This plant can be grown as a single crown or a trailer – it’s best left to the plant to decide which it prefers. As with all african violets, it prefers a shallow pot with a light compost which allows for good drainage.
African violet seed of any kind should be surface sown on a fine medium which is moist, but not overly damp. Either a fine peat based compost or one with fine vermiculite or perlite mixed in works well. Seeds should be surface sown and kept around 21C / 70F until germination occurs and then should be brought down to a more comfortable temperature around 15C / 60F for best seedling growth.
If you wish to set seed on this plant you will need to manually break open an anther (the bright yellow parts in the centre of the flower) and transfer pollen to the stigma, the small part which sticks upright between the anthers. The best time to do this is usually a few days after the flower has opened – the stigma will be more upright and the tip will be split into two or three sections. This means it is receptive to pollen.
Once pollinated (and they seem happily self-fertile!) the seed capsules will need to be left on the plant for up to nine months, with 3-4 months being the generally agree minimum time for good, viable seed.
The seed pod will show it is ready by turning brown and beginning to dry up. It’s best to remove it once the colour has changed, but before it fully dries as otherwise it may release its own seed. The seed pod, once removed, should be allowed to sit in a warm, dry place for ~10 days. The seed pod may then be split open and seed collected.
These estimates for how long African Violet takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.
Average days | Min days | Max days (0)
Average days | Min days | Max days (0)
Average days | Min days | Max days (0)