Streptocarpussubg.Streptocarpellasect.Saintpaulia
Like many gran out there , my great - gran grow African violets .
She was head of the African Violet Society chapter in the urban center where I turn up and she assured vernal me , as she lovingly irrigate and care for her graceful and clearly happy plants , that raise African violets was a patch of cake .
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‘Aromat Leta.’
And for many years , I think Great - Grandma Edith was full of it .
I could barely keep the leave-taking from turning soggy and fall off , let alone palaver the industrial plant to bloom !
But by my teen , I had fancy out how to make them not only thrive but how to propagate them as well , even creating unexampled plants with unique characteristics . You could say I caught theSaintpauliabug .
Edith would be proud .
I ’m delighted to see that these plants , which fell out of favour and were replaced in popularity by things likesucculentsandfiddle - foliage figs , are line up their style back into the spotlight .
Once you bang how to grow them , they really are somewhat simple to deal for . And they ’re one of the few houseplant that will systematically give you a flowered display throughout the year .
We ’re going to avail you make your African violet the lecture of the town , and here ’s what we ’ll go over to that end :
What You’ll Learn
We ’re move to need to define a few terms before we dive in . As with any extensively cultivate plant , there are a lot of description and terminus that are used to explain what we ’re carry on with .
What Are African Violets?
Known as gesneriad , or plants from the botanic family Gesneriaceae , African violets were recently reclassified by taxonomists .
Previously considered member of theSaintpauliagenus – and often still delineate this way – they are now sort out as part oftheStreptocarpusgenus(often abbreviated asStr . ) within theSaintpauliasection of theStreptocarpellasubgenus .
There are 10 species in this section , includingStr . afroviola , Str . brevipilosus , Str . goetzeanus , Str . inconspicuus , Str . ionanthus , Str . nitidus , Str . shumensis , Str . teitensis , Str . ulugurensis , andStr . watkinsii .
You ’ll see two growth drug abuse type among African violets .
The first is hang back , which features cascading growth and multiple stems . Blossoms emerge from each stem , and plant are bushy with a tears manikin , with bloom covering the foliage .
The other type is the rosette shape . It has one main base , and the blossoms come forth from that central peak .
Years ago , the only selection you ’d typically find had single , purple , five - petaled flowers and your basic green leaf .
These days , there is amuchwider range in terms of variety . No longer just violet , you may also find pink , white , yellow , mauve , blue , and lavender bloom today , as well as combination of these colors , and leafage in a grasp of hues .
you may see the original single as well as semi - double flower with more than five but less than 10 petal , or three-fold blossom with more than 10 petals . Some varieties are even described as “ threefold - plus , ” with over 20 petals !
When it comes to bod , there are Alexander Graham Bell - shape prime that have flux petals curved inward in a narrow cuplike form .
Star - regulate flowers have five fused petals , and cupful constitute a more shallow cup then bells . you’re able to also retrieve frilly flowers , which as you might guess , have swagger , frilly - edge flower petal .
In addition to individual , upstanding colors , you will also see bicolor and multicolored blossoms . And then there are the design , which seem as the result of particular familial variation in intercrossed cultivars .
Chimera type are hybrid that have pinwheel stripes . Genevas have white molding and a colored shopping center . Those with sorry oculus are primarily white-hot with a dab of color at the middle , while whitened - eyed blooms display the opposite coloration .
Varieties also exist with coloured or speckled edge . Thumbprint - model blooms await like someone weight-lift their thumb into the center of the flower petal to create German mark in a contrasting colour .
Fantasy type have multicolored petals with contrasting streaks or light beam . you’re able to also find “ comforter , ” which have splotches of colour , as well as streaky and dotted blooms , which look just as they vocalise .
Watermarked African violets have tinge petals with a dark band surrounding them and secernate it from a second color at the center . And there are feathered single with darker - color veins throughout short petals .
The fun does n’t stop there ! There are fluted flowers too , which have five petal with misrepresented tips . And wasp flowers have five petal , but two of them are more narrow than the others .
These plants come up in several different sizes as well . They can be standards , or any size above eight inches , semi - miniature , mean they are under eight inches in diam , and miniature , with a facing pages less than six inches .
We have n’t even cut through leave of absence yet ! Besides the standard , these may be pointed , round , oval , heart - mould …
There are “ girl ” leaves , which have scollop edge with a unmarried white point at the base . There are also “ boy ” leaves , which are the criterion , classic leaves of yore .
In addition , the leaf can be “ quilt , ” which is when the leaves are somewhat puffy with depressed veins .
Spooned leaves are slightly cup , and some are ruffled , with frilly edge . hustle or ado - back leaves are individual leaves with a smaller pair at the base .
You might also see wavy foliage , which has blue wave at the margins .
There are always new characteristics popping up , and novel hybrids can be named and registered with the African Violet Society of America , so there are always exciting fresh options coming to the market .
Cultivation and History
The formerSaintpauliagenus was identify after , unsurprisingly , a valet named Baron von Saint Paul . He was a German regulator of Tanzania who first described the plant , specifically theionanthussubspecies , in 1892 and brought it to Europe .
Originally , it was found throughout easterly Africa . you’re able to still find this plant growing unwarranted in the passel of Tanzania and Kenya , though it ’s threatened by habitat departure .
Today , the African violet has become an exceptionally democratic houseplant across the globe , with interest among gardener climb and waning passably from one multiplication to the next .
Propagation
achiever with African violet starts with the roots . These plants have fine roots , and they can rot highly well .
For all of the following propagation methods , keep one affair in mind : only use well - drain soil . It does n’t weigh what method acting you pick out : the tonality to success is a substrate that drain readily .
To assist invalidate decompose , I recommend draw your own potting mixture so you may ensure that it is extremely well - draining . Pick up a package of standard potting soil and fuse it with equal portion perlite , pumice , or rice hull .
Specialty product for African violets are also available from baby’s room , like this on the loose and porous African Violet Potting Soil , made with composted pine barque , perlite , and peat moss , plus calcined lime to balance soil pH.
Their preferred pH range is slimly acid , with a pH of about 6.5 to 6.8 .
African Violet Potting Soil
This ware isavailable from Perfect Plants Nurseryin two - dry quart and eight - quart packages .
From Seed
Most African violet cultivars wo n’t grow true from seed since they are hybrids . Chimeras , for instance , can only be propagate via suckers – only clones will maintain the same genetic traits that give the flowers their alone pattern .
For those who wish to propagate new plants by sowing semen , the cognitive operation consume a while but it ’s fairly aboveboard . This can also be a fun way to formulate new cultivars through cross - pollination .
occupy a seeded player tray with a seed - start mix or the DIY mix described above . Do n’t use potting soil – it ’s too heavy .
stifle the admixture using a spray feeding bottle so you do n’t make any depressions in the medium . Sprinkle the seed over the mixture but do n’t cover them .
Do n’t worry about spacing . Since the seeds are lilliputian and hard to handle , we ’ll just thin the seedlings later .
Place the tray in bright , indirect sunlight .
Keep the filth moist with that spray bottle . You have to be diligent about this . If the filth dries out the seeds will dry out too . And if that happens , they wo n’t germinate .
Once you start to see lilliputian seedlings go forth , thin them out by snipping the weak ones so they ’re spaced at least three inches apart .
Now you could shift to gently watering witha watering can , preferably one without a shower - type head so as not to disturb the seedling – water that comes down on plants like a patrician rain can be safe for delicate seedlings , but you in the main desire to water straight at the soil railway line rather than sprinkling leaf .
Keep the filth moist but not blind drunk . Once the industrial plant have developed three or four leaves each , you could graft them into individual container .
From Leaf Cuttings
Leaf cuttings can be taken at any sentence of twelvemonth , but outflow tends to be good , when they are actively growing .
To propagate foliage cuttings , the soil should be evenmorewell - draining than what you ’d normally use .
While pot mix combine with equal parts perlite or another substrate will work , I recommend something close to one part pot stain and two voice perlite , or ideally , the DIY mix suggested above .
replete a two- or three - in tidy sum with your mix and use a pencil to make a small hole in the center .
trend a intelligent leaf from a mature flora , take in care to remove as much of the petiole or stanch as potential .
Dip the goal in root hormone and place it in the potting medium in that golf hole you made previously , with the stem push into the soil no more than an column inch inscrutable .
You might take to shore up the leafage up with a chopstick or toothpick . Water the average well so it feels moist but not soggy .
Place a methamphetamine cloche or encamp a plastic bagful over the container tocreate a piddling glasshouse . Place the pot in undimmed , indirect light .
When you see new foliation , your frozen cutting is ready to transpose . Read our guidebook for a more comprehensive look atpropagating African violets this way .
From Suckers
Also know as pups , suckers are miniature plants that sprout from the radix of the parent , often in answer to environmental stressors . you could bring down these off and start new plants .
To do this , irrigate the parent industrial plant well and then waitress a few hours . In the meantime , replete a two- or three - inch batch with the same potting assortment report in the beginning of this section . Poke a small indenture in the plaza with a pencil or chopstick .
Find the base of the pup and cut it off from the parent plant using a clean pair of pair of scissors . Dip the excision end in rooting internal secretion and pose it in the shallow divot you made .
urine the medium well so it feel moist but not wet and place a cloche or clear fictile bag over the pot to imitate the condition you might find in a teeny - lilliputian glasshouse . set up the pot in a location where it will receive six hour of bright , indirect Light Within per day .
Keep the soil moist and remove the bag once a day for a few hour . Eventually , though it can take up to a month , you ’ll set off to see new growth . That stand for winner ! you may pot up your fresh plant now .
For the inside information on that process , keep reading .
Learn more about propagating African violet by variance and runner .
Transplanting
When you propagate , purchase , or obtain a new African violet some other way , your first move should be to put it in a container .
But if the soil is adequate and the container it came in is already sized appropriately , immediate transplanting may not be necessary .
African violets need to be grown in modest pots to be glad . You ’ll believably call back you ’re using something too minor at first if you are n’t intimate with growing these plants , but chances are it ’s just right .
opt a container that is about a third as full as the plant , as described in a bit more detail in the incision below .
To transplant , remove the reddish blue from its container and lightly loosen the roots . Place it in the new pot so the roots are covered to the same depth as in the previous container , and fill in with a well - draining mix as delineate at the outset of this segment .
How to Grow
identify your African violet houseplants about 12 to 24 inches away from a west- , south- , or Orient - confront window so they will encounter bright , collateral Christ Within .
If that is n’t available , put them 10 to 30 inch away fromsupplemental grow lightsand leave the light on for six to 12 hours per mean solar day .
They do n’t like to be cold , so choose a location where you could observe a moderate temperature of 60 to 70 ° F , away from any drafts .
These plant like to feel informal . They do n’t do well if they ’re placed in a large corporation . A good rule of pollex is to use a pot that is one - third the diam of the breadth of the leaves . If your works measure a foot across , establish it in a four - inch pot .
diminished pots make watering a bit more hard , but it ’s all important to get this right . The ground need to stay on constantly moist and it should not be allowed to dry out out . But the roots should n’t be sit in standing H2O either .
you may usebottom wateringor top watering method acting , but be certain to empty the saucer place beneath your reddish blue ’s container if any water collects . Wick - watering or self - lachrymation potty are an even better option .
humidness should be around 40 to 60 percent . Anything less and the flower buds might dry up and fall off before the plant can bloom . Anything mellow and fungous disease become more probable .
Unless you absolutely have to , nullify touch the farewell .
folio that are handled often tend to be little and less healthy , as a study by Julia C. Brotton and Janet C. Cole , research worker from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University and published in the journalHortTechnology in 2009concluded .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
As the blossoms melt , grab a spent flower and rock it back and forward . It will pop off by from the prow .
Deadheading in this wayhelps to ensure continued blooming . Do n’t remove an entire bloom cluster at once . Just slay each flush one at a clip , as they fade individually .
bump off any deadened or damaged leaves as you see them as well .
African violet need to be feed regularly , with no exceptions . Feeding once a week with an all - purpose fluent plant food diluted to one - 8th strength is about correct .
You could also fertilize every other week with the same eccentric of intersection reduce to one - quarter strength .
Now , let ’s accost one of the most exciting and challenging parts of growing African violet : vex them to bloom .
These plants can be fussy when it come to putting out flowers . If you ’ve been turn yours for a while and you still are n’t seeing blossoms , first consider the light berth .
The perfect locating would be as described above , near a smart window or under supplemental electric lights .
If you are n’t sure that your flora are receiving passable light , apply a light meteror expression at the leave . If the leaves are develop up rather than horizontally and if the leafstalk ( the foliage stems ) are long , your violet postulate more light .
Next , think about the last time you fertilized , and consider whether the gage is too bombastic . speciality fertiliser are n’t necessary , but you will happen many products useable that are recommended specifically for use on African violet to boost blooming .
You might like this liquid Blooming Houseplant Food from Miracle - Gro , useable from Amazonin a two - inner circle of eight - ounce bottles .
Miracle - Gro Blooming Houseplant Food
If these stipulation check out , ensure the ambient humidness and temperature are high enough . If all else fails , your plant might have fall down asleep , for lack of a better full term .
Some violets decide that they ’re doing perfectly well as they are , thank you very much , and they ’re content .
These need to be inflame up by repotting . You do n’t need to go up a size , just withdraw the plant , circulate out those theme a little , and repot in wise stain .
If you have a chimera loan-blend , it ’s entirely possible that it might revert to produce upstanding - dark-skinned flowers . Chimeras have two separate set of DNA and as they age , they might originate to send out maturation influenced by the genetics from the solid - colored parent .
If you see any unanimous blossom toss off up , cut them off . If the plant life begins producing nothing but solid flowers , it ’s too late and the chimera trait is gone from the plant life .
Plants should be repotted at least once a year , but sooner twice a yr . The full point is n’t to upgrade to a heavy batch of necessity but to inter the stem(s ) slightly deep than they were before .
African violet naturally drop their low folio over time . As this happens , they form what is cry a “ cervix . ” This is a stem at the base of the plant without any leave .
Each time you repot , remove the industrial plant from its existing pot and brush away the soil from the base of the plant .
Put the violet back in the container sit so the bottom leave are just above the soil line and refill the container . Every time you repot , you ’ll order the plant just a touch rich than it was before , burying the root word somewhat .
You do n’t need to go up a size unless the leave have grown so wide that you need to upgrade to a bigger container to retain that 1:3 ratio .
The pot you use should be the same size across as the root ball . Any larger and you ’ll boost root rot and other trouble .
Find more point on repot African violets here .
Cultivars to Select
By the way , you should become familiar with the term NOID , which intend “ no identification . ”
That ’s how African violet enthusiasts refer to plants that have no name , either because they were never named formally or they were separated from their identity element at some distributor point along the way .
It happens all the clip and many of the plant you find in stores are NOIDs .
African Violets in Four - Inch Pots
For example , Hirt ’s Gardens sell NOID plants in a kind of salad days colors and types as surprise snap - handbag selections usable in four - inch potsfrom Walmart .
AndAmazon carriesfour - packs of assorted Optimara NOID African reddish blue from Optiflora , also in four - inch pots .
You wo n’t be capable to go in these into any appearance , but that does n’t think of they wo n’t make endearing houseplants .
When it get to named intercrossed cultivars , there are so many to take from ! Just to name a few , the following three are extremely popular :
‘ Aromat Leta , ’ aka ‘ Aroma of Summer , ’ has wavy coral thumbprint petal with a lily-white center and sensationalistic centers . This cultivar was produced by hybridizer Natalia Skornyakova in 2015/2016 .
‘ Cherry Princess , ’ a chimera case introduce by Paul Sorano of Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses in 2012 , has semi - double to repeat white , pansy - form bloom with fuchsia banding .
‘ Rose Quartz ’ belong to the Little Jewel series from the Optimara sword at Holtkamp Greenhouses , and was first introduced in 1988 . It has semi - twofold pink flush with pink centers .
For some more particular cultivars , check out this roundup of our favorite African reddish blue cultivar ( coming shortly ! ) .
Managing Pests and Disease
good for you African violet are clean resistant to pest and disease , despite their finicky reputation . But give them the awry amount of lighter , not enough food , or too short or too much piss , and you ’re inviting problems .
Insects
Since African violet are principally grown indoors , you ’ll most often see the rough-cut houseplant pests .
Many of these are bring in on fresh buy works , so give your new babies a unspoiled spirit and even a week or two of quarantine away from other indoor flora before you enter them to the ingroup .
Cyclamen purpurascens hint ( Phytonemus pallidus ) are diminutive little cuss that attack African violet , strawberries , andcyclamens .
They thrive in warm , humid environments , so those keeping their violets in cloche or glass cabinets might black market into this pest . Any plants mature in conditions above 80 percent humidity and at temperature over 60 ° F is at risk .
While they ’re interchangeable tospider mites , they do n’t birl WWW and they ca n’t be seen by the naked eye . or else of looking for the insects , look for dusty white patch on the leaves , and novel folio and blossom increment that looks distorted , curl , or fused .
If you discover signs of infection and you are n’t in honey with this picky specimen , toss it out .
It ’s much easier than trying to hold in an plague and these pest propagate incredibly speedily . At the very least , do n’t utilize an infested plant to make cuttings and be sure to keep it isolate .
To treat the trouble , apply neem fossil oil , taking aid to impregnate the top and bottom of the leave . Do this every four day for three weeks . Wait a few month to see if new increment looks healthy . If not , repeat handling .
mealybug are a coarse pestis of all form of houseplant . They ’re modest critters , about a quarter - inch in duration , and have a waxy , cottony coating that covers their body .
These pests expend their sucking mouthparts to tip on plant fool and you commonly regain them on leave and stems rather than flower .
Citrus ( Planococcus citri ) and comstock mealy bug ( Pseudococcus comstocki ) feed on African violets . When they ’re present , the leaves will be distorted and growth is stunted .
You might also see yellowing and browning of the leave . In addition to the pests themselves , look for the sticky honeydew melon that they leave behind .
If you get an plague early on , you’re able to get rid of it by dip a cotton fiber swab in fret alcoholic drink and wiping it on each of the mealybugs . This removes their protective coating . Do this daily until you do n’t see any more mealybugs .
For a magnanimous infestation , grab an insecticide that comprise pyrethrins . Many of these are not rated for indoor manipulation , so you ’ll need to take your plant outside when you spray it and provide it out for a morsel .
If it ’s winter , quickly spray and then rate the wad in a garage or other protected infinite for a few hour .
Otherwise , find a handling product that is rated for indoor utilisation .
You canlearn more about mealy bug and how to hold in them in our scout .
I ’m not a fan of any type of pests , but thrip really get me nuts when they attack African violet . That ’s because the most obvious symptoms regard the blossoms .
Here you are , enjoying yourself and care for your plant , just counting the days until those bud open to discover big , beautiful heyday .
But then they turn sentimental and soft , or they might open up and then quickly dry out , with a papery grain . Or perhaps the buds do n’t give at all !
If this happens , your works might have a little family of western flower thrips ( Frankliniella occidentalis ) making themselves at home . They do n’t usually touch the foliage , but they really do a phone number on the flowers .
You probably wo n’t notice the dirt ball themselves because they ’re timid , pale , and only one millimeter long . The solution – and here is another reason that I hate these petite jerked meat – is to dispatch all of the flowers and buds for a period of six month .
It sucks , but you effectively lust the thripid to death because you ’ve remove their source of intellectual nourishment . In the idealistic dodge of things , what is six months ? A simple blink of an optic . for sure worth eradicating this irritating pest .
Oh , and if you are on the fencing about pruning off a big , beautiful bloom , recollect that this pest transmit an incurable computer virus . Do n’t ignore the problem !
Formore info about thrip , check out our guidebook .
Disease
The most common diseases of this beautiful plant are easy to avoid with caution . But one is difficult to avoid and incurable , though uncommon .
This incurable disease is carried by those westerly bloom thrips that we talked about above . As these pest give , they can disseminate the virus from industrial plant to institute .
The symptom are pretty hard to sum up because they look like so many other yield . We ’re peach about droop , foliage yellowing , a deficiency of flowering , ring spot or recessed spots , and scrubby development .
The only way to have a go at it for sure if your works have squeeze this virus is to send a sample distribution to your local filename extension role . If you get a positive substantiation , toss your industrial plant .
Powdery mold is passing vernacular and it designate up as blank powdery spots on the leave of absence .
The best way to avoid this disease is to keep humidness under 60 percent , guarantee that plants have mickle of air circulation , and if your rest home temperatures fluctuate by more than 15 degrees , try place your plants somewhere with more unceasing temperature .
Once the disease is present , watch out ourguide for dealing with powdery mildew . And do n’t feel bad , it bump to everyone at some dot .
Root rot starts with limp leaves on the exterior of the plant life . It calculate a little like the plant is wilting , but this is n’t the sentence to add more water .
reach the dirt first . Does it feel moist ? If so , it ’s most likely beginning rot .
Remove the plant life from its container and brush or knock aside as much soil as you may . pose the plant on a towel and let the roots dry out out for half an hour or so . Now , spray the roots with cop fungicide and repot .
Be careful not to overwater run low forward . You might have to care for again in a month , but if you ride out diligent , your plant will recover .
read more about root rot discussion here .
Best Uses
There ’s hardly a flora that I can think of that is better suited to apply indoors as a potted specimen . It ’s staring .
While you could put some of the trail types in a hanging basketful if you want , you ’ll miss out on most of the display that agency . Keep these plant in pots and bask .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
A Retro Plant That Deserves a Return to the Spotlight
African violets were considered out of style in the ‘ ninety and aughts . But today , people are recognise them for the year - round blossoms that they render .
It ’s pretty difficult to incur a plant that blossoms as long as this one does , especially with the immense orbit of flower colors and mode .
Are you new to African reddish blue ? Trying them once again after years of seem toward other plant ?
Regardless , which cultivars or hybrids do you get it on ? There are so many excellent I and finding new favorites is always a welcome discovery . Share with us in the input surgical incision below !
Are you ahouseplant aficionado ? Are you look for other species to fill your home with ? If the reply is yes , you might find these guides helpful :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photos via Miracle - Gro , Perfect Plants Nursery , and Walmart . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock . With additional piece of writing and editing by Allison Sidhu .
About
Kristine Lofgren
