African violets. I have a side board by a window and want to grow African violets?

My grandmother had a green thumb. As a child, i used to admire all the beautiful flowers. Are they hard to take care of. I am not very good with plants but would welcome any comments

African violets. I have a side board by a window and want to grow African violets?
African Violets are pretty easy to grow. There are a few things to be mindful of: 1st. They don't like hot, direct sunlight. It's best to put them in a good East window. Though they'll be okay almost anywhere, except your Southern windows. They don't like water on their leafs. Watering from the bottom is great, but as long as you keep the water off of the leaves you can water from the top too. Lastly, they like to be root bound. That is, keep them in a small pot. You should hardly ever need to transplant them.



They like an acidic soil, which is why tea is sometimes recommended. Most potting soil mixes are peat moss based, which is usually acidic by its nature. A couple times a year you could do a soil pH test, if you wanted. A general purpose water soluble fertilizer in the spring and summer is all you really need. There are some specifically mixed for African Violets, those would be okay too.



Buy a few and give them a try, they're pretty easy. It's easier to remember, and practice on a few, rather than just one.



I hope that this helps

Good luck-
Reply:African violets need special care but they are not that hard to grow as long as you remember a few things.

1. Never water from the top, always from the bottom.

2. Never leave the pots sitting in water all the time.



I could not grow violets at one time until I was given one in a special pot. Its a 2 peice set. An unglazed bisque pot sits inside a glazed pot. You can keep the glazed pot full of water and it slowly soaks through the unglazed pot giving the violet just enough water.

If you can't get these pots you can just set your pots of violets in a pan of water for half an hour whenever the soil starts to feel dried out.

Also, the best plant food for a violet is weak tea once a month. Mine had stopped blooming and I tired different plant foods. Some violets died. Then I was told about the tea. It worked wonders.

You put a tea bag in hot water and let it steep for a while. Then weaken it with cold water until it is a light color. But don't give this to them more often than once a month.

Also remember to keep turning the plants every couple of days so that they will grow evenly.

You should be careful to make sure the leaves do not touch the window as they will get damp and turn brown.

Water spilt on the leaves will also turn them brown so be careful splashing water around. If water should get splashed on the leaves, very gently blot the water off becareful not to push the water down into the hairs on the leaves and you may save them.

I hope this helps and that you enjoy your violets as much as I do.
Reply:African Violets should only be watered from the bottom so it can soak up the water. Also only water maybe weekly. When the bloom dies, just pinch them off. They look great in a wicker basket too. Also Christmas cactus's look pretty too. Good luck!
Reply:They should be watered from the bottom. Not to often because they are used to being pretty dry. Also you can cut off a leaf ,cut a good amount of stem as well and put it in a glass of water and leave it their. It will eventually grow roots and then you can plant it in a pot with some soil and you have a whole new plant. It is alot better than going out and buying a whole new one. Especially if you have kids because they will love look at the roots growing everyday. Hope I could help