Whether you grow under lights or on a window ledge you need to rotate the plant. Plants follow the source of light. In a window it will lean toward it making a neck if not rotated. Under lights believe it or not the plant will still lean toward the most light it can find.

I don't know any other reason a plant leans making a neck.

And after a couple rows of leaves are taken off you will have to unpot, remove some bottom soil and sink the violet lower, thus covering the neck. But don't let it get so long that it starts leaning in the first place. Good luck! Rosie

Not just African violets but all potted plants lean toward the light. One of the facts of window gardening. Still happens under lights but not as quickly or as strongly. Those are beautiful flowers, definitely worth the extra effort IMO.

I rotate all my violets every watering and we have a floor to ceiling window and my others aren't doing that, for this specific one that was untended to and never rotated before I got it, I cut off the bent neck a few years ago and replanted straight up and even placed the light source in the opposite direction of the bend, but it's continuing to grow in the same direction it was originally growing into before I decapitated it. I'm wondering how much of the stem do I have to decapitate, transplant, and do the whole process again for it "forget" about that curve and start growing in literally any other direction, since it didn't work the first time, and the leaves have started to compensate and grow up and around, as you see in the photos :( Could I potentially just take the top 3 leaves of the crown with barely any of the root stem and use that?

To answer the last sentence,,,,,yes you can. Just bag it to keep in the humidity and it should do well. Good luck! Rosie

Elsie - you are on a right track - if you remove the bent part of the stem and root it strait - you will have a good start. Crooked stem even buried will continue to crow sidewise. But you will need to rotate it more often to prevent leaning. When you grow under an overhead light - they stretch up and you can eventually get rid of the crooked part of the stem - trim the bottom of the root ball, repot deeper - and so on every 6 months. But on the windowsill.. probably not.

For whatever reason for me they do better when the surface of the soil is up to the rim of the pot. But my water comes from the bottom, not from the top, so I do not need a space above.

And I agree with OldDutch - lovely blossoms. Your Grandma left a good plant to you.

Consider putting a leaf down. Young plants usually perform better than rerooted ones. Plus you can share the legacy.

I.