When buying a violet, everyone hopes that the beautiful flowering will be as long as possible.
But in addition to the periods of rest, which are necessary for rest and the most abundant flowering, there are also problems that provoke the prolongation of recovery and have a bad effect on the general condition.
Without knowing how to properly care for and get African violet to bloom again, it is impossible to achieve flowering. And if you need to cause flowering on time, for example, for an exhibition or some event, then it is important to know all the subtleties.
how do i get my African violet to bloom again?
When growing a plant in an apartment, you need to recreate the conditions familiar to it as much as possible: humidity, temperature, and lighting. Each of the factors is extremely important and plays an integral role in the formation of the rosette and the laying of buds, as well as subsequent flowering.
Indoor violet blooms only under certain conditions.
It is simply impossible to make a violet bloom without the proper conditions. But if you keep all the indicators in the proper framework, the budding process can be accelerated by various methods and you can get a beautiful, blooming princess on time.
Check out Night Violet Flower Care.
Influence of pot size and soil composition on African violet to bloom
One of the biggest mistakes leading to a lack of flowering is considered to be the wrong pot size and soil composition. Often novice growers believe that the larger the pot, the better the plant, but this is not always the case. And fertile, but unsuitable soil can destroy the plant. The frequency and correctness of the transplant are also important.
The size of the violet pot directly depends on its age, size, and variety. In the process of growth, the size changes from the smallest to the maximum, on average, for the first year or one and a half.
Transplanting during growth is usually carried out using a transshipment method and is ideal for keeping young roots and growing quickly. The largest pot, depending on the variety, has an average diameter of 10 cm :
- 5-7 cm for mini varieties;
- 7-10 cm for ordinary;
- 10-13 cm – large and most ampelous.
If the pot is large for the plant, then instead of flowers, roots will grow and there will be no buds until the earthen ball is completely entwined.
To ensure stable flowering, the transplant schedule is then tied to the season, with a frequency of 1-2 times a year, in spring and/or autumn. The procedure is carried out by the method of complete replacement of the soil, this will provide the flower with the maximum amount of nutrients. Also, in the process, all rotten and spoiled roots are removed, this, in turn, gives an area for new growth and development.
Florists who exhibit their collections at exhibitions, for the most part, transplant their copies twice a year.
The soil for planting violets is one of the most important points. The soil should be as light as possible, and its composition depends on several factors:
- Watering method – with normal watering, use a regular substrate for Saintpaulia; on wick soil, it is poorer in nutrients, but more breathable (usually a lot of perlite is added);
- Indoor conditions – if the air in the room is dry, the soil should be heavier and contain moss or coconut fiber to maintain moisture;
- Additional conditions in the care – if the air near the pots is additionally humidified, the soil is chosen looser, and if intensive supplementary lighting is installed, then more moss and perlite are added to the soil.
The soil for violets should be very loose.
Advice! When self-compiling the soil for normal conditions, you need leafy soil, peat, sphagnum moss (coconut fiber), if possible and necessary, perlite (sand) in a ratio of 1/1/1/1. For wick irrigation, peat and perlite are usually used in equal parts.
Lighting adjustments for blooming african violet
Depending on the natural habitat, each type of indoor plant has its own preferences for light. In nature, violets grow under the shade of bushes and trees, the daylight hours are long, but the light comes out diffused. Violets also bloom in middle latitudes with shorter daylight hours, but this does not happen so often, not so long and abundantly.
In an apartment for the most abundant flowering, you need to bring the conditions as close to natural as possible:
- Daylight hours: 12-14 hours . During the rest period, it can be reduced to 8. Supplementary lighting in the form of fluorescent lamps is often used;
- The light is bright, but without direct sunlight ;
- For a uniform and compact outlet, you need to install the lamps from above at a distance of 20-30 cm from the flowers, and on the window the flowerpot should be regularly turned towards the light in different directions .
The budding process can be stimulated by reorganizing the lighting. If the daylight hours were less than 12 hours, it should be gradually lengthened at least to this mark and ideally up to 14. When the lighting is sufficient, subject to other conditions of keeping, the flower accelerates the natural processes of peduncle formation.
There is sometimes debate about the effects of direct sunlight on violets. Violets love diffused light, and they tolerate direct rays only in winter, when the sun is less active, and only if there is no snow in front of the window.
If you put a flower on the south window in summer, or when the rays are bouncing off the snow and from this, they become more active, then the leaves simply burn. It is great if the violet sees the sun in the morning or in the evening, this gives additional hours of illumination and does no harm.
You may also want to know about Rooting African Violet Leaves In Water.
Watering for flowering african violet
In watering, the flower is very picky, overflow or drought of the soil leads to the death of the specimen. There are three main methods of irrigation and each of them has the right to exist and is suitable for certain conditions.
Into the pallet
The pallet under the pot is selected in such a size as to freely pour water over ¼ of the height of the flowerpot, after which the plant is left for 15-20 minutes and the rest of the water is drained. This option can be considered a classic in the care of violets.
The process is a little laborious and requires care for the moisture of the earthen coma. Flowering with such watering will be abundant and stable, but you need not skip watering and avoid waterlogging.
Under the leaves
Water is poured from above through the substrate under the leaves, the excess is drained from the pallet. This method differs little in terms of conditions from the previous one – waterlogging, like drought, is very dangerous and possible with such irrigation.
There is also a risk of pouring water on the growth point and thereby ruining the flower; in order to avoid such a situation, watering cans with a thin spout or a bottle with a straw are used for watering.
Wick
Watering with a wick is the simplest and least laborious, in addition, the plant independently draws the required amount of moisture as needed.
This method, if properly organized, excludes the possibility of waterlogging and drought of the soil, and the constant introduction of fertilizers in different concentrations provides the required amount of nutrients and gives the violet strength for abundant and long flowering.
Air humidity needed for african violet bloom
In addition to watering, it is also important to observe the humidity of the air – under the wrong conditions, leaf rot or, more dangerous, growth points, as well as loss of turgor and appearance of the leaves, are possible.
Humidity should be between 40-60%. To achieve such indicators will help:
- Air humidifiers;
- Wet moss around the pots;
- Wick irrigation provides moisture without additional devices;
- Wet towels on batteries in winter.
Advice! Humidifying the air is especially important in winter and summer. In the first case, the batteries dry out the air in the rooms, and in the second – high temperatures and dry air outside.
Shock therapy to get African violet to bloom again
If the violet has stopped blooming, shock stimulation can be applied to it. Also, such methods are used by some growers before exhibitions or significant dates, for the presentation.
Among the variety of techniques for violets, single ones are suitable:
- Hot watering 40-50 gr . In some springs, you can find a temperature of 60-70, and not watering, but a shower, but wetting the leaves leads to stains, and violets are not suitable. From a sharp jump in temperature, the violet forms flower stalks within a week;
- Placement in a dark place for a week, and after – for maximum illumination. The plant believes that there was a dormant period during darkness, and a sharp drop in the duration of daylight hours leads to the stimulation of budding.
Stimulation methods can be dangerous: if the plant is not very strong and a little unhealthy, it can die. Application unnecessarily is not recommended, and even experienced florists prefer to naturally prepare a flower for the desired date safely, albeit for a long time.
If the plant is subjected to repeated stimulation, especially over a short period, the grower runs the risk of losing the violet, because the plant will be exhausted.
Despite the desire of the grower to receive year-round flowering plants, this is impossible. Like all plants, the violet has a dormant period, which is needed to restore strength, build new roots and leaves.
In indoor Saintpaulias under natural light, the dormant period falls in the winter. If the lighting is additional, then the dormant period is arranged after flowering once or twice a year for a month or more, depending on conditions and needs.
Conditions for nodding flowering
Blooming with a cap is one of the features of the violet, but it is rather difficult to achieve it. Even experienced florists do not always know how to make violets bloom with a hat.
To obtain a beautiful flowering, it is important to properly feed the flower, comply with all conditions of detention and correctly form the outlet with the help of lighting.
They also use the method of pinching the peduncles – they are torn off until a certain period, and then the plant is allowed to bloom with an abundant cap.
Pinching peduncles and pruning leaves
Pinching peduncles – cutting off the first peduncles for the formation and growth of more peduncles at the same time. In addition, leaves are cut to stimulate budding. Removing the leaves deprives the flower of the direction of growth and serves as a stimulus for flowering.
So, how to prune a violet to bloom:
- The lower rows are removed, usually the weakened first row, and the second and third ones removed for reproduction;
- After removal, the violet is deepened and fed.
In winter
Indoor violets can often bloom in winter and not only with additional lighting. If no additional light is installed, flowering, if any, will be small and scarce. Flowering under lamps and all conditions will not differ much from summer, but only after a period of rest.
Additional stimulation for the formation of peduncles in winter does not differ from summer. Replacing fertilizers with those that stimulate flowering, and creating all the conditions. If the arrangement of all the care parameters does not help to start the flowering process, you can, at your own risk, stimulate flowering with additional methods.
Get African violet to bloom All year round
When purchasing their first Saintpaulia, beginners often want to know what to do to keep the violets in bloom all year round. We want to warn you right away that year-round flowering of violets is unlikely, minimal periods of dormancy should be present.
If we force the plant to bloom without interruption, it will quickly exhaust its strength, then flowering will become scarce and death will come, even if feeding and creating all the conditions.
Important! If the plant does not want to rest, the peduncles are cut off, the daylight hours are reduced and feeding is stopped. Experienced growers regularly give flowers to rest.
want to know ways and methods how to Save An African Violet From Dying?
Conclusion
Owners of violets should know all the nuances of their flowering and what needs to be done to get African violet to bloom again. Observing all the rules of care and correctly applying fertilizers, you can get a blooming princess, the pearl of the collection.
Here it is important not to overdo it and to know in all measure because you can irrevocably lose the plant.
