When and How to Repot African Violets

African violets, Streptocarpus subg. Streptocarpella sect. Saintpaulia, are tender tropical perennials with blue, orange, pink, purple, purple, or yellow frilly blossoms clustered atop a mound of thick, fuzzy foliage.

Mature dimensions are as much as 9 inches tall with an expansion of as much as three ft.

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Native to Jap Africa, they’re grown as enticing low-profile out of doors specimens in USDA Hardiness Zones 11 to 12 and ornamental houseplants elsewhere.

Our information to rising African violets explains the whole lot you’ll want to know to get pleasure from these compact, clumping crops at your home.

This text discusses one facet of care: repotting.

Right here’s what we’ll cowl:

Let’s get began!

Cultural Necessities

Outside, African violets thrive in filtered daylight that mimics their native rainforests.

Indoor specimens require vivid, oblique daylight and do greatest on north- or east-facing windowsills. As a result of they’re susceptible to rotting, it’s greatest to keep away from very low mild placements.

The soil needs to be mild, with a barely acidic pH of 6.0 to six.5.

Organically-rich matter, like sphagnum peat moss, gives vitamins, whereas inorganic substances, like perlite and vermiculite, maintain vitamins and water, inhibiting soil compaction and oversaturation.

With their cultural necessities met, African violets can stay fairly contentedly indoors.

Nevertheless, if the crops stay in the identical pot for a very long time, chemical modifications can happen, quickly turning a perfect rising setting right into a detrimental one.

This may be because of a construct up of fertilizer salt deposits and breakdown of vitamins within the potting medium. Repotting each six to 12 months ensures an optimum rising setting.

Should you’re new to African violet rising, repotting yearly or twice a yr most likely appears extreme. Like me, you’re seemingly used to ready till you see plant roots coming via the drainage holes to sign the necessity for a brand new container.

Not solely are the roots unlikely to ever attain the drainage gap, however you’ll most likely repot in the identical vessel no less than as soon as earlier than needing to go up a dimension.

You might also have to repot if you’re transferring your plant from a plastic nursery container to a extra everlasting, eye-catching dwelling. Or relocating an African violet propagated from leaf cuttings or a divided pup.

Selecting a Container and Rising Medium

Let’s speak about containers.

An unglazed, porous container with a number of drainage holes is right. It permits air and extra moisture to move via, serving to to forestall oversaturation.

Terra cotta is a wonderful alternative for African violets.

Relying on the scale, in the event you discover a decorative vessel and not using a drainage gap, you could possibly insert a plain, well-draining container inside it.

Once you water, take the internal vessel to the sink and let it end dripping earlier than returning it to its ornamental caddy.

The diameter of the container you select needs to be a couple of third of the width of the leaf cover. The usual pot depth is appropriate, because the roots are shallow and unfold laterally.

It could appear that the container is simply too small, however belief me, you’ll danger rotting in the event you go too giant. Been there, finished that.

As talked about, African violets thrive in well-draining, organically wealthy potting medium. You will discover merchandise particularly formulated for these crops or make your individual.

Should you select to make your individual, you may amend commonplace potting soil with an equal a part of perlite, pumice, or rice hulls.

Preparation

With many tropical houseplants, it’s beneficial to water them earlier than transplanting, however within the case of African violets, they’re higher off being a bit thirsty as a result of the leaf stems or petioles are extra pliable and fewer more likely to snap throughout dealing with.

To organize, sanitize a pair of backyard scissors, a scoop or spoon, a small trowel or butter knife, and your new vessel (if utilizing) with a ten p.c bleach answer (9 elements water to at least one half bleach), rinse, and permit them to air dry.

Gather your rising medium, backyard gloves, newspaper or a plastic tablecloth, a paper towel, a watering can, and a clear artist’s brush or make-up brush.

You might wish to put on a masks when pouring the brand new soil. Alternatively, you may moisten the rising medium earlier than pouring. Nevertheless, in the event you moisten greater than you want, you’ll must let it dry totally earlier than inserting it again within the bag to forestall fungal points.

Unfold out the newspaper or a plastic tablecloth to work on.

Place a bit of paper towel over the drainage gap on the backside of the container. It doesn’t must cowl the entire backside – simply the outlet with some overlap so it doesn’t fall in.

Keep away from inserting stones or different bits within the backside of the pot to forestall a phenomenon known as a perched water desk.

After doing so for a few years, I’ve discovered that when water reaches a stony layer, it swimming pools horizontally as an alternative of draining downwards and might contribute to waterlogged soil and rotting roots.

Put on your masks and use the clear scoop or spoon to fill the brand new vessel a couple of third of the way in which with recent potting soil.

Should you’re planning to reuse the prevailing container, you’ll have to sanitize it after unpotting your plant.

Unpot Your Plant

Earlier than you unpot your African violet, use your scissors to do a fast clean-up.

Snip off spent flowers and any broken or ugly leaves as near the stems’ factors of origin as potential with out nicking close by foliage.

Take away any giant, outdated backside leaves as desired for a better-balanced, rejuvenated look and to stimulate new development.

Detach child crops or pups which have grown beside the mother or father plant for division.

Notice that it’s greatest to not take away greater than one-third of a plant at a time to keep away from extreme shock.

Subsequent it’s time to unpot. It’s your decision your backyard gloves for this half.

Loosen the soil across the edges of the container with the trowel or knife. Use a lifting movement to dislodge the contents gently.

This half is commonly difficult due to the overhang of the bottom leaves. Take your time and be as mild as potential.

Should you break a leaf or stem, minimize the leaf petiole or stem again as near its level of origin as potential earlier than persevering with.

Use your gloved fingers and brush to take away many of the outdated soil from across the root ball and attempt to keep away from injuring the roots. After eradicating many of the soil, you might be prepared for the subsequent step.

Sodden roots are a symptom of overwatering. If any are mushy or malodorous, snip them off, discard them, and rinse the remaining roots with water earlier than continuing.

Work at a superb tempo to keep away from holding your plant out of the soil for any longer than crucial.

Should you’re reusing the prevailing container, you should definitely clear and sanitize it earlier than including your potting soil as described above.

Repotting

Once you’re able to set the plant within the new pot, maintain the plant by its root mass.

Heart and elevate it above the soil so the bottom leaves are barely larger than the pot rim.

Backfill utilizing the clear scoop or spoon so as to add recent rising medium, mounding it within the heart to take care of the specified elevation.

Across the periphery, there needs to be about half an inch to an inch of house between the soil floor and the pot rim to allow watering with out soil overflow.

Tamp the soil gently to safe the plant in an upright place.

Use your brush to comb the leaves calmly to take away any soil adhering to them.

Backside Watering

The easiest way to water an African violet is from the underside, which you need to do as quickly as your transplant is full.

To backside water, place the pot in a pan or saucer containing about an inch of tepid faucet water. Let it drink for 20 to half-hour.

Drain the surplus, and place it outside in filtered daylight or indoors in vivid, oblique daylight. Keep away from splashing the foliage with water to inhibit the expansion of fungal pathogens.

Fertilization isn’t crucial at repotting time.

A Contented Violet

Once we convey a plant indoors, we should do our greatest to imitate its pure habitat.

For African violets, this implies vivid, oblique daylight and moisture-retentive potting soil that resists compaction and drains properly.

As well as, we have to use a pot with a diameter measuring a 3rd of the width of the leaf cover. Whereas it might appear too small, that is the right dimension to forestall the surplus soil from turning into oversaturated and drowning the shallow roots.

And at last, repot a couple of times a yr to replenish the nutrient-rich soil African violets crave.

With their cultural necessities met, contented violets reward growers with clusters of blossoms and plump foliage for a cheerful indoor show.

Is it time for repotting? Add it to your backyard planner at the moment!

Have you ever repotted an African violet? Please share your expertise within the feedback under.

Should you discovered this text informative and wish to study extra about African violet care, we advocate the next:

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