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Genus Saintpaulia hybrida - Hybrid Saintpaulia. Wick watering of violets: how to do it, video, pros and cons of this method with reviews from gardeners What is needed to organize wick watering

Today there are many ways, and each gardener chooses one that is convenient for himself. Wick watering of violets has long been used with great success, which saves time and saturates the plant with the necessary moisture. In fact, this method is automatic irrigation, but without using complex mechanisms. And when the collection of flowers is huge, then wick moistening the soil is a real salvation.

What is wick irrigation?

Wick watering is the irrigation of the soil using a special wick (cord), through which water enters the pot with nutrient substrate from the container in accordance with the capillary properties of the wick.

With wick watering, violets receive moisture using a special cord.

The wick is a thin cord made of nylon, nylon or other easily wetted material. High strength surface tension that occurs at the boundary of the liquid and solid phases improves the capillary suction of the wick. One end of the cord is lowered into a container of water, the other into a pot with a planted flower. The wick conducts water well, and as a result, the humidity in the soil is kept at the required level, depending on climatic conditions in room. Temperature changes directly affect changes in the humidity of the soil mixture in the pot.

Important. The best option The material used to make the wick is synthetic fabric. They are durable and not susceptible to rotting processes. It has been established that a cord made from a twisted strip of nylon from women's tights has the best conductive qualities. It can pick up moisture even without pre-wetting.

The wick method of moistening the soil is suitable only for plants that love loose and light soil: violets, gloxinia, streptocarpus. Violets are an ideal plant for this method of watering, however large specimens planted in pots large diameter, do not tolerate such a procedure.

The wick method of watering is suitable only for small violets.

Advantages and disadvantages of the wick irrigation method

Before organizing wick watering for your violets, you should understand the pros and cons of this method.

The undeniable advantages include the following:

• plants grown on a wick often bloom more profusely and boast a more magnificent appearance;
• some varieties of violets bloom without interruption;
• it is almost impossible to flood a flower, since the moisture is distributed evenly and as needed;
• a properly formulated solution with a balanced amount of fertilizer will allow you not to overfeed the plant and give it the required amount of nutrients;
• young plants develop much faster;
• saving time, because watering will be done independently, without requiring an individual approach;
• water remains in containers for a long time, sometimes for several weeks.

We must not forget about the negative sides of such watering:

What is needed to organize wick irrigation

The unique technology of watering with a wick is based on the use of a special fabric cord, through which water from the container rises up the wick and saturates the soil with moisture. As a result, the plant receives optimal quantity liquids without the possibility of filling.

What should the wick be like?

Any synthetic cord is suitable for creating a wick, natural materials are not suitable because they will quickly rot in a humid environment. To check how the selected fabric absorbs moisture, you need to wet it, let it dry and place it in a container of water. If it immediately gets wet, then it is undoubtedly suitable for a wick, but if it floats on the surface, then you should look for another option.

The wick should not be thick - 1.5-5 mm thick and 15-20 cm long. They are pre-wetted well in water.

Soil requirements

The main thing that is necessary to create wick irrigation is to choose the right substrate. The soil must be loose, light, highly breathable and able to retain moisture. The soil composition should include coarse perlite, vermiculite (or sphagnum moss) and purchased peat soil For indoor flowers. All components are taken in equal quantities.

For wick irrigation, only a special substrate is used.

This mixture is not rich in nutrients, and violets need high-quality nutrition for beautiful and lush flowering. Perlite and vermiculite should be wetted with water before use, but so that the mixture is moist, not wet.

Suitable capacity

Best suited as a reservoir plastic pots, selected in accordance with the size of the plants: from 7-8 to 10-11 cm. The bottom of such containers is usually dotted with holes, and to prevent the loose substrate from spilling out, they must be covered with synthetic fabric.

There's no need to choose ceramic pots, because they are heavy, and the design for wick humidification is already not light.

As for the water container, you can find special containers for wicking on the shelves: they are very practical, and the water does not evaporate from them. If it is not possible to buy ready-made containers, then you can use a regular plastic food container, and for pots with a diameter of 9 cm - disposable half-liter cups.

How to make your own water container? Close the food container tightly with a lid and make a hole in it for the wick. Place the pot with the violet on top, lower the wick into the water. In the case of a disposable half-liter cup, it is tightly closed with a pot with a diameter of 9 cm, and the moisture does not evaporate.

There are various pots available for sale that are designed for wick watering.

Attention. The distance from the water level in the container to the bottom of the pot with the plant should be at least 5 mm.

How to switch violets to wick watering during propagation

It is not difficult to transfer violets in the reproduction stage to wick watering; the main thing is to know how to do it correctly. To root leaves with petioles in peat moss you will need plastic cup small diameter, peat moss (sphagnum), complex fertilizer and wick. As additional items, scissors, a blade, wire, an awl, sticks, a marker or a felt-tip pen will be useful.

Using a wire, knife or heated awl, a hole is made in the cup through which the wick will be passed. The name of the violet variety is written on the glass so as not to be confused in the future. Later, you can stick a stick into the ground indicating the variety. Sphagnum is crushed into 3-5 cm pieces - in the future this will simplify the separation of children with roots from the moss. For successful rooting, a 0.5% Nutrisol solution is used.

The landing process comes down to several steps:

The cuttings should be placed in separate cups to prevent infection from each other. If the leaves are large and do not fit in the cup, they can be cut off along the edges parallel to the walls of the container, and the cut areas can be treated with activated carbon.

After planting, containers with cuttings are placed on a tank with Nutrisol solution: to moisturize the moss, the wicks must become completely wet. Having completed this procedure, the cups are placed on vessels intended for wick irrigation.

After 2 weeks, the leaves will come to life and send out the first roots, which indicates a successful process. To speed up the birth process, many gardeners resort to using additional lighting. On average, babies appear in 1-3 months.

Important. If no babies appear during this time, artificial stimulation is carried out. It consists of cutting the leaf 1/3 from the top, large sheets cut in half.

Violet cuttings are immediately accustomed to wick watering.

Preparing to switch to the wick method of watering

When switching to wick irrigation, you first need to prepare soil mixture for planting, which must have moisture and breathable properties. Vermiculite and perlite are washed to get rid of dangerous impurities: dust fractions, salts, etc.

If coconut fiber is used, then it must be poured with boiling water and kept in this state for some time. The manipulation is carried out several times in a row. Water is poured into the peat, mixed and left until the water is absorbed and the peat turns into a crumbly mass.

Before switching to wick irrigation, you need to purchase nutrient solution, which should always be present in the container for wick humidification. The exception is weak and sick flowers, as well as the period after transplantation.

It’s worth preparing in advance convenient designs for filling with water. They must be stable, otherwise, after emptying, they will fall under the weight of the flower pot.

Uzambara (Uzumbar) violet- a plant of the Gesneriev family, grows in the natural environment of tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Eastern Australia, South America and islands of the Indian Ocean.

Saintpaulia- a plant named after the Saint-Paul father and son, who brought a plant unknown to Europeans from the Uzambara district (modern Tanzania) in the 19th century, presented for the first time at international exhibition flowers in Ghent in 1893

Indoor violet- one of the most popular in indoor floriculture plants since 1927. By 1949, more than 100 varieties had been bred, and today their number exceeds several thousand.

Rooting- possibly in water, in substrate, moss.

Priming- purchased soil or a mixture of leaf, coniferous, turf and peat soil in a ratio of 3:1:2:1 with the addition of raising agents (perlite, vermiculite, river sand, crushed sphagnum moss.

Lighting— it is best to place flower pots on western or eastern windows. To ensure that the plant is evenly illuminated from all sides, the pots are periodically rotated. In winter, when daylight hours decrease, you can use artificial lighting- fluorescent lamps.

Care- real art and serious painstaking work at the same time, including watering, fertilizing, creating a favorable humid climate. Water Saintpaulias as the soil dries. The soil must be moistened regularly, but excess moisture should not stagnate in the roots. When watering, you must ensure that water does not get on the leaves. You cannot water the Uzambara violet. cold water. Feeding is carried out in a comprehensive manner mineral fertilizer once in two weeks. Saintpaulia reacts negatively to a lack of nitrogen in the soil. Optimal humidity air approximately 50%, temperature - 20-22 ° C, without sudden fluctuations and drafts. The leaves of the plant should not touch the window glass. Removal of faded flowers and damaged leaves is carried out regularly.

Reproduction— planting a leaf cutting, part of a leaf, or a daughter rosette. The most popular method is rooting leaf cuttings. The formation of roots and the development of children lasts 4-8 weeks.

Pests- this is one of the problems of the gardener. There are many various types pests, it is very difficult to classify them. Among Saintpaulia pests, several groups can be distinguished: mites (spider mites, flat mites, transparent mites, etc.), insects (aphids, thrips, springtails, poduras, scale insects, whiteflies, scale insects, etc.), worms (nematodes).

Diseases- distinguish between infectious ( gray mold, powdery mildew) and non-infectious diseases (rotting of the stem and root, wilting of the lower leaves, yellowing, spotting of leaves, incomplete opening and premature drying, falling of flowers) of plants. The causative agents of infectious diseases are bacteria, fungi, and viruses. To prevent infectious disease You should strictly observe the regimes of watering, temperature, humidity, and illumination. Non-communicable diseases usually arise due to poor agricultural practices. They may appear in one instance and not spread to others.

Summary articles:

ALL ABOUT WICK IRRIGATION

Summary of the article:

• Pros and cons of wick irrigation
• Details about the wick, fertilizer solution and container for wick watering
• Rooting leaf cuttings of violets in sphagnum moss using wick irrigation
• Growing children and adult rosettes on a soilless substrate for wick irrigation
• Violets on wick watering over time

Everyone who has just begun to get interested in violets waters their plants in the usual way: in a tray or in the pot itself directly under the leaves. And most often, problems that appear over time when growing violets are associated either with the earthen clod drying out or with its overflow. Because of the first, violets lose leaf turgor and drop flowers; because of the second, the roots rot and the plant may even die. And although every gardener tries to follow the watering regime, it is very difficult to take into account the individual characteristics of each outlet, the temperature and humidity in the room, as well as other nuances. So what to do? Everything is very simple: switch to wick irrigation, and you will make your life much easier, and provide your “wards” with the most comfortable conditions.

What is “wick watering”? Wick watering- this is an irrigation method that uses the capillary properties of the cord, thanks to which water from the container under the pot rises along the wick and releases moisture to the substrate. As soon as the substrate dries out, the water “pulls up” again. As a result, the plant receives only the amount of water it needs. this moment time under given conditions. If conditions change (it becomes hot or cold, air humidity increases or decreases, the plant grows, etc.), then the amount of incoming liquid will also change to what your violet needs.

Of course there are some minuses:
1. If the system is not designed correctly and the substrate is waterlogged, the roots may rot. However, even with normal watering, this phenomenon is by no means uncommon!
2. If overmoistened, they may appear. small flies- sciarids ( fungus gnats). However, since their larvae feed on decaying organic matter ( leaf soil etc.), the chances of getting them with regular soil mixture (and, accordingly, regular watering) are much greater.
3. Some people complain that when transferred to a wick, the violets become much larger in size. This is true if you leave them in ordinary 10-12 cm pots. However, wick watering requires a smaller container, and in a 5.5-8 cm pot, violets feel comfortable, bloom profusely, but the size of the rosette remains normal!
4. Many people worry that when a container with violets is on the windowsill, the water in the trays cools down and the plants drink cold water. Yes, this is a minus. But when you water each violet separately with warm water, then on the same windowsill the moistened earthen lump instantly cools down and the roots are in the cold substrate. That is, there is no difference in this case. The only way out, regardless of the method of watering, is to either insulate the windowsill or move the violets to a warmer place during the cold period.

What pros gives wick watering when used correctly:
1. Violets grow in the most comfortable conditions, without experiencing stress from overwatering or drying out;
2. Having found the optimal concentration of the fertilizer solution, you will not overfeed or underfeed the violets;
3. Growing violets becomes very easy: you don’t need to check every day to see if the earth ball is dry and run around with a watering can/pear/dropper to measure out the amount of water the plant needs;
4. In winter due to the high dryness of the air upper layer The soil dries out, but moisture remains inside. And you can easily flood the plant. Whereas with wick watering, the substrate is wetted evenly: the top layer dries out and moisture is immediately drawn from below;
5. You can leave violets for a long time (several weeks), for example, during vacation, and not ask your neighbor/friend/mother to water your pets;
6. It is very easy to root and grow a large number of violets, since you do not have to water each pot separately;
7. If it comes to rooting leaf cuttings, then you will not miss the moment of evaporation of water from the glass (also very important with a large number of violets);
8. Thanks to comfortable conditions, violets not only bloom more luxuriantly, but also bloom much earlier;

9. Violets are very popular high humidity air, but providing it is quite difficult without special humidifiers. But with wick watering, water will constantly evaporate little by little from the reservoirs with the solution, which will create additional humidity in the air near the plant;
10. Mini-violets, which are grown in very small pots, can dry out literally within a day with normal watering, so wick watering is very convenient when growing them;
11. Since the food will come from the solution, and not from the soil, the pot needs to be small (even less than 1/3 of the diameter of the outlet), and this means a certain saving both on the amount of substrate and on the pots themselves (the larger the diameter, the higher the price);
12. With a small diameter of the pot, the rosette is small, but evenly developed. Energy is spent on flowering, and not on gaining green mass;
13. As a result, you will get healthy, well-developed, abundantly blooming violets, since with wick watering the plants receive all the necessary microelements from the solution, and the violet regulates the level of soil moisture itself.

We have been using wick watering since 2005 and have noticed that violets have begun to grow much better than when watered in a tray. Their leaves are clean (without traces of drops, which are almost inevitable with normal watering), and the head of flowers is much larger and denser.

How to organize such a wonderful system? Let's consider 2 examples - rooting leaf cuttings in sphagnum moss using wick irrigation and growing children and adult plants using wick irrigation. There is one for both 3 general points : wick, solution and container for wick watering.

Wick must be synthetic (cotton will rot very quickly) and be well wetted, that is, have capillary properties. This is very important point, since not all synthetic cords are hygroscopic, so it is advisable to check this in advance (you can ask them to wet it directly in the store small area). We cut the wick into pieces about 20 cm long. The thickness of the wick is usually small. For pots with a diameter of 4-8 cm, we use a cord about 0.5 cm thick. The most common misconception is that many people believe that the larger the diameter of the cord, the more the substrate is wetted. This is wrong! The fact is that the wick is just a “conductor”, and the “pump” is the surface of the substrate in the pot. Even simpler: water does not “enter”, but is “pulled up” according to the law of capillaries, when water evaporates from the top layer of a loose substrate. But the top layer will always stay wet. That is, the substrate will take exactly as much water as it needs. Do not forget that this only works with the correct substrate for wick irrigation (very moisture- and breathable). If you use a dense substrate containing organic matter, it will retain water.

The color of the wick does not matter, the main thing is that it does not color the water (otherwise it may affect the color of the leaves and flowers). Some people make wicks from used nylon tights. On the one hand, this is convenient, since they are almost always at hand, but, according to reviews, such wicks conduct water too well and the substrate becomes soaked.
The main thing is that the end of the wick constantly touches the solution, and the bottom of the pot remains dry. The distance between the bottom and the water level is usually about 1-5 cm and depends on the length of the wick and the amount of water in the tray. What is important is not the length of the wick itself, but the distance from the water to the pot (there may be another half meter of wick lying in the solution - no big deal). This “air” section of the wick is a kind of “engine” of the entire system: when it dries out (and therefore the soil in the pot dries out), water, according to the law of capillaries, is pulled up into the pot. If you make this distance too large, then the wick will dry out due to its large length, and not because the soil has already dried... We use trays 7 cm high, which are about 6 cm filled with solution, with - plastic plate with holes on which cups or pots stand. The end of the wick touches the bottom of the tray, that is, the solution can be added quite rarely (depending on the number of pots, air humidity and other conditions).

For cooking solution You can use any water-soluble mineral complex microfertilizer. We have been using soluble fertilizer for many years. "Kemira Combi" Finnish production. In this case we are preparing 0.05% solution. It is very convenient to dilute, for example, the entire pack (20 grams) in 1 liter of water and keep it closed away from children (so as not to confuse it with soda). And dilute as needed in the proportion you need! By the way, don’t forget to write on the bottle what’s in it and how to dilute it. For example, when diluting 1 package (20 grams) in 1 liter of water, a 2% solution is obtained. Take 25 ml (5 teaspoons) and dilute it in 1 liter of water - you get a 0.05% solution. Or 50 ml in 2 liters - the effect is the same. This is more convenient for everyone - how many plants they have. Kemira solution can be stored for a very long time. If it precipitates, shake it up and use it for its intended purpose.

Container for solution - container for wick watering- can be individual for each plant, or common for several. The first option has an undoubted advantage in that if there is some kind of nasty stuff in the water, then other violets will not be harmed.

However, we have been growing violets on trays for many years, from which 6-8 children, or 2-3 rosettes, drink. And we never had any problems. And it is much easier to add solution to several large containers than to many small ones.

Sometimes a green coating appears on the walls of the container with the solution - this is algae. There is nothing wrong with them - they do not affect the vital activity of violets. Perhaps the only negative is an aesthetic defect. But sometimes you can wash your containers/trays/reservoirs to remove the greens.

One more point is greenhouse. Everything is simple here: if there is an opportunity, then it’s worth doing it - both the cuttings and the children will grow in much more comfortable conditions. If this is not possible, then its absence will at least to some extent be compensated by the evaporation of water from the trays and the correct humidity of the substrate in the pot.

Now let's take a closer look at the technology.

At rooting leaf cuttings in sphagnum moss with wick irrigation you will need:
Basics:
1. Live sphagnum moss;
2. Plastic cups(180-200 ml);
3. Correct wick;
4. Fertilizer type Kemira Combi;
Additionally:
1. Marker or stickers (adhesive price tags);
2. Burning machine or wire/awl;
3. Scissors;
4. Blade or stationery knife;
5. Sticks for spreading leaves.

So, you need to make small holes in the cups so that you can thread the wick through it. We usually use a burning machine for this, but heated wire or a thick awl will also work. You can cut holes with a knife with a sharp tip.

The names of the varieties can be written with a marker on the cup or with a pen on adhesive price tags. You can also use a marker to label the coffee stirring sticks and place them in cups. It’s more convenient for anyone.

We cut living sphagnum moss into pieces of 2-5 cm (as it turns out) - this way it will be easier to separate the roots of the children from the moss itself.

By the way, don’t be surprised when, after some time, the chopped moss begins to grow - new green stems will appear. This is very good sign, since living moss has bactericidal properties and thereby prevents the cuttings from rotting. Sometimes moss growth is so intense that you have to remove the excess to make it easier to plant the babies later!
We are preparing a 0.05% solution of Kemira Combi, which our cuttings and subsequently children will drink. Can be rooted on clean water(before the babies form), but in our experience, when using a fertilizer solution, babies appear faster.
We pass the wick through the hole so that at the bottom of the cup we get a half-ring of cord, the rest remains outside. We place cut sphagnum moss on the ring so that it is about 3-4 cm in height, it can be slightly compacted.

For leaf cuttings of violets, we make a cut at an angle, leaving a petiole length of about 2-3 cm. Some prefer not to cut, but to break off the cutting - this is also the right option. If you are a beginner violet grower and are afraid that the cuttings will rot, then you can leave the petiole longer (so that you can trim it if necessary), but it is more convenient to root petioles that are not long. We insert a leaf cutting into the sphagnum so that the cut is covered with moss, but does not reach the plastic bottom. Many people recommend first dipping cuttings into Kornevin. We don’t do this (everything takes root well here anyway ), but, according to reviews, it really speeds up the process of root formation.

To prevent the leaf from falling (if it is large or, conversely, too small), it is advisable to prop it up with a special stick. The same coffee stirring sticks, broken or cut in half, are suitable for this. You can come up with something else, the main thing is not to use wooden sticks - they quickly start to rot the leaf plates.
It is best for each leaf to have its own glass (if one of the pair rots, the second one will not “get infected”, and the children will then feel more at ease). But in order to save space, you can place 2 leaves of the same variety in one glass. In this case, spacer sticks are simply necessary.

If the leaf plate is very large and does not fit into the cup, then you can safely cut the edges at a slight angle (as if parallel to the walls of the cup). For reliability, the sections can be sprinkled with crushed charcoal (if you don’t have charcoal, you can crush activated carbon tablets).

When all the leaves have found their homes, the cups need to be placed in a tray with the solution so that the wicks get wet and the moss is completely saturated with water. This is very important, because otherwise the system will not work. If you don’t have a tray, you can pour some moss on top. After this, the cups can be placed on the container for wick watering.

After about 10-14 days, you will see that the leaves seem to stand up in the cups and become more elastic. And if you pull them slightly, you will feel resistance. This means that everything is going well and the first roots have appeared. At this stage, you can do without backlighting. But babies will appear much faster if you organize additional lighting. The rate of child formation different varieties and depending on different conditions varies greatly, on average from 1 to 3 months and even longer. If the leaves sit without children for a long time, they need to be “stimulated” - cut off the top 1/3 of the leaf, and sometimes ½ if the leaf is very large. Do not forget that violets must be protected from drafts, and optimal temperature for them above 22 degrees.

Some leave the cuttings in the moss only until well-developed roots form, and then replant. We prefer the option when the leaves take root in the moss, produce babies, and the babies grow in the moss with wick watering to the age when they can be planted separately.

This is usually determined by the size of the baby (about 1/3-1/4 in height from the mother leaf) and the amount of green pigment for variegated varieties. By the way, after the separation of the firstborns, the leaf can be left in the sphagnum and it will give you another generation of children.

Now let's talk about growing children and adult plants using wick irrigation.

The only difference between leaves and babies is that for rosettes a wick mixture is used, in which there is no place for sphagnum. Also, according to our observations, you should not add soil to the mixture, as this will lead to rotting of the roots of children and adult violets (sphagnum and soil strongly draw water onto themselves). So we use only landless mixture. Usually we take 50% high-moor (red) peat and 50% perlite, vermiculite or a mixture of them.

You can also use a mixture of coco peat/substrate and perlite, since coconut fiber remains porous even after being saturated with water, which promotes active root formation and better growth plants. But do not forget to rinse the “coconut” before using it - there are quite a lot of salts in it. The soilless mixture for wick irrigation turns out to be very loose, moisture- and breathable, and thanks to this the root system becomes well and evenly developed.
Place a turn/half turn of the wick on the bottom of the pot. We usually make the ring slightly smaller than the circumference of the pot.

Some people thread the wick through the entire thickness of the mixture, but this is not necessary: ​​due to the looseness and moisture permeability of the substrate, the solution will evenly wet the entire mixture in the pot. Sometimes it is recommended to put some kind of synthetic material so that the substrate does not spill out, but with a small diameter of the holes in the pot, the wet mixture will not go anywhere. Thus, we fill the wick on top with the substrate and plant the baby. No drainage is required for wick irrigation.

If, after separating from the leaf, you are left with very small children, there is no need to give up on them: be sure to plant them in a pot with the same mixture, and they will probably take root. In such a substrate, roots develop very quickly!

We place the pot on a tray with water so that the entire system is saturated with the solution. You can also thoroughly flush the system from above, but this is less convenient. You may have to sprinkle the substrate a little on top, as the water will cause it to settle a little. The main thing is not to deepen or fill up the growth point, otherwise the baby will die. After this, you can place the pot on a container for wick watering and add solution as necessary.

Do not contain soilless substrate nutrients, therefore, it is necessary to constantly use fertilizer, which will always be supplied to the plant using a wick. We use a 0.05% Kemira solution.

When wick watering with Kemira Combi solution, nutrients are supplied evenly, the plant does not experience stress from overfeeding/underfeeding. But don’t forget to monitor the condition of the plant. If it grows well, we don’t change anything. If the lower leaves turn pale and the plant becomes “skinny,” the concentration of the solution can be increased slightly. And if a reddish-whitish coating appears in the middle of the rosette, then the concentration must be reduced. No additional feeding is required.

Some violet growers sometimes “dry out” their plants (they do not immediately add the solution when it runs out). We never do this, and our violets feel great. By the way, as I noticed, lovers of soil mixtures, rather than soilless substrates, advise “drying”. And for them this is justified - because of the soil, the substrate gets too wet, and so that the violets do not rot, they have to be “dried”. With the right substrate this is simply not necessary.

Over time, when the baby grows up, roots may grow through the hole in the bottom of the pot along the wick.

There is nothing wrong with this; on the contrary, it means that the plant feels great. We usually leave everything as is. But you can carefully replant the violet. The main thing is not to try to free the old wick from the roots - you can damage them. Just cut off what can clearly be cut off, especially since this will stimulate the formation of important and necessary lateral roots, and renewed root system put it back in the pot.

It is advisable to replant the violets once a year (not necessarily into a larger pot): this is done to renew the substrate so that salts and other nasty things do not accumulate in the soil. If the pot bigger size is not needed, then just shake off the old substrate from the roots and add a new one to the pot!

Some people worry about the size of the outlet. To prevent violets from turning into “elephants”, the diameter of the pot should be minimal (we have both children and adult primroses, and sometimes re-flowering rosettes that live in pots 5.5 cm). If you plant violets in large pots, the result may be “burdocks”!
If for some reason the system stops working (for example, you forgot to pour the solution into the tray in time and the mixture with the cord dried out), you need to thoroughly pour the substrate or place it in a container with water/solution to soak, and everything will fall into place again!

If you want to transfer violets that grew in the ground to wick watering, then you need to remove them from the pot and, if possible, carefully remove the soil from the roots, but do not wash the roots. And only after that, transplant into the mixture for wick watering. After several days of adaptation, the violets will perk up and will only delight you! After transferring to the wick, some recommend watering the plants only for a week or two. clean water. Of course, whether to put it on the solution right away or wait is everyone’s personal choice. But don't forget that we are planting in a completely soilless mixture, and it does not contain any nutrients. And in my opinion, it will be difficult for violets to come to their senses “on a starvation diet.” Therefore, we recommend that when using a soilless substrate, you immediately place violets on the Kemira solution.

Wick watering- it's very convenient and actually simple. If you are worried about the result, just start small: transfer a few not very valuable violets to the wick and watch them for a month. You may need to reduce/increase the concentration of the solution, remove the wick from the pot a little, or, conversely, add it. And when you find yours best option system, you can safely transfer the rest of the violets. They will thank you for this with their good health and lush flowering!

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Attention! No matter how wonderful fertilizer is, there is one rule! For wick irrigation, the dosage should be 8 times less than indicated on the package.

For regular watering, the dosage is 2 times weaker than indicated on the package. It is better to underfeed a violet than to overfeed it!

Complex mineral fertilizers containing microelements are well suited for wick irrigation.

Organo-mineral and organic fertilizers are suitable for traditional way watering violets.

Several years ago I used Kemira-Combi fertilizer (at any stage of violet growth). But, unfortunately, this fertilizer is no longer produced. Therefore, I decided to try other fertilizers. I will provide information about some of them.

I really liked the fertilizerSCHULTZ ( AfricanViolet)8-14-9.

(Click on the pictures to see them enlarged)

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It is convenient to use both for wick irrigation and for traditional method glaze.

Highly effective fertilizer with high phosphorus content. Used for flowering violets, fuchsias, gloxinias, geraniums and other indoor plants flowering plants. After applying this fertilizer, abundant flowering occurs, the flowers are brighter, and the flowering lasts for a long time. The plant looks healthier. It is used and gives good results when feeding both indoor and garden plants.

Does not burn leaves and roots even in the hottest weather. Easily absorbed by plants.

Directions for use: 7 drops per liter of water with each watering. For those who use fertilizer 2 times a month - 14 drops per liter of water.

The fertilizer has a correctly balanced formula of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium plus a set of microelements, due to this the flowers develop well and bloom profusely.

For wick irrigation, 7 drops per liter are also diluted.

The composition of other fertilizers is not much different SCHULTZ

The packaging also states that it can be used for violets and other flowering plants, and is also suitable for hydroponics, therefore perfect for wick watering. Its consumption is the same - 7 drops per liter of water. The price is not much different, but the volume is 2 times larger.

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Fertilizer is suitable for blooming violets Kemira - Lux 16: 20: 27 (This fertilizer can be used for wick irrigation).

Nitrogen total.	16,0
Nitrogen amm.
Nitrogen nitr.
Phosphorus	20,6
Potassium	27,1
Iron
Bor	0,02
Copper	0,01
Manganese
Molybdenum	0,002
Zinc	0,01

Kemira Lux - water-soluble fertilizer for vegetables, flowers, seedlings.

If you are going to use this fertilizer for wick irrigation, then it is more convenient to dissolve it in water (prepare a solution) and then add it with a syringe required quantity this solution into water.

20 g . Dissolve the bag in 200 ml. Add 5 ml. this solution per 1 liter of water.

Accordingly, dilute 100 g sachet in 1 liter. Add 5 ml of solution per 1 liter of water.

Etisso is considered a good fertilizer. It is suitable for both wick and regular watering.

For blooming violets, use Etisso with a red cap.

Composition: 3.8% nitrogen, 7.6% phosphoric acid (in terms of phosphorus oxide), 7.5% potassium oxide, vitamin B1 and water-soluble trace elements (boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc) .

For wick watering, it is enough to dilute 1 ml. Etisso in 1 liter of water.

Etisso is used for the growth of children with a green lid.

Composition: 7.1% nitrogen, 3.1% phosphoric acid (in terms of phosphorus oxide), 4.2% potassium oxide, vitamin B1, as well as trace elements: boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, - soluble in water.

For wick irrigation, 1 ml is also diluted. Etisso in 1 liter of water.

For both regular and wick irrigation, you can use fertilizers from the “Master” series, selecting the desired composition, depending on the stage of development.

Master - microcrystalline fertilizer, the use of which is possible in the most complex irrigation systems and for foliar feeding due to its ability to completely dissolve.
The master does not contain sodium, chlorine and carbonates, and has a very high degree of chemical purity, which is decisive factor efficiency of nutrition and foliar feeding. Contains microelements in chelated form EDTA (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe). Each type of fertilizer is painted in its own color. Unlike other similar products, the chelates used in Master are stable in the pH range from 4 to 11.

For wick watering of violets, it is enough to dilute 1 g of fertilizer per 1 liter of water.

Many people use UNIFLOR fertilizer to feed violets. (It is also divided into Uniflor for flowering “Uniflor Bud” and “Uniflor Growth” for growth. It is also used for wick watering.

The concentration of the solution for wick irrigation can be calculated independently. Just remember that the solution should be 8 times weaker than indicated on the package.

You can use fertilizers from the “Florist” series. Their composition is good. But these fertilizers are better suited for traditional irrigation.

There is also a fertilizer from this series specifically for violets:

As practice has shown, despite the fact that this organomineral fertilizer, it is quite suitable for wick irrigation. I diluted it in a concentration of 0.5 ml. for 1 liter of water.

Many people successfully use Forte fertilizer. This fertilizer is suitable for growth:

Plantafol.

Plantafol 10+54+10 - quick start, stimulation of the formation of generative organs

Plantafol 30+10+10 - rapid growth of vegetative mass

Plantafol 20+20+20 - prevention of growth processes, universal formula

Plantafol 5+15+45 - flowering-fruiting, rapid filling of fruits

Plantafol 0+25+50 - nitrogen-free, high-potassium fertilizer to impart shelf life, increase sugar levels and improve the quality characteristics of fruits

Plantafol 10:54:10

"bloom blaster" is used to stimulate abundant flowering(indispensable fertilizer before the exhibition)

Fertilizer Plantafol belongs to a number of highly soluble fertilizersfor foliar feeding.

Compound:

Total azat - 10.0,

Nitrate - (-),

Ammonia - 8.0,

Urea - 2.0,

Phosphoric acid - 54.0,

Soluble potassium - 10.0,

Boron - 0.02,

Iron - 0.1,

Manganese - 0.05,

Zinc - 0.05,

Copper - 0.05,

Molybdenum - 0.005

Consumption rate: 1g per 1 liter of water, spray once a week.

Even a single use of plantafol 10:54:10 at the moment of bud formation, gives a wonderful result.

BREXIL mix (Valagro)

a full complex of microelements (concentrate) - improves the color of flowers.

Dilute 1g per 1 liter of water

Microelements in the form of LPCA complex (ligninopolycarboxylic acid) Brexil (monoelements and mixtures). The advantage of the Brexil series: does not contain nitrogen, sodium, chlorine and heavy metals, which avoids the risk of burns and salt deposits on the leaves; non-phytotoxic; low consumption rate; completely water soluble; sticking effect; compatible with most pesticides; high degree of absorption.

It is good to use during the period of peduncle formation and growth. BREXIL Ca (Valagro)

Lack of calcium causes underdevelopment of the root system in plants, blossom end rot and cracking of fruits.

Calcium has a very strong positive effect on plant root growth. Without calcium, cell destruction occurs in the root growth zone.

Calcium protects plants from excess ammonia nitrogen.

Dilute 1g. for 1 liter of water. Carry out foliar feeding.

If chlorosis occurs (yellowing of leaves), it is good to use the drug

FERRILENE 4.8

Dosage: 1 g (per 1 l) and pour over. Dissolves instantly.

Under this brand there are two products FERRILENE and FERRILENE 4,8, differing in chelating agents (EDDHA and EDDHSA) and different percentages of OPTO-OPTO bonds.

Currently, FERRILENE 4.8 chelate has the highest percentage of OPTO-OPTO bonds (4.8%) of the iron chelates existing in the world.

Almost all of the above drugs, if necessary, can be found on the websites below and you can pick up your order in person in Moscow, or after paying, you can receive your order by mail. On these sites you can read more detailed information about fertilizers and other preparations. I hope the authors of the sites will not be offended by me for providing links to their sites. I myself have repeatedly purchased drugs and fertilizers on these sites and have been satisfied.