The African violet has been in its location for a long time and has put a smile on the faces of its viewers several times. How about reproducing it with your own hands? Here are the 3 most proven methods for propagating African violets.
How can I propagate African violets?
African violets can be propagated by leaf cuttings, sowing or plant shoots. For leaf cuttings, tear off a strong leaf and plant it in potting soil. Sow seeds in nutrient-poor substrate. Remove stingy shoots from the main stem and treat them like leaf cuttings.
Use leaf cuttings for propagation
This method is considered simple and popular compared to the other two propagation methods. First, you should choose a leaf of your African violet that is large and strong looking. Do not cut it, but tear it off the mother plant along with its 4 to 5 cm long stem.
To speed up rooting, you can use a razor blade to cut a thin strip off the lower edge of the stem. Then the leaf cuttings are placed in potting soil about 1 cm deep. A mixture of sand and peat is ideal. Support the cutting with a toothpick or long match.
Now the earth is moistened with warm water. It continues as follows:
- Put a plastic cap or bag over the leaf cutting (high humidity)
- place in a bright but not sunny place
- Rooting space: 20 to 25 °C (e.g. living room)
- ventilate daily to avoid mold formation
- Rooting duration: 4 to 6 weeks
- then plant in pot with potting soil
Sowing African violets: It's quick and easy
Another method is sowing. Before you get to work absentmindedly, you should know that African violet seeds are light germinators. Here are a few sowing instructions:
- Fill the seed tray with nutrient-poor substrate
- Mix seeds with sand and scatter
- Germination temperature: 20 to 22 °C
- Germination time: 5 to 10 days
- if the first leaves are visible, prick out if necessary
Use stingy shoots to multiply
A third method of propagation for African violets, which are poisonous to cats, is avarice shoots. Patience is required here, because the appropriate shoots must first form. Young plants develop on the main stem, which you can recognize by their smaller leaves. Remove them from the trunk with a knife. Proceed as with the leaf cuttings.
Tips & Tricks
If you ever repot your African violets, you can divide them at the same time. This is also a propagation method. However, it has not caught on with African violets among friends of this plant.