Hi Persephonita, if only the outer leaves are limp and the others toward the center are sturdy and crisp then it is mostly likely in shock.

You can either wait to see if the leaves revive or cut the limp ones off. In either case you want to be careful not to overwater at this point. Let the soil dry out some. I stick my finger in the soil down about 1". If the soil feels wet, don't water. If it feels just damp then give the plant water.

I would not fertilize the plant at this time. Give it time to start to show growth, then resume fertilizing. Remember that Miracle-Gro has fertilizer in the soil already and will sustain the plant until it recovers.

You can place it in a plastic bag leaving the top open so that it gets some extra humidity. Leaving the top open will help the plant not to rot, but make sure you do not put it in direct sun at all or you will have a cooked plant! Once the leaves perk up you can then remove the plant and place it where it will get good indirect light.

From what you describe it sounds like it is in shock not root rot, but this a critical time not to overwater until it can recover.

I hope this helps you. Good luck!

Dave

Hi,
I agree with Dave. It sounds like your plant is in shock. I would also change the soil to a lighter mix by adding coarse vermiculite and coarse perlite in equal parts to the Miracle grow potting mix. Ii would also get rid of the terra cotta pot and change to plastic. Try to find a squat pot (azelea pot) which is 1/3 the diameter of the crown. At this point however since you have been removing leaves you might want to pot it up in a disposable plastic bathroom cup until it regains its strength.
Fred in NJ

Thank you for your advice! I hope my little violet makes it!

Hi Persephonita, if you do plant it in a plastic disposable cup make sure you make a drainage hole in the bottom of the cup. Just poke through with the tip of a knife which will do the job.

I twist it a little to give it a good size opening. And to give extra ventilation I go around the bottom of the cup and poke 4 to 6 small holes twisting the knife slightly to give the plant more air at the roots.

Dave

Thank you for your advice Greeness and davioletman. It appears to be getting worse. It's leaves are all completely limp now. I repotted it about a week ago from its very damp soil to african violet soil. I watered it yesterday (from the bottom) and it did actually soak up some of the water. Is there any hope for it? If I kept the plant in the bathroom, would it be okay that I have no windows (and very little light) in there?

Hi,

I think you have root rot. Whenever I see a plant that is completely limp when the soil is damp I think root rot. If it had been in shock, with all the things you've done up to now, it should be doing better.

Anyway, I would go to our FAQ at the top of the front page of the violet forum. Or you can go to this link and it should take you there FAQ

The only thing that I would suggest is that you don't need to use hormone rooting powder. Most people don't have it and I don't think it does much for African violets anyway.

If you have any more questions about this process, please ask away. Several of us are very familiar with how to do this.

Good luck,

Larry

PS - you need to do this right away. Root rot can kill a plant in a matter of days and if it goes up the stem far enough you won't be able to save the plant by any other method than a leaf cutting. So if you can do this today it would be a good idea in my opinion. - lb

After the information you gave, I agree with Larry. It should have perked up by now. Larry is right, you need to try and save this plant asap before it's too late.

Dave

Hi persephonita,

I was wondering how your violet is doing.

Larry

Hi Larry and Dave,

it it sounds like my plant has root rot from what you have described and the info on your forum. So I cut the roots off until I saw a nice green color and moved it to a smaller planter. Do you immediately water now or wait? I don't want to cause more trauma to my sad little plant.

Thanks,

Adrienne

Hi Addrienne

Sounds like you have done well so far in helping your plant to recover.

Keep your soil moist (not soggy) and your plant should recover, though it may take a month or so.

So ... be patient ...

I would also recommend that you put the pot into a plastic bag and seal it after you have watered the soil. This will become the plant's green house. You shouldn't need to water it again for quite a while once it is inside the bag. Good luck!

I forgot to mention that your plant will enjoy bright light but not direct sun while it is trying to develop new roots.

I would also clip off a healthy leaf and root it. This will give you insurance that you'll end up with a good plant.