Hey there! February is here, and love is in the air. This month is all about my Valentine favorites! I want to share my love of caring for African and Flame Violets with you!
African Violets
If you have read my home page, you already know I have loved this plant a long time. Being my first house plant, African Violets have been a timeless love for me as a gift from my grandma.
Currently, I own three African Violet plants
I have also learned how to successfully propagate the African Violet and Roses. See my All About Roses post coming later this week.
African Violet Care
African violets are from Tanzania and Kenya. They are tropical plants and found in the Eastern Arc Mountains growing under cover of other plants.
This low-light habitat and growing conditions make African Violets the ideal houseplant. I found out quickly that they need sunlight, but not direct sunlight. The African violet I mentioned my grandma gave me quickly died due to direct sunlight conditions.
My bad! I did not know as much then as I do now about African Violets. That is why I want to help you care for your African Violets correctly.
Although African Violets are low-light plants, there are different levels of “low-light.”
Everyone has their way of explaining levels of light for plants. This is just the way I have found to work in my plant growing research and experiences.
An African violets’ lighting needs fall under the direct-light level, meaning placing them under a grow light works well during winter and placing them in a window with filtered sunlight in summer. Bright, indirect light works for them, too; they may not bloom as long.
Potting and Soil for Your African Violets
The first thing to consider when caring for an African Violet is proper pot and soil.
Pots
I prefer terra cotta pots for my African Violets because they dry out faster, and there is less chance for root rot to occur. Plastic pots can work; you must be more careful when watering.
A good investment would be getting a self-watering pot for your African Violet plant.
African Violets must have drainage holes in the bottom of the pot for 2 reasons:
To ensure proper drainage and for my preferred African Violet watering method. We’ll be getting back to that later.
If you are going to use a plastic pot for your African Violet, be sure you are extremely careful not to overwater. Also, make sure there are holes for draining in the bottom.
For more information on selecting the right pots, see my Beginner’s Level Rules #3: Let’s Talk Pots here.
Soil
The best soil for African Violets is a soil specifically designed for African Violets; it can be purchased at your local lawn and garden center and many stores online.
African Violet soil is different from others because it has a precise mix of sphagnum peat moss to hold some moisture and perlite to aid in draining so your plant does not get soggy. Many of these mixtures also include earthworm castings, bat guano, and forest products that provide needed nutrients for your plant to feed on.
Be sure to look at the ingredients list; many commercially bought soils also have added fertilizers like miracle gro in them. It will state so on the bag. It may read feeds plants for up to six months. It is okay to use these soils; keep a mental note of that when you fertilize your plant. You do not want to overfertilize!
I have developed my own mixture that works well for almost all my plants. Not all my plants; some have a specific soil. I will go into greater detail about soil in my Beginner’s Level Rule #4: Digging in Soil coming soon.
Fertilizing Your African Violet
You will need to fertilize, especially during the growing season. African Violets have a longer growing season than most other house plants do. When placed in optimal conditions, you will see growth and possibly blooms nine months out of the year.
Two of mine are not currently in bloom because this is their rest period, usually January through March; however, they are still growing new leaves every week. I do have one currently in bloom.
Quartz, the African Violet I have had the longest, is not in bloom, but she has been through a fungus infestation, and I had to treat and repot her. She is recovering very well.
I do fertilize my African Violets longer in the year than my other plants. I use a blooming plant fertilizer. It is specifically formulated for African Violets, but I use it on all my blooming plants.
Do your research before fertilizing! Read about my horror stories with fertilizers in my Warnings About Fertilizers post coming soon!
Watering Your African Violet
It took me some months to learn the proper watering method for African Violets. I had researched and read to be sure to carefully water so that you do not get water on your African Violet plant’s leaves. How the heck do you do that?
I am a clumsy human! No matter how careful I poured, water would run out from somewhere and end up soaking the leaves of my plant. African Violets leaves getting wet can lead to a whole lot of problems for your plant. The most common are brown or yellowing leaves. Your plant may also suffer from Crown Rot or Pythium, a fungus that can both be fatal to your plant.
Watering your African Violet from the bottom is the best method. Using this water method, you will need a plant tray, plate, or clean kitchen sink. I highly recommend using rainwater, distilled, or filtered water on your African Violet. To keep your plants’ leaves from discoloring from the chemicals and hard minerals in tap water.
Using one of the three waters mentioned above, fill the bottom of your kitchen sink or the plant tray or plate, whichever you are using, then place your plant’s pot in the water. Allow your plant to sit and soak for up to 30 minutes.
This watering method allows the plant to absorb water through its roots and avoids getting the leaves wet. After 30 minutes, be sure to remove your plant from the kitchen sink or plate and place your potted plant back in its spot. Or remove from its plant tray, pour off all the excess water from the tray, and then place the plant back on its dried tray.
Common Problems with African Violets
Root or Crown Rot
These happen when your plant becomes overwatered. If you allow your plant to remain submerged in water or allow its soil to become soggy, you are putting your plant at risk for root rot.
Root rot is a fungus that grows from moist conditions and attacks the roots of your plant. Roots exposed to root rot will become brown to black and mushy; healthy roots should be white and firm.
Crown rot is what happens when the crown leaves of your African violet get wet. It is also a fungus and turns the crown leaves, or middle leaves, of your plant gray to black and mushy.
Both Root and Crown rot is fatal to your plant. To prevent root rot, be sure not to overwater your plant, ensure your plant’s pot has good drainage holes and well-draining soil. To avoid crown rot, you should water your plant from the bottom. Be sure to check the soil with your fingers to feel how dry the soil is before watering. I usually allow at least 3 inches of the topsoil to become dry before watering.
Pythium
Pythium is also a fungus. This one almost took Quartz out! Quartz, my pink African Violet, developed this fungus in her soil this past August. Most plants do not survive it. I caught it early and took the proper steps to get rid of it. I think mine started from the soil.
In spring, I repotted Quartz to a bigger pot. When I did this, I was out of my regular soil and picked some cheap soil up on the fly. The fungus can happen in any soil; I am not saying you have to spend a lot on the soil to prevent fungus.
I first noticed the fungus when I saw mushrooms growing in Quartz’s pot. While yellow mushrooms in house plants are not harmful to your plants, I think the underlying issue can be.
Quartz had more going on than just her yellow mushroom friends. She had fungus throughout her roots. I repotted her in the same pot, but with all new soil. I was careful to remove any brown or black, mushy roots and stems.
I then placed her back in her spot. For the next two waterings, I diluted a fungicide; I purchased it from my local nursery.
I also was careful to only water when her soil was almost all the way dry. In October, I repeated the diluted fungicide waterings. Quartz has bounced back from this.
She is now fungus free and has healthy new leaves growing. I am happy to have saved my plant!
The second of my February favorites are:
Flame Violets
I only discovered Flame violets a few months ago. I had no idea they existed. My Flame Violet, Lilith, has red and green, fuzzy leaves, and its blooms are trumpet shaped.
Caring for Flame Violets
Flame Violet care is almost the same as caring for an African Violet. The only difference I have found is they need a little more moisture; you can accomplish this by adding a humidifier to the room or watering more frequently.
I hope this helps you care for your African and Flame Violets!
Until next time!
