Hi, Posting from Scotland, UK. I have kept an african violet for 4.5 years during which time it has had 10 consecutive flowerings and is >12inches in diameter. See picture below.
At the begining I was a complete novice and had never owned an african violet. However, my first
plant has been described as "almost show standard" by the UK Saintpaulia and Houseplant Society. I believe that the key to my success is the way in which I have watered the
plant.
I am a polymer technologist with a speciality in developing hydrogels for medical, biomaterials, membrane and sensor applications. I developed a
plant watering system that uses hydrogel membrane technology to deliver water by osmosis or diffusion to
plants. Water passes from an external reservoir through a special hydrogel membrane into a
plant container. The water entering the container dissolves nutrients and salts from the soil or
growing media. This soil solution causes an osmotic potential difference to develop across the membrane separating the reservoir and the
plant container. As the
plant draws water through its root system, more water is drawn through the membrane from the reservoir. All I need to do is make sure that the reservoir is kept filled with water. I add commercial nutrient products every few weeks to the
plant container.
Over the last 4.5 years I have recorded how often I refill my african violet's reservoir. Generally 300ml of water can last 20 - 30 days which I think is really surprising for a
plant of >12 inches diameter. However, just before flowering the
plant uses 300ml of water every 4 or 5 days. I can now predict when the
plant is about to
flower based on the increase in water uptake in the weeks before flowering. I have also noticed that the
plant has 2 flowerings per season and that these flowerings are relatively close together with a longer period between seasons. I re-pot about once every 18 months.
I am amazed at the success that I have had and the
plant is now like a member of the family which I would sorely miss if it died. I know that enthusiasts will have kept
plants for much longer and will water their
plants expertly through experience and knowledge. I'm delighted with what I have achieved but also fascinated at how little water the
plant seems to need once it established itself on my watering system. I know that most people will not want to record every time they water their
plants but this kind of data may be useful to some. I feel my
plant is performing better because it is effectively controlling its own watering and is not subject to a feast and famine regime. I now have several african violets around the house and many other common houseplants like begonias, chrysanthemums, poinsettia, gerbera, orchids etc, etc - all watered using my membrane osmosis watering system. Chris