African Violets

Of all the many different kinds of house plants that there are to be had, I think that the African Violet is definitely my favorite. :) I recently bought a new plant, and was delighted that it has kept blooming after it's initial blooms from when I first bought it.

When I was younger, I had several violet plants but though they always seemed healthy enough, I never could get them to bloom very often, if any. So with this new plant I decided to look up more about the African Violets to find out what I had done wrong in the past. I’ve found a lot of great information from a book called “African Violets & Flowering Houseplants”, Published by Ortho Books. And after following some of the instructions, I have been successful as I mentioned above to keep the new plant blooming. :)

Leaf cuttings in water. I still need to cut the stems.

A Leaf cutting started in soil.
(Used yogurt cups make great starting containers.)

Some Information on How to Start New African Violet Plants:

To start new African violet plant from a leaf cutting, cut off a mature leaf from the middle of the plant. African Violets can be rooted in either water or soil. If you rooting the plant in water, first shorten the stem until it is between 1/2 and 1 inch in length, place the stem in a small jar and filled with water up to the base of the leaf. Plant in soil when the roots reach a little less then an inch long.

To root in soil set the stem in as shallow as possible on an angle (about 1/2 inch deep.) Cover with a clear plastic bag for the first week or so. The little plantlets grow at the base of the leaf and are ready to divide and pot in two or more months.

When the new plants are about 1 to 2 inches high, remove them from the pot. The mother leaf can be thrown away. Make sure that each plantlet gets it’s own pot and also that they are separated when small, otherwise the new plant will not grow well.