The leaves of the African violet are hairy, and the plant grows very compactly, producing beautiful flowers, and can be raised on indoor window sills or balconies. Even a novice flower grower, mastering a few simple skills, can make it continue to bloom every year.
When choosing potted African violets, it is best to choose those that look particularly healthy, such as having many dark green leaves, many healthy and full flower buds, and no spots in the leaves, that is more appropriate.
1. Conservation of the environment
Potted African violet can be kept indoors all year round, it likes a warm environment all year round, the temperature is between 18 and 26 degrees, it grows the fastest.
If it is an African violet that is kept outdoors, it is easy to attract insect pests. Maintain proper ventilation indoors, you can reduce powdery mildew, do not often dip water on the leaves, before the weather becomes hot, you can spray a fungicide every two or three weeks, pre-buried in the soil with furosemide (small white medicine) or other insect repellents, you can prevent insect breeding, do these two points, basically you can eliminate pests and diseases.
2. Proper lighting
African violets like scattered light, rather than direct light, light is too strong will burn their leaves, only in the winter when the temperature is relatively low, the light is also relatively soft, this time can be basked scattered light, after the weather becomes hot, it is necessary to properly shade at noon and afternoon, especially if the temperature is higher than 30 degrees.
As long as the sun is softer, you can bask in more sun, it is best to have more than 6 to 8 hours of scattered light every day, the more light they flower, the better, many people's African violets do not flower, generally due to lack of light.
If it is raised in a place with no lights indoors (no sunlight), if you want it to flower, it is best to provide about 10 to 14 hours of light illumination every day, choose a lamp with a higher wattage, the light source is not too far from the potted plant, and there is a dark environment of 8 hours a day at night, so as to maximize the promotion of flowering.
3. Watering skills
If the environment is particularly good and the potting soil dries up particularly quickly, it is basically to see that the topsoil is dry, and it can be watered in time. Watering as far as possible do not directly water on the leaves, the leaves can not often be wet, generally directly poured into the pot soil, you can directly use the method of soaking pots to replenish water.
The leaves of African violet have many fine hairs, which cannot be often wet, and can not often let the leaves remain water droplets, otherwise it is easy to cause leaf rot or breed germs.
4. Suitable temperature
The best growth temperature of potted African violet is 18 to 25 degrees, and the temperature is higher than 30 degrees, so pay attention to shading. The temperature is below 15 degrees, pay attention to controlled watering, stop fertilization.
African violet is very afraid of cold, the minimum maintenance temperature is maintained above 5 degrees Celsius can be safely overwintered, and water must be controlled at low temperatures.
5. Humidity
Proper humidity is required for the maintenance of potted African violets, and the better the ventilation, the higher the humidity requirements. If the ventilation is relatively poor, it is best not to maintain too high air humidity, otherwise it is easy to get powdery mildew.
If you want to make the condition of African violet better, increase the humidity at the same time, but also increase the environmental ventilation. If the indoor environment is particularly dry, such as the air humidity is below 45% for a long time, it is necessary to put some large pots at the bottom of the pot, fill it with water, separate it with some stones, and put the pot on the stone, so that the humidity can be continuously increased.
6. Suitable potting soil
Conservation pots of African violet do not use too large pots, in the indoor cultivation is recommended to use red clay pots, tile pots, green mountain pots, or with a new generation of gallon pots, the bottom of the pot should have a larger or more drainage hole, so that you can avoid root rot, the pot is smaller, you can better let the pot soil dry and wet cycle.
The soil of the cultivation of African violet must be kept sterile, to avoid germ residues, it is best to use new potting soil cultivation, such as peat soil with perlite, mixed in a 4:1 ratio, and then mixed with appropriate slow-release fertilizer, the later stage of attention to the growth season of thin fertilizer diligent application, can be supplemented once or two weeks, general fertilizer and flower-promoting fertilizer alternate spray.
7. Fertilize regularly
Some florists' African violets stop flowering after they bloom once, not only because of lack of light, but also because they may have forgotten to fertilize. African violet does not like too much fertilizer, to avoid too much fertilizer, if too much nitrogen fertilizer, it will lead to a particularly large number of leaves, but do not flower. However, if you do not apply fertilizer and occasionally flower, it will lose a lot of nutrients, not replenished, and will lead to no flowering after one bloom.
Conservation of African violet is generally to give more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, such as flower more Than 2, after the leaves grow more robust, you can supplement potassium dihydrogen phosphate every 10 days or so, the concentration is about 1000 to 1500 times, fertilization should also try to avoid leaves, directly watered into the potting soil.
8. Breeding skills
African violet can be propagated by leaf cuttings, when picking leaves, do not choose leaves that are too old at the bottom of the plant, and do not choose leaves that are too tender at the top of the plant, choose the more healthy and emerald green leaves in the middle of the plant.
After cutting the leaf, cut off half of the petiole, the incision can be obliquely cut, you can soak the petiole of the leaf in water, and then maintain a warm and moist environment, there is more scattered light, and after it takes root and sprouts, it can be transplanted into the potting soil.
Of course, you can also directly cut the treated leaves in the soil, the petiole is obliquely inserted in the potting soil, the soil is generally selected peat soil with perlite and vermiculite, mixed in a 2:1:1 ratio, you can also use pure vermiculite to cut cuttings, and then keep the soil slightly moist, raise in a place with appropriate scattered light, keep the environment warm, maintain a certain humidity, and will take root and sprout after about 3 to 4 weeks.