African Violets
African violets are some of my favorite houseplants. I can’t say they are my very favorites because I love so many of them. I started raising them after picking one up from the clearance rack at a large home food store.
I remember seeing in my grandma’s house and really thinking they are an “old person’s plant”. It is funny how your opinion of things in life changes as you really do get older, doesn’t it.
Anyway, when the violet started to thrive well I decided to propagate it. After a little research and a little trial and error, I found that I love raising them.
I have had as many as 9 and as few as 3. I have made some mistakes along the way, but overall my success with them is pretty good. Certainly part of the journey has taught me a few things and I would love to share them with you.
Varieties
The African violet on the left is the most common one we recognize. Most African violets come from this plant called Saintpaulia ionantha. It really isn’t that important, but it is important to know that there are unlimited colors and types of violets out there.
One African violet that I know very little about is the Chimera African violet. I do not have any. They are apparently a mutated flower that came from the same variety. You can recognize them because they look like a pinwheel or striped looking.
The care of them is the same, I just do not have any. The “striped” varieties have been cultivated by another African Violet lover with great effort and care.
We can enjoy these lovely plants thanks to gene mutation (natural or artificially induced) and to breeders. They “encourage” the survival of the more attractive mutated varieties.
Light To Raise Healthy Plants
I think that light is the one thing most African Violets are picky about. Once you find a spot that they really love, it is wonderful. They grow and bloom like crazy. African violets just know what kind of light they really like.
Almost all guides say indoor, indirect, bright sunlight. Well, that can be pretty vague. The indirect part is because of the leaves. The leaves will burn if sunlight is just pouring on them directly. See the plant on the left. AF leaves are large and velvety. All of this surface area makes it easy for them to get burned a little and you do not want that. I guess you could say it is “sunburn”.
A room that gets a lot of sunlight, 10 hours or so a day is an African violets best environment. That is why people used to keep them on porches or sunrooms. It does not take long to be able to recognize the fact if your plant likes their spot. The leaves will tell you almost right away.
If the leaves start to yellow and curl, your plant is probably not getting enough sunlight. With such large leaves and the dark color of the leaves, they need a lot of sunshine. Sitting them near a window is perfect, as long as the window is facing South or West. The sun will move over your house and offer just the right amount of light in this case. Using a blind or shade to partially filter the sunlight during the day can help also. Moving them away from the window entirely is helpful also.
African violets move towards their light source. A lot of plants do, but some are more noticeable than others. My aunt recently gave me one of her plants that she divided. It is severely turned in one direction. That is because it was never rotated. Rotate your violets occasionally. I rotate mine in quarters about once a week, or when I water them. This keeps them nice and flat.
Some people use artificial lights for their violets. You probably have seen them before. They are usually artificial lights that hand down from the ceiling. Now I am not even going to tell you all about the type of light to get for this, but it should be one that emits both red and blue light. So, that being said, it needs to be made for plants.
How far or how close an artificial light is to your plant is also important. Ideally, the light source should be 18 to 20 inches from the plants. Especially if you are going to propagate new plants.
You do not want the lamp to stay on 24/7 either. The plants need to rest at night just like we do. So turn your lamps off and let them sleep at night. By the way, I have tried putting a plant under a regular lamp. Your violet will thrive for a while, but eventually, it will begin to show the lack of complete nutrition from the sun. It will not bloom and will not grow well if the right kind of light is not offered.
Putting a timer on these type of lights is best. If you do not put them on a timer your plants will not bloom or rarely bloom. If you decide to grow them on an outdoor porch, then protect them from direct sun by choosing a shady location.
Temperature
Since African violets came from Southern Africa they prefer warm temperatures. The perfect temp. is between 65 to 75 degrees. If your room is warmer than that or you have them on a shady spot outside, them watering more frequently is necessary.
Our grandparents might have kept them outside, but most people grow them plants indoors now. I have a huge one that loves the warmer temperatures and could probably thrive on an outside porch, but it would need more frequent fertilizer and water. The inside is much easier to control temperatures year round.
Since these plants are native to a warm climate, they do not tolerate the cold. So bring them in when your temps start to dip below 65 degrees. If you keep them inside you do not have to worry about that.
Humidity is important to African Violets as well. We live in a fairly humid area of the US. If you do not, placing a bowl of water near your violets will help. Keep your plants near each other, but not touching and place a bowl of water near them. Don’t ever let large droplets of water set on the leaves of A.F. It will scorch the leaves.
Water
Just like any plant, water is a big deal. Overwatering and underwatering can kill your African violet. They are just like us, picky about how much water they get.
Save an old juice bottle or some other reusable gallon jug. Fill it and let it sit overnight. This allows the water to get to room temperature. It also allows some of the chlorine to dissipate. Overnight will allow the chlorine gas to escape. If you want to buy spring water from the store that will work too.
Now I use terra cotta pots with my violets. I have tried other pots, including “African violet” pots and just have not had good luck with them. So, once a month I fill my sinks with water, let the water sit, then put all of my plants in the sink and let them soak all day. I also water them from the soil down. Not touching the leaves with water. During the rest of the month, I water from the bottom by filling the tray. I went to IKEA and found the largest trays for terra cotta I could find. They are fairly deep and hold a good amount of water. I water them in the morning and by the afternoon the water has been absorbed by the plants.
So, monthly I water from top to bottom, with the plants in the sink, where they drain well. Then when the soil is dry to touch on top, I water from the bottom up in the trays. Overwatering will kill your plants. I recently killed on that I propagated in an old ironstone pot. Since it did not have good drain holes I should have known better, but I neglected the plant and root rot ruined the little starter. A little dry is a much better thing than too much water.
What about the potting soil?
If you talk a lot of African Violet experts they all have different formulas for their potting soil. The one I use comes in a bag and says “For African Violets” 🙂
Anyway, there are recipes that you can mix for yourself. If I was going to mix my own I would use the one recommended by the African Violet Society of America.
African Violet Society Soil Recipe
3 parts sphagnum peat moss
2 parts vermiculite
1 part perlite
1/4 part ground charcoal
2 tablespoons dolomite lime (also called horticultural lime)
1 tablespoon bonemeal
1 tablespoon superphosphate
African violets like soil that is light and airy. It is made up of a good bit of sphagnum peat moss. A potting soil that packs easily and does not like the roots to get air will not work. Vermiculite also makes this soil very airy.
These soil mixtures will require a regular dose of fertilizer as well. Use a fertilizer that is meant for African Violets, they are usually low in sulfur and better for the plants.
Fertilizer for Healthy African Violets
Fertilizers should contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. They should not contain any salts or sulfur. Numbers like 12-36-14 or 15-16-17 are all good for violets. The numbers represent the amount of each element in the formula.
Okay, I only fertilize my violets during their blooming season. I have read that this is wrong, but I just let my rest during the winter months. I take care of them but I do not fertilize them. When they are blooming I feed them.
Never fertilize a plant unless it has been watered properly. You want the fertilizer to be put on nice happy soil. Not soil that has been dried out and not taken care of.
Potting
African violets like small pots. They actually prefer tight small spaces. Often times blooming will not occur unless the plant is slightly root bound. Moving an African Violet to a larger pot should only be done if it is REALLY necessary. The plant should be at least 3 times larger than the pot it lives in.
There are many types of pots for African violets. I personally do not like the ones that are bottom watering, glazed terra cotta. I do not have good luck with them. My A.F. tends to get root rot and do not do well in them.
Recently I switched to all unglazed terra cotta pots and my plants are so much happier. They bloom all spring and summer. Even into the fall. These pots drain so easily and overwatering is not such a problem.
Personally, I like the look of the terra cotta pot with an African violet in it. It has a traditional look to me. They drain well and I have large trays from Ikea that allow me to water them from the bottom.
Propagate Your Way to Healthy African Violets
If you do not know what it means to propagate a flower, it really is just a fancy word for starting little ones. African violets are really easy to propagate. I have done this a couple of ways. Just to let you know though, it takes the leaf a pretty long time to start its own roots and leaves, but don’t give up because it will eventually.
Directly In The Soil
The way I most often propagate is by choosing a healthy leaf, cutting it with a sharp , clean knife and putting it in soil that is meant for violets. Put the leaf directly into the soil. Don’t over water it, but keep the soil slightly moist.
In about 6 weeks fresh new leaves will start to emerge from the soil. Keep it near a sunny, warm spot in the house that does not get drafty or direct sunlight.
With A Hormone Compound
The method for using a growth hormone compound is the same as above, except you dip the end of the leaf in a compound powder that is for “rooting” things. After you dip the end of the leaf in the root compound you just insert it into the soil.
I think they root faster this way and you are more sure of getting a new plant.
The rooting compound is a dusty white powder that enhances the chance of a plant forming. I have had the most success with this method. The same is true for this method as well, find a spot with indirect sunshine. Keep the soil from drying out but not too wet. It is usually about 4 weeks before you will see new growth.
Propagate In Water
I have never tried this method, but I do use it for nearly every other plant I have. The reason I don’t prefer this method is because of the container that is used. It MUST keep the leaf above the water at all times, while the stem sets in the water. As the roots develop you will transplant the violet to your soil.
It seems simple enough, but I prefer to skip this step and go ahead with the soil method. I think having so many choices is good though. That is why so many people grow them and pass the plants around.
Don’t be afraid to try and propagate some of your own. You won’t lose anything in trying!
So now that you know all the ways to raise healthy African violets give one a try. You can find them just about any where. The grocery store loves the carry them in their floral department and any home repair shop has them as well.
They are not just in your grandma’s house anymore. Find the right spot and your violet will grow and flourish. It will give you great pleasure and you can even propagate a few and give them away as gifts.