Violet Zolushkin's dream is A. Deikun's selection work, which is especially common among other varieties. It has a unique shape of petals, is appreciated for its unpretentiousness and flowering feature.
Description of violets Zolushkin dream
The variety quickly fell in love with indoor plant fans for its low maintenance and fabulous appearance. Its wavy dark green leaves, collected in a small outlet, have a fairly large size and a characteristic red tint on the back. White flowers are inherent in young flowers, however, over time, a lilac edging appears on each petal. Flowers can grow up to 4 cm in diameter. Each peduncle has 5-6 buds. Flowering is often accompanied by falling petals, and its total duration reaches 40 days.
Advantages
The main advantage is flowers of an unusual shape and color. The contrast of the upper corrugated part of the lilac-colored petal and the rest is white. It features continuous flowering and an even shape of the outlet. In addition to the main color option, there are - with a mesh of reddish tint and brown-strawberry border.
Growing conditions
| Factor | Conditions |
| Location | It will feel good at windows facing any side except the south. In the summer heat it is worth periodically shading with gauze, this will help to avoid burns and drought of the soil. |
| Lighting | Preferably strong, diffuse, without direct sunlight. Daylight hours in summer should reach up to 16 hours, and in winter it will be enough 12 hours, the use of artificial sources is permissible. The lack of light adversely affects the shape of the outlet, the number of buds is also reduced, while the leaf petioles are elongated. |
| Priming | It requires nutritious, loose and moisture-resistant, ideal forest. The plus will be the content of turf, decayed leaves and sand. When the plant blooms, it will need additional nutrition. Any universal soil from the store is suitable for this role, where you can then add a little perlite. |
| Pot | Violet grows on the sides, and not deep into the soil. Based on this, she does not need a deep pot. Mandatory drainage in the form of expanded clay or broken brick at the bottom. Dimensions of capacity vary depending on the size of Saintpaulia:
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| Temperature | It reacts poorly to high and low. The ideal temperature range is + 20 ... +22 ° C, in winter + 18 ... +19 ° C will be enough. |
| Humidity | It requires a lot of moisture (60%), but should not be sprayed for this, it is better to always keep a container of water in close proximity. The room where the senpolia is located is often required to be aired. Before this, it is necessary to rearrange so that it does not fall under a draft. |
Mr. Summer resident informs: watering and top dressing technique
It’s worth watering Zolushkin’s dream only when the top layer dries out by 1/3, otherwise the gardener runs the risk of overflowing the plant, while the drought is also fatal for the senpolia. Usually, watering is carried out 1-2 times a week, it is important to exclude the ingress of water on the flower and leaves. To simplify and automate the process, resort to wick watering. This option will provide moisture control to the plant itself. To make such a device, it is necessary to make a cord-wick, preferably from synthetic fabric (not susceptible to decay), not more than 0.5 cm in diameter (depends on the size of the pot). Pass it through the drainage layer, laying it in a ring in the soil. The end of the cord is placed in a vessel of water mounted under the pot. However, such irrigation requires increased soil friability, which is easy to achieve by adding perlite.
Water for irrigation is used at room temperature and it is better if it is not hard tap water, but soft.
Top dressing is carried out depending on the season:
- Organic fertilizers (winter);
- Mineral fertilizers with a regularity of 1 time / 3 weeks (spring);
- Only in case of ailment (summer).
At the same time, young plants, up to 2 months old, infected violets or those on which insect pests appeared, do not need additional nutrition. Fertilizers will be superfluous during the flowering period.
Planting and reproduction
One of the proven breeding options is vegetative, but for this method you need to use a plant only of middle age. It is necessary:
- Cut the cuttings in the 2nd row;
- Dilute a tablet of activated carbon in a glass of water;
- Leave the stalk in it until the roots appear;
- Transplant into the soil.
Another method is based on the greenhouse effect - in this case, the stalk should be planted immediately in the ground and covered with polyethylene, after making small holes in it.
The effective method is considered to be herding. This houseplant is far from the most child-bearing, and in order for stepsons to appear, it is worth stimulating their formation by clinging to small leaves in the center of Saintpaulia. When they appear, with a scalpel, separate one from an adult plant, keep in a glass with water until the root sprouts. After 1.5 months, the plant will already become independent.
Plant transplant
When the soil loses all its nutrients, and the root system of the plant grows, the violet should be transplanted.
The signal for transplantation is usually a white coating on the surface of the Saintpaulia, it appears in case of a lack of oxygen and an excessive content of mineral fertilizers. It is recommended to transplant in the warm season, in saturated light, but you should refrain from this during the flowering period. Before placing the violet in a new pot, it is worth cleaning it from old, rotten roots and preparing the soil.
To do this, you need the following composition (5: 3: 1: 1: 1):
- A mixture of leaf and turf soil;
- Peat;
- Sand;
- Vermiculite.
It will not be superfluous to add wood ash, its presence will positively affect the nutritional value of the soil. Immediately after the operation, the flower will not need watering, it is preferable to cover it with polyethylene.
Diseases and Pests
Timely prevention is the most reliable means against unwanted insects, fungi and infections.
If it was not possible to avoid negative influences, then it is worthwhile to take the necessary measures to eliminate them in a timely manner, since the most effective ailments of the plant are treated at the initial stages.
| Problem | Reason, manifestations | Remedial measures |
| Fusarium | Rotting of the roots caused by sudden changes in temperature. For example, when watering with cold water. It originates from the roots, then the infection spreads to the upper part - the stem, leaves. | As a preventive measure, treatment with phytosporin is suitable. Proper care virtually eliminates the possibility of developing such a disease. If the flower fell ill with Fusarium, then it will not be cured. It should be destroyed by preventing contact with healthy samples. The soil from under the diseased violet must be discarded, since it is also infected. |
| Powdery mildew | White plaque provoked by an excess of moisture and low temperature. Symptom is accompanied by growth retardation, foliage withers. | Preventive measures - feeding phosphorus and potash. Fungicide promotes rapid recovery from powdery mildew. Among folk remedies, it is worth highlighting spraying with a solution of soap and soda, diluted in 1.5 liters of water. |
| Late blight | Dry leaves due to improper watering, hypothermia, or lack of lighting. Within 3-4 days, the senpolia dies. | Remove all damaged leaves, provide proper care and treat with pesticides. The roots are also affected. You should take out the violet from the pot and get rid of the diseased - they do not hold a lump of earth, unlike healthy white roots. |
| Gray rot | The decay of leaves occurs due to the ingress of water on them. | |
| Ticks, aphids, flies | Damage to the root system, foliage. The development of the flower ceases, all visible parts fade, the plant dies. | Remove affected parts, treat with pesticides or insecticide 3 times at weekly intervals. |
