African Violets
African Violets
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Scientific Name:
Streptocarpus ionanthus
Previous Name(s):
Saintpaulia ionatha/hybrida
Common Name(s):
African Violet
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Tiny Shrub, No Branching, Leaves all grow from One Central Stem
Difficulty:
Medium
Growth:
Props:
Leaf Petiole Cuttings, Dividing Pups
Water:
Drought Tolerant, but Prefers Consistency
Humidity:
Light:
Medium
Low
Pests:
Flower Thrips & Mealy Bugs
Quirks:
DO NOT like Water on their Leaves, will cause Rot!
Light Levels
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African Violets prefer bright, but Medium Light levels. Especially the variegated varieties.
They can do well in an East window, or a bit back from a South facing window.
I keep mine under Grow Lights and they absolutely thrive here! The plants are about 8” away from a Barrina Bar light.
Note: Check out my Lighting page for more info on Grow Lights!
Side Note: I have tried mine a few different places, especially when we first moved and didn’t have the grow lights up yet. But they never did as well as they have under the grow lights. They even suffered a bit in my semi-shaded west window. But as soon as I put them back under the lights, they took off once again.
Watering Techniques
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Since African Violets do not like water on their leaves, bottom watering is the best. These plants are actually the only plants I bottom water.
To bottom water, place the plant in a bowl or dish that doesn’t drain. Then fill it up with water until about half-way up the pot. Let it sit for a bit so it can soak the water up. I usually go water other plants while I wait.
You will know the Violet has soaked up all it needs when the top of the soil starts to get moist. Then take out the plant, dump the excess water, and place it back inside the container to give it a chance to drain any extra water out (this will also keep it from draining onto your shelves).
If you check back, and the soil is still not damp on top, but the water level has gone down, add some more water up to half-way again and let it sit a bit longer.
Serious Note: Do not leave your Violets in the water any longer than it takes to get the top soil damp. It will begin to rot the roots if left in the water too long!
Side Note: I have a full video on how I water these plants on my Social Media page!
Pest Strategies
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I have found African Violets to be very prone to Flower Thrips and occasionally Mealy Bugs.
Mealy Bugs are fairly easy to manage. I simply use a toothpick to squash the little buggers. Doing that every time you water for a bit should get rid of them nicely.
You can also use a Q-tip with some isopropyl alcohol on it squash them. The alcohol is more effective in keeping them away. But you have to be careful and not use too much. If you leave too much alcohol on the plant, it will act like water on their leaves and rot them. Use a Q-tip that is only slightly damp.
Flower Thrips can be a bit harder. Luckily, they aren’t the kind that will go after your leaves unless they are really desperate. They like to eat the pollen out of your flowers.
I use the same method of just simply squashing them when I see them. Whether with my fingers or a toothpick.
I do not recommend using alcohol on the flowers as they are much more delicate and the alcohol will ruin them.
Note: If you don’t want to deal with the thrips, you can just remove any flowers from the plant. This is also a good way to immediately stop a pest population from growing out of hand.
Just be careful. If there are lots of thrips and you do this, just make sure to follow up with the plant and make sure they haven’t started going after the leaves.
Flowers
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Just like any flower, African Violet flowers will not last forever. They will eventually fall off on their own, but you can also deadhead them if you like.
To deadhead, simply find the stem on which the flower cluster resides and follow it down to the base where it attaches to the main stem of the plant. Snap off the stem there - where it attaches to the main plant.
This keeps away unnecessary dead stems and can promote more blooms.
Note: Flowers will only form if the plant has the energy to spare to produce them. It takes a lot of energy to produce and maintain flowers, so the plant will need consistent water and adequate nutrients.
Also, if the plant is blooming, but its care changes (less light, inconsistent watering, etc.) the flowers will be the first thing to go, and the plant will go back into basic survival mode to build up more resources for itself.
Growth & Propagation
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African Violet leaves grow on one central stem, forming an overall circular shape to the plant. The lower leaves will drop naturally as they get older.
They also shoot off Pups around the base of the Mother Plant. These are underground stems (rhizomes) that sprout from the original plant and poke out of the soil forming a new off shoot.
The most common ways to propagate an African Violet are Removing Pups and Leaf Petiole Cuttings.
Note: See my Propagation page for more on how to take these cuttings and propagate them!
Other Note: You can propagate African Violets by full stem cuttings, or through seed, but I find those methods are not as successful as these others mentioned.
Our Varieties
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Green
Variegated
For more Care Tips:
Visit my General Care Tips page to discover more tips for:
Light Levels - Watering Frequency - Fertilizing - and More!