Tips on growing African violets?

[camille1585]

A bit over a year ago, just 5 days before Christmas, my 90 year old grandmother passed away, and I missed the funeral due to covid related travel restrictions. For nearly as long as I can remember she had a bulb pan with 3 south african violets in it, on a nice metal stand in a corner of her living room. She has kept those 3 plants alive through the decades, occasional replacing a dying plant with leaf propagations from the other ones. As a child I was always fascinated to see that she could grow an entire new plant from just a leaf!

Needless to say, I have a strong emotional attachment to that plant. After her death my uncle took the plant, and when I visited him this past christmas he let me take a couple leaves to make a propagation attempt.

I potted them up and have been keeping them in a not too bright and with high humidity. 2 of the 3 leaves are still alive, and one has started to produce little baby shoots, so things are looking good. I'm hoping the other leaf will soon follow.

I'm generally good with plants, but have never had african violets before. At what point can I take it out of my little terrarium setp up? How do I care for it? I know from my grandmother that they should be watered via the saucer, not too much food, and kept in bright but indirect light. But that's the extent of my knowledge

I am already affectionally calling it 'Reine', after my grandmother (yes, she really was named the word for Queen in French!), so I can't bear the thought of accidentally killing it...