The Saintpaulia species of African violet has white petals with purple margins that contrast with the white petals. Barbara H. Smith, HGIC, Clemson Extension, provided the image.
Saintpaulia species, also known as African violets, make beautiful interior flowering plants. Under ideal growing conditions, they produce flowers all year round in a variety of floral colors. Under ideal circumstances, a single flower cluster can endure three to six weeks. Many of the more recent cultivars have petals that are arranged in double or nearly double rows. Popular flower varieties include those with contrasting borders and bicolor petals. There are also available trailing cultivars and miniatures.
African violets should be purchased when?
African violets grow best throughout the summer since both the plants and their growers are content during this season. Violets are ready to go, as long as you are practicing proper culture.
At this time of year, all the labor you put into caring for your African Violets is well repaid.
If you do not put in the work, do not anticipate getting strong results at the May exhibition.
Clean up your plants and repotte them in new soil if they have been in the same pot and soil for a while. To get rid of accumulated fertilizer salts, the soil can be properly cleansed. Pour enough water out of the pot by submerging it in water until it is saturated, draining it, and then filling it up again from the top. Make use of warm water, ideally rainwater.
In order to help the plant grow better until it reaches a size where it can support a good head of blossoms, little plants shouldn’t be permitted to flower. Leaf growth slows down after letting it blossom.
If you didn’t use much fertilizer throughout the winter, you can now gradually up the dosage. Just be careful not to go overboard. Cut off any unhealthy roots and any leaves that have reached the end of their usefulness. Now is the time to tidy up the plant and give it a decent symmetrical shape.
You could definitely discover that your violets are congested. This is a very frequent occurrence, so you must be firm and make more room or remove the ones you don’t need; otherwise, the vigorous growth you may anticipate over the coming months will make your difficulties worse.
Choose your favorite plants today, and make the commitment to cultivate them for our exhibition in May. Provide them with lots of space, groom them once a week, and keep the leaf symmetry.
Follow the 12-week plan, which calls for a fertilizing regimen and the removal of all blooms and buds up to 6–8 weeks before the performance.
from a Bob Richardson article (African Violet Society of South Australia Inc.)
When do African violets bloom each year?
With the correct care, African violets may bloom for almost the entire year, which is one of the reasons they are so popular. Each flower will endure two to three weeks if it is healthy. A healthy plant can continue to routinely produce fresh blossoms for 10 to 12 months of the year.
African violets are actually relatively low maintenance provided the appropriate circumstances are met, despite their reputation for being a little fussy. You may give your African violet the best chance of success (also known as continuous bloom!) by learning more about its maintenance.
A word on genetics: Your plant’s genes are the one thing you can’t change. Some people are natural performers, while others live their entire lives with stage terror. However, if it has previously bloomed, chances are good that you can encourage even the most reticent plant to rebloom.
How often does an African violet bloom each year?
Hopefully you were able to pinpoint the cause of your African violet’s failure to bloom, and you now have the knowledge necessary to solve the issue. Here are some additional queries you can have regarding African violet blossoms.
How often do African violets bloom?
African violets can bloom for almost the entire year. Your African violets should bloom for 10–12 months a year if you can supply the ideal circumstances. An average bloom lasts for two to three weeks.
What time of year do African violets bloom?
If the correct conditions are present, African violets can bloom all year long. Indoor-grown African violets require at least eight hours of light each day in order to blossom. This means that if your African violets don’t get enough daylight throughout the winter, you might need to supplement with artificial light. However, African violets typically continue to bloom indoors throughout the winter as long as they receive enough light.
Should I pinch off African violet flowers?
After they have completed flowering, African violet blooms shouldn’t be left on the plant. The plant can focus more energy on growing new blossoms by removing the wasted flowers. Additionally, removing the plant’s remaining dead blossoms makes it look more appealing.
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 capable of winter growth?
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.
How long does an African violet live?
Because of their lengthy lives, repotting these flowers is crucial. Ryan McEnaney, public relations and communications specialist for Bailey Nurseries, advises consumers to keep in mind that African violets can live for up to 50 years. To avoid becoming overly root-bound, plants can be repotted into larger pots as they mature. It’s probably time to relocate your African violet when it has doubled or quadrupled the size of your container and the leaves are beginning to wilt, according to McEnaney.
However, you don’t have to repot your plants right away. If your African violet appears to have outgrown its container, don’t rush to relocate it, advises Brian Parker, senior merchant for Live Goods at Home Depot. “African violets are best when their roots are in a little bound condition,” he adds. “They will produce and perform for years and years with just a simple routine of the right light and food,” the speaker said.
Are violets in bloom right now?
Violets are part of the same genus as pansies. Viola odorata, one of the most well-known species and often known as sweet violet and garden violet, is a perennial plant that can grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. Violets, like the majority of violas, have the capacity to bloom all the way through the summer, starting in late winter or early spring. However, they typically stop blooming in the late spring or early summer when the weather gets warmer. You too can keep those violets blooming all summer long if you adopt a few habits.
Provide shade for the violets, particularly in the afternoon. Your violets can continue to blossom if you keep the daytime temperature below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large potted plant or a bird bath close by to give the essential shade while they are growing in a sunny spot.
On days when the temperature can rise beyond 80 degrees, mist violets with water in the late morning or early afternoon to keep them cool. Throughout the growing season, keep the soil moist as well. Around the base of the plants, add 2 to 3 inches of mulch, such as crushed leaves, to keep the soil cool and retain moisture.
After the blossoms have faded, pinch them off. When spent blooms are removed, violets respond well to deadheading and continue to bloom rather than using that energy to produce seed.
What does the African violet represent?
Maybe it’s because of their yearly blossoms, which promise to bring some happiness up until the time of death. Maybe it’s the memories they evoke of learning about houseplants for the first time with parents or grandparents. Maybe it’s the tender care and ideal circumstances provided for these sensitive plants. Whatever the reason, the meaning of the African violet is devotedness, dedication, and constancy.
African violets are a considerate and adoring gift to give on Mother’s Day, special anniversaries, and any other significant occasion.
How do I get my African violet to bloom again?
If growing circumstances are ideal (see below), the plant will rebloom in 6 to 8 weeks even if you remove any existing flowers or buds (disbud), according to the African Violet Society of America.
How often do African violets bloom?
A healthy African violet will produce blossoms, typically several at once and lasting several weeks, under the appropriate growing circumstances. In 6 to 8 weeks, fresh flowers should bloom if you remove the old flowers’ buds (see above). According to some farmers, their plants bloom “almost continuously” for up to 10 months out of the year. My personal observations indicate that this is more likely to be a total of about 6 or 7 months, with breaks when new flowers are emerging.
Succulents are African violets, right?
The African violet belongs to the genus Saintpaulia (Streptocarpus), which also comprises numerous other varieties of blooming perennials. Despite their common name, they are not related to violas; rather, the term was given to them because of the attractive flowers they produce. African violets can bloom in a range of colors, including blue, violet, lavender, pink, red-violet, lavender-pink, white, and purple, despite the fact that we often associate them with the color purple. African violets are indigenous to Tanzania’s high-elevation tropical rainforests.
The most distinctive feature of African violets, outside the blooms, is their fuzzy, succulent foliage. An adaptation to assist the plant collect water from the air is the fine hairs on the leaves. The decorative value of some cultivars is increased by the presence of ruffled or variegated leaves.
Depending on the variety, African violets can reach heights of 2 to 6 inches and widths ranging from 3 to well over a foot. The majority of the plants have flower clusters in the center, barely above the foliage, surrounded by layers of dark green leaves that resemble rosette shapes. Some varieties have blooms with bicolored petals, semi-double or double layers of petals, trailing growth patterns, or microscopic size. Plants that are properly cared for can bloom practically continually.
The optimum grow light for African violets is what color?
Grow lights with red and blue light emissions are best for growing African violets. To boost the amount of light output in the red and blue spectrums, LED lights can be added to a grow lighting system. Red lights help violets bloom, while blue lights aid in photosynthesis. African violets that are subjected to artificial illumination may experience leaf bleaching, a condition where the leaves become paler. Leaf bleaching-prone violets should be grown under indirect sunlight.
Can African violets be grown outside in the summer?
African violets typically cannot survive outside. Despite being very hardy plants, you need to create the ideal environment for them. African violets are native to Tanzanian rainforests, therefore your backyard is probably not up to the task. The unpredictability of outside surroundings makes it impossible to offer the ideal conditions these plants require to flourish.
However, the fine print contains a lot of ambiguity. Some gardeners claim that some areas have more hospitable climates; others insist that African violets thrive best when grown outside only occasionally; and many say categorically “NO” to the topic in its whole.
Let’s examine what you need know about cultivating African violets outside.