African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) are popular houseplants known for their compact size and delicate, colorful blooms. In 1892, Baron Walter von Saint Paul discovered the African violet in Tanzania, East Africa. The genus, Saintpaulia, was derived from this explorer’s name. The specific epithet, ionantha, refers to the violet color of the flowers.
These beautiful flowering plants are no longer just violet colored. Thanks to their popularity, many hybrids and varieties are now available. When a new form is discovered, growers propagate the unusual plant to form a new variety. It is not uncommon to see pink, white, mauve and bicolor blooms.
African violets belong to the family Gesneriaceae that also includes popular flowering plants such as Streptocarpus and Gloxinia. In addition, African violets may have single or double blossoms that sit delicately atop their soft velvety leaves. They can be a little quirky, however, once you understand how to care for them, they will reward you with vibrant blooms throughout the year. 2024 was named The Year of the African Violet by the National Garden Bureau.
They should come with a warning though. As well as my many mature African Violets, I have a converted Ikea cabinet with 20 or so variegated and girl leaf propagations growing right now, tucked up nice and warm and humid under grow lights. And no, I did NOT think ahead on what I'll do with them all once they get big, so I guess it's African Violets on everyone's gift list this year.
Understanding African Violet Care
Knowing where they come from tells you a lot about their care. They are native to rainforests in the mountains of east African countries such as Tanzania, where temperatures vary from around 18 to 32 degrees Celsius (64 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit). They grow naturally in the coastal mountains and forests with average annual humidity of 77%. I've found them quite tolerant of conditions outside of their ideal range, although you might miss out on those gorgeous blooms.
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Here are the rules, African Violet tips and tricks, the care essentials covering watering, substrate, light, temperature, humidity and more, plus trouble-shooting tips throughout, including how to get your African Violet to flower.
Light Requirements
African violets need 11-14 hours of bright, indirect sunlight to flower. Many experts say that artificial light works as well as and more reliably than sunlight. The best artificial lighting is achieved with a pair of 40-watt florescent lights. Ideally one should be a cool-white and the other a warm-white daylight tube. These should be placed approximately 8-12 inches above the plants.
If your plant has dark healthy leaves but no blooms, try increasing the light. One sign your African Violet isn't getting enough light is stems becoming long and reaching up, trying to stretch closer to the light. A sign of too much light is leaves fading and bleaching, losing their colour. Light and flowering also go together. Do give your plant a quarter turn every week or two, otherwise they tend to bend towards the light and also grow bigger leaves on the side that gets more light, ending up lopsided or falling over.
Temperature and Humidity
African violets are well adapted to indoor environments. They prefer a temperature between 65°F and 80°F with about 80% humidity. It is important to avoid temperature and humidity fluctuations, including sudden drafts. Optimal room temperature for growing African violets is between 60 and 80 F and ideally 70 F.
Humidity at 40-60% will help African violets thrive. Group plants together to conserve humidity or set plants on trays of pebbles and water. Make sure the plant does not sit in the water but just above it. To provide an adequately humid environment, you may want to use a humidifier or place pots in a tray filled with gravel and water.
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If you remember from the conditions in the wild that we started with, being a rainforest understory plant, African Violets prefer humidity on the high side. Aim to maintain them between 40% and 60% humidity.
Watering Techniques
Maintain even moisture, and do not let your African violets dry out completely. African violets prefer to be watered with room-temperature water from the bottom since water droplets can cause damage to the leaves. Use water that is room temperature. African violets are susceptible to crown rot, so it is important that the crown (the section of the plant at soil level) is not saturated with water.
Do not use softened or chlorinated water for African violets. Use room-temperature distilled water, rainwater, or reverse-osmosis water. Keep the potting mix moist but not soggy, and never let your plant sit in water. Root rot from over watering is one of the most common reasons African violets die. If you prefer top watering or bottom watering, instead of wick watering (more about all three coming up), you'll need to keep an eye on your African Violets to know when to water again.
How I Wick Water My African Violets
As you can probably guess from their natural rainforest habitat, African Violet's prefer not to fully dry out. You want to maintain a lightly, evenly moist substrate (but never soggy!). There are 3 common methods for watering African Violets. My preferred method is bottom-watering. There's also top-watering and wick-watering. More about each method coming up.
For all methods it's best to use room temperature to lukewarm water. Although I use these three terms interchangeably, I shouldn't. Technically they are different. Lukewarm is warmer than room temperature and tepid tends to cover the widest temperature range. They don't have exact temperatures but as a general guide:
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- Room temperature is around 20 to 24 degrees Celsius or 68 to 76 Fahrenheit.
- Lukewarm is around 35 to 40 Celsius or 98 to 105 Fahrenheit.
- Tepid tends to be a broader range, around 15 to 27 Celsius or 60 to 100 Fahrenheit.
Here are three ways to water African violets:
- Water from the top: Use a baster, syringe or bottle with a narrow spout. Carefully water just the potting mix.
- Bottom Watering: Place the pot in a saucer filled with water for 15 to 30 minutes. Water will be absorbed into the soil through the pot’s drain hole. To bottom water, just pop the nursery pot inside a larger outer pot or container about quarter-filled with room temperature to lukewarm water. That way when you put the nursery pot into the outer pot, the level of the water ends up about half way up the nursery pot. You can also use this same method with a saucer, it will just take longer to fully soak to the top, and you'll likely need to top-up the water in the saucer.
- Wicking system: When potting an African violet, bury a synthetic cord (natural material will rot) in the soil and fish it out through the drain hole. The soil absorbs water from the saucer through this wick. Place a layer of gravel in the saucer to keep the soil from being in direct contact with the water in the saucer. The constant water source in the saucer allows the plant to absorb water as needed. You can add a wick made of a length of string when you repot a plant. Thread a length of wet string or yarn (nylon or polyester) through a bottom hole in your empty pot. Allow about 6 inches to hang out the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot to the top with potting mix. Make a hole in the mix and insert your African violet plant. Gently push the potting mix up to the plant crown. Cut a hole into the cover of a plastic container of water and mild fertilizer (about ⅛ recommended strength) and feed the wick into a reservoir. Set the pot above the reservoir in a bright window. Replenish the water as needed and avoid letting the wick dry out.
Potting Mixes and Containers
African violets have fine roots and require well-drained, soilless potting mixes with a pH of about 6.2 - 6.5. Pre-mixed commercial blends high in peat are available at most retail garden centers. Some growers recommend a blend of 50% commercial African violet potting mix and 50% perlite.
Planting containers should have one or more holes in the bottom that allow excess water to drain. African violets prefer to be slightly rootbound. The diameter of the container should measure no more than one-third the width of the plant’s leaf span. Clay pots may accumulate fertilizer salts. When the African violet’s leaves and stems come into contact with these salts, they can burn and eventually rot.
I've found the right substrate key to making African Violets easy care. You can buy a premade mix or DIY your own. Either way a substrate suitable for bottom watering or wick watering will make your life much easier. I love the custom blend Bio Leaf African Violet Mix created by Bio Leaf in conjunction with respected African Violet grower Bruce Andrew. It's airy, fine and well-draining. I've found it superb for both bottom-watering and wick watering and it holds onto water a good amount of time. Their mix is a combo of peat moss, vermiculite, perlite and horticultural charcoal with the added perks of a bio-active goodies including calcium and silica to reduce transplant stress.
Fertilizing
Regularly feed your African violets to keep them blooming during spring and summer. Use ferti-lome® African Violet & Blooming Plant Food every time you water or at least once or twice per month during the blooming season. Fertilizers formulated for African violets can be purchased at many garden centers or online. If a plant is dry, always moisten the potting mix with plain water to prevent possible root burn before fertilizing.
African violets require a mild fertilizer each time they are watered.
Almost all fertilizers offer the basic three “macro-nutrients” of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which are needed in ample supply for healthy plant growth. A few also include the “macros” of calcium and magnesium. Since these two latter “macros” are found in many city water supplies, most growers will get enough calcium and magnesium from their water. If you use rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water, be aware that you need a fertilizer that contains both, or you will need a supplement (commonly called Cal/Mag) to supply them.
Propagation
New African violets can be produced from existing plants. African violets can be propagated from leaf cuttings or offsets.
Here's how to propagate African Violets:
- To propagate from leaves, cut a leaf that is 2-3” long near the base of the plant.
- Dip the end in rooting hormone and plant in African violet soil or a similar media.
- Water the cutting thoroughly.
Offsets (new plant shoots that grow up from the mother plant) can be cut off and potted independently. This will also help the mother plant produce more blooms.
Additional Tips for Thriving African Violets
- Blooming can be triggered by ensuring your African violet several hours of darkness at night.
- Pinch off spent blooms to encourage further blooming.
- Watch for pest problems.
If you are comfortable, your African violet is comfortable.
Troubleshooting Common Issues:
- No flowers: This may be due to not feeding at all, or using the wrong fertiliser. Flowering takes a lot of energy and if we don't supply all the nutrients they need, flowering can be the first thing a plant stops doing. Start feeding, and pick a suitable flower fertiliser. Foliage fertilisers, including most indoor plant fertilisers (even if they don't say they are for foliage), tend to be high in nitrogen. Great for foliage, not for flowers. Not flowering when everything's ideal can also signal it's time to repot. Some varieties are shy bloomers.
- Bud blast: Bud blast, where buds form but fail to flower, can be caused by a calcium deficiency. If you do fertilise, go get it now and check if the label lists calcium. Not all fertilisers include calcium. Low humidity can also cause buds to form but fail to flower. Dry air and being in the path of drafts can both be to blame.
- Plant is collapsing: When this happens and soil is moist, it may help to allow the violet to dry out while sitting on an absorbent towel or pile of paper.
Benefits of Growing African Violets
African violets are popular houseplants for their compact size and delicate, colorful blooms. Their five-petaled flowers come in various colors, including shades of purple, blue, pink, red, and white, as well as multicolored varieties.
Here are some additional benefits of growing African Violets:
- Air Purification: Like many houseplants, African Violets can help to purify the air in your home by absorbing toxins and releasing oxygen.
- Aesthetic Appeal: With their vibrant blooms and soft, velvety leaves, African Violets can add beauty and charm to any indoor space.
- Stress Reduction: Studies have shown that spending time with plants can help to reduce stress and improve mood. Caring for African Violets can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby.
