its so interestimg to read all these different recipes that WORK! and people say that african violets are picky?? :-P I do the exact same mix that harawlins uses.. 1 part peat, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite. i used to use equal parts of peat, vermiculite, reg. soil and the violets that havent been repotted yet are doing ok, but i felt like that mix was too heavy. i like the idea of miracle grow and perlite... but that would be considerably more expensive than my big bagged bales of peat and vermiculite! :-P i rather enjoy the mixing process. i also fertilize every time i water. i use miracle grow AV fertilizer. it must be working! ;) i do not have any of the standards on wicking. i plan to have all my minis on wick watering.. but for the standards... i just dont like the way the plastic wicking stuff looks and i'm too cheap to try the expensive ceramic ones! someone mentioned lime? what would be the benefits of lime?

Hey Nina, welcome! You have come to a great source of information regarding the growing of African Violets. While I and a good many others here try to be helpful, some more so than others, specific questions that have not previously been discussed in depth will receive more attention than the entry level questions that have been discussed so thoroughly in the recent past. There is a search feature on this website. Please search for (African Violet potting mix) and read what is available. That should take about a week or so. You should be able to obtain what you need as far as potting mix goes from any of the big box stores. Steer clear of Miracle Gro products if you can. There really is no "soil" in the potting mixes most of us use. You will discover this as you research. Good luck and welcome!

It just hasn't received the best care in the store ... is what I think. It probably does have thrips, ... but that is because it was purchased from a retail outlet/store. You should disbud the plant ... those bloomstalks won't bloom anyway ... they are too far gone. Others will offer guidance in what sprays to use to begin your battle against thrips. You should be able to remove the bloomstalks by gripping each one individually between a thumb and finger and bending the stalk down until it "snaps" off from the center )crown) of the plant. After a few attempts you should really get good at this. Once the plant is disbudded, make sure that you have a good light setup for your plant. Your African Violet will need bright light either through a window ... or from a fluorescent/LED light setup for 8-12 hours per day. This could be as simple as a CFL bulb in a student lamp fixture. This would be plenty of light for one plant. Standard CFL Bulb Using a Student's Desk lamp for AV Lighting Also, be careful not to water your plant too much. The easiest way to kill an African VIolet is to overwater it. Just water the soil enough to keep the soil damp ... and never let the soil get soggy. African Violet roots need to breathe ... and they can't breathe in wet, soggy soil. Also, keep your plant(s) in comfortable temperatures ... 60-80 degrees. Not too hot, ... not too cold. Once you get the hang of watering and lighting, ... your plant(s) should grow for you, ... and ultimately bloom. At that point, you may turn your attention to fertilizing, repotting, soil mix, etc for even better results ...

Something else I did was put my alcohol in a sprayer bottle. Properly labeled of course! That can really get where no Qtip can reach sometimes. If you have an infestation that has turned your plant mostly white with mealy then toss it. But for light infestations,,,,,try alcohol first. I have saved many plants over the years. I don't get it often. Once every few years if that. BUT I will always try to "alcohol" it first and I have never had a "spread" thru my collection. Let us know what happens! Rosie