How to Take Care of an African Violet Plant - Tips and Tricks

African Violets, a plant with origins in the eastern part of Africa, is a well-known houseplant that can grow year-round. To grow African violets, aka saintpaulia ionantha, you must know a few things. Some things include the amount of water it needs, the amount of sunlight it needs, and, if necessary, the ability to make the plant rebloom. Learn more about how to take care of this plant in this blog post!

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How Hard is African Violet to grow?

One of the first things to note is the type of potting mix or fertilizer you are using. The first option is to buy potting soil specifically for African Violets and then dilute it with perlite. Otherwise, you would want to use something like Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix.

Although African violet potting mixes and fertilizers exist, they are unreliable and can sometimes kill the plant instead of helping it. The other way you can go about it is by combining various soil types to create a soil mix. If you were to do this, you would need it to contain one part of vermiculite, peat moss, and one perlite.

Another essential thing to note is the room temperature and humidity of the house you are putting the plant in. The room temperature that allows the African Violet plant to survive is around sixty-five- and seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. The humidity that you want to keep the plant at is forty to fifty percent humidity.

Finally, cold temperatures can stunt the growth of an African Violet, so be careful about leaving it near a cold window in the winter. The same goes with placing the plant near an AC unit in a window during the summer.

Do African Violets Need Direct Sunlight?

Like any other plant, African Violet’s needs a certain amount of sunlight to grow. For African Violets specifically, you need to ensure that you use daylight and not grow lights as a replacement. Indirect light works the best for this plant.

You can get indirect sunlight by placing the plant near a windowsill. Make sure that the plant has shade as well not to bake the leaves. Indirect light is enough light for the plant. In summary, the plant should get eight hours of sunlight and eight hours in the dark every day.

Finally, you should get in the habit of rotating the plants a quarter-turn for consistent growth.

How Much Should You Water an African Violet?

If you end up overwatering the plant, it can quickly die due to diseases like root rot. Some tools that help you efficiently water the plant include a self-watering African Violet pot, which gives the plant water every day and increases the humidity around the plant. You should also make sure that you are using a pot with holes in the bottom of the pot to help with draining.

However, if you wish to water the plant yourself, you should plan to water them once a month. You also need to be particular about the type of water you use on the plant as well. Filtered water and collected rainwater are considered good choices for watering this plant.

Also, if you use tap water, you will need to ensure it is not cold water. Warm water works best for an African Violet, so you should make sure to let it sit before you water it.

Can You Use Coffee Grounds on African Violets?

Yes, you can use used coffee grounds as a fertilizer for African Violets. However, you should ensure you don’t get the coffee grounds on the leaves if possible.

Common Bugs that the Plant Gets

One common bud problem that African Violets run into is with Mealybugs. Mealybugs are white bugs that can slowly kill your plant by sucking out the sap. If you discover these bugs on the plant, you can put rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and wipe them away.

How Do you Get African Violets to Rebloom?

African violets bloom due to various factors, such as genetics, watering levels, the amount of light, and more. If you want the plant to rebloom, you need to ensure that you do the same things as when it first bloomed. An excellent way to make sure you can have the plant rebloom is by removing blooming flowers so new ones can grow in their place.

If your plant is currently over two years old at this point, you should repot your plant. Repotting African Violets will help with reblooming to continue, as long as you keep everything the same. Changing the potting soil and anything else that is needed is the right move.

However, unlike other plants, you don’t need to change the pot itself. Unlike many different plants, African Violet doesn’t need larger containers than the ones you decide to put it in.

Conclusion – How to Take Care of an African Violet Plant

African Violets are one of the very few houseplants that get their reputation for just having pretty flowers. If you want to grow this plant, you now have the information you need to grow it successfully. How hard the plant is to develop, the type of sunlight it needs, the amount of water it needs, and more are crucial factors in making a healthy African Violet.