The PILF-opedia

“The one in velvet, dressed for a party that never ends.”

African Violet

Streptocarpus ionanthus

Velvet leaves crowned with blooms most of the year. It asks for warm water, warm nights, and a bright sill.

Fling

2.5/5

how easy it is to care for

4.1/5

how much it stands out visually

: Shade to filtered

A bright north or east window; it blooms less in shade

Bright light filtered through a sheer, or a north or east window, keeps the flowers coming. It also grows under fluorescent tubes alone; in a dim corner it may stay leafy and quit blooming.

A north window gives steady light all day and an east one adds soft morning sun, and both suit it for most of the year. In winter a sunnier, warmer window can serve it better (Missouri Botanical Garden). Facing south or west, hang a sheer curtain to turn the glare into the filtered light NC State recommends.

Short on light, the rosette loosens: new leaves come in thin and dark green on long stalks that stretch toward the window, and each flush of flowers is sparser than the last (Clemson Extension). Move it a step closer to the glass and the next flush should fill in.

In winter, keep its fuzzy leaves from resting against a frosty pane. Nights below 60°F can stunt it, and it can take a long time to recover once things warm up (NC State). Missouri Botanical Garden advises keeping it off cold panes at night, so on frigid evenings slide it back a little from the window.

Well lit, it can flower 10-12 months of the year (Clemson Extension), with only short rests between flushes.

: Weekly+

Drinks from a saucer every 5-10 days; keep its leaves dry

Every 5-7 days in summer, 7-10 in winter, with the top of the mix drying between. Fill the saucer rather than the crown; soggy soil rots it.

Its fuzzy leaves scar easily: cold water splashed on them leaves yellow or white rings and streaks (UF Extension; Clemson Extension). Water at room temperature or a touch warmer, and aim below the leaves.

A wick pot can take over the routine. A cord runs from the soil down into a reservoir, and the plant pulls up what it needs (UF Extension). Now and then, pour from the top instead to rinse out built-up fertilizer salts.

It thrives in humid air and can’t stand dry air (NC State), which puts it at odds with a radiator-dried Chicago winter. A tray of damp gravel helps, with the pot’s base resting just clear of the water (UF Extension). After a saucer watering, tip out whatever the soil hasn’t taken up, so the pot isn’t left standing in water (UF Extension).

If a leaf stalk rots where it rests on the pot rim, and that bothers you, a foil collar over the rim and rainwater in place of tap can stop it (Texas A&M). It’ll survive either way.

Gone for a while? Ten days is fine if it’s watered the day you leave; for longer, a wick-watering pot keeps it going.

: Small

A rosette 6-9 inches tall and as wide, full in 2-5 years

A low mound of velvety leaves, 6-9 inches tall and as wide, that fills out in 2-5 years, with clusters of flowers held just above. Fits a sill or a desk; pull yellowed outer leaves to keep the crown clear.

Breeders sort the thousands of named kinds into five size classes, from micro-miniature to large, and some grow as trailers instead of rosettes (NC State).

A standard violet keeps a single crown. Side shoots called suckers pull it out of shape, and Missouri Botanical Garden advises removing them as soon as they appear. It likes a snug pot but wants a fresh one about once a year (UF Extension), with the crown set just above the soil (NC State).

Every leaf is a spare: snap one off with its stalk, push the stalk into potting mix, and tiny plantlets can sprout where it meets the soil (UF Extension).

The undersides of its leaves are often red or purple (NC State), so an eye-level shelf, where both sides show, flatters it more than a low table.

: Pet & kid safe

Nothing to worry about for dogs, cats, or kids

DogsSafe
CatsSafe
KidsSafe

The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic for cats and dogs, and poison centers list it as non-toxic for children. A chewed leaf mostly costs the plant.

No hidden catch here. NC State’s Plant Toolbox tags it safe for horses as well as pets, so the velvet rosette is as gentle as it looks.

The bottles kept beside it deserve more care than the plant does. Violets are often fed a weak fertilizer at nearly every watering (UF Extension), and pest sprays carry their own label directions (Clemson Extension). Store both where small hands and paws can’t reach.

If your cat treats the rosette as a chew toy, the likely cost is ragged leaves. A high shelf or a room the cat skips keeps it pretty, and a bitten leaf snapped off at its base leaves room for new ones to fill in.

ASPCA: safe for dogs.
ASPCA: safe for cats.
CHOP: safe for kids.

Cats and dogs: The ASPCA lists it as non-⁠toxic.

Kids: CHOP and Poison Control list it as non-⁠poisonous.

: Average

65-80°F; average humidity is fine

Happiest at 65-80°F, and it shouldn’t sit below 60°F. Keep it away from cold glass in winter. It likes 40-60% humidity and gets by at 30%.

Temperature: 65-80°F
Humidity: 40-60%

: Cyclamen mites

Cyclamen mites, mealybugs, thrips; peek in the crown

Cyclamen mites hide in the crown center, new leaves, and buds. Mealybugs sit at leaf bases and stems, with root mealybugs in the root ball, and thrips hide in flowers and under leaves. Broad mites favor older bottom leaves.

Cyclamen mites
Mealybugs
Thrips
Broad mites

Few pests; too much water is the real danger. Mealybugs and thrips turn up now and then, and cyclamen mites rarely.

Mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton where the leaf stalks meet the crown. Dab them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, then check again next week.

Thrips are tiny, slender insects that streak and spot the flowers. Pick off the damaged flowers, rinse the leaves gently with room-temperature water, and use insecticidal soap if they return.

Cyclamen mites are too small to see: the leaves in the very center come in stunted, crinkled, and tightly bunched. There’s no cure at home, so bag the plant and throw it out before they spread to others.

Crown rot and root rot show as a plant that wilts while the soil is still wet; gray fuzzy mold on old flowers is botrytis. Water less, empty the saucer, and pick off spent flowers promptly.

: Most

Feed and rotate every 2 weeks; repot each spring

Feed and quarter-turn it about every 2 weeks all year for steady blooms and an even rosette. Snip spent flower stems and yellowed leaves monthly, and remove suckers as they form. Repot each spring.

Feed26× a year
Deadhead12× a year
Prune4× a year
Repot1× a year
Rotate26× a year

A light, fast-draining African violet mix, or half violet mix and half perlite, in a small pot with a drainage hole. Skip decorative pots without one.

Repot once a year, into fresh mix, keeping it in a small pot.

It’s a light, steady eater: an African violet fertilizer at a quarter of the label’s strength each time you water, with a plain-water soak once a month to rinse out the build-⁠up.

: Showy

Velvety leaf mound under near-⁠constant blooms

Fuzzy, deeply textured leaves form a low rosette that covers the soil. Clusters of flowers sit above the leaves for most of the year, so the color seldom takes a break.

Fun fact

At the first national African violet show, held in Atlanta in 1946, the crowds grew so big that police had to be called in to handle the traffic. The African Violet Society of America was founded soon after.

Designer tips

Cottage-sweet and a little retro, it’s a pot of color for a windowsill or a kitchen table.

On a north windowsill, flowers facing the room

The spotEarns the north windowsill most plants pass onRight on a north sill it gets steady light with no hot afternoon sun, which is how it keeps flowering on and off all year.

The colorMatches its flowers to something you already ownViolet with plum or blue-and-white china, pink with blush linen, white with nearly anything. One echo makes a small plant look intentional.

The textureSets its velvet against glass and glazeThe leaves are velvety, so they look softest beside something hard and shiny: a glass tumbler, a glazed tile sill, a polished tray.

The styleSuits a cottage-style kitchen, doilies optionalVelvety leaves and small flowers are cottage style in a pot, the look of a grandparent’s sill made fresh with a plain clay pot. It reads sweet without being fussy when it’s the only flowering thing in view.

Troubleshooting

Why won’t it flower?

Light, almost always. It blooms on 14-16 hours of light a day, more than a winter windowsill gives, so a spot nearer a bright window (out of afternoon sun) or a small grow light overhead usually brings the buds back. It stays a healthy leafy plant either way.

It’s wilting, but the soil is wet

Likely root or crown rot from too much water, the usual way violets are lost. Let it dry out and empty the saucer; if the center has gone soft and brown it may not recover, but a healthy leaf can root into a new plant.

Pale rings and spots on the leaves

Water colder than the leaf marks it with pale blotches and rings. Those marks stay, but new leaves usually come in clean if you water at room temperature, from below or under the leaves.

See all 8

Why are the leaves pale or bleached?

Usually too much light, often sun landing on the leaves; a step back from the window helps. Pale leaves on a plant that has also stopped growing may mean it’s hungry: it likes violet food at a quarter strength each time you water.

Why are the center leaves small, crinkled, and bunched?

Likely cyclamen mites, which are too small to see. There’s no home cure, so it’s best bagged and thrown out before they spread, with hands washed before you touch another violet.

Can I grow a new one from a leaf?

Yes, and it’s one of the easiest plants for it. Push the stalk of a healthy leaf into damp perlite or seed-starting mix; roots usually form in 3-4 weeks and tiny plantlets come up at the base in 6-8 weeks.

My cat nibbled the flowers

Nothing harmful: the ASPCA lists African violets as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Like any plant, a big nibble can upset a stomach, and the plant may look a little ragged for a while.

I’m going away for a week or two

Ten days is usually fine if it’s watered the day you leave. For longer, a wick pot, with a cord drawing water up from a reservoir, keeps it going.

Propagation

Easy, from a single leaf.

Cut a healthy leaf with an inch to an inch and a half of its stalk, and push the stalk into damp perlite or seed-starting mix at an angle.
Cover the pot loosely with a clear plastic bag.
Roots form in three to four weeks, and tiny plantlets come up at the base in six to eight weeks.

Once the plantlets have a few leaves each, pot them up in violet mix; the old leaf can come off once it browns.