This low - growing , easy - care houseplant with wooden-headed , blurry leave blooms repeatedly .
KRITSADA PANICHGUL
Blooming off and on during the wintertime months , African violets unfurl pretty flowers in shade of white , pink , red , purple , and downcast . Some varieties of these democratic houseplant also sport double blooms and cock petal . The case-by-case flowers last for a calendar week or more . Count on the flora to be in bloom for about a month before read a forgetful break and erupting in a profuseness of flowers again .
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Where to Place African Violets
The ideal place for African violets is an east- or north - confront window where they get bright direct Christ Within but only little to no sun . In a window , place the plant twelve to eighteen column inch from the glass . Keep them away from heat reference such as radiators where the aviation is very dry .
African Violet Care Tips
If you provide these plants with the right grow condition , African violets willbloom repeatedly with little caution .
Light
African violet grow well in shining east- or north - facing windows . Avoid locations where they willreceive direct sunlight in the afternoon ; too much sun can burn off foliage and foreclose the plant from blooming . twist plant weekly to encourage even growth on all sides .
If there is no suitable windowpane , you may also identify the plant under develop luminosity positioned 10 to 12 inches above the plant .
Soil and Water
African violet necessitate a lightweight potting mix with a high amount of perlite , vermiculite , and peat moss peat moss . you may also purchase a particularly formulated African reddish blue potting intermixture .
The soil should be moderately moist at all time . Plan to water your plant life at least once a week in summertime and more frequently in winter when the soil tends to dry out quick . Room temperature water is ripe .
The means you water African violet also matters . Overhead watering methods damage the foliage . When water droplet fall on the fuzzy leaves , they often leave behind slimy brown slur . Instead ofwatering from above , place pots in a shallow dish aerial take with about an inch of body of water . The plants will absorb water from the bottom . A broil cooking pan or flat - bottom soup bowl is pure for watering African violets . exit the plants in the water tray for about 30 minutes .
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Temperature and Humidity
African reddish blue hail from moist , humid environments . In wintertime , the air in most home does n’t have enough moisture for great growth and blossoming . You canbump up the humidity around your plantsby create small water artificial lake . fill up a shallow tray , such as a pot dish antenna , with an inch or two of gravel . Add piss to the tray so it is just below the Earth’s surface of the gravel . set your African violets right on next to the gravel trays . The water will evaporate and humidify the atm around your plants .
Fertilizer
Pruning
Remove any fading or shriveled leave and flowers to further the growth of more peak .
Potting and Repotting African Violet
African violets should be potted in a abject , shallow planting quite a little with with child drain holes . practice a eminent - quality potting mixing for indoor plants or African violet potting admixture and place the violet in the pot so that the crown is just above the soil line . Water plants thoroughly after pot to promote skillful physical contact between the base and stain .
Generally , African violet develop and bloom best if you repot them about once a yr . It ’s prison term to repot your plant life when you note excessive loss of humiliated leafage and lengthening of the central grow point . Choose a skunk that is slightly wider than the previous container .
Pests and Problems
mutual problems of African reddish blue include powdery mildew , root or top putrefaction . thripid are a common pesterer of African reddish blue . They not only eat on the plant life but also transmit a deadly computer virus call in Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus .
How to Propagate African Violet
African violet can be well propagated from leafage cuttings . Remove a healthy folio with a stem of 1 to 2 inches long , cutting the stem at an angle . Fill a 4 - column inch kitty with a moist , porous mix , such as vermiculite and/or perlite , or either one mixed with peat moss .
in full insert the radical and about ¼ column inch of the leafage in it . Cover it with a perforated credit card domed stadium or a zippered charge plate pocketbook . Keep the average moist at all times in a tender location aside from unmediated sun . It may take two month for new plantlets to organise on the leaf . Repot the new industrial plant in individual pots with worthy potting mixture .
Types of African Violet
Benediction African Violet
Saintpaulia ionanatha’Benediction ' take over large ruffled lilac blossoms over scollop unripened foliage .
Vermont African Violet
ThisSaintpaulia ionanthaselection blooms in robust , mystifying purple . Its medium green leaves have reddish petioles and bottom .
Tomahawk African Violet
Saintpaulia ionantha’Tomahawk ' has cherry violent bloom and cryptic unripe leaves .
Frequently Asked Questions
African violets are not toxic to human race or ducky but you should avert touch the leaves because they are very delicate and easy damage . Always handle them lightly to stave off bruising the leave of absence .
Failure to flower is often because of a deficiency of light . It is a far-flung misconception that African violets can grow in very low light context but as a matter of fact , they do necessitate indirect sun and wo n’t bloom if they are placed in a dark street corner somewhere .
Updated by Nadia Hassani
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit:KRITSADA PANICHGUL
