Question: Is it true that if you don’t allow an African violet to bloom for a while by clipping the blooms as soon as they appear, that in a few months the plant will explode with blooms? I have noticed that the leaves are getting thicker. The leaves look very healthy.
Answer: Yes. This is what most of the best exhibitors do when growing plants for show. By “disbudding”, the plant is not allowed to bloom and all of its energy goes into producing foliage. The result is a very healty, vigorous, plant. Standards will tend to produce larger leaves. Miniature and semiminiature varieties will remain so, but leaves will become more thick and lush, with better color. When finally allowed to bloom, it can now ustain a much greater amount of bloom. Since the new bloom is generally produced only from the newest growth (usually the first few rows of leaves), there may not be a significant increase in the number of bloom stalks. There will, however, be a greater number of blooms per stalk, and likely larger flowers, than had the plant not been disbudded earlier.