Saintpaulia

Several years ago, one of my colleagues gave me a pot of African Violets. From then started a love affair with Saintpaulia (commonly known as African Violet).

I was drawn to the African Violet’s furry soft leaves and beautiful and dainty flowers. The African Violet is one of those rare house plants that really is easy to look after (although you do have to give them daily care) and if you are fortunate enough to own the correct variety, it will bloom continuously every day. My 1st pot of African Violet (given to me by my colleague) was of such a variety. I have since had other varieties of African Violets that do not bloom every day but will bloom very often.

African Violet is a genus of 6 species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya in eastern tropical Africa, with a concentration of species in the Nguru mountains of Tanzania. The common name “Violet” was given due to a superficial resemblance to true violets. No prizes for guessing where the name “African” came from.

African Violets are generally cultivated as house plants although increasingly, they have been found in offices as well. It seems that they thrive in air-conditioning environment. It is, however, important, to ensure that they come into contact with bright light but not in extreme heat and humidity. The best spot to place your pot of African Violet would therefore be at the window sill although the African Violet would also bloom under fluorescent light.

African Violets are flowering plants. The flowers range in colour from white, pink, violet, dark red, yellow, and some even green, and the flowers may be either single (five petals) or double (more than five). The flowers are not always a solid colour, but can also be found in the "fantasy" variety where the petals have strips of colours going down them.

How does one propagate African Violets? For someone like me who does not have “green thumbs”, I would say that it is as easy as A-B-C! Although we can propagate African Violets by seed, the easier method is by leaf cuttings. What you need to do is to cut off a leaf (with the stem) from an existing African Violet plant, then soak the stem in water until roots appear. Thereafter, plant the leaf into a pot of soil. You can actually cut the leaf and plant it directly in a pot of soil but it would be preferably if you were to soak the stem in water first until roots appear as this way, the plant is more likely to grow. As it is so easy to propagate African Violets and they grow so easily, at one time, I had more than 20 pots of African Violets in my office! Each morning, I took at least 15 minutes to water my plants before I could sit down and start work.

How do we maintain the African Violets? All they require is for you to wet the soil each morning with tap water. Do not over water the African Violets as this will kill them. African violets are highly subject to root and crown rot if they are over watered. We should use room temperature water when watering the plant because cold water causes irregular-shaped, white-coloured spots to form on the leaves. Yellow or white ring and line patterns on leaves are also caused by contact with cold water.

It would be best to plant your African Violet in a pot that has drainage at the bottom of the pot so that excess water can flow out from the drainage hole and you can pour away the excess water.

We need to eat to live and African Violets are no different. Once a week, you should feed your African Violets with liquid fertilisers. I usually buy the “Loving Care” brand of African Violet fertilisers that are sold at Carrefour or NTUC. What you can do is to re-use a 500ml mineral water bottle by filling it with tap water and two squirts of the fertiliser (if you are using the type of liquid fertiliser that you see in the picture above).

What about potting, you may ask? You can use normal soil (that already contains fertilisers) but if you are able to buy the type of fertilised soil that are meant for African Violets, that would be preferable. I used to buy such soil from Carrefour. There is a picture of an African Violet on the packet. I have not purchased the soil from Carrefour recently so I do not have a photograph of the packet of soil. However, I intend to make a trip to Carrefour when we have moved office and settled down.

Other than the problem of over-watering or cold water, African Violets are also susceptible to other problems. Leaf stems in contact with clay pots may be killed by accumulated salts on the pot. Thin, dark green leaves or a reduction in flowering are an indication of inadequate light.

How long can your African Violet live? Well, as I understand it, African violets are indeterminate as to age. They live as long as the care is proper. Naturally, it would be advisable to talk to your plant as well. As much as we pooh-pooh such superstition, my friend saw miracles happen after she started talking to her pot of African Violet and say “nice words” to her African Violet. Not only did it start growing and get stronger, it starting flowering as well!

Sources
(1) Wikipedia
(2) http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1550.htm
(3) http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/factsheets2/indoor/jan92pr4.html
(4) my personal experience