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Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong with my African violet. The… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

Violet

Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong with my African violet. The larger leaves have water stains which I’m aware of, but the new leaves are coming in with brown spots and I’m not sure why. I bottom feed it once a week when the soil is dry. Use an LED light since it’s not near a window. I stopped using my fertilizer (8-14-9) because the plant seemed to almost be getting burned by it. I rinsed out the soil as best I could to get rid of any excess fertilizer (which is why the leaves are a bit stained) I’m just not sure why it’s looking so bad… The edges of the leaves seem dried out on a few of them where the stains are so it almost seems like I’m not watering enough but I’m scared of root rot. Any advice?

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10 comments

  1. B-Angie-B 2024

    Hey, I totally understand your frustration with your African violet! Here’s what might be happening and some tips to help: 1. Brown Spots on New Leaves: This could be due to fertilizer burn, which it sounds like you already suspected. Since you stopped using it and flushed the soil, that was a good move. If you want to reintroduce fertilizer later, try diluting it more than usual, and use one specifically for African violets to avoid burning. 2. Watering Concerns: Bottom feeding is perfect for violets! Just make sure the soil is getting a thorough soak, but avoid letting the pot sit in water too long—15-30 minutes should be good. If you’re worried about root rot, make sure the pot has proper drainage and allow the top of the soil to dry before the next watering. 3. Leaf Edges Drying: This might be from underwatering or too much exposure to direct light from the LED. Try adjusting the light to be a bit more indirect if it’s very close to the plant. And keep an eye on the moisture level; African violets like their soil to stay lightly moist, not completely dry between waterings. 4. Humidity: If the room is dry, adding a little extra humidity could help. You could try placing a saucer of water near the plant to increase humidity without overwatering. It sounds like you’re on the right track! Just tweak a few things, and your violet should start perking up soon. Let me know how it goes!

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    • Violet

      I used an African violet fertilizer and used some math to figure out that I needed one drop for the water container I use to measure. It still seemed to be too strong though. I was wondering if maybe I started the fertilizer too soon too. I got it from Home Depot and gave it water and fertilizer the same day. Would that be too much stress for the plant?

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    • Lolly

      B-Angie-B 2024 Please don’t use AI to respond on this platform. I mean this respectfully but it isn’t always good info and everybody can use it. Let’s try to stick to good old fashioned knowledge. Thanks! 😊

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    • eatyacarbs

      agree!! AI needs to be taken with a grain of salt and a lot of this information is either inaccurate or redundant.

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  2. eatyacarbs

    It can be hard to flush the soil with an african violet since they need to be bottom watered. when i fertilize i literally use a syringe and carefully lift and squirt the water onto the soil avoiding the leaves completely. even the smallest drop of water left on one of these fuzzy leaves can cause damage. you can try flushing your soil this way to remove any remaining fertilizer if you think it was too harsh but definitely wait for this to dry out before trying that because i suspect this is a case of too much water. based on this photo i will say your soil looks very wet. these really want to dry out completely bone dry and then sit that way for another day or so before getting any more. in their native climate they getting little bits of ground water slowly, your plastic pot is almost definitely hanging onto water long than your violet wants. i rec a clay african violet pot do you know the strength of your grow light? my violet thrives in an east facing window, so it gets a few hours of direct light in the morning, and then bright indirect throughout the rest of the day

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    • eatyacarbs

      the clay pot sits in a reservoir of water and slooooowly absorbs it

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    • Violet

      I have been wanting to get a new pot for it but was worried that repotting would stress the plant out. I have my light on 25% I wish I knew what that amounted to better though. It’s at an office place so I don’t have access to a window unless I bring it home. Do you think I should repot it now and maybe use some root crack to help with the shock?

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    • eatyacarbs

      I don’t think you need to worry about shock. Especially if the soil is staying too wet for too long it will appreciate something that dries out better. Mine is in 50/50 fine peat and perlite, if I had had vermiculite I would have added one part of that too but you can see mine is doing well it that mix. The pot allows the water to move in slowly and the media allows it to dry out quickly which I think will be especially important if you’re relying on the grow light over true sunlight. these want lots of good light 👍🏻

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    • eatyacarbs

      I got this in March this year by the way — look at her go!

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    • Violet

      It looks so great! I ordered a terracotta pot so I’ll replant it this weekend with new soil

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