DIY African Violet Pots: Ideas for Thriving, Blooming Plants

Jun 01, 2025 0

Most African violet lovers start off with one or two African violets that they display in a window. As your collection of African violets grows, you’ll probably run out of spaces to place your African violets pretty quickly. Besides the plant stands for African violets, another aspect of displaying this beloved houseplant is the pots you choose to place your African violets in.

If you want your African violet collection to look its best, you need attractive pots. The plastic containers that African violets usually come in don’t exactly showcase these plants’ beauty. However, when it comes to choosing pots, you have to think about appearance as well as function. Certain types of pots help African violets thrive while other types hinder their growth.

Keep reading to find out how to choose the best plant stands and pots to display your collection of African violets.

I'm a believer in self-watering pots in general. I mean, if I was a plant, I'd want to grab water when I need it and not rely solely on my plant parent to notice me! Ummm, hellooo - over here!! Alright, folks, I had a hunch that self-watering pots might be the secret to keeping African Violets happy and thriving. I knew African violets would love helping themselves, but I wanted to make sure I tested it out - so I did a little experiment. In this DIY African Violet Self-Watering Pot: The Secret to Thriving, Blooming Plants post, I'm sharing why you may want to consider moving your beloved AVs into a new self-sufficient home. They seem to like their independence!

I grabbed six of these purple and pink beauties from the same shop and planted three in a self-watering planter and three in a ceramic pot. Same soil mix, same South-facing window, same TLC - except for the watering part, of course. The self-watering crew? They just needed a reservoir refill once a week. The others?

And boy, did the results speak for themselves! The African Violets in the self-watering planter are absolutely killing it - lush, green, and almost continuous blooming like there's no tomorrow. The ones in the regular planter?

Self-watering pots and planters have a built-in reservoir that holds water and a wicking system that draws the water up into the soil. This system allows your African Violets to access water as needed, without relying on you to water them constantly. The consistent moisture provided by the self-watering mechanism promotes healthy growth and helps prevent over or under-watering. It's a convenient and effective way to keep your plants thriving, even if you're away for a short period or forget to water them on occasion.

Benefits of Self-Watering Pots:

No more guesswork: Your African Violets will always have the perfect amount of moisture, without you having to play the "am I watering too much or too little" game.
Happier, healthier plants: With consistent moisture, your African Violets will be living their best lives, flaunting lush leaves and stunning blooms.
Less work for you: You can say goodbye to the weekly watering routine and hello to more free time for yourself.
No more sad, thirsty plants: Self-watering pots keep your African Violets hydrated even if you're away for a few days or (gasp!) forget to water them on schedule. Note: Self-watering pots are a game-changer for those who love to travel!

Before you head off on your next adventure, simply fill the vase to the brim with fresh water. Your African violets will happily help themselves to a drink whenever they need it, so you can relax and enjoy your vacation without worrying about thirsty plants back home.

DIY African Violet Self-Watering Pot

Here's how to create your own self-watering pot for African violets:

Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas

Gather your materials: the glass light shade, cylinder glass vase, self-watering wick, African violet potting soil mix, and three African violet plants.
Prepare the Wick: Feed the self-watering wick through the small opening at the bottom of the glass light shade, leaving approximately 6 inches of the wick hanging below the shade and 6 inches inside the shade.
Fill the Planter with Soil: Fill the glass light shade with African violet potting soil mix, ensuring that the wick remains in the center of the soil. Gently press the soil down to remove any air pockets.
Prepare the African Violet Plants: Remove the African violet plants from their regular pots and gently loosen the roots.
Position the Plants: Place each individual plant into the glass light shade, positioning them evenly around the wick. Large African violet plants may spill over the top of the pot.
Secure the Plants and Wick: Gently press the soil around the plants to secure them in place. Make sure the wick is in contact with the soil and the roots of the plants.
Set Up the Water Reservoir: Fill the cylinder glass vase with water and place it underneath the glass light shade. The wick should be hanging into the water, with the light shade sitting securely on top of the vase.
Choose the Perfect Location: Place your self-watering African violet planter in a location that receives bright, indirect light. African violets thrive in well-lit areas but should be protected from direct sunlight.
Maintain the Water Level: Monitor the water level in the cylinder glass vase regularly. Refill the vase as needed to ensure that the wick always has access to water. The self-watering system will provide consistent moisture to the African violets, promoting healthy growth.

Taking care of your self-watering African violet planter is a breeze! Just keep an eye on the water level in the reservoir and top it off when needed. This will ensure your little purple beauties always have a steady supply of moisture. If you notice any dead or yellowing leaves, gently remove them to keep your plant looking its best. Give your African violets plenty of bright, indirect light and they'll reward you with a show-stopping display of blooms. Oh, and don't forget to show them some love with an occasional dose of African violet fertilizer to keep them thriving.

Tip: When refilling the water reservoir, use a paper towel and wipe the vase to remove any algae or mineral buildup. This will help keep the water clean and prevent any potential issues that could affect your African violets' health.

Finding the best pots for your African violet needs is key to growing healthy, thriving indoor plants. Whether you opt for special African violet pots, regular ceramic pots, or a decorative pot, ensure they have proper drainage holes to maintain moist soil without oversaturation. Self-watering pots are an excellent choice for providing the right amount of water consistently. When repotting, choose a slightly larger pot than the current one, and avoid using cold water to fill the reservoir.

For more exciting plant projects and plant care tips, be sure to explore the wealth of resources available on our blog.

The size of your collection and the layout of your house influences which African violet plant stand is the best for showing off your lovely collection. These are a few of our favorites in each category to help you pick out which option is best for you.

Read also: Techniques of African Jewellery

How to Choose the Best African Violet Pot

Plant Stand Display Cabinet

A grouping of African violets all in the same cabinet highlights their unique traits and creates a beautiful focal point in your home.

Convenience Concepts 5-Tier Glass Tower: If you have a limited footprint available for displaying your African violets, this tower is the perfect option. It’s easy to put together, only takes up 11.75″ x 15.75″ of floor space, and with five tiers, there’s still plenty of room to display lots of African violets.
Augosta 3-Tier Wood Plant Stand: If you have more space available, this large three-tier plant stand looks stunning in front of a sunny window. The A-frame design makes it a unique focal point and draws attention to your plant collection. You may need a second pair of hands to help with assembly, but it’s worth it for the combination of quality materials and sturdy construction.

Plant Stand With LED Lights

African violets are fairly easy to care for, but they won’t produce beautiful blooms if they don’t get enough sunlight. Depending on your home’s layout, it can be difficult to give African violets adequate access to light year-round. Plant stands with LED lights make it easy to supplement natural light with artificial light. Then you can keep your African violets blooming even if you have very little natural light in your home.

Monios-L Plant Shelf With Grow Lights: This four-tier stand, with plenty of room for an impressive collection of African violets, is a great way to show off your collection while also providing enough light to create optimal bloom conditions.
Grow Light Strips: Plant stands with LED lights included can be expensive. If you’re up for the DIY approach, adding LED grow lights to an existing plant stand can make your plant-collecting hobby easier on your wallet. These easy-to-install grow lights come with a timer that allows you to set how long the lights are turned on for each day.

Tiered Outdoor Plant Stand

African violets aren’t generally kept outdoors because they do so well in normal indoor conditions in most households. However, outdoor plant stands tend to be very durable and able to hold up under less-than-ideal conditions. You can always use outdoor plant stands both indoors and outdoors, but you can only use indoor plant stands inside, so it may be worth getting outdoor plant stands if you want a versatile option.

Bamworld Plant Stand: This indoor/outdoor plant stand has plenty of room for a large African violet collection. With 11 shelves, this stand looks equally beautiful on a balcony or in a living room.
FEISIER Plant Stand: For smaller collections, this metal plant stand creates a delightful display.
Bamworld Plant Stand - 7 Potted Ladder Plant Holder: This bestseller plant stand has room for a medium African violet collection. The alternating height tiers draw attention to your collection. It takes some effort to assemble, but the result is beautiful.

Wall-Mounted Plant Stand

When you don’t have a lot of floor space, wall-mounted plant standards are a great solution. Wall-mounted stands bring your plants to eye level, making them easier to admire. Just be sure that you mount the stand somewhere it will get decent lighting year-round since these are harder to reposition than free-standing plant stands.

Wall-Mounted Outdoor Plant Stand: These space-saving shelves are the perfect size for a small African violet collection.
6-Inch Flower Pot Holder: With a minimal, functional design, these ring wall-hanging brackets keep the focus on your African violets. The rings come in a set of four, and you can attach them to the wall in any arrangement that suits the space.
3-Tier Hanging Planter Shelf: Perfect for any space, this hanging tier planter has three shelves that hold three plants each for a total of nine plants. The jute ropes and natural wood create a bohemian style.

Hanging Baskets for African Violets

Finding hanging baskets for African violets can be tricky. As you’ll read later in this article, African violets do best in very specific-sized pots, and it’s not always easy to find hanging baskets in the correct size. A great solution is to find the pot you want to use first, then purchase a macrame hanger to hold the pot.

3-Pack Macrame Plant Hanger: This pack of three macrame plant hangers has three different sizes to accommodate different-sized pots.

Unless you live somewhere that mimics the African violet’s native tropical environment in East Africa, we do not recommend placing African violets in window boxes.

African violets can be outdoors during warm weather, but they prefer temperatures between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Planting African violets in window boxes would make it too difficult to bring them indoors when the temperature drops.

Best Type of Pots for African Violets

Choosing the correct pot for your African violets matters because it affects how much water the soil holds on to. You should always make sure that you select a container with drainage holes for your African violets; otherwise, excess water will collect at the bottom of the pot and potentially cause the roots to rot. That still leaves you with a vast array of choices for containers. Here are the different options.

Self-Watering Pots

Self-watering pots can work well for African violets that are mature and well established. However, since African violets can handle their soil drying out between waterings, it isn’t absolutely necessary to use self-watering pots. If you already have a habit of watering your plants regularly, self-watering pots are probably unnecessary for African violets. They’ll survive even if they go a few extra days beyond their normal watering schedule.

Plastic Pots

Plastic pots are long-lasting and keep the soil from drying out too quickly. They also come in a variety of sizes, so you’ll be able to find one that’s just the right size for your African violet regardless of whether you have a miniature, semi-miniature, standard, or large variety.

Ceramic Pots

Ceramic pots are usually very attractive. However, it isn’t always possible to find ceramic pots in exactly the right size. Also, for some reason, ceramic pots sometimes lack drainage holes. If you find a ceramic pot you love that isn’t ideal for your African violet, consider planting the African violet in a plastic pot and then slipping the plastic pot into a slightly larger ceramic pot. You can remove the plastic pot when it’s time to water. The rest of the time, you can enjoy the decorative look of the ceramic pot.

Clay Pots

Clay pots can be used for African violets, but they aren’t our first recommendation. Clay pots tend to allow the soil to dry out quickly. You’ll have to monitor African violets in clay pots more carefully, but it is possible to use them if you love the look of terracotta pots.

Best Pot Size for African Violet Plants

For quick reference, these are the typical pot sizes for different-sized varieties of African violets:

Large: 6″

How Do You Show African Violets?

African violets can survive in normal household conditions, but to have the most attractive African violets, you’ll need to put in a little extra care. Providing enough light for African violets to bloom over and over is usually the hardest part of growing African violets. Therefore, your first concern when displaying African violets should be providing enough light. Once you have that figured out, you can put effort into displaying them in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Best Position for African Violets

African violets need many hours of bright, indirect sunlight. The best place to position African violets is in a window that faces north or east. Rotate the plants slightly once a week to keep one side from growing toward the light more than the other sides. During the winter, make sure your African violet is not too close to the glass when temperatures are cold. The cold can quickly damage the plants before you notice the problem. You may also need to use grow lights during the winter to provide extra light if needed.

Potting African Violets for Maximum Growth

With African violets, the size of the pot can influence how well the plant grows. However, a larger pot doesn’t mean an African violet will grow larger; in fact, the opposite is usually true.

Why Pot Size Matters

When an African violet’s pot is too big, the roots do not reach all the soil, and the excess soil holds on to too much water. This reduces the air circulation to the roots and creates conditions that are favorable for root rot and fungus.

The correct pot size is one that has a diameter of about one-third the diameter of its leaves. This means that an African violet with leaves that are 12 inches in diameter would grow best in a pot with a 4-inch diameter.

If you are able to find a pot that is wider than it is tall, that’s also better for your African violet. Their roots tend to grow out more than they grow down, so shallower containers better accommodate this growth. You can still use standard pots if that’s all you have available.

Change Soil Regularly

Since African violets are grown in such small pots, they use up the nutrients in the soil fairly quickly. For this reason, it’s important to change the potting soil regularly each time you repot your plant. Refreshing the soil helps your African violet thrive.

Only Repot When Root-Bound

Repotting regularly is good, but repotting too often can stress your African violet. The general rule is to repot around twice a year. However, this depends on how quickly your African violet grows-you’ll need to repot less frequently if your African violet doesn’t grow as quickly. Watch your African violet’s root system; if the roots are growing out and around the root ball, then your African violet is becoming root-bound and it’s definitely time to repot.

FAQ: African Violets in Self-Watering Pots

Here are some frequently asked questions about growing African violets in self-watering pots:

Question	Answer
What type of pot is best for African violets?	African violets thrive in pots with good drainage, such as those with drainage holes at the bottom. Plastic pots, ceramic pots, and clay pots can all work well. The key is to choose a pot that is proportionate to the size of your African violet plant, as they prefer to be slightly root-bound. Special African violet pots with an inner pot and outer pot (like the self-watering system) are also a great option for maintaining constant moisture.
Can I use regular potting mix for my African violets in self-watering pots?	While you can use regular potting mix, African violets prefer a well-draining, lightweight potting mix that contains ingredients like peat moss or coconut coir. Many garden centers, home improvement stores like Home Depot, and even some grocery stores carry potting mixes specifically designed for African violets. These mixes help maintain the right balance of moisture and air circulation around the roots.
How much water do African violets need in self-watering pots?	The good news is that self-watering pots help regulate the water supply for your African violets. Fill the outer pot or reservoir with water, ensuring that the wick is wet and can draw moisture up into the soil. African violets prefer consistent moisture but not soggy soil. The self-watering system allows the plant to absorb water as needed, reducing the risk of overwatering or underwatering.
Can I use tap water for my African violets in self-watering pots?	While tap water is convenient, it can sometimes contain chemicals or minerals that may harm sensitive African violets. If possible, use filtered water, distilled water, or rainwater to fill the reservoir of your self-watering pot. If you must use tap water, allow it to sit overnight so that any chlorine can evaporate before using it for your plants.
What kind of light do African violets need when grown in self-watering pots?	African violets prefer bright, indirect light. When grown indoors, place your self-watering pot near an east- or north-facing window where the plant will receive plenty of light but not direct sunlight. If you don't have access to natural light, you can use artificial light sources like LED grow lights to provide the right amount of light for your African violets.
How do I maintain the right humidity for African violets in self-watering pots?	African violets thrive in environments with moderate temperatures and high humidity. To increase humidity around your self-watering pot, you can place a tray filled with water and pebbles nearby, making sure the bottom of the pot isn't touching the water. You can also mist the air around the plant (avoiding the leaves) or use a humidifier to maintain the right humidity levels.
What should I do if I notice excess water in the outer pot of my self-watering system?	If you notice standing water in the outer pot of your self-watering system, it's essential to address it promptly to avoid overwatering your African violet. Remove the inner pot containing the plant and discard any excess water from the outer pot. Check the wick to ensure it's not too thick or compacted, which can draw up too much water. Adjust the wick as needed and monitor the water level more closely in the future.