African Violet Basics

African Violets need three things to do their best; the right light, the right amount of water and regular fertilizing. African Violets bloom better in bright, indirect light. Windows that face the morning sun will usually provide enough natural light for your plants to do well. You can use a South or West facing window, but your plants have to be shaded from direct sunlight. If you don’t have a good window location, you can supplement the ambient light with a grow light.

Grow lights are available as Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and T5 grow lights. CFL’s are convenient because they fit a standard lamp socket. You can set a desk lamp or floor lamp with a CFL bulb next to your African Violets to increase the available light. T5 lamps are fluorescent lamps that can be mounted on a stand and placed over your plants for more light.

As a general rule, you should place your supplemental lighting about 12” above your plants and keep the lamps on for 10-12 hours a day.  Next to light, watering your African Violets correctly is the key to a healthy plant. African Violets need enough moisture to keep the soil moist, but not soggy.  If you’ve had trouble growing African Violets, over-watering could be the cause. The most common method is to water your plants from the top. When you top water, it’s important to use water that’s room temperature and to water the soil and not the plant. One simple way to make sure the water is the right temperature is to let it sit out overnight. This allows the water to get to room temperature and reduces the chlorine in the water.

Use a fine-tip watering can to direct the water on the soil. You want to avoid getting water on the leaves of the plant.

Another way to water is the use a wick.

Your plant sits in a container with a reservoir and as the soil dries out, water is wicked up to keep the soil moist.

A third option is to plant your violets in self-watering pots like this one. Water is absorbed through the walls of the pot and keeps the soil moist. The third aspect of keeping your African Violets healthy is to feed them regularly.

There are many excellent violet fertilizers available, including Schultz African Violet Food and Jacks Houseplant Special. Both of these products are easy to use and can be added to your self-watering pots as a way to continuously feed your plants or use them in your watering can.

For an extra boost to plant health and blooming, add a drop or two of Super Thrive once a month. Following these tips, your African Violets will stay healthy and blooming year round.