African violet, Latin scientific name: (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl), also known as African violet (Saintpaulia), is a perennial herbaceous plant. It has no stem, and the whole plant is covered with hairs. The leaves are ovate, and the leaf stalks are thick and fleshy. The flowers are borne one or several together, light purple. There are many cultivated varieties, including large-flowered, single, semi-double, double, and variegated-leaf types, and the flower colors include purple-red, white, blue, pink, and bicolor. It prefers a warm climate, dislikes high temperatures, is relatively shade-tolerant, and is suitable for growing in diffused light. It does best in fertile, loose neutral or slightly acidic soil. Native to the tropical regions of East Africa, the plant is small and delicate, with colorful flowers and blooms in all four seasons. It is an excellent indoor flower and also a world-famous potted flower, especially popular in Europe and the United States.
Cultivation Techniques
The ideal growing medium must have good aeration, retain water and fertilizer, have a pH suitable for plant growth, and have good cation exchange capacity.
African violets have different requirements for the physical and chemical properties of the medium at different growth stages. For example: during the vegetative growth stage - moisture-retentive medium (namely peat moss) can account for 50-60%; during the cutting propagation stage - at this stage there is no root tissue and water cannot be absorbed, so the medium should not contain too much moisture; therefore, a medium with good aeration should be the main component, and perlite and vermiculite can account for 60-80%.
Location: Do not place it where the sun is directly facing it. It can grow as long as there is diffused light indoors. African violet is a very shade-tolerant indoor plant, and is instead not suitable for outdoor cultivation. The best position is by a windowsill.
Soil: Loose, well-drained soil is best. Peat moss mixed with vermiculite and perlite can be used as the medium.
Sunlight: It can grow in any bright indoor location, and the sunlight by a windowsill is just right; if placed on a desk, a plant light can be added to supplement the light, which can extend the flowering period and keep it blooming continuously.
Temperature: The suitable growth temperature is 15-25 degrees. In summer, pay attention to ventilation; if placed in an office, because there is air conditioning, the temperature will not be too high or too low, and it should grow well, but attention must be paid to replenishing water.
Fertilizer: It needs relatively more fertilizer. It is best to supplement liquid fertilizer once every about 10-20 days, applying small amounts more frequently; when entering the flowering period, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be supplemented. If there is too much nitrogen fertilizer, on the contrary, it will promote lush leaves without flowering.
Care: Most African violets purchased from flower markets are 3-4 inch potted finished plants, and they have already bloomed or have flower buds. After bringing them home, they can be placed near a window or in a place with diffused light. Watering should be done according to the degree of soil dryness. If there is a water tray, simply replenish water after the water has dried up. Management is not difficult.
Pest and Disease Prevention
Pest and disease control: Under conditions of high temperature and high humidity, wilt disease, powdery mildew, and leaf rot are prone to occur. A 1000-fold dilution of 10% antifungal agent 401 acetic acid solution can be sprayed or poured into the potting soil. Scale insects and red spider mites often harm African violets during the growing period, and a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate can be sprayed to kill them.
Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of infectious diseases, infection of existing plants by outside diseased plants should be prevented - outside plants should first be isolated for at least more than 1 month, and if they do not develop disease, they can then be moved to the cultivation area for planting; once a diseased plant is found, it must be isolated immediately, and pesticide should be sprayed or the diseased plant should be directly discarded. At the same time, in order to prevent plants carrying pathogens from developing disease again and spreading, it is best to spray pesticide over the entire area; tools, media, and other items that have come into contact with diseased plants must be sterilized or discarded.