Your African violets can always be a conversation piece if you follow a few simple cultural tips.
Their popularity continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and almost everyone has their own method of growing African violets.
Main Requirements In Growing African Violets
The main requirements are few and easily provided. There are six main points to keep in mind:
- Proper light
- Humidity
- Planting soil
- Watering
- Feeding
- Pests
Proper Lighting
African violets like light. A little sun, preferably in the early morning or late afternoon, will help produce a bloom.
The plants should be shielded from the midday sun, especially during summer.
Humidity Is Important
Humidity is another important requirement. This can be provided by standing the pots on pebble-filled trays of water so that evaporation adds moisture to the air around the plants.
Care should be taken that the base of each pot is above water level.
Mechanical humidifiers may also be used to increase the air moisture where their expense is warranted when large numbers of African violets are grown.
Occasional spraying with warm water will be a special treat for your plants but keep them out of the sun until they have dried.
Best Soil for African Violet
The best soil for potting African violets is rich and loose. I use a mixture of equal parts soil, coarse sand, humus, and 1-part well-rotted manure. Leaf mold or peat moss may be substituted for hummus.
I add a 4-inch potful of superphosphate and a quart of granulated charcoal to each bushel of soil. First, the soil mixture should be sterilized. This can be done by baking moist soil in a 250-degree oven for one hour.
Careful Watering
Watering needs careful attention! Remember not to over-water African violets for it can be fatal. The soil should be kept damp or moist, not sopping wet.
When the soil feels dry, apply tepid water from above, avoiding the crown and leaves.
Or water from below by placing the pot in a container of water until moisture begins to show on the soil surface.
Food Nourishment
A half-inch of small limestone chips in the bottom of the pot will help drain off excess water.
African violets are not heavy feeders, but some nourishment is appreciated. This gives the plants a boost, but it must not be overdone, for harm can result.
I use a complete plant food dissolved in water about once a month according to the manufacturer’s directions. When this is applied, keep it off the foliage.
Attacking of Insects
Few insects attack African violets, but those which do are persistent and prolific. The most common is the mealybug.
This looks like a tiny white cotton ball. Each insect should be touched with a cotton-tipped skewer dipped in rubbing alcohol.
This will eradicate them if the treatment is regular and persistent NNOR, a rotenone compound, is effective and used either as a dip or spray.
Mites
Another violet pest is the mite, a spider-like microscopic insect. Its presence should be suspected when the center of the plant becomes whitish, brittle, and dwarfed.
NNOR used once as a dip, then as a spray at four-day intervals for about two weeks is said to help exterminate them.
Sodium selenate is a more effective cure. This material is placed in the soil and absorbed by the plant through the roots.
Nematodes
It should not be used where children or pets are apt to chew on the plant leaves. The most recent threat to African violets is nematodes.
These minute worms attack and destroy the roots, making small knots or nodules on them in the process.
There is no sure cure for a nematode infection, and isolating or destroying affected plants is best.
New African violet varieties are being developed to such an extent that no one, I believe, will ever again be able to say exactly how many there are.
Hybridizing Program
Growers are carrying on a big program of hybridizing African violets, producing an unbelievable array of new colors and color combinations in both single and double blooms.
African violets are easily our most popular house plant. They constantly bloom all year, are neat and compact in appearance, and fit easily into any room’s decorative scheme.
Truly these saintpaulias are a heaven-sent gift to those of us who like blooming plants year-round!
44659 by Myrtle Radtke