Miniature Violets (Mini, Semi African Violets) Care, Growing

Semi miniature rosette diameter 15-20 cm. When the pot is enlarged, they quickly become standard;
Miniature – with a diameter not exceeding 15 cm. Regular transplantation and removal of the lower row of leaf plates leads to the fact that the rosette becomes smaller in size;
Microminiature – 6-8 cm in diameter. They are the most demanding in terms of keeping conditions, grown in greenhouses.

Attention! There are microminiature trailer violets with a leaf length of 0.6-1.2 cm.

One of the signs of miniature violets is the so-called “girl foliage”. Girl foliage is a round or heart-shaped leaf blade with scalloped edges. An indisputable sign is a thickened and lightened part of the central vein at the base of the leaf plate.

Small Saintpaulias have a much larger number of leaves and a longer trunk than standard varieties. Flowers are medium-sized, rarely exceed 4 cm.

The world of violets is diverse and rich, but mini and semi-mini varieties are presented much more modestly.

Perhaps the reason for this is that non-observance of agricultural technology and conditions of detention quickly leads to the fact that the diameter of the rosette increases, and the plant becomes standard.

A complete catalog of mini and semi-mini violets can be found and read on the Internet.

Semi miniature

Popular semi-miniature violets:

Aca’s Happy Star – the flower is a large semi-double pink star with dark pink rays from the center; Violet Aca’s Happy Star.
Aca’s Johnny Redcoats – semi-double flowers, dark lilac color, with white tips of petals; Violet Aca’s Johnny Redcoats.
Adirondack Moon – semi-double and double flowers, white color, center with a small amount of yellow and blue colors, variegated.Violet Adirondack Moon.

Miniature

Common miniature violets:

Alan’s Blue Star – flowers are large, blue in color with a coral coating, like stars with wavy petals and a thin white border. Small, dark green jagged leaves; Violet Alan’s Blue Star.
Bahamian Sunset – double flowers, burgundy color with a white border. Smooth neat outlet; Violet Bahamian Sunset.
Gleeful Elf – double flowers, pale blue flowers-balls with a thin greenish-white border. Very compact rosette with light green leaves. Violet Gleeful Elf.

Microminiature

Microminiature violets catalog:

Chantaspring – blooms with small yellow bells, rosette 8 cm; Violet Chantaspring.
Rob’s Twinkle Blue – adult rosette 5-6 cm in diameter, large blue flowers for this size; Violet Rob’s Twinkle Blue.
Child’s play – simple white flowers with blue shadows on the petals. Small rosette, even light green heart-shaped leaves. Violet Child’s play.

miniature violets care for indoor

On the one hand, caring for miniature Saintpaulias at home differs little from the content of the standards, on the other hand, there are such nuances, without the knowledge and observance of which, the successful cultivation of miniatures is difficult.

What are these differences:

The principle that for ordinary violets a pot is selected 3 times smaller than the diameter of the rosette does not work in this case . For a mini floor, take mini pots no more than 6.5 cm wide. For mini – high, no more than 5.5 cm. Æ. The difference is not very big, but it greatly affects the content of the flower;
Regular transplant 2 times a year . This is dictated not only by the fact that the volume of the pot is very small, but also by the fact that the soil is depleted faster, cakes, its pH changes;
Very few baking powder is placed in the soil mixture , otherwise it will dry out very quickly;
More light is required. If the saintpaulias are on racks, then the distance to the lamps should be no more than 20 cm;
Daylight hours at least 12 hours ;
Increased air humidity 50-70% , especially for microminiature varieties. They feel best in aquariums. Can be placed on pallets with damp moss or expanded clay;
Stricter adherence to the temperature regime – 22-24 ° С;
Miniatures practically do not fertilize , the supply of nutrients in the soil is enough for six months. If there is a need for this, then you need to feed it with a special fertilizer for violets, reducing the concentration by 2 times;
Small leaves are very close to the soil, plus high humidity – this causes rotting of the lower row, so the distance from the pot to the leaf plates should be greater than that of the standards;
It is necessary to water a small amount more often , but in very modest portions, for example, you can use a syringe without a needle. Collectors most often keep such Saintpaulias on wick irrigation or watered through a pallet, but in the form of drainage they use coal along with sphagnum moss.

Important! Miniature varieties recover well after drying.

miniature violets Planting and transplanting

It is best to replant mini violets in spring or autumn. If the standard can be transferred from a smaller pot to a larger one, then miniature varieties sit in a pot of the same volume as it was.

When transplanted into a larger pot, Saintpaulia can lose its miniature size, become a standard. Or its decorativeness will suffer, since the leaves will grow larger, and small flowers against the background of large leaf plates will look ugly.

It is possible to preserve the root system when transplanting a miniature violet only in the first year of life. In the future, too long a trunk will not fit in a small pot, so Saintpaulia will have to be “partially” re-rooted. For this:

With the violet taken out of the pot, the earth is gently shaken off;
Part of the root system is cut off;
Several lower rows of leaves are removed, while maintaining the symmetry of the rosette;
Drainage is laid in the pot and a little soil is poured;
The violet is placed in a container so that the leaf blades touch the edge, if the stem is too long and protrudes beyond the edge, then the roots are trimmed a little more;
Fill up the soil, compacting it a little.

Important! After transplanting, you do not need to water the Saintpaulia immediately, only the next day. It should be placed in a plastic bag or greenhouse.

Contain the transplanted plant for 10-14 days in a greenhouse or bag under mild conditions:

In no case should direct sunlight fall on Saintpaulia;
The roots should be in warm, slightly damp soil.

When the trunk of a miniature violet grows to an “indecent” size, the plant is completely re-rooted:

To do this, leave 2-3 rows of upper leaves and remove the following rows in a circle so that the freed stump is 1.5-2 cm;
Trim the top of the head along with the hemp, dry;
Place in a glass of water and a tablet of activated carbon dissolved in it so that the leaves lie on the edge, and the stump is immersed by 0.5-1 cm. It can be rooted in peat, moss, hydrogel or familiar soil, as you are used to;
After the roots appear in 2-3 weeks, the saintpaulia is planted in a pot and placed in greenhouse conditions for another month, as with a transplant.

With such manipulations, the violets not only rejuvenate but also from the part of the plant remaining in the ground, you can get good strong stepsons. They differ from other planting materials in that they carry all the varietal characteristics of the mother plant. In addition, it takes root faster, grows, and blooms.

Propagation of miniature violets (Mini african violets)

Reproduction of mini saintpaulias is carried out according to the same principle as for standard plants. But here, too, there are little secrets.

Cuttings

You should choose a strong healthy leaf of “middle” age. If a violet with variegated leaves takes root, then you need to break off the most “green” leaf – the less white, the better.

To exclude fungal diseases, the leaf plate is bathed in a fungicide solution. Cut the stalk with a very sharp tool to a length of 1 cm, let it dry.

Advice! It should be rooted in soil, peat or sphagnum moss, since in the water small leaves begin to rot.

The substrate should be loose, with few nutrients. Root preparations should not be used, they can cause burns of the planting material. Since the cuttings of mini violets are thinner and more tender, they are not stuck in but planted in the ground, sprinkled with a substrate to a height of 0.5-1 cm.

Place the seedling in a greenhouse or a plastic bag. Ventilate them periodically. The habituation of miniature violets to the environment begins only a few weeks after they have been separated from the mother leaf.

miniature violets babies

Miniature violets grow many stepchildren, especially right after the plant is transplanted.

They are allowed to grow up, carefully separated from the mother plant with a needle or toothpick, and placed on wet sphagnum moss in a greenhouse or a transparent container with a lid. Moss is spilled with Fitosporin before planting.

After the saintpaulia gives roots and reaches the size when it will not be scary to pick it up, it is planted in a permanent place of residence with the obligatory placement in a plastic bag or greenhouse for 2-3 weeks.

Since the mini sit immediately in permanent containers, and the diameter of the rosettes of these crumbs is much less than the width of the pot, the lower leaves lie on the ground. Chances are good that they will start to deteriorate. Therefore, the flower requires:

Regular inspection;
And remove rotting sheet plates.

When the trunk is bare, you just need to add soil. The root system will become larger and the trunk will be stronger.

miniature violets Bloom

Miniature Saintpaulias reach the flowering age faster than their standard relatives are distinguished by strong peduncles that do not lie on the leaves and form large caps of flowers. From the moment of planting the cutting to flowering, it takes 5-6 months.

In order for a mini violet to bloom, you need to create the following conditions for it :

Increase lighting intensity;
Add the length of daylight hours to 14 hours;
Feed with phosphorus fertilizer;
Remove all stepchildren.

miniature violets Growth management

In order for the Saintpaulias not to pass from the category of mini to the category of standards, it is necessary to strictly observe the conditions for keeping violets.

By changing the external conditions and agricultural technology, you can control the growth of outlets, their size, and flowering:

Planting plants in small pots. If you land in a container of large diameter, then the diameter of the outlet will also increase. The growth will slow down and the flowering time will be postponed, since the plant must first master the earthen ball, increase the green mass, and only then the flowering period begins; The growth of mini violets can be controlled.
Substrate composition . For miniature Saintpaulias, the soil should contain less baking powder and fertilizers. A nutrient-rich substrate will cause the rosette to grow;
Lighting. The brighter the light, the more compact the outlet. But the direct sun mini is contraindicated;
The length of daylight hours . With a day length of 8 hours, the outlet grows well. To prevent it from becoming too large, it must be increased to 12 hours. Ideally, it takes 14 hours a day to bloom, but not all Saintpaulias respond well to this, so you need to closely monitor the plant and possibly reduce it to 12-13 hours;
Humidity. This factor has little effect on the size of the rosettes, but makes it possible to grow a healthy, strong plant.

miniature violet capling matting growing

When using this modern material, two problems of keeping mini saintpaulias can be solved at once:

Watering;
And humidity.

But in order for the use of capillary mats to be effective, violets are planted in a slightly different way.

The point is to use more moisture-absorbing components for drainage, for example, sphagnum moss with charcoal. Through the drainage holes, the water will moisten the moss, and it will give moisture to the soil, evenly moistening it.

Water evaporating from the surface of the mat will increase the humidity around the miniatures. Here it is necessary to ensure that the material is always moist.

Miniature Violet varieties

Miniature Trailers

Trailer saintpaulias include varieties with elongated stems that have several growth points. The bushes of the plant, almost constantly, are in a flowering state. Violet trailers are divided into groups by leaf size:

3.8-5 cm – standards;
2, 5-3.7 cm – semi miniature;
1.3-2.4 cm – miniatures;
0.6-1.2 cm – microminiatures.Miniature trailer violets.

miniature Violet Trailers can be:

Ampelny;
And bush.

The former has a longer and more flexible trunk. These saintpaulias are shaped according to the tastes of the owner. In order to avoid strong thickening, some of the stepsons are removed.

Trailer pots are chosen flat and wide, but since mini varieties with a large diameter of the container can lose their miniature, they are placed in a wide bowl several pieces and applied with sphagnum moss, which is always wet.

Attention! In this case, peat serves as the ground for mini violets, since the earth will constantly acidify.

Wasp species

Among the whole variety of varieties of mini saintpaulias, varieties of the type “Wasp” stand out. In another way, they call mini violets Bee. The flower is characterized by completely separated petals, two of which are rolled into a tube, and three, elongated, hang down.

It is possible to note such bright representatives of this type of violets:

Lunar Lily White has snow-white flowers up to 4 cm and a small rosette of quilted leaves;
PL-Zemfira, L. Pchelovodova differs in dark lilac large flowers with corrugated edges.

Work with violets-wasps has been going on for a long time, nevertheless, it was not possible to breed a wide variety of varieties.

miniature violets in stores

As interest in miniature violets grows from year to year, more and more of these little beauties appear on store shelves and in private collections. Below is a small catalog of miniature violets for you.

You can note such miniature varieties as :

Aca’s Eloise; Violet Aca’s Eloise.
Allegro C Charm; Violet Allegro C Charm.
Beca’s Botswana; Violet Beca’s Botswana.
Bellita; Violet Bellita.
Boo Men; Violet Boo Men.
Dancin ‘Trail; Violet Dancin` Trail.
Festive Fantasy; Violet Festive Fantasy.
Golden Dawn. Violet Golden Dawn.

They stand out for their beautiful nodding flowering:

Irish Flirt; Violet Irish Flirt.
Jolly Frills;Violet Jolly Frills.
Lil Ballerina; Violet Lil Ballerina.
Mac’s Southern Springtime; Violet Mac’s Southern Springtime.
Mystic Green; Violet Mystic Green.
Ness’ Crinkle Blue. Violet Ness’ Crinkle Blue.

Check also History Of African Violets.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, mini violets take up much less space than standard varieties. Without increasing the space for growing Saintpaulias, you can further diversify the collection.

Mini violets, for all their seeming defenselessness, are different :

Fortress;
Endurance;
Strong immunity;
And a high rate of development.