I will disagree with much of what others have said here. A bit of a caveat is required. Before doing so, I would like to point out that you have not told us anything about your growing conditions nor that of your friend. This is an issue which needs addressed. *Where are you located? *Is/was your friend located in the same area/region/state? *Are you looking at growing it outdoors year round? *Did your friend grow it indoors/outdoors? *What temperature range will the plant experience outdoors? *What humidity range and what rainfall will the plant experience outdoors? *What media are you using as potting mix? Such information is very important in enabling others to give the best/most accurate advice possible. If you could do so, sir, that would be helpful all the way around. "NIP is not adapted to handle ANY direct outdoor sunlight." Without any knowledge of the type mentioned above, and as a general blanket statement, that is pure hokum. NIP ARE outdoor plants and in nature can grow in part shade -- which does not preclude in any way getting some direct sun -- or FULL sun all day long. Now, for a bit of clarification. IF the NIP has previously been grown indoors for any length of time, it will need to be hardened off to life outdoors. It is not unlike people with fair skin in temperate climes. After a long winter of being indoors, a fair complected person who suddenly stays outside in direct sun for a number of hours will typically get sunburned ... perhaps quite badly. In order to avoid such, that person would be better off sticking to the shade most of the time at first, while exposing themselves gradually over a matter of weeks to longer and stronger sun exposure. Plants which have been grown indoors for a length of time require the same process of gradually being exposed to direct sun outdoors for increasingly longer periods of time. This is referred to as "hardening off". (NOTE: Not all plant species are created equal -- some plants in the wild grow only in shady or part shade conditions and will not acclimate to direct sun.) Assuming your plant had originally been grown indoors, putting it out in direct sun likely burned it ... hence the sudden dead branches. Now if you live in a hot and very arid area, such as Arizona, then outdoor life is not likely the way to go for your new charge. If you live in an area like Florida, it could do very well for you outside. Having said all that, it looks like much of the plant is doing fine -- even the new growth at the base. So it is possible it has already started to acclimate. To be safe, though, I would move it to a location wherein it would only get very early morning or very late evening sun for a week before "stepping it up." "When properly potted a NIP should be watered when the top half-inch of soil feels dry. " According to the OP, he is waiting until the top couple inches feels dry so that greatly lessons the odds of his overwatering. "Put the original rootball in a pot that is just large enough to hold it with little or any new soil added." I disagree. No plant "enjoys" being pot-bound. Nor does being pot-bound lend itself to optimal growth. The only advantages to keeping to small pots is: 1) stunting the plant's growth (assuming that is desired) 2) taking up less space on the floor/shelf/sill 3) less chance of overwatering if one is using a media that is highly water retentive. A pot the size shown is not "too large" PROVIDED that an appropriate, well draining mix is used. Whether the OP is using such a mix is currently an unknown.

The link below has tips from the African Violet Society of America's web site on getting AVs to bloom. Blooms come on the newer growth, so if your plant is getting lots of new leaves and you follow the tips, you should have flowers before long. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Why Won't My Violet Bloom?

A northwest window on top of the t.v. console is not enough light! It needs LOTS of very bright indirect light or a mix of indirect and dappled direct sun. The new growth is stretching because of low light levels and older leaves are prematurely dropping as the plant pulls needed resources our of old tissue to fuel growth. I've purchased several different plant species is self watering pots and invariably find them moderately to severely root bound, that is, when you go to knock the plant out of it's pot, there is nothing but a solid mass of roots, no loose soil. At this point the soil is exhausted. Fertilizing alone is of limited help. Re-potting must be done.

Does anyone know where this light is from? I saw it on an IG post and cannot find it anywhere.