African Violet Home Cultivation Methods and Care Tips

Stop fertilizing during both the low temperatures of winter and the high temperatures of summer. When watering and fertilizing, take care to avoid splashing water or fertilizer on the leaf surface, and do not frequently spray water on the leaves, because when water droplets remain among the leaf hairs for a long time, the leaves will develop unsightly yellow spots or even rot. However, to increase air humidity, you can spray water around the plant; if the air circulates well and evaporation is fast, you may also spray a small amount of water on the leaf surface, and the water sprayed should be close to room temperature, not too cold.

Repot once every spring. Since the plant is not large and its roots do not spread widely, the pot should not be too large; choose a pot proportionate to the size of the plant. The potting soil should be loose, fertile, and slightly acidic; you can use a mix of 3 parts leaf mold and 2 parts sandy soil, or a growing medium made of equal parts leaf mold, peat soil, and sandy soil. After the plant has been cultivated for two years, its growth will weaken; you can propagate new plants and renew the old plant.

African violets are commonly propagated by leaf cuttings, which can be done throughout the year at 18°C to 25°C. The method is to cut off a robust leaf with its stalk, insert 1/2 to 1/3 of the leaf stalk into sandy soil, and keep the medium moist without waterlogging and the air humidity slightly high. Place it where there is no direct sunlight; in about a month, young shoots will grow from the base of the leaf stalk. Once the young shoots are somewhat larger, pot them together with the old leaf, and they will become new plants.