Caring For African Violets

The African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) can be one of the most satisfying flowering houseplants. It is a low, compact plant with attractive dark green, thick, hairy leaves. The violet-like flowers are borne in small panicles just above the foliage. Cultivars are available with pink, fuschia and white flowers, as well as the more traditional shades of blue-violet. Newer violets include cultivars with semi-double or double rows of petals. Bi-colored flowers and those with a contrasting border are popular. Trailing cultivars and miniatures are also available. Plants kept in good condition flower almost continuously.

Potting and Propagation:

A soil mixture composed of about 2 parts fertile loam, 1 part leaf mold or peat and 1 part sand or perlite is recommended for growing African violets. The soil must be porous to allow surplus water to pass through readily. Most violets are now grown in a pasteurized soilless mix--a good soilless mix is made up of 3 parts sphagnum peat moss, 2 parts vermiculite and 1 part perlite, with some lime added to balance the acidity of the peat moss. Compost, good garden soil or loam can be used for up to half of the total mix, with the other half vermiculite and/or perlite. A good growing medium should contain 50 percent matter, 25 percent air and 25 percent water. When potting African violets, take care to set the plant so that the crown is just above the surface and the soil is firmly pressed around it. Emphasis in planting should be on good soil drainage, as any free water on the surface may cause decay at the crown or at the bases of the leaf stalks. A saturated soil mix also leads to unthrifty top growth and root rots. A layer of coarse gravel at the bottom of the container will not improve drainage.

Store-bought potting mixes are pasteurized. If using a homemade potting mix, it should be pasteurized and the pots disinfected before planting. Place a 4-inch layer of the mix in a flat pan and wet it slightly. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and seal the edges. Preheat an oven to 180 to 200 degrees F. Place the soil in the oven and hold it at that temperature for at least 30 minutes before removing it to cool. When reusing pots, wash them thoroughly and then soak them for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 part household chlorine bleach in 9 parts water. Rinse the pots until all traces of chlorine are gone.

Repot violets about once a year, or when the leafless portion of the stem is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Gently remove the plant from the pot with a paring knife. Remove all lateral crowns, leaving only the center crown. Trim off one or two rows of leaves, leaving a wheel of leaves around the crown. With the paring knife, scrape the neck as you would a carrot until all the brown plant material is removed and the neck is firm and green. Break or cut off the bottom half of the root. Have a clean pot ready for the pruned violet. Gently firm in new soil around the plant and water well. The pot should be one-third the diameter of the plant; a 4-inch pot is usually adequate.

The usual method of propagation is by leaf cuttings during the spring. Cut off mature leaves with one inch of their stalks. Firmly plant the stalks into sand or vermiculite with most of the leaf blades exposed. Thoroughly water the sand. In greenhouses, the benches of cuttings are usually covered with light muslin or glass to keep the air moist. In the window garden, a few cuttings can be covered with a glass jar or plastic. In two to six months, young plants start from the bases of the stalks, which are ready to be potted after they have formed two or three small leaves.

Growing Conditions:

African violets adjust well to the warm temperatures and dry air of homes. Although they require good light, direct sunlight is not necessary. Windows facing north or east provide favorable light conditions and are preferable to those exposed to midday and afternoon sunshine during summer. The sunnier, warmer windows are better in the winter.

Ideal temperatures for African violets are about 60 degrees F at night and up to 80 to 85 degrees F during the day. The plants become stunted at cool temperatures and are slow to recover, even when moved into a warm place. Plants are especially susceptible to rot in hot weather (over 85 degrees F).

Watering:

The soil must be kept moist at all times, the foliage should be kept dry. Drops of water on the leaves cause disfiguring light-colored spots or rings. Proper watering can be simplified by keeping the pots in watertight saucers or bowls into which a little water is poured every few days. A wick extending through the drainage hole into a saucer of water may also be used. Another effective method is to submerge the pots in peat or sphagnum moss within in a larger container and apply water to the peat or moss as needed to keep the soil moist in the pots. In either of these methods, water moves from the saucer or peat by diffusion through the hole in the bottom of the pot and into the soil ball. More

By: The University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program