have passed since the leaves were planted, and it has already become clear that the cuttings have begun (the sight of the plantings at this stage especially pleases the heart: the established cuttings remind me of well-trained green soldiers), they begin to ventilate more intensively. Well, I already talked about this: about 10-15 minutes daily. After germination, take care not to overwater the young plants. At the same time, you can start feeding with a weak solution of fertilizer that you usually use for adult plants. The concentration should be five to six times weaker than recommended. Make sure that the fertilizer solution does not fall directly on the young shoots.
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Seating the children
Children of miniature Saintpaulias should have two or three pairs of leaves by the time they are planted, not counting the very first pair of underdeveloped juvenile ones. Measuring children in millimeters is, um... well, maybe exciting, but completely pointless. Taking into account the fact that the diameter of adult rosettes in different varieties ranges from 6 to 20 centimeters. Children of variegated varieties must have at least 50% green surface at the time of separation from the mother leaf.Let's just say that children can be very, very small, and this often frightens novice gardeners. I won’t lie, sometimes you really don’t know which way to approach another micromini, which even in an adult state is not able to properly master the “five” with its roots! But, believe me, nothing terrible actually happens; at young plant the root system has already been formed, sufficient for autonomous growth, and the leaf mass is proportional to the size of the roots. In the end, if you are very afraid, no one is forcing you to do it right now. Postpone the planting procedure until better times: let the kids grow up a little more, and you work up your courage.
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After waiting for the moment when the soil has dried, the leaf with the brood of children is taken out of the pot along with the lump, the excess soil is shaken off and the children decisively but carefully disassemble it with their hands. Usually young rosettes are easily separated, but it happens that the roots or leaves are strongly intertwined. Sometimes two neighboring children can be fused together. In this case, you can use a razor blade. The intertwined roots and leaves are carefully untangled. It happens that when children are separated, someone is still left without roots. This specimen, just like the others, is planted in a separate pot and placed back in the greenhouse. Do not forget to dust all cuts and damage with charcoal powder for disinfection.
Planted children are watered sparingly with slightly lukewarm water. Don't overdo it! Naturally, after watering the soil will shrink slightly. You can immediately add it to the desired level, but this second level can no longer be moistened. I keep the young plants in the greenhouse for about another month, observing the ventilation regime - about a quarter of an hour daily. After this period, you can begin to gradually acclimate the plants to indoor conditions, removing the lids of the greenhouses daily for an increasingly longer time. A couple more weeks and the covers can be removed completely
Miniature violets are very popular among indoor flower lovers. Saintpaulia collectors and amateur flower growers prefer smaller copies of standard violets. They take up much less space on the windowsill or on the shelf. This means that the collection will fit more varieties.
In terms of care, mini violets are almost no different from their larger counterparts. However, there are some nuances in communicating with them.
Propagation of miniature violets
The easiest way to become the owner of a miniature variety is to buy a cutting. If you simply tear off a leaf, as those who are sure that flowers “must be stolen in order for them to grow well” like to do, then you can simply ruin it, because the small and delicate leaves of the miniature violet often cannot stand rooting in water.
Planting material for mini violets is rooted only in an earthen mixture; germination in water leads to leaf rotting. Mix the purchased Saintpaulia soil and the contents of the soaked soil in equal quantities. peat tablets. Fill half of the 50 gram containers with soil mixture. plastic cups. At an angle of 45 degrees, renew the cut of the cutting and stick it into the glass to the middle of the stem. The glass is placed in a plastic box. In about a month, sprouts will appear, and after another month they are transplanted into a 50-gram glass completely filled with soil; for convenience, you can use tweezers. The violet blooms only after 10-12 months.
Transplanting miniature violets
These babies renew their soil less frequently than standard violets, about once every one and a half or two years. The pot should not be more than 6 cm in diameter. Place drainage from sphagnum or perlite at the bottom and fill it with soil for Saintpaulias. Violets are lightly watered at the time of planting and 2 days after it. In the first 2 weeks, you need a limited amount of water to prevent the roots from rotting.
Features of watering miniature violets
Water miniature violets with settled water as the substrate dries, each time checking the soil moisture by touch. They have a root system that is very sensitive to waterlogging, so the wick method of watering and using capillary mats is not suitable for them. All pots with plants are placed in disposable plastic glasses so that excess water drains and does not stagnate in the pan. In addition, this way the flowers will receive a little more light from the window or shelving lamps.
Caring for miniature violets
Miniature violets, like all Saintpaulias, are placed on northern and eastern windows and do not allow direct contact sun rays. Feed in the spring before flowering with a special fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen and a fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium during bud formation. The dose of fertilizer is always reduced by 3 times so as not to burn the tender roots. After flowering, be sure to remove faded flower stalks to prolong flowering.
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6 to 10 months pass, and then new flowers will appear again and again. These little ones can bloom 5-7 months a year. The number of flowers during flowering can be so large that the foliage underneath will not be visible.
But is it possible to completely transfer the experience and techniques of growing ordinary violets to mini violets or will they require special conditions content? Yes and no. On the one hand, from a biological point of view, all varieties belong to the same genus - Saintpaulia, and are complex interspecific hybrids. On the other hand, genetically they originated from different types, the difference in size is a consequence of this, and hence the difference in preferences. But don’t be alarmed: there are differences, but they are minor.
Lighting
So that the young "miniature" forms good outlet and blossomed quickly, you need to provide it with the right lighting. The rule here is simple: the smaller the outlet, the brighter the lighting it requires. As a rule, the degree of “brightness” for Uzambara violets is usually achieved simply: a few centimeters closer or further from window glass. It is clear that in this case the minis will need to be placed closer to the glass so that larger plants do not shade them with their foliage. But in this case they will not be visible at all from the side of the room? It may be worth considering placing the minis separately on a raised table or hanging shelf, especially since this will make care easier and the plants will feel better.
If you keep plants under artificial light, there are clearer recommendations: for standard varieties the distance from the lamps to the rosette of leaves should be 25-30 cm, for mini and semi-miniature varieties 15-20 cm. Microminiature varieties bloom successfully only when placed at a distance of 10 cm from the lamps, but not closer, since in this case overheating from the heat release of the lamps themselves is possible.
The length of daylight can be adjusted depending on what you want to achieve from your plants. For abundant flowering The timer is set for 12-13 hours of continuous operation of the lamps; for healthy growth, ten hours a day is enough.
Soil, pot size and feeding for planted children
Light is an important component of successful growth for all plants, but the correct soil and pot size are equally important. As already mentioned, the composition of the soil mixture for miniature Saintpaulias differs little from the composition for standard ones; it is more important that the substrate has a suitable structure, that is, it is loose, moisture- and breathable.
Here is one possible recipe suitable for miniature Saintpaulias:
- ready-made substrate "Vermion" (or other soil based on vermicompost) - 1 part,
- neutralized high peat - 3 parts,
- a mixture of equal parts of perlite and vermiculite - 1 part.
The substrate prepared according to this recipe contains the necessary nutrients for healthy growth and flowering for about a year, so the miniatures in it do not require additional feeding. But when growing standards, you can’t do without additional nutrition. As a rule, standard varieties begin to be fed two months after transplantation, and this is another significant difference between miniature Saintpaulias and standard ones.
Choosing the right pot size - important point in mini-Saintpaulia culture. A large feeding area, irregular fertilizing or regular abundant watering - all this can lead to the fact that even the most compact variety will begin to grow disproportionately. And although growing mini Saintpaulias is not a bonsai culture, limiting the feeding area is one of the methods of maintaining the harmonious shape of the rosette and maintaining its abundant flowering. Here, as for standard varieties, there is Golden Rule 1:3, that is, the diameter of the pot for an adult plant should be 1/3 of the diameter of the rosette of leaves. Thus, for miniature varieties a pot with a top diameter of 5 cm would be ideal, for semi-miniature varieties 5.5-6 cm.
How to increase air humidity
The last significant difference that I would like to mention is air humidity. Here we have to admit that standard varieties are better adapted to room conditions and better tolerate excessive dry air. Miniatures noticeably suffer if air humidity drops below 25%, which often happens in winter when central heating batteries are running and the air supply fresh air from the street no. However, such air is also harmful to the human respiratory tract, in particular, contributing to the spread of viral infections. Therefore, you can safely search possible options additional hydration.
You can humidify the air around miniature violets using damp material placed on a common tray where they are placed. You can also place jars of water between the plants. But an even better way to increase air humidity is with a humidifier or an open aquarium. If there are few plants, they can be kept in a slightly open mini-greenhouse or any suitable container.
And don’t let the seemingly possible difficulties scare you. If you love and know how to understand your pets, then you will probably successfully grow the most capricious variety, and it will thank you with excellent growth and delightful flowering.
You can learn more about the classification of Saintpaulias, variegated violets, and how to care for them from other materials on our website. Links to them are located in the information block to the left of the text.
We thank Igor Milekhin for the inspiring photos!
Miniature violets are also called: African violet, Saintpaulia or Uzambara violet. I have always admired these graceful, colorful, elegant plants, but I did not dare to breed them. A friend tried to grow violets, but they died. I have the impression that these flowers are very picky. But when I accidentally saw a huge variety of these amazing flowers at my neighbor’s house, I got excited - I want to grow violets too. A neighbor gave me a book on caring for and growing violets, I opened it and couldn’t put it down. Now I’m trying to grow these amazing flowers myself.
A little history
From the humble purple flower, which was found by the governor of East Africa in 1982, breeders have already bred a huge number of flowers of various colors and shapes. Currently, fans of these amazing plants They give preference to collection varieties, and breeders do not stop there and really dream of breeding violets with fragrant flowers.
In honor of the father and son of the von Saint-Pauls, these flowers were called "Saintpaulia". The history of Saintpaulia began in Germany. In the 30s of the 20th century, Saintpaulia crossed the Atlantic Ocean and firmly established itself in the United States. In 1992, Saintpaulia celebrated the 100th anniversary of the victorious march around the world.
Features of miniature violets
Violets are differentiated by plant size.
- standard rosette diameter - from 20 to 40 cm;
- large – from 40 to 60 cm;
- miniature – up to 15 cm;
- microminiature – up to 6 cm;
- midi – up to 20 cm.
I want to tell you about miniature violets. These charming creatures are modest in size, have varied colors of flowers and leaves, and lush flowering will not leave anyone indifferent.
The main difference between a miniature violet is its size. In all other respects they are similar to standard violets.
Color of flowers and leaves
The coloring of miniatures can be monochromatic, variegated or changeable. The color of violet leaves can range from light green to dark green, almost black. back side The leaf is colored purple, light green or dark green. Also, the leaves may have white, cream and pink streaks and spots over the entire surface. They can be bordered, densely pubescent, sparsely pubescent and smooth. In young plants, a lemon-golden coating is found, but in adult violets it disappears.
Types of leaves
Miniature leaves can be divided into 3 types:
- boyleaf - the most common leaf with a clear separation of leaf and petiole;
- The girl leaf has a discolored spot at the base, and the corrugated edges resemble a girl’s hair; the leaf is round in shape and has smooth transition at the junction of the leaf and petiole;
- modified girl leaf - a leaf with almost flat surface, elongated shape and smooth edge, but at the same time has a smooth transition at the junction of the leaf and petiole.
The foliage of mini violets is very diverse. Gerl leaves range from light green to dark green and even variegated. There are leaves folded in the shape of a funnel, turny leaves when the lower part of the leaf forms stipules, and the rarest is the spider leaf. Such leaves have practically no petiole and they are elongated along the entire length from the very base. From above, such a leaf resembles a spider with splayed legs, hence the name.
Violet lovers rarely know the correct name of the variety, as do flower shop workers. And this is necessary to properly care for them. For example, violets with variegated and plain leaves require different care.
Violets can also be divided according to the type of flowers into classic or standard, star-shaped, wasp flower and bell flower.
The classic flower has five petals, the top two petals are narrower than the side and bottom petals. The star type has identical petals located evenly around the circumference of the flower and in appearance it resembles a star, the petals are pointed and there can be more than five of them. The wasp flower has narrow, slightly elongated upper and side petals, and wide lower petals. It is shaped like a wasp and is rare. The bell flower's petals are welded together and resemble the shape of a funnel or a half-opened bud.
The color of violet petals is very diverse - from white to black-violet, except yellow. There is no pure yellow violet, but there is a white one with yellow strokes in the center of the petals. This is the Megesty variety. It has large white flowers with lemon yellow spots in the center and wavy edges. The colors of hybrid varieties of violets are very unusual names– coral, fuchsia, burgundy, orange, peach, colors Ivory, blackberry, cream, plum. Flower growers all over the world use letter designations for petal colors:
B (Blue) – blue, blue;2
C (Multicolor) – multi-colored;
P (Pinr or Rose) – hot pink, dark pink;
O (Orbid, Mauve, Levender) – orchid, pink-lilac, lavender, i.e. lavender;
R (Red, Mahagon, Plum, Burgundy) – red, beet-chestnut, plum, cherry – the colors of Burgundy wine;
V (Violet or Purple) – violet or purple;
W (White, Greamy, Blach) – white, cream, slightly pink;
X (Bicolor) – two-color;
Y – white with yellow.
The colors of miniature violets are:
- plain - the whole flower is painted in one color;
- bordered - there are one or two borders on the flower different widths one or two colors. If the air temperature in the room remains stable at 20-22o C, then the border on the flowers is clear and constantly present. But if the temperature changes frequently, then the border may temporarily disappear and appear again, but it may also disappear completely;
- fantasy colors - on a monochromatic field there are strokes, dashes, dots, rays, peas, splashes, spots. When grown from leaf cuttings, fancy colors often do not repeat, but produce violets in their original form, so you need to grow maximum amount flowers to select worthy ones. And the color of the petals depends on changes in the acidity of the environment. Flowers may darken or lighten due to changes in soil pH. There are flowers with two or more tones of the same color, but of different saturation. Two-tone depends on the lighting. Long-lasting and intense lighting reveals all the richness of the two-tone color. If there is insufficient lighting, this sign may not appear.
Based on the number of petals, flowers are divided into simple, double and semi-double. Simple are single petals. If on simple flower 1-2 additional petals have appeared, such a flower is considered semi-double. A double flower is a flower with a large number of petals. The petals of such a flower are arranged like this - first the largest, then medium, and in the middle - the smallest. The flower itself is flat and the middle is clearly visible. But there may be another structure double flower: All petals are the same size and form a spherical flower. Still important hallmark- This is the outline of the edges of the petals. The edges can be smooth, slightly wavy or fringed. Wavy and fringed edges make the violet airy, lacy, and elegant, and smooth edges allow you to appreciate the color of the flower.
Miniature violets differ from standard chic beauties mainly only in size, and this is their advantage. Small size is very important when growing flowers on the windowsills of city apartments.
TO separate group can include trailers. They can be classified by leaf size:
- semi-mini – sheet size from 2.5 to 3.8 cm;
- miniature - from 1.2 to 2.5 cm;
- micromini - from 0.6 to 1.2 cm.
Trailers form long shoots with numerous stepsons, which are convenient to use for propagation. With a sharp knife The stepson is separated, the cut area is dried for 20-30 minutes, placed in a bowl with damp sphagnum moss and covered plastic bag. After a couple of weeks, the plant will develop its own roots. It can be transplanted into a pot. When transplanted directly into the ground, roots form more slowly and the plant will be easier to tolerate transplants in the future. It is better to take leaves from the middle row of the rosette. old leaf may not produce children, but the young one takes root quickly, but produces weak children. To propagate pinnate varieties, it is better to choose the greenest leaves.
The most common way to propagate miniatures is through leaf cuttings. The leaves of miniature Saintpaulia varieties are usually planted directly into the ground without first rooting them in water; they are very small and may die. The rule that the diameter of a standard violet should be three times the diameter of the pot does not apply to miniatures; the plant can be planted in a pot with a diameter of 6 cm. This is a very small volume, and therefore mini violets must be replanted 2 times a year in spring and autumn.
Small pots cause rapid depletion and drying out of the soil. Therefore, regular transplantation is one of the most important conditions miniature breeding success. In a small pot, the planting mixture is quickly depleted and, although the use of fertilizers helps to replenish the deficit, it is vital important elements, This is not enough. After the first flowering the plant became tired. For several months it has delighted you with beautiful flowers, now it’s your turn to pamper the plant - replace the soil in the pot.
At exhibitions it is believed that the smaller the miniature, the better. Miniature violets are very original decoration your house. It can be planted in a beautiful cup, sea shell, hollowed out stone or driftwood container and it is already a work of art. Miniatures bloom very profusely, they are hardy and unpretentious. Breeders have already bred more than 20,000 species of varieties.
Saintpaulias come from East Africa, but do not tolerate direct sunlight; direct sun rays can cause burns on the leaves and flowers. They love good watering(level relative humidity should be about 50%). And they really need your love and care, and it’s impossible not to love these amazing flowers. Start growing violets, and they will give you joy every day.