African Violets

[princess_saucer]

I have 2 African Violets and while the "green" leaves on these are growing and are beautiful, there are no flowers--NONE whatsoever---I was told to put a nail, preferably a rusty nail in the soil...anybody else ever hear of this? If so, why are you supposed to do that? I know basically nothing about these plants except they are supposed to be "easy" to grow...

[hendi_alex]

Failure to bloom is most often a lack of light. A second common reason for failure to bloom is because of excess vegatative growth caused by over fertilizing with too much nitrogen. So first try to give a little more light, and secondly get a 'bloom buster' kind of fertilizer that promotes flowering.

[Kisal]

I agree with Alex. I used to have hundreds of African violets, and there is no need to put a nail, rusty or otherwise, in the soil.

#1. You need to buy potting soil that is made for African violets, or else research the kind of soil mixture they need and make your own.

#2. You need to give them plenty of bright light, but not harsh direct sunlight.

#3. They need fairly high humidity, so you may want to place them on gravel in shallow pans of water. Be sure the bottoms of the pots are well above the water level, however.

#4. Fertilize with a plant food that is formulated to encourage blossoms. Do not overfeed the plants. I always mixed the fertilizer half as strong as recommended on the label.

I hope they start to bloom for you. I think African violets are beautiful. I must remember to pick up a couple soon.

[princess_saucer]

Thanks for all the wonderful advice on the violets...I am going to the garden center today and get new soil, a grow light and fertilizer...Again, thank you so much...I can't wait to see the pretty blooms...

[plkelly]

I agree with all the advice already given, but wanted to add that African violets don't like too big a pot--they prefer more crowded roots and won't bloom if you've recently repotted them in too large a pot.
Patsy

[The Helpful Gardener]

Good point, plkelly, plants usually concentrate on one thing at a time; roots, shoots, or fruits (think flowers for the last one). Many plants will alter flowering patterns after repotting; amaryllis and clivia can skip flowering for years while growing into a new container...

HG