Question
Hi Darlene,

I bought two African Violets about 2 weeks ago and I just have some questions for you. The first one I bought is growing rapidly. The flowers in the middle got tall in so little time. I am not complaining but the middle was fuller with flowers now I can actually see the bottom. Some of the flowers are drying out. Although I do see new ones blooming, I don't see alot below. The other one still has a lot of flowers and it is not growing as fast as the other one.

My questions are:

1. Regarding water: is watering Monday/Wednesday/Friday a good idea? I was told to water from the bottom up and then throw away the excess water after 1 hour. Is that fine?

2. Fertilizer: How often should I feed the violets? I wanted to do it every 2 weeks. I bought Schultz plant food and planned on using one 1 drop per 5 ounce. I think 5 ounces is good enough for one violet (its a 4 inch plant). What do you recommend? Should I water from the bottom while fertilizing? I think watering from the top is impossible because there are leaves everywhere and I don't want to get them wet.

3. Where I work is cold (below 60 degrees). Do you think an African Violet will survive there?

4. As I mentioned before, the flowers are drying, should I cut them off? Is this normal or is something wrong? Do African Violets bloom all year round?

Thanks!

Answer
Kadie,

Watering Monday/Wednesday/Friday is NOT a good idea. It keeps your plants constantly wet and violets are not swamp plants. That much water will cause their roots to rot. Watering once a week is usually enough. If you have a watering pitcher it is usually easy to lift the leaves and get the spout just over the edge of the pot to water the soil under the leaves. That way you know all the soil in the pot gets moist and an hour later you can empty the water from the drain tray. Watering from below you can never be sure that all the soil soaked up moisture. When the violets are dry they will feel light weight. Pick them up after you water them and again towards the end of the week to check the water. They need to be fry before you water but not so dry that the soil starts to shrink away from the sides of the pot.

Your fertilizing plan sounds good. You don't need to worry about the exact amount of water if you are watering from the top. You just need to make sure all the soil is moist. If you water from the bottom you need to feel the top of the soil to make sure it is all moist before you empty the drain tray of water.

If you cut back on the frequency of watering I think that your flowers will last longer. It is okay to cut the dried flowers off.

Violets prefer temperatures between 60 and 80. This website will discuss temperatures http://www.myviolet.com/temperature-needs-of-African-violets    I suggest that you take a thermometer to work to check the exact temperatures.

African Violets can bloom nearly year around. If the stop blooming for more than 4 weeks sprinkle a teaspoon of Epsom salts on top of the soil and then water it in. Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate and will trigger blooming plants to bloom. It works on almost all blooming plants. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck!

Darlene