There are many reasons why we love African violets, but the fact that they bloom tops the list. Very few other plants in the world can live in our homes and bloom so often with minimal care. Sometimes, however, even violets can pout and not bloom as well as we might like. Here’s how to create homemade fertilizers using simple kitchen ingredients to encourage abundant blooms and healthy growth.
Understanding the Basics of African Violet Care
It’s not much of a secret that an African violet will bloom best in good light. Light is one of the primary factors plants need to produce the energy necessary for the production of blossoms. Grown at the window, violets should be within twelve to eighteen inches from the glass. If there is no perfect window, then the grower may wish to supplement the light with a fluorescent light fixture. As a general rule, the lights should be positioned about ten to twelve inches above the leaves and should be turned on for ten to twelve hours a day. Violets under any of the newer energy-efficient lights may need even less hours a day. If there is too little light, the leaves will usually reach up.
Buds dry off when violets are allowed to dry out completely, sometimes before the grower is even aware that they were forming. Water from either the top (under the leaves) or from the bottom pretty thoroughly once a week and drain the excess water promptly. If the climate is a dry one, it helps to supplement with a bit of water halfway through the week to keep the soil from becoming too dry. Along with having even soil moisture, the buds will survive better when there is some humidity in the air.
The Importance of Nutrients
Starving violets lack the energy to bloom. Many growers have the best success fertilizing once a week with a mild fertilizer designed for African violets. A balanced formula such as a 20-20-20 or one that has slightly more phosphorus, like a 15-20-15 will do well in most growing situations. Read the package! Plants rely on three main macronutrients to thrive: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Healthy violet roots can only grow in potting mixtures that don’t inhibit their development. To encourage better root development, use a potting mix with lots of porosity (the fancy word for fluffy and full of air). A violet mix with plenty of perlite will allow air (and roots) to move freely through the particles of peat moss. Violets in nature do not grow in dirt. Instead, they are found clinging to moss-covered rocks. Growers have found that the best way to duplicate that environment is to keep them in pots that are one-third the diameter of the plant and usually not more than two or three inches deep. Violets tend to bloom when their roots become crowded.
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Natural Blooming Boosters
Some violets are simply shy bloomers. They do not have the genetic tendency to bloom freely. Other violets not only bloom often, but the blossom stems carry more buds. Those are the most desirable varieties! A gently threatened violet is often a blooming violet. The survival of the species instinct causes plants to increase photosynthesis and to try to make seed (by blooming) when there is a possibility of death. Confining roots in small pots or grooming off fading leaves and flowers will all stimulate the development of more flowers. Yet another simple trick is to tap the pot of a non-blooming violet firmly on a hard surface to disturb the roots.
Fertilizing your houseplants is essential to help them reach their full growth potential, but did you know that you can make nutritious plant fertilizers with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen? Store-bought fertilizers contain many of the same ingredients as these homemade versions, but there are some advantages to making them yourself.
Homemade Fertilizers You Can Make Today
Here are some simple homemade fertilizer recipes to help your African violets thrive:
- Eggshell Fertilizer: Eggshells are high in calcium and help lower the acidity of the soil, much like agricultural limestone.
- Banana Peel Fertilizer: Bananas don’t just contain healthy potassium for humans. Cut up a banana peel and mix it into potting soil, puree peels with water, or just soak peels in water overnight to get plenty of potassium to your plants.
- Coffee Grounds: Mix used coffee grounds into potting soil or soak used grounds in water for a week and use moderately to water.
- Green Tea Grounds: Green tea grounds aren’t for every plant but are a great fertilizer for acid-loving plants like begonias and African violets.
- Aquarium Water: This one may sound odd, but aquarium water is full of nutrients from decomposing fish food and fish waste. This nutrient source is the basis for aquaponics, where fish and plants are grown together, as well as pond ecosystems where plants on the shore derive nutrients from decomposition in the water system.
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Table of Homemade Fertilizer Ingredients and Benefits
| Ingredient | Nutrient | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Eggshells | Calcium | Lowers soil acidity, strengthens plant cell walls |
| Banana Peels | Potassium | Promotes blooming and root development |
| Coffee Grounds | Nitrogen | Improves soil structure, acidifies soil |
| Green Tea Grounds | Various | Provides nutrients for acid-loving plants |
| Aquarium Water | Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium | Provides a balanced nutrient mix from organic waste |
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