Hill Gardens of Maine -- Saintpaulia...African Violets

Answers to your gardening questions

Article Archives

Free Gardening Book

Five-part article series on flower-drying starts here

Eight-part article series on vegetable gardening starts here

Asian Lily Beetles

A new scourge in New England ornamental and veggie gardens.

Japanese Beetles

They can be controlled...but not the way you think.

An effective Deer Fence!

Only three feet tall...and no deer has ever jumped over it!

Saintpaulias — African Violets
by Fred Davis, Hill Gardens of Maine (To view other articles, click Archives)

Restoring a violet that really needs it | An occasional mutation or "sport"

Welcome through Fred's Garden Gate! At a time in the not-so-distant past, the most favored houseplant was the philodendron. Close behind—but not by much—was the African violet, Saintpaulia. Now, however, the tables seem to have been turned, and the African violet, a relatively easy plant to care for, is unquestionably on top of the list!

Saintpaulia began its rise to glory when Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire discovered specimens in the African Usambara District back in 1892. Seeds (or was it plants?) were eventually sent to the Baron's father, an enthusiastic amateur botanist who cultured and later displayed them at the Ghent International Horticultural Exhibit. By 1936, Armacost and Royston, hybridizers in California, had developed ten varieties, several of which form the foundation of today's vast array of very spectacular hybrids.

Saintpaulia's rapid and widespread popularity is due in large part to the ease with which they can be propagated. Indeed, a leaf dropped into a glass of water or almost carelessly inserted into clean sand or peat moss will quickly root and produce several new plants, in every respect clones of the original. Seeds are also easy to germinate.

Mature, flowering plants may be purchased at just about any nursery, florist — even supermarkets, membership outlets and box-stores — but, if it were left to me, I'd get permission from a friend or relative to pinch a leaf or two from their mature plant. Here's the method of propagation which works for me:

At practically any time of the year (March or April would be best) remove a mature leaf, taking along all of the stem. Trim the stem with a clean, sharp knife to about one inch in length and insert it into moist peat moss or ProMix so the leaf blade is just even with the surface. A shallow nursery container about the size of your open hand could handle six or eight leaves. Moisten lightly, place the container in a clear poly bag and set it in light shade at about 65 to 70 degrees (F). Avoid over-watering. In about six weeks you should see small plantlets developing near the base of each leaf. Remove the plastic bag and maintain only slight moisture, and begin a once-a-week feeding with a balanced liquid at about 1/4 or less label-recommended strength.

After another three or four weeks, pot the little plantlets up singly in their own containers and treat them as grown-ups. You could also simply pop a leaf in a glass of water and get almost the same results...but not reliably—the chances of loss by rot is greater. Change the water occasionally to prevent stagnation, and don’t set the glass in full sun.

African violets are at their best when just a little root-bound, so start with a small pot and gradually, yearly, up-pot to the next larger size. Ours begin their independence in two-inch pots and blossom heavily during their second year after rooting, usually following their first-annual move to a new container.

Here are some tips to ensure success:

Avoid those bags of heavy, black composts that, for some unfathomable reason, are so readily available in the stores. The stuff turns to thick, compacted "mud" when wet and the fine and fragile roots of African Violets don't like it. We’ve learned to lighten it with about 1/3rd (by volume) of either Perlite or plain peat moss.

Resist the temptation to plant your African Violet in a larger than necessary pot. They really prefer to remain slightly root-bound. When up-potting one which has obviously out-grown its container, select a new one that's only about an inch or so larger than the old one.

Some popular gardening literature recommends watering pots from the bottom by setting them in a bowl or deep tray of water. Fertilizer salts very quickly build up to toxic levels near the rim and burn tender leaves and stems. Ours are always watered (once per week, more or less) by placing in the sink and gently showering with lukewarm spray from the rinsing hose. That also removes accumulated dust and cat fur, and they just perk right up tall and healthy! But...

NEVER set a plant with wet leaves in sunlight...even if the light is filtered. You'll quickly end up with disfiguring bleached-out sun-spots. Drops of water act like little magnifying glasses, intensifying the strength of sunlight.
Feed weekly with a quality liquid like Peter's "Houseplant" or "Blossom Booster" after their shower.
Carefully pinch off spent flowers and lower leaves as they wither or fade — close to the main stem.
Don't over-water. Maintain the soil only slightly moist between showers. And never leave the poor dears marooned in a saucer of water.
Eventually, as the plant grows more and more leaves from the top and an equal number are manicured from the bottom, it begins to look almost like a stubby vine. If yours looks like that, it's time to take a couple of leaf-cuttings and, once they're firmly established, retire the leggy parent to your recycling system.

Finally, for much more detail and loads of beautiful photographs, check out one of the fine books on Gesneriads at or through your library, or visit: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/violet/violet.html for just about every available detail, including pictures, pests and solutions, and success stories.

I received an email January 23, 2006, with the following question:

"I have an African Violet that is 20 years old. It is shrinking (its in a pot too large for it now) and over the years has sent out almost limbs over the edge of the pot. How can I successfully repot and salvage this plant. E."

My response: There are two ways — both equally effective — to salvage and retain the original genetics of your "senior citizen" plant. You can snap off 2 or 3 of the healthiest mature leaves ... with a couple of inches of stem left on. Then you could drop them stem-first into a glass of water just deep enough to barely touch the actual leaf part. Change the water every 4 or 5 days (don't shock the poor things with icy water from the cold tap... adjust to room temperature, at least).

In 3 or 4 weeks, roots will form. When those roots get to be about an inch (minimum) long and looking really good, carefully pot them up into a good houseplant potting mix, in nothing over a 3" pot. In another 3 or 4 weeks small plants will appear around the stem. I like to leave at least 3 of those new little plantlets to grow into a thicker, nicer looking mature plant.

An alternative is to actually plant leaves in a small clean pot with fresh potting soil so about 1/4th of the leaf is below the surface. Eventually, small plantlets will appear. When they're a reasonable size and able to exist on their own, they could be taken out and divided into individual plants in their own pots. I like to allow at least 2 or 3 to grow together...it makes for a fuller plant. Yes...I know...the "experts" will shudder at that suggestion — but it works for me.

The other way is to remove one of the crowns (the part with leaves clustered at the end of your elongated stems), leaving about an inch or so of the stem. Remove the lower leaves and those with any damage until you have a compact plant maybe 3" or so across at the top. Pot up that entire cleaned-up plant into good potting mix (in a 3" pot) so the plant is nestled in just snug against the soil surface. If the stem's too long, allowing the leaf part of the plant to 'stick up' too far above the surface, snip a little more off. Keep it moist and in filtered (sheer curtains) bright light. It'll sprout a whole new set of roots and begin looking really good. (At first, just after potting, it'll look a little droopy. That's ok. Patience.)

An Occasional Mutation or "Sport"

Rarely, an African Violet will, for no apparent reason, begin producing a combination of different leaf color (usually on their undersides) and flowers of an entirely different color... from the same plant. That process is called "mutation" or "sporting" and, If it happens to one of yours, rejoice! You've just added a brand new color to your collection. Maybe even an all-time first...though it's unlikely to be something that no one else in the gardening world has ever seen before.

Take careful note of the leaves from which the sport emerged, especially if they appear to be a slightly different color on the undersides. When one of those different leaves has fully matured, follow the directions for leaf-cuttings, above...and enjoy!

If you're really lucky, the parent violet will have produced a separate plant bearing the new color. In that case, once the flowers have faded, simply remove that new plant from its original pot and give it a new home in its own container. Remember...pick a pot that's just a tiny bit larger than its root mass.

Some Hints: Mature violets perform and bloom best in "tight shoes" (slightly root-bound)...that's why the small pots. And they don't like to be constantly wet (moist, yes...wet, no). Water thoroughly when the soil feels dry to the touch, letting the water freely run through drain holes in the process (that flushes out accumulated salts)...and allow it to go fairly dry before watering again. Never leave it to sit in a saucer of tray of water for more than a few minutes...it'll rot...and look miserable. Up-pot only when it gets really root-bound. If the stem has once again grown too long, slice off the bottom half of the root ball (after you've taken it out of the pot) so it'll go into the new (only 1" bigger) pot deeper. And don't forget to feed with a commercial African Violet fertilizer, or use what we use: Peter's Blossom Booster 10-30-20 — from any garden center and most farm 'n garden stores. Good Luck! And have a great time in your indoor garden!

Here's what happens when an African violet is watered and then left in even filtered sun while water remains on the foliage. Click the photo to enlarge.

Restoring a violet that really needs it
(Click the photos for an enlarged view)

Every African violet will eventually need to be re-potted... partly because the soil is totally exhausted or, as in the case of the one pictured at the left, has spent several (15) years in the same pot. Our thanks to a new gardening friend in a nearby town for this sorrowful little waif-triplet.

Above-ground leafless stems on this one measured 7-1/2 inches long with the bottom of each stem completely rotted off, leaving the plants dangling on a mere couple of thready roots. Given those stressful circumstances, two of the three were in remarkable condition... probably the result of random and occasional doses of Miracle-Gro liquid houseplant "food."

As far as I could determine, it had rarely been given a shower or had its soil flushed out during those fifteen years and, as you can see from the photo of the empty pot, fertilizer salts had built up in a thick layer. Tough little plant! Nothing short of a miracle it lasted that long.

If ever an African violet needed help, this one sure did!

So...here we go.

The first step in recovery—while still in its original container and slippery, muck-like "soil"—was to give it a thorough shower and completely saturate everything. I let it sit overnight to drain—protected from any chance of direct or even filtered sunlight.

Next came careful de-potting and removal of soil from what was left of the roots. All old soil was washed away with water adjusted for about room temperature. Then all the old dried leaves and about half of the oldest green leaves were snipped away...leaving only a modest rosette of the newest and healthiest.

Since two of the three plants in the pot were salvageable... and because I personally like a double-plant—back-to- back—specimen, I opted to put both back in the same pot. Sadly, the third likely wouldn't make it...so into the compost pile it went.

It took a little help to hold the two together in the right position...one to hold, the other to carefully spoon in fresh, new African Violet Potting Soil (we could almost hear the plant sigh, "Aaaaah!") and lightly press it down.

Final step, after we were satisfied we'd done about all we could, was another room-temperature shower to rinse foliage and clean the outside of the now scrubbed out pot, give it a few minutes to completely drain out, and then it was set aside to dry well away from any chance of direct or even filtered sunlight. We won't be giving it any liquid feeding for a couple of weeks...then we'll start it off on a weekly diet of half-recommended-strength Peter's Blossom Booster (10-30-20).

Tomorrow we'll put it up in the curtained kitchen window with the rest of our small collection where, in time, it'll get its weekly feeding and at least monthly shower. In about 6 to 8 weeks, it'll be back up to "snuff."

Two Months Later— Here's the final result. Well rooted. Filled out. And, a week after this picture was taken, covered in new buds and flowers. Click on the photo for a closer view. This one actually took a little longer to blossom...perhaps the result of reduced winter light...or lower temperature in that kitchen window. Whatever. At any rate, it's now back to its beautiful self and back with its original owner. With care, the right light, every-other- week showers and soakings, and regular applications of either 10-30-20 or any good quality African violet fertilizer, it'll remain in near constant color...until the next time it requires re-potting.

Got a question about African Violets...or wish to offer a suggestion or comment?
Email

Our Local Weather

Find your State and County Cooperative Extension Office

Which Maine Hardiness Zone Do I Live In? (.pdf)