Violet Esmeralda is a gentle, sweet plant that attracts the views of everyone around. Flower growers fell in love with it for the long flowering and the abundance of flowers. However, in growing a flower is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.
What does violet Esmeralda look like
Violet LE Esmeralda is a delicate, touching flower that does not stand out with particular brightness, splendor. But at the same time, the flowering is plentiful, due to which this whole amazing picture is created.
Violet Le Esmeralda
Plant characteristics
The botanical description of the Esmeralda Senpolia:
- the flower is large, bright crimson, with a fringe along the edges;
- along the edge of each petal there is a lime edging, which brightens with time;
- leaves of a standard oval shape, slightly narrowed towards the end, eventually become wavy;
- the fringing color may remain if the room is kept at a stable cool temperature.
Interesting!The main feature of this plant is that already the first flowering is very plentiful.
Violet Esmeralda belongs to the Gesneriaceae family, the genus Saintpaulia Hybrid.
Briefly about the history of the appearance
Violet got its name in honor of the famous gypsy from the novel by V. Hugo "Notre Dame de Paris". The color of her petals and the lace around the edges reminded breeders working with the variety of this beautiful girl. The variety has several varieties.
The difference between the varieties Esmeralda and Esmerald Luxury
LE Esmeralda Lux - one of the varieties of the hybrid. It was bred by breeder Elena Lebetskaya, who became the author of most varieties. This hybrid is characterized by greater terryness and the size of the petals. The color saturation is also slightly different. In this case, they are either raspberry-burgundy or fuchsia. The light green border along the edge of the flower is unchanged throughout the flowering period.
Violet Esmeralda Suite
Sport of this kind
The violet sport is considered to be any insignificant, but regularly repeated difference in a number of plants belonging to this species. These differences may be expressed in the form of flowers or leaves. Esmeralda's sport is a completely similar plant, the leaves of which are as curly as the flowers. But here the color of the delicate petals is completely pink.
Esmeralda - violet sport
Features of caring for violet LE Esmeralda at home
Like any senpolia, LE Esmeralda is a rather finicky plant, but any grower, especially an experienced one who has been cultivating violets for a long time, can cope with its cultivation.
Temperature and lighting
The optimum temperature of growing is +18 ... +24 ° С. The cooler the room, the lighter the petals.
Proper lighting is one of the keys to success in growing violets. Daylight hours should always last long, not only in summer but also in winter. Therefore, at this time of the year, an artificial increase in the duration of daylight using fluorescent or phyto lamps is mandatory. In total, violets should be lit at least 15 hours a day.
Important! In summer, you can not put pots on the windowsills, especially on the south side. In hot sunny weather, it is better to rearrange them away, because the gentle leaves of Esmeralda can seriously suffer from sunburn.
Watering, spraying and humidity
Wick watering or pan-watering is preferred. Water should be warm, soft, well-settled.
Violets should not be sprayed, since yellow spots form on the leaves from moisture droplets. Leaves and flowers of a plant, in principle, prefer only lower watering (through a pallet or wick), but you can gently water the flowers to the root.
Violets do not like when the room is dry. Therefore, air must be humidified. This can be done using containers filled with water, wet expanded clay, wet moss. For those who have entire collections of senpolia and other hygrophilous plants, it is recommended to purchase an air humidifier.
Wick watering of violets
Priming
The main properties of the soil for violets: nutrition and looseness. It is best to purchase special primer primer in the store. But you need to carefully look at its composition. If there is no perlite in it initially, then it is worth adding it or coarse river sand.
Top dressing
During the first 6 months after transplantation, top dressing is not required. Then they are applied depending on the life period.
- At the very beginning of the growing season, nitrogen fertilizers are introduced, which stimulate the active growth of the green part.
- During the flowering period, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are introduced, which contribute to more magnificent flowering.
Top dressing is carried out together with watering. If watering is wick, fertilizers are applied directly to the water.
When and how it blooms
The plant blooms throughout almost the whole year. The flowers are cute, original. They can be simple or terry, depending on the particular variety of Esmeralda, with fringed edges.
The shape of the flowers in this species is Pansies.
The plant blooms almost all year, with the exception of a short dormant period of 1-2 months.
No special changes in care during flowering are required. It is important to remove dried buds in time. Feeding with complex fertilizers is carried out 2 times a month.
How is the Saintpaulia of Le Esmeralda propagated?
The propagation of the large-flowered senpolia of LE Esmeralda occurs only by cuttings or peduncles. The most popular way is grafting.
For this, the strongest sheet from the second row is selected. It is placed in a glass of warm boiled water. As soon as the root system grows to about 1 cm, the process can be planted in the prepared soil.
It is possible to plant a leaf on a substrate immediately. It must be buried about 1/3 of the entire length and covered with polyethylene or a glass jar.
Attention! Every day, the shelter must be raised for ventilation, and also monitor the level of soil moisture, it should not dry out.
Violet Shank
Transplant after purchase and during reproduction
After the purchase, do not transplant the violet immediately. She must go through the incubation period in the same container in which she grew up in the store. For 14 days, the plant should be protected from the rest, it is advisable to place it in a separate room. This is necessary in order to protect home flowers from diseases and parasites that can be brought along by the senpolia.
Further transplantation is carried out by transshipment. Transplantation to a new place is carried out 1 time in 2 years, it is possible more often, but not less often. The size of the pot should increase slightly each time, but it should not be too deep.
In a large pot, plant growth will slow down, because it will be absorbed, first of all, by building up the root system. Only after she braids an earthen lump, the ground part begins to develop.
Possible problems in growing
Most problems are due to improper care, but there are also diseases that are susceptible to senpolia. Occasionally, pests attack the violet.
Leaf problems
Leaf problems are most often associated with improper care. So, yellowing, the appearance of spots on the leaves is most often associated with hypothermia. Watering with cold water or excess moisture can provoke the development of root or stem rot, as a result of which the leaves will go down and blacken.
A lack of light will provoke stretching, lengthening of the cuttings. And excess light and heat can cause wilting, drying out and sunburn on the leaf part.
Pests
The main insect parasites that are capable of harming the senpoly of LE Esmeralda:
- Ticks that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They settle on aging leaves. Traces of their life appear as white dots on the leaves. Tick-affected leaves are cut.
- Thrips. They can also be seen only under a microscope, but unlike ticks, they can fly. Indoor plants most often fall from the street together in pollen or poplar fluff.
- Aphids can kill a violet. An external manifestation of her life is the wilting of leaves, which then turn yellow and fall.
To combat any insect pests, special preparations are used - insecticides, which can be bought at any flower shop.
Disease
The most common diseases are:
- Powdery mildew (real or false), is characterized by the appearance of a powdery white coating on the leaves and stems. The false variety is also accompanied by brown spots on the leaf plates.
- Rust affects leaves that become rusty, then the rest of the flower suffers.
- Root and stem rot are the most dangerous diseases that occur in the senpolia as a result of hypothermia and / or overflow. The appearance of this disease is detrimental to plants. If it is found, the flower can be thrown away, since it will not be possible to save it, and the pot is well disinfected.
Powdery mildew on a violet
Signs of improper care
- with a lack of light, new leaves will be lighter and smaller, petioles are extended, the edges of the leaves bend upward;
- increased acidity or excessive salinization of the soil leads to curling of the leaf plates, the same problem occurs with a lack of nitrogen or overflow;
- light spots on the leaves or their tips hint to the grower that the flower is watered with too cold water or suffers from sunburn.
It is better for beginners not to take up the cultivation of this plant, it is worth practicing on more unpretentious flowers.
Saintpoly Esmeralda fully justifies its name with its bright double flowers, which are many, starting from the first flowering. This variety will definitely be the decoration of any collection. However, it is better for beginners not to take up the cultivation of this variety, since dealing with this is not so easy.
