How to Grow The African violet (Saintpaulia Hybrids)

African violets have a great range of color and form. It is very easy to grow and they will flower continuously over a long period and new plants can be grown from leaves.

African violet known botanically as saintpaulia was first discovered in the hills of Tanzania in East Africa. The leaves are hairy and fleshy, with long, brittle stalks. They grow to form a rosette like mound. The flowers grow in loose clusters from the rosette.

Size and Growth

The African violet can be 10 to 15 cm high and up to 38 cm or more across. Miniature varieties are about 15 cm in diameter. Although it can bloom at any time of the year, there are generally fewer flowers between November and March.

Color and Varieties

These days there are many African violet hybrids. Flower color ranges from white, through all pink, red, blue, mauve and purple shades. The flowers may be single five petals semi double or fully double. Much in demand are plants with two colored petals. Frilly-edged flowers, plants with strongly variegated or crinkle edged foliages are also very popular. Also, it is available are miniature, semi-miniature and trailing stemmed forms.

Is African Violets Toxic to Cats?

Many pet lovers have question in their mind, “is African violet Safe for Cats?” The good news is that, African violet is not toxic. Normally cats like to chew the plant leafs. May be cats stomach is not good for digest plant material for nutritional craving. So, African violet is not poisonous for cats and dogs.

Display ideas

The African violet enjoys the company of other plants so it is an ideal subject for setting in containers with other house plants.

Making New Plants

The easiest way to start new plant is to take leaf cutting.

Leaf cutting: Well, you need to propagate African violets by taking leaf cuttings. This way you know the kind of plant and the flower color that you will have in the end and it will be identical to the parent plant. It will take about 8 to 10 months from taking cutting to a fully blooming adult plant.

·         Take the leaf from the parent plant together with its stalk.

·         Plant it so that half the stem is covered with a rooting mixture. Keeping the cutting at temperature of 18 °C to 21°C. For about one month and roots will form.

·         Moreover, after 8 to 14 days at this temperature new plantlets will appear. Once they have reached a diameter of about 5cm then they can be split up and transferred to small pots of their own.

·         Also, water with a liquid plant food every fortnight once the plants are well-established. Maintain high humidity by growing plants on pebbles trays.

Plant Doctor

1.      Brown spots scorched leaves can appear if strong sun has been shinning directly on the leaves, or if cold water has been spilled on them. Make sure do not expose the plant to strong sunlight between March and October. Hence you need to give water carefully.

2.      Crown rot fungus is a major problem with African violets. Discard the plant and clean the area where it was growing thoroughly.

3.      Mildew can appear particularly in winter if the surrounding air is to too moist and stagnant. Also, allow humidity trays to dry out

4.      Sunken brown spots on undersides of leaves. This is due to thrips or cyclamen mites. Also, discard plants under severe attack.

Secrets of Success to Grow African Violet

General Care: African violets are not demanding plants but will respond to regular and thoughtful attention, rewarding you with flowers all year round. Pick off faded flowers and leaves right to base to maintain only 3 to 4 layers of leaves on plants.

Potting: This plant grows well in open but rich potting compost. Commercial peat based potting mixtures are best. Also, repot every spring or summer when the roots have filled the pot. Spilt the plant with multiple crowns when repotting

Watering: The African violet cannot tolerate cold water on its leaves or crown. It should be watered with tepid water from bin the saucer. Any water that remains in the saucer after half an hour after watering should be poured off. Keep humidity high by placing it on a tray of damp pebbles.

Feeding: Then you need to give it a liquid fertilizer feed every fortnight during the growth period.

Light: Although the love the light, African violets cannot take very hot sunlight, especially from March till October. The brightest possible light without hot direct sun is ideal. During winter you cannot give them too much light.

Temperature: You will get the best growth and the best flowers if you plant have a summer temperature of (15°C to 22 °C). Minimum winter temperature should be 13°C

Lifespan: With the right care of African violet the plant will grow for many years, offering flowering most of the time round the year. Note the yellow pollen sacs in this variety.

Buying Tips

Well, if you don’t want to invest too much time in the above process. Then these African violets are available any time of the year in the nearest nurseries. But make sure that the leaves are healthy and plump. That there are plenty of flower buds showing. source: Charismatic Planet

Read More - How to Care and Grow Perennial Iris Flower

Affiliates Links:

1. How One Woman Discovered the Female Fat-Loss Code Missed by Modern Medicine And Lost 84lbs Using a Simple 2-Step Ritual That 100% Guarantees Shocking Daily Weight Loss
2. 60 Seconds Habit ! That Reversed Type 2 Diabetes and Melted 56 lbs of Fat
3. Boost Your Energy, Immune System, Sexual Function, Strength & Athletic Performance
4. Diabetes Remedy # 1 Mega Offer for 2019

Amaranthus tricolor, (edible amaranth)

Amaranthus tricolor, known as edible amaranth, is a species in the genus Amaranthus (family Amaranthaceae). The ornamental plant is known as bireum in Korea; tampala, tandaljo, or tandalja bhaji in India; callaloo in the Caribbean; and Joseph's coat after the Biblical figure Joseph, who is said to have worn a coat of many colors. Although it is native to South America, many varieties of amaranth can be found across the world in a myriad of different climates due to it being a C4 carbon fixation plant, which allows it to convert carbon dioxide into biomass at a more efficient rate than other plants. Cultivars have striking yellow, red, and green foliage.

Tabebuia and Handroanthus

Genus and Family:

The genus, Tabebuia, is native to the Amazon rain forest and other tropical parts of Mexico, and Central and South America. It included nearly 100 species of trees commonly known as trumpet trees, named so because of the shape of the flowers. In 2007, about 30 species of the trees in Tabebuia were renamed Handroanthus when molecular studies found that they were more closely related to genera other than Tabebuia. Handroanthus can be distinguished from true Tabebuia by the minute hairs on the leaves or flowers and extremely dense wood containing copious amounts of the compound lapachol in its bark. Tabebuia is restricted to those species with white to red or rarely yellow flowers.

Tabebuia and Handroanthus belong to Bignoniaceae, a family of deciduous, evergreen, and semi-evergreen trees, bushes, and vines known for its showy flowers. Jacarandas, African tulip tree, catalpas, bower vines, cape honeysuckle, and cat’s claw vines are also part of the Bignoniaceae family.

Growth:

In the United States, trumpet trees are most commonly found in southern California, in some of the milder areas of northern California, parts of the southwest, and Florida. The ones most common to southern California are the Pink (or Purple) Trumpet tree, Handroanthus impetiginosus, and the Golden Trumpet tree, Handroanthus chrysostricha. Pink Trumpet trees are found throughout San Diego with some exquisite specimens in Balboa Park. The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden helped to introduce trumpet trees to cultivation in the 1970s and have the best collection of mature trumpet trees in California. Lining the streets and gardens within the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles are twenty-three Pink Trumpet trees.

While pink and golden trumpet trees share many characteristics, they display differences in growth. The golden trumpet tree may grow up to 36 inches per year to heights of 15 to 25 feet, spreading 10 to 25 feet wide. Dependable and uniform in growth, the golden trumpet tree varies little in shape or color.

Pink trumpet trees grow up to 24 inches per year to a mature size 20 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide. Their spreading branches often droop toward the ground, and there are color variations in flowering. When grown from seed, pink trumpet trees may take anywhere from three to 24 years to flower. Unusual for a tropical tree they may live up to 300 years.

Handroanthus has a hard fissured bark and palmately compound leaves usually with five leaflets. The leaves are smooth and shiny on both surfaces. The lance-shaped leaflets are 2 - 4" long by 1 - 2" wide with prominent veins.

Both Tabebuia and Handroanthus have a pod or pod-like elongated fruit up to one foot in length. Propagation is by seed or by vegetative methods. Vegetatively propagated trees bloom at the same time, while seed propagated trees flower at different times.

In California, trumpet trees usually drop their leaves in the winter and bloom in March and April, then push out new leaves as their flowers wane. They can also bloom at other times during the year while in leaf.

Both species benefit from shaping and removal of the weaker and dead branches and brittle wood as the trees mature.

-2-

The flowers are easily accessible to both bird and bee pollinators. There are no known serious pests or diseases that affect these trees.

Appearance: Trumpet trees are valued as ornamentals and their slow growth and spectacular flowers make them ideal patio, street, and parking lot island trees.

The Pink (or Purple) Trumpet tree, H. impetiginosus is also known as Pau d’arco, pink lapacho, and ipe and is the national tree of Paraguay. The H. impetiginosus has showy, trumpet-shaped lavender-pink flowers with yellow throats, 2 - 3" long by 2" wide, and are produced in rounded clusters in early spring while the tree is deciduous. Flowers become larger and more profuse as the tree matures with heavier flowering occurring in warmer areas. Footlong hanging seed pods follow flowers and persist into winter.

There are three cultivars of H. impetiginosus: cv. “Pink Cloud, described as compact and floriferous, deep pink cv. “Raspberry,” and cv. “Paulina,” a medium pink tree that grows to 12-15 feet at maturity and blooms intermittently all year.

The San Diego Street Tree Selection Guide approved the Pink Trumpet tree for use under power lines and Public View Corridors.

The Golden Trumpet tree, H. chrysotricha, has maroon-striped, golden flowers, and is less cold hardy. It is also smaller and more uniform in shape and flower color. It is the national tree of Brazil. Dependable and uniform in growth, the golden trumpet tree varies little in shape or color.

Climate, Soil, and Water Preferences:

Tabebuia and Handroanthus prefer full sun but will adapt to partial shade. They tolerate heat and they can be cold hardy to freezing temperatures for brief periods. Freezing temperatures will weaken the trees. Seaside- and drought-tolerant once established, it prefers consistent moisture. Both trees do well in urban environments and don't need fertilizer or irrigation under normal soil and weather conditions

Timber and Medicinal Uses:

Handroanthus wood, commonly known as ipe (ee-pay), is one of the hardest and densest on earth and is used in the tropics for bows, boats, railroad ties, and tool handles. It is exported to the United States for flooring and decking. The wood is also insect and fungus-resistant. Because of these qualities, it has become a major cause of deforestation in the Amazon.

The bark and wood of H. impetiginosus have been long used by the South American indigenous peoples (where it is known as pau d’arco) as well as in traditional Western medicine. Lapacho, a tea made from the bark of the tree, is used for a variety of ailments and conditions. Possibly unsafe at high doses, pau d'arco is also used to treat a wide range of infections. Lapachol, the main active compound in the bark and wood of the tree, is toxic, and its strong antibiotic and disinfectant properties may be better suited for topical applications.