How to grow African violets? A detailed cultivation guide

Growing Techniques Jan 1, 1970 0 views

A while ago I had the idea of writing down how to grow African violets, but I kept putting it off, feeling it was not mature or certain enough. Below I will briefly talk about my journey of growing African violets, for fellow flower lovers to refer to. Cultivation section, 1. In the first few years I grew some Bianfen African violets on and off.

I. Cultivation section

1. In the first few years I grew some Bianfen African violets on and off. The most memorable time was when I foolishly ran to Fangcun in Guangzhou by myself and bought nine African violets, then frantically propagated them by leaf cuttings according to the book, and surprisingly succeeded. At that time, two words: excited. During the Spring Festival flower market in 2007 I bought another box of Bianfen African violets. At that time the Bianfen varieties were truly abundant, and I continued to propagate madly. Then came one summer, and most of them perished, leaving only a few large plants.

2. By chance I joined a local flower lovers' group. After joining I found that the African violets I had were really a bit embarrassing to show. The big growers and experts and their varieties made me gasp in admiration, so I actively took part in the group's activities, not missing any chance to grab leaves and snatch seedlings. After a year of effort, the varieties I had became much richer, and I also gained the recognition of the big growers. Although I borrowed many methods and precautions, I still lost many in summer.

3. After some more time, something strange happened: the local big growers all gave up growing African violets and said they were willing to pass them on to me. At that time I really did not dare take them all at once, because I truly was not confident I could let them settle in my home. I only took a small part. After a summer I found that the African violets in my hands were fine, so only then did I dare take over the African violets of the big growers around me. And so I suddenly became one of the few big African violet growers locally.

4. The trust and support of fellow flower lovers made me grow African violets with more care. I kept thinking about how to let them spend the summer safely in my home without a budget for air conditioning. I thought of this saying: a starved camel is bigger than a horse! With more plants, there will always be some survivors. So I threw myself into leaf cuttings and propagation, busy and happy. After that summer, something strange happened again: most of these densely leaf-propagated seedlings actually spent the summer safely on the balcony. Only some older mother plants and some variegated varieties still perished. In this process I found that, on the issue of getting through summer, small seedlings are more resistant than old ones, living in groups works better than living alone, and new soil works better than old soil. Thanks to this small success of the method, the number of African violets shot up at once.

5. With last year's experience, one month before the start of summer the next year, I decapitated all the large plants and replanted them with new potting mix, and continued leaf-cutting backups for individual varieties. Because there were really enough medium and small plants at home, decapitating and grouping them all would be too much work, so I changed the method and stacked them on a tray with a perlite base, letting their roots extend from the bottom of the pots to the perlite layer, creating a virtual group-living environment to connect with the ground. This year not many perished either, but later I found that the plants in the late summer generally suffered from root mealybugs, so it was another round of decapitation and replanting. Tiring! This method is still fairly workable for those with not many plants.

6. Leaf cutting propagation: using a larger shallow pot with orderly dense planting works better than small pots with separate leaf cuttings. I guess African violets are also afraid of loneliness, and they deeply understand that unity is strength. Leaf cutting is best done at a temperature that can be maintained at 15-30°C for a relatively long time, especially in the early stage of leaf cutting. If the air humidity is low during leaf cutting, you can cover with film to retain moisture, and the moisture-retaining space should be as large as possible, not too small.

7. Watering: water early in spring; water at noon in winter; in summer, if you cannot guarantee getting up early enough, watering in the evening is better; in autumn, replenish water more. African violets are fairly moisture-tolerant plants, so try to keep the soil moist. It is best to give a heavy watering once a month to dilute the accumulated salts in the pot. Everything has its limit: too wet easily breeds bacteria, too dry easily invites pests.

8. Fertilizing: apply more during the growing period, do not apply when too cold or too hot, apply less during the flowering period, and apply dilute fertilizer frequently.

9. Sterilizing: what the naked eye cannot see is often the most destructive. By the time a plant's bacterial infection is discovered, it is usually already too late. In plum rain weather you can increase the frequency of sterilization. For African violets splashed by rainwater, you can rinse them once with water to achieve a cleaning effect.

10. Pests: it is hard to grow flowers without dealing with pests. Prevention beats cure. In particular, guard against root mealybugs in high summer temperatures and mite damage in the dry autumn and winter. If root mealybugs occur in home or office growing, it is recommended to decapitate and replant with new soil (no need for pesticides unless necessary). When decapitating, be careful not to leave the stem too long or too many leaves; remove the flower stalks and buds and keep only the top three layers of leaves, and keep the stem 0.5 cm long. If conditions allow, it is best to place it in a transparent moisture-retaining box (that is, a transparent storage box), watch the condition of the seedling, and after half a month normal management can resume.

11. Soil: it is recommended to use imported peat soil with finer fibers. Domestic soil is really rather poor. Right next to me there is a place making leaf mold soil, with a truly frightening formula. For the ratio of peat soil to perlite, one to one is basically universal. Too much perlite and too little peat will result in fewer nutrients, and the seedlings will grow relatively weakly.

12. Repotting: it is best done one month to one and a half months before the start of summer. It is recommended to do it once more at Mid-Autumn Festival. It is best to guarantee repotting once a year to increase the nutrients needed for plant growth.

13. Light: light is a necessary factor for plant growth. Generally speaking, with sufficient scattered light African violets can grow normally. The main factor affecting flowering is light. Direct sunlight before nine in the morning is rich in nutrients and generally will not burn the leaves. When the plant grows to a certain stage it will naturally come into flower; do not be impatient for flowers. And the light conditions in the early flowering stage have an obvious effect on the quality of the later flowering. This autumn I found that autumn sunlight is very harsh, possibly related to low air humidity. What does not get burned in summer gets badly burned in autumn. This point needs special attention!!

14. Flower pots: generally plastic pots are fine. Determine the pot size according to the size of the plant; too large or too small is both bad. If you want early flowering, you can appropriately use a smaller pot for planting. If you want overall beauty, you can put a suitable ceramic pot outside the plastic pot. Red clay pots have good air permeability but watering must keep up, and they easily accumulate salt. After a long time it is best to soak and wash them thoroughly several times before use.

II. Insights section

1. Create a good small growing environment, and the path of growing African violets will be like a fish in water. For example, adding some medium and large green plants around the African violets both blocks light and increases humidity, and can also ease the loneliness of the African violets.

2. Other people's methods are always only reference answers; you must combine them with your own reality (time, space, varieties).

3. Observe carefully, summarize, compare, practice, and communicate, and your flower-growing level will improve quickly.

4. Learn from nature, understand the plant's native ecological environment, and simulate and recreate the native growing environment.

III. Choosing seedlings

1. You must choose the varieties you truly like. Only what you truly like will you care about, and only then will you put thought into growing it well.

2. When choosing seedlings in a physical store, choose sturdy ones with spreading, emerald green leaves. When buying from a Taobao store, do not rush; it is best to first ask the shop about the condition of the seedlings. Bigger is not always better, and of course not too small either. 8-12 true leaves is about right. Seedlings that are too large or too old are easily damaged during packaging, and accidents easily happen during the acclimatization process. Large and old seedlings do not have the vitality of small ones. I do not recommend pursuing large seedlings or flowering plants. Think about how our little children at home can cry for several hours and you will know how strong vitality is; we adults cannot cry for half an hour.

IV. Acclimatizing seedlings

1. When dividing leaf-cutting seedlings, remove the old small leaves, plant them in prepared fresh moist soil, press lightly, and keep appropriate moisture. During this period pay attention to replenishing water and keep the soil constantly moist. Generally after half a month normal management can resume.

2. For seedlings bought online (non-chimera varieties), no matter the condition of the seedlings, it is recommended to first remove a few leaves for cutting propagation in case something unexpected happens during acclimatization. Tidy and clean up the tangled roots, likewise plant them in prepared fresh moist soil and press lightly, use a larger space with appropriate moisture retention, pay attention to replenishing water during this period, and keep the soil constantly moist. Generally after half a month normal management can resume. 3. Do not fertilize during the acclimatization period (a weak body cannot take tonics); haste makes waste!

V. Flowering

1. When the appropriate temperature conditions and maturity are reached, African violets will naturally produce flower buds. Do not rush. When flowers bloom and can be picked, you must pick them; do not wait until there are no flowers and break off an empty branch.

2. When the seedling is mature and the environmental conditions are mature, you can appropriately increase the frequency of flowering-promoting fertilizer, but also remember not to rush and not to use too strong a concentration.

3. Before flowering, more side shoots usually appear (some say suckers). These shoots are either side shoots or will really become large side shoots. The appearance of these shoots more or less affects the flowering quality. If not for propagation, they can be removed to let the plant grow symmetrically and beautifully.

4. When temperature and humidity are not ideal, small messy flowers often appear. This is also a normal phenomenon. Do not doubt your own skill or think the variety is wrong. African violets are changeable; it does not mean they are always beautifully changed, they also have an ugly side, and we must learn to accept it. Flowers that open under these abnormal conditions at normal times can be removed; when the growth state is not ideal they will also produce strange flowers.

5. For African violets, from seeing a flower bud to the flower opening takes a very, very long time. You must be patient. In my memory it takes about a month. You must learn to enjoy this process of anticipation. To make flowering faster, I think a good method is to grow several plants and several varieties, so the time is spread out, and some bloom without your even noticing.

6. To make the whole plant beautiful, you still have to handle the African violet by hand. Those grown with light from one side must be rotated 180 degrees at irregular intervals; generally once every two [periods] is fine. Also, when flower buds are crowded under the leaves and cannot rise above them, you can gently help them out by hand. In this way the flowers will be more concentrated, and with a bit more you will have a ball of flowers, not too messy.

I said I would write it well, but as I wrote it seems to have become messy again. Everyone please make do with reading it! It will be updated and improved from time to time. I hope it helps everyone grow African violets. If you succeed, count me in for a share of the credit; if you fail, do not give up easily either! Finally, I send a few African violets I especially love to encourage us all.

How to grow African violets: how to grow potted African violets

African violets originate from Africa and are a purple flower with yellow spots in the center, much loved by people. Many gardening enthusiasts grow African violets. So how do you grow potted African violets, and what points need attention when growing them? Below this article will introduce the cultivation methods of African violets in detail. If you are a beginner at growing flowers, do not be nervous either; African violets only need basic care and are not difficult to grow.

Methods/Steps

Ensure sufficient light

If you cannot find natural light, you can also use fluorescent lamps to illuminate the plant. The light used for growing African violets needs to come from a two-tube electric lamp - one fitted with a cool white tube, the other with a full-spectrum tube. The electric lamp should shine down from 20-25 cm above the plant, for 12-14 hours per day. If the plant grows too compactly and needs to stretch out a bit, you can reduce the light duration to 8-10 hours per day.

Water at the appropriate time

Pay attention to the watering method

Use a suitable potting medium

Create a favorable growing environment

Fertilizing

Tips

Do not wet the leaves, because water droplets on the leaves will cause yellow-brown spots. The soil should always stay moist, but must not be soaked through, otherwise it will cause root rot or crown rot. Generally speaking, watering once a week is enough, or water each time when more than 2.5 cm of the soil has become dry. If there are holes in the bottom of the flower pot, you can place the pot in a water basin and water from the bottom up. In addition, the most ideal potting medium should consist of 25% air, 25% water and 50% soil.

African violets need frequent attention.

How to grow African violets

[Overview] African violet, also known as African violet, is a plant of the genus Saintpaulia in the Gesneriaceae family. African violets are small and delicate, with colorful flowers and great poetic charm. They are a famous potted flower internationally, especially popular in Europe and America. After the French discovered African violets in Africa in 1893, it was not until the early 20th century that it was discovered that they can bloom continuously all year round in a suitable environment, and that they adapt to air-conditioned environments. In the 1930s African violets were already very popular in the United States, and by the 1940s many bicolor and double-flowered varieties had been bred. To date, African violets have become a major potted flower produced in the United States, very commonly grown in households, and many new varieties have been created by amateur enthusiasts. In Europe, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and France all have batch production. In 1995 the Netherlands ranked seventh in potted flower production, with an output value reaching 21.4 million US dollars. African violets have become a windowsill plant in Europe and America, available at any time in supermarkets.

  Our country has not grown African violets for long. Only since the 1980s have test-tube seedlings been introduced from the United States and the Netherlands. At present only a few Chinese-foreign joint venture horticultural companies have small batch production, and cultivation is not yet widespread, but the development prospects are still very good.
  [Morphological characteristics and varieties] African violet is a perennial herb. Stemless, the whole plant covered with hairs. Leaves ovate, leaf stalks thick and fleshy. Flowers one or several together, light purple. In recent years, cultivated varieties have been numerous, including large-flowered, single, semi-double, double, variegated-leaf and so on, with flower colors including purplish red, white, blue, pink and bicolor. Common cultivated varieties include the single-flowered Snow Prince, with white flowers; Pink Miracle, with pink flowers and rose-red edges; Ruffled Queen, with purplish red flowers and ruffled edges; Pocone, a large-flowered variety with a flower diameter of 5 cm and light purplish red flowers; Diana, with deep blue flowers. Semi-double varieties include Fuchsia Red, with purplish red flowers. Double varieties include Corinne, with white flowers; Flash, with red flowers; Blue Peak, with blue flowers and white edges; Double Delight, with blue flowers; Blue Caprice, with light blue flowers; Blushing Bride, with pink flowers. Foliage varieties include Show Queen, with blue flowers, ruffled edges, and yellow-white markings on the leaf surface; Blue Boy in the Snow, with light purple flowers and white striped and blotched patterns on the leaves.    Ornamental species in the same genus include white-flowered African violet and large-flowered African violet.
  [Biological characteristics] African violets originate from the tropical regions of eastern Africa. They like warm, humid and semi-shady environments. In summer they fear strong light and high temperatures. The suitable temperature for production is 16-24°C, 18-24°C from April to October, and 12-16°C from October to April of the following year. The daytime temperature should not exceed 30°C; high temperatures are unfavorable for African violet growth. The nighttime temperature in winter should not be lower than 10°C, otherwise they are prone to cold damage. A relative humidity of 40%-70% is more suitable. If the pot is too wet, root rot easily occurs. If the air is dry, the leaves lack luster. African violets need shade in summer, and the leaf color is then fresh and green; in winter they need sufficient sunlight to bloom continuously; adding supplementary light on rainy and snowy days is very beneficial to the growth and flowering of African violets.
  [Cultivation methods] Commonly use sowing, cutting and tissue culture methods for propagation.
  Sowing propagation: can be done in spring and autumn. For greenhouse cultivation, autumn sowing from September to October is better, with a high germination rate, strong seedling growth, and large plants with many flowers the following spring. Sowing in February gives flowering in August, but the growth vigor is slightly poorer and there are fewer flowers. African violet seeds are tiny, so the sowing pot soil should be fine. After sowing, do not cover with soil; just press flat. The suitable germination temperature is 18-24°C. After sowing, they germinate in 15-20 days, and seedlings are transplanted in 2-3 months. During the seedling stage, note that the pot soil should not be too wet. Generally from sowing to flowering takes 6-8 months.
  Cutting propagation: mainly use leaf cuttings. After flowering, choose robust, plump leaves, cut them off leaving the leaf stalk 2 cm long, let them dry slightly, insert into a sand bed, maintain relatively high air humidity, with a room temperature of 18-24°C. They root 3 weeks after cutting, and in 2-3 months will produce seedlings, which are moved into 6 cm pots. During the cutting process, treating with vitamin B is beneficial to rooting and subsequent seedling growth of African violets. Treating the leaf stalk with 25 mg/liter of kinetin for 24 hours is beneficial to the formation of adventitious buds. From cutting to flowering takes 4-6 months. If large tiller shoots are used for cutting, the effect is also good. Generally cutting in June-July gives flowering in October-November; if cutting in September-October, flowering is in March-April of the following year.
  Tissue culture propagation: in recent years, tissue culture propagation of African violets has become fairly common. Use leaves, leaf stalks and epidermal tissue as explants. Use MS medium plus 1 mg/liter of 6-benzylaminopurine and 1 mg/liter of naphthaleneacetic acid. After inoculation, adventitious buds grow out in 4 weeks, and after 3 months rooted small plantlets can be planted. The small plantlets are transplanted into a medium of half leaf mold soil and half peat moss soil, with a survival rate of 100%. At present, the United States, the Netherlands, Israel and other countries all have test-tube seedling production of African violets.
  [Cultivation management] When growing African violets, watering is very important. In early spring with low temperatures, do not water too much, otherwise the stems and leaves easily rot and flowering is affected. In summer with high temperatures and dryness, water more and spray water to increase air humidity, otherwise the flower stalks droop and the flowering period shortens. But when spraying, if too much water splashes onto the leaves, it will also cause leaf rot. In autumn and winter, as the temperature drops, watering should be appropriately reduced. African violets are semi-shade plants, and 8 hours of light per day is most suitable. If light is insufficient on rainy and snowy days, artificial light should be added. If light is insufficient, the leaf stalks elongate, flowering is delayed, and flower colors are dull. In midsummer, if the light is too strong, it will burn the young leaves or turn them white, so shade protection is needed. It requires the nighttime temperature to be higher than the daytime: 24°C at night and 16°C during the day, then the stems and leaves grow luxuriantly and the flowers are large and numerous. During growth, fertile, loose leaf mold soil is most ideal. Fertilize once every half a month. If fertilizer is insufficient, flowering decreases and flowers become smaller. After flowering, remove the spent flowers at any time to prevent them from becoming moldy and rotting.
  [Pest and disease control] Under high temperature and high humidity conditions, wilt disease, powdery mildew and leaf rot disease easily occur. You can spray or pour into the pot soil a 1000-fold dilution of 10% antibacterial agent 401 acetic acid solution. Scale insects and red spiders often harm African violets during the growing period, and can be killed by spraying a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
  [Post-production handling] African violets are small potted ornamental plants, especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly people to grow. The flowering time is long, they are easy to move, and easy to grow. Potted flowers decorating a desk, writing table or windowsill are very elegant and beautiful, and giving them to relatives and friends is also classy enough.