African violet , Streptocarpussubg . Streptocarpellasect . Saintpaulia , are warm tropic perennials with blue , orange , pinkish , purple , red-faced , or yellow frilly blossom clustered atop a agglomerate of dense , foggy foliation .
Mature dimensions are up to nine inch tall with a spread of up to three base .
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aboriginal to Eastern Africa , they are grown as attractive low - profile outdoor specimens in USDA Hardiness Zones 11 to 12 and decorative houseplant elsewhere .
Ourguide to grow African violetsexplains everything you involve to experience to enjoy these concordat , clumping plant at your house .
This article discusses one aspect of upkeep : repotting .
Here ’s what we ’ll cut through :
What You’ll Learn
ethnical Requirements
Choosing a Container and Growing Medium
How to Repot African violet
outside , African violet boom in filtered sunlight that mime their native rainforests .
Indoor specimens require bright , indirect sunshine and do comfortably on north- or east - facing windowsills . Because they are prostrate to moulder , it ’s respectable to avoid very low light location .
The soil should be idle , with a slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 .
Organically - full-bodied matter , like sphagnum peat moss , provides nutrients , while inorganic ingredients , like perlite and vermiculite , hold nutrients and water , inhibiting filth compaction and oversaturation .
With their cultural requirements gather , African violets can know quite contentedly indoors .
However , if the industrial plant remain in the same pot for a foresightful time , chemical substance change can occur , rapidly turning an ideal growing environment into a detrimental one .
This can be as a solvent of a physical body up of fertiliser Strategic Arms Limitation Talks bank deposit and breakdown of food in the pot culture medium . repot every six to 12 months control an optimal growing surroundings .
If you ’re new to African violet grow , repot every yr or twice a year probably seems inordinate . Like me , you ’re probably used to look until you see plant root coming through the drainage holes to signal the need for a young container .
Not only are the root unlikely to ever reach the drain maw , but you will in all probability repot in the same vessel at least once before want to go up a size .
You may also want to repot if you are moving your plant from a plastic glasshouse container to a more permanent , eye - take hold of home . Or relocating anAfrican reddish blue propagated from leaf cuttingsor a part pup .
Let ’s speak about containers .
Anunglazed , porous containerwith one or more drain holes is ideal . It allows zephyr and excess wet to reach through , aid to prevent oversaturation .
Terra cotta is an fantabulous choice for African violets .
depend on the size of it , if you find an ornamental vas without a drainage hole , you may be able-bodied to insert a plain , well - drain container inside it .
When you water , take the privileged vas to the sump and let it land up dripping before returning it to its decorative caddy .
The diam of the container you choose should be about a third of the breadth of the foliage canopy . The stock pot depth is desirable , as the roots are shallow and circulate laterally .
It may seem that the container is too small , but trust me , you ’ll risk decompose if you go too bombastic . Been there , done that .
As mentioned , African violets prosper in well - drain , organically robust pot metier . you’re able to incur products specifically formulated for these plants or make your own .
If you choose to make your own , you may better stock potting ground with an equal part of perlite , pumice , or Sir Tim Rice hulls .
Hoffman ’s Organic African Violet Soil Mix contains Canadian sphagnumpeat moss , vermiculite , limestone to regulate the pH , and a wetting agent to facilitate wet preoccupation .
The contents motley in two states : there is 50 to 60 percent sphagnum peat moss in Georgia and the inclusion of composted fir tree barque in California .
Hoffman ’s Organic African Violet Soil Mix
Hoffman ’s Organic African Violet Soil Mix isavailable from Hoffman via Amazon .
you may repot at any meter . However , the best clock time to do so is in other outpouring , at the peak of active growth , so the plant can make a quick recovery .
Preparation
With many tropic houseplants , it ’s commend to water them before transplanting , but in the casing of African violets , they are better off being a bit thirsty because the leaf stems or leafstalk are more pliable and less potential to snap during manipulation .
To prepare , sanitize a duo of garden scissors , a exclusive or spoon , a pocket-sized trowel or butter tongue , and your young vessel ( if using ) with a 10 percent bleach solution ( nine parts water to one part bleach ) , rinse , and allow them to air dry .
Collect your grow average , garden gloves , newspaper or a plastic tablecloth , a paper towel , a watering can , and a clean artist ’s brush or makeup brush .
You may require to wear down a masquerade party when pelt the new soil . Alternatively , you may drizzle the acquire culture medium before pouring . However , if you dampen more than you need , you ’ll have to countenance it dry entirely before put it back in the bag to preclude fungous issues .
disperse out the newspaper or a plastic tablecloth to work on .
Place a piece of newspaper towel over the drainage hole at the bottom of the container . It does n’t have to cover the whole bottom – just the jam with some overlap so it does n’t fall in .
Avoid placing stone or other bits in the bottom of the passel to keep a phenomenon call a perched H2O table .
After doing so for many years , I ’ve see that when piddle reaches a stony bed , it pool horizontally or else of drain downwards and can add to waterlogged soil and rotting roots .
Wear your masque and expend the clean scoop or spoon to fill the new vessel about a third of the way with invigorated potting dirt .
If you ’re planning to recycle the existing container , you ’ll ask to hygienize it after unpotting your flora .
Unpot Your Plant
Before you unpot your African reddish blue , utilise your scissors to do a quick clean and jerk - up .
dress off drop bloom and any discredited or unsightly leaves as close to the bow ’ points of origin as potential without nicking nearby foliage .
Remove any large , old bottom leaves as desire for a better - balance , rejuvenated appearance and to rush new growth .
Detach sister plants or pups that have grown beside the parent plant for division .
mention that it ’s undecomposed not to remove more than one - third of a plant at a time to deflect severe shock .
Next it ’s clip to unpot . You may need your garden gloves for this part .
Loosen the soil around the edge of the container with the trowel or knife . Use a lifting question to dislodge the contents gently .
This part is often take exception because of the overhang of the gloomy leaves . Take your time and be as soft as potential .
If you weaken a foliage or theme , edit the leaf leafstalk or stanch back as skinny to its point of origin as possible before continue .
utilise your gloved fingers and clash to remove most of the erstwhile soil from around the source clump and seek to avoid wound the origin . After removing most of the ground , you are ready for the next step .
soppy roots are a symptom of overwatering . If any are mushy or malodorous , crop them off , toss away them , and rinse off the remaining root with piddle before proceeding .
Work at a undecomposed pace to avoid maintain your plant out of the dirt for any longer than necessary .
If you ’re reusing the existing container , be sure to pick and sanitize it before adding your pot soil as described above .
Repotting
When you ’re ready to mark the works in the fresh pot , hold the plant by its root mass .
focus on and bring up it above the dirt so the downhearted folio are slenderly higher than the commode lip .
Backfill using the clean scoop or spoon to add fresh growing medium , mounding it in the essence to preserve the desire elevation .
Around the outer border , there should be about half an in to an inch of distance between the soil surface and the pot rim to permit watering without soil overflow .
tamp down the soil gently to batten the plant life in an upright position .
Use your clash to span the leaves softly to remove any grease adhering to them .
Bottom Watering
The best means to irrigate an African violet is from the bottom , which you should do as soon as your transplant is all over .
To bottom water , place the pot in a pan or saucer arrest about an inch of tepid water tap water system . Let it wassail for 20 to 30 second .
run out the excess , and place it out of doors in percolate sun or indoors in brilliant , indirect sun . debar splashing the foliation with water to stamp down the growth of fungous pathogens .
Fertilization is not necessary at repotting time .
A Contented Violet
When we fetch a plant life indoors , we must do our upright to mimic its instinctive habitat .
For African violet , this think bright , indirect sunlight and moisture - retentive potting soil that withstand compaction and run out well .
In addition , we need to use a pot with a diam appraise a third of the width of the leafage canopy . While it may seem too pocket-size , this is the perfect size to prevent the supererogatory soil from becoming oversaturated and swim the shallow theme .
And finally , repot once or twice a year to fill again the nutrient - deep land African violet crave .
With their cultural requirements met , content violets reward growers with clusters of flush and fatten up foliage for a cheerful indoor showing .
Is it time for repotting?Add it to your garden plannertoday !
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Nan Schiller
