African Violets

HBADPi · #1 10-11-2003, 09:38 PM

Does anyone else have problems taking care of their african violets?? Or is it just me?

I went to the store the other day and they had a sale on african violets so I got a pot and I swear I have to water them 2x a day. Even though the label says to just keep it "damp," the soil has to be soaking!! They look so sad.

carnation · #2 10-11-2003, 09:54 PM

Put your violets in saucers with about 1/4 inch of water and let them suck up water--it's better for them than being watered from overhead. Don't water them from above unless the soil is bone-dry or they'll soon die of root rot.

Carnation, Ph.D., Horticulture

honeychile · #3 10-11-2003, 11:54 PM

Mine are gorgeous!

Of course, they are also silk.

I have two brown thumbs and can only seem to grow roses.

Btw, does anyone know how to kill morning glories without killing the plants around it? I had my one garden mulched last year, and morning glories must have been in it. Now, they've grown over several bushes and look like they have a stranglehold on them! I am so allergic to something in my yard that I should probably wear a haz-mat suit to garden!

The good news is, I seem to be putting the guy who does my yard through college...

carnation · #4 10-12-2003, 09:33 AM

Cut off the vines near the ground and then apply weedkiller to the cut surfaces. Hey, I just realized this is the ADII Forum and not Chit-Chat..sorry for the intrusion!

ASUADPi · #5 10-12-2003, 11:08 AM

carnation, it's all good. you know about flowers, so thanks.

Okay question though, I've got to replant the violets I bought yesterday from the containers they came in from Lowe's, so what would be the best way to water them?
See I have no green thumb, so any advice someone has is awesome.

Brianna

honeychile · #6 10-12-2003, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by carnation
Cut off the vines near the ground and then apply weedkiller to the cut surfaces. Hey, I just realized this is the ADII Forum and not Chit-Chat..sorry for the intrusion!

Carnation, you are always welcome here - don't you dare apologize for the intrusion!

Especially when you have such good horticultural advice!

Do the rest of y'all know that Carnation bred the offical Kappa Kappa Gamma Iris? She really knows her stuff!

carnation · #7 10-12-2003, 11:28 AM

Honeychile, thanks so much for the sweet words! I appreciate it!

Brianna, pick a pot--preferably clay--that's only one size larger than the one you have the violets in now. There are special violet pots available at garden shops but if you can't get one, then buy a saucer to go with the pot so you can water from below, then try to always water from the saucer. Cold water on the leaves can cause yellow leaf spots.

WLFEO · #8 10-12-2003, 10:00 PM

I've tried putting on the African Violet "food" before and it seems to do the trick. It's special fertilizer or something- mine came in a purple bottle & I just put a few drops in the water every week.

ASUADPi · #9 10-12-2003, 10:50 PM

Okay heres the deal. My dad planted the flowers for me. They are in a plastic pot probably about 5-6 inches in diameter and about the same deep. So now that they are planted about how often should I water them? Is there a better place to put them? again, I really don't have a green thumb, but then again I've never actually attempted to grow a plant either.

Brianna

carnation · #10 10-12-2003, 11:22 PM

Don't water a violet unless the soil surface is dry or it'll get root rot real quickly and turn to mush. Also, they like that special African violet fertilizer!

African violets are reaaaaalll addictive....

ADPiSAI · #11 10-13-2003, 11:44 PM

How to Keep an African Violet Alive, ForeverDiamond Style:

give it to my mom.
she has some that are probably about as old as me. She has brought so many that people were about to throw out back to life... it's like she has her own little ADPi section of her plant shelves! I gave her the two I got from initiation last year (I really don't know how my black thumbs of death and I managed to keep it alive for a month before I went home), and she has made them look even nicer!

valpogal99 · #12 10-15-2003, 06:52 PM

I had a problem with my Violets too so I bought the Violet Pot and fertilizer. It was down to 2 leaves when I replanted it. Now it is doing really well. I make sure there is water in the outside pot and fertilize it once every 1-2 months and it is doing great. They have the Violet Pots at Home Depot and I have seen them at Lowe's (they are a pot that sits inside another so you water the outside pot and it soaks through as needed to the plant). I think I was over-watering before.