Background

African violets are among the most popular houseplants, and it's easy to see why. They're relatively easy to grow, and come in an astounding array of varieties, with multiple variations in leaf type and flowering characteristics. Best of all, given the right conditions, African violets will bloom repeatedly throughout the year, and for some, continuously all year long! Just provide them with the conditions they prefer, and you'll be rewarded with beautiful African violets, too.

How to Care for African Violets

Planting and Repotting.  Outdoors, plant in rich, well-draining soils, amended if necessary with rich, organic materials such as compost, garden soils and planting mixes. Repotting plants indoors, use a potting mix formulated especially for African violets. Use a pot slightly smaller than you might for other plants of the same size, since African violets bloom best when they are slightly rootbound.

Light, Temperature and Humidity. African violets like partial shade, moderate to high humidity and steady warmth. Indoors, choose a bright, warm spot with plenty of indirect light and a temperature range of 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Lack of sufficient light is the most common cause of bloom failure. To sustain blooms in winter, you may need to provide a few hours of artificial light each evening.

Feeding. Feed everytime you water with a water soluble plant food formulated for African violets.

Watering. Outdoors, the soil should be kept evenly moist, but never saturated or soggy. Water with a drip hose or by hand at soil level as overhead sprinkling will damage those plush, velvety leaves that make the plant so unique. Indoors, keep potting mix evenly moist with tepid to room temperature water, allowing soil to dry to the touch before watering again. Avoid getting water on leaves, and never use cold water, which may cause leaf damage.

Insect and Disease Control

African violets are not generally prone to frequent pest and disease problems. Below are a few of the more common problems you might encounter. Test any sprays recommended on a single leaf before applying to entire plants, as African violets can be extremely sensitive to sprays.

Crown Rot. A fungus disease usually caused by excessive watering, poor drainage or planting too deeply. Older leaves droop, younger leaves appear stunted , turn black and die. Treatment: None for affected plants. To prevent, make sure plants have adequate drainage and water only when soil is dry at the surface.

Botrytis Blight. A fungus characterized by water-soaked lesions on the underside of leaves. Leaves, stems and flowers turn dark, often with a fuzzy coating. Treatement: Remove affected plant parts. Keep leaves dry when watering. Lower humidity and improve air circulation.

Powdery Mildew. A fungus characterized by a white powdery substance growing on the leaf surface. Treatment: Remove affected leaves. Treat remaining leaves with a fungicide spray.

Ring Spot. This is a physical problem caused by allowing water to splash on the surface of leaves in sunlight, or watering with cold water. Use only room temperature water, and apply only to soil.

Cyclamen mites. Extremely small pests indicated by stunting or curling of flower buds and/or leaves in the center of the plant. Flower buds may fail to open. Treatment. Usually it's best just to discard infested plants and sterilize containers before reusing. Valuable plants may be treated with a miticide.

Mealybugs. Soft-bodied insects characterized by masses of cottony like material in their adult stages. Sticky substance (honeydew) may be found on leaves under insects or on surfaces around the plant. Treatment: The waxy, cottony material protects adults from sprays. Apply rubbing alcohol on cotton swabs to these masses. Juvenile crawler stages of the insect can be controlled with insect sprays labeled for indoor plant use.

Aphids. Small, soft-bodied insects, usually appearing in masses. Sticky substance (honeydew) may be found on leaves under insects or on surfaces around the plant. Treatment: Spray with insect sprays labeled for indoor plant use.

Thrips. Very small insects that feed on pollen and plant tissue. Often, pollen will be noticed on leaves around flowers. Flowers may be deformed or turn brown at tip. Treatment: Remove and discard all flowers and flower buds. Spray with insect sprays labeled for indoor plant use.

Propagation By Leaf Cuttings & Division

African violets can be sown from seed, but most home gardeners find propagation by leaf cuttings or division to be easier and more reliable methods of growing new plants.

To propagate by leaf cuttings:

1. Take two or three young, healthy leaves from a mature parent plant, cutting the leaves (stalk and all) from the plant's base.
2. Trim the stalks of your leaf cuttings so that one to two inches of stalk remains below the bottom edge of each leaf. Make straight, crisp cuts with a sharp knife or razor blade. Sterilize the blade before and after each cut with rubbing alcohol or a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.
3. Prepare a cuttings mix composed perlite, or African violet potting mix. Fill one small plastic pot with mix for each cutting you intend to root, or put several cuttings in a tray filled with potting mix or perlite.
4. Make a narrow, angled hole in the potted mix or perlite with a stick or pencil.
5. Dip cuttings in a rooting hormone as instructed on the label. Insert cutting into dampened mix so that the entire stalk is buried and the bottom edge of the leaf blade is just barely above soil level.
6. Water your cutting well and allow the pot to drain, then cover the pot with a clear plastic bag or the bottom half of a clear plastic soft drink bottle. If using a plastic bag, keep it in place by wrapping a rubber band around the outer edge of the pot. If excessive condensation forms inside the bag, open it up and let the soil breathe for an hour or so, then reclose. If no condensation forms at all, add a little more water to the soil.
7. Place the covered container(s) in a warm spot with bright, indirect light.
8. When a leaf takes root it will produce several plantlets, usually within three to five weeks. Once this occurs, remove the covering from the pot and nurture the plantlets until they've grown sufficiently to be divided and individually re-potted in a firmer potting mix.

To propagate by division:

1. Water the plant you wish to divide, then allow just enough time for any excess moisture to drain.
2. Remove the parent plant from its pot and loosen the potting soil around the rootball through gentle shaking and jiggling. If the soil is too compacted to be loosened in this manner, carefully work some away from the bottom and one side of the rootball with your fingers. Try not to damage roots or stems while you do this, and loosen only enough soil to make the roots accessible.
3. Section the plant by gently prying apart segments of the rootball with a garden trowel or your fingers.
4. Trim off the trailing ends of any long, coarse roots that won't comfortably fit in a small pot, but leave all delicate, fibrous roots whole.
5. Fill one small (2.5 to 3 inch) plastic pot with an African violet potting mix.
6. Re-plant divisions, water immediately and feed soon thereafter with a plant food specially formulated for African violets.