African Violets African Violets, Wild Violets, and other Violets are definitely worth the small effort. They are easy to grow and provide long-lasting beauty to your home or office. Regular Violets: True Violets have been known for centuries with the ancient Greeks cultivating them about 500 BC or earlier. Both the Greeks and the Romans used them for all sorts of things such as for herbal remedies, wine, to sweeten food and for festivals. Regular violets have up to 500 species and are come in all shapes and sizes. African Violets: These are somewhat new to cultivation. African Violets were discovered for commercial use in East Africa in the early 20th century. They have a very distinct look from the Regular wild violets and have become one of the most popular household flower plants in the world. Soil for Violets: Most violets are grown in a non-soil, pasteurized mix. One of the main goals is to provide a soil that is very porous to allow high drainage. A rule of thumb is to make the mixture consist of:
Watering of Violets: The best condition for African Violets is to keep the soil moist at all times without being saturated. One good method is to use a wick method where the wick draws water as is needed to the plants soil area. If a watertight container is used you will only need to water every few days. Temperatures for Violets: African Violets can adjust to a homes warm and dry temperatures. They do still need a good amount of light but don’t have o have direct sunlight. Best temperatures for African Violets are 60 degrees F. at night and up to 85 degrees F. during the day. If too cold, they become stunted; if too hot they may rot. |