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Hello all. Hoping someone can help. The first pic is the African… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta-fellesskap

JXK

Hello all. Hoping someone can help. The first pic is the African violet before I joined Planta. I looked up how to care for it. Apparently, I wasn’t providing the right care (it sat in water in the tray, wasn’t close to a window, didn’t fertilize it). However, the plant looked healthy but didn’t flower. I started following the guidelines in Planta - stopped letting it sit in water, followed the watering schedule which let it dry between waterings, moved it near a window and added fertilizer. The second pic shows what happened. It now has new growth but all the other leaves are wilting, fading and some are dying. Does anyone know what might be causing the issue and what to do to get the plant back on track? Many thanks in advance.

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  1. Adrian

    Hi there 👋 I’ve got an African Violet I take care of for my father. I’m gonna ask a few things to try to help you rule out some possible causes for the problems you’re facing with yours. For starters, though, I would give the roots a check for signs of distress or rot given the looks of the leaves. - has it ever been repotted, and if so, in what type of mix. African Violets need a pretty specific type of soil. I use Espoma’s Organic African Violet Mix. If it’s never been repotted, it might need some new soil to work with, or wasn’t potted in a well-draining soil. If it was recently repotted, it’s possible it’s gone through shock, or the type of soil it was repotted in isn’t well-draining and the violet is reacting to it. If the soil is Miracle Grow brand, it’s very likely it isn’t well-draining enough, even if it’s meant for African violets. They’re a little infamous for the poor quality of their soil, and if that’s the case, I’d try repotting it. - how long do you wait for it to dry out? I currently wait 11-14 days before watering mine, typically about 12 days in the summer. I’m guessing you probably know by now that the leaves have to stay dry and to bottom-water the plant, but is the water you use for it filtered or tap water? I know these plants can be sensitive to minerals in tap water - the last thing I’d wanna ask is in terms of the pot; is the pot more than 1-2 inches in diameter to the width of the plant’s root ball, and what type of material is it? Terra cotta and plastic pots are great for African violets, but glazed ceramic pots are built to hold excess moisture in, making them more suitable for high-humidity loving tropical plants, and if it’s possible it’s in too large of a pot, it might be sitting in a lot of excess moist soil after waterings, which could lead to overwatering or root rot in the long run if it takes a while for the soil to dry out.

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    • JXK

      For the other questions. It is a ceramic pot and I do use regular water.

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    • Adrian

      As for flowering, they like being snug in their pots and getting a little rootbound and getting at least 2-4 hours of sunlight, but sometimes it takes a fertilizer to get it into producing blooms. I’d go through the possible options that are affecting the leaves that I listed before trying to get it to flower, but there’s African Violet specific fertilizers out there to help them bloom. I have yet to need one for mine yet, thankfully. She’s been blooming since I got her in February from the grocery store, but I have a feeling someone else will pop up in the comments here with some more specific fertilizer recommendations 😊

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    • JXK

      Thank you, again. I think the pot size is ok but will double check that too!

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  2. Waspinator

    Never get water on the leaves. Mine has really liked a wicking/self watering pot style. It looks like yours has developed a tall stem, which is why it's doing such a weird shape. You can let it grow like that or cut and propagate to restart the stem. As for leaf color, that could mean it has a nutrient imbalance (the fertilizer might've been more than it needed) or it could indicate too much light. Try reducing light first and see if that helps

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    • JXK

      Hello. Thank you for replying. I’m going to look into a self watering pot and have moved it back to its original location. I think I’ll check the roots and get the specific soil. I’m afraid to cut and propagate it now. I’d like to see it get healthy again first.

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  3. JXK

    Hi! Thank you for replying. Your plant looks great! For your questions - it was repotted some time ago (over a year). I believe I used Miracle Grow for houseplants. I don’t believe it was a soil specifically for African Violets. The problem happened quickly - just in the past month. I followed Planta’s watering guideline. It was between 1 to 2 weeks. How close to a window do you keep yours? Also, do you use fertilizer? I wonder if either of those could be the issue. I will definitely check the roots and look into the different soil. I do always water from the bottom.

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    • Adrian

      Thanks for all the info and quick response 👍 so from what you answered, here’s what I’d recommend: - get it out of the miracle grow soil. I use Espoma’s Organic African Violet Mix for mine. It costs just as much or less than Miracle Grow where I live, and I get it from my local plant nurseries or Ace Hardware. - I’d cut the lightened leaves off to help the plant recover faster and focus its energy on new growth, whether that be strengthening the root system or new leaves and even flowers down the line. - give the roots a check, and if the roots look alright, repot it into a pot that’s no more than 1-2 inches in size than the width of the plant’s root ball. You’ll want it to be snug in its pot to flower. I’d opt for a plastic pot with multiple drainage holes or a terra cotta pot with at least one large drainage hole. I’d personally avoid self-watering pots if you’re new to them or glazed ceramic pots since they’ll hold the excess moisture from wet soil after watering. - keep letting the soil dry out between waterings. I’d wait at least 12 days, then use a toothpick or bamboo/barbecue skewer to test if the soil is dry enough to water. If the skewer comes out clean and dry, with nothing sticking to it, it’s safe to water. If the soil sticks to it, wait at least 2 days, and test again. - try using lukewarm filtered water when watering it. If you’ve got a fridge that dispenses water, I fill water bottles with water from mine, and let it reach room temperature overnight to use it to water the next day. - if the roots are rotted or look distressed, lemme know and I’ll walk you through how to treat it.

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    • JXK

      Thank you so much! Appreciate all the help.

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    • Adrian

      No problem! Last thing is in terms of fertilizer. I’d hold off on fertilizing it until the plant recovers, but I agree it might’ve been too much fertilizer, or needs the fertilizer to be diluted.

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  4. JXK

    Thank you! Definitely holding off on fertilizer.

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  5. JXK

    I wanted to circle back to update you. I did a mix of the advice given. I repotted the plant using the soil recommended. First I used a small clay pot, but the plant was not improving. I got a plastic self-watering pot and replanted again. I also moved its location. There were a lot of wilted leaves that needed to be cut, but the plant appears to be doing much better now. It actually has a flower now too. The plant never had a flower before. So thank you very much for all the advice.

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