Growing and Caring for African Violets:

Water - African violet plants are picky about water, so take extra care of African violets when watering. Water with lukewarm or tepid water. Water at the base and never splash the foliage with water; just a drop can cause foliage spots and damage.

Light - Provide appropriate lighting for the African violet plant. Light intensity should be filtered, withbright to medium intensity reaching the growing African violet. Light affects flowering. African violet plants with dark green foliage usually need somewhat higher light levels than those with pale or medium green foliage. Turn pots regularly to keep your violets growing evenly all the way around.

Boost African Violets by Repotting 
African violets need to be re-potted about once a year to keep them growing big and beautiful. It is best to inspect them first to see if their leaves and roots are healthy.

If your African violet is happy and healthy, but needs room to grow or needs to come out of the original plastic pot then by all means re-pot your African Violet. Using a lighter African Violet Mix. Find the right container for your African violet. Keep in mind that the roots grow more outwards rather then downwards. A shallow wide container will work better than a narrow tall container only slightly bigger container than the one it is now – never smaller.

What causes my African violet to get leggy?

Leggy is when new growth forms on a plant tip. This new growth takes most of the energy away from the bottom of the plant.

What can I do to help my leggy plant?

The best (and easiest) way to help it is to re-pot your African violet. Allowing more room for roots and a better growing atmosphere, will help your plant succeed. Also removing the leggy growth on top will allow the lower part of the plant to thrive.

Fertilizer - Fertilize African violet plants with special African violet food or a food with a higher phosphorus number - the middle number in the NPK fertilizer ratio, as 15-30-15. Reduced flowering and paler leaf color indicate that growing African violets are not getting enough fertilizer. Pinch blooms from the growing African violets when they are spent. This will encourage the development of more flowers.