African violet: everything you need to know

The African violet is a small plant with a large impact, as it blooms almost all year round. Learn everything you need to know about African violet varieties, growing conditions and care.

The African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha), despite its name, is not related to true violets (Viola). Its flowers come in many beautiful colour combinations, making it a real showstopper. It is no surprise that African violets are popular among flower collectors. Read on to find out how to take care of this amazing plant.

African violet: origin and properties

The wild forms of the African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) are native to Tanzania’s Usambara Mountains and are extremely rare. The varieties we keep as houseplants are hybrids and are usually a cross between Saintpaulia ionantha and one of its many subspecies. These include Saintpaulia ionantha subsp. grandifolia and Saintpaulia ionantha subsp. nitida. The African violet belongs to the gesneriad family (Gesneriaceae).

African violets are herbaceous perennials with fleshy leaves covered in fine, downy hair that form a rosette. They can grow to be up to 20 cm tall and wide. African violets have yellow centre stamens and will flower all year round in a variety of colours, including violet, white and pink if conditions are favourable. There are varieties with smooth, wavy, or fringed petal edges as well as double and single flowers.

Fun fact: African violets do not have anything to do with true violets. They received their name from the colour of the first cultivated form, a violet-blue and from their African origin, Tanzania.

The most beautiful African violet varieties

The African violet comes in a range of colours to suit everyone’s taste, including violet, white, pink, blue and multi-coloured varieties. Some of the 2000+ varieties even have coloured foliage but they are quite rare. Here are some of the most beautiful varieties of Saintpaulia ionantha.

• ‘Artus’: beautiful blue variety
• ‘Bordeaux’: variety with burgundy flowers
• ‘Comet’: if you like white flowers, this is the variety for you
• ‘Morgan’s Sweet Patootie’: this variety’s flowers are particularly small, bell-shaped and have a delicate, salmon hue
• ‘Rob’s Chilly Willy’: a mini African violet with light purple double flowers

How to grow African violets

African violets thrive in a bright and warm location that is free of direct sunlight and draughts. A southwest facing window is ideal due to the plant’s high light requirement. To ensure that each part of the plant receives the same amount of light, either turn the pot regularly or use a reflector. In winter, you may want to use a plant lamp to ensure that your African violet receives adequate light.

African violets are not hardy and require temperatures of 18 to 24 °C all year round. Even temperatures as low as 16 °C can have an impact on growth and flower formation.

Bright kitchen or bathroom windowsills are great spots for African violets because they like humidity. If you keep your African violet in another room, use water bowls to boost the humidity. Another option is to put expanded clay in the saucer, then place the pot on top and fill with water. That way, the water will evaporate right beneath the African violet without causing waterlogging. Do not directly spray the leaves with water.

Tip: You can keep your African violets outside in the summer, as long as they have enough shade. Once the temperature goes below 16 °C, bring them back indoors.

Use a shallow pot when planting an African violet, as the plant does not have deep roots. Choose a pot with a drainage hole and place a drainage layer made of coarse material in the bottom to avoid waterlogging. A high-quality potting soil, such as our Plantura Organic Flower Compost, is a fantastic choice as it retains its stable structure for a long time, allowing the roots to receive adequate oxygen. Our peat-free soil stores and distributes water well to the plants. Add roughly 30% sand to the substrate to increase its permeability even further.

African violet care

Watering, fertilising and maintaining a certain level of humidity are the main aspects to look out for when caring for African violets.

Watering African violets

African violets need watering once the soil’s surface has dried out. Simply do a finger test to determine when it is time to water your plants. It is best to water with rainwater or to decalcify hard tap water before use. We recommend watering African violets from below, as their leaves are very sensitive to moisture and susceptible to fungal diseases. Pour water into the saucer and wait for 15 – 20 minutes until the plant has absorbed enough. Then pour the remaining water away as the African violet’s root system does not tolerate waterlogging.

Fertilising African violets

A steady supply of nutrients is essential for abundant flowering as well as plant strength and health. Fortunately, the African violet is one of the least demanding plants when it comes to nutrients. It needs fertilising occasionally but does not tolerate too many nutrients. Liquid fertiliser, such as our Plantura Liquid Houseplant Food, is ideal. Our fertiliser is rich in nutrients and contains microorganisms that encourage root growth in African violets. It is easy to dose and can be applied when watering, making it quickly available to the plant. During the growth phase in spring and summer, apply half a dose every 2 – 3 weeks. In winter, every 6 – 8 weeks will suffice.

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How to prune African violets

It is not necessary to prune African violets as they are such small plants. Instead of cutting the African violet, carefully twist out wilted leaves and flowers.

Tip: Clean dusty leaves carefully with a brush. A cloth will be useless because of the plant’s fine hairs.

Repotting

It is not usually necessary to repot African violets because they do not need much space for their roots and they even like a slightly crowded pot. However, if the pot is definitely too small, choose a slightly larger planter and repot the African violet in spring, if possible.

Diseases and pests

Is your African violet not flowering, are its leaves drooping, or has it been attacked by a pest? Pests and diseases have different causes, but can usually be controlled successfully:

• Mosaic disease: if the African violet’s leaves turn mosaic-like and show bright spots, there is a possibility that the plant is suffering from a viral disease. Avoid injuring the African violet, as this is how the virus enters the plant. If the plant is already diseased, dispose of it immediately.
• Aphids: like to attack houseplants and often go for weakened plants. Since the leaves of the African violet are quite sensitive, collect the aphids by hand instead of washing them off. Another option is to use beneficial insects to control aphids. An effective remedy, for example, is provided by lacewings and thrips, which can simply be placed on the plant.
• Mealybugs: plant sap-sucking mealybugs usually hide under the leaves or in the leaf axils and leave behind greasy residues. Either pick the bugs off or use organic agents to combat mealybugs and thrips. They are simple to apply and can be used on ornamental plants against many pests.
• Thrips: this small pest is most easily recognised by the damage it causes, specifically the needle-like lightening of the leaves. There are beneficial insects and organic remedies available for controlling thrips.
• Drooping leaves: if the leaves of your African violet are drooping, it has been given either too much or too little water. You can easily check this by looking at the soil: is it moist and does it smell musty or is it sunken and dry? Supply the plant with fresh substrate and adjust the amount of watering. Another reason could be crown rot, a fungal disease which causes decay at the centre of the plant. It is caused by fungi in the soil in combination with too much moisture. To combat crown rot, remove the affected parts of the plant.

• Brown or yellow leaves: low humidity, draughts, waterlogging, or not enough water are causes of leaf discolouration. Waterlogging and dry air are commonly made mistakes when caring for houseplants.
• No flowers: if an African violet is not flowering, it is usually because its care is inadequate or it needs to be placed in a different spot. Too little light or an environment that is too cold could be the cause.

African violet propagation

The African violet can be propagated vegetatively, for example, asexually – cloned, so to speak. Alternatively, it can be propagated by seed, for example, generatively, and it is possible to create your own crosses.

It is easy to propagate African violets vegetatively using leaf cuttings. The method is simple and usually successful. Pluck one or more leaves, including the petiole, off the mother plant, ideally in spring. Then fill a shallow pot with sphagnum moss or growing soil. To ensure the cuttings take root, use a low-nutrient substrate, such as our Plantura Organic Herb & Seedling Compost. Aside from the low nutrient content, the loose structure of our soil also supports root development. To prevent mould, simply insert the leaf stalk into the soil, not the leaf itself. The cuttings need a temperature of more than 20 °C and high humidity to grow, so place a bowl of water next to the cuttings. After 4 – 6 weeks, new leaflets will appear above the soil, indicating that the propagation has been successful. Repot the new plants into separate pots and place in a semi-shady location.

African violets can also be propagated by division. To do so, carefully separate the rosettes into two parts in spring and plant them in separate pots. Then place the plants in a warm semi-shady spot. After about 3 weeks move them to a brighter spot and care for them normally.

Sowing is a little more time-consuming, but can be worthwhile, as it allows you to cross different varieties. To begin, hand pollinate the African violets so that seed heads form. Store the seeds in a dry, cool place in a dark container over the winter. In spring, sow the seeds on damp moss on top of sowing soil and keep at 21 °C. Cover them with cling film and air them twice a day to prevent mould. After about 3 weeks you will see the first seedlings, which develop quite slowly. As soon as 2 – 3 pairs of leaves are visible, repot the seedlings in a low-nutrient substrate and continue growing at 16 – 18 °C. After that, they will gradually adjust to the normal conditions of adult African violets.

Are African violets poisonous?

As an ornamental plant, the African violet is not suitable for consumption. Although the African violet is safe for adults, do not eat it and keep out of reach of children and pets.

If you like colourful flowers in your home, the blood lily may be for you. This plant, with its bright red, spherical flowers, is still relatively unknown as an indoor plant in the UK.