Hi all. I’ve had this African violet for about a year now probably. I’m not sure there’s any chance to save her at this point so looking for some advice. I had her in a glass self-watering pot (pictured) in espoma organic African violet soil, also used the liquid espoma AV fertilizer every other water refill. She was 27” away from a 40w grow light and rebloomed 2x after I purchased her. The third time buds formed then shriveled along with new leaf growth. I trimmed everything that had dried out, then a couple weeks later the stems and leaves started to feel mushy so I suspected rot. I repotted her today, there was indeed root rot. I trimmed the roots (now a bit smaller than the size of a golf ball, dunked them in water to remove excess soil and repotted in a smaller pot (not self watering). I read that I should put her under a dome to trap humidity. Is that correct? Do I put her under the grow light in the dome also? Also should I just throw her out because my chances are nil? Thank you for any help or advice.
by Physical_Painter_333
1 Comment
If any of the outer leaves are still firm and haven’t turned mushy yet, you can use them to start a brand-new plant.
Gently tug an outer leaf. If it’s firm and snaps like a fresh carrot, it’s viable. If it’s limp or has brown spots creeping up the stem, it’s already infected with the rot.The plant is effectively gone.
In a wicking setup, the soil stays constantly moist. If the mix is too heavy, the tiny air pockets (pores) in the soil fill with water instead of oxygen. This “suffocates” the roots, leading directly to the rot you observed.
When you get your next one, try mixing one part perlite to one part AV soil to give those roots the oxygen they need to stay rot-free!