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 Growing African violets is rewarding, not to mention beautiful!
Enjoying these beautiful flowers year round in your home
is easy, especially with this step-by step method.
Before You Begin
The secret to African violets is simple – this is
a plant that has very specific needs, all of which need
to be met if you want your violet to thrive. For instance,
you must take care not to splash water on their leaves,
or the greenery will be damaged. African violets also need
a set temperature and specific amounts of nutrients and
light.
The most effective way to provide the perfect environment
African violets need to flourish is to purchase a plant
stand with a grow light, along with a timer and fertilizer
designed specifically for your violets.
Growing African Violet Instructions:
1. Begin right away with choosing the best plant you
can from your plant store. The leaves should be green and
healthy, and you should look for one that hasn’t budded
yet, if at all possible. Fill a small-spouted watering can
with water and let it sit overnight to get rid of the tap
water chemicals. This will also allow the water to attain
a lukewarm, tepid temperature. Immediately re-pot your violet,
which leads to Step 2.
2. Re-pot your African violet in a shallow plastic or glazed
clay pot with a deep saucer underneath it to catch the runoff.
The saucer should be deep enough to come well up the sides
of the violet pot. Put some pebbles in the bottom, closing
up the drainage holes, and use specific violet potting soil
if you can. Otherwise, amend your potting soil so that it
winds up as 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 vermiculite
or perlite. These additives will ensure that your soil has
the correct Ph balance for your African violet. When you
re-pot, place your soil mix in the bottom of the pot and
hold your violet in the middle of the pot. Gradually add
soil around your violet. When it stands up on its own, add
a little bit more soil around the top and gently press it
down with your fingertips. Don’t squish the soil! The
soil needs to be loosely compacted in order to create the
right environment for your violet.
3. Take your tepid water and water the saucer until water
comes to the brim. Let your violet sit in the saucer water
for about an hour. This will provide the humidity violets
need without drowning the roots. Every time you water your
violet from now on, however, water it according to Step 4:
4. Take your deep saucer and the rest of your pebbles
and put a layer of pebbles about ½” deep in
the bottom of the saucer. They need to be as level as possible
because you will place the violet’s pot on top of them.
When you water your violet, water the pebbles in the saucer,
taking care to not let the water touch the bottom of the
actual violet pot. Never water an African violet from above;
if the water touches the leaves it could kill the leaves.
Never use cold water straight from the tap. Always let it
sit over night. Check the water level of the pebbles every
few days and top it off if the water level is low.
5. Situate your African violet under your grow-light
and make sure that it’s not getting too much light.
If it is, the leaves will turn brown. Adjust your timer accordingly.
Using these 5 simple steps you should have beautiful African
violets in no time!
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