Let’s get going now!
Step 1Prepare Your Rooting Medium
I combined two parts perlite with one part potting mix for African violets for this project. It should look like a delicious crumbled cookie concoction.
Step 2Add Water
Just enough water should be added to the rooting media to allow you to clump the substance together.
Although others advise comparing it to oatmeal, I’ve never taken a handful of the stuff before. When creating the ideal sandcastle, it feels more like a fistful of sand.
Step 3Fill Your Pots
The rooting media should be poured into the two-inch pots (or whatever size you have). Make holes in the dirt by poking them with a pencil or another item of a comparable size. The leaf stems will be inserted here.
Step 4Choose Leaves
Take off the host plant’s mature, healthy leaves. These leaves have to be healthy and devoid of any pest or disease troubles.
To use as cuttings, choose leaves from the plant’s middle row. The youngest leaves are those that emerge from the core of the plant, while the oldest leaves are those that are the largest on the exterior. The best leaf material for cuttings is found in the center rows.
To prevent rot in the host plant, be sure to remove as much of the leaf stem from the crown as you can.
Step 6Apply Rooting Hormone
Be aware that rooting powder is a very mild irritation before we begin this stage. It can upset the stomach and irritate any mucous membranes it comes into contact with if consumed. Although they are not necessary, gloves and eye protection are always a good idea.
Dip each stem just a little bit into the rooting hormone. I’ve always dipped my cuttings directly into the hormone powder vial, but if you’d rather, you can mix some of the hormone onto a flat surface. As long as around half of the length of the stem receives a fine coating, you don’t need to cover the entire leaf stem in hormone powder.
You only need a faint layer, not more. Tap the extra powder from the leaf stem gently. A little rooting hormone goes a long way, just like soy sauce.
Step 7Potting Up the Cuttings
Put each leaf’s stem into the rooting medium with care. The rooting medium’s surface should barely touch the leaf’s blade. Rosettes of the new plant will grow from this region.
Step 8Add Support
Make sure the leaves don’t fall into the ground by using the plastic plant tags (or other support you’ve selected) as a stand.
There is a simple solution if the trimmed leaves are too tall to fit within the container.
Each leaf can have its top cut off cleanly, thereby removing the top half of the leaf.
Step 9Create a Mini Greenhouse
Fill the clamshell containers with the potted, soon-to-be-beautiful African violets. Make sure that all of the cuttings and pots fit within the container before tightly closing the lid.
The container must be able to close securely so that the potted cuttings are kept in a warm, humid atmosphere.
At this point, your main objective is to try to replicate the environment where Saintpaulia once lived. You can closely resemble the plants’ natural cloud forests by putting them in a well-drained rooting media and keeping them in a small greenhouse with some bright light.
Open the container every now and then to let excess moisture escape or to add more as needed.
Step 10Transplant Your New Violets
Your leaves should be turning into proper violets after a period of about eight weeks. They should have grown a few baby leaves at the plant’s base (really, they’re cute), and should be approximately two inches tall.
Transfer these plants into a container that is one size larger and fill it with the same mixture of African Violet Mix and rooting medium that we used for the cuttings.
Can an African violet be rooted in water?
You undoubtedly wish you could have a lot of African violets in your indoor garden if you love them as much as I do. The good news is that these gorgeous floral plants are simple to root.
African violets can be rooted in water using a leaf, which is the quickest and simplest method I’ve discovered. You can use a leaf from one of your own African violets or even one belonging to a friend.
1. Fill a wide-mouthed container with warm water close to the top. Make sure to tightly wrap a piece of plastic wrap around the surface.
2. Pinch a mature, yet yet young, African leaf. It should be in good condition—green, attractive, and undamaged. Leave at least an inch of the leaf stem intact when you remove the leaf from the plant’s base. Two inches are preferable. Make a straight, non-jagged cut.
How long does it take for cuttings of African violets to germinate?
The most common technique of propagating African violets is via leaf cuttings since it is both simple and effective. This project should be completed in the spring. Take a healthy leaf and its stem from the plant’s base using a sterilized knife or pair of scissors. Reduce the stem to roughly 1-1.5 inches in length (2.5-3.8 cm.).
Consider dipping the stem’s tip into some rooting hormone. Put the cutting in a hole dug in potting soil that is one inch (2.5 cm) deep. Water the area surrounding it thoroughly with lukewarm water while pressing the soil firmly.
By covering the pot with a plastic bag and fastening it with a rubber band, you can give your cutting a little greenhouse atmosphere. Just be sure to occasionally let the cutting have some fresh air. Keep the soil in the pot just moist and place it somewhere sunny.
Usually, roots start to grow after 3 to 4 weeks. In 6 to 8 weeks, new, little plants typically develop leaves. At the base of the cutting, many plants ought to sprout. Carefully pluck or chop away the young, little plants to separate them. You will receive a brand-new plant from each of them.
Can African violets be grown from cuttings?
Leaf cuttings are a simple way to multiply African violets. Cut off a portion of a firm, healthy leaf using a sharp knife. Keep the petiole, or leaf stem, 1 to 112 inches from the leaf blade. Vermiculite and coarse sand mixed 50:50 with moisture should be placed in a pot. Each leaf cutting’s petiole should be inserted into the rooting medium at a 45-degree angle. Each leaf cutting’s petiole should be firmly encircled by the rooting medium.
Once all of the cuttings have been placed, moisten the rooting media and let it drain for a while. Next, put a transparent plastic bag over the clippings. Use tape or a rubber band to attach the plastic bag to the pot. The leaf cuttings’ water loss is significantly reduced by the contained habitat, which also keeps them from withering and dying before they have a chance to take root. Place the pot in a well-lit area. Normal root formation takes three to four weeks. In six to eight weeks, new plants typically sprout leaves.
At the base of each petiole, many plants typically emerge. Carefully pluck or cut apart the plants to separate them. Individualize plant care by potting each one into a container with a well-drained potting mix.
How Long Does it Take a Cutting to Root?
It takes a cutting of an African violet 3–4 weeks to develop new roots. You’ll start to notice fresh leaves about three to four weeks later. Repotting should be done when there are 2 to 3 new leaves emerging. The duration of this treatment can range from two to six months.
How Do You Collect Seeds From African Violets?
You must manually pollinate African violet flowers in order to extract the seeds from an African violet. After about a month, if you are successful, a seed pod will appear. After giving the pod two months to mature, carefully pry apart the pod to extract the seeds.
Are African Violets Easy to Grow From Seeds?
African violets are typically started from cuttings, although they can also be started from seed with relative ease. About the same amount of time is required. The seeds will probably need to be ordered because they can be challenging to gather on your own.
Propagation Temperature
Are you unsure about the ideal temperature for your brand-new, small African violets? The fact that African violets thrive in typical domestic settings contributes to their ease of maintenance. Maintain the temperature of these new plants between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night and between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
Although mature African violets may tolerate the rare dip or spike in temperature, they prefer the same conditions as developing African violets. Avoid allowing the temperature to rise over 85 degrees or fall below 60 degrees since these extremes might slow or kill budding African violet plants.
Which is preferable, repotting African violets in soil or water?
While growing African Violets in soil avoids the need to plant them in soil, growing them in water is far more enjoyable since you can watch the roots and tiny plants develop up close. It is quite acceptable to inspect the plant to see if the roots have developed every 5 minutes. Don’t give up, though; the first symptoms of growth may not appear for some time. Even if you think the bottom end of the leaf looks a little strange, as long as the leaf appears healthy, you are on the correct route (almost like it would be decomposing a little).
Simply submerge your leaf (including petiole) in water after cutting it. Choose the proper container because the leaf shouldn’t actually come into contact with the water.
Room temperature should be reached by the water. Most of the time, tap water is fine, but you might choose filtered water if you think your tap water is mineral-heavy. Unless it gets murky, you won’t actually need to change the water too often. Refill as necessary, and after a few weeks, change the water.
Put your cutting in a location with plenty of indirect light, but avoid too much direct sunlight.
Now, just wait and watch. Depending on the season and the leaf, you should start to notice the first hints of roots sprouting after a week or two. However, it may take longer; these may take their time, much as the propagation of a ZZ plant may take some time. Keep in mind that roots may grow as long as the leaf is strong and healthy.
First Root after Two Weeks
Our leaf developed its first root! The roots hadn’t yet appeared on the other two. A few days later, the second one began displaying roots. However, the third one took an additional two weeks (this was an ancient leaf).
The first two’s roots are developing well. The third one does appear pretty mushy and brown in the photos, but it will still produce roots (soon).
All three of them eventually developed roots, and they are all becoming stronger every day! Daily new growth is apparent, making it a fascinating process to watch.
Months Later
About two months later, the first young plants began to emerge (in what seemed like an overnight thing). Things will start moving more quickly from this point on because the roots are good and solid.
Weeks More
There are a ton of perfectly grown young plants present after another three weeks or so. It’s interesting to note that the oldest leaf, which took the longest to form roots, also generated the most young plants.
You can either plant your water-propagated African violets in soil when they reach this size, or you can put them back in the water and wait a little while longer.
Separate the Baby Plant From Leaf
Gently detach the petiole of the old leaf from the newborn plant’s roots. You should be able to remove the old leaf with your fingers, but if you feel uneasy or worried that you could harm the new plant, you can also cut it off. Use only sterile tools, please.
Put the young plant in the ground. You can purchase soil specifically made for African violets, but regular potting soil is also acceptable.
Place the young plant in soil with care, covering any exposed roots with earth. Do not completely drench the soil in water.
We like to place the baby seedlings into a bag for a time as the final stage in plant propagation. In addition to retaining moisture, this will deter any possible pests. Your newborn plant may appear a little under the weather for the first few days, but it should quickly recover and resume growing.
How long does a cutting take to take root in water?
Cuttings can be grouped together in a single container. Before the cuttings are completely rooted, make sure to add new water as necessary. Most plants will begin to root in 3–4 weeks, but others can take longer. The cutting is prepared for potting when the roots are at least 1-2 inches long.
To remove an African violet from a leaf, how do you do it?
Maria in New South Wales, who has a creative way to hit African Violets, brought along this suggestion. Take the Africa Violet leaf cutting as usual, then acquire a piece of paper towel that is about 5 centimeters broad. Place it into some shallow water after carefully rolling it around the base of the leaf. When the cutting develops roots, you simply pot it up as usual using the piece of paper towel as a wick to keep it moist.
Thank you, Maria, for the wonderful advice. I believe it would also apply to other plants, like Begonias and Coleus, that you grow from leaf cuttings.
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