In a botanical sense, the Uzambara violet - Saintpaulia LE-Pauline Viardot - has nothing to do with violets. It belongs to the plants of the Gesneriev family and is one of the most popular indoor flowers. But since this definition has become familiar to our growers, we will adhere to this definition in the future.
Description of the variety
Violet Pauline Viardot is one of the most beautiful indoor plants, which has a variegated color of leaves and bright flowers of wine shades. The variety was bred by Elena Lebedeva, a famous breeder from the city of Vinnitsa. It was this scientist who gave the world a great variety of the most original plants, beloved by all fans of violets. The flower was introduced not so long ago - in 2012, but since then it has already won the "hearts and windows" of our compatriots.
The flower was named after the legendary singer Pauline Viardot of Spanish-French origin. She became famous not only for her vocal abilities, but also for her dizzying romance with Ivan Turgenev. It is well known that the Russian prose writer had the strongest feelings for this woman and often called him his muse.
A characteristic feature of Saintpaulia Pauline Viardot is rather large wine-colored flowers.
In most cases, they look like "double" stars with a wavy edge, reaching 8 cm in diameter. A thin white border is visible on each petal, which effectively contrasts with the main shade of the leaf plates. This detail only emphasizes the sophistication and beauty of Saintpaulia.
The first ejection of Pauline Viardot's peduncles is usually just preparation , with each subsequent bud becoming larger and larger. The Viardot rosette looks no less attractive. Its size is also quite impressive, while bright variegated leaf plates are curved and held on elongated cuttings with a "spoon", so that the rosette of this unusual indoor flower sometimes seems a little loose.
It should be borne in mind that, despite the fact that peduncles are laid quite abundantly, it is almost impossible to achieve nodding flowering. The fact is that on each of them no more than 3 peduncles are usually formed, as a rule, only 1–2 buds. LE-Polina blooms quite rarely - no more than once a year.
Keep in mind that an adult violet of this species will not bud until it grows a powerful full-fledged outlet, and this, in turn, is impossible without maintaining optimal living conditions: temperature, moisture level, degree of illumination and fertilization.
Care
Violet Pauline Viardot is known for her capricious disposition. This plant shows its difficult nature at every opportunity, although, in fairness, it should be noted that this only applies to situations associated with improper care of a green pet. For abundant flowering and the formation of a lush beautiful rosette, the uzambar violet needs a long daylight hours, a correctly chosen substrate, a pot of a suitable size, regular watering and the right fertilizers. The level of humidity and temperature are only of secondary importance, although in the cold or, conversely, in the hot air, Saintpaulia begins to wither. This disadvantage can be leveled by sufficient ventilation in the room.
Lighting
Saintpaulia Pauline Viardot requires 12-15 hours of daylight hours, which is why she needs additional lighting between November and March. Usually, for this, special fluorescent or LED phytolamps are purchased. Most growers prefer the second option, since such lighting devices do not heat the air around the color, and from an economic point of view, LED lamps are much more profitable. Keep in mind that the optimal glow temperature for the Usambara violet varies from 4000K to 6200K. It is this level that is considered as close as possible to natural insolation.
it is necessary to provide drainage holes: through them, the excess South is not recommended, since in the summer, direct sunlight can lead to burns. If there is no way to rearrange the flower, then it is worth darkening it a little. To do this, you can stick a film or thin paper on the window.
Priming
Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers planted violets in rather voluminous pots, but with LE-Pauline Viardot, this approach cannot be called correct: Saintpaulia does not like too spacious containers. Therefore, for cultivation, you should choose a pot whose diameter is 2-3 times smaller than the size of the flower rosette. The best option would be containers of 7–8 cm: in them, the roots can fully develop and at the same time not suffer from an excessive amount of soil mixture.
It is necessary to provide drainage holes in the pot: through them, excess water will be discharged into the pan. The soil must be loose, light, water and breathable. The composition of the substrate is selected depending on the type of watering. So, for top irrigation, the best option would be a mixture of peat with perlite in a ratio of 2 to 1, and for wick it is better to choose both components in equal proportions. It is necessary to add crushed coal (charcoal or activated) and sphagnum moss to the soil mixture. They are antiseptics and will protect the plant from rot and other fungal infections.
Watering
Saintpaulia belongs to plants that are extremely sensitive to waterlogging of the soil, while the danger lies in the fact that all the adverse effects of the bay do not manifest themselves immediately, but only after some time. Excess moisture is especially dangerous during a hot period. In this case, violets often encounter bacteriosis, which spreads very quickly over green leaves and stems, which leads to the early death of the flower.
When organizing the irrigation of LE-Polina, some recommendations should be followed:
- for irrigation, use extremely soft settled or filtered water at room temperature;
- too hard water must be softened by all means, for this it is diluted with oxalic acid in a proportion of 1/2 teaspoon per 5-6 liters of liquid;
- 15–30 minutes after watering, it is necessary to pour out all the moisture from the pan: with prolonged contact with the roots, it causes root rot.
Top dressing
A month after the acquisition or transplantation of LE-Polina, you can start the introduction of dressings. The plant responds well to minerals, which have a beneficial effect on its growth and abundant flowering. It is best to use ready-made store preparations. The most effective are Kemira Lux and Royal Mix.
A little advice: when carrying out dressings, it is worth reducing the dosage of the drug by 2-4 times in comparison with the recommended one in the instructions, but at the same time, the dressings themselves should be carried out more often, especially at the time of flowering.
It is very important for Saintpaulia to get the required amount of potassium and phosphorus, which affect the setting of buds on the peduncle.
Temperature background
The plant reacts poorly to extreme heat, but does not tolerate coolness either. The plant begins to ache at temperatures above 25 degrees, while the minimum allowable lower heat level is 11-12 degrees.
Pauline Viardot does not tolerate drafts, so she should not be placed near balcony doors and frequently opened windows. In this case, the plant is deformed, and ugly spots appear on the leaves.
See the video below for more on LE-Pauline Viardot violets.