How can i get african violets to bloom

These satellite growths take up energy your plant could use to bloom and should be trimmed. Houseplant Pro Tip : Trimmed leaves can be rooted into new plants. Check out our guide to African violet propagation to learn how! Go for it! If your African violet is blooming year-round, it will regularly have petals that are ready for the great greenhouse in the sky.

Your plant will continue to send energy to old and dying leaves and petals, so deadheading preserves precious energy for new blooms. Explore our other articles , visit our online shop , and connect with other houseplant lovers in our Facebook group to learn everything you need to know about this rewarding hobby!

Bottoms Up! Top African Violet Instagram Accounts. Click here to cancel reply. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Let There Be Light Inefficient lighting is one of the main reasons African violets drop their blooms. Turn Up the Humidity These tropical plants need more moisture in the air to reach their full potential. Replenish Essential Nutrients Just like you, your plant needs food to function.

Pot Type Plastic or clay. I love clay but I find it dries out too fast in the warm sun. These plastic ones have good drainage and saucers. I use fish emulsion. Ask at your local garden nursery to see what they recommend in combination with your local water. As a self-professed flower fanatic, African violets Saintpaulia spp. No matter what season or weather is going on outside, there are always a few plants loaded with beautiful blooms inside.

These are my top tips for ensuring that your African violets not only produce flowers but rebloom again and again throughout the year. In addition to the list of reasons why African violets may not bloom, I have answered Frequently Asked Questions here. And, as always, this is gardening, not magic, and plants are living things, which means changes take time.

Provide what they need and buds will form. Our success with houseplants involve nature and nurture. And not all African violets are created equal. You can work through everything on this list and still not see any or many flowers on your African violet. And this is because genetics matter. Some are prolific bloomers—even with lousy growing conditions—while others are divas that may never flower. The key is to get bright light in the morning or afternoon without excessive heat or intense sun.

You can also use fluorescent lights for 16 hours per day, keeping the plant tops about inches from the lights. Learning to water plants effectively takes practice.

If the leaves are compact, water from below, placing the pot in deep saucer of water for 30 minutes, then remove excess. You can also set up a wicking system for continuous watering.

A small diluted dose of suitable fertilizer with each watering is beneficial. I prefer this to a larger monthly dose because I tend to forget.

If your fertilizer label shows a monthly dose, reduce it down to a weekly amount and add that to your watering can. Two days in a row my sun porch has reached 95 degrees. Felt sorry for my 3 violets so brought them inside in 74 degree temps. As yet I do not have any way to get them closer to an east window. Not sure how to handle this — should I cut the major plant away and transplant it to another clay pot?

I also read that epson salts is good for them so they got that too! Now ,there a little soft the leaves should I stop watering until the soil is dry again I really know nothing about how to care for them, there just lovely to look at , Thanks Wendy.

My experience with african violets is to water once a week only from the bottom and miracle grow fertilizer once in a blue moon. I used to water from the top and they died on me. Now they are nice. Oh sorry Kevin I just left you a note asking you which pot you prefer or recommend for for African violets and just read what you said about preferring. Clay pots for them.

So that question has been answered. Thank you for all your input on every thing it is such a help. Love ya! Thanks for writing this post! I have a house full of gorgeous houseplants including one finicky little African violet. It bloomed beautifully for the first few months that I had it and now, three years later, it has luscious beautiful foliage, receives the royal treatment for sun exposure, rotation, and humidity and has never bloomed again a single time!

This post makes me even more determined to get that little baby to flower! Love your posts on African Violets, just would like to see more posts! I do like your other posts as well. Do you think these would work? The consume less power, but is the quality and type of light as beneficial for violets. I used to grow violets under light like you do probably 20 years ago, I love Phaelenopsis orchids but just find them too finicky in my lighting situation along with bud blast etc.

I believe I will be better satisfied going back to violets. I need help, I have an African Violet, that have long necks , I repotted it , but it is really looking droopy. Can you help me please, thank you. I was wandering if I could give them some super thrive???

Hi Kevin: My African violets were blooming and beautiful-then suddenly or so it seemed the became droopy looking and are no longer blooming. Thanks, in advance for your help. Susan Starke Triplet, Virginia. Kevin, I love your web site. Hi Kevin- I just now, after growing and loving African violets for years, have just now found your website! I thought my window was too hot so I recently set up lights.

Before, I always used clay pots but have seen so many recommendations that I have began using plastic pots since I started with the new plants. I am also trying to not over-water but it seems like every time I water as recommended I start to lost plants. HI there. Any other options besides wick watering? Your article here is excellent.

I grew so many using exactly the same techniques Florida and always had plants to gift to people. They had problems blooming but I never did. I think the plants are social and need each other to be happy. It held almost 10 plants and was an amazing sight when I took it out. Made of white plastic I could move it from the south window in the winter to the living room for max impact.

WISH someone would sell them again! No one believed me that I gave them all a shower each week. They told me water would spot the leaves but it never did. I only used clay pots. All your tips are just perfect. That way I kept getting more to feed my addiction. Another plant that propagates the same with many even bolder colors is one many people get while in the hospital-Gloxinia. I thought mine had died and left it in the storage room for months then came back in the spring to find it sprouting and found a new love.

Propagates the same and I got so many different kinds by paying for a plant and taking only a leaf from 10 plants again. Thanks for your great articles — always. I have east facing windows, a garden window and 2 sets of sliders. I have 2 AVs which are probably 3 yrs old each. One has beautifully ruffled leaves. Both do not bloom.

I feed them weekly. Should I try the surgery you recommend? I just repotted them in November. Dear Kevin, Thanks for sharing such valuable info. It seems that some leaves got hairy and a bit curly. Also, there is a white powder on some flowers but i found no other change on the flower.

Hi,Kevin, I just purchased an orchid. While trying to find out how to care for verses a violet I can upon your site. Years ago I had a violet that never flowered.

When living in NC I found the right window. I had flowers year round. Moved to Il. I brought 16 plants with me. Slowly they died off.

Moved to my own house and brought the last three survivors with me. Now they are back to flowering year round. I was told they love to be crowded. My one plant got so big I decided to thin it out. I ended up with 8 little pots and one a little bigger for my original pot. It took time for the shock to wear off a month but is flowering all the time again. Works great for any leaves I want to root. My plants Lokal so beautiful with all lol the flowers on each plant.

I went on vacation for a little over a week. And needed to water my violets. I put a big black garbage bags on my counter. I put a large towel on the bag making sure the towel was completely on the garbage bag. I filled my kitchen sink with water and put one end of the towel in the water. Make sure the towels hangs in deep enough for a week of water.

Put your pots on the towel. Clay pots do great, so do ceramic as long as the drain hole touches the towel. You will be surprised how moist that towel will get. When I came home the towel was still moist. I use this method all the time for all my plants. It works fantastic Good luck.

I received two pitiful, near-dead AVs from my neighbor in the summer of One of the plants was actually 3 plants all trying to live in one pot; I separated them into 3 pots, plus the other single plant stayed in its pot, for a total of four AVs. I always use this mixture for all my potted plants, and they thrive in it.

I placed them all in my east-facing kitchen windowsill. I just leave them in their spot year-round and they love it. About 6 months after saving them from my neighbor and re-potting them, they began blooming in Feb. I have two different kinds: one is deep pink and the other 3 which came from the same single plant, remember are dark purple. I saw the picture of progating a African violet leaf of one inch and put in the pot and how does it get watered it when new like that?

Hi Kevin, I love checking out all your info about violets. BUT i will try it. Also what do you think about self watering containers. Hi Elaine — My music room is heated with propane. African violets and other plants, too grow perfectly well there.

End of story! I have brought my AVs inside and i put them inside clay pots as plastic tends to rot african violet roots here. I had one about a year ago and it did quite well. It started off as pink and then the next time it bloomed, it was purple.

Right now i have two new violets and I need your help because this seems like a very personal problem. I keep them in my room which has air conditioning.

I saw that when I put them in a different location, the leaves were pointing upwards and now they are settling back down. I have fear that the air conditioning will damage them? Do you think that they will survive? My grandmother used to grow these but she lived in more mountainous conditions, never needing air conditioner. When I bought it, I changed the medium directly and downsized the pot. I hope you see this because I feel like this is kind of a unique situation.

All best to you! I forgot to tell you that I can only give them a south facing window. Have you ever known that they call it Violces here in Indonesia?

Hi, I was just wondering if you recommended I pluck dead, brown flowers from the plant or leave them as is? Also, my grandmother has been asking me for a different colored African violet I gave her a dark purple one a year ago and she has created at least 35 new ones. I have an African violet that has started growing very short compact leaves.

Can you tell me what to do to remedy this? Outstanding plants in colors you would not believe. They ship! Thanks for your quick response. The leaves are only growing out of one center, if that makes sense. Is there anywhere I can send you a photo to look at? Hi Regina — Are the leaves tightly compacted and hard to the touch?

Maybe slightly harder than my other violet that is ok I would say. Picture is forthcoming. When you set your cuttings in a humid environment plastic bag how often do you have to water it and when do you take off for good the plastic bag? Mine never do. Thanks for the quick respond. So after 1 month I open the plastic container and if it needs to be there more time, spray some water and close it again?

Sorry, just trying to understand how it works. Would you allow me to use one of your lovely photos of African violets in a window for an AVSA email? I would include your photo credit and a link to this page. And by the way, I still have the handwritten letter you sent back on April 20, I was thrilled to receive the news! Thank you Kevin! I appreciate your help. I plan to use the lovely one of the violets in clay pots sitting on a sill.

You will get credit and your website will be accessible from the email. Great website! Hello Kevin There is no mention of root hormone. Do you not like using it? Is it better for some and not others? The stems root just fine without it. Hi Kevin, Thank you for your helpful tips. I am interested in growing my African violets under the fluorescent light. Could you please tell me how bright should it be? How many watts? Many thanks, Nora. Thanks for all the excellant tips! Would appreciate tips!!

I had an African violet bloom just sitting on my couch side table! Thanks for the guide! Kevin, My violets do reasonably well under the fluorescent lights. When I bought new plants online, the first time they bloomed they looked just like their pics. The subsequent blooms were no longer bi-color. Each of the blooms had lost the white component.

Is there something I can do to correct this? The one with the long curving neck is spindly, wilty and no blooms while my other two plants are full, thick, and full of blooms. After researching, one site suggested cutting off the bottom of the root ball and replanting.

The second suggestion was to cut the stem and root the leafy part in order to produce a new root system. What do you recommend? If the second, how do you do this? How long to they stay in full bloom.

It started about two months ago and has been a conversation piece till 3 days ago. Did I do something wrong or is this normal. Thanks, Gail. Thanks for the info on how to care for this lovely plant. Ellen, I put on my boots, went hunting for this one and I bagged it! This violet is called Crystal Ice. Keep checking back or maybe they can email you when one becomes available. I just had to have one too! From the number of comments — you need to add more posts as I think we all love your information and beautiful pictures.

I just got the shower luke warm, and began loading the tub with my plants. After a nice shower, they stayed there until they dried — easy peasy and gorgeous, healthy leaves. I did propagate them until I had too many to care for. When I moved, I lost them all due to unexpected cold as I moved. Your post makes me want to dig out some treasured clay pots and begin again. Nothing is like a host of colorful friends to visit at coffee time. I have 2 beautiful African Violets and love them. They are nice and full and just finished blossoming.

One of them does have a side shoot, but it did flower so I am leaving it for now. I love the pots that I have them in. It is two pots in one. The top pot have the dirt and the plants and the bottom holds the water.

I never have to worry about watering them. I use a liquid AV food that I had 7 drops to the water. I wish I could add pictures to my comments…oh, well. I could never get them to bloom, but found they needed more light. I put them on a stand in front of the window and now they bloom constantly. Well Kevin, You give me hope! After reading your tutorial on growing African violets, I may try one more time.

My dear neighbor potted up three of her plants and gave them to me about 6 months ago and I have all bug killed them. They are going fast. She put them in a big plastic pot but hers are growing everywhere and flourishing. I have mine on a cute flower cart where everything else is flourishing and they get the southern window light. She said not to get the leaves wet so once a month she said I water from the bottom until they drink no more so maybe I am giving them too much water.

So small clay pots and does it matter if it is potting mix or potting soil? I know I am not doing something right on these little guys. Thanks so much for your blog. Hi there! Love your blog. Perfectly stated,easy to understand and includes so much useful information!

Iv'e had it for a few years now. Unfortunately, I just read your blog for the first time and Ive never known to turn the pot. Now my African violet is kind of grown out and its hanging over the side of the pot. The stem is become very long and I'm afraid to do anything because I don't want to kill it. They are so delicate! Do you know of any solution on how to bring it back to its former glory?

I have to take exception to your advice that almost any potting soil will do. Many new potting soils contain slow release fertilizer. The addition of this urea based fertilizer does two things that are unwelcome. First the urea causes root damage to African Violets and second it interferes with the normal fertilizer routine. The double dose of fertilizer on newly potted plants will often show effects as damaged, stunted new leaves with orange crystals on their surface. I mix my own potting soil because it is getting increasingly difficult to find soil without the fertilizer already in it.

Thank you Kevin. I am currently growing quite a few varieties in the bathroom at the moment. I was wondering how safe it would be to tease out the newer shoots and having read your article I am keen to start hacking away. I do not water mine from the top as this seems to make my plants die, the leaves just turn to jelly and rot. It might be the different climate. Thanks again. Thank you so much for the instructions! I have taken the broken leaves and started them rooting as you suggest.

I am concerned about the shock to the remaining plant. Does it require any special care? These questions seem a bit silly to me, but knowing the answers would be helpful. Thank you for any help! Hi Betsy — Your plant should recover. Can anyone tell me how to get My African violet to bloom has lot of sunlight growing big but no flowers do I need to get pebbles as suggested and give warm water and plant food.

Need help. I grow my violets under lights. They do wonderful. One plant leaves are growing smaller and smaller is this a bug problem?

Hi Kevin I bough some AV online and as you mentioned they came in tiny pots. With my back then lack if knowledge, I immediately repoted them in much larger self watering pots. Is it worth waiting a couple if more months or should I just repot them to smaller pots?

Hi Jose — I would not downsize pots at this point. Your violets will bloom when their roots have filled their new oversize pots. Just give them the care that I described above. Any suggestions if I do not have an east window in my house? I have mine in a south window now and it is mid-February.

I love your violets…. I have 8 plants I think 2 are needing surgery. I live in central Florida and find the east window is best. It is always fairly humid here…we just enclosed our lanai with low E windows and I wanted to move them out there on a beautiful bakers rack.

Keep warm. Water from below. Fill the saucer using room temperature water. Let sit for about an hour and then pour excess water out. Allow the plant to dry out between waterings. Indoor houseplant food every weeks in spring, summer and fall. Think before replanting. Once your seedlings are established, water from the bottom.