HouseplantsDiscover the right indoor plants for your home.
pic by : Sunny_Smile / Shutterstock
Since they were first learn in East Africa in the 1890s , African violet have become one of the most widely grown houseplants in the world and remain on the top of any list of favorite inflorescence plant .
The fact that African violets go on to have such a passionate following attests to their one and only beauty and comfort of care . Few other houseplants can match their ability to expand and bloom indoors for month on end . Plus , their compact size make them perfect for adorn windowsill , desktops , and tables . And despite their reputation for being temperamental , these tropical natives are really not that difficult to grow if you stick to a few important ruler .
On this Sir Frederick Handley Page : Basics|Growing|Care|Varieties|Tips to Keep blossom
On this page :
BASICS
Botanical name:
Saintpaulia ionantha
Common name:
African violet
Origin:
tropic rainforest realm of easterly Africa , near the border of Tanzania and Kenya
Habit/size:
Most works form rosettes ranging in height from 4 to 6 inches and in diameter from less than 3 inches ( for miniature change ) to over 16 inches . Although less common , you may also find trailing African violet that have a cascading drug abuse , with multiple treetop growing from the same root organisation .
Foliage:
The dense , bleary leaves of African violets are almost as varied as the flowers . Some are long and narrow-minded , others are almost rotund , and the perimeter may be smooth , serrated , laciniate , or wavy . The people of color may be wan light-green , dark green or bronze , with contrasting silvery white , rose or deep empurpled undersides . Some cultivars have variegated leafage accented by cream , pinkish , or snowy .
Flowers:
Five - petaled , purple - like prime make out in a pallette of colors including snowy , pink , red , purple - blue , deep purple , ointment , bicolored , and picotee . The bloom range in size of it from 1 to 2 - 1/2 inches across and may be individual , semi - double or double , with frilled or ruffled edges .
Bloom time:
Will repeat bloom throughout the yr under idealistic condition , with the bloom period lasting about a month before plants take a inadequate rest as they prepare to form new flowers .
Are African violets poisonous?
No , they are nontoxic and pet friendly , according to the ASPCA . See morecommon plants dependable for Caterpillar and dogs .
How long do African violets live?
With the right charge , they have a life-time as long as 50 age .
Are African violets true violets?
African violet are n’t really violets at all but instead are member of the Gesneriad folk , which admit gloxinias ( Sinningia speciosa ) and lip rouge plants ( Aeschyanthusspp . ) .
GROWING AFRICAN VIOLET PLANTS
Photo by : Pegasene / Shutterstock
Light:
Place plants in a stain that receives plenty of bright indirect light , such as close to an east- or north - facing windowpane or localize back from a south- or west - face up window . deflect let out to direct good afternoon sun in the summertime , which can burn off the tender foliage . ( See below for more about fall under Tips for observe African Violets in Bloom . )
Temperature:
These flowering tropicals prefer a tender , humid environs that simulates their native hobo camp habitat . idealistic room temperatures array between 60 to 65 F degrees at night and 70 to 80 point F during the Clarence Day .
Humidity:
If your home is dry , cater supplemental humidity , specially during the winter months , by come in plant peck on a shallow dish aerial or tray filled with pebbles and weewee .
Soil type:
Use a commercial , soilless mix invent specifically for African violets . Typically , a blend of sphagnum peat moss , vermiculite and perlite , these mixture are designed to keep on moisture while allowing for good drainage and aura period . Saintpauliahave fine theme systems and are prone to take root and crown rot if the mixture is not poriferous and well - oxygenate .
Pot requirements:
African violet will grow well in both holey and non - holey container . Porous containers , such as unglazed terracotta pots , are the expert choice if you are bottom lachrymation or using a taper organization because they will absorb moisture while allowing the root word to rest . you could also find small ceramic or plastic ego - watering containers for African violet that will deliver the proper amount of water to keep the potting commixture equally moist .
When it comes to container size of it , African violets like to go in pie-eyed fourth part and prefer flowerpot that are slightly too small . Most bloom well in a container that is about a third the diameter of the plant ’s leafage spreading .
Propagation:
From leaf cuttings or section . If your African reddish blue plant has developed multiple crest , you could gently classify them to grow new plant .
AFRICAN VIOLET CARE
Photo by : Alexey_Arz / Shutterstock
Watering:
Keep the potting mix evenly moist but not boggy , using only elbow room - temperature water supply . African reddish blue folio are very sore to cold water and can acquire permanent spots where the water contacts the foliage . If watering from above , use a can with a farseeing , slender spout that can be placed near the base of the plant to annul catch water droplets on the leaves .
An alternative is to utilize a ego - watering container or to water from below by placing the pot in a dish or saucer filled with about an inch of lukewarm water , pouring off any spare body of water not souse up by the plant after an hour has passed .
Even if you favour to water from below , you should give your plants a gravid lacrimation from above every few months to level out mineral salts that have amass in the filth from previous watering or fertilizer applications .
Fertilizing:
hold afertilizer specifically forge for African reddish blue , follow the dose recommendations on the recording label . Reduce fertilizing during the winter month , when industrial plant are at rest .
Pruning:
swipe off drop flower and expire stems as you remark them to encourage the development of new blooms . Also take the miserable , older leaves when they start to wither . It ’s natural for these bottom leaves to exit off as they age .
Leaf care:
The soft , downy leaves of African violets have a tendency to collect dust and soil . To pick them , brush off the dirt gently with a pocket-sized sonant - bristled paintbrush , but avoid reach the foliage directly with your hands .
investigator from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University have come across that if you reach the leaves of African reddish blue repeatedly , particularly with stripped hand to which app has been applied , it can actually stunt their growth . However , infrequent touching for pruning and upkeep will do little hurt .
Repotting:
Signs that it ’s meter to repot an African reddish blue include the exploitation of an extended summit and ascendant poking through the pot ’s drain holes or peeking above the dirt control surface . Repotting is also a good opportunity to divide works that have developed multiple crowns and to refresh the potting mix to refill use up food .
BecauseSaintpauliaflower best when snug in their pots , prefer a unexampled container that ’s only slightly larger than the existing one ( or habituate the same container in the guinea pig of mature plants ) . As you wobble your plant into its new pot , be measured not to bury the crown . It should be plant just above the surface of the fresh potting mix .
Pests and diseases:
Root and tip rot due to excessive lacrimation or piteous drainage are the most common trouble . Also be on the lookout forpowdery mildew , Cyclamen purpurascens mites , mealybugs , andaphids .
AFRICAN VIOLET VARIETIES
There are thousands of African reddish blue cultivars to select from , symbolize an astounding array of bloom colors , forms , and sizes . To see the full largeness of option , visit the photo gallery of theAfrican Violet Society of America , a assembling of over 3,000 African violet picture submitted by appendage .
Photo by : Alexandrova Elena / Shutterstock
' Summer Twilight '
Lilac - purple flower petal with blanched rippled borderline complement variegated foliation that goes from grim green in the nub to beige along the edge . Many of today ’s African violet are hybrids with the subspeciesconfusaor back - traverse , which allows for a full range of flower and foliage colors and physique . Most hybridizers show their new creations with the African Violet Society of America .
' High School Sweetheart '
brilliantly pink semi - treble blooms are outlined by low-cal green , ruffled edges . African violets with “ rippled ” petal have bound that are slenderly wavy , as opposed to a “ frilled ” boundary , which is very crinkled .
' Icy Sunset '
Large semi - double fuchsia blooms with livid , flute edges . African violet with flute flowers have slenderly curved indenture at the tips of the petal .
' Chimera Concord '
Semi - doubled creamy white bloom are boldly tonic with deep bluish - purple stripes in a salient pinwheel radiation diagram . African violet with bloom where the colour appear in alternating stripes on the petals are ordinarily mention to as “ chimeras . ”
' Julia '
great , pompom - like dual blooms feature pallid over-embellished petal with darker purpleness , frilled molding . Saintpauliaflowers are classified as “ double ” when they have at least 10 petals and the sensationalistic stamens are hidden .
' Lonestar Twilight '
Semi - double white blooms with frilly blue-blooded edge , set off by vary gullible and white leaf . A semi - double violet has efflorescence with six to nine flower petal and seeable yellow stamen . Often the bit of petals will variegate , which is why some blossom are draw as “ semi - double to double . ”
' RD ’s Gleam '
African violets whose petals are whitened or pastel shades with contrasting dark edges , sometimes with a slightly ruffled edge , are call “ picotee . ” This sensational variety feature large bubblegum - pinko blossoms and dark pink borders .
' LE - Vega '
ruffle semi - double to double dark cherry - red-faced flowers stand out in robust contrast to bright icteric stamens . African violets come in five sizing categories : micro - miniature , miniature , semi - miniature , standard , and heavy . A standard plant , such as this one , ranges in diam from 8 to 16 inches .
' Zephyr '
A new cultivar feature frilly pink and blanched blooms , with the pinkish beginning in the marrow and step by step wither to Patrick White . The popularity of African violets soar with the presentation of the fluorescent light bulb in 1938 . Their power to bloom almost continuously under fluorescent lighting created a boom in gardening under sparkle .
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR AFRICAN VIOLETS BLOOMING
African reddish blue will blossom almost incessantly throughout the year if you meet their canonic pauperization . Here ’s what it takes to keep them in flower and await fresh :
RELATED READING
