Violet "Black Prince"

Saintpaulias are plants of the Gesneriev family, which we used to call indoor violets. They are very delicate and vibrant flowers. Anyone who fell in love with a violet will remain faithful to her forever. Each new variety is a discovery that causes a passionate desire to grow a flower in your home. Today we will reveal all the secrets of the amazing variety of violets "Black Prince".

The Black Prince appeared in 2013. At his very first exhibitions, the new favorite made a splash among lovers and collectors of violets with his daring beauty. The noble and mysterious name of the flower fully corresponds to this beautiful plant.

The "Black Prince" is a real person, the legendary personality of the English Middle Ages - Edward Woodstock, Duke of Cornwall, Crown Prince of Wales. For his contemporaries, he was a mystery. A talented commander, he could be both cruel and surprisingly wise, fair, hot-tempered and sentimental. In those harsh times, few of the royal dynasties allowed themselves to marry for love, but Edward did just that and remained faithful to his beloved until the grave. What caused Edward's unusual nickname is unknown, but the wonderful Saintpaulia "Black Prince" is named after him.

The variety is interesting for its unusual color, this is its zest. The sharp and deep contrast is what catches the eye and amazes the viewer. Against the background of dark green leaves of a regular oval shape, large flowers-stars stand out, rich burgundy, almost black, with contrasting bright yellow anthers. The contrast is very strong, and the dark color is very deep, therefore, in order to photograph or shoot a blooming violet on the camera, you have to add light as much as possible, otherwise the inflorescences in the picture are not clearly visible, merge into one dark spot.

The flowers of the "Black Prince" are very large, sometimes reaching 6.5-7 cm in diameter. This is more than a regular matchbox, which is 5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide.

The "Black Prince", like a violet of red shades, does not have many buds, the flowering period is not as long as that of other varieties, but it is spectacular, bright and increases over time. The violet rosette is standard, the seamy side of the leaves is red. Every year the flowers of the plant become darker, more saturated, and the surface of the leaves becomes more velvety.

Many growers are worried that their starters (young violets blooming in the first year) do not meet Black Prince standards:

• the color of the buds is red, they are smaller, of a different shape, they bloom for a very long time;
• leaves of a light color, without a red back, not very pubescent;
• the socket itself grows for a long period of time.

Upset newcomers believe that their violets have been reborn, therefore they look completely different or, due to inexperience, they have wandered into a plant of a different variety. Breeders who have developed the Black Prince variety and experienced collectors argue that you should not jump to conclusions. To see the abundant "black" bloom, Saintpaulia needs patience, love and proper care.

The easiest way to acquire the Black Prince violet is to purchase a healthy, strong stalk of a plant at least 5 cm long, which can be rooted in water or planted immediately in prepared soil. For planting cuttings, children separated from the mother's outlet, and starters (young plants), plastic pots with a diameter of no more than 5-6 cm are suitable.For an adult plant, containers with a diameter of 9 cm are suitable.Ceramic pots for growing violets are not suitable: they are colder than plastic, and this is completely undesirable for Saintpaulias.

"Black Prince" is very unpretentious to the soil. It is enough for the substrate to have low acidity, be loose, and let air pass well to the roots. The correct soil should contain:

• leavening agents - perlite, vermiculite, sphagnum, charcoal;
• organic additives - humus or humus;
• nutritional supplements - leafy ground, turf;
• basic fillers - purchased ready-made mixture for violets or soil from coniferous forest.

Important! Before use, the substrate must be disinfected in any available way:

• steam in the microwave;
• ignite at a high temperature in the oven;
• spill well with boiling water.

This ensures the death of pests and bacteria living in the soil.

The planting mix can be made up in the following proportions:

• ready-made nutrient soil - 1 part;
• peat - 3 parts;
• perlite - 1 part;
• charcoal - 1 part.

For landing you need:

• pick up a good planting material - a leaf from the second row of the "Black Prince" rosette;
• if the stalk has been on the road for a long time and looks sluggish, restore the strength of the plant by immersing it in warm water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 1 hour before planting;
• cut off the stalk for rooting at an angle of 45 degrees, stepping back from the leaf plate 2-3 cm;
• place drainage (expanded clay or activated carbon) in a pot by 1/3 of the volume and fill in the prepared soil;
• in moistened earth, make a hole no more than 1.5 cm deep and carefully place the cutting there;
• for comfort, the plant should be covered with a glass jar or plastic bag and transferred to a warm, well-lit place;
• open the mini-greenhouse from time to time to ventilate and drip moisten the soil.

After small baby leaves appear in the pot after 4-5 weeks, they must be planted from the mother's leaf - each to a new place of residence, to its own little pot. The rooting was successful, and now you will have a new, extraordinarily beautiful plant.

Like all violets, The Black Prince needs good lighting. For a plant to bloom, its daylight hours must be at least 12 hours. If the outlet does not receive enough light, the plant looks jaded:

• leaves are pale, lethargic;
• the trunk is pulled towards the light source;
• flowering is completely absent.

The best places for the "Black Prince" to live in an apartment are the window sills of the north and west windows, where it is not very hot. In summer, plants will feel comfortable here, and in winter they need to be illuminated with special lamps or LED lamps.

It is possible to settle the "Black Prince" on the south window only if you have pasted over the window glass with plant protection film or shaded it with curtains. The bright scorching rays of the sun are destructive to violets. Here they can only winter calmly, and with the appearance of the bright spring sun, the flowers can be placed on a rack located at a safe distance from the window.

A rack with artificial lighting for indoor violets can be organized not only in a room with windows to the south, but also anywhere else in your apartment or office. This is a great way out for those who have in the house:

• very little light, in front of the windows there are large buildings or spreading trees that give shade;
• too narrow window sills, where the pots do not fit;
• stuffiness - windows and vents often have to be opened.

The Black Prince feels most comfortable on the shelf on the second shelf from the bottom - it's cooler here.

The humidity of the room where the plant lives must be at least 50%. Watering should be moderate:

• you cannot leave the earthen lump completely dry;
• waterlogging of the plant threatens with rotting of the root system and the death of the violet.

Spraying and watering the plant at the root is not carried out. Consider the correct ways to water violets.

• With a wick (natural cord or strip of fabric), one end of which is immersed in a vessel of water and the other in a drainage hole. The bottom of the pot should not be wet or in water.
• Through the pan of the pot. You need to pour water into it so that it covers it by no more than ¼. After watering, excess water is removed from the pan.
• A syringe or a watering can with a long, thin spout. Watering "Black Prince" should be dripped strictly along the edge of the pot, do not pour water on the outlet itself or under its root.

In the next video you will find an overview of the Black Prince violet variety.