African Violet Care Made Easy: Your Complete Guide for Sweet Year-Round Blooms

With their diminutive size, colorful blooms, and attractive foliage, African violets are popular houseplants. Originating in high-altitude rainforests of eastern Africa, they now come in a variety of leaf and flower colors. Unfortunately, some species of African violets are now endangered because of habitat destruction for agriculture.

African violets have wide, fleshy leaves with tiny hairs that give a fuzzy appearance, and bright flowers that can be purple, pink, blue, white, and shades in between. They had previously been classified as Saintpaulia, but a 2015 study showed that African violets are actually part of the Streptocarpus genus and have since been reclassified.

Caring for an African violet requires a good balance of light, water and food, which will reward you with blooms all year long. They can be a little picky, but patience and attentive care will pay off.

Quick African Violet Facts

Planting African Violets

African violets are great indoor houseplants as they are suited for warmer temperatures and cannot tolerate direct sunlight. Planting African violets outdoors in the United States is not generally done, as there is too much temperature and humidity fluctuation and improper light conditions.

African violets are originally from the high-altitude rainforests, or cloud forests, of eastern Africa and most American backyards can’t replicate those ideal conditions. However, they make a wonderfully cheery houseplant and they can bloom year-round when properly cared for.

Choose a pot with drainage holes, use the proper soil mixture to ensure roots don't get soggy, fertilize plants regularly, and provide them with bright, indirect light for success.

Best Soil for African Violets

The best African violet soil allows for plenty of air to reach the roots. A loose, well-draining soil, slightly acidic composed of equal parts coco coir, potting soil, and perlite or vermiculite will keep your African violet happy. You can make your own soil or Miracle-Gro has a premade African violet soil available from Amazon. They also prefer to be slightly under-potted so be sure not to plant in a large pot.

African Violet Light Needs

African violets need at least 10-12 hours per day of bright, indirect light to thrive and bloom. Placing them near a north- or east-facing window is ideal, but be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight. Remember, they are from the rainforest so they are adapted to filtered sunlight that comes through the rainforest canopy.

Light is a balancing act. Too little light, and your African violet will become leggy and will not bloom. Too much light, and African violet leaves will curl and become pale with crispy brown edges. If your plant doesn’t get bright light in the winter, you can use a pair of 40-watt fluorescent lights placed 8-12 inches (20 - 30 cm) above the plant to supplement.

How to Repot African Violets

Repotting African violets is best done once a year. Repotting gives them new soil with fresh nutrients and also removes the salt buildup from watering and fertilizing over the course of the year.

Your new container should be no more than one-third the width of the leaf-spread. So if the diameter of the leaves is 9 inches (22.8 cm) then the new pot should be 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter. African violets prefer to be slightly under potted and will not thrive if placed in a too large pot. The leaves should be resting on the rim of the new pot.

Once you have carefully repotted the plant, you can help it acclimate by placing it in a large plastic baggie or under a cloche to increase the humidity. This will help it recover and reduce the risk of transplant shock. You can find a glass terrarium cloche from Amazon.

How to Care for African Violets

African violets can be a bit finicky in their preferences, but a little attentive care will go a long way to ensure they are happy and healthy. If properly cared for, they can bloom year-round and even live up to 50 years! Cover these African violet care basics, and your plant will reward you for years to come.

Watering African Violets

African violets’ watering needs are a little pickier than many other houseplants. They need well-drained, consistently moist soil to grow well. Contact with water, especially in winter, will damage the leaves. To get around this issue, you can bottom water your plant.

Another option is to top-water with a thin-spouted watering can like this cute watering can from Ikea to prevent the leaves from getting wet. Whatever your preference, it is important to use room temperature water and filtered water is the best. Excessive watering can lead to crown rot.

Best Fertilizer for African Violets

Fertilizing African violets will keep them happy and productive. Fertilizing is best done while watering. Apply a well-balanced, water soluble fertilizer every other week during the spring and summer and less during the winter. It is better to under fertilize than overfertilize as it can burn the roots.

Fertilizer mixtures that are equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium works well and are readily available at garden centers. You can also find a specially formulated African violet fertilizer from Miracle-Gro at the Home Depot.

Temperature & Humidity

The ideal temperature range for African violets is 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 26 Celsius). They prefer humid conditions, which you can achieve by setting pots on a pebble tray with water or by growing in a terrarium.

Problems, Pests & Diseases

Lack of flowers is a common issue with African violets. It often indicates the plant needs more light. They will also stop blooming if the temperature is too or too cold or if they get too much or too little fertilizer. Balance is essential.

Rot and mildew are common African violet diseases but are easy to avoid. Don’t let the roots get soggy and make sure the leaves stay dry and have good air flow. Pests that can trouble African violets include mealybugs, mites, aphids, and thrips.

How to Make an African Violet Flower

If all the conditions are right, your African violet should bloom over and over again. If it stops blooming, consider light first. It needs at least 12 hours of light per day and 8 hours of darkness.

It could be too cold or too hot, both of which can stop blooms from developing. Be sure you’re not overwatering and use an African violet fertilizer regularly. Finally, the issue could be the pot size. African violets prefer to be slightly root-bound. If the pot is too big, it might not bloom.

How and When to Prune African Violets

All you need to do to prune your African violet is remove the outer ring of older leaves as they fade or turn brown. You can also snip off flowers as they fade.

African Violet Propagation

African violets are easy to propagate by leaf cuttings. Trim off a healthy, mature leaf with one inch (2.5 cm) of stem. Place the cut stem into a good rooting mix, like a soilless potting mix. Place it deep enough that part of the leaf is touching the mix. This is where new leaves will form. Once you have four to six leaflets, you can remove them from the mother flower and pot them.

African Violet Varieties

You can find hundreds of African violet varieties in garden centers and online. They come in several flower colors, including white, pink, deep purple, maroon, and blue. The flowers can be single, double, ruffled, and star or wasp shaped.

Leaves of different varieties are usually fuzzy or velvety but may be round, oval, or heart-shaped. The colors range from dark green to bright green, silvery green, or variegated.

Frequently Asked Questions

African Violet Care Must-Haves