How to Grow African Violets (2024)

African Violet Care

African violets will thrive in bright, warm and humid conditions. Keep water from touching their leaves or brown spots may develop. Remove dead flowers and leaves to encourage a healthier plant. Regularly check the soil for excess moisture, which leads to root rot.

African violets should be kept in moist enough conditions that they don't dry out and exposed to good air circulation. Don't be discouraged if your African violets suffer some damage—it's all part of the process.

Light

African violets do well in bright but not direct sunlight. They are commonly grown under fluorescent lights placed 12 to 15 inches above the leaves. If the leaves start getting light green, your plant is getting too much light, while thin and dark green leaves or a leggy plant indicate too little light.

Soil

A well-drained potting mix is essential for African violets. Poor drainage can cause root rot, in which the plant becomes waterlogged and its leaves begin to fall, so make sure that the plant is never allowed to be exposed to standing water for an extended period of time.

Water

Keep soil moist with warm water and strive for high humidity. Use a moisture meter to determine how often to water instead of watering on a set schedule.

Do not allow water to contact the leaves of the plant to prevent damage. Water from below, or push the water spout into the soil when watering. Don't allow the plant to sit in water.

Temperature and Humidity

African violets like warm and humid conditions and thrive at 70 degrees. Do not allow the temperature to fall below about 60 degrees. Keep the plants away from any drafts in the home.

Fertilizer

Feed with an African violet fertilizer every other week during the spring and summer. For the amount to use, follow product label instructions.

Types of African Violets

African violets are available in single and double flowers, frilled, and different shaped flowers. Their flowers come in all different colors, and the plants have widely varied leaf shapes. They come in both single crown and also multi-crown, trailing plants. These are just a few examples.

• 'Persian Prince' is a miniature-sized plant with scalloped medium green leaves and semidouble dark purple flowers.
• 'Lyon's Lavender Magic' is standard size with medium green foliage, and white with light purple colored star-shaped flowers that can be single or semi-double and frilled.
• 'Hawaiian Pearl' is a standard size plant with dark green foliage and has a semi-double star shape flower that is ivory with a dark lavender/rose band.
• 'Summer Twilight' has variegated leaves with frilled lilac-purple flowers that have a white edged border.
• 'Lonestar Snowstorm' has variegated leaves with single white frilled flowers.
• 'Little Maya' has dark green foliage with deep crimson red flowers.

Pruning

Carefully remove any dead leaves. Once blooms are spent, deadhead them to encourage the plant to stay healthy and bloom again.

Propagating African Violets

African violets can be propagated from leaf cuttings or from offsets. It is fairly easy to propagate from a leaf from an adult plant. Here's how:

1. Select a healthy green leaf from the bottom of the plant and using scissors carefully snip it off at the base of the plant.
2. Cut the leaf stem at a 45-degree angle to 1/2 inch in length.
3. Put the cutting into a small pot that has been prepared with a mixture of vermiculite and peat, then water.
4. Cover the pot with a plastic baggie and place in bright, indirect light.
5. You should see new baby plants in about 12 weeks. Wait until they're bigger and separate them from the leaf and transplant.

Adult plants occasionally produce small plantlets or shoots from the side. Remove these and pot up independently. Removing them also encourages better blooms on the parent plant.

Potting and Repotting African Violets

African violets do better when they are slightly under-potted. Repot only when necessary into a pot that is one size up and use an all-purpose potting soil or African violet potting mix.

To repot these plants, simply grab the plant as a whole, lift it, and replace it with a larger container, making sure not to damage their root systems in the process. Only plant up to where they were originally planted, and do not cover the crown of the plant.

Common signs that a plant is stressed out and needs to be repotted include falling leaves and overcrowding, as well as roots that protrude from the surface of the soil. Keep an eye out and repot the plant if you think it'll help.

Common Pests and Diseases

African violets, like all plants, can be affected by common pests and diseases. Common pests include spider mites, mealy bugs, and cyclamen mites, which, once noticed, can be taken care of with neem oil or an insecticide.

Diseases include fungi such as botrytis blight, crown rot and root rot. To help avoid these diseases, don't overwater your plant, and provide it with the proper lighting, fertilization, and air circulation.

How to Get African Violets to Bloom

These plants can bloom year round when health. Provide them with the proper light, water, humidity, fertilizer, and soil. African violets start blooming and flowering for longer periods of time when the begin to fill their pots but are not yet root-bound.

When the flowers are spent, make sure to deadhead them, as this will encourage the plant to flower more. Hopefully, you'll see new blooms in about six weeks.

Common Problems With African Violets

Plant Doesn't Bloom

If your African violet is not producing flowers, this is likely because it is not getting enough light or that the temperature and humidity are not correct. Place the plant in bright, indirect lighting, or use fluorescent lighting, and ensure the temperature in the room is at least 70 degrees.

Spots on Leaves

African violets do not like to have water on their leaves, which causes spots. Water these plants from the bottom, by placing the container in a bowl, or use a self-watering pot to prevent this problem.