HOW TO CARE FOR AFRICAN VIOLETS
African violets will bloom with lower light, though medium to bright indirect light is best. They can be a bit fussy, so check out more tips on how to make sure your African violets bloom.
HOW TO PLANT AFRICAN VIOLETS
- You can use an actual African violet potting mix or an all-purpose potting soil. Here’s how to create your own mix.
- Keep them planted in small pots and re-pot once a year to mix in fresh soil.
- The soil should be loose and well-drained, and high organic matter content is beneficial. Learn about organic soil amendments.
HOW TO CARE FOR AFRICAN VIOLETS
- Keep the soil lightly moist and use room-temperature water.
- Leaves are susceptible to rot if kept in high humidity, so water African violets from the bottom to avoid getting excess water on the leaves.
- Dust dirt off the leaves with a small, soft brush.
- Fertilize every 2 weeks with a high phosphorous plant food, but only during the active growing season (spring and summer). Only start to fertilize when the plant appears to need an extra boost. Over-fertilizing is a more common problem than under-fertilizing.
- Many varieties prefer warm conditions (65°F / 18°C or warmer) though some can tolerate cooler conditions. Keep away from drafty windows in winter.
- Thin, dark green leaves and leggy stems tell you that the plant is getting too little light; light green or bleached leaves indicate too much light.
- Plants should be shifted to larger pots as they grow, but keeping African violets slightly root-bound can encourage them to bloom. The optimal time for repotting is after some leaves have wilted a bit.
How to Propagate
Another reason that it’s tempting to amass a large violet collection is that it’s quite easy to propagate African violets from leaves. The best time to do this is spring, but it can be done year-round. Remove a fresh, mature leaf from a plant that you want to propagate. With a sharp, clean knife or blade, cut the leaf stem at a 45-degree angle to about ½” in length. Fill a small pot with a very light and porous rooting mix, and bury the stem up to the bottom of the leaf. Water, cover the pot with a clear plastic bag to help retain moisture, and place near bright light, but out of direct sun. The leaf should grow roots in about a month, and produce tiny plantlets that will be ready to be transferred to their own pots in 2-5 months.
