Is Your African Violet not Flowering? 5 Easy Steps to Keep Your African Violet in Bloom

One important element to consider when preparing your plant to set blooms is the quality of the soil and health of the root ball. In order to ensure these things, re-pot your plant in a mixture of 1/3 each of perlite, vermiculite and peat moss. Otherwise, you can buy a pre-mixed soil that is designed for African violets for only a few dollars; I prefer Miracle Grow's African Violet Mix for my own plants. This type of mix should allow the soil to retain some moisture all the while allowing the excess water to drain out of the pot. Never pack the soil tightly as this limits the roots' ability to grow comfortably and collect water.

When selecting a pot, make sure its diameter is 1/3 the size of the rosette (i.e. 1/3 the width of the African violet). Choosing a pot that is too big will delay blooming as African violets enjoy being pot-bound. In other words, if the pot is too big, the plant will focus on filling the soil with roots before it concentrates its energy on producing flowers. An easy fix then is to choose an appropriately-sized pot. 

Finally, the type of pot you choose will have an impact on the frequency at which you water your African violet. Indeed, plastic or glazed ceramic pots tend to conserve water, while unglazed clay pots allow the water to evaporate through the clay. The type of pot you ultimate choose is up to your discretion, budget and taste, but be mindful of the impact this will have the soil's humidity on any given day.

When it comes to African violets, one thing is certain: they will not bloom unless they receive a sufficient amount of light. It comes as no surprise then that a large number of African violets decorate window sills all over the world. The most successful of these are typically placed by eastern or northern windows and will receive large amounts of indirect light. This point is particularly important; too much direct light will burn and discolour the leaves, and will also cause the plant to change its shape, growing tall and deformed. If you must grow your African violet by a southern or western window, make sure you drape your windows with soft, diaphanous drapes, or keep it on a shelf away from the sun's rays.

If you live in a northern area where sunlight is scarce in the winter months, you can either opt to have your plant slow down its growth throughout the winter months (as it will do naturally), or you can stimulate blooms with the aid of artificial light. Regular, incandescent or energy-efficient bulbs do not provide a full spectrum of light required for proper plant care and are not ideal. Fluorescent plant-growing bulbs, on the other hand, tend to be inexpensive and can be purchased at a local garden store or online. If you get a chance, speak to garden centre technician in order to find out which light fixtures best suit your needs.

African violets need to be well-established before they will begin to bloom. That means they like to have full foliage and a strong root system. If you have a young seedling, expect this maturation process to take approximately one year. However, store/nursery bought plants have already achieved the necessary maturity and tend to be sold while already in bloom.

That being said, too many leaves can slow the blooming process. Make sure to groom your plant and remove any asymmetrical, drooping or damaged leaves. Simply snap the excess leaves at the base as required. Note: Do not remove too many! An African violet will be most inclined to send out flower buds when there are proximately three sets of full, overlapping rings of leaves (the buds will shoot out from between the largest and middle set of leaves). Therefore, be sure to keep at least 25-30 leaves (including the crown leaves) on your plant in order for the blooms to be able to successfully shoot out from within the foliage.

Another very important grooming technique is to remove suckers from your main plant before they sap too much of the plant's energy, eventually deforming and crowding out the African violet. Suckers are "baby pants" that sometimes sprout at the base of the main plant. You can identify these new plants by observing the growth of new, young leaves outside of the crown area, or you will find a tuft of asymmetrical leaves amidst the older leaves. You can remove these by gently snapping them off, or if you wish to propagate a new plant, surgically remove them using a clean, sharp x-acto knife. When doing this, make sure you cut out the infant plant while ensuring that you have captured some of the root system. Plant it into a new pot and enjoy!