The African violet, or saintpaulia, is some of the most popular house plants. They tolerate the temperature and humidity of the average home.
Several species and types of African Violets creep and trail. They flower in a window, or under fluorescent light.
They grow in moderate warmth and humidity in light, humus-rich soil. Keep the soil moist. Propagate by seeds, leaf and stem cuttings, or division of mature plants.
Most home growers say 300 foot-candles of light are necessary to produce bloom. On mature plants, a 40-watt fluorescent tube 11″ inches from the pot rim is about right.
African violets are subject to several pests and diseases. However, growing Saintpaulias in sterilized soil and regular cleaning will help you avoid trouble. New plants should always be isolated from older plants for three or four weeks. Crown Rot Crown rot, a systemic disorder, strikes most often during the summer when days are hot and … Read more
For those who may yearn to grow house plants a bit differently from those of their friends and neighbors, growing African violet plants provide a splendid opportunity, as there are countless varieties from which to choose. New and enticing ones appear in specialist catalogs each year so that the hobby of collecting needs never becomes … Read more
Now it’s time to decide which plants shall go outdoors for their summer vacation, and we begin to wonder if African violets would appreciate this treatment. It has been successfully carried out by some people, usually with the pots sunk to their rims in fairly deep shade. However, it will be necessary to see that … Read more
From rockets that zoom thousands of miles an hour to African violets that grow a few inches a month is quite a jump, but taken in stride by the technical editors at Reaction Motors, a rocket research firm in Denville, New Jersey. Although pressured daily by the problems of this complex science, the editors find … Read more
The spring is the time of year when most garden interest centers are outdoors. But it is also the time you should check over your African violets. Perhaps your plants are no longer the handsome, eager-to-bloom specimens they were all winter. If so, it may be the result of neglect or overpampering. Unfortunately, time also … Read more
African Violets are very much in the limelight these days. One flower lover writes, “Many of my garden club friends have gone quietly mad about the plant.” This sums up the situation in a few words. There is no doubt that saintpaulias are one of our most popular house plants. Yet some people have become … Read more
Harvey G. Bush is a man who prefers redheads in his African violets, that is. But so far, he hasn’t found one that entirely pleases him. When he began his hobby of growing African violets years ago, Harvey Bush, from Winchester, Kentucky, had two gift plants of standard pink and blue varieties. After reading an … Read more
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 … Read more