January is behind us and that means we are closer to spring. That is good news. The days are getting longer and the sun gives more warmth.
Plants notice that just as much as we do. So those wonderful houseguests are gearing up to put out some new growth. That means this is a good time to repot if they are growing out of proportion with their current pot. Generally we recommend moving to the next size larger pot.
This is also a good time to take cuttings of plants that you want to propagate. African violets are a good illustration. They are propagated from leaf cuttings.
You cut off a mature leaf stem and set it in a container with about one inch of water. Keep the cutting in the same light setting as it has been growing in.
It usually takes about four to six weeks for it to develop roots. At that time, pot the rooted leaf stem in a small container and again keep it in bright light.
In six to eight weeks baby violet plants will peek through the surface of the potting material, and there often are several of them. Let them grow until they are large enough to handle easily.
Then gently remove the plant from the growing medium and carefully separate the individual plants. Pot each one individually.
African violets are a bit finicky about light and water. For best blooming, they demand bright light but not direct sun. Water only when the growing medium is dry on the surface.
They also bloom best when they are somewhat root-bound, so don’t be too eager about shifting them to a larger size pot … wait until their growth makes them appear out of proportion with their pot and then only shift them to the next size larger pot.
Too large a pot and keeping the soil moist will result in a large, robust plant with no flowers.
So if you have been counting the weeks of this process, you know we are talking about three months … March, April, May … new plants growing well but not yet blooming. However, now that we are having long hours of daylight, they will have flower bud development faster than any other time of the year.