Question: I purchased a violet at a department store along with a “violet pot” and some potting soil. I’m now noticing a “rust-colored” crust in the center of the plant, rotting patches on the leaves, and a white crust on the soil. What am I doing wrong?
Answer: In a nutshell, the soil is being kept too wet, and your violet cannot process all the water that is being made available to it. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with violets sold at department stores, self-watering “violet pots”, or most soil sold commercially. Unfortunately, most “violet” soil sold at department stores or garden centers is not appropriate for use in self-watering “violet pots” sold at these same stores. When using any self-watering system, where the soil is kept constantly moist, the soil mix must contain at least 50% perlite. If not, the soil retains too much water. Your plant cannot process all of this water and the minerals and nutrients it contains. Your plant’s tissues will try to secrete some of this–the “rust colored” crust and, when it can’t, tissues that retain too much water will begin to rot. Excess minerals and salts in the water, unused by the plant, will accumulate on the soil surface.