African Violets My Way - Part 3

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When plants develop multiple crowns and become quite large, they seem to be asking to be divided or at least to be given bigger quarters. But this request I do not accept. I try to detect multiple crowns early enough so that I can cut them off without scarring the plants. I want bloom from my plants, not a lot of fat foliage.

To promote flowering, I apply a liquid plant food to my African-violets each week. I have found that it’s a good plan to alternate the materials so as to vary the plants’ diet. During dull winter days, when my plants are not being helped along with artificial lights, I do not try to stimulate them to bloom; this would be asking too much. But when the plants have good light, I demand good performance from them and so feed them accordingly. My African-violets are mighty pretty right now.

An African-violet’s condition is evidence as to whether or not it is getting enough light or sun. Usually full winter sun isn’t too strong, though it can be if it is intensified by brilliant reflections from the snow. Last winter I returned one evening to find many of my pale varieties either freckled or frankly sunburned.

The timeworn advice that African-violets need shade is, generally speaking, wrong. When I’m shown plants that won’t bloom, I usually discover that they were:

(1) not at a window,
(2) standing in water or
(3) so thickly covered with multiple crowns that a flowering stem couldn’t fight its way through the foliage.

An agreeable aspect of growing saintpaulias is that they like the same atmosphere we do. It should be about 70° to 72°. They can stand it a little cooler and don’t mind it somewhat warmer. I am amazed at the wide temperature variation that the plants endure with equanimity. Sometimes the temperature has varied from 60° to 75°. A drop of 10° at night, as occurs outdoors when the sun goes down, is preferable to maintaining the steady heat of the day. Saintpaulias also want a fresh atmosphere. Except on cold days I lower the middle window about an inch or so from the top in the morning and again in the mid-afternoon. Such a small room as mine can get stuffy, and both the African-violets and I need plenty of fresh air.

I too would not know much about insects and diseases if I hadn’t learned about most of them elsewhere than in my own window gar-den. Only petiole rot has occurred on my plants. The house-plant which I keep indoors run on a clean ship… I only spray my other foliage plants.

In my windows I have some plants other than African-violets because I like fragrance; if saintpaulias have a fault, it is that they are scentless. Heliotrope, jasmine, narcissus, hyacinth and sweet-leaved geraniums appeal to me because of their fragrance. Amazingly enough, all grow happily with my African-violets. And the occasional aphids which escape my eagle eye and clamber over the geraniums, heliotrope, narcissus and other plants fortunately do not stray to my African-violets.

Let’s all spread the word that African-violets are actually easy to grow. With full light, sterile soil, room-temperature water, sufficient heat and ventilation they are bound to thrive. Without these basic environmental conditions, African-violets aren’t difficult to grow, they’re impossible!

No, you don’t need to be a doctor to grow saintpaulias, but the practice of preventive medicine - their kind - is essential. And if you have healthy plants, by all means grow some of them my way - where they can be seen and enjoyed. Everybody likes to look at African-violets!

by Evelyn Pelt

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