Watering Parma violets

Basic requirements for watering:
Saintpaulia is a plant that has its origins in tropical forests. In the natural environment, African violets grow outdoors, in a loose soil, well ventilated and constantly moist. The violet's root system is poorly developed, for this reason, the plant does not support a soil with a high concentration of salts, which dry quickly or in which water stagnates for a long time.

Prolonged lack of water inhibits the growth of the plant and leads to its death. Soil moisture plays an important role during the active growth of violets. If during this period the humidity is deficient, the plant buds suffer and the growth point of the violet.
Water dissolves nutrients and microelements that are found in the soil, and the plant assimilates them through the roots. The water is also contained in the tissues of the plant.

The lack of natural moisture is compensated by regular watering of violets.

Watering of African violets will be carried out regularly, without overshadowing or drying out the earth. Water should not reach the point of growth of the plant – the center of the plant from where new leaves grow and develop (it is important in the case of watering the violet chickens, rotting of their growth point leads to the death of the plant).
Mature African violets will get wet when the top layer of soil dries out. Younger violets will keep in a constantly moist soil.
Watering of plants will be carried out regularly. During spring and summer – in the morning, during autumn and winter – day.
For watering, water is recommended at room temperature or 1-2 °C warmer. If the plant is watered with cold water the roots of the plant risk to rot.

In summer, at temperatures higher than 22 °C, mature African violets will get wet at an interval of 2-3 days or twice a week, chickens of violet more often. Late autumn and winter the plants will get wet once a week (it will also take into account the temperature in the room, the place where violet is located, potted soil moisture).

The frequency of watering depends on the dimensions and material of the pot (the water from the ceramic pots evaporates through the walls, and plastic plants will get wet less often), the mixture of potted soil, season, ambient temperature, plant dimensions.

The water with which the plant will get wet:
Saintpaulia is a sensitive plant in terms of water quality. There are some basic requirements, which requires increased attention to the quality of water for watering: The water with which the plant is watered must be clean, have a low content of mineral salts, toxic impurities and foreign inclusions, neutral or weak acid reaction.

For watering African violets, tap water is most often used. Tap water is mostly filtered and passes different stages of purification, eventually becoming drinking water. It is also suitable for watering, although it should be noted that the content of mineral salts is very small, and the chlorine content can increase significantly.
Before it is used, tap water must be at least one week until chlorine is removed or it will pass through a household filter, eliminating from its contents other harmful impurities.

Fountain or spring water has a high content of mineral salts, because passing through the soil, it washes the microelements of the soil component. Used for watering, it must be taken into account that quite frequently this water is hard and cannot be used without being treated in advance.

The hardness of the water is caused by the presence in the water of the calcium and magnesium salts, sometimes in combination with iron salts. Depending on the compounds present in the water, water hardness can be temporary or permanent.
The temporary hardness of the water is due to the presence of hydrocarbons in the water content and can be avoided by boiling the water.

The permanent hardness of the water is caused by the presence in the water of calcium and magnesium salts. This type of hardness is an intrisec property of water and cannot be completely eliminated.
Permanent hardness of water is less dangerous for plants than temporary.

The use of water with a constant hardness for watering shows a susrsa of supply of violets with microelements such as magnesium and calcium. Regular consumption of calcium has a positive effect on the metabolism of the plant, improves soil structure and the activity of micro-organisms. Constant hardness of water does not change the pH level in the soil.

Water with a temporary hardness disrupts the acid-alkaline balance of the soil by increasing the content of alkaline compounds. Long-term use of this type of water has a negative impact on plants: Darker roots, with an unhealthy to brown color, signs of chlorosis.
Before being used, the hardness of the water will be reduced by the addition of lemon salt (5-6 crystals / 1 l water), oxalic acid or vinegar (1-2 tsp / 1 l water) in its composition, which reacts with the alkaline environment leads to the precipitation of mineral salts. African violets will get wet only once a month with acidified water.
The hardness of the water can also be decreased by using ionic exchange filters or by boiling.

In the case of boiling water, two important moments must be taken into account:

• evaporation increases water mineralization;
• boiled water must stay at least one day in an open bowl in order to saturate it with air.

The use of water from lakes, rivers or other reservoirs is not indicated, because it may contain toxic or chemical substances, decaying organic matter, bacteria, foreign inclusions and other dangerous substances.

The use of rainwater or water resulting from the melting of the snow is recommended only in less polluted regions. It is a softer water compared to the tap water, has a neutral acid reaction and a rich oxygen content. These qualities make rainwater valuable for watering African violets.

Rainwater collection:

• the vessels in which the rainwater is collected are placed under stressors, gutters or downpipes. Before you get to the ship, rainwater washes the roof of dust, smoke, Soots. Rainwater will not be collected, if before the rain it was a rather long dry period.
• If the rain is strong and prolonged, avoid collecting water in the first 30 minutes, this time is enough to wash off the roof dust and impurities.

Probelme occurring during watering:

1. Excess wetting of the soil leads to an increase in the pH level, capillaries in the soil are filled with water, stopping the oxygen supply to the roots of the plant. On the leaf supplant appear watery spots, leaves are let down, and the roots get a dark color and die. It is necessary that the soil in the pot is watered with a solution of glutamate permanganate (Rosehip) – 0.3-0.5 l/plant. Another way is to change the soil, removing rotten roots, washing the remaining roots in a solution of glutamate permanganate and planting the plant in a new soil mixture.
2. Poor wetting of the soil – the soil in the pot dries, detaches from the edges of the pot, the roots of the plant are injured. The pot with the plant will sink into a larger pot filled with water until the soil in the pot gets wet.
3. Rotting the growth point when the water reaches the center of the rosette.
4. Water that falls on the leaves regularly, leads to the appearance of unsightly spots of white color. If sun rays fall on the surface of the leaf, water stains will act as a lens, capturing the sun's rays and will cause burns on the surface of the leaf.
5. Hard water used to water violets contributes to the formation of a white-yellowish sediment. Change the top layer of soil or water the plant above with distilled water, thus washing the salts, or the soil will get wet with acidified waterifata.