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Overview
Saintpaulia ionantha or African Violets are low growing, evergreen hairy-leaved, rosette-shaped plants.
The violet-like flowers are produced in small panicles and held just above the foliage on erect stems. Flowers can be single or ruffled and doubles with a soft bloom texture to the petals that intensifies the richness of colour.
They are very popular as an indoor plant for their long flowering periods and multitude of colours, with some being bi-coloured and others with contrasting edge colours.
Best grown in pots indoors where you can ensure they have ideal conditions and produce flowers almost continuously.
Soil: Plant in commercial African Violet mix that allows very good drainage and allows air to replace the water.
You can also make your own mix of 3 parts sphagnum peat moss, 2 parts vermiculite and 1 part perlite + a little lime to counter the acidity of the peat moss.
Best in bright and slightly humid locations though preferring indirect light. Too much direct light will cause leaf burn, though artificial light is well tolerated.
Maintenance: Constant temperature, moderate humidity, bright, indirect light will ensure long flowering.
Water from the bottom up - e.g. avoid wetting leaves when watering and over watering in general which can lead to root or crown rot.
Water sparingly in winter but more frequently in summer.
Not as hard to care for as their reputation would have you believe.
Bloom best when slightly pot-bound.
Feed monthly with an African Violet formulated fertiliser for best results.
Diseases: Powdery mildew, Mealy Bugs,
Two-spotted mite, aphids and cyclamen mite.
N.B. African Violets love fresh air, but avoid placing your plant where it will be in a draught - this will help avoid fungal attacks.
Toxicity: No toxicity issues with this plant.
Other Species: 20 species in the Saintpaulia genus and thousands of varieties.
Comments: Named after Baron Walter von Saint Paul who discovered the plant.
Author: Bob Saunders.