Learning how to transplant African violets of the Gesneriaceae family can determine if your plant survives the transplant or dies. If transplanting from small pots to bigger ones, start by putting the right soil mix in the big pots.
If planting from a pot to the ground, begin by preparing the new area. Continue reading this full guide for all the details and steps!
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What Are the Factors To Consider When Transplanting African Violets?
The factors to consider when transplanting African violets include choosing the ideal time to do the transplanting, which is when they are actively growing in late spring or early summer. Other factors to consider are the right soil mix, temperature, light, and water requirements.
Many factors determine how successful your African violet transplant will be. Find a detailed explanation of these factors below.
– The Right Time to Transplant African Violets
African violets prefer being transplanted when they are actively growing. The best season to do it would be in late spring or early summer, but ensure the plants are not blooming at those times. These warm seasons have the right temperatures to help the flowers heal from transplant shock.
The best time to transplant violets differs from other plants because most trees prefer transplanting in early spring or late winter. The plants are dormant during these seasons, so they will use the energy they could have used for growth to heal from the transplant shock.
However, although violets can be transplanted during summer, avoid moving them in the middle of summer. The temperatures are high because of the hot sun, and the soil dries up fast. Besides, the leaves are not strong enough to withstand the high temperatures, increasing chances of wilting, yellowing, and plant death.
– Soil Requirements
Whether you grow African violets in the soil or containers, you must get the potting mix right. These plants thrive best in well-draining and slightly acidic soils. The soil should also allow enough airflow for the roots to breathe and keep most humidity above the ground.
Growing African violets in waterlogged soils cause root rot and attract other fungal diseases that kill the flower. If you doubt the soil’s drainage, add peat moss and organic manure to increase the drainage. Peat moss also increases the soil’s acidity, making it suitable for the flowers.
When repotting African violet to a different site, you can fill the new hole with the soil from the previous site. This creates a similar environment to the previous location, which helps the flowers recover faster and start growing. However, ensure the soil from the previous site is free from pests, like mealybugs, and diseases before reusing it.
– Watering Requirements
Violets don’t fuss when not watered for two or three days. In fact, these flowers prefer wet to dry soil, so you should only water them once a week, depending on the current temperatures.
However, ensure you water your flowers before transplanting them. Irrigating the soil makes it stick to the roots, creating a firmer root ball. Also, the water softens the ground for digging when uprooting the plant. Failure to water the ground leads to the use of too much energy by the gardener when digging. However, don’t over-irrigate the soil, as this could also affect the roots.
Another reason to water the flowers before transplanting is to ensure they remain healthy. Water helps with the plant’s continuous supply of nutrients and mineral salts. Leaving the plant to dry for a long time reduces the transportation efficiency of minerals, making it weaker. This could reduce the chances of survival during transplanting.
Once you have transplanted the flowers, water them more frequently. Water is essential for transplanted flowers because it helps to reduce African violet transplant shock. It also keeps the soil moist and easy to penetrate by the growing roots and provides the growing flowers with nutrients and minerals.
– Temperature Needs
Temperature is essential for all plants, including the violet flower. This plant grows best in areas with temperatures between 60 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit would slow the plant’s growth and invite some pests and diseases.
Also, higher temperatures cause fast evaporation, forcing the gardener to water the flower more frequently. Furthermore, high temperatures could scorch the plants, causing brown spots on the leaves.
– Pot Requirements
Choose a pot that is only slightly larger than the current pot of the African violet. A pot that is 1 to 2 inches larger in diameter than the current one is generally suitable. African violets prefer being slightly pot-bound, meaning they don’t need excessive space for their roots to grow.
Opt for a porous and well-draining pot material, such as terracotta or ceramic, which allows excess moisture to evaporate. Avoid plastic pots without drainage holes, as they can lead to waterlogged soil and root rot. Ensure the pot has drainage holes at the bottom.
– Light Requirements
Violets thrive when exposed to bright, indirect light. If you plant them indoors and your rooms are dark, you can use fluorescent lights above the leaves to ensure continuous plant growth. However, ensure these artificial lights are at least 12 inches above the plants to avoid scorching them.
If you plant the flowers outdoors, consider growing them under a shade. This ensures they get enough light without being directly exposed to the sun. Too much sunlight causes discoloration in the leaves, and they will start getting light green. Also, little light causes thin and dark green leaves on your flowers.
How to Safely Transplant African Violets
To safely transplant African violets, the first step is to choose and prepare the new location. This includes getting a bigger container, filling it with the correct soil, and watering it. You will then remove the flower’s root ball from the old container and plant it in the new site.
1. Prepare the New Site
Before doing anything to your African violet, prepare the new site to transplant it. This is done by getting the right pot for the flower and filling it with suitable soil. Increase the pot size if you are transplanting a big flower to give the plant room for growth. The same applies when planting in the ground. If you are transplanting an overgrowth African violet, dig a bigger hole to grow it.
Once you have obtained a suitable container, fill it with soil. Get well-draining, slightly acidic soil, and ensure it is nutrient-rich. You can add perlite and peat moss to make the ground more suitable for the flower. Growing violets in soils with poor drainage causes root rot and other plant infections.
You should also make holes in the container’s base before planting the flower. The holes increase the soil’s drainage by allowing excess water to leave the container. Another step worth considering before transplanting is disinfecting the pot and tools used to remove the plants. This ensures no diseases are transferred to the new plant.
2. Remove the Flower From the Old Pot
The next step is removing the plant from the old pot. This step is essential but delicate, and it could determine your plant’s survival after transplanting. Holding the flower carelessly could cause the breaking of the roots or the branches.
If removing the flower from a clay pot, water it first. The water makes the soil easier to move around, leading to easy transportation. The moisture also keeps the plant happy and thriving, so it won’t fuss much about being transplanted. However, if your flower grows in a ceramic or plastic container, don’t water it before the transplantation.
When removing the African flower from the old container, hold it on the crown. Put the pot upside down and tap the bottom to loosen the soil from the container sideways. Depending on how sticky the soil is on the container, the plant’s root ball will eventually come out. You can also squeeze the plastic container on the sides to loosen the soil.
3. Examine the Roots
Once your plant is out of the old container, don’t rush to grow it in the new site immediately. First, check the root’s condition by cleaning the root ball with water. Remove the stubborn soil with your hands, but be careful not to hurt the roots. This exposes the roots, and you can easily see the infected ones.
Use a hygienic pair of scissors or a knife to trim the rotten or infected roots. Planting them in the new planter could infect the other healthy roots, causing the plant’s death. Also, check if there are brown, mushy, or black sections on the roots. You should also treat the roots with root treatment to avoid decay.
4. Prune the Plant
Next, prune your flower before planting it. Remove dry and damaged leaves and tiny branches to encourage the regrowth of others. You should also trim the unevenly growing leaves. These cause overcrowding in the flower, reducing aeration and causing more leaves to rot.
When pruning violets, use clean and sterilized shears to cut the leaves. Dirty tools can transmit diseases and infections to the plant, causing it worse problems. Also, ensure you prune in the correct places to allow the leaves to grow back sooner.
If your flower is blooming, wait until the flowering season is over. Transplanting plants causes them stress, and the flowers could fall off. Moving the plant just before the blooming season could also delay its flowering because it takes some time to heal before getting back to normal growing.
5. Transfer to the New Pot
It is time to pot your flower plant. Since you have filled the container with the suitable soil and watered it, make a small hole in the middle and place your plant. You should then fill the hole with soil. Pat down the soil to stabilize the plant and ensure it stays in place. However, don’t apply too much energy when patting because this blocks all air spaces and could cause root rot.
Since you are repotting African violets with a neck, you should use a deeper pot. This will ensure the bare part without leaves on the plant’s lower section is fully covered in the soil. Leaving this part exposed causes toppling over of the plant, which can injure it.
6. Provide Aftercare
You have successfully transplanted your African violet plant. The next task is caring for it to ensure its survival. This entails watering the flower daily until it starts growing. However, don’t overwater if the temperatures are low to avoid making the soil soggy and causing root rot.
You can also cover the plant with a plastic bag to keep the moisture and humidity constant. But don’t let the bag damage the plant leaves. Your plant should stay in this plastic bag for over a week.
If growing the flower indoors, you could wonder, how long do African violets live indoors? African violets can live indoors for up to 50 years if provided with proper care and maintenance. Plant care includes removing the dust off the leaves, but make sure to wipe any water droplets off the foliage to prevent damage.
Conclusion
How to transplant African violets depends on where you are moving them from. If you are moving the plants from smaller pots to bigger ones, start by preparing the new planters. If you are transplanting them to a different site in the soil, begin by digging a new hole.
- African violets thrive in well-draining, acidic soils, so ensure the new site has the right soil type.
- Always dig a bigger hole than the plant’s old location to give it room for growth. A small hole will force you to transplant the flower again after a year or two.
- African violets thrive when exposed to indirect sunlight, so plant them in a shaded open space.
Now that you know the steps to follow when replanting African violets, you can do it seamlessly!