Miniature African violets are hybrids of Saintpaulia ionantha, a plant first found in the wild in Tanzania. In terms of looks and care, miniature African violets are very similar to regular African violets. All sizes of African violets are relatively easy to grow and produce beautiful foliage and blooms.
Like their larger counterparts, miniature African violets can bloom 10-12 months of the year under the correct conditions. If you’re looking to add mini African violets to your collection, you have plenty of options. They come in all kinds of colors, including blue, violet, lavender, pink, red, and white-and all combinations in between.
There’s an almost endless number of African violet varieties, making it hard to know where to start when it comes to picking out the miniature African violet you want. You can find varieties with basically any type of bloom and foliage that interests you.
Popular Miniature African Violet Varieties
- Persian Prince: This beautiful miniature variety has blue blooms with medium-green scalloped foliage.
- Pixie Blue: This miniature variety has deep purple-blue flowers and its foliage is a bit more traditional with a dark-green color.
- Rose Quartz: This miniature variety has pale pink blooms with dark, oval foliage.
- Peacock: This miniature variety has stunning ruffled flowers that are mostly purple with swatches of pink mixed in.
- Zivay (Morev): This miniature variety has masses of frilly, pink blooms. By themselves, the blooms are beautiful, but this lovely variety also has variegated leaves with a dark-green center that slowly transitions to white at the edges.
The smallest type of African violet is called a micro-miniature. These varieties have a diameter of 2 inches or less.
Caring for Miniature African Violets
Caring for miniature African violets is very similar to caring for standard or large African violets. If you get the lighting and watering correct, you will generally have beautiful miniature African violets.
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Light Requirements
Light is one of the most difficult things to get right for African violets. While this plant can survive in low levels of light, it won’t bloom without many hours of sunlight a day. To keep blooming, your African violet needs at least 10 hours of sunlight a day. This means that if you want your African violets to bloom 10-12 months each year, you’ll need to find the sunniest indoor spot for them.
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.
Of course, if your home doesn’t receive enough sunlight and you don’t want to use artificial lights, you don’t have to. Part of the reason African violets are such popular houseplants is because they do very well in normal household conditions.
African Violet thrives in moderate to bright, indirect, indoor light. If they don't get enough light, African Violets will stop flowering and turn yellow and leggy. On the other hand, too much sunlight will cause the leaves and flowers to curl down and get brown spots. African Violets will tolerate direct sunlight very early or very late in the day; during the rest of the day, they should be kept away from direct sunlight. Place your Violets in front of a window with eastern or northeastern exposure; when facing west or south windows, adjust your blinds or use a sheer curtain to filter out some of the light.
It's important to rotate your African Violets about once a week so that they receive an equal amount of sunlight on all sides, to avoid they will start bending towards the light. African violets prefer to be within 12 inches of a bright window. If windows aren’t available, fluorescent light or LED lights may be used to supplement. Depending on the lighting product, violets should be positioned 10-30 inches away from the light unit, and the light should be turned on for 6-12 hours a day. Violets receiving adequate light grow with a flat horizontal wheel of leaves.
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African Violets not Flowering?! Here's how to get BLOOMS!!!
Temperature and Humidity
They thrive when the temperature is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the average temperature in most homes. Optimal room temperature for growing African violets is between 60 and 80 F and ideally 70 F. 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.
African Violets will thrive in an average household environment. If you feel comfortable, your African Violets are probably feeling comfortable as well. In general, you should keep the temperature around your African Violets as close as possible to 70 degrees F. Do not allow temperatures to drop below 60 degrees or rise above 80 degrees. Extreme variations should always be avoided.
When the temperature is too warm, stems and leaves will elongate and get dry, and flowers will begin to fall. However, cold temperatures are even more dangerous for African Violet. They can expose the plant to deadly pathogens and slow down its growth. In worst cases, leaves and flowers will rapidly begin to wilt, and the plant will go into shock.
In their native environment, African violets enjoy humidity levels between 70-80%. 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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Humidity is vital to the health of African Violets. You should try to provide your African Violets with at least 50 to 60 percent humidity. If the level of moisture is much lower than this, buds will fail to open, the plant will grow slower, and the leaves will begin to start to wither. Remember that both heating and air conditioning can dry out the air to some extent. To increase the amount of humidity around your African Violets, you can consider using a humidifier, or place containers of water around the plants. Evaporation increases the water content in the air surrounding your Violets.
Maintain always good air circulation around your plant, but protect it from any cold drafts - they can be fatal. African violets can tolerate humidity as low as 10%, but that is so dry that tiny buds rarely survive to open as flowers. To encourage flower development, it is best to aim for 30-60%.
Watering
Watering African violets correctly is important to keep them healthy. Overwatering is the most common reason African violets die. Only water your miniature African violets once the soil has dried out. This typically happens about once a week depending on the temperature and the season. When the top ½ inch of the soil is completely dry, it’s time to water. Bottom water your plants to keep water from splashing on the leaves and creating spots. WaterAfrican Violets need just enough water to keep the soil moist, but never soggy.
Be mindful, because too much water will leave Violet susceptible to such deadly pathogens. It is always important not to get water on the leaves. The only exception is when you are misting to increase the humidity around your plants. The best way to water your African Violet is from the bottom. Let the plant sit in 3/4” of water, and will absorb all it needs. After 5-7 minutes, remove the excess water. Never let the Violet sit in water for more than 30 minutes! The water should be room temperature. Cold water can cause leaf spotting and curling.
Never use soft water and avoid using highly chlorinated water. If you can smell chlorine, then your water has too much. If you have access to highly chlorinated water only, put some water into a container and let it stand overnight to allow the chlorine gas to escape. 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.
There 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Fertilizing
Your miniature African violet will likely need fertilizer to thrive. You won’t need to fertilize right away, though. After potting or repotting, the soil should have enough nutrients to allow you to wait several months before fertilizing. Once it’s time to add fertilizer, use a small amount of one with a balanced NPK ratio. We suggest using a liquid fertilizer such as African Violet Plant Food. Liquid fertilizer is easy to use when watering and allows you to have control over how much fertilizer you use.
When you first start fertilizing, use about half as much fertilizer as recommended. It’s easy to over-fertilize miniature African violets. Too much fertilizer can kill plants, so it’s better to start off being cautious. African violets require a mild fertilizer each time they are watered. If a plant is dry, always moisten the potting mix with plain water to prevent possible root burn before fertilizing. Miniature African Violets typically need a slightly different fertilizer formula. A Miniature Plant Food 7-9-5 is recommended. In any case, when choosing a Violet Food, make sure that it is 100 percent water soluble, or your African Violet may not be able to absorb all its elements.
Repotting
Periodically repotting is necessary to refresh the soil. It’s also a great time to check to see that your African violet has healthy roots. Generally, African violets are repotted about once a year. When repotting miniature African violets, pay attention to the diameter of the pot you’re using. Most miniature African violets need a pot that is 1½ inch or 2 inches in diameter. The general guideline is that the diameter of the plant should be about 3 times the diameter of the pot. This may seem small, but African violets don’t need much extra room for their roots. It is recommended to re-pot African violets once a year to help deliver new nutrients to the plants and remove salt buildup.
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.
The best pot for an African Violet is an Azalea pot - less deep when compared to a standard pot. The roots of African Violets tend to grow out more than they grow down, and if planted in a standard pot, they will not grow to the bottom of the pot, increasing the risk of root rot. Always make sure that your pot has adequate drainage. If you have a pot which provides insufficient drainage or no drainage, then holes should be added.
An African Violet should be repotted whenever the plant has outgrown its current pot, and its roots are growing out and around the rootball. Repot with fresh potting soil approximately about twice a year, and choose a pot with a proper size. Use the next largest pot size available, with an increment of roughly one inch. If you have an African Violet which is currently in a 2-inch pot, you will want to repot it in a 3-inch pot. Generally, if an African Violet is planted in the correct size pot, the diameter of its leaves will be about three times the diameter of the pot.
Soil and Potting Mixes
Potting mixes 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.
The best potting soil for African Violets actually contains no soil at all. It needs to be very light and porous - this will help the plant to breathe and stay moist, but not soggy. A soil made primarily of block-harvested, sphagnum peat moss will work great; add some perlite or expanded polystyrene to maintain optimal porosity. Keep in mind that the soil pH should be between 5.8 and 6.2; you can add small amounts of calcium carbonate or some lime to correct the pH level.
Propagation
Miniature African violets are easy to propagate. Carefully remove healthy leaves from the middle row branching out from the crown using sharp scissors. Keep about 1 to ½ inch of the stem attached to the leaf, and place the leaf in a shallow container filled with growing medium. Water allows any excess water to drain away. When placed in a sunny spot, you can expect the cutting to begin forming roots in about 3-4 weeks. Consider propagating several cuttings at once just in case some cuttings don’t survive. You can always share any extra plants later. New African violets can be produced from existing plants. Cut leaves from the original plant, leaving 1 inch of leaf stalk (petiole) attached to the leaf. Bury the stalk and up to ¼ inch of the leaf in a wet sand/vermiculite mixture. Cover lightly with plastic and keep the media moist.
Pests and Diseases
Miniature African violets can sometimes suffer from pests and diseases. However, as long as you take proper care of your African violets, it’s unlikely you’ll have any issues. First, make sure you don’t overwater your plants or allow excess water to remain in the soil, which weakens African violet roots and allows diseases to develop. Second, check new African violets for pests and diseases before bringing them into your home.
Here are some common pests and diseases that can affect miniature African violets:
- Crown and root rot: Miniature African violets are susceptible to developing both crown rot and root rot-overwatering causes both problems. Wait until the soil has dried out before watering your African violet.
- Mites: These tiny pests cause huge problems when they attack African violets. Because they’re so small, you won’t be able to see them, but you’ll notice their effects as your African violets develop curling and stunted leaves. Use a miticide to get rid of the pests on infected plants.
- Mealybugs: Another small pest, these bugs are about ¼ inch long and have a white, waxy exterior. You can use insecticides to treat mealybugs, but just like with mites, it’s not easy to stop a mealybug infestation.
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease and looks like white powder. It can appear on many parts of the plant. If it should happen to grow on bud stems, it could cause the buds to fail. Cyclamen mites are a pest that feeds on the newest growth of the plant, which includes bud stems.
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Crown and Root Rot | Overwatering | Allow soil to dry out before watering. |
| Mites | Pest infestation | Use miticide. |
| Mealybugs | Pest infestation | Use insecticide. |
| Powdery Mildew | Fungal disease, humid conditions | Improve air circulation, use fungicide. |
| Buds failing to bloom | Low humidity, dry potting mix | Increase humidity, keep potting mix moist. |
With their wonderfully shaped leaves and their bright, beautiful blooms, African Violets have the kind of charm that cheers up every environment. Learn how to care for your miniature Violet with this growing tutorial!
