If the violet has stopped delighting you with its blooms, it’s time to start removing the side shoots.
Stepsons are rosettes that form in the axils of violet leaves. They have no roots, but otherwise the shoots are no different from full-fledged cuttings.
Stepchildren are removed for a number of reasons:
1. Lack of flowering. The violet spends all its energy on building up excess green mass.
2. Strong thickening of the plant.
3. The leaves squeeze the flower, preventing it from developing normally.
The violet needs to be inspected periodically, including looking under the leaves. At the very beginning, when the stepson has just appeared, it can be picked off the stem with a toothpick. At this stage, it will separate very easily.
If you miss the moment, the stepson will start growing. Then it will be more difficult to remove it. You can use a toothpick, but you need to act very carefully, because there is a risk of damaging the plant.
How to distinguish a stepson from a peduncle
If we are talking about a peduncle, then these are symmetrical leaves. With a probability of 99.9%, they are located opposite each other. Their formation begins at the same time, so they are at the same stages of development.
In the case of a stepson, you can count 3 or more leaves. On one rosette, there may be very tiny stepsons, but quite strong. The probability of symmetry in this case is almost zero.
