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African Violets, Easy Care House Plants

January 8, 2015 by Jeanne

House plants are a great way to add life and color to your home when the winter days start to get you down. One house plant for black thumbs (people who kill plastic plants) that I love is the African violet.

The easy-care African violet is one of the most popular house plants and for good reason. They thrive almost anywhere, bloom during the winter months, and tolerate beginner mistakes. What’s not to love about this easy-care house plant?

Growing African Violets

African violets are fairly easy to grow if you have bright, indirect light. What kind of light is that, you ask? An east or west-facing window, and even a southern window will do if you can set the plant a little bit away from the window.

Still not sure what kind of light you have in the room where you want to keep your African violet? Take a book with medium sized print into the room. Stand where you intend to put your violet plant. Open the book. Can you easily read the print without turning on a light? If the answer is YES, your African violet will get enough light. If the answer is NO, then you either need to find a new windowsill or add a plant light to the room.

pink African violet

Violets need to be watered whenever the soil is dry, which in the summertime for me is once a week and in the winter, at least twice a week.  The forced hot air heat inside my home dries out the soil quickly and reduces humidity to levels that the violets dislike, so I mist them with room-temperature water a few times a week. Once every two weeks, I mix liquid African violet fertilizer into the watering can and water it into the soil. I also pinch off dead flowers and leaves so that nothing rots near my violets.

If you tackle these basic steps, you should be able to keep a violet alive. If you’d like further instructions on how to care for African violets, view the presentation, below.

 

 

African Violets from Seven Oaks Consulting
Jeanne
Jeanne

Jeanne Grunert is a certified Virginia Master Gardener and the author of several gardening books. Her garden articles, photographs, and interviews have been featured in The Herb Companion, Virginia Gardener, and Cultivate, the magazine of the National Farm Bureau. She is the founder of The Christian Herbalists group and a popular local lecturer on culinary herbs and herbs for health, raised bed gardening, and horticulture therapy.

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Filed Under: House Plants Tagged With: house plants

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hera

    January 9, 2015 at

    This is great! I’m so excited to test out your tips. I bought an african violet from the grocery store when it was in bloom, but it hasn’t bloomed in probably 5 months 🙁 I’m determined to get it to flower. Thanks!

  2. Florence Decker

    March 2, 2015 at

    Would love to find where to buy various colors and variegated , multi-pedaled violets. Can you advise?

    • Jeanne

      March 2, 2015 at

      You can find them at any home and garden center. Online, The Violet Barn is pretty good.

Trackbacks

  1. New at Home Garden Joy Week of January 5 2015 - Home and Garden Joy says:
    January 9, 2015 at

    […] African violets are an easy-care house plant. They thrive under a wide range of light conditions and circumstances. Learn how to select, grow and care for African violets. […]

  2. African Violet Problems - Home and Garden Joy says:
    February 3, 2016 at

    […] away good plants, especially when I’m at fault for killing them.MORE ARTICLES ON HOUSE PLANTSAfrican Violets, Easy Care House PlantsIf You Can Grow African Violets, You Can Grow OrchidsHow to Get an Amaryllis to Bloom […]

  3. Best Indoor Plants - Home Garden Joy says:
    October 10, 2016 at

    […] the indoor plants gracing my plant room are plenty of African violets. Many of you have heard my presentation on African violets. They are one of my favorite indoor […]

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writer Jeanne Grunert

Hi, I'm Jeanne Grunert, master gardener, gardening book author, herbalist, and writer. If you're new to gardening, welcome! I make it simple and easy for you to grow a gorgeous garden and cook with the fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs that you grow.

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