Source: Blogspot.com. African violets originally come from Tanzania, in East Africa. The rumor is that, to encourage African violets to bloom, you should remove their center leaves. I’ve learned more about African violets since then and have grown literally hundreds of them. Flowers are white with a wide, purple edge. Modern African violets bear little resemblance to wild violets, though. Use Current Location. Could anything be more simple? "As the plants grow, they can be repotted into larger pots so that they don't get too root-bound." Place the now shorter root ball in the bottom of a clean pot (you don’t necessarily need to increase the size of the pot) and add fresh potting mix to the top, covering the neck. The plant’s form – originally a flat rosette composed of spoon-shaped leaves – has also seen a few changes over the years and you now see some very attractive trailing African violets with multiple creeping stems. During the heating season, a humidity tray placed under an African violet can help prevent flower buds aborting. If it appears dry, water the plant; if it doesn’t, don’t. Well, other people thought they were beautiful, too because now, instead of the young lovers removing blossoms from my vases, the blue haired ladies started pinching leaves to start their own beautiful plants. For this purpose, apply simply follow the golden rule of watering: water deeply, enough to moisten the entire root ball, then allow the soil to dry before watering again. This is not only wrong, but totally illogical. Their experts will be able to answer all your questions. When planting or re-potting, always use an African violet specific mix. You can grow all sorts of exotic beauties in the protection of your own home, too, from lush palms to tropical orchids, glamorous amaryllis and vibrantly colourful flowering cacti. Debbie Does African Violets. Other factors that can explain why AVs don’t bloom include cold temperatures, contaminated potting soil, overwatering, insects, diseases, and even more. I’m a member of AVSA (African Violet Society of America), and a local club. For that reason, it can be wise to place your African violets on a humidity tray, especially during the winter months. Use it for new plants, and when you're repotting plants annually to freshen their roots' growing environment. (In my defense, anything that grows outside usually does awesome!) African violets suffer leaf problems common to many houseplants. Winter is a time when you'll want as much colour and scent as you can muster to cheer yourself up on gloomy days, so stock up on forced paperwhite daffodils and hyacinths, climbing stephanotis and jasmine polyanthum, velvety African violets and cyclamen from the Dobbies … After a month or so (cuttings root faster in spring and summer than in the fall or winter), small plants will appear at the base of the leaf. Llanelidan, Ruthin, North Wales LL15 2LG U.K. T: 01978 790677 F: 01978 790668 E: info@dibleys.com light in your home during the winter, so if your plant is already borderline, receiving barely enough light to bloom during the summer, that spot certainly won’t be bright enough to ensure winter bloom. Note, too, that, unless you live in the tropics, there is less (often much less!) Two vital factors to African violet health often go sight unseen: temperature and humidity. Streptocarpus are long-flowering and beautiful, with primrose-like flowers in a spectacular array of colours: add a row of identical potted geraniums in vivid scarlet, the white spathes of a peace lily and perhaps an exotically-leaved begonia and you have a riot of colour that keeps going all summer long. Brownish or straw coloured blotches: can be the result of strong direct sunlight; Small whitish papery spots, sometimes elongated or in a line across a leaf: due to cells killed by the sun’s rays concentrated through irregularities in window glass, or through water droplets Source: imgur.com & http://www.espritdeisle.com. This is an African violet variation that is actually violet in color. The blooms are large and puffy with white tips on them to give them a bit of contrast. In summer you're spoilt for choice: Orchids come into their own: a single, impossibly beautiful flower spike on a moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) can last months. Remove a healthy leaf with its petiole (stem), simply snapping it off near its base. Very popular houseplant. As for size, expect to see violets almost 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter and others smaller than a teacup. Leaves are medium green. Many of the violets displayed there were very large, perhaps 18″ or more across. Serious exhibitors also usually grow those Very popular houseplant. – even yellow! Here are a few: Garden Myth: Remove Center Leaves from African Violets to Stimulate Bloom, Can removing center leaves stimulate African violet bloom. My first one came from a leaf my great aunt gave me when I was a very young boy. If I can’t answer it, I will find someone who can. In spite of a long-held belief, fertilizing has little to do with initiating bloom. Place somewhere bright, but out of direct sunlight, away from direct heat sources such as radiators. New leaves emerge from the center and grow in size and length until they become full-sized, then eventually degenerate. But this past weekend I was admiring my Mother-In-Laws African Violets. African violet leaves are easily stained when water is inadvertently spilled on them and such stains are hard to remove. African Violets African Violet Soils Self Watering Pots Training Pots Saucers African Violet Fertilizer Potting Medias African Violet Supplies Humidity Trays Watering Tools Lighting African Violet Care … African Violet Society of America P.O. They always die! "Remember that African violets have a very long lifespan and have been said to last up to 50 years," says Ryan McEnaney, public relations and communications specialist for Bailey Nurseries. During this time we've been proud to provide the very best products and expert advice to gardeners throughout the UK. Houseplants bring the garden indoors, filling your house with colour, greenery and scent even through the coldest months of the year. This is easy to prevent: just get into the habit of repotting your African violet annually. There are currently more than 40,000 different varieties of African violets, so take your pick! So if you water from below, filling the plant’s saucer with tepid water and letting it drink its fill, the watering can is nowhere near the leaves and you’re much less likely to spill water on them. We hybridize many of our own plants–are famous for our ‘Rob’s’ and ‘Ma’s’ series of African violets, and our ‘Bristol’s’ series of gesneriads (African violet relatives). African Violet Society of America 2375 North Street Beaumont, Texas Dear Madam or Sir, I have come upon a strange flower and wish to inform you of its vague and general whereabouts. Winter is a time when you'll want as much colour and scent as you can muster to cheer yourself up on gloomy days, so stock up on forced paperwhite daffodils and hyacinths, climbing stephanotis and jasmine polyanthum, velvety African violets and cyclamen from the Dobbies … Insert the petiole into a pot of moist soil. It may be useful to cover the cutting with an inverted clear plastic cup or a clear plastic bag: this will help maintain high humidity during the rooting process. For further information, why not join an African violet club? This miniature, Optimara ‘Rose Quartz’ (Holtkamp, hybridizer), has glossy, hairy, medium green leaves and … Once you've mastered the more straightforward orchid types, have a go with slightly more demanding varietiies like Oncidium or delicate slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum). Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, bi-color flowers. There are fertilizers designed specifically for African violets you can use if you prefer, but pretty much any fertilizer will give good results. Also, the air in most homes is very dry when the heating system is in use and dry air can cause flower buds to abort long before you even notice them. African violets are one of the most popular indoor houseplants. Here’s a new one, for me at least, asked at a meeting of a garden club in September, then again by an email yesterday (which, unfortunately, means it’s spreading!). I even used to participate in African violet shows and bring home ribbons. By setting my plants with their top about 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm) below a two-tube fluorescent lamp (one Cool White tube, one Warm White) and lighting the plant 14-16 hours a day, I can assure them summer-like conditions at all times and in return get more or less non stop bloom. True enough, African violet flower buds have to “work their way” out from under the leaves that shade them at first, but that’s what they’re designed to do. If you want to water from above, though, that is easy enough to arrange. Find out more about these dainty flowers here. Keep temperatures above 60˚F (16˚C) throughout the year. There are too many intriguing houseplants to list here: once you've got the houseplant bug, branch out and you can include bonsai, carnivorous plants and intriguing curiosities like Aloe vera, whose leaves are full of a sap which soothes burns: it's the perfect first aid kit for a kitchen windowsill. Violet-shaped flowers of the species African violet Saintpaulia ionantha. pulling some small babies, and placing them in separate cups. Dividing an African violet – or separating African violet “pups” – is an easy way to generate more plants to spread around your house, or to share with lucky friends. The violet symbolizes loyalty, devotion, and faithfulness. Water when soil feels less moist to the touch. If your African violet isn’t blooming, it’s not because you didn’t pinch out the center leaves. Flowering requires more energy than producing leaves and plants get their energy from sunlight (or artificial light if you grow them under a lamp). The plants are saying it’s spring time. Violets (Viola)—though unrelated to African violets—are one of the February birth flowers, so a potted African violet can make a bright gift for a February birthday. This step is very important: if you let all the baby plants grow around the mother leaf, they’ll compete with each other as they grow, leading to a crowded pot and poor flowering. Get Pricing and Availability. Thanks to 100 years plus of hybridization, their petals are generally larger and more symmetrical and their flowers are often double or semi-double, sometimes with attractive wavy margins. The botanical name for African violets is Saintpaulia; the plants are native to eastern Africa. That isn’t actually true, but there is a reason for that recommendation. There are local African violet clubs all over the world and quite probably one in a city near you. This premium, all-natural blend is enhanced with perlite for excellent drainage — essential for healthy African violets — plus limestone to adjust pH, and yucca extract, a natural wetting agent. Dolly: Rhapsodie variety. Stick a healthy leaf in moist soil and cover with a plastic bag. And a very good alternative is a spot 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) below a florescent or LED grow lamp. Repotting these blooms is so important due to their long lifespan. The main secret of a happy AV that flowers profusely most of the year remains adequate lighting: forget the warning you may have heard that African violets can’t take direct sun. You’ll only harm the plant. However, the main cause is insufficient light. 5PACK 6'' Plastic Planters Flower Plant Pots Decorative Gardening Pot for Succulents, Flowers, Herbs, African Violets, Foliage Plants TheNextGardenerInc. To grow them properly, you have to move them to a new pot at least once a year. As a result, the plant seems to stop blooming and you might figure it is resting, while in actual fact, it’s trying to bloom, but its blooms are being killed by the dry air. Supplied as pictured bursting in Do not pinch out the center leaves of your African violet. Strawberry Wave. New roots will soon grow from the covered stem to replace those cut. Likewise, you won’t see the damage dry air does to an African violet, as it has thick hairy leaves that are quite resistant to dry air. That way you water the plant’s roots from above without wetting its leaves. I think African Violets are really pretty, but I have a horrible history with indoor plants. If you remove the leaves, there’ll be no bloom! The rest of the year, an East window is an ideal choice: it gets some direct sun early in the morning, when it is coolest, and bright light for the rest of the day. As this is going on, more new leaves form in the center, giving the round rosette shape we know. WINTER SALE - Usually 5.99, today just £2, yes, Just £2!! African violets make for popular indoor plants due to their bright colors, but they are also very sensitive. Even if you’re not yet ready to join, you’ll certainly want to go and see their annual show! If left to grow at will, your African violet lose its lower leaves over time, leaving a bare stem (neck) that eventually bends over… and there goes your plant’s symmetry! No, no and no! The African violet is a tropical plant and doesn’t like cool conditions. Like many African violet growers, I grow my plants under fluorescent lights, moving them into regular light only when they are in full bloom and I want to put them on display in my living or dining room. Even an African violet that has never been fertilized is usually able to flower. The individual flower can last up to six weeks, with the overall show can last several months. Thanks to 100 years plus of hybridization, their petals are generally larger and more symmetrical and their flowers are often double or semi-double, sometimes with attractive wavy margins. Your plant is symmetrical again! So here are some tips to help you achieve success with this popular plant. Mine have never gotten that large. Source: www.ebay.co.uk. It's heavily important not to allow moisture to sit on the flowers' cubbyholes, as Botrytis Petal-Blight is a serious threat among Violet growers. Source: MAD gardening tips. For 150 years, the Dobbies name has stood for quality horticulture. Thus, if you pinch out young leaves (center leaves), you’re also removing the future flowers! Buy the best houseplants at Dobbies Garden World Aberdeen in Aberdeen. From shop TheNextGardenerInc. Many varieties are bicolor or even tricolor. Sometimes, all you have to do to stimulate bloom is to move the plant closer to the window or the lamp! 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