Friday, April 16, 2010

"Killing me softly with your love...." or "How overwatering killed your violet"

Roberta Flack wasn't singing about African violets...at least I dont' think she was...but you can definitely kill your violets softly with too much love.

Overwatering is without question the number one killer of African violets. This, I believe, is the result of the new grower simply not understanding the moisture needs of African violets.  Potting mixes that are saturated with water are a breeding ground for crown and root rot which are death sentences for your violets.

Violets enjoy a potting mix that is moist, not soaking wet. I would describe moist as the water content present in a lightly rung out sponge. There is still plenty of moisture for the plant to use but it's not dripping wet.

Remember, if you're going to error with respect to watering your violets, less is far better than more.

Click here to visit my eBay store to see what violets are available this week!

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