Houseplants - African Violets
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  (January) I want to know what I am doing wrong, or not doing that I should be. I have dumped two that never bloom and bought two that were in bloom. Since I have gotten them I even bought the special pots that you water from the side, do not over water, I put blooming stimulants in the water and the plants are in great light. What can I do to get them to bloom? I used to have some that bloomed their heads off in the same spot but now I cannot get any of them to bloom.

  African violets tend to bloom best when they are slightly pot-bound, and with bright light. Full morning sun is best, but they also do well under fluorescent lighting. A well balanced fertilizer (something fairly equal in all three numbers--say 10-10-10) applied several times a year can help. If light from the window is not working, try putting them under artificial light and leave it on for ten to twelve hours a day. See if that helps. Make sure you didn't move a small plant into a large pot, because it will spend its time putting out roots and not worry about blooming.

  (January) My mother-in-law had a wide variety of African violets in her healthy days. Through the years she couldn't take care of them as well and gave a lot of them away. When she passed, my daughter saved her last African violet and brought it home. It enjoyed it's new spot in front of a south facing window, until one of the cats pounced on it and broke off 8 leaves. I know Mom used to make more plants by sticking a leaf in some soil, so I took a 4-pack and put in potting soil and put 2 leaves per square, expecting 50% rooting. Now I have baby African violets all over the 4-packs, at least 2 per square. The leaves are up to dime size. How tender are they? Can I separate them without hurting them? Do I remove the large leaf? How big a pot should I put them in.

  African violets are one of the easiest plants to propagate. Now that you have the new leaves you have a well rooted plant, and can lift them up and repot. They are not as fragile as they look. Make sure you have a crown per plant. Once you have established the new plants, you can cut off the mother leaf, and use it again if you like. Use a relatively small container, so the roots can get established. You can always repot to a larger container if they outgrow it. They tend to bloom better if they are slightly rootbound.

  (September) I have two African Violets that have not bloomed in the last year. The plants are healthy looking and both plants always bloomed at the same time. Then suddenly they have quit blooming. Could you tell me what you think is causing this problem?

  Has the light situation changed? African violets like bright light, either from direct exposure from an eastern or northern facing window, or artificial light left on for 10 to 12 hours. If the plants are too crowded they may also stop blooming. Fertilize them once or twice a year with houseplant fertilizer, water from the base, and let them get slightly pot bound. If the container is too large or too small it can impact blooming.

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