- The unglazed, semi-conical ceramic planter is where you will place your African violet.
- After planting the African violet, you will place the planter inside the elegant ceramic pot.
- When it’s time to water, take the conical planter out of the pot and pour room-temperature water into it halfway.
- Place the conical planter inside the pot once again.
- The non-glazed ceramic will allow the house plant to gradually absorb a little water at a time.
- African violet soil should never be saturated or completely dry; it should always feel just slightly moist to the touch.
- Empty the decorative dish if you believe your African violet has absorbed enough water.
African Violet Care
The African violet is not a true violet. They are not a member of the plant family Viola. They are a member of the plant genus Gesneriads. These endearing species are thought to have first been seen in the western world when Baron Walter Von St. Paul brought them back from West Africa in the 1800s. The collection of Baron St. Paul was delivered to Germany. With their fuzzy emerald leaves and vividly colored blossoms, African violets were an instant hit and are still among the most cherished and well-liked house plants today.
Over the past few centuries, hybridizers have had a lot of fun with this species of plant. Dark purple blossoms are what gave the African violet its name in its original common form. Today, you can find African violets in every shade, including lavender, different blues, pink, white, and bi-color varieties, all eager to enhance your home in a way that few other houseplants can. You can find leaves that are flat, green, with a distinctive velvety texture, and flowers that are single, double, semi-double, and ruffled.
Based on the width that the plant will eventually attain, African violet gardeners divide these plants into four size groups. African violets come in a variety of sizes, including those larger than 16, those between 8 and 16, those between 6 and 8 semi-miniatures, and those less than 6. The incredible range provides countless options for your home’s dcor.
In these handcrafted ceramic African violet pots, we do not recommend using peat moss. The best gardeners we know have informed us that this inexpensive product may really do more damage than good to your plant. Purchase a small bag of soil designed especially for African violets from your neighborhood nursery. Sand and pine bark should be used to create it so that the plant’s roots have breathing space. Our African violet pots are made with special features that prevent you from drowning your plant when watering it from above. Using our two-part African violet container to water from below is the best option.
The majority of gardeners concur that growing this plant is best done on a window sill that faces northeast. A lack of light can cause thin, straggly leaves that are straining to find the light source they require, while an excess of light can result in tiny, rumpled, yellow leaves. Dark green foliage and a rounded, compact mounding habit are characteristics of a healthy African violet.
Fluorescent lights will work if you don’t have a window with a northeast exposure. Your African violets should have the strength and stamina to bloom and thrive with an average of 14 hours of light every day from these artificial lights, which should be positioned so that they dangle about a foot above the plants. For this, you don’t need to buy pricey grow lights.
We advise looking for an organic fertilizer for African violets. This is crucial if the violets are placed near food areas, in the kitchen, or anywhere else where kids might play. It is advisable to be as safe as you can while growing plants inside by selecting organic African violet food because chemical fertilizers should not be consumed. Your plants will need regular fertilizer because they are being grown in pots, which will re-enrich the soil.
Aphids are a common problem for gardeners, but they can also appear on indoor plants. Tiny white and green bugs are known as aphids. Many insecticides designed to poison garden insects are probably available to you, but we kindly ask you to avoid spraying potentially toxic chemicals inside your home. Each year, over-the-counter pesticide exposure sends thousands of individuals to the hospital, many of whom are young children.
The good news is that you don’t need any unpleasant pesticides to entirely get rid of pesky aphids on your African violet plants. Take the plant outside if it becomes infested, then just brush or blow the aphids away. For this delicate technique, you can use a tiny paintbrush or cotton swab. Check the undersides of the leaves and petals for any potential hiding places for tiny insects. These tiny insects are undoubtedly enjoying themselves on your beautiful African violet plant, but if you’d rather not have them there, the aforementioned approach is kind to the naive aphids as well as kind to your home and the environment.
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thoughts on “How to use your African Violet Pot
Does anyone know whether the violet’s unglazed pot will lose its capacity to let water seep through? I have successfully raised African violets for many years, but now that they are dying, I’m wondering if this is because the pots have become less permeable over time, preventing water from penetrating.
How should an African violet be planted in a self-watering planter?
I found that a few of the self-watering pots I bought (somewhere else) never let water seep into the pot where the soil and the plant were. Due to water not penetrating through the inside liner pot, I lost two violets. Any recommendations?
When functioning properly, a self-watering “violet pot” maintains the soil’s consistent moisture by allowing the water in the outer, glazed pot (reservoir) to keep the inner, unglazed pot wet and the soil inside by osmosis. Sometimes you merely need to start the process if the inner pot is clean and unglazed. Before using (potting in), try giving the inner pot a good soak in (hot) water. This will clean it up and, in a sense, open up the pores, allowing capillary action to take off. In the beginning, water the plant from the earth’s surface so that the inside pot and soil are both damp. When the wet inner pot is immersed in the reservoir water, the self-watering procedure should start.
Self-watering pots are suitable for African violets, right?
Although picking a pot for your African violet plant is down to personal style, you can bear in mind certain fundamental tips to guide your decision.
What kind of pot material is optimum for growing African Violet plants?
- Plastic is the material that requires the least maintenance because there is no risk of the soil drying out.
- They last a very long time.
- They come in a range of sizes and colors.
- A plastic pot with a diameter of 4 inches is shown below; this size is suitable for standard or large African violet plants.
What kind of pots for baby African Violet plants or leaves?
- I suggest using tiny plastic mouthwash cups for newly potted African Violet baby plantlets or for laying down leaves for propagation.
- They are available in 2 or 3 sizes.
- For drainage, you can drill a few of holes underneath.
- Images of African violet plants and/or leaves in mouthwash cups are shown below.
Can I use ceramic pots for my African Violet plants?
- The other material is ceramic, which has exquisite vintage variants available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and designs.
- If the ceramic pot has sufficient drainage and is the right size, you can pot your African violet plant right into it.
- Check out “What Pot Size To Use For African Violet Plants? for additional information on the appropriate pot size for your African violet plants.
- Otherwise, you can conceal your African Violet plant in a plastic pot by placing it in a little bigger ceramic jar. This is merely for aesthetic reasons. Here are two pictures of a ceramic pot holding a potted plant.
Can I use clay pots for my African Violet plants?
- Clay pots are an option, however they are not advised.
- Clay pots would require constant monitoring of the watering because they dry up rapidly.
- African Violet plant roots may become stressed by the cycle of wet/dry soil.
- If you are not careful, they might also break.
- Mold may also grow on the pots and around them.
Self-watering pots for African Violet plants?
- African violet plants can also thrive in self-watering pots.
- I advise utilizing self-watering pots for plants with deep roots.
- Plants with weaker or smaller roots probably wouldn’t do well in self-watering pots, in my opinion.
What kind of pots to use for trailing African Violet plants?
- Shallow pots are ideal for growing trailers.
- A pot with a minimum depth of two would be suitable.
- Azalea pots are effective.
- Even bulb pans are effective.
- Plastic shallow dishes and pans can also have holes drilled in them.
Love self-watering containers good for violets?
African violets and other plants that require moisture can be easily maintained in self-watering ceramic pots. The plant is held in one of the two distinct pieces, which is unglazed to let water slowly seep through to hydrate the soil, and the water reservoir is in the other piece.
Should the bottom of an African violet plant be watered?
Use only water that is room temperature because African violets are sensitive to temperature. Avoid soaking the plant’s fuzzy leaves or stem since water might get trapped there and lead to rot or fungus.
Watering an African violet plant is most effective when done from the bottom up. For 30 minutes, submerge your plant in a small tray of water and let the soil absorb the moisture through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. To prevent the roots from being soaked in water, let the pot drain in your kitchen sink or bathtub once the allotted time has passed. This will prevent root rot.
When 25% of the soil volume has dried out, Pangborn advises watering to maintain the soil continuously moist.
How are self-watering pots filled?
Although not all self-watering planters will have every component listed below, they often come with the following:
- water storage
- container for plants
- Wicking system
- add tube
- overflow spout or hole
- water level gauge
- a drainhole and a stopper
A self-watering planter typically has a top area for your potting soil and plants and a bottom piece for the water reservoir. Reservoir sizes vary, frequently in relation to the container’s overall size. A 5-gallon reservoir is not uncommon in bigger pots, whereas a 1-gallon reservoir may be found in smaller planters (or even less). You should look for a planter with a water reservoir that is big enough to hold the volume of potting mix in the container above and that you won’t need to fill every day.
To directly pour water into the reservoir, use a fill tube or other type of opening. This can range from a straightforward tube positioned in the planter’s corner to a hole in the rim of the container or an entrance in the wall that provides easy access to the reservoir. To keep vermin and debris out of the reservoir, some tubes include covers. (I like that option, but I always lose the cap until it’s attached to the container.)
Some planters contain a gauge that displays the reservoir’s water level. These are useful because you’ll know when the reservoir needs to be refilled.
Every planter ought to have an overflow system that lets water drain away if the reservoir gets too full. This retains water at the proper level after a hard rain and prevents plants from lying in water, which would rot them quite rapidly, if you accidentally overfill the reservoir.
Finally, a drainage hole with a plug enables you to drain the container at the end of the season or bring it indoors if there’s a possibility that the water inside the reservoir could freeze.
Do planters that water themselves lead to root rot?
These container systems have the following drawbacks:
- Self-watering pots are not appropriate for all plants: Succulents, orchids, and other plants that require their potting soil to dry out between waterings should not be grown in self-watering pots. These kinds of plants will develop root rot as a result of the ongoing dampness.
- Self-watering pots are ineffective outside in humid or wet weather: High humidity and rain will cause outdoor self-watering containers to become soggy. Although it helps, an overflow outlet cannot stop extra water from entering the soil in the first place, wetting it rather than keeping it evenly moist.
How do self-watering plants function?
By using sub-irrigation, plants are irrigated from below rather than above. For thirsty plants (like the Ficus family), the roots can grow through the sub-irrigation insert and straight into the reservoir for continuous access to water and nutrients. This technology is used in our self-watering planters, which also have a patented sub-irrigation insert.
It can be useful to look to nature for an understanding of the entire process. When it rains, the soil absorbs the rainwater, and gravity then pushes the water down into the subsurface layers of clay and stone. Deep root systems of the plant continue to be able to take water from the subsoil’s water stores while the upper layers of soil dwindle. Due to the roots’ continued availability to water, plants can survive droughts even when there is water retention in the subsoil. Instead of allowing the plant to rely on top waterings when a human judges the plant to be thirsty, typical indoor planters do not make use of this natural mechanism.
With no guesswork involved, self-watering planters use sub-irrigation to distribute water directly to plant roots. The plant may drink at its own pace thanks to the water reservoir at the bottom of the planter, which also serves as a visible cue for carers that it’s time to water the plant.