African Violet Saintpaulia

Saintpaulia

African Violet belongs to the Saintpaulia genus. African Violet is also known as Saintpaulia

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The African Violet Plant Wiki

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A fuzzy leafed plant native to Africa bearing flowers purple, pink, white or a combination of those.


African Violets are Day Neutral, meaning that they do not require the onset of either longer or shorter days to prompt the start of flowering, but will flower at any time of the year providing that the right combination of light, nutrients and water are made available. Some verities seem to be in continuous bloom, while other verities will often take a small rest period between flowerings.

African Violet belongs to the Saintpaulia genus.

How to grow and keep African Violet happy

To flower profusely they need in the order of 10 to 12 hours of indirect sunlight or florescent light. Direct sun for any length of time will cause the leaves to burn. In their natural surroundings (South Africa) these plants live in the shade of larger flora.


Many growers prefer to fertilize their African Violets with every watering rather than at manufactures recommendations but will compensate by using a weaker formula. As an example if a fertilizer manufacturer recommends 1 tsp / gallon once every 2 to 3 weeks. Many AV growers will mix the fertilizer at 1/4 tsp per gallon and feed with every watering.


Recomendations:


  • 10 – 12 hours of indirect sunlight per day

  • Allow the surface to dry out (dry to the touch) before rewatering

  • fertilize at 1/4 strength with every watering ( 20-20-20 is fine )

    More care info can be found here.

    How to sow and germinate African Violet

    It takes about 4 months after pollination for seeds to be ready to harvest. Most African Violets are propagated from cuttings.6

    How to transplant African Violet

    The African Violet Society of America, Inc. reccomends repotting african violets regularly.2

    How to harvest African Violet

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    Companion plants for African Violet

    These plants will grow well with African Violet:

    N/A

    Repellent plants for African Violet

    These plants will not grow well with African Violet so avoid planting these within close proximity:

    N/A

    Common African Violet pests

    These pests are known to attack African Violet plants:

    Soil mealy bugs. Spider Mites. Cyclamen Mites. Mealy bugs. Thrips.3 4

    Common African Violet diseases & problems

    These problems and diseases are known to effect African Violet plants:

    Over or under watering are common problems with African violets. Water droplets on leaves can also cause damage to leaves.3 Can also get Powdery Mildew.

    How long does African Violet take to grow?

    These estimates for how long African Violet takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world. Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!

    When should I sow or plant African Violet?

    These estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!

    African Violet Etymology

    Discovered by non-Africans in 1892 by Baron Walter von Saint Paul (where it’s genus name comes from).1

    The common name African Violet was given to the plant because of where it was discovered along with the fact that the bloom looked very much like a violet. However, it has no botanical relationship to the real violet

    African Violet Folklore

    Several years ago there were 20-30 species in the genus Saintpaulia. Now thanks to DNA studies most of those have been combined and now there are only 9 species under the genus Saintpaulia. Cultivated African Violets may be hybridized from just one species (most likely S. ionantha) or may have other species and subspecies in their family tree.5

    Other names for African Violet

    Saintpaulia

    Saintpaulia Wendl, Saintpaulia ionantha

    Footnotes

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    African Violet Chat

    Where to buy African Violet

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