I just got one today, a really pretty deep purple. I am great with in and outdoor plants, however, I have tried and tried with the violets and struggle...Any tips you could offer me?

Thanks in advance

A self watering planter and a nice bright spot with loads of indirect light. I have done that with mine and they are thriving. In fact I should have blooms to post in another day or so. They are close to opening up for me.

cool...you sent me a self watering planter too,Triss should I transplant into that? and do you fertilize anything different w/them?
Thanks

I would give it a few days to get used to your space. (personal preference) and as for fertilizer, when I rememebr I do fertilize mine with an AV fertilizer. Ends up being once every couple of months. And use I african violet soil as well.

Thanks;-)

No problem, how about a pic?

Here ya go Trissy:-) cross your fingers I can keep it going...

Oh I love the color you have there! I hope you can keep it going as well. It is a very nice one!

Thanks Triss;-)I will sure try...I will re-plant in the self watering pot you sent me, this weekend

Glad you are going to be able to use that one! I cannot wait for spring to get more for myself.

Pretty Angie, I like that color....a few of mine are getting ready to bloom soon....I have most of them(except the babies) in self watering pots....

Hey I have a great idea.
I think it would be a great idea for Loz (or does anyone live even closer to me) to raise these 15 lovely well rooted African violet leaves (the thread is in house plants)

See, then she could take them on the camping trip and you can all have a special violet...

Oh please help me out... I need ideas
I can't be a violet murderer It's sucking water like crazy now... crap I just don't have it in me to plant and take care of 15 violet babies!

I would really hesitate to mail a violet. It is such a picky leaf. I'm Dialing plant rescue - willy911

Help Us! She's going to kill us!!

Would i t be possible to plant them ALL in one planter box for a window sill that does not get direct light? Then you really only have one new container to deal with? Just a thought.

Triss,
It's a great idea, but violets are a funny plant. They need a small pot to get root bound. They are very finicky and hard to do right.

If you don't have a small pot they will actually grow and second center - a whole new sub plant - as follows:

Looks lovely, right? Here is another shot --
It also has a third side very much like this one. That makes threeplants in one -

Why? Because my sister transplanted it into about a 5" pot and it was way too big... the thing just keeps growing more whole plants...

It should have been replanted long ago. But, I don't want to deal with it either!!! That would make two more violets...

The long and short of it is - the 15 afore mentioned violet leaves indeed need 15 small pots!

Yes I know that about AV's but you could easily put 15 small pots into one long planter and it look more like one large plant!

Yeah, I know... How do I get into these things. I should have let them go the day they were chopped off!

i never had good luck with av's when i kept them in spots that got only indirect light. there'd be some growth and never any flowers.

then i moved to another apt and got the urge to try again. put it in the west facing window - direct bright light most of the afternoon and that lil sucker grew and bloomed like crazy!! constantly in bloom.

then i moved into my house and my dad, so kindly, left all the plants in the van overnight (went down to 20) so, that was that.

couple years later someone gave me another av...then a couple months later, one of my boss' decided to sell their house and by a houseboat. his wife asked if i wanted her plant stand (they didn't have room at their other house for it).

THAT is the best thing that could have happened (i only have one west-facing window that gets good light as the house next door blocks it).

that av was actually 4 plants in one pot. i split them out into 4 seperate pots - all of them self-watering type - and i have them on the plant stand. i have the light set for about 10 hours on.

they do tremendously!!! they're always blooming!

the self-watering pots are a real must-have for the av's. and enough light is needed so that they will bloom.

I have never seen a self watering pot. I'll have to check it one out. I really need to repot the one I have. I think also that av's like christmas cactus enjoy a blast of cool air. They like to know the season is changing. If I keep both near the window - and they get a chill - they bloom better. Remember, I have no window that gets much direct sunlight.

I will check into this self watering thing. I let them get pretty dry and water with a long spout under the leaves. It's never really been an issue.

Mom, always embraced time saving innovations. She was never the type to get stuck in the old ways of doing things. She loved to have time for other things. She'd be excited by self-watering pots!!

you can find self-watering pots at home depot or lowes. walmart doesn't usually have too many (unless you've got a superstore). sometimes sears hardware has them, too.

what they are is a glazed ceramic pot with an insert that is unglazed. you put the plant in the unglazed part and the water in the glazed part and then put the unglazed piece in and the water is absorbed through the clay.

they're really timesavers!!! fill it up as much as possible and then check in about 10 days and refill as needed.

I am waiting a few more days, till the AV is used to the area, and putting in the self watering pot triss send;_) Thanks...

and have some AV soil...and crossing fingers..

Oh I am sure it will do very well!

Thanks Triss hope so...

That is a very pretty AV color. I have AV's and love them alot!

I once SUNK my pots in an aquarium filled with gravel then a few inches potting mix.....I was overwintering.but doing those while building our house as we lived in it.I did them that way to keep their enviroment more controlled and draft free (And if I had any pictures.....they'd be in yahoo in AV albulm)
BUT.Rooting those leaves that way! thats the best way.I always had them rotting trying the soil way.I snip the babies off and have had the same leaf going about 2 years....just keep removeing the babies.My dog just knocked it down and another plant out of kitchen window(the girls are in heat....he's lost his mind over it too...can't wait till its over....in 1 1/2 weeks.............)

I also have 3 plants growing in a clear cookie jar same set up slightly as aquaruim,but I placed collars around the roots but the bottoms are open& rarely have to water them.I give a lil fertilizer is all.Need a bigger jar too.lol

you can also use yarn to wick the roots of your plant.I'm a member of a yahoo african violet group,but don't partisipate much anymore.They have a bingo game of AV named plants that you play for leaves& sometimes get starter plants instead.nice informative newsletters also.I really learned alot there.Least I stopped killing them& can multiply them quiet well (just potted a baby up this morning)I'm a dome type grower...dome helps me keep from killing them,so I don't worry about over or under watering.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are those ever pretty and so vibrant in color

For those of you who still have small children in school--I used to root African violets thru the year and put them in a pretty pot when they were ready. Then come Christmas, I sent them in as gifts to their teachers. The teachers loved it! They told me they get so many gifts from their students that they just don't know what to do with. With the violet, they could set it in their classroom window and they, along with their whole class, could enjoy it for the remainder of the year. Of course, you would do well to buy your pots during summer while the stores have a nice selection.