Help with my African Violet :(
Hi, I inherited this African Violet from my grandmother when she passed away in December. It has not been doing well, all the leaves except two are turning brown and limp. I have been watering from above twice a week and I repotted it when I first got it because the plant was unhappy then too, leaves were soggy and rotten. When I got it I removed the dead leaves, repotted in Miracle Gro potting mix, and put it in my bathroom under a grow light. I noticed it wasn’t growing at all under the grow light so I moved it to the sill of a south facing window. Since I moved it, it has gotten even worse. I moved it out of the direct sunlight but don’t know what to do. This plant is really important to me, please please help.
5” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 month ago
10
Best Answer
So, a couple of things to note here. You should not get water on the leaves when you water because this can lead to issues like crown rot or mildew as their leaves are sensitive to staying wet. Bottom watering works great for these guys. Also, twice a week seems excessive especially during winter when it’s not actively growing. I’d suggest cutting back on the watering and do not follow a set watering schedule. You will have to determine how often yours needs to be watered by checking the soil’s moisture. For the size of the plant, the current pot looks too big. I’d downsize it if possible. Have you checked the root ball for any issues? It may have root rot from how frequent it has been watered. If it has any mushy or discolored roots, you should trim those off and spray with a hydrogen peroxide solution. If everything is completely rotted, then it won’t be salvageable unfortunately. African violets don’t handle direct sunlight well. They do best in bright but indirect sunlight. A grow light works just as well. The soil it’s in looks way too dense. They need to be in well draining media.
@OrangeGrass you overwatering it! African violet should be watered every 9-10 days & no direct sunlight. Did you use African violet potting mix Or use indoor potting mix. And buy african violet plant food by miracle gro that helps. But I pray you didn't give it root rot from overwatering because if you did that means you killed it. That container it's in looks too big for it too. What size pot is that?
@NikkiBplantmom @OrangeGrass thank you! I also consulted the r/houseplants forum on Reddit and here is my plan:
The two leaves that are still mostly green have strong stems that aren’t mushy yet. I’m going to trim them with a sterilized exacto knife and attempt to propagate them in small pots of a 50/50 vermiculite/perlite mix under a grow light. I will also be bottom watering them, and much less than I have been recently. Any thoughts?
The two leaves that are still mostly green have strong stems that aren’t mushy yet. I’m going to trim them with a sterilized exacto knife and attempt to propagate them in small pots of a 50/50 vermiculite/perlite mix under a grow light. I will also be bottom watering them, and much less than I have been recently. Any thoughts?
@NikkiBplantmom ok! Do you have any suggestions on how much to water? And will they tolerate tap water or do they need distilled/spring water/other? Thank you so much for your help!
Regular water is fine. If it's in a 4 inch pot about 1/4 of of water if it's in a 6 inch pot a 1/2 of a cup @IntenseBluebean