Hi there,
I have looked online for help with my african violets, but I can't find the answer I am looking for.
My question is, is that my two african violets had powdery mildew about 3 months ago, and I had to take off there flower stalks because they were all wilted, and now they are just giving me lots of leaves. I have been watering them from underneath and giving them african violet fertilizer. They get indirect sunlight as well. So I am just wondering if the flower stalks will regrow or if I should take a cutting and try to regrow a new plant from them.
Thanks for your help,
Christine
Welcome to the Helpful Gardener Forums! I'm happy to see another African violet enthusiast! 
Your plants will grow new flower stalks, although it might take a little time. I have an African violet without flowers right now, in fact. I'm confident that it'll get going again soon.
African violets like to be a little snug in their pots, so if you repotted yours into a larger container, it might take awhile for it to grow enough roots. Once it's comfy in its new pot, it should start to produce new flowers.
I just recently learned that African violets sometimes go into what is called "vegetative mode," where they produce a lot of leaves, but no flowers. To get them busy making buds again, the advice is to gently squeeze the pot, if it's a plastic pot. If its a ceramic or clay pot, you can gently, but firmly, tap it on a countertop or tabletop. (You can do the tapping thing with plastic pots, too, of course.) Somehow, this treatment is supposed to force the violet back into survival mode, which means producing flowers in order to produce seed. Our hybrids won't produce viable seeds, like wild African violets do, but they don't know that. They just get busy and produce flowers.
I think it's fun to start new plants, so if you feel like it, and your plant can spare a leaf, why not start a baby violet? I just take a leaf and it's petiole (stem) from a plant, fill a glass with water and cover the top of the glass with a piece of aluminum foil, poke a hole in the foil with a pencil, and insert the stem of the leaf.
Your plants will grow new flower stalks, although it might take a little time. I have an African violet without flowers right now, in fact. I'm confident that it'll get going again soon.
African violets like to be a little snug in their pots, so if you repotted yours into a larger container, it might take awhile for it to grow enough roots. Once it's comfy in its new pot, it should start to produce new flowers.
I just recently learned that African violets sometimes go into what is called "vegetative mode," where they produce a lot of leaves, but no flowers. To get them busy making buds again, the advice is to gently squeeze the pot, if it's a plastic pot. If its a ceramic or clay pot, you can gently, but firmly, tap it on a countertop or tabletop. (You can do the tapping thing with plastic pots, too, of course.) Somehow, this treatment is supposed to force the violet back into survival mode, which means producing flowers in order to produce seed. Our hybrids won't produce viable seeds, like wild African violets do, but they don't know that. They just get busy and produce flowers.
I think it's fun to start new plants, so if you feel like it, and your plant can spare a leaf, why not start a baby violet? I just take a leaf and it's petiole (stem) from a plant, fill a glass with water and cover the top of the glass with a piece of aluminum foil, poke a hole in the foil with a pencil, and insert the stem of the leaf.
Hello again,
Good to know that they will soon again produce flower stalks, the plants are still in the 4'' pot I bought them in, so that can't be it. I remember my Mom telling me that she read somewhere that if you have to many leaves on your plant, that you can cut out some leaves from the middle of it, I don't know if I want to do that, so I will definitely try the tapping of the pot thing, and hope for the best, they havn't flowered in 3 months since the mildew
Thanks for the help,
Christine
Good to know that they will soon again produce flower stalks, the plants are still in the 4'' pot I bought them in, so that can't be it. I remember my Mom telling me that she read somewhere that if you have to many leaves on your plant, that you can cut out some leaves from the middle of it, I don't know if I want to do that, so I will definitely try the tapping of the pot thing, and hope for the best, they havn't flowered in 3 months since the mildew
Thanks for the help,
Christine
I have lots of African violets. They all flower. Not always at the same time.
I remove leaves from the bottom of the plant when they yellow or just don't look good.
Kisal is right. The plant grows from the center so you don't want to remove leaves from there.
I found by accident that letting the plant get dry seems to make it start flowering again. I call this shocking them. You don't want them to wilt. Just don't water until the soil is dry.
They don't like to be dry or too wet.
I remove leaves from the bottom of the plant when they yellow or just don't look good.
Kisal is right. The plant grows from the center so you don't want to remove leaves from there.
I found by accident that letting the plant get dry seems to make it start flowering again. I call this shocking them. You don't want them to wilt. Just don't water until the soil is dry.
They don't like to be dry or too wet.
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princess_saucer
- Full Member
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- Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:05 am
- Location: Tennessee
I have several African Violets and back about 2 years ago they ALL quit blooming..I know that they have a "period" that they go through where sometimes they do not have to bloom but mine had not bloomed in over 6 months..I had gone to a few workshops and spoke with several so called "specialists" and one of these was a lady who worked at a nursery and she said to get African Violets to bloom pretty much "year round" that you should always bottom water and put a nail (rusty or not)in the soil near the plant itself...I did a lot of research on this and I believe that I even searched this sight on it..but finally I found what works....for the African Violets that I have here, this is what keeps them blooming "ALL THE TIME" (year round); I put them in a nice pot with 2 or 3 small holes in the bottom and a medium size tray underneath for bottom watering and every day (or every other day) I bottom water them (I fill the tray up with water), I put them in my kitchen window and I changed the fluorescent overheard bulb to a "grow light" and finally, Yes, I did put a rusty nail in them...although when I "divided" one of them back at the beginning of June of this year, the nail that I put in one of the "new" plants was not rusty (he he)..seriously though, ALL of my plants look great..they ALL bloom year round..It has even provoked my 11 year old daughter to start growing African Violets (and several other flowering and non-flowering plants)
From what I have read, African violets tend to bloom for about 9 months and then rest for about 3 months. IMO, if the plant goes into vegetative mode for more than 3 months, any kind of mild disturbance to the roots can make the plant begin to bloom again. Whether you squeeze the pot, bang it on the counter, tip the plant out of its pot for a few moments, or stick a nail into the soil near the plant (which probably tears some of the roots), it can be enough to "wake up" a sleepy plant.
Of course, basic good care, plenty of light, and proper watering are all essential, as well.
Of course, basic good care, plenty of light, and proper watering are all essential, as well.
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yellownectarine
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:06 pm
- Location: Ashburn, GA
I've heard that they can be cut off and rooted, but I've never done it myself. I've always just started new plants from a few of the leaves, and then thrown away the parent plant. The article below seems to offer some clear instructions, if you want to try rooting your plant.
https://wvgardengate.homestead.com/More_African_Violet_Care.htm
https://wvgardengate.homestead.com/More_African_Violet_Care.htm
My African violets are budding!
I did the 'disturb the roots' thing for a few weeks during July, but then I got sidetracked with other projects. During the course of having my kitchen and bathroom remodeled, my violets got stuck on a table in the middle of a room, far from any window. When the work was finished, I placed the violets on the kitchen counter. They got filtered sun every afternoon. Recently, I decided that they might be getting too much light where they were, so I moved them to one side, where the light is much dimmer. Lo and behold! Two of the three are sprouting new flower buds! I hope the third one soon follows suit!
I don't know if it was just the timing, that they came out of dormancy on their own, or whether it was related to the reduced light levels. Whatever the reason, I'm happy about it.
Here are my pretty babies!
[img]https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh27/Kisal_photos/100_0309.jpg[/img]
After I took the pic, I gently peeked down inside the center of the variegated one, and yes! It also has buds!
I did the 'disturb the roots' thing for a few weeks during July, but then I got sidetracked with other projects. During the course of having my kitchen and bathroom remodeled, my violets got stuck on a table in the middle of a room, far from any window. When the work was finished, I placed the violets on the kitchen counter. They got filtered sun every afternoon. Recently, I decided that they might be getting too much light where they were, so I moved them to one side, where the light is much dimmer. Lo and behold! Two of the three are sprouting new flower buds! I hope the third one soon follows suit!
I don't know if it was just the timing, that they came out of dormancy on their own, or whether it was related to the reduced light levels. Whatever the reason, I'm happy about it.
Here are my pretty babies!
[img]https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh27/Kisal_photos/100_0309.jpg[/img]
After I took the pic, I gently peeked down inside the center of the variegated one, and yes! It also has buds!
Oh, I'd love to see your violets!
Instructions for posting pictures can be found in this section:
[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23]Helpful Gardener's Tips & Suggestions for New Members[/url]
I'm considering repotting my variegated-leaf violet. For some reason, it isn't blooming for me. I'm thinking that perhaps the florist planted the crown too deeply, and I may try to repot it. I have 3 leaves rooting, just in case it doesn't succeed.
Maybe we could trade leaves sometime?
Instructions for posting pictures can be found in this section:
[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23]Helpful Gardener's Tips & Suggestions for New Members[/url]
I'm considering repotting my variegated-leaf violet. For some reason, it isn't blooming for me. I'm thinking that perhaps the florist planted the crown too deeply, and I may try to repot it. I have 3 leaves rooting, just in case it doesn't succeed.
Maybe we could trade leaves sometime?