Do African violets need direct sunlight?
African violets need bright light to bloom, but cannot tolerate hot, direct sun because their leaves are easily scorched by intense light. Violets bloom best at temperatures from 65 to 75 degrees.
How often should African violets be watered?
“How often to water African violets?” is perhaps the most pondered African violet dilemma. The best guide is to feel the top of the soil: if it is dry to the touch, then it is time to water. African violets should be allowed to dry out between each watering for best results. Overwatering can eliminate a plant.
How do you get African violets to bloom?
African violets need light to grow and produce flowers. The key is to get bright light in the morning or afternoon without excessive heat or intense sun. Signs of inadequate light include stretched leaf stems and small adult leaves. Too much light can cause the foliage to appear dull or bleached.
How do you take care of African violets?
Do you deadhead African violets?
Deadhead African violets to encourage more blooms. African violets make useful flowering houseplants since they can bloom for up to nine months per year. They do need the other three months off as a rest period.
Is coffee grounds good for African violets?
Yes, coffee grounds are a great homemade fertilizer for African Violets. Make a mixture of dried coffee grounds and dried egg shells, then work the coffee ground mixture into the top of the soil.
Can you use Miracle Grow on African violets?
African violets grow best in well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Miracle–Gro® Indoor Potting Mix is specially formulated to provide indoor plants like African violets with just the right growing environment.
Do African violets like to be misted?
Placing plants above water also provides them with moisture. It is the best way to humidify plants that can’t be misted because of fuzzy leaves that are susceptible to leaf spotting and rotting, such as African violets and the piggyback plant (Tolmiea).
How often should an African violet bloom?
How Often Do African Violets Bloom? One of the reasons African violets are so well-loved is that they can bloom nearly year-round with the right care. Each healthy flower will last two or three weeks. A happy plant can continue producing new blossoms regularly for 10 to 12 months out of the year.
Can African violets go outside?
African violets are tropical plants from East Africa. That’s why they make good indoor plants. They would never survive outdoors in most U.S. climates as a normal violet would. You can buy these plants almost anywhere, including grocery stores and garden centers.
How long do African violets live?
African violets can live a long time, as long as 50 years! To get them there, you need to provide good care which includes repotting African violets. The trick is knowing when to repot an African violet and what soil and container size to use.
When should I repot my African violet?
Many successful growers of African Violets recommend repotting with fresh potting soil, twice a year or more. At the very least, an African Violet should be repotted whenever the plant becomes rootbound, i.e., the Violet has outgrown its current pot to the extent that its roots are growing out and around the rootball.
What is the difference between African violet potting soil and regular potting soil?
Commercial African violet mixes are generally more porous and have better drainage than house-plant potting mixes. African violet mixes also are slightly more acid than regular house-plant potting soil. Many growers use soilless mixes. They do not contain natural soil from outdoors.
How do you revive old African violets?
Remove the plant from its pot, and gently remove as much of the old soil from it as you can with your fingers. Because African violet roots break easily, try to keep the damage to a minimum. Trim away rotting portions of the roots, and repot the plant in a clean pot that has bottom drainage holes.
What do you do with overgrown African violets?
If the African violet stem is bare and leggy more than an inch, the best method of saving it is cutting the plant off at the soil level and re-rooting it. Fill a pot with a well-draining soil mix, and cut the African violet stems at the soil level. Remove any deceased or sickly foliage.
How big can African violets get?
Standard African violet plants when fully mature range from 8-16 inches (20-40cm) in diameter across a single crown. The flowers on these plants can grow to 2 inches (5cm) across the petals and a single leaf blade can grow to 3 inches (7.5cm) in length.
Why are my African violet leaves growing straight up?
African Violet leaves curl or reach upwards when the light they receive is too low. The stems start growing longer in size and growing upwards as if they are reaching for the light. This causes the plant to become top heavy full of leaves and just long stems at the bottom.
Can you propagate African violets?
You can propagate African violets from seed, but it does require a couple of specific conditions. To sprout these tiny seeds, it’s good to use a light soil mixture of peat, vermiculite and greensand. A bit of Epsom salt can help to lighten the soil even more.