Growing viola on the balcony and in the garden: important care rules.

Flower growers often call it amazing beautiful plant pansies or tricolor violet. We will not look for explanations for these discrepancies; this is a topic for another story.

Here, let's figure out how to grow viola so that it pleases the eye, blooming in the flowerbed already when other flowers are just sprouting or waking up after wintering.

This cold-resistant plant can be cultivated in two ways:

  • First way consists of sowing seeds in open ground in the middle of summer. In this case, flowering will begin only at next year, spring. And the wait is long, and there is a risk that the seeds will not sprout if the conditions for their germination are uncomfortable.
  • Second way and more reliable, and pansies will be one of the first to bloom. It consists of sowing seeds for seedlings in winter at home, or in a heated greenhouse (see).

If you start growing in December-January, by the beginning of the warm season you can get flowering bushes, which are in great demand among flower lovers. This can bring good profits, so the second method may also interest you from the financial side.

Sowing

The seeds of the tricolor violet are quite small. You can collect them from your faded bushes - but it is better to buy them in a specialized store, be sure to check the expiration date.

Note. Please note that the F1 marking on the seed packet indicates hybrid variety. As a rule, it has high aesthetic qualities and vitality, but next year it will not be possible to grow a plant with the same characteristics from the obtained seeds.

Sowing time is from late December to early March. The sooner you plant, the sooner you will get flowering bushes.

  • Regardless of where you will grow flowers - at home or in a greenhouse, it is best to plant them in small containers, placing a layer of drainage (pebbles, small crushed stone) on the bottom.
  • For not large quantity For seedlings, it is best to buy ready-made soil for violets. If you plan to grow it for sale in " industrial scale", prepare the soil yourself by mixing in a ratio of 1: 2: 2 river sand, sod land and humus.

Advice. You should not add any fertilizers to the resulting mixture. It is better to feed the viola when watering it with ammonium nitrate and superphosphate after the appearance of true leaves. But manure should absolutely not be used for this.

  • The prepared soil is poured into containers, moistened and the seeds are distributed over the surface. Then they fall asleep thin layer the same soil.
  • Then, all seedling containers are placed in plastic bag. Or they are covered with glass and taken to a greenhouse or any other room in which partial shade and an air temperature of 18-20 degrees can be provided. This important condition, since at temperatures above 23 degrees, seeds can germinate for a very long time.
  • Every day, glass or film should be removed for 20-30 minutes, removing condensation from it and ventilating the crops.
  • During the first 7-14 days before emergence, the soil in the container should be moistened with a spray bottle to avoid overflow and stagnation of water.

Note. Viola is a cold-resistant plant, so seedlings should be grown at a temperature no higher than 18-20 degrees. She will calmly survive a temporary drop to +5 degrees. But more heat may cause a reduction in flower size.

  • Watering from above is stopped with the appearance of the first true leaf, starting to pour water into the trays as it is absorbed. From now on, it is recommended to reduce the temperature in the room with seedlings to 10-12 degrees.



Dive

You can pick pansies immediately after they produce their third true leaf. They do this to provide the root system with sufficient space and nutrition for full development.

Since its roots are small, removing the sprout from well-watered soil will not be difficult.

The same containers as for seedlings are suitable for replanting; you just need to leave about 6-10 cm in each direction between the plants. But it’s better to take individual cups or sectional containers. Of these, it will be easier to transplant bushes to permanent place without damaging the roots.

Immediately after transplantation, the sprouts should be protected from direct sunlight for some time. Before new leaves appear, it is advisable to slightly shade them. And then, on the contrary, provide good and long-lasting lighting using special lamps.

As before diving, you need to continue watering the pansies from below, by pouring water into the trays. If cultivation takes place in a garden bed in a greenhouse, you can apply the method from the following picture. Here, each plant sits in its own cup without a bottom, and watering is carried out between them.

After diving and acclimatization, young seedlings need a temperature of 15-18 degrees for normal growth. Not higher, not lower.

Transplantation to a permanent place

As soon as it becomes warm outside and the ground warms up, the seedlings can be planted in flower beds. Short term spring frosts she's not afraid, so middle lane it could already be early to mid-May.

The distance between plants should be sufficient, about 15-20 cm.


Viola loves sunny places

Excessive heat is no longer scary for grown bushes. The flowers will be especially bright and large when placed on the sunny side. They can also be planted in the shade, but the flowering will not be as abundant.

Further care consists of regular weeding, loosening and moderate watering with the addition of fertilizers. In order for pansies to bloom again next spring, after the onset of cold weather they need to be covered with straw and covered with snow.

Varieties of pansies

There are so many of them today that it is simply impossible to list them all. Therefore, for those who are just starting to get into floriculture, we will tell you about the most popular ones. According to the size of the flower, they are divided into: small-flowered, large-flowered and gigantic.

Small-flowered

Image Description

The flowers are snow-white, monochromatic, 3-4 cm in diameter.

Blue-blue flowers with dark streaks radiating from the center, 3-4 cm in diameter.

Bright red flowers with dark brown spots on the three lower petals. Diameter 3.5-4 cm.

Large-flowered

Image Description

The diameter of the flower is about 5 cm. The color is bright yellow, with dark brown velvety spots on the lower petals.

Bush 20 cm high, peduncle 8-10 cm.

Interesting variety with flowers white with a greenish tint, purple edging and dark purple strokes on the three lower petals.

Diameter up to 5 cm, bush 20 cm high, peduncle 8-10 cm.

Dark purple, almost black flowers with velvety petals with a diameter of 5-5.5 cm.

When blooming, the flowers are bright blue, but in the sun they partially fade and turn pale, acquiring a bluish-lilac hue.

Diameter 4.5-5 cm. Bush 20 cm high, stem 9-11 cm.

Red-brown flowers with darker brown spots on the lower three petals.

The diameter of the flower reaches 5.5 cm. The bush is 10-15 cm high, the peduncle is 9-10 cm.

Interesting flowers, in which the upper petals are white with a purple tint, and the lower petals are pure white with bright purple spots.

Bush 20 cm high, stem 7-8 cm.

Gigantic

  • Image
 Description

A bright white single-color flower with wavy edges reaches 6-7 cm in diameter.

Bush 20 cm high, stem 9-10 cm.

Purple-blue flowers with a darker center and a white edge around it.

Diameter 6-7 cm, bush 25 cm high, peduncle 10-11 cm.

The flowers are bright golden yellow and also have a diameter of 6-7 cm.

Bush 20 cm high, stem 10-12 cm.

Conclusion

With the arrival of spring, we all look forward to the appearance of the first greenery and bright flowers. Along with blueberries, crocuses, tulips and daffodils, pansies can also please you if you start growing them in winter.

This is not a difficult task, since the plants are unpretentious and only require maintaining the optimal temperature during a certain period. The easiest way to do this is in a greenhouse, but it can also be done at home.

Watch the video in this article and the whole process will become even more clear.

A low viola will decorate any interior. It can be grown in boxes on balconies, flower pots, hanging planters, flowerpots. In summer cottages, pansies will decorate a flower bed and create a bright border along the paths. A few bushes will liven up boring patches of empty land. Breeders have developed many varieties of this plant - in a wide variety of shades. If you consider that the petals of each flower have a different color, then, using only pansies, you can create the most fantastic ornaments in the flower garden. Growing these flowers from seeds does not take much time and effort; they are unpretentious and hardy.

When is the best time to sow seeds?

Each gardener finds his own favorite breeding methods ornamental plants. Growing viola from seeds can be done in three ways.

  1. Planting seeds in open ground in early autumn. By winter, the grains will germinate, take root, the seedlings will overwinter under the snow and bloom in early spring.
  2. Planting seeds in open ground in May. The first year of flowers will have to wait a long time; they will bloom only in the fall. But next spring the plants will bloom again.
  3. Growing seedlings at home. The good thing about this method is that no severe frosts or winters without snow will destroy the plants. Pansies They will bloom early and decorate the flowerbed all summer. The remains of seedlings can be used for planting in boxes on the balcony and hanging flower pots.

The first option often occurs spontaneously. After flowering, seeds are formed that fall to the ground, germinate, and bloom in the spring. Unpretentious varieties, not requiring special care, can grow like this for years, renewing themselves from fallen seeds, your task is only to feed and thin out the pansies. Use this method for empty patches of land, and without extra effort you will get green islands blooming all summer long.

To get early seedlings, sow seeds at the end of February. Purchase special soil or other loose soil that retains moisture well. Viola will really like growing in peat tablets. If you want to prepare the soil yourself, mix equal parts of garden soil, humus and peat. Don’t forget to spray the soil with a disinfectant so that no pathogenic fungi and bacteria remain in it.

To make the sprouts hatch faster, keep the seed in a growth stimulator. Moisten the soil and place the seeds on the surface with a distance of 1-2 cm between the grains. The closer the seedlings grow, the sooner you will have to pick. You can sprinkle the sowing with a layer of soil of about 0.5 cm, or you can leave it on the surface so that the sprouts do not have to break through the thickness of the soil. In the second case, cover the container with an opaque material or put it in a dark place, because light interferes with the emergence of seedlings. Cover the container with film and keep at a temperature of 20-25⁰. Don’t forget to remove the coating 2 times a day for a few minutes: long cultivation Without ventilation, it favors the development of mold and pathogenic fungi.

You can sprinkle the seeds not with soil, but with loose snow and put them in a dark place. Melt water will moisten the soil, and under the influence of cold, the embryos will wake up faster and begin to develop.

Caring for young shoots

On average, a week passes from sowing the seeds to the emergence of seedlings. If you still haven’t seen green sprouts after 10 days, don’t rush to sow again. Some varieties take longer to awaken than others, and if you poured too much thick layer soil or the soil is very dense, weak shoots will take a long time to emerge into the light. Sometimes green stems appear after 20 days. To be on the safe side, if sprouts have not appeared after 2 weeks, sow an additional portion in a separate container.

Further care of the seedlings will be quite simple, all work comes down to 5 operations, all of which begin with the letter P.

  1. Backlight.
  2. Watering.
  3. Feeding.
  4. Picking.
  5. Pinching.

As soon as you see the first growth, move the seedlings into the light. Viola is not afraid of the sun, and in March the rays are not too scorching, let the seedlings enjoy the warmth on the southern windowsill. In early spring, daylight hours are too short, and many biological processes cannot take place in the dark. Install a lamp over the plantings and keep the plants in the light for at least 14 hours, give them more time to good development. For the first few days, let the seedlings live in their usual conditions under the film, but increase the ventilation time every day so that after a week they completely abandon the shelter. You can start hardening pansies from a very early age; at +15⁰, start taking them out to open air, and when the seedlings mature a little, growing even at +8⁰ will not cause harm, but will only strengthen the young plants.

Summer sowing can also be done using seedlings. Highlight small area and in June, sow the seeds there, and in August, transplant the seedlings to a permanent flowerbed. This planting will help save space in the flower garden, and next year you will get lush, long-lasting flowers.

Pansies are very demanding when it comes to proper watering. They love water, flowers need to be watered as soon as they start to dry out. upper layer soil. At the same time, they also do not like growing in a constantly damp mass - the roots will quickly begin to rot. Water thoroughly and make sure that excess moisture leaves the soil. If the pan is always dry, check to see if the drain holes are clogged.

Picking

When the third true leaf appears, it’s time to plant the seedlings. Viola roots regenerate well, so don’t be afraid if some shoots come off. Of course, you should not deliberately damage the root system, but when you accidentally injure a seedling, do not throw it away. If the damage is severe, the development of the plant may slow down for some time, but soon everything will be restored, and the flower will catch up with its peers. It is advisable to grow each flower in a separate container. Cups for seedlings should not be too small, but a diameter larger than 10 cm is also not suitable.

Often the stems of young viola seedlings become too elongated. When picking, bury the seedlings in the ground up to the cotyledon leaves. Deep planting will encourage new roots to emerge from the buried stem. The underground organs of the plant will become more powerful, and the upper part will become stronger and will not bend down. Pinch the top of the stem so that the seedlings do not stretch upward, but become more lush.

Both planting seeds and growing seedlings after picking should take place only in fertile soil, so at an early age the plants will have enough nutrition. Feed pansies for the first time 3 weeks after emergence with complex fertilizer. Manure for viola is contraindicated; when used, the stems may be affected by blackleg. The following fertilizing needs to be done every month.

Conclusion

Viola is a biennial plant, and in order for its flowers to decorate the flowerbed for as long as possible, you need to sow seeds for seedlings at the end of February, and in May, after spring frosts, move them to a permanent place. Already at the beginning of summer, the area will be decorated with tricolor pansies, their flowering will continue until autumn. The bushes will overwinter under the snow and produce buds again next spring. Even if too many seedlings grow from the seeds, they will not be redundant: these flowers are suitable for decorating balconies, hanging flowerpots, and flowerpots.

Picking is useful for viola seedlings. Their root system recovers quickly, and minor injuries to the roots will not cause any harm to the plants. Deep planting, when the elongated stem is buried in the ground, will help the formation of additional root shoots, the seedlings will receive more nutrition and develop better. To prevent pansies from stretching out again, pinch the top of the stem. After this, all the energy will go not to growth in length, but to the formation of a lush bush.

Viola is not afraid of either the sun's rays or cool air. Seedlings can be kept on a south window and not shaded, but at +15⁰ they can be taken outside. Growing in cool conditions will harden and strengthen the plants. Give the seedlings enough light proper watering both regular feeding and pansies will decorate your country cottage area all summer.

(garden violet) is a plant that novice amateur gardeners should get to know. Viola flowers look like bright summer butterflies, with wings in red, blue, yellow, white, and black shades. Some varieties, planted in groups, resemble funny faces from afar. If you look at such a flower up close, you can clearly see a bright yellow eye in its center, framed by cilia. For this similarity, some violas (or, more precisely, tricolor violets and Wittrock violas) are popularly called pansies.

To begin with, to grow such a miracle on the balcony or in the garden, you need to purchase seedlings or yourself. And then, so that the viola blooms and delights you all summer and autumn, you need to learn how to properly care for it. Read on for all the details about growing viola on the balcony and in the garden.

If you want to know how to grow a viola, then pay attention to its character.

Pansies are a problem-free plant that bloom profusely on balconies and flower beds.

Viola is not capricious, but you also need to be able to find an approach to her. Caring for viola involves observing the following factors:

1. Lighting and temperature

Abundant flowering of viola is possible only with good lighting. She relates positively to diffused sunlight and direct rays. But! There must be moderation in everything. If the summer in your region is hot, then the viola will fade in the midday sun. The viola treats the spring midday rays favorably, but the summer ones are too hot for it. Therefore, if a hot summer is predicted, do not plant viola in open sunny areas. South balconies don't fit either. Or rather, the viola will grow and even bloom, but only until the heat sets in, on average until July. Later, you will have to get rid of the bushes, since their decorative value will disappear (there will be no flowering, the leaves will turn yellow and dry out).

The best place for pansies is sunny areas, but with shading during the midday hours. Morning or evening direct Sun rays will only benefit Viola. That is, ideally, violas need partial shade, with a lot of diffused light. In this case, the leaves remain juicy, green, and do not fade until autumn. The flowers do not become smaller (this often happens when growing viola in the shade, without direct sunlight). You will get a win-win growing result by planting viola in openwork shade young tree. Or near any screen (fence, bush, flower planting), casting a shadow on the viola at midday. Western and eastern balconies are also suitable.


Viola grown in partial shade

Viola develops well in cool conditions. Ideal temperatures for it are 10-25°C. It can withstand, without loss of decorativeness, short-term cold down to 3-5°C. But heat has a bad effect on viola, so often in hot summers (especially when grown in sunny areas) there is a break in flowering. A second wave of flowering is possible in this case, but only in the fall.

2. Watering

Viola does not tolerate prolonged drying. Therefore, you need to water it often, without waiting until the soil near the roots turns to stone. But you shouldn’t create swamps either! Viola is very picky about the amount of moisture consumed. If there is too much of it, the roots of the plant begin to rot and rot, and the viola dies.

3. Feeding

In order for the viola to bloom all summer, it needs regular feeding. When growing viola on the balcony, that is, in closed ground, it is necessary to fertilize the soil every week. If flowers grow in open ground (on a plot), the frequency of fertilizing can be reduced to once every 3-4 weeks.

Viola at home develops best in open sunny balconies. Worse - on glazed balconies and loggias. Some gardeners manage to grow violas even on window sills, but in this case the window must be constantly open. Availability of plenty of light and fresh air– a mandatory component for growing any garden plant.


Viola develops well indoors in the presence of fresh air and plenty of light

Planting viola at home is carried out in flower pots, balcony boxes. Ampel forms - in hanging baskets, flowerpots, tall flowerpots on a leg. Any container you choose should have drainage holes.


Ampel varieties of viola look impressive in hanging baskets

Since the roots of violas are prone to rotting, when planting special attention It is worth paying attention to a good drainage layer. To do this, pour a layer of drainage material (expanded clay, brick shards, foam plastic) at least 2-3 cm thick onto the bottom of the selected container. Soil is poured on top - it must be loose, moisture-permeable and breathable.


Maintain a distance of 10-15 cm between the violas, otherwise strong specimens will oppress the weak and push them out of the composition

Viola seedlings are planted at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, and at least 1-2 liters of soil must be allocated for each plant specimen.

When growing violas indoors, you need to ensure regular watering. On hot summer days, watering should be done 2 times a day - in the morning and in the evening.

The first fertilizing is applied 2 weeks after transplanting into the ground. Next, you need to fertilize the violas at home every week. Any mineral complex fertilizers for flowering plants are suitable for fertilization.

During hot days, a viola in a pot may lose its decorative look. Most often, the stems turn yellow and dry, the bush falls apart, flowering becomes less abundant, the flowers fade and decrease in size. Then the viola needs to be pruned. Usually it is shortened by half the length of the stems. But if the bush has already lost all decorative value, pruning can be done radically, leaving 5-6 cm from the branches (leaves must remain on them!). In just 2-2.5 weeks, the viola bush will grow with young shoots and bloom.


Pruning viola and subsequent flowering: “before and after” photos

Pansies: care in open ground

In the garden, viola seedlings are planted in late spring, when the threat of night frosts has passed. Although viola is frost-resistant plant, her seedlings are too tender. Especially one that is grown at home. Therefore, it is better not to take risks and time the planting of seedlings to coincide with warm and sunny spring days.

The distance between viola bushes is 10-15 cm. It is useful to throw a handful of baking powder (vermiculite, perlite, sand) into each hole dug under the plant, especially if the soil in the area is dense.

Fertilizers for violas growing in the garden can be applied once every 1-4 weeks. On some soils, flowers require fertilization every week, on others - once a month. This depends on the initial fertility of the soil.


Viola in the open ground

Viola in winter: a few nuances about wintering viola

In winter, it is advisable to cover violas growing in the garden with spruce branches or dry leaves, and in early spring, open them to prevent damping off. Flowering of plants of the second year of life begins in April, at the same time as crocuses.

Violas grown indoors overwinter differently. Usually they life cycle ends in autumn, with the onset of frost. However, if you want to save the plant for next year, then why not? You can proceed in one of two ways:

Option #1. Violas are dug out of pots and planted in the ground in August-September. Before frost, the plant will have time to take root and acclimatize. 2-3 weeks before the expected frost, it is advisable not to allow such violas to bloom, so as not to weaken them. For the winter, you should cover the plants with spruce branches or leaves.

Option number 2. Bring the pot of viola into a cool, bright room. For example, on an insulated balcony or veranda. Optimal temperature wintering 5-15°C. In the spring, the remaining mother bushes are cut and new young plants are grown.

Growing pansies from seeds

It is quite easy to grow pansies from seeds; there are two ways to grow them - as an annual crop and as a biennial crop.

Sowing time

If you want to achieve flowering in early spring, then you have two options for sowing: with a two-year crop, the seeds should be sown at the end of June. If you want to achieve flowering this year, the seeds should be sown in February.

Pansy seedlings

Growing seedlings with a two-year culture

To grow seedlings, you should prepare seedling containers in advance and fill them with fertile, moist substrate. The substrate should also be prepared in advance. To do this, take leaf or turf soil and mix it in a 1:1 ratio with rotted compost. Shallow grooves (1-1.5 cm) are made in the seedling boxes and the seeds are not sown very densely. Then the seeds are covered with a damp substrate and the soil is lightly pressed down.
You can also sow seeds directly into the ground if late frosts have passed. In this case, sowing is carried out on previously prepared beds; the sowing principle is the same as described above.
After sowing, seedlings will appear in about 7-14 days. You should wait until three or four true leaves appear on the seedlings and you can plant them in separate pots or in other beds where the seedlings will spend the winter. The distance between plants when picking into beds is 20x20 cm. If you have picked into planting pots, planting in open ground should be done no earlier than a month later.
A week before transplanting into the ground, seedlings must undergo hardening. To do this, they begin to expose them to open sunlight, starting from half an hour a day, and daily increasing the time by about an hour.

Growing seedlings in annual crops

If you decide to achieve flowering of plants this year, sowing is carried out in early February in seedling boxes or seedling pots at room temperature. To grow seedlings, you should prepare a substrate: leaf or turf soil and mix it in a 1:1 ratio with rotted compost. The substrate is poured into boxes and moistened well. Then furrows are made in the ground and sowing is carried out. Then the seeds are covered with a damp substrate and the soil is lightly pressed down. It is worth remembering that the depth of the grooves should not be more than 1.5 cm. The first shoots will also appear in 1-2 weeks, after which it is necessary to expose the plants to the sun, but the air temperature should not exceed 10°C.
After some time, the seedlings sprout and are planted in open ground at the beginning of May.

Care

For abundant flowering, the plant requires frequent watering, especially in hot weather. Fertilizing and feeding will have a beneficial effect on plant development mineral fertilizers, such as potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus and other special microelements. You can fertilize violets with a solution of ammonium nitrate or superphosphate in a ratio of 20-40g per 1 sq.m.
To prevent the early death of flowers, it is necessary to remove dried flowers and leaves from violets.

Errors during cultivation

Viola is pretty winter-hardy plant, but still sometimes there is freezing of plants and their damping off. Quite often, such troubles occur due to delays in sowing or planting in damp places. Therefore, you should not sow plants in open ground at any time other than those indicated above. Otherwise, when sown at the end of May, the plants will bloom by autumn and will meet the winter weakened, and, as a rule, will endure it quite hard.

Also, do not plant these plants in places with poorly drained soil to avoid damping off.

Reproduction

There are several ways to propagate pansies. The most common is seed propagation.
In the following way propagation of pansies is by cuttings. In May or June, when the plants are already in open ground, small shoots with 2-3 nodes are cut from them. After which they are also planted in open ground at a close distance from each other, finally watered and sprayed with water. After a month, the transplanted cuttings will give roots. If cuttings are done too late, flowering will occur only next spring. Cuttings are quite useful for these plants, as they do not allow them to grow excessively.

Usage

Pansies are very popular among lovers floral decoration balconies, street flower beds, borders and alpine slides. They are also widely used as a supplement to bulbous plants, such as tulips, forget-me-nots, daffodils, daisies and others.

The popularity of pansies is explained by their unpretentiousness. For all its external fragility, viola tolerates transplantation surprisingly well when abundant flowering. Planting can be done in both autumn and spring.