GARDENING : African Violets Need Proper Light, Watering

Whether you have a pink, purple, white or yellow violet, whether its leaves are mottled or plain, ruffled or straight, the care of your African violet plants is always the same: Somewhat demanding.

One of the world’s foremost authorities on African violets is Pauline Bartholomew, who divides her time between Oxnard and Long Beach. Bartholomew says the biggest problem most people have is getting their plants to rebloom once they bring them home from the nursery, or garden center--or in most cases these days, from the supermarket.

“When it comes to raising African violets, the first thing you should do when you bring a violet home is scrutinize it very carefully to make sure there aren’t any bugs,” Bartholomew said. “And the next thing you should do is find a good, bright spot where the plant will gets lots of sunlight. Lack of light is the major reason most plants don’t bloom.”

African violets can be grown quite successfully under artificial lights, in fact, many professional growers prefer this method. But for most of us, the kitchen windowsill is our spot of choice.

According to Bartholomew, an important “trick” in growing lush, vibrant violets is to unpot your plant, slice off about an inch from the bottom of the root system, put about an inch of perlite or sponge rock in the bottom of the pot, and then replace the plant in the pot.

“African violets have a very fine, fibrous root system and need lots and lots of air,” Bartholomew said. “Trimming the roots and adding the sponge rock gives the roots the complete aeration they need.”

This potting method, known as “the Texas Style,” goes a long way toward preventing death from overwatering. In her book, “Growing to Show--How to Grow Prize Winning African Violets,” Bartholomew suggests that violets be watered from the bottom--the plants set in trays filled with about an inch of water and allowed to sit until they “drink” the water and the top of the soil is moist to the touch.

“Wait until the soil dries out before watering again,” Bartholomew cautioned. “And contrary to popular belief, African violets love to have baths. Just make sure to spray them with lukewarm water, not cold.”

Another problem many amateur growers encounter, according to Bartholomew, is they allow “suckers,” or new plantlets, to develop in the crown of the plant. “These suckers get packed so tight that light can’t get to the center of the plant,” she warned “so pick or snip out the suckers as they develop.”

As for humidity, Bartholomew suggests that you try to maintain at least 50% humidity around your violets, and always make sure there’s some circulation of air. And feed them a liquid houseplant food with every watering.

To propagate violets, Bartholomew says to pick out a good, healthy middle leaf. “Cut the stem off to about 1 1/2 inch,” she said, “and plant the leaf in a Dixie cup filled with vermiculite. Keep the vermiculite moist, keep the cutting in good light, and within a couple of weeks, babies will pop up at the base of the stem. There might be as many as 15 plantlets form from one leaf. When they are about 2 to 2 1/2 inches tall, separate them from the mother leaf and plant them into potting mix in individual 3” pots.”

If you’d like to learn lots more about growing these gorgeous plants and be a seasoned veteran when “yellow fever” strikes, contact the African Violet Society of America. Their address is P.O Box 3609, Beaumont, Tex. 77704.