Violets: how to grow an African violet so that it flowers all year

In short: The African violet (Saintpaulia) needs bright diffused light for 10–12 hours a day, a temperature of 18–24 °C and watering from below with room-temperature water. Do not wet the leaves, and choose a small pot, at most 10 cm. It is not poisonous to dogs and cats. The garden violet is a different plant, the sweet violet.

When someone says violet, most people picture velvety leaves and clusters of purple, pink or white blooms on a windowsill. That is the African violet, one of the most widespread flowering houseplants. In the right spot it flowers almost all year round, but it does not tolerate cold water on the leaves, overwatering or a large pot.

In this article you will find how to water a violet, where to put it, why it does not flower and how to propagate it from a leaf. At the end there is a short section on the garden violet, the sweet violet, with which the African violet is often confused.

African violet or garden violet?

In Czech the word "fialka" is used for two unrelated plants.

Pansies and violas from beds belong to the same genus as the sweet violet; their cultivation is described in the article pansy (viola).

Where to put an African violet

The violet needs a lot of light, but not direct sun, which scorches its leaves into yellow-brown spots. From spring to autumn a north- or east-facing window suits it best. In winter, when there is little light, move it to a south- or west-facing window; in summer it would suffer there, though.

To flower it needs 10–12 hours of light a day. Where natural light is not enough, a grow light above the plant helps. The temperature is 18–24 °C by day and around 16 °C at night. It dislikes draughts, cold glass in winter and radiant heat from a radiator directly under the windowsill. Winter care of houseplants in general is covered in the article how to care for houseplants in winter.

How to water an African violet

Most dead violets do not die of dryness but of overwatering. Watering from below is the safest, because water does not stay on the leaves or in the centre of the rosette.

1. Wait until the surface of the compost feels dry. In summer that is after 3–5 days, in winter longer.
2. Pour room-temperature water, ideally left to stand, into a bowl or saucer.
3. Leave the pot in the bowl for about 30 minutes; the compost soaks up what it needs.
4. Pour off the remaining water. The pot must not stand permanently in water.

Cold water on the leaves leaves pale spots and rings, and water in the centre of the rosette leads to rot. So do not mist a violet either; misting promotes mould. Increase dry air near a radiator in another way: stand the pot on a saucer with damp gravel or expanded clay pellets, with the water level below the top layer of pebbles.

Compost, pot, repotting and feeding

A violet has shallow, fine roots and flowers best when it is a little cramped in its pot. A large pot means a lot of wet soil, slow drying and fewer flowers. For common varieties do not use a diameter larger than 10 cm.

• Compost: light and well-drained, special for African violets, or houseplant compost with added perlite (about a third of the volume).
• Repotting: in spring every 2–3 years, or when the rosette spreads into several crowns. The new pot should be only slightly larger than the root ball.
• An older violet with a "neck" (a long bare stem below the leaves) can be rejuvenated: cut off the lower part of the root ball and plant the violet deeper so that the stem is in the compost.

A general repotting procedure is in the article repotting houseplants.

Feeding

From spring to the end of summer feed every 3–4 weeks with a liquid fertiliser for African violets or for flowering houseplants, at the dose on the label, preferably weaker. Add the fertiliser to the water when watering from below, never to dry compost. In winter, when the violet grows more slowly, skip feeding or reduce it by half.

Propagation by leaf cuttings

You can propagate a violet very easily from a single leaf. It works best in spring.

1. Choose a healthy, almost fully grown leaf from the middle tier of the rosette, not the oldest bottom one or the youngest from the centre.
2. Cut it off with its stalk and shorten the stalk to 2–3 cm with a slanting cut.
3. Insert it at an angle into moist, well-drained compost (seed compost with perlite) about 1 cm deep.
4. Cover with a bag or lid and place in light without sun, at a temperature of around 18 °C or higher.
5. In 4–5 weeks tiny plantlets start to form at the base of the stalk. When they have several small leaves, separate them and plant them individually in small pots.

Why a violet does not flower, and other problems

• Not flowering: most often too little light (less than 10–12 hours), then a pot that is too large, dry air near a radiator or a plant that has not been repotted for a long time and has several crowns.
• Pale spots and rings on the leaves: cold water on the leaves.
• Yellow-brown spots: direct sun.
• Wilting and softening of the centre of the rosette: overwatering and crown rot. Healthy leaves can be saved as cuttings.
• Grey coating on flowers and leaves: grey mould or powdery mildew, usually due to misting and damp air without circulation.
• White tufts in the leaf axils: mealybugs. Isolate the affected plant and wipe off individual colonies with a cotton bud.
• Silvery spots and scattered pollen on the flowers: thrips.

If you are just starting with houseplants, you will find other undemanding species in the overview houseplants for beginners.

Is an African violet poisonous to cats and dogs?

No. The ASPCA lists the African violet as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. That is why it is among the suitable flowering plants for a home with pets. Just take care with fertilisers and plant protection products, and store them out of reach.

Garden violet: the sweet violet

The sweet violet (Viola odorata) is a small perennial that flowers purple or white in spring and is strongly scented. It grows in partial shade under shrubs and trees, in humus-rich, moister soil, and spreads by runners and seeds, so over time it forms a continuous carpet.

• Sowing: the seeds need a cold period. Sow them in autumn outdoors in trays or straight in place, and they come up in spring. A spring sowing without chilling germinates unevenly.
• Planting: ready-grown plants in spring or autumn, spacing about 20 cm.
• Care: almost none, watering in a dry summer. Where it spreads too much, pull out the runners.
• Do not dig anything up from the wild. Some wild-growing violets, for example the tall violet or the fen violet, are strictly protected in the Czech Republic.

Sweet violet flowers are traditionally used as an edible decoration; more about this in the article edible flowers.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water an African violet?

Not by the calendar, but once the surface of the compost has dried, in summer usually after 3–5 days. Best from below: put the pot for 30 minutes in a bowl of room-temperature water, then pour off the excess.

Why is my African violet not flowering?

Most often it has too little light; it needs 10–12 hours of bright diffused light a day. Other causes are a pot that is too large, dry air near a radiator and an overgrown plant with several crowns.

Can I mist an African violet?

No. Water on the hairy leaves leaves spots and promotes mould and rot. Raise the air humidity with a saucer of damp gravel.

How do I propagate an African violet from a leaf?

In spring cut off a healthy leaf with its stalk, shorten the stalk to 2–3 cm and insert it in moist, well-drained compost. Under a bag at 18 °C or higher new plantlets appear in 4–5 weeks.

Is an African violet poisonous to cats?

The African violet is not; the ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses.

What pot is right for an African violet?

A small one, at most 10 cm in diameter and only slightly larger than the root ball. In a large pot the compost stays wet for a long time and the violet flowers less.

Recommended products

• Kapka for AFRICAN VIOLETS 200 ml – a liquid fertiliser made for violets, just add it to the water when watering.
• Fertiliser for houseplants 500 ml – an alternative if you grow violets together with other houseplants.
• Perlite FORESTINA 2–4 mm, 2.5 l – lightens the compost for violets and for propagation from a leaf.
• PRIMAVERA saucer 12 cm – for watering from below and as a tray with damp gravel.

Sources

• Royal Horticultural Society: How to grow African violets
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control: African Violet
• Decree No. 395/1992 Coll., Annex II: strictly protected plant species

Updated: 27 September 2026