Violets grow well in normal room temperature
but they should never been exposed to direct sum-
mer sunlight. Strong light can cause leaf burns and
can even kill violets. The correct amount of light
for African violets is around 10.000 to 12.000. For
example, offi ces usually have around 250 - 500 lux,
full daylight is around 10.000 - 25.000 lux (not di-
rectly on the sun) and direct sunlight is between
30.000 and 130.000 or even 180.000 lux during sum-
mer days.
Violets can grow successfully on windowsills
if they are not exposed to direct sunlight. To grow
plants away from the window, supplemental lighting
must be added, commonly in the form of fl uorescent
or LED grow lights. Incandescent bulbs as a source
of artifi cial light are rarely used due to low energy
effi ciency and increased heating. It is good practice
to periodically measure light intensity using light
meters.
Humidity in homes is normally ranges from 40-
60% and violets will grow and bloom under these
conditions. Providing some open water around the
plants and allowing it to evaporate increases the hu-
midity around the leaves and is benefi cial.
When watering African Violets, be careful to
keep the leaves dry. Allowing them to get wet can
harm them, especially during strong sunlight. Ad-
ditionally, too much moisture around the roots can
cause them to rot. Don’t allow them to be in stand-
ing water, even if it is in a saucer below the actual
container. Violets do like moisture around the roots,
but soggy soil can cause problems.
Use a potting soil designed specifi cally for Af-
rican Violets.
This soil can
be purchased
When watering African Violets,
at any larger
be careful to keep the leaves dry.
garden center
and while it
is a little expensive, an individual plant does not
require a large container so the cost is still reason-
able. If you don’t have access to a specialized soil a
regular potting soil can be used but you will need to
add and mix in sterile sand, peat moss, vermiculite
and similar components to make the soil light and
well aerated with good drainage and good nutrient
retention.
Fertilizing should be done with liquid fertilizers
once a week with a weak solution at approximately
one half of the strength recommended by the manu-
facturer. Without nutrients, plants can't grow, but
too much fertilizer can cause root burn and even kill
the plants. Food sticks or pellets are a good option
if you don’t have a lot of time to care for the Violets.
They can be added every few months and it is hard
to over-fertilize when using them. GG
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