Growing African Violets-A Personal Experience

When I took over my Dad’s violet, I had no idea what to do with it. So I just watered it from the top like all my other plants. The leaves spread out over the top of the pot, so I had to be careful to get in between them. So recently, I found out that the first thing I was doing wrong, was top watering.
What most of the experts tell you is to set your violet into a nice deep saucer that has some flat stones in it. Off I went to Lowe’s to get some stones and some plastic saucers. I even added another plant to my collection the same day.
Now I fill the saucer with tepid water and let it sit for about an hour. Then I drain most of the water from the saucer.

One of the things that I learned about African Violets is their normal habitat grow on the floor of rain forests, so they really like to be kept in a humid location. It’s easy to keep them happy ! What I have been doing to keep them humid enough s to just keep a lit tepid water over the stones in the deep saucers that they rest in. The room that they are in is naturally humid, so the environment is just right for them.

According to “The Plant Expert, ” Keeping your violets healthy means that they must have the right light. They should have about 10-12 hours of bright but not direct sunlight per day. They also need about 8 hours of darkness.
Always place them on an east or north window.if your plant doesn’t flower, it’s not getting enough light. If the leaves start to get brown edges or brown spots on them, it’s getting too much light.

The first thing ton tackle when repotting any African Violet is to clean the pot, like any other plant. I have always done this when I have pots that get recycled in my garden. When reusing pots, I wash them thoroughly and then soak them for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 part household chlorine bleach in 9 parts water. Rinse the pots until all traces of chlorine are gone.
What I found out about the violets is that It is important to repot at least twice a year. Remove the plant gently. Replace dirt in the bottom of the pot with a little fresh soil. Replace the plant in upright position, carefully sprinkle new soil around the sides and on top, just under the leaves.
Being a newby to this plant, I opted to get a bag of African Violet soil at my local garden store. That simplified mixing soils to get the right blend.

The first thing that you will want to do is to remove the old blossoms as they become spent. When a leaf begins to look wilted, normally at the bottom row of the plant, I remove the leaf.
I keep a very soft small paintbrush to “dust” my violets periodically.Supporting the leaf from the underside with your fingertip, gently touch the brush bristles across the leave to remove debris.
To best clean the foliage on a violet, gently spray the leaves with a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar and 5 drops any brand hand wash dish detergent in 1 cup very warm water. Pat dry with a folded paper towel or use a grooming br