African Violets - How to Care for This Popular Flowering Indoor Plant
Under the right conditions, African violets bloom nearly all year round.
They thrive in temperatures between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius.
In the summer, your violet will enjoy a westerly or southerly window but in winter they may need a little extra light.
This can come from fluorescent lighting or a northern window where the sun's rays are filtered.
Too little light may result in long leaf stalks where as too much light may result in unhealthy foliage with little or no flowers.
Watering and feeding your violet.
The African violet likes a humid atmosphere and moist soil.
I found that the bathroom works well.
You can also provide humidity for your plant by standing the pot on pebbles in a partly water filled saucer.
The pot should not be touching the water.
When the plants soil starts to dry out, water well with lukewarm water.
Take care not to wet the leaves.
You can feed your plant with water soluble plant fertilizer every month except in winter.
The potting and re-potting of your violets.
African violets tend to bloom more freely when their roots are a bit crowded.
Only re-pot them when more than a third of the rosette of leaves extends beyond your pots edge.
The best time for re-potting to be done is either in spring or summer.
You can re-pot the violets into African violet potting soil or you can make your own potting soil from equal parts of peat moss, perlite and your garden soil.
If your plant grows extra rosettes of leaves, nip them off with a knife.
If the leaves turn yellow or rot or become too crowded, break or cut their stalks.
Do not leave any stem part behind on the plant as it will rot.
African Violets can very easily be propagated from leaf cuttings.
Select a healthy leaf keeping about 2 - 4 cm of the stem.
Plant this leaf in your pot that is already filed with potting soil.
You will see in approximately 3 to 6 weeks tiny new leaves appear.
When this happens, transplant the rooted cuttings into separate pots.
Cover them with plastic bags where a few small holes have been made.
Keep the new plants in a warm but shaded area for up to 3 weeks.
African Violets have very pretty bright colors and they light up a bathroom or kitchen.
Enjoy choosing your plant or growing it from a leaf.
It is very rewarding.
They thrive in temperatures between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius.
In the summer, your violet will enjoy a westerly or southerly window but in winter they may need a little extra light.
This can come from fluorescent lighting or a northern window where the sun's rays are filtered.
Too little light may result in long leaf stalks where as too much light may result in unhealthy foliage with little or no flowers.
Watering and feeding your violet.
The African violet likes a humid atmosphere and moist soil.
I found that the bathroom works well.
You can also provide humidity for your plant by standing the pot on pebbles in a partly water filled saucer.
The pot should not be touching the water.
When the plants soil starts to dry out, water well with lukewarm water.
Take care not to wet the leaves.
You can feed your plant with water soluble plant fertilizer every month except in winter.
The potting and re-potting of your violets.
African violets tend to bloom more freely when their roots are a bit crowded.
Only re-pot them when more than a third of the rosette of leaves extends beyond your pots edge.
The best time for re-potting to be done is either in spring or summer.
You can re-pot the violets into African violet potting soil or you can make your own potting soil from equal parts of peat moss, perlite and your garden soil.
If your plant grows extra rosettes of leaves, nip them off with a knife.
If the leaves turn yellow or rot or become too crowded, break or cut their stalks.
Do not leave any stem part behind on the plant as it will rot.
African Violets can very easily be propagated from leaf cuttings.
Select a healthy leaf keeping about 2 - 4 cm of the stem.
Plant this leaf in your pot that is already filed with potting soil.
You will see in approximately 3 to 6 weeks tiny new leaves appear.
When this happens, transplant the rooted cuttings into separate pots.
Cover them with plastic bags where a few small holes have been made.
Keep the new plants in a warm but shaded area for up to 3 weeks.
African Violets have very pretty bright colors and they light up a bathroom or kitchen.
Enjoy choosing your plant or growing it from a leaf.
It is very rewarding.