Over 125 years ago, an interesting little plant was introduced to British collectors as “Usambara Violet,” botanically Saintpaulia ionantha. Today it is lovingly known throughout the world as African-violet.
Today the descendants and hybrids of this plant number in the hundreds or thousands of varieties. African-violet clubs at one time outnumbered the total of all other plant societies.
Those not yet caught in the contagious enthusiasm for the African-violet may wonder about the reasons for its phenomenal popularity.
First, the convenient size of the plant is apparent to everyone, even at maturity, like a window sill ornament – beautiful plants flourish in pots 3″ inches in diameter or less.
But size alone would never be enough to take a plant to the top of a popularity poll. So flowering plants are always much sought after, and this is where the African-violet excels.
When it is really happy, the African Violet will flower almost continuously, an attribute of few other plants.
Collecting the African-violet is ideal as there is an endless variety of color and form of the flowers and the leaves. In addition, collecting is made easier by the simple means of propagation from a single African violet leaf and the fact that leaves are easily mailed or shipped in polyethylene bags.
Of great importance, of course, is the African-violet’s ability to grow under average house temperatures. They are happy where they get good light but no direct sun. As a result, many are grown under fluorescent light, even in the absence of daylight, creating an entirely new indoor hobby.
Related: How to Propagate African Violets
Some Call African Violet The Perfect Plant
Is the African Violet the perfect plant? “Yes!” say thousands who have windows full to overflowing. “But,” comes the weak echo, “they won’t flower for me,” or even a more sober thought, “they die on me.”
What then is the secret of growing this “perfect” plant? Some say it is soil; others say it is light, watering, or, perhaps, plant food. And then someone always mentions an elusive green thumb. But let us put aside all the confusing and conflicting testimonials and study a few facts.
Lighting and Your African Violet
Next comes the question, “Which light exposure is best?” Certainly, no one exposure can be called best. Homes can be found with African violets thriving in every window and every exposure. But this observation seems of little help if your plant won’t flower.
There is an ideal amount of light to strive for. It has been conclusively shown that African violets flower most abundantly with eight hours of daylight or artificial light at 500 to 700-foot candles, or the equivalent spread over more hours.
This is helpful information for those with a light-meter instrument, but suppose you don’t have one! Then there are two simple alternatives:
1) Try your plant in other windows not previously tried. A plant getting too much sun usually looks yellow, and stems will be short, leaves clustered tightly together.
If you must use a too-sunny window, use a thin curtain between plant and window during the sunniest part of the year, or move the plant farther away from the glass, if possible. If the plant isn’t getting enough light, the stems will be very long.
2) If you feel you can’t provide a window with enough light, grow them wherever you wish with the benefit of fluorescent lights. Even in the absence of any daylight, excellent results can be had.
The standard setup has two or three 40-watt tubes placed about 10 inches apart. Some growers add a 40-watt incandescent bulb for each 40-inch length of 40-watt tubing. Read: African Violets Under Lights – An Easy Plant To Grow
African Violets and Temperture
First, let us take the temperature. African violets respond best to a night temperature that is higher than the day temperature. This is quite the reverse of most other plants, which prefer a lower night temperature.
The best temperatures for African Violets were found to be 75° at night and 60° in the daytime.
This surprising fact was discovered by the most detailed research using thousands of plants under carefully controlled and measured conditions. Many alert amateurs are taking advantage of this information by supplying supplemental heat to the plants at night with a soil-heating cable.
Plants are placed in a tray over a bed of sand underlaid with a heating cable turned on at night. In some cases, it is found that the temperature is higher at night near a radiator, a favorable condition.
However, African violets grow reasonably well under a fairly wide range of temperatures.
Keep in mind that temperatures below 60° will severely slow growth. This means that in very cold regions, plants may have to be moved away from the window at night since the temperature near the glass is usually considerably lower than in the room.
Most commercial greenhouses growing African-violets maintain about 65° at night, 70° by day. They find it too costly to keep high night temperature, but the cost is no great problem for the amateur when only a few plants are concerned.
Humidity And African Violets
Humidity – when it’s high in summer, we humans hate it. African violets adore it. What happens in winter? We turn on the heat, and the air becomes dry, actually too dry for humans and the African violets.
Fortunately, it’s simple to add moisture to the air, at least in the vicinity of a few plants.
One method is to use shallow trays that will hold an inch or more of pebbles sand or perlite. This is kept constantly moist, and pots rest in or directly on this base. Small humidifiers can also be used to add a surprising amount of moisture to the air, often several quarts a day.
Related: Summer Care for African Violets
African Violet Soil A Wide Range Of Soil Types
There is probably more mystery preached about African Violet soil than any other factor concerning plant growth. However, one point is certain from all the proposals for various soil mixtures, some with as many as seventeen ingredients. African violets tolerate a very wide range of soils.
Years ago, tests at the University of California included fine sand mixed with peat moss, avoiding the variable and troublesome “loam” item and simplifying the mixture. Slowly available fertilizers and lime were incorporated, and steam sterilization was carefully followed.
The U.C. mixes, probably most suitable for African-violets, range from their mix C, which is 50% peat moss, to mix D, 75% peat moss.
Their recommendations for solid and soluble fertilizers for use after planting do not differ greatly from commercial products available to amateurs. However, the test reports recommend higher phosphorus than is furnished by most formulas.
Perhaps the most helpful advice to give is this:
1) Use the best soil you have available. By best, I mean a bagged African violet mix or the (sterilized) soil from your garden highest in organic matter, thus well-drained and porous.
If you live where pure clay or sand is prevalent, you will need to add sand or perlite and peat moss or compost to clay; and if your soil is sandy, add compost or peat moss.
If you prefer a formula, mix one-part good loamy soil, three parts compost or peat moss, and one part sand or perlite. If you can’t mix your soil, buy a mix offered by a specialist or store.
2) If you find it hard to obtain soil, remember that excellent plants have been grown in vermiculite (an expanded mica without nutrients) with regular feedings of a liquid fertilizer formula.
Related: Transplanting African Violet Plants
Fertilizers and African Violets
One cannot avoid the subject of fertilizers, and again there are dozens of formulas. But the truth is that almost all the well-known fertilizers sold for use on African violets or house plants will give good results.
If you’re dissatisfied with one, try another. The readily soluble fertilizers applied as a solution are particularly easy to use and have found great favor in African-violet culture.
Some growers use different formulas alternately or mixed. And remember that the fertilizer in the can doesn’t do the plant any good. This doesn’t mean to overdose the plant but to follow directions and make applications regularly.
No amount of fertilizer can substitute for proper light, temperature, and humidity.
If you still feel that secrets are not being told, think for a minute about the commercial grower who has thousands of plants. The grower does not have the time to mix seventeen ingredients into their soil, nor would they consider giving the plants weak tea, ground eggshells, or any other of the strange-sounding ingredients that are often said to be beneficial.
Instead, they concentrate on a controlled temperature, high humidity, well-drained humusy soil, adequate light, and usually a brand-name fertilizer. Light is adjusted as the season’s change by applying or removing shading compounds from the greenhouse roof.
So, whether you have dozens of plants or just a few, give yourself a treat – buy a new African Violet variety.
FGR1060 – V. Griff