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lalique_gw

Need Help: African violet won't grow

lalique
15 years ago

Hello,

In late August, I purchased an African Violet that hadn't yet flowered from a local florist . I wanted to undertake the task of encouraging it to flower, on my own. However, in that short amount of time, I've already made two, perhaps three, blunders: the first (which I like to blame on the florist, lol) was the addition of a liquid fertilizer with an 8.2% urea nitrogen content. This is Schultz 10-15-10 Plant Food Plus, which I only purchased after the florist told me that any fertilizer would be okay for the plant. As of today, I've only attempted to feed the plant with this fertilizer, twice, but I'm hoping it hasn't done any damage. The second blunder was providing the plant with too little, then to much, light. I live in a condo where all of my windows collect a majority of direct sunlight throughout the day. Initially, I set the plant on an endtable near my patio doors for a few weeks, where it was shaded, yet still received sunlight. Still, it would not grow. If anything, perhaps the leaves (there are four) have gotten a bit taller, but any living thing will do that. Yesterday, I purchased a desk lamp that imitates day light, adjusted it 16" above the plant, and left it on for a good portion of the day. Today, it seems that the leaves are beginning to curl under - a sure sign of too much light. At the end of my rope, I moved the violets to a windowsill in my second bedroom. It gets plenty of light, but the shades are drawn and the intensity is cut in half. I'm hopeful that this will result in further growth. As for the third blunder, well, the proof may be in the soil. Unaware of the very specific needs of violets, I used Miracle Gro Organic Choice potting mix to repot, which is the same soil I use for all of my plants. The mix includes bark and sphagum peat moss, plus I added a bit of sand for further drainage. I can only hope that this is an okay mix, as the plant has never had an issue with drainage whenever I've watered it (approx. once a week, from the bottom up). In any case, my violet still refuses to grow, or at the very least, is growing at a snail's pace. I'm kind of at a dead end, here, so any tips or tricks are much appreciated. Thanks!

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