When your African Violets arrive

Your new African violets have arrived and you can't wait to see them grow....But wait!  There are some things you should know.  First remember to isolate any new violets.  Pests are known to lay dormant for years and can come unannounced into your home.  Isolating will help prevent any pests or diseases from spreading to your other plants.  I don't believe anyone would intentionally sell you a plant that has pests, but sometimes these things can go undetected for many months even with regular treatments to keep them away.  Your best front-line defense is to isolate your new plants. 

Keep in mind that your African Violet has had quite a trip and needs to recover.  To give your plant the best chance, please do not repot for at least 4 weeks.  This gives your African Violet a chance to become accustomed to growing in your environment and a gives it a better chance for survival when you do transplant.

Caring for your African Violet

Watering and Fertilizing:   Watering can be done from the top or bottom.  African Violets like a constant source of food with a weak solution of balanced fertilizer which is about half of what the package recommends.  If you find that this is too much for your watering system please adjust as necessary.  It is a good idea to use plain water about once a month, watering from the top, to keep your soil from accumulating fertilizer salts.  Always use room temperature water.  If using tap water it is a good idea to let it sit for at least 24 hours so that the chlorine evaporates.  The most common cause of failure is due to over watering.  Violets like to be consistently moist not wet.  Remember, it is safer to be on the dry side than the wet, so if you are unsure if you violet needs water wait another day.  If you are bottom watering it is important not let your African Violet sit in the water for more than 15 minutes...this is a sure way to over water.  If you think you have over watered place your violet on a folded paper towel to help leach out the excess water.

Lighting:  Without adequate light your African Violet will not bloom.  African Violets love bright, filtered light from a window or fluorescent lighting approximately 12 inches from the plants for standards and half of that for miniature and semiminiature African Violets.  Which ever lighting you use, it is a good idea to keep an eye on how your violets grow.  They will tell you if they need more light or less based on reaching leaves or bunched centers.  Some varieties do better in certain lighting this is something fun you can experiment with.   

Temperature:  African Violets are excellent house plants in that they do well in temperatures that we would keep our houses at.  They do best from 65 to 70 degrees and humidity between 40 and 60%.  For dry seasons you can try a pebble bed, this will increase the humidity around your plant.  They do not tolerate cold well at all that is why it is important to remember how cold it is next to your windows, especially during the winter.

Repotting:  African Violets do best in a soiless medium.  These mediums provide excellent drainage and a good environment for the delicate roots of a violet.  Since you are feeding your violet when you water, it is a good idea to not use a mix that has fertilizer in it.  When potting up to a larger size pot stick with shorter pots and use a pot that is only slightly larger.  The plant should be 3 times the diameter of the pot it is in before potting up.  An African Violets root system is only about 1/3 of the diameter of your plant.  Using too large and deep of a pot will lead to excess moisture in the soil and the roots will rot eventually killing the plant.