The botanical diversity of violets is so great that hardly anyone will name the exact number of varieties and species. And provided that as a result of constant breeding work, new representatives of this magnificent plant appear, we can safely say that violet is an unconditional favorite of home gardening. The article describes the Chantal violet with unusually attractive colors.

Important! True connoisseurs of flowers use racks made of transparent material (glass, plastic) with mounted light sources for plant maintenance.

Characteristics and description of the plant

The violet (senpolia) of the Chantal variety (LE Chantal) was bred by the flower grower Elena Lebetskaya and got its name in honor of the Catholic saint Jeanne-Francoise de Chantal. Senpolia of this variety has a very large, corrugated structure, bright raspberry with a white eye in the middle of the flowers. Full disclosure of colors does not occur. With lowering the ambient temperature, the white spot becomes more pronounced, and the fringe at the edges of the petals acquires a light green hue.The leaves are wavy, saturated green with a thin stem, collected in a large outlet. Peduncles - tall, weakened, almost immediately fall on the leaves. The plant reaches the age of flowering 14-15 months after the appearance of the first leaf. Violet of this variety is very fond of light.

The conditions for growing violets at home

To grow beautifully blooming senpolis at home, you need to know the conditions for their proper development.

Location and Lighting

Under natural conditions, these plants grow in a hot sunny climate, but at the same time they are protected from direct sunlight by bushes and tall vegetation. At home, creating such a microclimate is not easy, so flower growers recommend placing pots with photophilous plants on the windowsills of windows oriented to the northwest or northeast, which do not get direct aggressive light.

Did you know? On soils rich in zinc, violets with large large flowers grow. This botanical fact has contributed to the discovery of a large zinc deposit in Europe.

In the case when the windows in the house are located differently, forced dimming is used, covering the lower part of the window space with a loose cloth or paper. If there is not enough lighting in the room, then artificial illumination is used with any additional light source (phytolamps, LED, fluorescent, ordinary incandescent lamps).

Temperature mode

The best temperature regime under which adult senpolia blooms for a long time and plentifully is in the range +20 ... + 24 ° С. For immature young plants, higher content temperatures in the range of +24 ... + 26 ° C are preferable. Violets quite steadily tolerate deviations of the temperature regime from the norm by large values, however, their growth slows down, the flowers drop. Drafts are especially harmful to them. In addition, it is preferable to ensure the night temperature in a room with flowers 2-3 degrees lower than the daytime.

Air humidity

For the full growth and development of violets, an air humidity level of at least 50% is required. During the heating season, when the air in the apartments is overdried, use humidifiers or place water tanks near the plants. But high humidity indicators (more than 70%) adversely affect violets, as this creates a favorable environment for the development of fungal diseases.

Basic rules for home care

Let us dwell on the agricultural technology of home breeding of Chantal violets.

Did you know? To date, 8500 varieties of senpolis are officially registered. Despite such a huge variety, a flower of any kind and type of violets has five petals.

Watering

Water for irrigation is used only filtered or tap water, but without signs of chlorination (they stand for at least two days), with a temperature slightly higher than room temperature. A reduced temperature of the irrigation water will lead to rapid decay of the root system, especially in the autumn-winter period. A signal for moistening the soil will be a slightly dried topsoil in the pot. They bring water both directly under the plant itself and into the pallet. After 20-30 minutes, excess liquid is drained.

Fertilizer application

During the first three months after planting the plants in the ground, fertilizing is not needed. In the future, once every 10-14 days, the soil under the root is fertilized without fail with prepared liquid organic and mineral formulations for home violets, in which the concentration of nutrients is strictly dosed.

Pruning

The procedure for pruning the senpolia is carried out in the event of the death or yellowness of the leaves (especially the lower ones), as well as excessive thickening of the green part of the flower. The leaf plates are nipped off, forming a rosette of young healthy leaves. Extra stepsons are cut out or gently pulled out so as not to damage the main plant.

Transfer

The signal for a transplant is:

• the need to replace depleted, old soil;
• a bare stem that rises too high above the surface of the soil;
• excessive thickening of the pot space by the lateral processes.

Video: violet transplant

Violet is not afraid of rooting - this is a rare property of plants, so the removal of diseased, inferior roots will only heal the plant. If the senpolia is healthy, without external damage, but has “outgrown” its pot, then it is put into a larger capacity by transshipment method. It should be remembered about the use of drainage materials (expanded clay, broken brick, etc.) that fall asleep at the bottom of a new pot.

How to propagate at home

Senpolia can be propagated in the following ways: cuttings, stepsons, seeds and rooting of peduncles. Consider each method in more detail.

Cuttings

This is the most common way. The leaf (cuttings) is cut with a sharp tool at an angle to the stem of the mother plant. The length of the handle should be about 4 cm. The slice is washed and dried for a quarter of an hour.

Important! The sheet for subsequent rooting is chosen bright green, without spots, yellowness and defects that will lead to the death of planting material.

Algorithm of actions:

1. For each shank, an individual small container of dark glass is prepared, into which a small amount of distilled or filtered water is poured, with the addition of activated carbon. For these purposes, medicinal bottles with a narrow neck are suitable.
2. The stem is lowered into the water to a depth of not more than 1 cm. The water is not changed, but only added to the original volume.
3. The place for placing containers with cuttings should not be illuminated in direct sunlight.
4. In the case of a putrefactive process on the handle, the damaged area is cut off, the cut is sprinkled with activated carbon, dried for half an hour, and then placed in fresh water.
5. When the root length is 1–2 cm, the cuttings are planted in individual glasses with a drainage layer and nutrient soil.

Video: propagation of violets by cuttings

Stepsons

The process of propagating senpolia by stepsons is the same as the leaf cuttings. To do this, choose strong, healthy, 4-centimeter shoots grown in the sinuses of the main plant. Young outlets are planted in individual flowerpots when they grow enough.

Seeds

This method of propagating violets at room conditions is the most difficult of all known methods, it is used in breeding work and is carried out as follows:

1. The capacity in which the seeds are to be sown is filled with perlite.
2. Senpolia seeds are mixed with sand, the resulting mixture is poured with an even layer on the surface of perlite soil.
3. From the sprayer, irrigate the seeds with water.
4. Top cover with a film or transparent glass, placed under a lamp.
5. Condensate from the inner surface of the covering material is wiped daily, the planting is aired, preventing the drying of the upper layer of the substrate.
6. When the sprouts reach a height of 5 cm, they carry out the picking procedure in individual cups and continue to grow to the point where transfer to permanent pots will be possible.

Video: propagating violets by seeds

Rooting flower stalks

This method consists of the following manipulations:

1. A full or faded flower (buds do not fit!) With large stipules is separated from the main plant with a sharp instrument.
2. It is rooted in moistened perlite (sphagnum), covered with a film on top.
3. The appearance of a young outlet near the stipule means that a rooting process has occurred.
4. When the young plant gets stronger, it is transplanted to a constant place of growth.

Possible growing difficulties

Domestic violets are less susceptible to disease and pest attacks. But if this happens, then you need to know how to save the plant:

1. Late blight - causes the greatest damage to plants. It provokes the appearance of high humidity of the soil and air. External manifestations of the disease are brown spots on the stem and leaves. Unfortunately, the plant will have to be destroyed in order to prevent the spread of infection to others. The soil and flower are thrown away, the pot is carefully sterilized.
2. Nematode Root - a pest that destroys the root system of a plant. It falls on a flower along with poor-quality soil or from the ground in which neighboring plants grow. Violet in this case dies. As a preventative measure, it is advised to use ready-made store soil.
3. Thrips - small insects living on the back of the leaf. Timely removed parts of the plant affected by thrips will save the violet from death. Household flowers should be constantly inspected for harmful insects.

With all the variety of home violets, there are always instances of plants that will not leave anyone indifferent. Such a senpolia is the beauty of the Chantal variety, which can be grown at home, even without being a professional florist, and in strict compliance with the simple rules of agricultural technology of this type of plant.