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This guide is intended to provide a basic overview of the culture of African violets. As you probably know, African violets are one of the most popular flowering houseplants and I am hopeful that these general aspects of care and culture will be useful to you. As with any information, you may want to adapt it to your individual growing conditions.
SOIL: Potting mixtures need to be very loose in order to accommodate the very fine roots of African violets, and to enable the roots to breathe. The products sold as African violet soil are usually too heavy to be used unless other materials such as coarse vermiculite or coarse perlite are added to make the soil lighter. Most growers of African violets use a "soil-less" potting medium based on a standard mix consisting of 3 parts of sphagnum peat moss, 2 parts of coarse vermiculite and 1 part of coarse perlite. There are many formulas for African violet soil mixtures, most adapted from this basic recipe. Another suggestion is to purchase at garden centers or feed stores, a product called ProMix-BX and to that, add equal parts of coarse vermiculite and coarse perlite, or any combination thereof, until you find a mix you are pleased with. Some growers add charcoal and dolomite lime to obtain a pH (acid/alkaline level) or 6.6 - 6.8. Remember, these mixes have no organic matter in them, and that is why regular fertilizing feeding is necessary.
FERTILIZING: To grow beautiful African violets, they must be provided with nutrients necessary for their development - the most important ones being Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Plants need nitrogen for healthy leaf and green color as well as healthy stem growth; phosphorus for the development of strong root growth and to stimulate blossom formation, and potassium to help the root systems absorb other essential nutrients and to adjust to changes in conditions such as cold and heat.
You want to provide your plants with a "well-balanced" fertilizer. Fertilizer labels will show a group of 3 numbers such as 20-20-20. This indicates that the fertilizer formula consists of 20% Nitrogen, 20% Phosphorous, and 20% Potassium; the remaining percentages are made up of secondary and trace elements and some inert materials. In other words, a "well-balanced' fertilizer will have nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, but does not have to provide them in equal amounts. Thus, you see fertilizer labels with 10-60-10, 20-30-20, 14-12-14, et.al. A suggestion would be to rotate several fertilizers every few months. When choosing fertilizers, look for those with little to no UREA content. Urea prohibits plants from absorbing the nutrients in the fertilizers and forces the plants to grow too fast and become somewhat weak. Organisms in the soil are wiped out, allowing disease and pests to increase.
Remember that your plants need more than just water to grow. They need plant food/fertilizer, and need to be fed on a regular basis. A suggested dosage is 1/4 teaspon of fertilizer to a gallon of warm water.
WATERING: African violets should be kept evenly moist - not wet, and should be watered as needed. Factors in your environment such as heat and humidity and your soil mix all will determine how quickly your soil dries. When the soil looks or feels dry, it's time to water. Use warm water with fertilizer added (1/4 teaspoon per gallon of warm water).
Plants may be watered from the top, or the bottom. If watering from the top with fertilizer water, be careful not to get the leaves wet as a spot or white stain may occur. If by chance, leaves do get wet, use a tissue to blot off the water. Occasionally, a warm water rinse (plain, warm water - no fertilizer added) over the leaves will help to clean the leaves. If bottom watering, place your plant in a small dish/saucer with warm fertilizer water and let it sit up to 20 minutes or so to absorb the water, and then remove it. A sure way to kill your plants is to over-water them.
POTTING: Select your pot. Plastic is preferred. Pots do not need to be deep as African violets have a very shallow root system. They should be approximately 1/3 the diameter of the plant's leaf span, so as a guide, visualize 1/3 of the plant in the center of the pot, 1/3 of the plant over the right side of the pot, and 1/3 of the plant over the left side of the pot. As Miniature and Semiminiature violets grow in the 6" to 8" diameter range, use a pot with a diameter no larger than 2 1/2". Standard violets, however, will grow 8" in diameter and larger and will need pots up to 6" in diameter.
In order to let your violet develop new roots, plants should be repotted once a year at the very least, preferably two to three times a year. You will also be removing any accumulated fertilizer salts in the old soil by replacing it with new.
LIGHT: African violets need bright light in order to stimulate bloom. If growing in natural light, an East or Southeast window is good. Just remember to place your plant at least a foot away from the window, away from direct sun. Turn your plant every day or two to prevent it from leaning too far in one direction.
If plants do not get enough window light, they will lack bloom even though the leaves appear green and look healthy. Sometimes you may find spindly stems, with their leaves growing upright trying to find some light. In this case, you might want to set up fluorescent lighting using two cool white tubes. Place your Miniature and Semiminature plants up to 6" from the lights and Standard plants 10" - 12" from the light.
TEMPERATURE: Violets like consistent temperatures in the 65-75 degree range. If temperatures are too hot, you will see smaller flowers or even cessation of bloom; centers of the plants will bunch and leaves will curl if temperatures are too cold, and leaves may become hard and brittle. Plants with variegated leaves will turn all green when too hot, and when returned to cooler temperatures, will begin to variegate again.
HUMIDITY: Humidity ranging from 40 - 50 percent is an ideal condition for your plants to bloom heavily. Experiment to find the best method to control the humidity around your plants, from placing pots on a tray filled with pebbles and water not above the pebbles, or by grouping your plants together.
FINALLY: Remember, this information is provided as a general guide to growing beautiful, healthy African violets. Take these suggestions and adapt them according to your growing environment. Happy growing!!!
SOIL: Potting mixtures need to be very loose in order to accommodate the very fine roots of African violets, and to enable the roots to breathe. The products sold as African violet soil are usually too heavy to be used unless other materials such as coarse vermiculite or coarse perlite are added to make the soil lighter. Most growers of African violets use a "soil-less" potting medium based on a standard mix consisting of 3 parts of sphagnum peat moss, 2 parts of coarse vermiculite and 1 part of coarse perlite. There are many formulas for African violet soil mixtures, most adapted from this basic recipe. Another suggestion is to purchase at garden centers or feed stores, a product called ProMix-BX and to that, add equal parts of coarse vermiculite and coarse perlite, or any combination thereof, until you find a mix you are pleased with. Some growers add charcoal and dolomite lime to obtain a pH (acid/alkaline level) or 6.6 - 6.8. Remember, these mixes have no organic matter in them, and that is why regular fertilizing feeding is necessary.
FERTILIZING: To grow beautiful African violets, they must be provided with nutrients necessary for their development - the most important ones being Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Plants need nitrogen for healthy leaf and green color as well as healthy stem growth; phosphorus for the development of strong root growth and to stimulate blossom formation, and potassium to help the root systems absorb other essential nutrients and to adjust to changes in conditions such as cold and heat.
You want to provide your plants with a "well-balanced" fertilizer. Fertilizer labels will show a group of 3 numbers such as 20-20-20. This indicates that the fertilizer formula consists of 20% Nitrogen, 20% Phosphorous, and 20% Potassium; the remaining percentages are made up of secondary and trace elements and some inert materials. In other words, a "well-balanced' fertilizer will have nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, but does not have to provide them in equal amounts. Thus, you see fertilizer labels with 10-60-10, 20-30-20, 14-12-14, et.al. A suggestion would be to rotate several fertilizers every few months. When choosing fertilizers, look for those with little to no UREA content. Urea prohibits plants from absorbing the nutrients in the fertilizers and forces the plants to grow too fast and become somewhat weak. Organisms in the soil are wiped out, allowing disease and pests to increase.
Remember that your plants need more than just water to grow. They need plant food/fertilizer, and need to be fed on a regular basis. A suggested dosage is 1/4 teaspon of fertilizer to a gallon of warm water.
WATERING: African violets should be kept evenly moist - not wet, and should be watered as needed. Factors in your environment such as heat and humidity and your soil mix all will determine how quickly your soil dries. When the soil looks or feels dry, it's time to water. Use warm water with fertilizer added (1/4 teaspoon per gallon of warm water).
Plants may be watered from the top, or the bottom. If watering from the top with fertilizer water, be careful not to get the leaves wet as a spot or white stain may occur. If by chance, leaves do get wet, use a tissue to blot off the water. Occasionally, a warm water rinse (plain, warm water - no fertilizer added) over the leaves will help to clean the leaves. If bottom watering, place your plant in a small dish/saucer with warm fertilizer water and let it sit up to 20 minutes or so to absorb the water, and then remove it. A sure way to kill your plants is to over-water them.
POTTING: Select your pot. Plastic is preferred. Pots do not need to be deep as African violets have a very shallow root system. They should be approximately 1/3 the diameter of the plant's leaf span, so as a guide, visualize 1/3 of the plant in the center of the pot, 1/3 of the plant over the right side of the pot, and 1/3 of the plant over the left side of the pot. As Miniature and Semiminiature violets grow in the 6" to 8" diameter range, use a pot with a diameter no larger than 2 1/2". Standard violets, however, will grow 8" in diameter and larger and will need pots up to 6" in diameter.
In order to let your violet develop new roots, plants should be repotted once a year at the very least, preferably two to three times a year. You will also be removing any accumulated fertilizer salts in the old soil by replacing it with new.
LIGHT: African violets need bright light in order to stimulate bloom. If growing in natural light, an East or Southeast window is good. Just remember to place your plant at least a foot away from the window, away from direct sun. Turn your plant every day or two to prevent it from leaning too far in one direction.
If plants do not get enough window light, they will lack bloom even though the leaves appear green and look healthy. Sometimes you may find spindly stems, with their leaves growing upright trying to find some light. In this case, you might want to set up fluorescent lighting using two cool white tubes. Place your Miniature and Semiminature plants up to 6" from the lights and Standard plants 10" - 12" from the light.
TEMPERATURE: Violets like consistent temperatures in the 65-75 degree range. If temperatures are too hot, you will see smaller flowers or even cessation of bloom; centers of the plants will bunch and leaves will curl if temperatures are too cold, and leaves may become hard and brittle. Plants with variegated leaves will turn all green when too hot, and when returned to cooler temperatures, will begin to variegate again.
HUMIDITY: Humidity ranging from 40 - 50 percent is an ideal condition for your plants to bloom heavily. Experiment to find the best method to control the humidity around your plants, from placing pots on a tray filled with pebbles and water not above the pebbles, or by grouping your plants together.
FINALLY: Remember, this information is provided as a general guide to growing beautiful, healthy African violets. Take these suggestions and adapt them according to your growing environment. Happy growing!!!
Guide created: 09/10/06 (updated 05/03/09)
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