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Care of the African violet:
This african violet is in a mix of equal parts of perlite, vermiculite and
peat. There is no food value in the medium so you must add it to your
water. I have been using Miracle grow in the purple bottle, feeding
it every time I water. The directions are on the bottle. If you can
find it you may add 4 drops of "thrive alive" per quart of
fertilized mixture.
Lighting: The African violet likes bright light but should be protected from the hot
midday sun with a sheer curtain. In other words, it likes bright indirect
light, bright enough so your hand casts a clear shadow. It also grows well
under florescent lighting. The top of the plant should be about 10 -12
inches below a 40 watt tube of warm or cool white or a combination of
both. Move plant closer if stems of leaves "reach" up toward the light. Gro lights are not necessary. This plant is set up for wick watering in a
soil-less mix of equal parts vermiculite, perlite and fine peat moss.
Another good combination is 1 vermiculite: 1 coconut coir (rinsed): 2
perlite. Keep medium moist when working with it. You may remove the wick
(never cotton or any other fiber that will rot, but rather acrylic or
nylon) by pulling it out and repot your plant in a very light soil mix of
your own choice (not "African Violet" soil unless you add perlite).
Potting up: When potting up it is very important to go up only one step in size (eg. 2
1/4" to 2 1/2" to 3" to 4" etc.). African violets like to be in "tight"
pots, so if you give it too much space to spread it's roots it will take a
good while before blooming again. A good "rule of thumb" would be the
diameter of the pot should be approximately 1/3 the diameter of the full
spread of leaves (measure from leaf tip on one side of plant to the
opposite side's farthest out leaf tip). Thus, in a 3" pot, the plant
should be about a foot across (12").
Fertilizing:
To fertilize, use a balanced fertilizer, 1/8 teaspoon to a gallon of
water. Add the fertilized water to the reservoir, or if no longer wick
watering, water plant with the fluid. I use Miracle grow in the
purple bottle, and use as directed for feeding each watering.
Propagating:
You may propagate
this plant from "suckers" (another crown growing among the rows of leaves)
or by rooting leaves. Remove a leaf from your plant and root in coarse
vermiculite or a mix of equal parts perlite and vermiculite, or even in
the previously mentioned growing medium mix. The key is patience.
The babies may show as early as six weeks but can take a few months, up to
over six months. If the leaf is healthy and green it will produce babies
eventually. If the leaf seems to grow larger, and no babies show, try
cutting off the top third of the leaf. You can even put this tip of the
leaf down as it can produce babies as well.
Babies: Once the
little plantlets are up and the leaves are about the size of a dime (and
have at least 4 such sized leaves) you may carefully separate them, and
put them in 2 1/4" pots. Not to worry if a few plantlets do not have
roots, they will soon root and bloom for you. Each leaf will give off
multiple babies so you may share them with friends and have a few to give
out on our next anniversary
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Please help us celebrate our "Reflections of Joy" day. May 2nd
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