African Violets are popular flowering house plants that produce clusters of white, blue, pink or purple flowers over green, fuzzy leaves. African Violets can be intimidating to indoor plant growers because of the care they require, but if cared for properly, they can be a beautiful and colorful addition to any growers collection. These plants require bright to medium light to survive and must be watered very carefully. Proper watering is an important aspect of learning how to grow African violets. Water when the surface of the soil begins to feel dry, yet don't allow the soil to dry out completely. Avoid watering from above or misting the plants foliage or flowers with water, especially hard water. Distilled or filtered water is preferred. We prefer the bottom-watering method, which enables the plant to absorb only the amount of water desired through it's root system. This watering method will also help to avoid crown rot. While African Violets may be a little fussy, they are a colorful flowering plant and have added benefit of being pet friendly!
Ed's Plant Profile
- Botanical Name: Saintpaulia
- Common Name(s): African Violet
- Family: Gesneriaceae
- Native Range: Eastern Africa
Ed's Care Guide
- Care Level: For the plant enthusiast
- Light: Bright to medium indirect light
- Water: Keep soil moist and never let soil go completely dry. Avoid overwatering. Recommend using distilled or filtered water, and watering from the bottom.
- Humidity: Moderate
- Temperature: 60-80F
- Pruning: Prune as needed to remove brown or dead leaves.
- Feeding: Fertilize African violet plants with special African violet food or a food with a higher phosphorus number. Fertilizer can be mixed at one-quarter strength and used at every watering.
- Propagation: Leaf cuttings
- Pests: Look out mites, mealybugs and thrips
- Toxicity: Non-toxic to humans and pets. However, with all plants, we recommend you exercise caution with children and pets.