Tips on growing African violets?
 

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...

Wow, Camille, something I might be able to help with lol. First, I wouldn’t change anything just yet. Your neophytes have away to go. Keep doing what you’re doing for at least another month or two. They need some size before they can act independently. What I actually do is leave them until they are quite a bit larger, and even them, I don’t separate them. I let them grow into a plant of their own. You are right re: the wicking method, and providing them with a tray of rock. Keep the soil moist is, but not wet. Just like orchids, they like dry feet and air around their root system. I use a 50/50 mix of perlite and African violet potting mix. When they are ready to transplant into their own terra-cotta pot, gently place them into the pot using a wick of microfiber that extends about 1/2 way up into the soil.

I found orchids while looking for African Violets at a local nursery. I run what I call an African Violet ICU here. All my friends and relatives bring sick AVs for me to , “fix” lol. My fee? A few stem cuttings Hahahaha. Hope this helps.

THE VIOLET BARN - Violet Barn could be useful. Site not only sells but gives growing info. I've ordered from them and violets are a great addition to orchids.

I echo the recommendation of the Violet Barn. I stop by their booth every year at the Connecticut flower show and they are generous with their advice about growing conditions and propagation. As with orchids, there is a lot of misinformation online. Two of my key learnings from the Violet Barn are 1) never use commercial African Violet soil, as it is too dense for good growth, and 2) be patient with leaf cuttings. As long as there is no rot, you're good. I've had cuttings go 6 months before sprouting leaves!

The potting medium sold by the Violet Barn is truly magic. I grew this from a leaf cutting and it's now 14 inches across (4 inch pot). When my orchids are resting/pouting, violets fulfill the need for Must Have Flowers Now.

Lovely Kim. My grandmother grew AVs also but all I remember is her telling me not to get water on the leaves.

Thank you for all the information! I'll go have a look at the Violet Barn. Kim, that is a fantastic looking plant! How long did it take to grow to that size?

I didn't realize that these needed a special substrate, and I don't think I've ever seen it in stores. That raises 2 questions: Is it a problem that I potted the cutting in standard pot plant substrate? I've been very careful with watering until now. Second question, what would be a good recipe to make my own substrate? Not being in the US,I can't try the Violet Barn mix...

Camille, I'm not the AV expert, but the photos are of one of my wife's plants. I asked her what she uses as a substrate and she told me it is regular potting soil. She said she hasn't been able to find an AV mix, so was forced. As you can see, the plant is very healthy. It has actually been propagated and both plants are the same size and blooming.
https://i.postimg.cc/430zPyNg/20220307-123203.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/Xvqf9dWL/20220307-123219.jpg

Hi Camille,
That violet is maybe 2 years old, I think,... but my sense of time can be warped.

Me: "What do you mean the washer broke. Didn't we just buy it?"
Husband: "It's 15 years old."

Violet Barn's potting mix (from their web site): Contains 40% sphagnum peat, 50% vermiculite (coarse and extra coarse) and 10% perlite, with wetting agent.

If you want to mix your own they may be willing to give you more info since you're overseas, particularly about the mysterious "wetting agent."

Kim

Including a wetting agent isn't that important since most people bottom water their AVs. Wetting agents are included in potting mixes in case it dries out to the point of being hydrophobic during transport or storage and to a lesser extent once it is in use. The wetting agent will help the mix rehydrate quickly, but a drop of dish soap in the water used to wet the mix before potting will work equally well.

Camille - if you add equal parts perlite/aggregate to any standard potting soil, you will have an AV soil equivalent.

It's too hot in summer here to keep them alive for many years, but I know people elsewhere growing them to show. I've had them collapse after just one day in the house of 90 degrees F / 32C.

The key to remember is they're mossy rock lithophytes. For a long time after propagation they have small root systems. It's easy to get the mix too wet so there's no air. That plus watering choice guides medium composition. If you use water wicking you need medium with smaller particle sizes than if you water by hand.

My friends repot every plant every two years because of medium breakdown. As plants grow the stem elongates, and this supposedly reduces flowering. The people I know break the crown off with just a little stem when they repot and reroot the plant.

Thank you all for your help. I have peat based substrate, vermiculite and perlite, so I should be able to make a suitable mix when the time comes to pot up the baby plants.

I didn't know they were heat intolerant, so it will be interesting to see what happens if we get another heatwave, where temps in our appartment can reach 30-32°C. I know that my grandmother's plants often experienced a few weeks of such temperatures in the summer, but they didn't seem to suffer too much.

I'm no expert, but I've been growing African Violets alongside my Phals for about five years. They seem to like the same growing conditions, and they're almost constantly in bloom, so it's nice to have flowers at times when the Phals are between blooming. Mine are all on a kitchen/dining table, in a south window, with sheer curtains drawn when the sun is shining in. Temps in my home range from 68F to 74F, depending on time of year.

I happen to be a top-waterer. Similar to my Phals, I will water (room temp tap water) when they are approaching dryness. For the AVs, that is when I can put my little finger in the soil a quarter to half inch and not feel any dampness. I do dab off any water that gets on the leaves, but every time I do that, I can't help thinking to myself, how do these plants survive in nature, getting rained on? :scratchhead:

I've been using either an African Violet mix or an all-purpose mix, but I cut either one heavily with perlite to make the soil more airy. I often see it recommended to repot AVs every six to twelve months. I don't generaly do it that often unless it's a young plant that is growing rapidly. Have patience with your cuttings. It does take a long time. Yours look great in the pics!

+1 on the Violet Barn. I learned a lot from their site when I first got my AVs, and I still think they're a great resource for AV information.

I thought I'd give an update on my AV leaf cuttings. Thanks to your help and the Violet Barn site the new plants are doing really good. I potted several plants separately, and the rest are together in a bulb pan. I know that's not how they're grown, but that's how my grandma grew hers and I wanted to do the same for nostalgia's sake. There are a few too many in there for long term growth, so I'll try to gently remove the smallest ones and pot them up separately.

It may sounds silly, but I feel closer to my grandma and have more vivid memories of her just by looking at and touching 'her' African Violets. More so than with photos. Probably because the plants are real and trigger memories via several senses and not just sight.

Plants with sentimental lineage are so special. They look great! I also love them in a grouping.

Those look really good!

I think it is wonderful that you have some of your gram's African Violets. :)

What a beautiful way to pay tribute to your grandma and keep her close. Nice work Camille :)

Here you will find everything you need about AV. Their videos are excellent and they are true experts. Also look under "+3 more tips" for medium mix...
Violets 101 - African Violet Society of America