How to care for African Violets (flower)

African Violets is a popular flowering houseplant. They may bloom almost year-round under certain conditions and thrive in certain temperatures (between 60 to 75 degrees F).

How to pot and repot African Violets

Make your own soil from equal parts of peat moss, perlite, and garden soil. Allow their roots to be a bit crowded. Repot them to a larger pot only when more than a third of the rosette of leaves extends beyond the pot’s edge during spring or early summer.

Nip out with a knife the extra rosettes of leaves. Break or cut at the main stem the stalks of leaves that rot, turn yellow, or become crowded.

Do not leave any stem parts on plants for they will rot.

To do leaf cuttings, choose mature, healthy leaves and retain about one inch of their stem. In about a month, when tiny new leaves appear, transplant the rooted cutting to pots. Cover them with plastic bags with few punched small holes. For more or less 3 weeks, keep them in a warm, shaded spot.

How to Light African Violets

During summer, put them on an east or north window. During winter, you may have to provide extra light from incandescent or fluorescent fixtures from a southern exposure in which the rays of the sun are filtered.

Consider shading the plants from direct sun during fall and spring. Avoid exposing them to too little light or to light that is too strong.

How to water and feed African Violets

They grow best at a humid atmosphere and moist, but not constantly soggy, soil. You may stand the pot on pebbles in a saucer that is partially water-filled. Avoid contact between pot and water.

When the soil surface starts to dry out, water well with lukewarm water without wetting the foliage. Consider feeding plants with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer once a month (except in winter). (Trivia: What flower did Jose Rizal admire and write about in his poem?)