African Violet, a famous Indoor Flower

African violets are short and beautiful, with thick velvet leaves, rich colors, elegant flowers, continuous flowering in four seasons and easy management. They are important indoor ornamental plants.

African Violet is native to the rocky zone under the alpine rainforest of 1,000 to 2km in tropical Africa. The local environment is damp and humic, which is like spring all the year round. Plants are afraid of both cold and heat, suitable temperature 18-24 ℃, slow growth below 16 ℃, leaves hardening, sagging, easy to mildew, less than 10 ℃ easy to freeze, leaf edge and young leaves scorched, plants below 5 ℃ successively withered and dead; plants growing above 27 ℃, flowering rarely, and flowers easy to wither, continuous high temperature more than 35 ℃, plants are easy to rot and die.

As African violets are short indoor flowers, it is appropriate to select small pots for cultivation, according to the growth needs, gradually from small pots to larger flowerpots. The soil requires good drainage, loose and fertile. It can be made of 2 parts of rotten leaf soil, 2 parts of peat and 1 part of perlite (or sand). Because like the overcast, the summer sun is fierce, the temperature is high, should pay attention to the shade on the top and around, but to scatter light enough bright and ventilated, had better put into the indoor with air conditioning. In winter, in addition to the shade at noon, there should be more sunshine sooner or later. Pay attention to heat preservation below 15 ℃. The number of flowers is proportional to whether there is enough light. Indoor cultivation, such as lack of light, can be filled with light (especially fluorescent lamps). African violets are suitable for growing and blooming under indoor air-conditioned fluorescent lights. When watering, it is necessary to master the basin soil to be slightly dry (slightly white with the naked eye) before watering, so as not to get too wet and rot the root to die. The amount of water can be slightly more in summer and slightly dry in winter. Once every two weeks, N (N) 1 ∶ P (P) 3 ∶ K (K) 2 compound fertilizer with high P K and low N could be used. It was avoided to apply too much nitrogen fertilizer so that the leaves bloomed very little. Because the leaves are fluffy and the petioles are soft and fleshy, the leaves should be gently lifted when watering and fertilizing. Do not contaminate the leaves with fertilizer and water to prevent them from becoming scorched and dying.

Diseases include root rot, crown rot, powdery mildew, insect pests such as aphids, mites, thrips, nematodes and so on. Generally give priority to prevention, such as strict soil disinfection, strengthen environmental ventilation and reduce indoor humidity, diseases and insect pests are basic and controllable. In case it happens, it is not difficult to treat it with conventional drugs.