The African Violet: Beautiful and Easy to Grow

Of all the flowering house plants, the African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) is by far the easiest to grow from my personal experience. It is definitely the easiest to have bloom again and again. The African Violet will produce beautiful clusters of flowers in shades of pink, white, purple, reddish and bicolors. The African Violet also comes in a miniature size, and I am serious when I say miniature. The containers these tiny flowering plants are grown in are not much bigger than the tip of a thumb. While I prefer the regular size African Violet, the miniatures are cute and would look great in a terrarium for color, but it would take a lot of the tiny ones to make any sort of impact.

The African Violet is not as fussy as many people think it is. I honestly have them bloom in my home throughout the year no matter the light source. I have African Violets in a room that faces northeast and receives very little sun and the violets bloom close to that window. I also have them in a south facing room a few feet from the window and they bloom there as well. The African Violet will also do well under artificial lights, but they will just need to be closer to the light source. Many people choose to put their African Violets a few inches under a fluorescent light for about fourteen hours a day to have plenty of blooms and then rotate them to different locations in the home for color. They really do not need to be placed in a full sun location as they much prefer bright light or placed near a sunny window, just not directly in the window. The African Violet will go through a period of rest from flowering occasionally. Before you know it, the little buds will begin forming again and they will resume their flowering show.

The African Violet forms beautiful clusters of flowers on green hairy leaves which form a rosette. The leaves don't like to have water spilled on them and cold water will leave a discolored spot on the leaf. It is often said the only way to avoid this and safely water an African Violet is to put the water in the drain tray and let the soil soak up the water. You can water them this way if you feel a need for the extra precaution. I don't find this necessary and continue to water the African Violet from the top of the soil. I simply use a narrow watering-can spout and gently water underneath the leaves. If any water spills on a leaf, I just use a soft cloth to blot the water away.

The hairy leaves on the African Violet need to be gently dusted with a very soft brush or cloth occasionally. The African Violet also needs to have the dead blooms picked off when they are flowering to encourage more flowers and keep them from going to seed. My violets seem to love being groomed. I keep the dead leaves at the bottom of the rosette picked off, the dead flowers and just generally tidy the soil and wipe the leaves clean. They respond to this grooming and occasional fertilizing with a whole new batch of gorgeous blooms. The African Violet needs to be kept evenly moist, never soggy.

The African Violet also needs to be kept out of cold drafts and given sufficient humidity. Since the leaves do not like to be wet, misting these flowering plants won't work. One way to give them the humidity they need is by placing pebbles on a tray and filling the tray with water just below the pebbles. The African Violet's pots can then be placed on the pebbles and the water's evaporation will increase the humidity all around the violets. The water will need to be checked often as it will evaporate rapidly in a dry heated home in the winter. An electric vaporizer or humidifier is another way to increase the humidity level for plants, humans and animals as well. Indoor fountains are another relaxing way to add moisture to the air.

African Violets will sometimes need to be divided and this is an excellent way to increase your number of plants. If you notice the plant has developed two rosettes of leaves, then it's time to divide the violet. It really is not difficult and both of the plants will eventually suffer if they are left in the same pot. The shape will also become very unattractive. When it's time to divide and repot the African Violet, take the plant out of the container and place it on an appropriate surface that will not be damaged. You will need to use a sharp sterile knife to gently cut through the root ball in between the two violets. The African Violet will have two distinct "crowns" forming from the stems. Cut between these at the soil surface and continue slicing through the soil to separate the root ball. Try to leave enough roots intact for both plants to survive the transplant, although the original "parent" plant usually will have much more roots and this is fine. Place pebbles in the bottom of both pots for drainage and put African Violet potting mix in the bottom of both containers. Place each of the now separate plants in the center of their pots and fill the soil in approximately the same level on the plant as before. If the "parent" plant is old and has a long stem developing, you can sink this stem partially in the new soil. You can now water both violets and hopefully both will survive their transplant and eventually reward you will a whole new batch of flowers.