Breeding new varieties of violets at home. The process of crossing violets at home
Loading...According to violet lovers, these plants reproduce easily, so that, having an adult bush of varietal Saintpaulia, you can very soon grow dozens of young plants. In this case, vegetative methods are most often used, with the help of which it is possible to preserve all varietal characteristics.
Saintpaulias are propagated by leaf cuttings, dividing the bush and even flower stalks. When developing new varieties of violets, they are propagated by seeds.
In the article you will learn everything about propagating violets at home by leaf, cuttings, dividing the bush, etc. and about the subsequent care of indoor flowers.
Propagation of Saintpaulias by leaf cuttings
Let's look at how to propagate violets by cuttings. Leaf cuttings take root best in spring and summer. For rooting, choose a healthy violet leaf with a fairly long petiole (at least 4 cm in length).
You need to take leaves that are not young, but not old either. They should be large and without yellowness. Old and very young leaves usually die without taking root.
The leaf should be cut as close to the plant stem as possible. If part of the petiole still remains on the mother violet, it must be removed. Such a petiole can rot and destroy the entire plant.
The petiole of the cut leaf is cut diagonally so that the cut surface is as large as possible. After this, the leaf is rooted and planted in the ground. Leaf cuttings allow you to obtain a plant that completely corresponds to the mother. Only a few varieties lose their varietal characteristics when propagated by leaves.
Methods for rooting cuttings
Root leaf cuttings in water, soil or sphagnum. Rooting in water is the easiest way. Pour cooled boiled water into a glass and place the leaves there, petioles down. The temperature during rooting should be maintained from 20 to 24ºС. Under these conditions, roots should appear within 2 weeks.
You should not rush to plant rooted leaves in the ground. You can wait another 2-3 weeks until sprouts begin to appear on the petiole. Now the leaves can be planted in separate pots with Saintpaulia soil. There is no need to deepen them; they are planted no deeper than 10-15 mm. After planting, the rooted leaf blades are watered like adult plants.
Sometimes a freshly cut leaf is immediately planted in the ground. After this, it is watered as usual, without covering it with glass or a jar.
Roots and young leaves appear after 1-1.5 months. Rooting in the ground is associated with the risk of leaf rotting and this method is considered not very productive.
Rooting leaf cuttings in sphagnum gives good results.
They do not rot in this substrate, since sphagnum moss has bactericidal properties. You can use either dry soaked or live moss.
Rooting violets directly in the soil mixture
Very often, violet leaves are rooted directly in the soil. To do this, choose large and healthy leaves without defects or damage. It is not recommended to take limp, rotten or broken leaves, as they quickly disappear without taking root. The leaf stalk is shortened, leaving no more than 3 cm. The lower cut is made at an angle so that the area for root formation increases.
Leaves are rooted in small plastic pots up to 5 cm wide. A drainage layer equal in thickness to 1/3 of the height of the pot is placed on the bottom. A moist substrate is poured on top for rooting. It consists of an earthen mixture for violets and perlite in equal parts.
The leaves are not buried deeply - no more than 2 cm. To ensure that the heavy leaf holds tightly and does not fall out of the soil, it is fixed with sticks or matches. To speed up rooting, place it under a glass jar or place it in a plastic bag along with the pot.
The temperature for rooting should be within 22-25ºС. Leaf lighting is diffused, at least 12 hours a day. As the substrate dries, it must be moistened, and the leaves must be opened and ventilated. In these conditions they take root much earlier than in water.
Propagation of Saintpaulia by part of a leaf
A violet can be grown not only from a whole leaf blade, but even from a fragment of a leaf. To do this, it is necessary to properly prepare the planting material. The leaf is cut in half and the central vein is removed. Then it is cut into fragments that have at least one vein.
The planting material is dried for 15-20 minutes to allow the sections to dry. Then the leaf fragments are planted on the ground. They should not be buried. The pieces that take root best are those that are not buried, but simply in close contact with moist soil. Sticks are used to fix them.
The planted parts of the leaf are covered with glass jars. The substrate is moistened as it dries.
The temperature for rooting is maintained at least 22ºС. Under these conditions, you can get a lot of young plants from one leaf, since a baby grows from each vein.
Practice shows that leaf pieces take root best not in the soil mixture, but in pure sphagnum moss. This material is very moisture-absorbing and has bactericidal properties. When rooted in it, planting material rarely rots, takes root well and forms children.
Only experienced gardeners propagate violets using leaf fragments, since any mistake leads to rotting or drying out of the planting material. But sometimes this method of reproduction is the only possible one.
This happens when the valuable violet leaf begins to disappear. Then all its diseased parts are removed, the leaf is cut into fragments and they are rooted.
Dividing a violet bush
All varieties of violets are propagated in this way, even those that lose their varietal characteristics when propagated by leaves. This is how Saintpaulia chimeras are usually propagated. When grown from leaf cuttings, young plants often lose their unique coloring.
Dividing the bush can be done when replanting a very overgrown plant with many shoots in the spring.
Separate the shoots that grow from the base of the bush and already have their roots. Such rosettes are carefully cut off so that a sufficient number of roots are separated from them.
When propagated by peduncles, the varietal characteristics of violets are preserved. This method also makes it possible to propagate all varieties of indoor violets while maintaining their varietal characteristics. Choose a peduncle that has recently faded or together with flowers so that it has small leaves.The peduncle is cut above the leaf and below by 1.5-2 cm. Then it is rooted in water or in sphagnum and planted in the ground to such a depth that the leaf is on the surface.
Sowing Saintpaulia seeds
Varietal seeds of indoor violets can be purchased at flower shops or garden centers. Sometimes you can get them at home.
During flowering, violet flowers can be pollinated, and sometimes they themselves are pollinated if pollen from a neighboring flower falls on the pistil. After this, a box with seeds is formed, but the seeds ripen within 6 months, and in some cases even longer.
Before growing violets from seeds, you need to prepare everything you need for seedlings. Violet seeds are very small, each box contains from 100 to 300 pieces.
Seeds are sown in late March or early April. They are not covered with soil, but only pressed to the ground. Water with a moisture sprayer.
The temperature during germination must be maintained at least 22ºС. The container is covered with glass, but is regularly ventilated to avoid the growth of fungi. Under such conditions, seeds germinate within 2 weeks.
Seedlings dive 3 times as they grow. During the third picking, they are planted in separate pots. Propagating violets by seeds is not an easy task.
Soil for violets
The substrate for violets should be nutritious and at the same time loose and breathable. You should also take care of the sterility of the soil mixture, since violets are susceptible to various fungal infections and rot easily.
Soil for violets is sold in flower shops in an assortment. Every potting mix manufacturer provides customers with substrates for these popular houseplants. To sterilize purchased soils, heating or freezing at low temperatures is used.
It is difficult to prepare soil for violets yourself. But if you really want it, you can try it. The soil for violets should contain:
- Leaf soil from under a birch or linden tree - 2 parts;
- High-fiber coarse peat – 1 part.
Humus is added to the resulting mixture - 1/10 of the total volume.
Perlite and vermiculite are used to loosen the soil. They are mixed in equal parts and 1-2 cups are added to 1 bucket of soil mixture.
Ready soil for violets must be steamed. This procedure destroys pest eggs, harmful bacteria and fungi.
Caring for violets after propagation
Violet babies appear at the base of the leaf stalk. If the leaf was rooted in the ground and was covered with a glass jar on top, it is gradually opened. While the children are too small, they are not touched, but only moisten the soil as it dries. Young plants need diffused light; the sun's rays can burn them.
As soon as the young rosettes reach a diameter of 5 cm, they are planted in separate pots.
By this time, the rooted old leaf has already dried out. For miniature varieties, the diameter of the rosette for transplantation can be 2-3 cm. Children ready for transplantation should have 2-3 pairs of leaves. If there are fewer of them, there is a high probability that the young plant still has a very weak root system.
When replanting, you need to prepare several plastic pots with a diameter of 6-8 cm. Drainage is placed at the bottom, and 1-2 cm of soil for violets is poured on top. Young rosettes are removed from the pot and carefully separated. Each child should have well-developed roots. They are planted in a new pot, sprinkling the roots with soil on top. The soil in the pot is compacted a little.
If some children have very weak roots, they are also planted in new pots and covered with glass jars on top. In conditions of high humidity, young rosettes quickly take root. When they start to grow, the cans can be removed. If the leaf produces only one baby, it is transplanted into a larger pot by transferring it.
After transplanting, young rosettes need to be watered. Then they need to be cared for like adult plants. After the violet grows 5-6 large adult leaves, the old small leaves can be carefully trimmed.
For the first 2-3 months after transplantation, the rosettes are not fed. Then you should start fertilizing with liquid complex fertilizers for flowering plants. Typically, young violets, rooted in late spring, begin to bloom in early autumn.
Now you know how to propagate violets at home correctly. You can read about basic care for Saintpaulias here.
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How to breed new varieties of violets yourself
How to breed new varieties of violets to please a girl on her birthday) Anyone who has already done this or who knows who has done this, please post photos in the comments)
The work of a breeder to develop a new variety of violets requires enormous patience, experience and knowledge. The process of how to develop a new variety of violet has been described and studied for more than one millennium. Its principle is based on the repeated process of crossing different varieties of violets and requires years of painstaking work. To develop a new variety of violets, you must first acquire a solid basic knowledge of growing different varieties of violets and be able to grow healthy flowers of various varieties. Then you need to learn how to pollinate them correctly. To properly pollinate a violet flower, you need to apply pollen to the pistil, which is borrowed from the yellow anthers of the plant. The anther is opened in advance using a sterile needle. Pollen is ready for pollination after ripening, 5-6 days after the flower opens. After maturation, it remains active for three months. The ripening of the pistil can be determined by the characteristic droplet of liquid protruding, thanks to which the pollen is well attached to the surface of the pistil. After pollination, the amniotic ovary begins to form a capsule, in which, as it matures, small, dust-like seeds with a dark brown color are formed. After 5-7 months, when the seeds reach their maturity, the stem will wither and the capsule can be easily separated from the plant. The ripe capsule must be removed from the plant, dried for several days and opened with a needle. The seeds are placed in paper bags and stored in a dry and dark place. Seeds can be sown 2-3 weeks after ripening, although depending on the variety, they can remain viable for six months or more. Transferring the characteristics of parental pairs to a new species of violet is extremely difficult. For example, if you cross a purple and pink violet, you can produce offspring with blue and purple shades of flowers. If you cross a violet with simple flowers and a double one, the probability of getting offspring with simple flowers is extremely high. Over the course of repeated pollination, it is possible to develop new, previously uncreated varieties. But it will take time to grow a new variety, more than one year.
Well, perhaps for a girl’s 50th birthday... It’s VERY DIFFICULT AND VERY LONG. If your girl loves violets and collects them, then go to any website dedicated to the trade of varietal violets and order planting material for cool varietal violets, receive them in the mail and hand them to the girl. You can open the catalog and ask the girl to choose the violets that she liked. The main thing here is to stop in time...
This is a very long and painstaking task, if you start now, maybe in five years you will delight her with a new variety. But this is if you are already an experienced gardener and growing violets from seeds is not a problem for you.
Buy it ready-made at the exhibition. I think your girlfriend will be happy with any violet if there is none in her collection
indoor-plants-tips.ru
How violets reproduce at home - K-dou18.ru
Also, during the formation of buds, you can fertilize with fertilizer containing phosphorus, and for young plants - with a large amount of nitrogen. Fertilizer for violets can be used no more than once a month, alternating between different types.
For good growth, only one plant can “live” in a pot, so when growing, excess rosettes must be planted, but with care so as not to touch the roots. This makes it possible to get another plant without spending extra money.
There are several ways in which the Uzambara violet propagates. Care at home will make it quite easy to prepare planting material for its propagation and even growing new varieties:
- pieces of leaves;
- sockets or stepsons;
- seeds (the longest process).
- in water, where a small piece of the stem of a leaf is dropped, root germination usually takes 10-14 days (water must be added little by little, maintaining the same level);
- in a special soil (peat mixture) at a depth sufficient to hold the leaf in a standing position at a slight angle, while the most important point is to maintain the microclimate above the surface of the earth using a plastic bag, a jar or a cut piece of a plastic bottle, the soil must be maintained with sufficient moisture, The mini-greenhouse is removed after the cuttings have rooted.
- Blue mist - soft blue fluffy balls with wavy edges.
- Blue Danube - has many blue flowers up to 5 cm in diameter.
- Blue dragon - pale blue stars with a blue center, a wide red border with a white-golden edge, flower size up to 6 cm.
- Blue Lagoon is a bright blue violet with a blue spot and a red ruffle around the edge.
- Fusarium (rosette rotting) - the causative agent is the Fusarium fungus, which penetrates into young roots under improper conditions (heavy soil, regular overflow of water, especially cold water, a very large pot). As a result of the disease, the petioles of the leaves turn brown and begin to fall off. To prevent the appearance of this fungus, it is recommended to water the plant once every 2 months with a solution of foundationazole. To treat violets, they should be treated with fungicides, after removing dried or rotten stems and leaves.
- Powdery mildew - manifests itself in the form of a whitish coating on all surface parts, spreads with insufficient lighting, improper humidity, dust or dirt in the air. The cause may also be a deficiency (potassium and phosphorus) or an excess of trace elements (nitrogen). For treatment, you can use spraying with foundationazole or benlate (usually 1 time is enough, but can be repeated if necessary). To prevent the Uzambara violet from getting powdery mildew, caring for it at home should consist of the following: for prevention, wipe the leaves with wet wipes, ventilate the room and prevent excess moisture in the pot;
- Late blight is rotting of the root collar of a violet and the appearance of brown spots on the leaves, which is caused by a fungus penetrating through the roots or wounds on the stems. The danger of late blight is that fungal spores settle in the soil, and therefore the only way out is to destroy the plant and sterilize the pot. To prevent the occurrence of this unpleasant disease, you should add superphosphate to the soil and keep the humidity in the room no higher than 60%;
- Gray rot, which is caused by the fungus botrytis, manifests itself as a gray-brown coating on all upper parts of the plant, and then rotting and death of the violet. The fungus often gets in with contaminated soil, so before planting each plant, it is recommended to freeze the soil in the freezer and then water it with a manganese solution. All diseased parts of the violet must be destroyed and the plant treated with fungicides. To prevent the disease, it is necessary to avoid excessive watering and sudden changes in room temperature.
- scale insects - attack leaves and young peduncles, deforming them and causing the appearance of red spots; Treatment with Actellik or Fitoverm helps against them;
- aphids are usually brought into the house from fresh flowers, insects eat flower buds, using the plant juice as food; to get rid of aphids, you need to use “Moskpilan” or “Aktellik”;
- mites (several types) - spoil young leaves; to combat them, plants are treated with Akarin, Fitoverm, etc.
- We pinch off a leaf with a cutting from a bush at an angle of 45 degrees. The length of the petiole should be no more than 4 cm.
- . Let the cut area dry for 15 minutes.
- For rooting in water, a dark glass container is best suited. You can take medicine bottles. Little water is needed. Pour the liquid to a level no more than 1.5 cm from the bottom of the container.
- We create greenhouse conditions for the leaf by covering it with a plastic container.
The optimal time for this is spring and summer, because in winter the plant is dormant and requires specific conditions for care.
Propagation by cuttings (leaves)
The easiest way to grow many plants of the Uzambara violet species at home is propagation by cuttings. For this, the largest leaves are used, which must be cut with a very sharp knife at a slight angle (so as not to crush the stem).
There are 2 ways to root leaves:
Reproduction by rosettes
When an adult violet has already grown well, daughter rosettes (stepchildren) begin to appear next to it, which will also help propagate this plant. To plant the rosette, you need to wait until it grows to at least 5 cm in height. After this, it is very carefully separated from the main stem, trying not to harm the roots.
It is better to plant in the same soil; after rooting, within a month the violet will produce fresh young leaves and the formation of buds will begin.
Varieties and varieties of Saintpaulia
Varieties of Uzambara violets include a great variety of different colors and leaf shapes, which were specially bred by professional biologists or even by amateurs completely by accident. Moreover, when propagated by cuttings, any gardener can grow a completely new variety (degenerate varieties).
Saintpaulia varieties are divided into several groups according to the size of the rosette, the variety of flowers and the shape of the leaves.
Thus, varieties with a uniform color or with a border naturally inherit the traits of their parents with the leaf method of propagation, and the border can appear only during the second flowering.
Fantasy species (decorated with spots, stripes, dots) are recommended to be propagated by peduncles or with the help of stepsons, then they will inherit this color. “Chimera” violets, which have a pattern on the flowers in the form of rays, are also propagated in the same way.
Ampelous varieties, which have a long stem and grow at several points, are distinguished by a large number of flowers and many rosettes.
Osa type varieties are one of the new and original types of violets, in which the flower has 2 short upper petals and 3 lower, longer and narrower petals, forming an exotic appearance.
One of the currently popular varieties is the blue violet, bred in Russia. It has large, up to 10 cm, bright blue flowers, and the plant itself is highly branched and up to 40 cm high. There are several such varieties of violets with different flower shapes:
Diseases and treatment of Saintpaulia
Violets are very fastidious plants that require certain air and soil humidity, a lot of light, but not direct sunlight, certain care and feeding. But even when all these conditions are met, it happens that the plant gets sick.
The main task in such a situation is to learn to determine the cause of the disease and distinguish between infectious diseases of Uzambara violet and non-infectious ones, i.e. caused by a lack of some useful substances or improper conditions of detention.
One of the common problems is yellowing of the leaves of the plant, most often caused by improper soil acidity, too much sun or strong shade.
Infectious diseases of violets:
Pests of violets
The most common pests that attack Saintpaulias are:
Usambara violet, or Saintpaulia, is a very beautiful ornamental plant, diverse in colors and varieties, which is successfully grown on windowsills by many amateurs and professionals of decorative floriculture.
Propagation of violets by leaf
Violet is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, which has more than five hundred varieties, differing in color, shape and size of leaves and flowers. Since it blooms in early spring, its flowering seems to mark the end of winter. It is believed that the birthplace of violets is Australia.
Violet: care and propagation at home
This flower can be grown in a greenhouse or at home. The violet reaches a height of 30 cm and is characterized by active growth.
Caring for flowers is quite simple and does not take much time. Violets love good lighting, but should not be placed in direct sunlight. The best side for growing will be the north, in extreme cases - the east or west.
In order to ensure uniform growth and development of the violet on all sides, it is periodically necessary to turn it in different directions in relation to the light.
It is advisable to add coarse sand and peat moss to the soil with the pot. Is it necessary to prepare the drainage in advance so that it takes up at least? pot.
Violet loves water, so the soil in the pot should be constantly moist. However, do not pour too much water, otherwise the roots may begin to rot.
Violets need to be replanted once a year. However, you should not take a larger pot. It is enough to change the soil and plant the plant in the same pot.
How to propagate violets using leaves?
Violets are propagated by leaves or their fragments, that is, part of a leaf. Rooting of the leaf can be done in water or soil.
Rooting a whole leaf in water
Rooting a whole leaf in the ground
Rooting a leaf fragment in water or soil
If you use “tight” varieties of violets during the growing process, then children may appear no earlier than four to six months from the moment of planting. In this case, you can stimulate faster growth of children if you deliberately damage the leaf plate. Using a sharp knife, cut off one third or one quarter of the leaf. The cut can be made obliquely, cutting out a triangle along the veins, or in a straight line, as shown in the photo below.
The technique for planting part of a leaf is the same as for the whole.
If you follow the rules for caring for and propagating violets at home, you will be delighted with luxurious caps of beautiful flowers.
Propagation of violets at home
There are several ways to propagate indoor violets and they cannot be unambiguously called simple or complex, just like the process of their propagation in general. Violets are whimsical and delicate plants, but those who have been growing them for a long time confidently claim that with experience it becomes absolutely simple. We will tell you further what the subtleties are, what the features are, and which method gives the greatest probability of rooting a new plant.
There are vegetative methods of propagation: by leaf, whole or part thereof and peduncle, or by sowing seeds. Each has its own pros and cons, so that everyone understands how it will be easier for them, we will describe each method in detail.
Violet propagation by leaf
Propagating violets by dividing a leaf or a whole leaf is the most common and simplest method. Everything here is primitive and simple: a healthy leaf is cut or carefully torn off from the mother plant and planted in the ground. You can wait for the roots to grow in water and only after that, knowing for sure that the roots are already there, plant them in the ground. This is individual for everyone. For germination, the store selects special soil for violets (may also be called “for Saintpaulia”). If germination took place in water, then the rooted cuttings are planted in the soil with great care, since the root is very fragile and sensitive.
If it is not possible to root a whole leaf, or you want to get several rosettes from one leaf, then there are options for dividing the leaf. The upper part is cut off from it, but not horizontally, but along the veins (a triangle is cut off) and this part is planted to form rosettes.
You can divide the entire leaf into several segments according to the veins and plant them all in a kind of greenhouse, then much more borings will be created. This, of course, is somewhat of a jewelry job that requires accuracy, skills and a very sharp tool (the use of which also requires accuracy and skill), but if you really want to, it’s worth a try. The first time may not work out, but with each subsequent time everything will become much easier.
It is worth noting that not all violets undergo this method of reproduction. The widespread and beloved “violetcomanamas” of Saintpaulia reproduce very well with this method, but it is not suitable for chimeras; varietal characteristics are not transmitted when the leaves are separated.
Propagation of violets by peduncles
We immediately warn you that not all peduncles are suitable for propagation, so you should first carefully examine them, and then decide whether to use them in this way, or cut off the leaf. So, if there are small leaves on the peduncle slightly below the flowers, then it can become the basis for a new violet.
Here again, there are two options: you can simply bend such a peduncle to the ground, giving it the opportunity to grow roots, or carefully cut it off and root it like a leaf. When choosing an option, you should be guided by how the peduncle is located and whether bending will injure the plant.
During reproduction, therefore, varietal characteristics are always transmitted, which is a plus, but there are two minuses. Firstly, flower stalks with leaves are rare, and secondly, not everyone wants to deprive their beauty of its main decoration - flowers.
Propagation of violets by seeds
Propagation of violets by seeds is also practiced, but not too often, and there are two good reasons for this. The first is that this process is long, painstaking and unreliable, and the second is that when sowing seeds, the original variety of the plant is not preserved, that is, the violet multiplies, but not the same one. The method is used mainly for breeding new varieties.
The method of sowing seeds, as you can already understand, is used by breeders. To prepare enthusiasts for future results, we note that no more than 1-3% of newly bred plants will continue to grow after the first flowering, all the rest will become unusable and discarded. In addition, sprouted sprouts will require constant supervision, control and care, so at home this method is not considered practical or feasible at all, so we recommend choosing any method of vegetative propagation of violets.
Vegetative propagation of violets
The article provided two options for vegetative propagation of violets: a peduncle and a leaf or part of it. They are used most often and give good results. There is a third option - propagation by side rosettes, children.
Children grow up quite often. This may be caused by injury to the plant, removal of a mature plant stem, or may be a species characteristic. The babies can grow in the axils of the leaves or on the stem, but either way they are quite easy to separate. Separation of the children is generally recommended so that they do not interfere with the development and growth of the main plant. The clear advantage of this method of reproduction is the absolute repetition of species characteristics and simplicity, especially since the children take root quite quickly.
How to grow a violet from a leaf, video
And finally, a useful video on growing violets from leaves.
How to propagate violets by leaf at home?
Violet propagation by leaf at home is possible. However, there are a number of nuances that need to be taken into account. There are certain requirements for choosing a seedling, and there are also rules for its primary processing. In order for a leaf to begin to take root, it must be properly planted in soil or water. In the first case, we must not forget about the watering regime so that the plant will soon take root, and about the harm that bacteria can cause to seedlings.
Propagation of violets by leaves takes place in several stages. They consist of:
The best time of year to propagate the plant by leaf is spring and summer, since during this period there is enough light and heat. But if propagating a plant with leaves is the only way to save a rare variety, then an experienced gardener will be able to carry out his plans during the rest of the year. To do this, greenhouse conditions should be created. The temperature in the room should be at +22…+26 °C, air humidity is considered optimal at 50–60%.
Before you start replanting a plant, you need to study the planting material. Choose juicy, dark green leaves without defects. Tips for choosing material for flower transplantation:
k-dou18.ru
How to propagate violet leaves at home
Uzambara violets are attractive for home keeping due to their long flowering, variety of varieties, unpretentiousness and the possibility of easy propagation. These flowers do not need much space on the windowsill; sometimes they are even kept on racks next to the window, illuminated by fluorescent lamps. Saintpaulias are considered a symbol of home comfort; they are found in almost every apartment. Let's talk about how you can propagate these delicate plants using just one leaf.
Description of Uzambara violet (photo)
Violet belongs to the Gesneriaceae family. This plant was first discovered in East Africa. Saintpaulia is classified as an herbaceous plant with a very short stem and a bushy rosette of leaves. The leaves are most often heart-shaped, they can be rounded and more elongated. The upper side of the leaf is pubescent and its color can be different shades of green. The lower part of the leaves is lighter, greenish or purple. The leaves look quilted due to the pronounced veins.
From 3 to 7 medium-sized flowers are formed on one peduncle. When an adult rosette is in full bloom, up to 100 flowers can be present on a violet at the same time. Under good conditions, Saintpaulias bloom continuously for 8-9 months a year. Currently, almost 1,200 new hybrid varieties are registered. Their difference can be seen both in the size of the leaf rosette and in the shape and color of the flowers.
Violets with simple, semi-double and double inflorescences have been bred. Chimera violets are becoming increasingly popular. Their gene structure is changed in such a way that the synthesis of pigments occurs differently in different parts of the petals and the color turns out to be very unusual. Unfortunately, the varietal characteristics of such plants are lost during leaf propagation, being preserved only in the stepchildren.
Propagation of violets by leaves correctly (step by step)
The ability to root is greatly influenced by the quality of planting material. If you decide to propagate a violet with a leaf, choose it from the middle layers of the leaf rosette. The lower old leaves are already weaker and have less vitality. Their proximity to the ground increases the risk of pathogenic microflora and fungal spores being found on them. And if you cut a leaf from the top of the rosette, it is easy to damage the growing point, in which case the plant will stop developing.
On a note! The leaf selected for propagation must be fully formed, have good turgor and sufficient size.
If you received a leaf received by mail or brought by your friends, which has become slightly limp, soaking it in warm boiled water with the addition of a few crystals of potassium permanganate will help. It is advisable to keep it in the solution for about 2 hours, this will restore elasticity and at the same time kill pathogenic flora.
After this, the sheet must be blotted with a napkin and the edge of the cutting must be cut with a sharp knife so that its length is 3-4 cm. The cut can be made either straight or at an angle of 45 degrees. Next, they begin the rooting process, which can be done in two ways: in water and in the substrate.
Rooting in water
The “water” method is more suitable for inexperienced gardeners, since with this rooting method it is easy to observe the process of root growth and the condition of the cutting. It is advisable to use boiled or filtered water so that it does not spoil quickly. It is better to use dishes made of dark glass. To root in water you need:
- Thoroughly wash and rinse the glass for the leaf cuttings with boiling water and fill it with water.
- Place the leaf in a container so that the lower part of the petiole is immersed in water by 1-2 cm. You can hold it in the required position using a lid or a piece of thick paper with a hole. The stem should not touch the walls of the glass.
- Throw an activated carbon tablet or small charcoal into the water to prevent rotting processes.
- After this, monitor the water level, constantly adding it to the original level.
- When the roots reach a length of 1-2 cm, plant the violet leaf in the substrate.
If the process goes as it should, the appearance of roots can be seen in 2-4 weeks. Sometimes it happens that the end of the leaf petiole still rots. In this case, you need to immediately cut off the affected tissue to a healthy place and put the leaf back in the cup for rooting. In this case, the dishes are treated with an antiseptic, and then fresh water is poured in.
Attention! Some violet lovers, using the “water” rooting method, leave the leaf in water until a young rosette appears. We do not recommend doing this, as in this case the shoots may be weakened, which will impair their further development.
When planting a leaf with roots in the soil, keep in mind that you cannot deepen it too much, otherwise it will be more difficult for the rosette to break through to the top. The pot for planting is filled 1/3 with expanded clay, on top of which a loose soil mixture is laid. The planted leaf is covered with a glass jar, having previously moistened the substrate. The jar is raised daily for 5-10 minutes for ventilation, this is necessary. Remove the cover after 2-3 weeks when a young rosette appears.
How to propagate violet leaves in water: video
Rooting in the substrate
If the leaf cuttings are planted directly into the ground, rooting will occur even faster than in water. It is better to resort to this method if the leaf is not quite mature or, on the contrary, is old and has lost its turgor. When planting in the ground, the leaf petiole is cut a little shorter, to 1.5 centimeters. It is enough to take a very small pot, 5 cm in diameter. It must have a drainage hole. A drainage layer is poured onto the bottom, and then soil consisting of fertile soil and perlite. Perlite will help retain moisture in a small volume of soil and at the same time facilitate air access to the roots.
Helpful advice! For an antibacterial effect, you can add sphagnum to the substrate.
- Before planting, the substrate should be slightly moistened.
- Leaf cuttings of miniature hybrids are buried to a depth of 0.5 cm, while standard cuttings are planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm.
- If you have a lot of planting material, you can plant several leaves at once in one cup.
- In order not to get confused in the varieties, markings are stuck on the outside.
- After planting, cover the leaf with film or a jar, creating a greenhouse. This will provide increased air humidity inside and protect the seedling from drafts. Periodically moisten the soil and ventilate.
Some gardeners share their experience of planting leaf cuttings in peat tablets. They claim that, due to the availability of nutrients, with this method of planting, roots and young rosettes are formed very quickly. For successful rooting in the substrate, warmth and light are important. Daylight should be at least 12 hours, and the room temperature should be 22-26 degrees.
Rooting a violet leaf cutting in a substrate: video
Caring for violets
In order for violets to remain healthy and bloom for a long time, they need to create comfortable conditions, providing the necessary temperature, lighting, humidity, and timely feeding and replanting. Let's dwell on these important points.
Temperature and lighting
Violets are thermophilic. The minimum temperature of their maintenance should not fall below 18 degrees, the optimal indicators are 20-24 degrees Celsius. Plants must be protected from drafts. If the window sills are too cold in winter, place the pots of violets on insulated stands to prevent the roots from getting too cold.
Saintpaulias need bright and diffused lighting, without direct sunlight. In summer, it is better to place them on northern and eastern windows, and in winter, move them to southern and western window sills. On very sunny days, it is necessary to organize shading on the windows; in winter, the plants, on the contrary, receive additional light. To prevent the socket from bending, it is periodically turned to the light with the other side. You can grow violets under completely artificial lighting, this does not affect their growth in any way. Fluorescent lamps are quite suitable for this.
Humidity and watering
Violets do not like dry air. Flowers especially suffer from it during the period when the central heating is on. However, you cannot spray the leaves because they are pubescent. The villi can retain water, and as a result, rot will develop on the leaves. To humidify the air, it is advisable to use special humidifiers or place containers of water on the windowsill.
You can water violets from above using a syringe or watering can with a narrow spout; this type of watering is called drip watering. In this case, you need to be careful with the amount of water and make sure that it does not fall on the leaves. If it is difficult for you to regulate watering in this way, water the Saintpaulia through a tray.
Clean, settled water is poured there, the soil is allowed to soak in moisture, after which the remaining water is drained. This method is considered safer in terms of waterlogging. Some people use wick irrigation, but it is not suitable for all varieties and has a number of disadvantages. This method is best used when necessary, for example, while going on vacation or a business trip.
Feeding and transplanting
For feeding, you can use superphosphate granules, which are placed in the soil when transplanting. This supply will last the violets for some time. After 1-2 months, you can begin to apply complex and organic fertilizers weekly, alternating them with each other. Only adult and healthy specimens assimilate organic matter well. The complex fertilizer is diluted in water according to the instructions and the solution is watered onto the moistened soil.
You should not plant violets in large pots, otherwise you may not wait for flowering. The new pot should be 2 cm larger in diameter than the old one. It would be better if it was made of plastic. You can plant the violet in the same container. In this case, they take it out of the pot, cut off the old and dead roots, shake off the old soil, and then plant the flower in place, adding a little fresh soil. It is better to rinse the inside of the pot well with a brush to disinfect it and remove fungal spores.
As a soil, you can take special soil for Saintpaulias, adding a little perlite and vermiculite to it.
Before planting, it is necessary to place a drainage layer of expanded clay on the bottom. The soil should be moist, but not soggy. Plant the plant so that the leaf rosette does not touch the ground. The first watering is carried out two days after transplantation.
Flower growers advise starting to breed violets with simpler varieties; capricious hybrids require experience in maintenance. If you provide the plant with ideal conditions, it will not create any problems for you. As you gain experience, you will make fewer and fewer mistakes and learn to “understand” your flower. After this, it will be possible to begin to contain and propagate more exotic varieties.
Source
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The most useful tips for violet selection!
The choice of "parents"
1. Determine the target for crossing. What desirable traits do you want to see in the proposed plant?
A very good idea: write down your goal so that you can later compare the practical result with the intended one.2. When planning the desired pollination, it is necessary to select parents with the desired characteristics.
Referencing the table of dominant and recessive traits will help in planning results and choosing parents.3. If you are in doubt about which traits are inherited, choose parent plants with strong rosettes, good symmetry, a high number of flowers and other desirable traits.4. The mother plant parent must be healthy and free of pests. It is not advisable to use plants intended for participation in exhibitions, because... The ripening of the seed capsule takes quite a long time.
Pollination
1. Use pollen from a freshly opened flower. Give preference to simple or semi-double flowers.
2. The anthers should be dense, dry, the pollen from them should be powdery. Wet or soft anthers rarely contain viable pollen and are best avoided.
3. The stigma of the pistil becomes receptive to pollination a few days after the flower opens. If moist, shiny discharge appears, it means the stigma is ready for pollination.
4. Pollinate several flowers on one peduncle. If several seed pods are formed as a result of pollination, the chance of their preservation and ripening will increase.
5. High humidity often has a beneficial effect on seed pod setting.
6. Be sure to label each cross, not forgetting to indicate the pollen producer and the date of pollination.
Ripening of seed pods
1. The seed pods grow to their maximum size in a month. The size of the capsule depends on the number of seeds it contains, as well as genetic inheritance from the parents.
2. Allow the seed pod to ripen and dry on the mother plant. Bolls that have been drying for less than four months are unlikely to contain full seeds.
3. When the seed pod is completely dry, remove it from the mother plant and then keep it in a warm, dry place for several days.
4.After drying, the seeds can be sown immediately or left for storage. If you are going to sow after some time, it is better to store the seeds in a seed box. Place the seed pod in a container or bottle. Don't forget to make a note. When stored in the refrigerator, Saintpaulia seeds remain viable for several years.
Germination of seeds
1. Seeds need a closed container with high humidity to germinate. Clear plastic food containers are convenient to use. If necessary, you can use a rubber band to hold the two parts of the container together. Other transparent, sealable containers are also suitable for germination.
2. The mixture for germination can be made from different materials. The fine fraction of vermiculite, to which a little perlite has been added, has proven itself well. Your favorite mixture for germinating leaf cuttings will also work well; the main thing is that it does not contain too large particles that can block the growth of seedlings.
3. It is advisable to sterilize the substrate for germination to eliminate the possibility of fungal diseases.
4. Open the seed pod over a small piece of paper on which a fold was previously laid (later it will make it easier for you to sow). On paper, the seeds are better visible, and it will be easier for you to sow more evenly.
5. Viable seeds are very small in size and appear black and shiny. Light brown or dull seeds germinate extremely rarely.
6. Sow the seeds evenly using a fold of paper over the surface of the substrate. Adding a small amount of sand to the seeds will help prevent the seed from becoming too crowded.
7. DO NOT FILL THE SEEDS, otherwise they will not germinate. They should remain on the surface of the substrate.
8. Gently mist the seeds (the water should be either a mist or a very fine mist). Excessive moisture will stimulate the growth of algae, which will choke the crops.
9. Make sure you remember to label the container. It is necessary to indicate the origin of the seeds and the date of their sowing.
10. Place the container under bright light. Bottom heating will also be favorable for faster germination. Often, to do this, it is enough to place the container on a shelf above a lamp, which illuminates the underlying shelf of the rack (the shelves are slightly heated by the lamps).
11. Shoots from viable seeds appear 7-28 days after sowing, but some seeds will require an even longer time. The seedlings look like small green particles on the surface of the substrate. During this period, it is important to protect them from drying out of the substrate.
12. Albino seedlings from a variegated leaf cross may need to be fed lightly with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer to green them up. Pure white seedlings will not survive.
Transplanting seedlings1. Let the seedlings grow enough so that you feel comfortable working with them.
There is no set size for seedlings to be considered fit for picking. Some may work with small seedlings no larger than 1/4 inch in diameter, while others wait until they are much larger.
2. Never hold the seedling by the base. Always hold them by the leaves, otherwise you will kill them.
3. Canapé forks or pointed sticks are excellent tools for replanting seedlings. Place the base of the seedling in the cut of the fork or between two sticks and carefully lift the plant by its leaves.
4. Lightly loosen the soil around the seedling before removing it - this will protect the roots from excessive damage, which could inhibit growth.
5. Separate each seedling from its “neighbors”. Don’t worry if the roots are slightly torn off along with the soil when separated. If they are at least partially preserved, the plant will survive.
6. For the best growth and formation of the plant, each seedling needs an individual pot. For starters, plastic “stacks” are quite suitable.
7. Seedlings do not require a special composition of the soil mixture. The one you are used to is quite suitable, the main thing is that it does not contain too large particles.
8. Water the seedlings with warm water using a spray bottle, this will help the roots spread faster into the soil.
9. Place all pots with seedlings in greenhouses until they are sufficiently rooted.
10.Feed the seedlings with a weak solution of a balanced fertilizer (for example, 20-20-20). For variegated plants, you can increase the amount of nitrogen to encourage greening (otherwise they won't have enough green space to produce enough chlorophyll to support their growth).
11. Place the greenhouse with the seedlings close to the light source to stimulate their rapid growth.
What plants should I leave?
1. If you prefer a good exhibition form of plants, leave seedlings with clearly defined symmetry and leaves that overlap each other without gaps. Seedlings with insufficient symmetry will only aggravate this problem if they are not removed from the crop (discarded).
2. Pay attention to those seedlings that have strong peduncles rising above the rosette of leaves. Avoid plants with lodging flower stalks.
3.The number of flower buds is a hereditary trait. Seedlings that have 5 or more flower buds on their first flower stalks will likely produce more flowers than those that have 2-3 buds.
4.Discard all seedlings with single flowers.
5.When choosing miniatures, exclude any seedlings that quickly grow too large. It will be difficult to keep them within the required “overall” limits for exhibitions and displays.
6.Look for plants with unique characteristics or combinations of traits. Try not to make exact duplicates of existing varieties.
7.If you are not displaying a trailer, avoid the appearance of stepchildren too often. It is unlikely that the seedlings will “outgrow” this deficiency in the future.
8. Even if your seedling seems worthy to you, think about whether those around you will also appreciate it? Be prepared for the fact that 95-99% of seedlings are discarded.
9. Remember to keep and keep clear records indicating the origin of the seedling, as well as other useful information.
10.Check the repeatability of traits in three generations.
11.REGISTER YOUR VARIETIES IN AVSA!
The following are notes that were made several years ago. It is believed that they belong to Jeff Smith, but it is not 100% certain.
Initial colors when crossing: percentage distribution of color in offspring
1. pink X pink = 100% pink
2. pink x coral = 100% pink
3. red X red = 75% red, 25% pink
4. white X red = 50% white, 37% red, 13% pink
5. Blue X Pink = 50% blue, 50% red
6. red X pink = 100% red
For some reason, it is believed that violet plants require large areas for selection. This is wrong.
A standard shelf is 130 cm wide and 50 cm deep. Half shelf it is quite enough to:
- develop 3-5 new varieties from one cross
- earn money from it RUB 10,000. monthly.
Traditions
The second year the price drops to 150-100 rubles. We take the average price of a new item as 150 rubles.
The rosette produces 3 cuttings per month. 70 rosettes with new varieties will produce 210 cuttings every month. Multiply by 150 rubles.
We get that from half a standard shelf of a 65x50 cm rack you can get 31.5 thousand rubles. every month for the first 2 years. On average for 2 years, 50 thousand rubles each. per month, i.e. 756 t.r..
To do this, you need to raise 3 generations (we put 1.5 years on each) and sell new products for 2 years, about 6 years in total.
We divide 756 tr. for 6 years and 12 months. Eventually, half shelf brings on average RUB 10,500 monthly for 6 years.
Final numbers
So, half the shelf brings 10 thousand rubles. every month, if you do breeding in a compact form.
If you engage in selection in a “spread out” fashion, then you will need 15 times more area. Then the income from half the shelf will drop 15 times to 700 rubles per month. The amount is not very large and is similar to what collectors already have from half the shelf when selling ready-made varieties. (On half of the shelf you can place 10 sockets, each will give 3 leaves per month, 30 leaves per month will be multiplied by 30 rubles - 900 rubles per month from half the shelf). Moreover, the first money from collectors comes in 1.5-2 years.
That is why most collectors believe that it is not very profitable to engage in selection. The space in the apartments is limited. It’s faster to buy a cutting and start selling violet cuttings in 1.5-2 years than to wait 5 years, allocate huge areas for selection and, on average, get the same money.
Shelving for compact selection
For “compact” selection at home, slightly different racks are used. The main thing about it is 15 times intense lighting.
It is convenient for lighting to use a block of office lamps LPO65-4x18 (4 lamps of 18 W), square with a side of 61 cm:
The power supply of the unit is approximately 2 times higher than traditional 2 lamps per shelf depth. This unit also uses professional mirror light reflectors, which doubles the light output, reduces heat generation and makes the light distribution uniform. Position the block so that the lamps go from left to right, and not away from you into the depth of the shelf. Then a minimum of light will fall into the room and all the light will be on the violets.
You can even afford to buy an LED office lamp for selection:
- works silently
- doesn't heat up
- light output is 1.8 times stronger than that of fluorescent lamps
- spectrum completely matches sunlight
- service life - up to 100 thousand hours (22 years with daily 12-hour work)
Shelving shape
Conventional racks are forced to be made wide, 135 cm, due to long fluorescent lamps. Compact selection racks use 61x61 cm square lighting units.
A typical selection rack is a soldier cabinet.
If you order a cabinet for selection, it makes sense to make not only the trays with sockets retractable, but also the lighting units. This will make their repair easier.
Retractable shelf mechanisms allow you not only to extend the tray or lighting unit as much as possible, but also to pull them out of the cabinet altogether if necessary.
To reduce the cost of a selection cabinet, it is better not to make stationary shelves in it, but to attach the extension mechanisms directly to the pallets and to the square lighting units.
The 61x61 cm pallet is quite heavy. Consider that there are 100 sockets with ground on a pallet plus the weight of the pallet. The extension mechanism must be designed to support this weight. If there are several such shelves in the “soldier”, then they will balance one extended shelf. If you only have one pull-out shelf, make sure that when pulled out it does not weigh down the cabinet. If necessary, secure the cabinet to the wall.
Another way to reduce the cost. Instead of a pull-out mechanism, make runners on the sides of the rack (like in an oven). It will be possible to slide the lighting unit or pallets into them. True, in this case, to service the violets, you will have to completely remove the pallets from the cabinet. Not all women will be able to do this.
If you cannot find pallets 61x61 cm, then you can order boxes made of plywood (MDF) 61x61 cm and approximately 10 cm high. They will need to be insulated from moisture from the inside and filled with earth mixture.
You may find it more convenient to water your violets from the bottom, because it will be difficult to water the palisade under the crown. Then you need to provide a bottom watering system in the pan.
When the lamp hangs over the violets, traditional admiring “on the go” is impossible. To inspect the violets you will need to pull out the shelf. Therefore, it makes sense to close the rack with a door to increase humidity. You can make it glass.
Built-in lamp
For lockable cabinets, it is more convenient to use a square lamp LVO14-4x40 "600x600", built into office suspended ceilings. It costs less because it has no sidewalls:
Its size is standard 60x60 cm. If the aesthetics of the shelving are not too much of a concern, then recessed lamps can also be used for open shelving.
Mini-rack for selection
For very small apartments there is another half of the lighting unit, “LPO65-2´18-001 UHL4”. It has a size of 61x28 cm and a height of 9 cm. It will fit 50 plants under it when grown compactly.
Ready-made grow boxes
Ready-made boxes with equipment for compact selection are sold, they are called growboxes:
You can buy either a complete box or just the internal equipment. You can ask the price.
Summary
1. Unlike the collection cycle (raise a violet from a cutting to a rosette for an exhibition), selection consists of several stages. A beautiful rosette shape is needed only at one stage and is not required at other stages. It makes no sense to try to get beautifully formed rosettes at each stage of selection in a “collector’s way.”
2. Compact selection technology makes it possible to reduce the area required for selection by 15 times.
3. The same technology can be used to grow rosettes from which only cuttings will be sold. There are quite enough buds on such rosettes to reject varieties that have blossomed inappropriately.
4. Another main direction to increase the impact of selection. To speed up flowering, you can use the accumulated arsenal:
- accelerating seed germination - growth stimulants, seed germination on foam rubber, oxygen or ultrasound treatment,...
- forcing flowers - chemicals, fumigation with smoke, hot steam, fertilizing with carbon dioxide,...
- - tear off the roots, pour boiling water on them, carve them,... with them, violets begin to bloom after 8.5 months from the rooting of the cuttings.
In small areas this is all much easier to organize. Since the pallets are completely removable, it is easy to organize the impact on each pallet separately.
2 more ways to increase the volume of breeding work on the same areas
- Move from standard selection to mini selection
- Leave pollination and obtaining seeds for yourself, and shift all the rest of the work to those who have large areas.
- User's blog Denis Nikitin
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Comments
I agree with you, the previous article on this topic interested me.
At the moment I managed to catch two violets, I’m keeping a close eye on them. Back in 1995, I crossed these plants, but it was not possible to grow seeds. Thanks to the site, I determined the reason and when the time comes to plant the seeds, I will use all the possible knowledge.
So far I have equipped one cabinet from an old furniture wall as a shelving unit, it is very convenient, I moved the shelves and fixed the lamps.
Five shelves 148 sq. dm.
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Wonderful article! I enjoyed reading it. So far, only once have I managed to get a box of seeds. But I have a fear that it might not work out and that’s it. I never tried to sow them.
You explained everything so clearly. It’s not even about the income itself, it’s about the small area and the possibility of selection. Thank you!
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There were many questions about the article... Here are some:
1. Has anyone tested this in practice? Or is this just theoretical research?
2. Lamps at a distance of 7-8 cm from sockets. With “hands up” sockets, what is the distance from the ground surface? If we consider a standard rosette with a diameter of 25 cm, then the raised leaves will raise the top of the rosette to a height of 12 cm. That is. distance from the ground 20 cm?
3. The violet will need to fit 6-7 sheets onto an area of 5 x 6.5 cm. Palisade is putting it mildly. Where in this palisade will there be room for a bud?
4. When moving to the second stage, leave 5-10 sockets. At the same time, at the second stage it is necessary to determine not only the beauty of the rosette, but also, according to, also:
- To obtain violets with a beautifully formed rosette, leave symmetrical seedlings in which the leaves overlap without holes. Ruthlessly remove seedlings with broken symmetry.
- Give special preference to seedlings with tall and strong peduncles. If the flower stalk lies, discard such a seedling.
- Seedlings with single flowers are subject to unequivocal rejection.
None of this can be seen with compact cultivation in the first generation. Those. will emerge at the second stage, and it’s not at all a fact that out of these 5-10, 5-7 will remain.
Those. either there will be nothing left, or you will have to turn a blind eye to weak peduncles or an asymmetrical crown. Well, it’s a pity for the lost year.
But there is also a third stage... When the symptoms may not recur. Are the risks too high?
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Violetgrower writes:
"1. Has anyone tested this in practice? Or is this just theoretical research?"
I don't understand your question. Everything written is taken from practice.
Please indicate more specifically what exactly seemed theoretical and confuses you:
- Has anyone actually grown “hands up” violets?
- Has anyone used pull out shelves?
- Has anyone tried placing fluorescent lamps 5 cm from the leaves?
- Has anyone considered it necessary to use a good reflector for lamps?
- Has anyone crossed violets in an apartment or is this only possible in sterile laboratories?
Violetgrower writes:
"2. Lamps at a distance of 7-8 cm from the sockets. With “hands up” sockets, what is the distance from the ground surface? If we consider a standard socket with a diameter of 25 cm, then the raised leaves will raise the top of the socket to a height of 12 cm. That is distance from the ground 20 cm?
It is not necessary to maintain 7-8 cm, less is possible. The main heating comes not from above from the lamp, but from below from the lamps on the bottom shelf.
In a well-known physical experiment, ice lies calmly at the bottom of a test tube, although water is boiling at the top:
At the bottom of the test tube, the water does not boil at all, but remains cold; it boils only at the top. Not “ice in boiling water”, but “ice under boiling water”. Expanding from heat, the water becomes lighter and does not sink to the bottom, but remains at the top of the test tube. Mixing of the water layers will occur only in the upper part of the test tube and will not involve the lower, denser layers. Heat can only be transferred downward by conduction, but the thermal conductivity of water and glass is extremely low.
The thermal conductivity of air is even less. You can place the lamps very close to the violets. There are two reasons why this is not usually done:
- It will become difficult to serve violets on racks without pull-out shelves
- Traditions. Since they write everywhere that the distance between shelves in racks should be 45 cm, they do so at 45 cm, even if the shelves extend:
And if you use LED lamps, they hardly heat up at all. They can be placed at least half a centimeter from the violet.
The distance from the ground to the lamps can be taken as the height of the socket with raised cuttings + a few centimeters.
Violetgrower writes:
"3. On an area of 5 x 6.5 cm, the violet will need to fit 6-7 leaves. A palisade is putting it mildly. Where in this palisade will there be room for a bud?"
The buds will find a place for themselves and will not remain under the leaves:
Violetgrower writes:
“The shape of the rosette and the height of the peduncles cannot be seen during compact cultivation in the first generation. That is, it will emerge in the second stage, and it is not at all a fact that out of these 5-10, 5-7 will remain. That is, either nothing will remain, or You will have to turn a blind eye to weak peduncles or an asymmetrical crown."
In theory, the shape of the rosette is important. In any case, 94% of customers want to see not only the buds, but the entire rosette when purchasing online (see). Moreover, it was not taken anyhow, but at 45° to the horizon (see).
But in practice the picture is completely different. All the photographs that are published in . pass through my hands. In half of the cases, collectors do not send photographs of the rosette at all, limiting themselves to a photograph of the bud. In the other half of cases, the rosettes send a photo of 2-3 buds as a photograph, but not the entire rosette.
With the exception of Alla Shakurova. She removes most of the sockets entirely and at 45° (click on the photo to see the socket in a large photo):
In theory, the breeder must take care of the beautiful shape of the rosette, but in practice, buyers on the Internet will still not see this shape; in most cases, sellers will only show them the bud in detail.
Taking this into account, at the first stage you need to select the most critical parameter, the bud. It is by bud that sockets will be sold via the Internet. And the shape of the rosette is secondary. Therefore, I propose to evaluate it in the second stage, where the rosettes are grown to evaluate the shape of the rosette and for photography.
Although I have a nagging suspicion that even at the second stage, breeders will take photographs of only 2-3 buds at the rosettes, but not the whole. So in practice, after the second stage, most rosettes will be bred, as long as the flowers are beautiful. Only completely awkward sockets will be rejected.
You also need to take into account that the shape of the rosette largely depends on the choice of parent violets. Do not cross varieties “hands up” - and most child violets will repeat the normal rosettes of their parents.
Violetgrower writes:
“But there is also a third stage... When the symptoms may not recur.”
This is again a theory that the signs may not be repeated and after the third stage it will be necessary to halve the remains of the violets that have passed the selection. If you do everything as Makuni writes, then from 100 seedlings you get 3-5 varieties.
But in practice the numbers are completely different. Korshunova in the article “Fascinating selection” writes that she did two sowings (98 + 74 violets = 172 violets). She selected 25 of the most decorative hybrids from two crops. If you count it, then for 100 violets it yields 15 varieties.
RUB 10,500 I calculated monthly based on the Makunevskaya output norm. If you grow according to Korshunovsky, the income from half shelf will increase approximately 4 times, to 42,000 rub. monthly.
Unfortunately, I cannot say which approach to the selection (selection) of violet varieties is better, Makunevsky or Korshunovsky. Each breeder makes this choice himself.
Violetgrower writes:
"Aren't the risks too high?"
What are you risking? The entire starting cash investment is allocating a 60x60 cm shelf and purchasing a ceiling lamp for 480 rubles:
With OSRAM lamps the same lamp will cost a little more, 710 rubles. You can still save 200-300 rubles. on the extension mechanism and remove the shelf for maintenance by hand.
For inspiration, go to the page where E.V. Korshunova describes the conditions for selling her varieties. The market will easily withstand the second Korshunova. Collectors will respect you.
Sales of new varieties
There will be no problems with sales of new varieties either....), where you can sell new items.
Don’t want to deal with sales and run to the post office? Not a problem either. The “Team Selection Project” is at your service. Experienced sellers will happily sell all the new products you create. You will receive an agreed percentage of their sales. And you yourself will continue to create new varieties.
Blessing
Or are you waiting for the blessing of some famous breeder? So that he would pass on the secret knowledge of selection to you from hand to hand and you could repeat his path without mistakes?
This won't happen. Well-known breeders have no need to produce competitors. In particular, on Korshunova’s website in the “Articles” section it is written about everything, but not about selection techniques. Although according to the Violet School, crossing violets is an extremely simple matter.
You have:
- head on shoulders
- confidence in market demand for new products.
If you are interested in selection, go ahead and do it. In a few years, you will teach selection to others, if you consider it necessary.
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Great, the discussion is evolving.
Thanks for the detailed answer.
I'll clarify the questions then.
1. It’s not just growing “hands up” that’s confusing, but specifically on an area of 5 by 6. From experience, densely standing rosettes result in twisted central leaves and a cessation of growth.
2. The question is not just about distance and not so much about heating, but about illumination. As the arm grows upward, the height of the socket increases significantly, so most of the time the lamp will be farther away from the socket significantly more than 7 cm (that’s why I asked about the distance from the ground, the lamps are fixed in height), reaching the estimated 7 cm only for an adult sockets
3. In general, in a closed cabinet (to increase humidity, as you suggested), the temperature will rise in any case, whether the heat is removed downwards or upwards. No one has yet canceled heat transfer by convection. In the above photo from the admiral, the area is clearly not 30 cm square.
4. If we do not look at the shape of the rosette, citing the lack of photographs in the catalogue, then this is a deliberate call to produce low-quality semi-finished products. In reality, this variety will cause disappointment to the buyer. If the goal is simply to sell, then I agree. But there seems to be a struggle for quality?.. Moreover, this is important to 94% of buyers.
5. I didn’t understand the answer about the buds in the palisade. Again, in practice, many times I saw buds left under the leaves in a crush, as a result of which they simply degraded.
6. About the third stage. Yes, one could argue that this is just a theory. But the third stage was introduced to obtain guaranteed transferable characteristics. Those. there is a possibility of dropout. Otherwise there would be no need for the third stage.
7. Regarding risks, you did not understand me. It's not about equipment, it's about time. And this is the most expensive resource. In the proposed selection method, there is a very high risk of obtaining zero quality (!) yield after three (!) years. With the standard approach, space requirements increase, but time risks decrease.
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Thank you for the specific questions, they are much easier to answer. I'll start in order.
Violetgrower writes:
“1. It’s not just growing “hands up” that’s confusing, but specifically in an area of 5 by 6. From experience, densely standing rosettes result in twisted central leaves and a cessation of growth.”
5x6 cm is more of a theoretical limit. If you take 20 cuttings, stack them tightly together and place them vertically, they will occupy approximately the same area.
But there are reserves. If you stimulate flowering in violets, even starters with a small number of leaves can bloom.
At the first stage of selection, the main task is to reject as many violets as possible so as not to drag them to the second stage. The flowering of the starter is enough to make a decision to cull.
It is pointless to wait for a full second flowering during selection. The collector tries to bring each purchased cutting to proper flowering. The breeder is looking for any reason to cull uninteresting seedlings.
Ideally, at the first stage of compact selection, you need to achieve flowering of children:
It is customary for collectors to display only fully formed rosettes at exhibitions, so no one is trying to get the babies to bloom. A flowering baby's bud is cut off so as not to take away its strength.
In selection, at the first stage, saving space and time. The breeder has a wide arsenal of high-speed flower forcing at his disposal, which must be used. It is more convenient to do much of the forcing arsenal when you can pull out a tray with violets (60x60 cm) from the selection rack and carry out another forcing operation on it (steaming, wrapping it in smoke, carbon dioxide,...).
Violetgrower writes:
"2. The question is not just about distance and not so much about heating, but about illumination. As your hand grows upward, the height of the socket increases significantly, so most of the time the lamp will be farther from the socket significantly more than 7 cm. (That’s why I asked about the distance from soil, the lamps are fixed in height), reaching the calculated 7 cm only for an adult socket."
When seedlings or cuttings are small, a long distance will be quite normal for them. Intense close lighting will only be needed when the rosettes grow large.
You can reduce the light intensity by turning off 1-3 lamps from the illuminator or removing the reflector or placing a newspaper in front of the lamp.
You can increase the illumination using a couple of bars to bring the violets closer to the light.
Or you can make guides for the skids of the pallet and the lighting unit every 5-10 cm. Then you can easily change the height between the pallet and the lighting unit.
The main thing is that the power of the 60x60 cm illuminator is enough to provide light to dozens of sockets standing hands up. And you can bring the illuminator closer or reduce its light intensity in different ways.
Violetgrower writes:
"3. In general, in a closed cabinet (to increase humidity, as you suggested), the temperature will rise in any case, whether the heat is removed downwards or upwards. No one has yet canceled heat transfer by convection. In the above photo from the admiral, the area is clearly not 30 cm square "
Not necessary. If you use LED lamps, they have very high efficiency. By making a retractable tray, we get the opportunity to bring the illuminator very close to the violets and further increase the light output. Most of the time growing seedlings will only need a fraction of the light's power.
If illuminated with fluorescent lamps, you can make a glass lid on top of the tray with violets with wooden sides down to create a microclimate above the violets. Then you can use a fan to blow the heat from the lamps into the room so that they do not heat the upper shelves. Although, it seems to me that this will not be necessary.
Violetgrower writes:
"4. If we do not look at the shape of the rosette, citing the lack of photographs in the catalogue, then this is a deliberate call to produce low-quality semi-finished products. In reality, such a variety will cause disappointment to the buyer."
We look at the shape of the rosette, but not in such a way that after that 3/4 of the remaining varieties are rejected. The rosette must be very crooked to be rejected when there is a beautiful bud on it.
Approximately 80% of the breeder's efforts should be invested in a beautiful bud and 20% in a beautiful rosette. This is what the market asks for.
Violetgrower writes:
“If the goal is simply to sell, then I agree. But there seems to be a struggle for quality?.. Moreover, this is important to 94% of buyers.”
The question about quality is too big.
Indeed, customers want to have a harmonious outlet and they want to see it before purchasing. But “de facto” customers are not shown the outlet. Often they don’t even show the bud, limiting themselves to a text description.
Violetgrower writes:
“The article talks about an output of 5-10, in the comment above you are already talking about 20. But we cannot leave 20 for the second stage, because in the specified area they simply will not make full-fledged sockets.”
If you basically fit 60x60 cm from start to finish, then you can transfer the assessment of the shape of the rosette to the third stage. Or grow the 10 most promising buds yourself in the second stage, and distribute the remaining 10 to reliable people.
You can generally limit yourself to one stage. After the first stage, you will select 20-30 of the most promising buds, photograph them and put them on the Internet for voting. Then you raise a cry among experienced collectors:
“Here are 20-30 semi-finished varieties. I don’t have information about sustainability and the rosette, but I have a rating of potential demand. We need to check for stability, the beauty of the rosette, propagate for sales and sell.
Take it and grow it yourself. We are the two of us as authors, my last name is first, and we also decide together whether to release a variety or not.
You either pay a certain amount at once (you can negotiate separately).
Or take it for free, but within 2 years after the release of the variety, pay me a commission. For example, 20% in the first year of sales and 10% in the second."
There will be 3-5 people who will buy all 20 varieties of semi-finished products from you.
Violetgrower writes:
“Well, no, not the only difference. With the traditional method, the choice is made based on the results of the first stage, and not the second. That is, the cycle is reduced by a year.”
Doesn't decrease. With traditional selection, the final choice is still made after several generations of violets, because no one has canceled the test for stability. So in traditional breeding, no one rushes to propagate violets for sale after the first stage. They are still waiting for the second stage to check for stability. And only at the third stage do they begin to reproduce en masse for sales. At the same time, continuing to look at how the variety is, isn’t it sporting?
Violetgrower writes:
“And the entire calculation takes place over 3-4 years, during which the bet is placed on 10 sockets. Which may die for a variety of reasons, negating the results of many years of work.”
With traditional selection, violets also die. And without any selection, collections also perish. The death of violets is not related to what the violet is grown for, for culling during selection or for admiration. The violet does not know why it is being raised.
Violetgrower writes:
"It's all about assessing the risks compared to the classic work of a collector."
Of course, compared to a breeder, a collector has a shorter cycle. A collector can sell them a year or a year and a half after purchasing cuttings.
Alla Shakurova has a shorter two-month cycle. , plants them in peat pots and sells them in his stores.
I have an even shorter cycle. I don’t plant or sell anything, I run the website, and I get paid every month.
It would seem that I have found the ideal. But alas, in the violet world there is no such respect for me as for breeders.
There is no particular risk in the work of a breeder; the percentage of yield of normal varieties for violets has long been calculated and is indicated in various articles. Only the period is a little longer than for collectors.
But if you wish, you can limit yourself to only one stage and reap all the laurels of the collector. Collectors who bought semi-finished varieties from you after the first stage will take risks. The market will inevitably come to this; the division of labor was not invented by us.
Example
Imagine that you have carried out the first stage of selection. We selected a dozen of the most interesting buds and photographed them. They were displayed on the website as semi-finished varieties selected by you after the first stage of selection.
We offer them to experienced collectors for:
- checks for socket shape
- stability checks
- breeding for sale
- sales.
Here they are, first generation semi-finished products, similar to these. Still with an unknown socket shape, with unknown stability, but they are already in your room and posted on the Internet:
Do you think there will be people willing to buy them from you right away or take a share of them, check them, multiply them and sell them?
So your problem will not be to find such collectors. It’s about having time to pull your hands away. Otherwise, your semi-finished products will be torn out along with your hands. If you post a photo of mom and dad in advance, publish an article about crossing, and hold a market vote on these semi-finished products, then the value of the semi-finished products will increase even more. They will easily give you any money for a first-generation semi-finished variety, if it is known that 93% of violet plants have put it on their “wish list”.
Then you can rest. And after 3 years, together with your partner collectors, you will select suitable names for all varieties that turned out to be stable and with good rosettes. And most semi-finished products will enter the market in the form of full-fledged varieties.
Your name will appear in the honorable first author's place. Your partners will handle sales. You deserve honor, respect and a well-deserved share of the sales. And where do you see the risk here?
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Continuing the discussion.
Violetgrower writes:
“It’s not just growing “hands up” that’s confusing, but specifically in an area of 5 by 6. From experience, tightly-standing rosettes result in curled central leaves and a cessation of growth.”
Katherine describes her biology teacher in her blog:
“About 5 species of violets sat in a herring tin, managing to coexist amicably and bloom wildly”
The diameter of the herring jar is 20-25 cm. According to usual standards, this area is barely enough for one violet. But having received this area for five, the violets somehow come to an agreement among themselves, with their flowers, and bloom wildly.
Internal reserves of violets
A 5-fold reduction in area at the first stage of selection is clearly not the limit. If you ask for violets, at the first stage of selection they can grow even more crowded and at the same time bloom excitedly. “Whoever does not bloom goes to feed the pig.”
Remember how a blade of grass breaks through the asphalt. Uzumabrian violets were not created in sterile laboratories, but lived in the wild jungle. For hundreds of years they were trampled by elephants, crushed by branches of falling trees, and swept away by mountain rivers. Violets have learned to take advantage of such stressful conditions and have learned to reproduce by breaking off cuttings. And only when flower growers became interested in violets and transferred them from the wild jungle to the civilized European world, only then did violets receive comfortable living conditions.
It is not a problem for violets to grow in peaceful home conditions “hands straight up” and bring the flowers out. If only the roots had enough space (5x5 cm), and the leaves had enough light (2500 lm, intensely poured onto the same 5x5 cm).
The myth about large areas in violet breeding did not appear at all because violets do not know how to grow “hands up”. The main reason for the large areas is that the selection of violets is carried out by collectors who are accustomed to growing violets from cuttings for exhibition. Habit forces them to spend enormous areas at the first stage of selection in order to bring a hundred seedlings to full size. Although it is known in advance that 80-90% of them will be rejected.
Collectors who come to breeding do not understand that the space-consuming exhibition cultivation of violets at each stage of selection is pointless.
Problem "1, 2, 3"
During breeding, it is necessary to evaluate the varieties being created according to three parameters:
- beauty of a bud
- beauty outlet
- bud color stability
No matter how you distribute the stages, at least 3 generations (3 stages) are needed to test stability.
Collectors who come to the selection divide the assessment of parameters into 3 stages as follows:
1st stage, full-length exhibition cultivation of 100 seedlings, evaluation of bud and rosette
2nd stage, full-length exhibition cultivation of 15 violets, assessment of bud flowering stability.
3rd stage, full-length exhibition cultivation of 5 violets, assessment of flowering bud stability, propagation for sale.
This is an irrational decision. If it is known in advance that there will be 3 stages, then it is more reasonable to distribute the estimates as follows:
1st stage, compact growing hands up 100 seedlings, assessing the beauty of the bud
2nd stage, full-length growing to evaluate 15 rosettes, assessing bud stability, photographing rosettes
3rd stage, compact growing 5 rosettes, assessing bud stability and propagation for sale.
Therefore, when you are considering whether to engage in selection or not, you can assume that a much smaller area is sufficient for selection than for collection cultivation.
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Violetgrower writes:
“With a jar diameter of 20-25 cm, the area for sockets should be calculated from the diameter of 40-50. The crown is not inside the jar.”
Do you think that violets take root, grow along the edges of the jar, bend outward along the horizon and still form a spreading crown in a vertical plane, just so as not to touch each other?
Violets in a jar inevitably come into contact with each other and at least the inner half of their leaves grow “hands up”. And if you limit the jar to the outside and add light, then the outer half of the leaves will begin to grow “hands up”.
We can argue for a long time, but everything can be solved in a couple of weeks if you put a cylinder with a small diameter on a suitable violet “hands up”. Someone else's experience most likely will not convince you, so it is better if you put the cylinder on the violet. An old gardening law states that the crown and roots occupy approximately the same area. Growing several violets in one pot, as was practiced until the 50s, confirms this statement.
Violetgrower writes:
“With standard selection, the areas freed up in the second stage are sown with new seeds and are not idle.”
The advantage of compact selection is not so much that the 60x60 cm tray is fully used at all stages of selection. Although this is also important.
Compact breeding makes it possible to reduce the area many times over from which 3-5 varieties of Makuni quality can be obtained from one crossing. Income increases by the same amount.
With compact selection, 10-15 semi-finished varieties can be sold out after the first stage. Any experienced collector will be able to obtain semi-finished varieties:
- check for stability
- reject unsightly sockets
- reproduce for sale
- sell.
And after the first stage, sow again on the vacated area of 60x60 cm.
Comparison of areas
Now compare. With traditional breeding, testing one cross and obtaining 3-5 varieties with Makunev quality requires an area of 100 full-size rosettes. If you allocate 25x25 cm for each socket, then you will fit 5x2 = 10 sockets on a 130x50 cm shelf. Need 10 shelves.
For compact selection to obtain the same 3-5 varieties, you need an area 20 times smaller, just half a shelf, 60x60 cm.
In compact breeding, the desired result is obtained not by areas, but by competent “hands up” agricultural technology.
By the way, in Japan there is a shortage of land, including for cemeteries. They bury the deceased not in coffins, but in barrels in a sitting position. This way they take up less space in cemeteries. Burying lengthwise in a spreading position is just a tradition. It’s just a tradition to engage in selection with full-scale cultivation at each stage.
Compact selection saves space and allows the breeder to carry out selection more efficiently. If one crossing takes up only 60x60 cm, then the breeder is in no hurry to free up the area and can carry out the selection more efficiently, even 1-2 stages longer. And if he puts one or two more of the same kind with a 60x60 cm tray, he can afford to leave only 1-2 instead of 3-5 cuttings from 100 seedlings.
Homemade varieties are often not of very high quality, not because the breeder likes low-quality varieties or does not understand the need to cull. A home breeder does not have sufficient space at home that specialized companies have in greenhouses. The transition to compact breeding will allow home breeders to grow varieties with Makunevskaya rejection, and therefore quality, on their small areas.
Your requirement to carry out selection from start to finish with your own hands has nothing to do with quality at all. I don’t think Robinson lovingly cares for thousands of intermediate rosettes during selection and personally makes each cross. Surely some Mexicans are courting. Nevertheless, Robinson is rightly considered the author of his varieties and enjoys well-deserved respect in the world of violet growers.
For us, the Japanese custom of sitting funerals is ridiculous in our open spaces. And Japan, with the same population as Russia, lives on a small island, where 3/4 of the land is occupied by mountains. They still cannot forgive even the small islands that were taken from them after the Second World War.
Now the site is supported by a whole team, violet growers maintain their blogs on it, sell violets in. Compared to what was on the site before, heaven and earth.
Group selection
There is no doubt that selection can be organized in such a way that several people will work on one variety.
Moreover, due to some instability of violets in varietal violets, group work on the variety has always been adopted. The breeder releases the variety to the market, and experienced collectors engage in “maintenance” selection and resell it.
There are even so-called “guardians” of the variety who maintain the variety in its purity for years.
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How to breed new varieties of violets to please a girl on her birthday) Anyone who has already done this or who knows who has done this, please post photos in the comments)
The work of a breeder to develop a new variety of violets requires enormous patience, experience and knowledge. The process of how to develop a new variety of violet has been described and studied for more than one millennium. Its principle is based on the repeated process of crossing different varieties of violets and requires years of painstaking work. To develop a new variety of violets, you must first acquire a solid basic knowledge of growing different varieties of violets and be able to grow healthy flowers of various varieties. Then you need to learn how to pollinate them correctly. To properly pollinate a violet flower, you need to apply pollen to the pistil, which is borrowed from the yellow anthers of the plant. The anther is opened in advance using a sterile needle. Pollen is ready for pollination after ripening, 5-6 days after the flower opens. After maturation, it remains active for three months. The ripening of the pistil can be determined by the characteristic droplet of liquid protruding, thanks to which the pollen is well attached to the surface of the pistil. After pollination, the amniotic ovary begins to form a capsule, in which, as it matures, small, dust-like seeds with a dark brown color are formed. After 5-7 months, when the seeds reach their maturity, the stem will wither and the capsule can be easily separated from the plant. The ripe capsule must be removed from the plant, dried for several days and opened with a needle. The seeds are placed in paper bags and stored in a dry and dark place. Seeds can be sown 2-3 weeks after ripening, although depending on the variety, they can remain viable for six months or more. Transferring the characteristics of parental pairs to a new species of violet is extremely difficult. For example, if you cross a purple and pink violet, you can produce offspring with blue and purple shades of flowers. If you cross a violet with simple flowers and a double one, the probability of getting offspring with simple flowers is extremely high. Over the course of repeated pollination, it is possible to develop new, previously uncreated varieties. But it will take time to grow a new variety, more than one year.
Well, perhaps for a girl’s 50th birthday... It’s VERY DIFFICULT AND VERY LONG. If your girl loves violets and collects them, then go to any website dedicated to the trade of varietal violets and order planting material for cool varietal violets, receive them in the mail and hand them to the girl. You can open the catalog and ask the girl to choose the violets that she liked. The main thing here is to stop in time...
This is a very long and painstaking task, if you start now, maybe in five years you will delight her with a new variety. But this is if you are already an experienced gardener and growing violets from seeds is not a problem for you.
Buy it ready-made at the exhibition. I think your girlfriend will be happy with any violet if there is none in her collection
