Do African violets need direct sunlight?
African violets need indirect sunlight, direct can burn the leaves. Choose a north- or east- facing window for best results. Keep plants away from cold glass and rotate the pot once a week so all leaves receive light.
How much water do you give an African violet plant?
Place plants away from floor vents, fans, or entrance doors to avoid air drafts and bursts of cold air. In general, African Violets need just enough water to keep the soil moist, but never soggy. Too much waterwill leave your African Violets susceptible to such deadly pathogens as Pythium, Root Rot and Crown Rot.
How do I know when my African violets need water?
How to tell if your African Violet plants need watering?
- Visually if the middle leaves of the plant look droopy, dull or limp it may be time to water the African Violet.
- If the droopy leaves are combined with dry top soil, then the African Violet needs to be watered.
How much sun and water does an African violet need?
They are perfect windowsill plants as long as there is lots of indirect sunlight for them to absorb. Windowsills that face east or west are the best locations for the plants which require 10-14 hours of light and eight hours of darkness a day for maximum blooms.
Do African violets like to be crowded?
Violets need to feel crowded to bloom, but when a plant gets too big for its pot, divide the plant’s separate-looking leaf heads. Place in potting soil after the roots and leaves become well formed.
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.
What does an overwatered African Violet look like?
Shriveled Appearance and Mushy Stems If your African Violet’s stems are mushy, or the plant has shriveled you are overwatering. A healthy plant will look strong and vivacious, with firm stems. If the stem has any give when you squeeze them there is an issue.
Should you remove dead flowers from African violets?
When removing spent blooms, also remove dead or dying foliage. 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.
Why are the bottom leaves of my African violet drooping?
Watering is at the root of all African violet drooping leaves’ problem. For instance, when the potting soil is too dry, the leaves will droop because they aren’t getting enough moisture. On the other hand, the plant will also droop when the soil is too wet.
How do you rejuvenate African violets?
If a majority of the roots are still white or light-colored, prune off the rotted roots, and re-pot the plant in soil for African violets in a container with several drainage holes. You can water from top or bottom with water at room temperature or slightly warmer. Make sure the plant to drain well.
What do you do if you overwater an African violet?
If you have soft, limp or mushy leaves due to overwatering, first of all stop watering the plant. Then gently remove the soft, limp or mushy leaves and gently remove plant from pot. Gently remove the old soil, not too much soil, as the African Violet plant likes to be root bound.
Can you bring an African violet back to life?
If it’s been a while since you watered your African violet, give it a good drink; its leaves should spring back to life within 24 hours. If, on the other hand, your African violet is well-watered and still droopy, check to see if your plant is by an air vent.
How long does African Violet live?
50 years
How do I know if my African violet is healthy?
The plants thrive on a happy medium in terms of sunlight. You can tell if your violet has proper sunlight by checking the leaves. In too much sunlight, the leaves turn yellow and the edges burn. In too little sunlight, the leaves will appear to be a healthy green, but there will be no blooms.
Should African violets be watered from the bottom?
Should I water African violets from the top or bottom? Either is fine. It is important not to use cold water; lukewarm or warm is preferred. If you water from the top, be careful not to get water on the leaves when the plant is in the sun; this is to avoid leaf spots.
What kind of pots do African violets like?
For best results, plant African violets in African violet pots, which are small (4- to 5-inch) ceramic or plastic self-watering containers. Growing plants in these pots will provide the proper amount of continuous moisture to the plants.
How often should you water African violets from the bottom?
Examine the soil with your fingertip, if it feels dry, be ready to water the plant. They require more or less water depending on what type of potting soil you use. However, flush the soil thoroughly with water every month or 6 weeks.
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 many times a year do African violets 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.