African violets are diminutive indoor plants that have fuzzy leaves and clusters of white, blue, or purple flowers. African violet care instructions are provided here!
About African Violets
African violets, as their name suggests, are indigenous to East Africa and come from the subtropical rainforests of Tanzania and Kenya. German colonial commander Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire recognized these plants in 1892 and returned to Germany with seeds. Saintpaulia became the name of the genus, although Streptocarpus, a new genus, has lately been assigned to the plants. They are not a species of violet, despite their common name, but they do have bright violet blossoms. Here is more information on these delicate plants.
In bright, indirect light, African violets flourish and produce the greatest blooms. Despite being typically easy to care for, they occasionally have fussy periods. Be not disheartened!
How to Plant African Violets
- If the soil is well-draining, you can use an authentic African violet potting mix or an all-purpose potting soil. How to make your own blend is shown here.
- African violets should always be grown in small pots, and every few years they should be repotted with new soil. African violets blossom more when they are somewhat constrained by their pots, so don’t be hasty to give them more room.
- The soil should have a high organic matter content and be loose and well-drained. discover organic soil amendments.
- African violets should not be replanted deeper than they were previously and the plant’s crown should not be buried. If kept overly damp, the stems of African violets are prone to rotting.
Watering
- Maintain a light moisture in the soil, but watch out for overwatering because African violets’ fragile stems are highly prone to rot.
- Use room temperature water instead of chilly water because the leaves may become marked.
- African violets should only be watered from the bottom to prevent getting too much water on the leaves, which can rot and develop fungal patches if kept in an environment with excessive humidity.
Lighting
- Bright, indirect light is preferred by African violets. Keep them at least a few feet away from bright south or west-facing windows and stay out of direct sunshine. The greatest illumination for them comes from a window that faces east or north without endangering the delicate leaves.
- Artificial illumination also functions nicely. Use LED or fluorescent lamps in addition to natural lighting.
- Leggy stems and thin, dark green leaves suggest that the plant is receiving insufficient light, while light green or bleached leaves show that it is receiving too light.
Fertilizing
- Use a high phosphorus plant food to fertilize every two weeks during the active growing season (spring and summer). Only begin fertilizing when it looks that the plant requires an extra push (slow, thin growth; pale or yellowing leaves).
- Since most soil mixtures already contain an abundance of nutrients, overfertilizing is an issue that occurs more frequently than underfertilizing.
General Care
- Some kinds are more tolerant of cooler circumstances, but many prefer warm environments (65F/18C or warmer). In any event, avoid having them near drafty windows during the winter.
- As they get bigger, plants should be moved to bigger containers, although keeping African violets slightly root-bound might help them blossom. Wilted leaves are one indication that your violet needs to be replanted.
- The squishy leaves have a propensity to gather dirt and dust. Use a little paintbrush with sensitive bristles to gently scrub them away.
How frequently should an African violet be watered?
Consider fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting is the solution if you lack bright window light. I make use of four-foot lights that each have two cool white bulbs. I’ve successfully used one warm white and one cool white bulb in a fixture. unique plant bulbs, known as “A beautiful plant is also produced under grow lights. 8 to 12 inches is the ideal distance between the pot and the light.
How frequently should African violets be watered? “The most frequently asked question regarding African violets is how frequently they should be watered. The greatest indicator is to touch the surface of the soil; if it feels dry, it’s time to water. For best results, African violets should be given time to completely dry out in between waterings. An overwatered plant can die. A soggy, moist soil mass prevents air from penetrating the fine roots of an African violet, which they need. Half of your work is finished once you have learned the art of watering African violets.
Do African violets need to be watered from the top or bottom? Both are acceptable. It’s crucial to avoid using cold water; lukewarm or warm water is recommended. To prevent leaf spots, if you water from the top, take cautious not to get water on the leaves when the plant is in the sun. If you water from the bottom, you should dump any extra water once the plant has absorbed all that it requires. An African violet shouldn’t be left submerged in water for too long.
Where should an African violet be placed?
Because they require dry leaves, African violets are only grown indoors in North America. If you want the finest color and flowers, grow your plants in bright, indirect light. The optimal location for a plant stand is three feet away from a window that faces west or south. When placed directly next to north or east-facing windows, plants will still grow, but their leaves will be thin and spindly, and they will be less likely to flower. African violets can be grown indoors, 12 to 15 inches above the ground, under 40-watt fluorescent lights (also known as grow lights), if you don’t have a nice location near a window.
Are African violets sun-sensitive?
The vibrant African violet blossoms are particularly lovely. They’ll provide color right away to any space.
Even during the gloomier winter months, they have a reputation for continuing to bloom. Place them around the house so you may enjoy their vibrant hues and plush textures all year long.
Once you establish a routine for caring for African violets, you’ll discover that they expand with ease. But unless all of their fundamental requirements are satisfied, they won’t develop. Give them the proper temperature, light, and nourishment, and you’ll start to bloom right away!
How to Choose and Take Care of African Violets:
1. Start out strong. Select a plant with the desired blossom color and vivid emerald foliage. Make sure the pot has openings for drainage.
2. The ideal lighting. African violets frequently don’t blossom because they don’t receive enough light. Because direct sunlight can burn the leaves, African violets require indirect light. For optimal results, pick a window that faces north or east. Keep plants away from cold glass, and turn the container once every week to ensure that all the leaves get enough light. African violets can be grown under a grow lamp to extend the day throughout the winter.
3. Remain cozy. The most comfortable temperatures for most people are between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
4. Subsurface water. Water should be at normal temperature to fill the saucer. Pour off any extra water after letting it settle for about an hour. Between waterings, let the plant dry out completely.
5. Use the new liquid Violet from Espoma to fertilize! Every two to four weeks in the spring, summer, and fall, indoor houseplant food.
6. Be thoughtful before replanting. Only when a plant is root-bound will an African violet bloom. Use organic potting soil designed exclusively for African violets, such as Espoma’s African Violet Mix, when it comes time to repot your plants. Choose a pot that is about a third the diameter of their leaf spread in diameter because they flower best in compact pots.
Can I use tap water to water African violets?
Experienced growers will tell you that one of the most crucial skills you’ll pick up when producing African violets is adequate watering. In fact, it’s possible that overwatering is the main reason violets die. The good news is that there are numerous effective methods for watering African violets, and this is a simple skill to pick up.
The quality of tap water can vary, although it will usually be acceptable in most places. The amount of chlorine may change depending on the season. In some places, tap water could include a lot of dissolved solids, chloramines, or chlorine. Your African violets might be negatively impacted by all of these things. You can get information on water quality from your water supply provider, or you can have your water tested independently. In order to remove any chlorine, it is often a good idea to fill a jug with water and leave it out overnight. You can also use filtered water, reverse osmosis water, or water that has been packaged. Your African violets will have a difficulty with any dissolved salts in the water from your water softener.
With favorable results, many growers use rainwater. While chlorine and chloramines, two major contaminants in tap water, are normally absent from rainfall, it is possible for contaminants to enter the water during collecting. For instance, pollen, roofing chemicals, and bird droppings may all be present in roof runoff. Make sure the water you gather is pure and free of pollutants and particles.
Testing the pH of your water on a regular basis is a smart idea. Since the amounts of chlorine and chloramines tend to be higher in the warmer months, tap water can change with the seasons. You can change your pH using goods that are pH up or down, which are available at aquarium or hydroponics stores, if it is outside the 6.5-7.5 range that is ideal for African violets. Products that lessen or get rid of chlorine and chloramines are also sold at these shops.
Many farmers will mix their granular or liquid fertilizer with water in a jug before using the mixture to water their plants. In order to maintain a low but continuous level of fertilizer for consistent blooming and growth, the fertilizer is applied at a low strength. If the instructions call for 1/4 teaspoon per gallon every week, for instance, use 1/8 teaspoon.
Top or bottom watering is frequently used by casual growers or farmers with smaller collections. When the top half inch of soil seems a little dry, water the plants either from the top or the bottom. Test the soil’s top with your finger for dryness or raise the pot to feel its weight (pots with dry soil feel lighter than those with moist soil).
To catch drainage, a bowl or saucer is placed underneath the pot. Pour water through the soil, being careful to keep it off the leaves, to water plants top-down. Add the water directly to the saucer and water from the bottom. When watering from the bottom, it could take the plant a few hours to soak up the water all the way to the top of the pot. In either instance, after a few hours, drain any water that is still in the saucer.
Advantages:
- Other than having a saucer handy, not much preparation is needed.
- You can examine each individual plant to see the amount of water it need.
Disadvantages:
- can take a lot of time, especially if you have many plants.
- Watering while away might be challenging.
- Plants are simple to overwater, which might cause root rot.
Do not immediately flood the plant with water if it becomes extremely dry or begins to wilt. Water cannot be absorbed by a dry root system because the roots require time to “before they can suck water again, they will swell up. Simply sprinkle a tablespoon of water on top of the soil, and repeat in about an hour or so, or as needed, until the soil is completely saturated and the roots can once again operate. The plant could benefit from additional humidity provided by being placed in a plastic bag to aid in its recovery.
Act soon if the plant is limp although the soil is quite damp. To assist drain the surplus water, place the plant on a wad of paper towels or folded newspapers. The plant will be rescued if the middle rows of leaves survive even if the outer rows are lost.
When watering violets, wick watering is practical, especially if you have a sizable collection. Make sure you have the right pot size and potting mix before you start wick-watering; otherwise, your plants may rot from the excess moisture in the soil.
To ensure that there is sufficient of air around the roots even when the potting mix is wet, the potting mix must be extremely porous. Use potting soil that has at least 50% coarse perlite. For optimal porosity, growers with high humidity levels can require extra perlite. When purchasing potting soil, look for terms like “wicking mix” to see if it is appropriate for this kind of watering.
Before planting your violet, wet the potting mix so that the wicking process will work as intended. For a 4-pot candle, the wick should be 6 to 8 inches long and made of synthetic materials such as acrylic, rayon, nylon yarn, cording, or strips of old pantyhose. Utilizing capillary action, wick watering draws water through your plants.
When repotting, insert a damp wick by threading it through the pot’s drainage hole and all the way to the top rim, then adding potting soil and the violet. Alternately, you might use a hook like stiff wire, a crochet hook, or a long darning needle to insert the wick after potting. To bring the wicking material through the hole, insert the tool’s straight end into the hole on the bottom of the pot, catch it in the hook, and pull the tool from the top of the pot. Don’t pierce any leaves at all.
The wick should hang out of the pot’s base and fall into a water reservoir below. It is best to keep the pot away from the water used for fertilizer.
A recycled glass jar or a plastic food container could serve as the reservoir. Create two holes in the cover—one for the wick and one large enough to allow you to refill the reservoir with water (so that you do not have to remove the top).
Some people use a large water-filled tray with numerous plants as a communal reservoir for wicking water “There is an egg crate on top. You can buy egg crates—which are used to diffuse fluorescent light fixtures—online or at hardware stores. It is convenient to have a community reservoir because you only need to fill one as opposed to several. However, there is a big drawback. On the same communal irrigation system, pests like soil mealybugs and some fungus (phytophthora and rhizoctonia) can spread from one plant to all of the others.
- quicker than watering each plant separately.
- Large reservoirs can hydrate the plants for weeks without any problems during vacations.
- Frequently, algae blooms in the reservoir. To fix, cover the reservoir’s sides with a sheet of plastic and line the reservoir from top to bottom. When the plastic turns green, you can discard it rather than scrubbing the entire reservoir. Alternately, to stop algae growth, add one tablespoon of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of fertilized water.
- The plant might not be able to absorb the water. To fix, add water through the pot’s top to try to activate the capillary action. Two or three wicks may be required if the pot is large and shallow (such as for trailing violets).
- It can get too wet for the plant. Repot the plant in that situation using potting soil that contains extra perlite.
Watering a mat is like to watering a wick. A moist absorbent pad is used to support the plants. Although it’s possible to place pots directly on the mat, some people put wicks inside of them to make sure the mat is in contact with the pot. The wick and mat material both need to be synthetic. You can cut up old (or inexpensive) blankets, synthetic felt, or fleece to fit the mat. Regularly add water to the tray, just enough to keep the mat moist. Use a porous soil mixture similar to the one for wick irrigation. Small plants respond incredibly well to mat irrigation.
Some growers cover plastic egg crates that are elevated above the water with their matting. The egg-crating is shaped to rest on the tray’s rims. With one or more “tails” dangling on the side into the tray of water below, the matting is cut and put out on the crates. Because of these tails, the matting will stay moist for a longer period of time. For the wicking mechanism to function correctly, the matting needs to be completely damp.
- less reservoirs to fill than if each wick were to be watered individually.
- It could dry out the mat extremely soon.
- Some of the plants may not receive enough water if the shelf is not level.
- Through communal watering, pests and illnesses like soil mealybugs and some fungi like phytophthora (crown rot) can spread very quickly.