How to root a violet from a leaf in soil, water, or a peat tablet horizontally

Author: Veronika Viktorova Category: Plant propagation Published: March 31, 2013Last edits: July 7, 2020

Violet lovers know that there are never too many of them. One day, fascinated by these lovely little things, my mother covered all the window sills on the north and north-west sides of the house with them. She took cuttings and leaves from friends and relatives, bought separated bushes from grandmothers at the market, and even used flower stalks for rooting - this makes it easier to preserve already bred chimera violets (varietal Saintpaulias). I just didn’t grow it from seeds. Now this chaotic process has stopped - the free space for pots has simply run out. Since my mother and I live together, I not only observed this whole process, but also took an active part in it (especially in terms of bringing a new leaf). Therefore, this story is about our experience.

Characteristic

The ancient Greeks tried to root violets from leaves. This flower was special for them; they worshiped it, considering it a symbol of eternal love and fertility. The petals of the plant were added to wines, dishes and love potions were prepared from them. Despite its idealistic vocation, in our time violets are grown to decorate living spaces, and many believe that the flower attracts love and prosperity into the home.

Description of the plant:

1. Violet is a perennial houseplant belonging to the violet family.
2. The flower grows small in size - from 15 to 40 cm.
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3. All varieties of violets have the same structure of the root system - tree-like, juicy, dense structure.
4. The stems are shortened, and due to slow growth, the leaves of the flower form very tightly to each other, forming rosettes.
5. Radical green mass and flower stalks begin to form in the spring during the period of active photosynthesis. At the beginning of spring, the flower can already please its owners with the first buds.
6. The flowering is single, consisting of five petals, which are lanceolate and ovoid in shape.
7. Violet leaves are whole, round in shape, with heart-shaped or oval contours, with notches along the edges.
8. The leaves may have a smooth or velvety surface. The latter are found in most varieties.
9. Active flowering begins in early spring and continues continuously until mid-autumn.
10. After flowering, the beautiful inflorescences form seed pods. These boxes are oblong or oval in shape and smooth to the touch.

Violet has not only aesthetic properties, but also medicinal ones. The inflorescences, leaves and stems of the plant are used to make medicines that are used for various inflammatory processes and as antiseptics. The plant also helps greatly with kidney diseases, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory infections.

The therapeutic effect of violets is due to the content of the following substances:

• carotene;
• vitamin C;
• salicylic acid;
• glycosides.

Despite its rich medicinal composition and effectiveness in treating various diseases, the use of violet for hepatitis and glomerulonephritis is contraindicated. Excessive dosages and prolonged use of such medications are also dangerous, as this can lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. About 30 species of violets are grown in home floriculture, and there are about 600 species in the world. Scientists divide them into 16 genera, of which there are wild violets, forest violets, garden violets and indoor violets.

The most common types of violets grown indoors are:

Look at the color

When choosing a violet leaf for rooting, be sure to look at its color - it should be as uniform as possible.

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This rule also applies to varietal violets with variegated leaves - for propagation it is better to choose those with the least contrasting spots. This is because the light areas are chlorophyll-free and have very few veins. This is why problems can arise with rooting.

Preparation of planting material

Rooting a violet from a leaf is quite simple, even if the leaf is broken, damaged, frozen or rotted upon delivery. For propagation in this way, a very small but healthy part of the leaf is needed. A flower takes root from the veins on a leaf; each such vein can produce one child.

If propagation is carried out from a damaged leaf, you must perform the following steps:

• remove the damaged part with a clean, disinfected blade, slightly capturing the healthy area;
• cut out fragments from the remaining healthy part of the leaf that will contain a vein, not even necessarily a central one, maybe a lateral one;
• rinse the sheet with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, leave it in the liquid for 15-20 minutes, which will eliminate any parasitic elements and prevent the process of rotting;
• dip the sections in crushed activated carbon;
• Allow the sheet to dry thoroughly, only then can you begin planting the cut fragments.

How to root a violet from a leaf, the photo shows an example of a section.
All the same manipulations must be performed before planting if propagation is carried out by a single leaf.

There are several ways to cut a sheet:

• cut the leaf so as to first cut out the central vein, and then cut each side part into three lobes, where there will be side veins branching from the central one;
• from the healthy part of the leaf, cut 2-3 strips containing 2 lateral veins, this gives a high probability of the appearance of two children from one cutting;
• an element cut from the upper lobe of a leaf, which will contain more than two thin veins, will take root well; children may appear from each;
• cut the leaf in half horizontally, each fragment will produce more than 2-3 children;
• if the leaf rot is large, you can cut it out so that a cutting from the central vein remains about 1 cm in height.

Regardless of the method of cutting the sheet, it takes 15-20 minutes. Leave these fragments alone in the air. This is necessary so that the sections are covered with film.

The root of a violet has rotted - what to do?

If the violet is flooded, gets sick or gets hypothermia from below, there is a risk of rotting of the root system. It is often difficult to notice this problem in time and then the process is already irreversible.

Thus, how to save a violet if the root has rotted? Rooting the top can be the salvation of Saintpaulia.

We tell you how to root the head of a violet:

1. The growing point with the living part of the stem is cut off with a sharp knife;
2. The lower leaves are cut off (you need to leave 4-5 rows from the center, the lower ones can be rooted separately);
3. Root it in any convenient way.

Attention! In case of advanced problems of the root system, rooting the top is the best, and often the only way to save the individual.

Preparing the soil and planting site

In order for a violet to actively grow and develop, it needs nutritious soil of a certain composition. The soil mixture should have excellent air permeability, be slightly acidic and loose. Dense soil will not allow the root system to develop and produce new cuttings, and it will also slow down the flowering process. You can root a violet from a leaf only in a special soil, which can be purchased ready-made at any flower shop. Experienced gardeners prefer to prepare the substrate themselves.

To do this, you need to take the following materials in equal proportions:

• peat of medium acidity;
• river sand;
• moss;
• leaf compost;
• peat moss;
• black soil;
• charcoal.

Charcoal plays an important role for violets; it retains moisture, disinfects, loosens and prevents the substrate from drying out completely. Peat moss also has its positive aspects for the plant; it also retains moisture and at the same time prevents putrefactive processes from developing. The container for propagating violets is chosen to be small in size, not deep and no more than 5 cm in diameter, since their root system does not develop deep into, but along the surface of the soil. Plastic cups work great.

Holes are made at the bottom of the containers to allow excess moisture to escape. Fill 1/3 of the container with fine drainage (expanded clay, crushed stone, pebbles, etc.).

When the young shoots grow and outgrow their containers by half, only then should they be transplanted into larger pots. The violet bushes are carefully removed from the cups along with the substrate and placed in a prepared flowerpot. Soil is added from below and on the sides; there is no need to add soil from above, as this will clog the rhizome and prevent it from sprouting new cuttings. An adult plant should grow in flowerpots with a diameter of no more than 9 cm. The most suitable containers for violets are plastic or clay.

Technology for separating the resulting sockets

Grown rosettes of violets must be separated and transplanted into separate pots.

The rosettes of the resulting babies can be divided only after they reach a diameter of at least 3 centimeters. A rosette that has formed at least three pairs of leaves is ready for independent life. The first rosette is left in the old container, the rest are separated and placed in separate containers.

The division process must be carried out necessarily, since there are several sockets with. children planted in the same container over time begin to crowd each other. Such a violet quickly loses its decorative effect and never blooms.

Variegated varieties often produce babies with completely white or pink leaves. Such sockets cannot be separated because they are not viable. You can plant a rosette only after 2-3 green leaves have formed on it.

After the babies are separated, the mother leaf can be left in the soil, and it will be able to produce a new wave of babies. Separated rosettes of children should not be planted immediately in large pots, as the undeveloped soil will begin to acidify. The development of violets in a pot that is too spacious is inhibited, the leaves begin to stretch.

Landing algorithm

There are several ways to root a violet from a leaf, but the most effective one, which gives 100% results, is planting it in the ground. Moreover, this method reduces the germination time of young shoots.

Advantages of planting a leaf in the ground:

• excellent for varieties of violets that are difficult to root by cuttings or in water, as a rule, these are mini varieties;
• planting the plant immediately in a permanent habitat;
• in the soil, the plant grows stronger faster, forms roots and produces new children.

The landing algorithm is as follows:

1. For standard varieties of violets, take a leaf 3-4 cm long, for mini varieties - 1-1.5 cm.
2. If necessary, the leaf is cleaned of damage, putrefactive and damaged parts are removed using a sharp blade, which is first wiped with an alcohol wipe.
3. Planting material is disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Keep the leaf in the product for about 15-20 minutes.
4. After disinfection, the sheet is laid out on a paper towel to dry completely.
5. Prepare a container for planting, make a drainage hole at the bottom and fill 1/3 with drainage. The remaining part is filled with a special substrate.
6. The violet cuttings are planted in the ground, deepening it by 3-4 cm. If mini varieties are planted, they need to be buried by 1-1.5 cm.
7. After planting, greenhouse conditions are created for the plant. Cover the cutting with a transparent container or film. Often a cut plastic bottle is used.

8. The greenhouse is opened every day for ventilation, for about 15-20 minutes.
9. When the cuttings become stronger and take root well, the greenhouse is removed completely.
10. If necessary, the soil is moistened when opening the greenhouse, but not abundantly, only the top layer.

The optimal temperature for the plant during rooting is 22-25 ° C, and daylight hours are 12 hours.

Advantages of the method

This is the easiest and most affordable way to get an adult, lushly blooming violet. At the same time, the entire process of root formation is under control, unlike rooting in the soil, so the problem, if it arises, can be solved at the initial stages.

Rooting in water is the easiest way to propagate violets.

Care

Violet is an unpretentious flower to care for, however, it is demanding on certain conditions. The plant does not like direct sunlight, does not like stagnant moisture, and does not like spraying. In order for the violet to regularly delight its owners with abundant and lush flowering, you should know the important rules of care.

Spraying, watering

It must be said right away that Saintpaulia does not tolerate spraying; if moisture gets on the foliage, they immediately begin to die. But you should approach watering the plant creatively and correctly.

There are several ways to properly water violets:

1. Watering the substrate from above. To water from above, you must use some kind of equipment, for example, a small watering can, a douching bulb, or a syringe. Watering should be done carefully, without touching the leaf rosette; it is recommended to pour water along the edges. Since the soil chosen for violets is very loose, and there is a layer of drainage at the bottom, the remaining water from the pan must be removed after 20-25 minutes, since stagnant moisture can cause rotting of the root system.
2. Watering into the pan. The pot of violets must be placed on a tray. Many people use the tray method of watering, as this will avoid overflowing. The roots of the plant independently absorb moisture in the amount they require. The remaining water in the pan after 25-30 minutes. drained.
3. Wick watering. Many people are not even familiar with this method of watering, but it is very simple and convenient. To choose this method, you will need a synthetic tube with a diameter of 2-3 cm. The tube is placed in a ring in a pot, and a drainage layer is poured on top (you can do without it). The end of the tube is lowered into a deep pan of water. This method is great for mature plants or for owners who leave their violet greenhouse for a long time.

To moisten the soil, only purified, settled water at room temperature is used. Flower growers often add crushed activated carbon to the water, which allows them to disinfect the soil from diseases and pests. The frequency of watering depends on the room temperature and humidity level. The plant should be watered after the top layer has dried by 1.5 cm. This is approximately once every 3-4 days in the summer, and once a week in the winter.

Top dressing

Violet, as a flowering plant, needs regular feeding. Fertilizers ensure active growth of the root system, the formation of strong, juicy foliage and lush inflorescences.

The frequency of fertilization depends on the age of the indoor flower:

• the young plant is fed once every 2 weeks in very small concentrations;
• after rooting and transplanting to a permanent place - every 2 months;
• during flowering - once a week;
• during the rest period - every 20-25 days.

You need to feed the violet in the evening or on cloudy days so that the substances contained in the solutions do not burn the root system.

The choice of mixture depends on the stage of development of the indoor flower:

• when growing green mass and rooting - solutions and mixtures containing large quantities of nitrogen;
• during the formation of flower stalks - fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus.

The dosage of fertilizers must be chosen taking into account the recommendations of the manufacturers, however, many gardeners advise reducing them by 2 times.

Transfer

After rooting from a leaf, the violet must be transplanted into a larger pot for permanent habitat. This will allow you to quickly gain green mass and produce new shoots. An adult plant also needs to be replanted. The process stimulates active growth and lush flowering. It is recommended to perform the procedure twice a year: in the spring during the period of active photosynthesis and in the fall before the plant goes into dormancy.

There are also other reasons why a plant needs replanting:

• the appearance of a white coating on the substrate;
• growth of the root system so that it extends beyond the drainage layer.

Temperature and humidity

The most favorable temperature for keeping violets at home is 20-24 °C. If the plant is grown in less warm rooms, this is manifested by a change in foliage color. And at high temperatures, flowering is reduced, it will no longer be so lush and abundant, and the size of the inflorescences will noticeably decrease. This is also reflected in the color of the petals; they are less saturated, and the color of the border disappears altogether. In drafts, Saintpaulias become sick, their foliage becomes covered with gray-brown spots, and the roots begin to rot.

As for humidity, violets tolerate drought more easily than waterlogging. The optimal indoor humidity for them is 50-60%, and adult plants feel very good even at a humidity of 30-40%.

How to root violets in soil mixture?

This procedure has a very good effect on the future development and growth of the plant, since it is in a good soil mixture that the leaf and its roots show their best side.

In addition, this method will most likely allow you to solve the problem that the leaf you initially chose was a little painful and weak. It is in well-prepared soil that he will “get a second wind” and have a second chance.

In order to carry out this procedure, you will need to follow approximately the same instructions as in the previous case, however, the cutting will need to be rooted even more strongly, leaving not four, but only one and a half centimeters. This is especially true for miniature varieties.

For planting, you can prepare exactly the same cup that we prepared for transplanting violets growing in water into the ground.

However, you can also use an ordinary pot. Its volume should be approximately one hundred milliliters, and its diameter should not exceed five centimeters.

As in the previous method, we fill a third of the total volume with drainage so that the plant feels more comfortable when water stagnates. If you use expanded clay as a drainage material, you should thoroughly disinfect it, since the chance of developing a fungal infection will not be small.

Almost the entire remaining volume of the pot is filled with soil. You need to make a small hole in it into which our cutting will be placed. This recess, which the cutting will already be inserted, is filled not with simple soil, but with mixed and very loose soil. This is done so that the small rosettes that form at the roots have a better chance of breaking through the soil and not being buried under thin soil.

Sometimes, however, you can find instructions that suggest you completely fill the pot with just such loose soil, however, in our opinion, this can be extremely detrimental to your plant, especially if you have not yet had time to gain experience.

The fact is that such loose soil obviously retains moisture quite poorly, and therefore you will have to greatly increase the frequency of watering, which in the end will definitely not lead to anything good.

In order for the soil, on the contrary, to be good, rich and healthy, you will need to add a little sphagnum moss to it, which is responsible for retaining moisture. In addition, this moss has an antibacterial effect, and therefore it will be an excellent additional protection for your plant.

When you plant the cutting, the soil should already be slightly moist. However, the deepening should be very slight, since, despite the fact that we use very loose soil, it will be incredibly difficult for young roots to break through it, and therefore there is no need to deepen the cuttings by more than five millimeters.

However, if the leaf and the stalk itself are large enough, this depth can be increased to a centimeter. In addition, you can even plant several leaves in one glass at once, but this also requires certain skills, and we do not advise you to do this if you do not have them at a sufficient level.

By the way, in order to take a more clear look at how all these procedures are carried out, we strongly recommend that you watch videos related directly to the propagation of violets by leaf. This way you can further consolidate the information you gained from reading this article.

And again, as in the previous case, if the roots of your leaves have already more or less formed, the soil around them can be slightly compacted and moistened, and the glass with the plant is placed in the greenhouse. However, as you remember, you can cover it with a bag.

However, keeping them in this state is not very useful, since in such a humid environment there is a huge risk of mold formation, and therefore the seedling both in the greenhouse and under the bag must be ventilated.

Possible diseases and pests

Violets are quite often exposed to negative influences from the outside; they can be affected by insect pests or any diseases.

The most common problems:

Rules for choosing a leaf for rooting

The correct choice of planting material is the key to success when propagating violets. A weak and diseased leaf will not produce strong offspring and will most likely die before the roots appear.

For rooting, take healthy and strong violet leaves.

When selecting planting material, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• It is not recommended to take leaves from the bottom row of the rosette for propagation. Such leaves are the oldest on the plant, therefore, already weakened. Old leaves practically do not form children, so a full-fledged plant will not develop from them. Often such leaves are affected by fungal spores or bacteria.
• You should not take leaves from the center of the violet for rooting, since during cutting you can damage the center of growth of the mother plant. In addition, the central leaves are still too young and cannot produce full-fledged offspring.

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• For rooting, it is recommended to cut the cuttings from the second or third row. It should be well developed and have good turgor.
• The leaf must be free of damage, burns and signs of rotting.
• The color of the planting material should be characteristic of a particular variety and uniform. Pale, unevenly colored leaves also cannot produce full-fledged offspring.
• To propagate variegated varieties, you should take leaves with the least contrasting spots. The non-chlorophyll part of the variegated leaf contains a minimum of veins. Therefore, the probability of obtaining offspring from such leaves is minimal.

Advice. The most suitable for propagation is the leaf located directly under the peduncle. The supply of nutrients in such material is maximum.

Peculiarities

Indoor flowers, especially blooming ones, please the eye, decorate homes and offices, and purify the air. However, it is very difficult to maintain some types of plants because of their whimsical nature. So is the violet, which is not particularly demanding in terms of living conditions, but also has its own disadvantages in growing.

Advantages:

• low maintenance, except for lighting and watering;
• do not cause allergic reactions, are not poisonous;
• have the unique property of purifying indoor air during the daytime;
• amazing and varied beauty of flowering;
• has the property of driving away ants; in a house where there are violets, ants will never appear.

Flaws:

• at night the plant releases carbon dioxide, which forces the owners to take it away from the sleeping place;
• when flowering, it emits an aroma that can cause headaches in overly sensitive people;
• poisonous to domestic animals, particularly cats.

Having analyzed all the advantages and disadvantages of growing violets, we can conclude whether it is worth rooting a plant from a leaf at home in order to decorate your home in the future with bright blooms. From a biological point of view, violets should be kept away from the sleeping place or taken out of the room each time. From an objective point of view, the plant is quite unpretentious, blooms beautifully, amazes with its long flowering, is absolutely non-toxic and not poisonous to people. Moreover, a huge selection of varieties of blooming violets brings pleasure to any gardener.

Use of stimulants

To increase the likelihood of successful rooting, various root formation stimulants are often used. There are two types of stimulants - natural and chemical.

Natural methods include old folk methods:

• aloe juice;
• honey;
• sugar and many others.

These methods do not always bring the desired effect; natural, and especially sweet methods, often lead to the formation of fungi.

As an alternative, stores have long sold root stimulants that do not cause fungi , and some even prevent it.

You will find many different root formation stimulants on sale.

The most popular methods of propagating Saintpaulia

• propagating Saintpaulia by leaf or part of it is the easiest and most reliable way to get yourself any specimen you like;

IMPORTANT! Some varieties (chimeras) may not retain their varietal characteristics when propagated by leaves.

• propagation of violets by dividing the bush . This method is suitable for any variety of Saintpaulia. Rooting rosettes almost always ends with the rooting and survival of the seedling;

Reproduction by dividing the bush.

• propagating a plant with a peduncle is the most labor-intensive method. Suitable when the characteristics of the variety are not preserved when propagated by leaves.