Question: Several months ago I ordered several plants. One of the violets was supposed to be ‘Cherries ‘n Cream’. As I’ve grown this plant, it has bloomed well and is very healthy, but the blooms are single to semidouble reddish stars with “no edge at all”. The foliage is as described. What can this particular plant […]
Question: I ordered two violets this spring, one of which is supposed to have yellow blooms. I have my first flower, and it is white. Can you advise me on this? Answer: Be patient. It will likely show more yellow in the bloom at a later time. This is a frequent complaint from growers of “yellow” varieties, […]
Question: Do African violets go dormant? Answer: No. Unlike some other members of the gesneriad family, particularly those that are rhizomatous or tuberous, violets (which are fibrous rooted) won’t go dormant, if good culture is provided. If a good, consistent, growing environment is provided, a violet will grow and bloom nearly continually. Most people visiting our shop […]
Question: I’ve seen some varieties described as “Geneva” edged. What does this mean? Answer: This simply means having a blossom with petals edged in white. The term originates from ‘Lady Geneva’, the first variety having blooms with this distinctive white edge. It was a sport (i.e. deviation from its parent) of ‘Blue Boy’, one of the earliest […]
Question: Is there a way to force African violets to bloom? My plants do not start blooming until they are mature plants. I have seen very small plants in bloom. Are these early bloomers “forced”? Answer: Early blooming is a product of two things: the genetic predisposition of the variety, and good culture. Some varieties just bloom […]
Question: My violets develop plenty of buds, but many of them don’t open into flowers. The humidity level is quite low (20-25%) in my home. Is this the problem? Answer: Low humidity can cause buds to “blast” (not open) or not fully develop into blossoms. The solution, of course, is to raise the humidity level in […]
Question: I purchased a couple of your miniature violets, ‘Rob’s Whoa Nellie’ and ‘Rob’s Cool Fruit’, about five months ago. I have both plants under florescent lights at my office. They get 8-plus hours of light, are both on reservoirs, with violet food. They have lots of leaves, in fact, they have an abundance of sucker […]
Question: Please tell me the definition of “stick-tite” and “wasp”. Answer: These terms are used to describe certain types of blossoms. “Stick-tite” blooms are those that do not drop from the pedicel (blossom stem). This is often a problem with single (5-petalled) blossoms that can fall from the pedicel even while still fresh. Usually this is not […]
Question: I have one African violet. Some divisions bloom a solid purple and others bloom purple and white. What causes this to happen? Answer: If divisions means crowns, you may want to separate these and pot them individually. As for the different flower colors, this is the consequence of both genetics and environment. Not knowing the […]
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 […]
