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Can my African Violets be saved?

10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago


A little over a year ago I bought African violets for my teacup planter. While I was away at school, I let my mom have it. Recently I've been trying to revive it but I'm a little nervous it's a lost cause. When I looked at it recently it was very overwatered and the soil was sopping wet for I don't know how long. I re-potted it and left it in the sun to maybe dry out a bit, only for the leaves to burn. I've clipped the burnt leaves off and have been using the Blooming House Plant food from Miracle-Gro, but I'm curious if I should just get a new plant and start over? Keep in mind I'm a little new to this.

Comments (5)

  • 10 years ago

    I would start over. That pot looks rather large actually. And the media looks kind of heavy.

    If you do decide to start over, I would lighten up your potting mix with some extra perlite. I would also pot it maybe in a smaller pot. They like being pot bound. In a pot about 1/3 the size of the plant. You can still sit the smaller pot into your pretty teapot. Maybe line it with rock sat the bottom so it doesn't sink.

    bloomnewbie thanked jonboyny
  • 10 years ago

    in my (woo hooo) two years of growing AVs, i've pretty much given up on "pretty planters" - they aren't practical, and once the fertilizer salts start crusting up, it's rather unsightly.

    so, looking at your plant, i'd suggest to start over. you can set that last leaf, but it will be a year or more until it gets big enough to fill that pot again.

    now, some AV Rules - you probably know most of them already, and don't worry, all of us have scorched, drowned and frozen plants too ;-)

    1. water. drowning is BAD, dry is bad, drenching after dry is VERY BAD. you want to aim for moist, more or less consistantly. if they are wet, let them dry out - you can put them on newspaper or take them out of the pot. if they dry out, water a little, then later a bit more, not all at once.

    2. sunlight, BAD. you want bright, but not direct sun light. hold your hand over the plant and check you see a fuzzy shadow.

    3. you can (probably) revive a plant that has no crown but decent roots, or one that has no roots but decent foliage. - if you are missing both, you're in trouble.

    4. "feeding" (or watering) a plant back to health does not work.

    typical procedure with stressed plants is to

    check roots & foliage.

    remove rotten bits,

    put the plant in moist (not wet) and very light potting mix (typically lots of perlite and some type of potting soil, peat, or av mix).

    removing ailing leaves is a balancing act - even poor foliage provides more photosynthesis than none.

    then bag the plant and place it in bright shade.

    bloomnewbie thanked Karin
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Unfortunately, your plant is probably beyond rescue at this point because the crown (center of the plant) and most leaves seem to be dead. The easiest way to save this plant is to create a new copy of it using leaf propagation. You cut off a leaf, plant it in soil, and hope it produces what looks like seedlings--tiny African violet plants that will grow to become adults. If you're willing to wait 3 months or longer to grow a new copy of your plant, this is how you do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQQB_MCmlBM

    The soil that is typically used is 1 cup of African violet potting soil mixed with at least 1 cup of perlite. Perlite is key because without it the leaf is less likely to survive this process. Instructions in the video generally need to be followed to the letter because leaf propagation doesn't have a 100% success rate and some varieties are harder to propagate than others. Taking any shortcuts will likely result in the death of the leaf. Good luck, I am struggling with getting a couple of leaf cuttings established myself!

    bloomnewbie thanked 4blossoms
  • 10 years ago

    Thanks for replying! I did end up throwing it out, got some Kalanchoes instead. I do however have another pot of African violets, and while they are doing much better in the other one, it had some dead blossoms that needed to be pinched off. When I pinched them, the ends seemed to dry up, is this normal? I'd hate to lose this one too. I DID change the soil to specifically for African violets, fingers crossed it'll help. I kept these violets in the pot it came in, but changed the soil.


  • 10 years ago

    the bloom stalks usually don't produce more blooms (there are exceptions, once in a blue moon, if you pinch the blossom off above the two tiny leaves on the blossom stem.) - once you get the knack for it, you can actually just twist them out from where they grow out of the stem - looks better ;)

    African Violet Soil is a Marketing Ploy! yes, it contains everything needed, but not in the right proportions. i've had much better success since i've been adding equal parts perlite to it. perlite improves drainage, air flow to the roots, and humidity around the plant.

    You don't have to repot, but be sure not to water too much. Especially since your pot is on the large side for that plant - you want to aim for a pot that is 1/3 the diameter of the leaf span. looking at it now, it has to grow to triple the current size before it is likely to bloom again.


    Karin


    bloomnewbie thanked Karin
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